IRON PENDULUM Synopsis:
A month ago, Avery thought the world ended outside Dome Four. Thought she was one of the few of her kind. Thought the war that brought the human race to the brink of extinction was over.
But a month can change everything.
After fighting to escape a tyranny she didn't even know existed, Avery has had to come to grips with all the secrets she's uncovered. But more secrets continue to come to light, revealing how little of her world she truly knew. When evidence starts to show that Dome Four might be under siege, Avery knows what she must do.
Returning to the dome she longed to escape is a challenge for Avery, but now she knows there’s corruption lurking in the shadows. A massive steam shortage leaves half the dome without power, and people are falling ill. Dying.
And they’re blaming Avery.
A month can change everything. One more month could kill everyone. The clock is ticking.
But a month can change everything.
After fighting to escape a tyranny she didn't even know existed, Avery has had to come to grips with all the secrets she's uncovered. But more secrets continue to come to light, revealing how little of her world she truly knew. When evidence starts to show that Dome Four might be under siege, Avery knows what she must do.
Returning to the dome she longed to escape is a challenge for Avery, but now she knows there’s corruption lurking in the shadows. A massive steam shortage leaves half the dome without power, and people are falling ill. Dying.
And they’re blaming Avery.
A month can change everything. One more month could kill everyone. The clock is ticking.
EXCERPT:
Footsteps sloshed through the water and raced toward us.
Zeroes were in the tunnels, and they were dangerously close to the Alliance Headquarters. To Dome Four.
My heart clamored in my chest, catching the rhythmic pounding of feet hitting the cement. The water rippled and sloshed around my feet. Rats skittered back from where we’d come, abandoning the tunnel as fast as possible. I looked up, shining my headlamp down the abyss in time to see exactly what I didn’t want to come face to face with ever again in my life.
Burned men hurtled down the passageway in ragged military uniforms. Pieces of fabric clung to their charred bodies, melted onto their muscles like a new skin to replace their original flesh.
They tumbled over one another with no regard for their fellow comrades. Their snarls ripped through the air like wild animals, and they pushed one another in a battle to reach us first.
About Megan Curd:
Megan Curd is a graduate of Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minnesota. While having always enjoyed reading any books she could get her hands on, Megan didn’t begin writing until a friend encouraged her to do so while in college.
When not writing, Megan enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Photography, traveling and snowboarding are hobbies she loves, and she doesn’t turn down the opportunity to play xBox with her brother and friends when it presents itself.
Megan currently resides in Ohio with her husband and son, where she is trying to convert them into Buckeye fans.
Interview:
Where are
you from? Dayton, Ohio
Tell us your latest news? I'm currently starting to work on the sequel to IRON PENDULUM, which is
titled COPPER PHOENIX. I'm also a wedding photographer, so when I'm not
writing, I'm shooting people -- in a non-lethal sense. :)
When and why did you begin writing? My friend encouraged me to try to write while I was in college, and so I did. That became my first novel, Bridger, and I never looked back! It was such an amazing feeling, to create and develop worlds. I never thought anyone would actually read my books, so when I got my first email from a reader, I was blown away. It still thrills me to receive messages from my readers on Facebook, Twitter, or in emails, and truly, I write for my readers. I’m pretty sure I have the best readers of all time.
When did you first consider yourself a writer? When I finished my first book. :)
What inspired you to write your first book? Steel Lily first started cropping up in my mind over Christmas of 2011. For some reason, the thought of what our world may be like if we didn’t take care of it. If we continued to abuse our resources, and then a massive war broke out. How would we deal? Could we survive? What would that look like? All of those ideas were swimming around, and Avery’s world is what came out of it.
Do you have a specific writing style? I write YA, and I definitely prefer to write in first person. Other than that, I'm pretty open for anything. :)
How did you come up with the title? My titles have hints of what's to come in the book. Steel Lily was indicative of what happened in the book, and Iron Pendulum is a hint of what's to come. :) You'll have to read it to find out just what it means!
