Part II Interview with Tracy Rozzlynn and International Giveaway

Welcome back, everyone to the second part of this awesome interview! We've been talking with Tracy about her three ongoing trilogies, and she has generously offered up some heavy duty prizes for you guys! So show your appreciation and enter to win!

Goodreads book description: Study hard, do well on your assessment, and you’ll be rewarded.

The phrase had been repeated throughout Alexandria's life. A person’s ranking on the assessment test determined everything. Their job, where they lived, and even who they could marry. At least that’s what Alexandria though before she received the results.

Everything Alexandria believed was a lie. Fast-trackers run the country. Anger one of them and your whole world could fall apart. Anger one of them and the people you love would suffer.

Alexandria was elevated to fast-tracker status while her best-friend turned true love was plummeted to the lowest possible rank - a guaranteed life of hardship and misery. She plunges herself into the fast-tracker’s world in hopes of helping Byron. But can she help Byron before she completely loses herself to the allure of their lifestyle?
 
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Amazon review: Fast Tracked review 

Fast Trapped just came out as well and can be purchased on Amazon!

About our author: Hi everyone, I’m Tracy Rozzlynn. I was born and raised in Rhode Island. It’s unique little state – the city, the suburbs, the beach, and the woods are all within a thirty-minute drive, but mountains are an out-of-state drive. I graduated from URI, but until recently, I never actually used my English literature degree. After college, I worked in retail and then in telecommunications. For a while I lived in Massachusetts and then Maine, but I since returned to my home state. My daughter is the most important thing in my life. My writing and the rest of my family are a close second. 

Author Interview Part II
1) Have any of your characters surprised you, and if so, which one and how have they surprised you?  
Alexandria. She woke me up in the middle of the night after she befriended the last person I thought she ever would. The character she befriended didn’t even exist yet, but drastically changed how I though the trilogy would play out. 

2) If you could be a character in one of your trilogies, who would it be and why? 
Brett. Mostly because I want a pet meerkit, but I’d love to live on and explore Verita. 

 3) What has been the hardest thing about being an indie author and how did you overcome this difficulty?  
What has been the best thing about being an indie author? I think the best and worst thing about being an indie author is that you do everything on your own: editing, making a cover, creating a website, and marketing. There’s a lot to learn, but I’ve received a lot of advice and support from fellow indie authors. 

4) Tell us what you have coming up in the future.  
Next, I plan to complete book three and four in the Verita series. I want to release the two books at or near the same time, because so far, it looks like book three will end with a cliffhanger. 

Listen up! On Amazon, Tracy is offering e-copies of Fast-Tracked and Verita for free November 16th-20th. Then on November 23rd (Black Friday) all of her ebooks will be only 99 cents! 

Thanks to Tracy for this awesome interview and generous giveaway! And thanks also for not leaving your readers on the edge too long in Verita :-)
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Part I Interview with Tracy Rozzlynn and International Giveaway

I am so excited to introduce Tracy Rozzlynn, the very first author that I started stalking after my dystopian YA craze began. We have a history together-- I found her book, Verita in one of Amazon 99 cent sales. Boy, am I glad that I read it. Her book started me hunting for other indie authors that had books waiting to be discovered. She offered a contest to "Name the Blob" in the second book of Verita, and I rallied everyone I knew to help support my name "Lapideus Limax," which means stone slug in Latin (Max for short). I was lucky enough to have my name chosen! So keep an eye out for Max when you read Concisus, the second book in the Verita series.

Goodreads description of Verita: If your world suddenly crumbled, leaving you with nothing but heartache, would you risk your life for a chance at a new beginning on a new world?

Brett Bradbury's parents are dead, her boyfriend's a cheater, and her best friend essentially dumped her. Truly alone in the world, Brett agrees to help colonize the newly discovered planet, Verita.

Now Brett's on a strange new world. She quickly makes friends and starts her assigned job. Verita begins to feel like home, but it's far from perfect. Brett has an overwhelming attraction to Brody, despite the fact that he's entirely not her type. Her colleague, Ryan, utterly hates her for reasons out of her control. And there are creatures in the forest that would like nothing more than to devour everyone for dinner.

Brett's heart and mind are at odds each other. She's constantly fighting with Ryan. So, Concentrating on her job is becoming more and more difficult. Plus it's hard to ignore some of the strange things that have been happening around her. But, when Brett finds herself stranded in the wilderness, the only thing that matters is survival.

