Monday, May 9, 2016

Reaching Angelica Review, Interview & Giveaway


Book Description for Reaching Angelica:

In a massive spaceship destined for Alpha Centauri B, with a genesis crew including Zip the telepathic dog, his old friendly nemesis Cramer, and a computer being named Ra (now inhabiting a human form and calling herself Aten), Simon Bank emerges from a hundred-year coma and is hailed as an awakened hero. Stuck with unwanted responsibility, he is forced to try to solve the entire enigma of the universe—a small undertaking—before the spaceship, his friends, and all life on Earth are swatted out of existence by super beings he has accidentally awakened.

Simon’s only hope is to plunge into other dimensions with his mind—into the secrets of the universe’s pan-dimensions—as only he knows how. The fate of all life hangs in the balance as he struggles to prove himself worthy of the Path and the absolute trust his friends place in him. Simon knows all too well that if he fails there is no hope—none at all—for anyone, and that includes his best friend, an artificial intelligence computer called Apollo, which he sadly left behind. Besides, Zip would not be pleased, either.

For fans of cyberpunk and classic science fiction, Reaching Angelica (Yucca Publishing; February 2, 2016; 978-1-63158-069-7) is the second book in Peter Riva’s Tag trilogy, the comic, thrilling, and continuing saga of Simon Bank—ex–master system computer wrangler and very unlikely galactic hero.

Praise for Reaching Angelica
“Thrilling moments keep the suspense high in space. . . . The way Riva describes the mysteries of the universe is intriguing. . . . This cyberpunk world has its own laws of stretching brains wide with its mind-bending concepts.”
—Jake Vyper, Fantascize.com

Author's Bio:

Peter Riva has worked for more than thirty years with the leaders in aerospace and space exploration. His daytime job for more than forty years has been as a literary agent. He resides in New York City.

Connect with the author:   Website  Twitter   Facebook

My review;

Author Peter Riva has written a book called "Reaching Angelica" about the crew of a spaceship that is on its way to Alpha Centauri B . Simon Bank has just woken up from a coma and they think he is a hero. He does not want to do be the one who has to save everyone else but he has no choice.   Simon has to use his mind to figure it out. If he doesn't figure it out everyone is dead. This is the second book in the Tag trilogy by author Peter Riva. I give this book a 4/5. I was given this book for a review. These are my opinions. 

Interview:
  1. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
It is not an exclusive occupation, even if a passion. I used to tell made-up stories to my younger brothers when I was young. I loved writing class from age 8 through college.
  1. How long did it take you to write this book?
About a year, all told. Writing, re-writing and so on. Mostly good times.
  1. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
I binge. Sometimes I’ll lose myself and write for two days, sleeping at my desk (or napping on the dining table). It is fun, so why go anywhere? Oh, yes, food and water… and tons of research.
  1. What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
In the Tag series, I enjoy the vulnerability of Simon Bank, his sense of humor (self-deprecating) and especially the teasing by the AI to the “puny human.”
  1. How did your books get published?
Yucca Publishing was set up with Skyhorse Publishing (PW’s fastest growing mid-sized publisher, 2013) to allow new and innovative voices to have a shot. The real cost of a debut author with one of the big five is around $250-350k… so it is understandable they don’t want to take so many risks.
  1. Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
A weird sense of humor, loads of absorbed knowledge and, above all, great research. Great meaning great fun to do!
  1. What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I have a 50+ hour a week full time job as a literary agent and sometimes TV/Film producer. What do I LIKE to do? Walk with my family in the hills of New Mexico with the dogs.
  1. What does your family think of your writing?
They tolerate me, know they can’t be objective, so they are critical, more than most. That’s useful.
  1. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
In talking with an astronaut, their description of possible life in immediate space adjacent to our planet (lighted objects moving at will) reminded me that what we don’t (yet) know will be more important to what we think we know.
  1. How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
I guess I am on my seventh book… my favorite because of the feel of Africa was A Tribal Rumble. For my more technical side I guess it is Sightseeing which changed the way NASA reviews images taken by the astronauts and opened up all space photography for everyone.
  1. Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they?
Trust your instincts. That’s paramount. Then read what you write out loud. If it doesn’t have rhythm (what we call cadence in books) then it won’t “sound” right in the reader’s mind’s ear. And remember what Hemingway said, “Writing is re-writing.”
  1. Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
Oh, it is never enough. I love sharing (what writer doesn’t?). Those who do write and ask questions are always welcome.
  1. What do you think makes a good story?
Pathos and empathy. At the end of the day, every story needs pathos coupled with empathy. Without that the reader cannot identify.
  1. As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
Well, I was a pretty good cowboy until 8! After that, a racing driver and eventually, around 18, I had no clue whatsoever.
  1. What would you like my readers to know?
There is a massive struggle going on that most readers do not know about. Authors, all of us, have no way to reach out to bookstores and certainly not to Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Like the Independent cinema movement, our work is relegated to the fringes of entertainment made all the more obscure because there are now over 400,000 books published every year! How the heck can a small author in a medium sized publishing house get their copies recognized? They can’t. So we are totally reliant on the readers to Tweet, blog and especially post reviews on Amazon. So, yes, I’ll happily beg for the favor! And not just for me but for all the lesser-known authors. Unless, for example, Amazon has more than 100 reviews, Amazon won’t do a special sale or promotion. And unless Amazon does a special promotion half the small bookstores won’t carry the book. Sad.

Prizes:

Win 1 of 5 sets of books (The Path Book 1 and Reaching Angelica Book 2) + 1 of 2 $25 Amazon gift cards
(open internationally)



a Rafflecopter giveaway

3 comments:

  1. I want to win this book because it looks amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I want to win because this sounds like such an interesting read!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Can't a man spend a 100-year coma in peace?

    ReplyDelete