Monday, August 17, 2015

Gamma Rift by Kalli Lanford Giveaway & Interview


Gamma Rift
Kalli Lanford

Release Date: August 18

Genre: New Adult

Publisher: Entangled Embrace Imprint

Book Description:

His secret (alien) crush...

I may be a Prince, but there are things that trouble me about my father's royal rule-the forced abduction, experimentation, and torture of alien creatures. The king has a new prisoner who's a carefully kept secret...

There's a young female who belongs to a little-known civilization I have been studying extensively. They are human, belonging to a small, undeveloped planet called Earth. She is pretty in a way I find unusual and compelling. Sometimes I sneak into the adjoining cell and we talk about everything and nothing, even as I find myself yearning to touch her strange, soft skin.

Skin that is being subjected to invasive tests and experiments. A body that's scheduled for a live dissection in fifteen days. And a life that will be terminated unless I risk my future and life to help her escape...



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Available at Amazon




About the Author:

Kalli Lanford, a native of San Diego, California, grew up hanging out at the beach and playing sports.  When she’s not nerding out at San Diego Comic-Con, she can be seen doing normal-people stuff like teaching high-school English, cooking delicious meals for her family, and attending her son’s football games.  In her spare time, she writes new adult fiction and loves listening to hard rock.  She hopes to live long and prosper, and that you will, too.

Interview

Where are you from?
I’m a native San Diegan. I can’t imagine living anywhere else. I love this city.
Tell us your latest news?
Other than book news, with GAMMA RIFT releasing on August 17, my son is the kicker on his high-school football team. He just competed in a punter competition and won! My family is so excited. He’s also being scouted by colleges, so we are all hoping he’ll get a scholarship to a Division 1 school.
When and why did you begin writing?
I was eight when I wrote my first short story. It was about a lady bug that slept in a leaf stretched between two twigs. I wish I still had it. I have no idea what happened to it. I’ve always loved to write fiction, so finally about two years ago, I came up with an idea for a story and decided to turn it into a novel.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I thought that as soon as I found an agent to represent my book that I’d consider myself a writer, but that really didn’t happen until GAMMA RIFT sold to Entangled’s  New Adult imprint, Embrace. At that point I felt like a writer, and then when I saw the cover with my name on it, I was totally blown away. I love the cover so much, and I love the title.
What inspired you to write your first book?
I am a sci-fi freak, and I’m also really passionate about forbidden love stories. As a kid, I used to climb up to the top of the jungle gym in my back yard, lay across the top of the bars, and look up at the sky, hoping to see an UFO. Of course, I never saw one, but I’d make up stories in my head about aliens and space ships. GAMMA RIFT encompasses many of the things I used to dream about.
Do you have a specific writing style?
When it comes to point of view, I write in first person. In fact, GAMMA RIFT, shifts back and forth (every other chapter) between the point of view of America, the main character, and an alien named Garran. I also tend to write really lengthy sentences with many dependent clauses. But don’t worry. My editor breaks them up into two sentences, so they don’t drag on and on like something from a Dickens’ novel. By the way, Charles Dickens’ is one of my favorite authors. Weird – I know.
How did you come up with the title?
The original title I came up with was ENESTIA. It’s the name of the planet in which the majority of the story takes place, but my editor thought the title didn’t give any hints as to what the story was about.  She was right, so the publisher came up with the new title. It’s perfect for the story now.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Many of the themes in this book deal with romance and friendship – forbidden romance for one. But there’s something unique about this romance, since it’s between a human and an alien. Perseverance and doing what’s right even if it involves breaking the rules are also two additional themes.
How much of the book is realistic?
The romance between the characters and the sacrifices made are very realistic and very human, considering the fact that Garran is an alien. And even though this story takes place on another planet, I think the readers forget that they are reading about people in a different galaxy and that Garran is not a human. The social interactions between the Enestian’s are also realistic. Garran is a prince and his values go against his fathers, so there are also many conflicts and acts of justified betrayal.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
I wish I’d seen a spaceship or an alien before, so I could say yes, but I haven’t. But I have gone to Roswell before, and I’ve seen the signs warning people not to enter the area known as Area 51. In terms of the relationships, I would say that I’d identify the most with Lestra Timuary. She’s Garran’s personal servant. It’s one of those situations where she has fallen in love with him, and he has no idea. I can’t tell you how many guys I’ve been crazy about, and they didn’t even know it.
What books have most influenced your life most?
One of my favorite books is TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee. Atticus’ advice to walk in someone else’s shoes, get under his or her skin, and see things from the other person’s point of view are suggestions that everyone should live by. It’s something I try to do. I never rush to judgement, and I make my own opinions based on my experiences with a person rather than what other people have said about them.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
I would have to say Billie Letts. Even though she writes contemporary, and my books tend to be sci-fi, I love the relationships she creates. Her characters are so well-defined that they become real. That’s what I want my characters to do.
What book are you reading now?
I am so busy writing and editing, that I haven’t had a lot of time to read. The last book I started was GAME OF THRONES. I downloaded it on my Nook, read to page ten, and haven’t gotten back to it yet. I watch the series, and I’ve seen the cast at Comic-Con three times, but I have yet to read it. By the end of the day when I’ve written/edited my own stuff or that from a critique partner, I just can’t read anything else.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
Chris Cannon is a YA author with Entangled. I met her last year at the Entangled author conference. I’ve read her first book GOING DOWN IN FLAMES and I loved it. I want to read the whole series. She and I have similar writing styles, and she is a really nice, down- to- earth person.
What are your current projects?
I’m working on GAMMA RIFT, book 2. The working title is STAR STRUCK, but that might end up changing. I trust my editor and publisher, so if they come up with something else, I’ll happily go along with it.
What would you like my readers to know?
I am a huge Walking Dead fan. I’m currently crushing on Rick right now. I cried when John Snow died, and if I wasn’t married, I’d want to be Sherlock’s girlfriend.

I also want readers to know that my goal is to write intriguing, page-turning novels, and I hope GAMMA RIFT lives up to that. I also love interacting with readers and giving advice to new writers, so please email me or contact me through FB or Twitter if you have any comments or questions. That would make my day.


Author Twitter: @kallilanford



  
Giveaway Info: 
Swag and Gamma Rift ebook

If winner is international they will get a $5 Amazon Gift Card


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