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Amazon review: Verita Review


Goodreads Description of Concisus: 

Against all odds Brett and Ryan found their way back to the base. But it’s not quite the homecoming they envisioned. Their friends are all love struck and Dr. Brant’s seems intent on making their life miserable.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Amazon Review:  Concisus Review



About Tracy: Hi everyone, I’m Tracy Rozzlynn. I was born and raised in Rhode Island. It’s unique little state – the city, the suburbs, the beach, and the woods are all within a thirty-minute drive, but mountains are an out-of-state drive. I graduated from URI, but until recently, I never actually used my English literature degree. After college, I worked in retail and then in telecommunications. For a while I lived in Massachusetts and then Maine, but I since returned to my home state. My daughter is the most important thing in my life. My writing and the rest of my family are a close second. 

Author Interview Part I. 
1. What got you into writing? What inspires you?
I always liked reading and writing, but as an adult, I almost completely stopped reading. Between the demands of work, motherhood,and life in general, I never had the time to read. Occasionally I'd pick up a book, but it rarely held my interest. Harry Potter was the one exception. I thought it was a fluke. Then, my sisters gave me their copies of the Twilight saga. I had a rare three-day weekend to myself. I started reading and didn't stop until I had finished all of them. Time had never been my issue. I had been reading the wrong books. I immediately started reading more young adult books. Then, purely for my own enjoyment, I started to write a story that had been bouncing around in my head for a while. A story about a teenage girl sent to live on another planet. I wrote the original story in just two weeks. It wasn't very good, it read like a bad middle-grade novel, but it had sparked something in me. So I kept writing. I keep a notebook with me because inspiration hits at the strangest times: In the grocery store, watching soccer practice, and quite often, in the middle of sleep. 

2. I know you have three trilogies going on right now. Tell us a little about each of them and what excites you about each.
Verita is the first book I ever wrote and is the first book of the Verita Series. Brett, the main character finds herself without any true friends or family and decides to help colonize a newly discovered planet, Verita. Through the four books in the series, Brett uncovers the secrets of the planet and the leaders of the colony. What excites me most about the Verita series is that it’s the type of science fiction I always wanted to read, but until recently never found. The series balances romance and friendships with science fiction. 

My second series is the Fast-Track trilogy. After economic destruction, the United Sated was rebuilt, dividing society into color-coded classes. Now, a single assessment test determines your class level, where you’ll live, work, and even who you can love. Alexandria unexpectedly tests into the highest gold-level class known as fast-trackers. Her joy is cut short, when she learns her best friend/boyfriend has tested into the lowest orange-level class. The trilogy follows Alexandria as she tries to navigate her way through the fast-tracker world while protecting her family and loves ones. What I like best about this series is the twist and turns and how unapologetically cruel the characters can be. 

My third Series is the Darkened Trilogy. Tragedy and shadows have followed Samantha throughout her life. She’s learned the destruction lessens if she avoids making friends. She’s determined to keep everyone at arm’s length as she moves to another new school, but then she meets Nathan Kerensky. He’s unlike any boy she’s ever met. Before she knows it, she’s breaking her own rules and confronting the shadows. But she doesn’t like what she discovers. What excites me most about this series is Samantha. She acts tough when she feels vulnerable, especially as she’s forced to question everything she thought she knew. 

Tune in tomorrow for the rest of this great interview!

Listen up! On Amazon, Tracy is offering e-copies of Fast-Tracked and Verita for free November 16th-20th. Then on November 23rd (Black Friday) all of her ebooks will be only 99 cents! 

Enter this terrific giveaway starring: 2 Prize packs of Verita trilogy (two signed books), 2 prize packs of Fast tracked trilogy (2 signed books) OR $25 Amazon Gift Certificate 
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Feature and Follow (20)

Almost at the end of my two weeks on service, Hallelujah! Cheers to the weekend!

Feature and Follow Friday is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read

Here are the rules to the blog hop!
To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

• (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
• (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers

• Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
• Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say “hi” in your comments and that they are now following you.
• If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn’t have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed
• Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don’t just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don’t say “HI”
• If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love…and the followers
• If you’re new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog! 

Q: Books are turned into movies all the time! Turn it around. What movie would make a great book?

Gattaca hands down :-)

Enter some great giveaways!

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Interview and Giveaway prize pack of Beckoning Light and Perilous Light by Alyssa Rose Ivy (US only), 11/12
Afterglow Trilogy Giveaway

Winner, Updates and New International Giveaway!

Hi everyone! Lots of fun stuff!

First, congrats to the winner of an e-copy of The Violet Fox, Ashley! Respond within 48 hours or I will pick another winner.

