Transition
The
Euphoria Z Series
Book
Three
Luke
Ahearn
Genre: Thriller/Post-Apocalyptic
Publisher: Luke Ahearn
Date of Publication: April 25,
2016
ASIN: B01ESFRJW4
Number of pages: 194
Word Count: 56,200
Book Description:
Transition is the third book of
the Euphoria Z Series set in a post-apocalyptic California.
The post-apocalyptic world is in
transition. While things may seem safer, a great danger lurks under the surface
and sometimes from above.
What does the Island have to do
with the state of the world, and the invisible creatures? New threats arise and
evil is tracked down. Will this finally be the end for Ben and his psychopathic
lifestyle?
Continue
the adventure as we find out what happened to Cooper, Lisa and the others.
Excerpt:
Prologue
It doesn’t rain
frequently in San Jose, California and when it does it’s a quick gray affair
that rinses away dust and freshens the air. Every few years there’s a day or
two of torrential downpours, interspersed by widespread drizzling and dripping.
And rarely, as was the case this day, the skies opened and dumped a decade’s
worth of rain upon the city in only a few days. These rare downpours could last
days and do substantial damage citywide.
The downpour was
so heavy it was impossible to see farther than a few hundred yards. Water ran
from the highest spots in the city and merged into thick fast flowing rivers on
its journey downhill. It gushed down streets, blasting over curbs and past sign
posts, taking away anything that wasn’t nailed down. The waters were black with
months of accumulated filth and foamed with the runoff of a million miles of
city streets. The fine dust of millions of corpses, that which wasn’t already
blown away by the winds, was swept into storm drains and out to the Pacific
Ocean.
But the most
alarming aspect of the rainstorm by far was the thunder and the lightning.
Every few minutes great jagged bolts of light arced across the sky,
illuminating the world in blinding flashes, followed moments later by the
thunder, a terrifying sound as if the heavens were being torn open. Then
cascading booms shook the earth for long moments after.
One of these
giant flashes illuminated the inside of a dark warehouse revealing a world of
crisp black shadows and harsh blinding whites. For a split second a human shape
was visible laying atop a large worktable. It resembled the sarcophagus of a
long dead pharaoh. Puddles of odd liquids had collected under the body and run
off the edge, hardening in long stalactites of black and dark red. A minor
flash revealed a hardened shell, mottled with the same black and reddish hues.
The long low rumble of the distant thunder that followed caused an eye to
twitch. A loud crack and a blinding flash of light caused both eyes to open
wide in shock and fear. A high-pitched keening could be heard emanating from
the misshapen body on the table.
Slowly a hand
rose, the cracking of dried viscera was faint but clearly audible above the
muted pounding of rain. The open eyes, clear and green, regarded a grotesque
hand armored in a red and black crust. The arm dropped and the eyes closed. The
thrumming of the rain and intense fatigue made slipping back into the sweet
darkness of sleep all too easy.
About
the Author:
Luke Ahearn was born in New
Orleans, LA and now lives in Central California. He is a successfully published
author of both fiction and nonfiction, most recently completing Transition, the
third book in the Euphoria Z Series. He has over 20 years of professional game
development experience in lead positions; designer, producer, and art director.
Luke is also a book cover designer
interested in supporting his fellow authors. He hates writing about himself in
the third person, but thinks it makes him sound more substantial.
He can be reached at www.LukeAhearn.com
Interview
Where are you from?
Monterey, California
Tell us your latest news?
I am working on the fourth book in the Euphoria Z
Series. I am finishing up a thriller called Zone of the Damned. I am also doing
book covers too.
When and why did you begin writing?
I began writing seriously when I was in my twenties
but never finished anything I started—maybe I wasn’t that serious? I first
finished a novel about two years ago. That novel was Euphoria Z and I wrote the
entire first draft in a month. I began writing because I loved reading so much
that I thought writing might be as great an experience and for me it is
actually better than reading.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
The label writer is foolish to me. It’s another way
people get intimidated into never writing because they think they somehow
aren’t good enough or don’t have permission to write. It’s not flying a plane;
you don’t need a special license to do it.
What inspired you to write your first book?
I don’t know. I just wanted to and stop thinking
about it and just did it.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I don’t know.
How did you come up with the title?
The right title for me always comes up in the middle
of the book. The way I write I can’t make up a title upfront because I don’t
know what is going to happen yet. If I still don’t have a title by the end of
the book, there’s a problem with the story.
Is there a message in your novel that you want
readers to grasp?
The messages in my writing are almost always
unconscious on my part. I don’t set out to teach the reader a lesson, I just
want to entertain. But I think what usually comes out in my writing is that
some people are just bad and unredeemable while others act bad but can be
redeemed. I am also big on the strength and redeeming power of love.
How much of the book is realistic?
Well, it is about zombies but I do strive to make
everything as realistic as I can otherwise. The science is all based on present
day and near future expectations of science. I research weapons used, etc. I
consulted with psychologists and psychiatrists on certain medications and
mental conditions. I even walked down the farm roads of the Central Coast of
California and spent a few hours walking around San Jose and the airport to get
an accurate feel of the area. If I write about a race or gender, I am not I
always get feedback on the characters that are different than me.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events
in your own life?
Usually to some degree. In Euphoria Z the crazy
destructive Bacchanalian scenes are based directly on my childhood in New
Orleans during Mardi Gras.
What books have most influenced your life most?
The Hobbit, The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes,
and anything by Jeffery Deaver.
If you had to choose, which writer would you
consider a mentor?
I really can’t choose.
What book are you reading now?
Ten Days in a Mad-House by Nellie Bly.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your
interest?
A lot.
What are your current projects?
A sword and sorcery novella entitled The Wizard’s
Bones, a thriller entitled Zone of the Damned, and another thriller entitled
Radical Therapy.
What would you like my readers to know?
Tour
giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Certificate
5 Audible Codes
Well, transition is always difficult, I hear.
ReplyDeleteLol it was.
DeleteI liked the excerpt, thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
ReplyDeletePost-apocalyptic California? I'm in!! :)
ReplyDeleteCool. :)
DeleteWonderful interview! Thank you for the fantastic share. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the nice comment :)
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds great and I would love to read it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that compliment. It's the second in the series. I think the first book is free right now.
Delete