Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Shadow of the Coalition by Jamie A. Waters Excerpt, Giveaway & Interview


Shadow of the Coalition
The Two Towers Series
Book Two
Jamie A. Waters

Genre:  Paranormal Romance /
Science Fiction Romance /
Dystopian Romance

Publisher: MuseItUp Publishing

Date of Publication: June 28, 2016

ISBN:  978-1-77127-810-2
ASIN:  B01FNEPYXU

Number of pages:  417
Word Count: 107,000

Cover Artist:  SuzieDesigns

Book Description:

The award-winning novel, The Two Towers, continues in Book 2…

What’s stronger? Free will or fate?

It's been a month since Kayla, a headstrong ruin rat, and Carl, an OmniLab trader, returned to the surface. After she helped to restore control of the towers to those who would look after the best interests of the people, she'd found herself irrevocably bonded to Alec, the new co-leader of the High Council.

Although her heart belongs to Carl, she finds it difficult to resist the strange bond between her and Alec. Caught between learning how to handle her new emerging abilities, mysterious earthquakes, and a strange group seemingly intent on targeting OmniLab, Kayla and Carl are once again swept up in events that threaten to change the entire future of the towers.


Amazon     iTunes     MuseItUp    Kobo

Excerpt:
Kayla got down on hands and knees to crawl between the floor and a collapsed ancient wall in Sector 12. It would be a tight fit, but she’d navigated worse in the past. Taking a deep breath, she sucked in her stomach and squeezed through the narrow space.
Getting up, she brushed the dirt off her visor and shone the flashlight around what appeared to have once been a common room. Living room, she remembered. Although, there definitely wasn’t anything living in the room now. A thick shroud of dust and debris coated the surfaces within the room. The remnants of an old fireplace stood in the corner and pieces of broken furniture were scattered on the floor.
Closing her eyes, a deep breath helped to focus her thoughts. Using what she now knew as energy threads, she opened up her senses to explore the hidden world around. The darkness fell away, embracing the energy swirling in the ruins. The energy had the flavor of an almost living thing, inviting her to tap into it. She shivered as it poured in and her blood hummed with the rush of power. Her fingers unfurled as the energy became an almost tangible thing.
She basked in the warmth and excitement of the intoxicating power. As the energy flowing through her increased, it was a little easier to ignore the sense of wrongness and longing she suspected was from being separated from Alec.
It had only been six weeks since she left OmniLab towers. After she helped to restore control of the towers to those who would look after the best interests of the residents, she'd found herself irrevocably bonded to Alec, the new co-leader of the High Council. Even though he was enigmatic and alluring, the shared energy bond scared her more than she wanted to admit. He was likeable enough, but it was an OmniLab trader named Carl who had truly touched her heart.
Her face warmed at the thought of Carl. Even though they'd known each other for almost a year, it wasn't until she recently joined his camp that she began to see him in a new light. The man had a quick mind and was incredibly devious, two traits she greatly admired.

About the Author:
Jamie A. Waters is an award-winning, science-fiction and paranormal romance writer. Her first novel, The Two Towers, was a winner of the Readers' Favorite Award in Science-Fiction Romance and the CIPA EVVY Award in Science-Fiction. The highly anticipated second book in the series, Shadow of the Coalition, is scheduled to be released Summer 2016 by MuseItUp Publishing.

Jamie currently resides in North Carolina with her teenage son and two neurotic dogs who enjoy stealing socks. When she's not pursuing her passion of writing, she's usually trying to learn new and interesting random things (like how to pick locks or use the self-cleaning feature of the oven without setting off the fire alarm). In her downtime, she enjoys reading on her Kindle, playing computer games, painting, or acting as a referee between the dragons and fairies currently at war inside her closet.