Next, some fun updates.
1) I have loads of awesome interviews coming up. I'm also starting to do some character interviews, including one of Morpheus from Splintered!

2) Jonathan Maberry of Rot and Ruin fame has decided to do an interview! I'm very excited.

I am so thrilled about the next interview/giveaway! Tracy Rozzlynn is one of the first indie authors I've ever interacted with, and she's terrific! Start entering this awesome giveaway. Her interview will go up on Sunday as usual. She has two great trilogies out right now: Verita and Fast Tracked.

Goodreads description of Verita: If your world suddenly crumbled, leaving you with nothing but heartache, would you risk your life for a chance at a new beginning on a new world?

Brett Bradbury's parents are dead, her boyfriend's a cheater, and her best friend essentially dumped her. Truly alone in the world, Brett agrees to help colonize the newly discovered planet, Verita.

Now Brett's on a strange new world. She quickly makes friends and starts her assigned job. Verita begins to feel like home, but it's far from perfect. Brett has an overwhelming attraction to Brody, despite the fact that he's entirely not her type. Her colleague, Ryan, utterly hates her for reasons out of her control. And there are creatures in the forest that would like nothing more than to devour everyone for dinner.

Brett's heart and mind are at odds each other. She's constantly fighting with Ryan. So, Concentrating on her job is becoming more and more difficult. Plus it's hard to ignore some of the strange things that have been happening around her. But, when Brett finds herself stranded in the wilderness, the only thing that matters is survival.

Goodreads book description of Fast Tracked: Study hard, do well on your assessment, and you’ll be rewarded.

The phrase had been repeated throughout Alexandria's life. A person’s ranking on the assessment test determined everything. Their job, where they lived, and even who they could marry. At least that’s what Alexandria though before she received the results.

Everything Alexandria believed was a lie. Fast-trackers run the country. Anger one of them and your whole world could fall apart. Anger one of them and the people you love would suffer.

Alexandria was elevated to fast-tracker status while her best-friend turned true love was plummeted to the lowest possible rank - a guaranteed life of hardship and misery. She plunges herself into the fast-tracker’s world in hopes of helping Byron. But can she help Byron before she completely loses herself to the allure of their lifestyle?

Enter now! :-)
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Curmudgeon's Corner: Worldbuilding consistency: SF vs. fantasy

Christina's post last week made me think more about worldbuilding--and in particular the consistency of worldbuilding. If your book is set in this world, it needs to obey the laws of physics and biology, not to mention what I know about psychology, sociology, economics, and so on. I mean, I don't know much social science, so I'm not too picky on that score. But if you postulate that in your near-future US society, people are going to be A-OK with sacrificing sixteen-year-old kids, like Neal Shusterman does in Unwind, I'm going to be a little cranky even if your book is otherwise pretty decent. And I'm really picky about physics and math, because that happens to be my thing. If your plot ignores basic mathematics, like basically every vampire book ever, I'm going to get really cranky. I'm going to pick on The Passage(Cronin) because it's the one I read most recently, but look: if vampires have to turn people into vampires every couple nights or so to survive themselves, this is an exponential function with a rapid doubling time. Mathematically, this basically means that everyone is gonna be vampires really soon, and then they'll all starve. This is why I can't read vampire books any longer.

If your book is set in another world, I suddenly become much less picky. I'd like it to be consistent -- no breaking rules that were previously set forth in the book. But that's a pretty low bar, and I don't even insist on that. The Harry Potter books, for instance -- have you ever tried to figure out rules or laws underlying the magic system in the Harry Potter books? Or figured out how the economy works? It'll give you a headache, because it really isn't set up consistently. And yet I totally love these books. 

I think I have much more stringent requirements for science fiction than for fantasy because I was brought up on all kinds of whimsical fantasies like Narnia, The Phantom Tollbooth, that kind of thing -- where fantastical aspects were piled on top of one another without worrying too much about consistency. My SF upbringing, on the other hand, involved the hard-science masters like Asimov and Clarke: people who tried to make their science as correct and consistent as possible. And I guess I retained that even as I got older.

I know people, though, who are just as picky about their fantasy as their SF, and some who are more picky. How about you? Do you care about consistency? If so, are there particular genres, or topics, that you really care about, the way I do about science and math?

Current Giveaways
1. Interview and Giveaway with Clare Marshall, author of The Violet Fox, e-copy of The Violet Fox (INT)
Violet Fox Giveaway

2. Interview and Giveaway prize pack of Beckoning Light and Perilous Light by Alyssa Rose Ivy (US only), 11/12
Afterglow Trilogy Giveaway