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? One of my big things is that no one is completely evil or completely good. You see the characters struggle with that in the book; they want to typecast and assume things, but nothing can ever be discerned completely. People are complex, and we need to understand that we all have things in our past that make us what we are today. I think that's the big thing I want people to see going on in the book. That our actions ripple effect far beyond what we could imagine.
How much of the book is realistic? Technically, not much, as it's a dystopian. But I hope that the characters' reactions to their environments and their relationships are very realistic; I want my readers to feel their pain and cheer them on in their triumphs. :)
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life? Not so much. There are a few things that are minor that they deal with, but the plot is very organic and character based this go-round. :)
What books have most influenced your life most? The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling and Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins are my favorite, but I also have been heavily influenced by On A Pale Horse by Piers Anthony, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and Lord of the Flies by William Golding. All of those are amazing books that left a mark.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? Suzanne Collins and J.K. Rowling. They create worlds and characters that are just so rich. I would love to just sit and listen to them plot. :)
What book are you reading now? CREWEL by Genifer Albin
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest? Mindy Ruiz is a fantastic new author who I absolutely adore. Go check out her new release, ENCHANTED HEART!
What are your current projects? COPPER PHOENIX is all I'm working on at the moment! :)
When and why did you begin writing? My friend encouraged me to try to write while I was in college, and so I did. That became my first novel, Bridger, and I never looked back! It was such an amazing feeling, to create and develop worlds. I never thought anyone would actually read my books, so when I got my first email from a reader, I was blown away. It still thrills me to receive messages from my readers on Facebook, Twitter, or in emails, and truly, I write for my readers. I’m pretty sure I have the best readers of all time.
When did you first consider yourself a writer? When I finished my first book. :)
What inspired you to write your first book? Steel Lily first started cropping up in my mind over Christmas of 2011. For some reason, the thought of what our world may be like if we didn’t take care of it. If we continued to abuse our resources, and then a massive war broke out. How would we deal? Could we survive? What would that look like? All of those ideas were swimming around, and Avery’s world is what came out of it.
Do you have a specific writing style? I write YA, and I definitely prefer to write in first person. Other than that, I'm pretty open for anything. :)
How did you come up with the title? My titles have hints of what's to come in the book. Steel Lily was indicative of what happened in the book, and Iron Pendulum is a hint of what's to come. :) You'll have to read it to find out just what it means!
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? One of my big things is that no one is completely evil or completely good. You see the characters struggle with that in the book; they want to typecast and assume things, but nothing can ever be discerned completely. People are complex, and we need to understand that we all have things in our past that make us what we are today. I think that's the big thing I want people to see going on in the book. That our actions ripple effect far beyond what we could imagine.
How much of the book is realistic? Technically, not much, as it's a dystopian. But I hope that the characters' reactions to their environments and their relationships are very realistic; I want my readers to feel their pain and cheer them on in their triumphs. :)
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life? Not so much. There are a few things that are minor that they deal with, but the plot is very organic and character based this go-round. :)
What books have most influenced your life most? The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling and Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins are my favorite, but I also have been heavily influenced by On A Pale Horse by Piers Anthony, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and Lord of the Flies by William Golding. All of those are amazing books that left a mark.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? Suzanne Collins and J.K. Rowling. They create worlds and characters that are just so rich. I would love to just sit and listen to them plot. :)
What book are you reading now? CREWEL by Genifer Albin
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest? Mindy Ruiz is a fantastic new author who I absolutely adore. Go check out her new release, ENCHANTED HEART!
What are your current projects? COPPER PHOENIX is all I'm working on at the moment! :)
Links:
Website: http://megancurd.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeganCurd
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/macdizzledoo/
Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4904383.Megan_Curd
IRON PENDULUM Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17984513-iron-pendulum
$5 gift card to choice of Amazon or Barnes & Noble + ecopy of Steel Lily
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Wow, great excerpt! Sounds like an awesome dystopic read, can't wait to check it out.
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