Interview
Where are you from?
I was originally born and raised in South Florida. Since then, I've lived in north Florida, Illinois, and most recently landed in North Carolina. My family, however, has made claims that I'm really an alien life force. So who knows?
Tell us your latest news?
The second book in The Two Towers series, "Shadow of the Coalition", is scheduled to be released in ebook on June 28th. I'm really excited about this upcoming release. The print copies of both books should be available by the end of summer.
When and why did you begin writing?
I think I've always been a writer. I've always loved stories. I started out writing really bad video game fan fiction, and then began developing my own worlds and my own characters. I must have hundreds of ideas or partially written stories laying around.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
When my son was growing up, I wanted to encourage a love for books and reading. He would frequently get annoyed with the typical age-appropriate books because they lacked enough excitement and substance to keep him entertained. The first book I ever wrote (which has never been submitted for consideration to a publisher) was a full-length young adult book. It was written with him in mind. Once I finished the story, I realized… "Holy cow! I'm a writer!"
What inspired you to write your first book?
My son was the inspiration behind my first book, which will probably never again see the light of day (because it's that bad). But after realizing I could actually write a full length novel form start to finish, I was inspired to try writing my own story – for me. I didn't think about publishing it. I just wanted to craft a story and put it down on paper.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I've noticed over the years that books have changed. Flowery writing was pretty typical twenty years ago, but now… we've become a society that's more focused on instant gratification. We want action, intense, fast, and now. We don't want to get lost in the flowery prose or extremely detailed descriptions. I try to keep my writing in line with that idea. I let the characters tell the story through their actions and words. It's not for everyone (hey, even I sometimes like the flowery prose), but I think my writing is designed to try and catch a reader's attention quickly.
How did you come up with the title?
I'm not sure. I didn't spend a lot of time on this title. It just hit me. In the first chapter, a shadow on the ground is the first hint that there's something hinky going on. As the story progresses, you learn about the Coalition. The two just went hand-in-hand – "Shadow of the Coalition".
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
This is tough. I'm a storyteller; an entertainer. My purpose is to provide an escape and give you a glimpse into another world for a few hours. I believe that every person is at a different stage in their lives and books will either speak to you or not depending on your own circumstances.
There have been plenty of time that I've started to read a book and not really enjoyed it. Years later, I'll go back and something about my current circumstances will connect me with the story in a new way. I'll gain a whole new appreciation for it.
Some people may not like my books, and some people may love them. Some people may walk away from it with some message that resonated with them because of a particular place they're at in their lives. It's not for me to say – that's between my readers and the characters.
How much of the book is realistic?
Not much. It takes place about 150 years after the earth was ravaged by war. There are three distinct groups – OmniLab, the facility that operates the towers; the ruin-rats, survivors who live on the surface; and the Coalition, another facility that's interested in OmniLab's territory.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Yes and no. Some of my life experiences may have planted the seeds for some of the events that transpire in the story, but they're just the seeds. The events in my books have been watered, grafted, pruned, re-potted, and then the cycle repeated so it has little similarity to real events.
My characters, however, sometimes share similarities with people who have influenced me over the years.
What books have most influenced your life most?
This is hard. I'm a voracious reader. When I'm not writing, I'll typically read a book a day. Over the course of my lifetime, well… let's not do the math. It's depressing.
One of the books that comes to mind (which is so far outside my own writing style/genre that it's bizarre), is Ayn Rand's "We The Living". I read that book as a teenager and I think I've reread it half a dozen times since then. I originally read one of her other more popular titles as part of a college class, but I loved how this particular book was as close to an autobiography as she ever wrote.
Another series that really influenced by was the Magician series by Raymond E. Feist. This was my first real look into fantasy style writing and it completely captivated me. His ability to build worlds is incredible.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Romance is a relatively new genre for me. I didn't start reading romance books until several years ago. Although my books are technically romance, there's a lot of other genres mixed in.
I think the following authors have most influenced my writing – Raymond E. Feist, Janny Wurts, Robin Hobb, Nora Roberts, Kim Harrison, Patricia Briggs, and Laurell K. Hamilton. There are several others, but those are at the top of my head.
What book are you reading now?
I'm going to be attending the Authors After Dark Convention in August in Savannah, GA. I'm excited to meet so many talented authors, so I've been trying to check out some of their books.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
So many! With the influx of all the indie authors on Amazon, there are some really talented authors who have come up on my radar. Just recently, I've enjoyed reading books by Kristin Ashley and C.L. Stone. Kristen Ashley has written dozens of books and she has this incredible ability to immerse you in the story. C.L. Stone writes YA books, but with a really cool twist. I'm excited to see how she continues to develop the story.
What are your current projects?
I'm currently working on the third book in The Two Towers series. I'm about halfway through the first draft and I'm hoping to have it submitted to my publisher by the end of summer. *crossing fingers*
What would you like my readers to know?
I love hearing from my readers! I've met some of the most amazing people who have contacted me on Facebook or even emailed me from my website. If you get a chance, go to www.jamieawaters.com and send me a message. Or, you can click on any of my social networking links. I'd love to hear from you.


Thank you so much for the opportunity to visit your blog and give an interview! It's been a lot of fun!







Tour giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card; and an ebook copy of Books 1 & 2 in the series




No comments:

Post a Comment