I was nominated by author Sarah Queen for the Work In Progress Blog Tour. This is where authors post about their current work in progress, divulge the first sentences of the first three chapters of their next book, and nominate several other authors to do the same.
So, here goes...
The second book in the Kyrennei Series is called The Fear and the Solace. This is the sequel to The Soul and the Seed. Reviewers have said they are anxiously awaiting this sequel, to which I can now say, "Almost there!" The Fear and the Solace should be published in about two weeks. The text is undergoing copyediting at a secret location in the Mid West and the cover is being polished to a high gloss.
For those who don't know, the Kyrennei Series is a contemporary fantasy thriller with dystopian elements. The world of the story looks just like today's world and the setting is the Pacific Northwest. But a clandestine force usurps the wills and desires of individuals, forcing them to pursue more power for those already in power. The problems of our modern world can easily be blamed on this premise and readers find themselves looking over their shoulders and shivering, much as I did when reading George Orwell's 1984 all those years ago. It can be disconcerting when the dystopia is a bit too close for comfort.
The primary character is Aranka Miko, a girl from the small town of La Grande, Oregon, who finds out the hard way that a fluke in her genes makes her a threat to the those who hold real power in today's world. First, she is imprisoned and forced to watch as others like her are killed. To escape, Aranka falls in with a group of desperate outlaws from every corner of the globe. They are at turns endearing and ruthless but they represent her only hope to escape from torture and death. Then an ambush separates Aranka from her new friends, including one who she might just love.
This is where The Fear and the Solace begins. The modern-day freedom fighters known as J. Company despair of finding Aranka alive and she has come to be the symbol of their greatest hope. Aranka is stranded with every possible authority hunting her. And she is physically different from everyone around her. She can't easily hide.
Readers of The Soul and the Seed may be interested to know that this time you get to hear from some other intriguing characters - both Cho and Rick, for instance. You also get to explore settings beyond the United States. But I won't spoil anything for you. You will get to read it soon enough.
As I said, it's coming in about two weeks. Here is something to tease you with... as promised, the initial sentences of the first three chapters.
Chapter 1
The smell of late summer dust bit sharply inside my nose as I walked cross the gravel courtyard toward Jace’s office...
Chapter 2
It was a Saturday morning at the tail end of September...
Chapter 3
I couldn't quite believe that I was still both alive and free...
My heartfelt thanks to Sarah Queen for tagging me for this. It's fun and a great way to get to know authors. Here is Sarah's post about her new upcoming book Evergreen. It sounds like a thought-provoking science fiction / fantasy.
Now it is my turn to nominate some fellow authors to disclose some tantalizing tidbits about what they're working on.
Morgan Daimler - I must say I was astounded by Morgan's book Murder Between the Worlds. I am not a mystery reader and the title totally turned me off. I only read it because it was supposed to have really interesting Pagan themes and I'll undergo almost anything (even formulaic mystery, I suppose) for that. How glad I was that I gave it a chance! This is not a formulaic mystery. It's fascinating speculative fiction about what might happen if the human world and the legendary world of Faerie were to partially merge. There is a murder mystery in the plot but there is much much more - great modern fantasy atmosphere, wonderful prose, lovable characters, realistic dialogue - in short, all the things I find in such short supply in fiction. I have been so overloaded with work these past few months that it is very hard to get my attention (as my children know all too well) and this was the only book to really succeed in the past three months. I am very interested to see what Morgan will do next.
Debbie Behan - Debbie writes science fiction adventure with a fun atmosphere and the lore of Greek gods liberally mixed in. Her Lord of the Planets series starts with Home Worlds. She gets bonus points because my dear husband Dusan wishes she would have her books translated into Czech, so that he could read them. She gets good karma points for being an indie author who reaches out a hand to other indie authors, including those who are brand new and have few credentials... like, ahem... me. I wonder what she'll reveal about her next book.
Lauren Shelton - I don't know Lauren as well yet but she is an intriguing fantasy author who has spent a lot of her life dreaming up her fantasies, just as I did. Her book The Hybrid also deals with myths and legends and their intersections with modern society. I see now that I have managed to create a pattern here. I didn't mean to but it is just as well and it may be a sign of the times. I am curious to see what Lauren will write next.
Okay, you three. TAG! You're it.
Here are the "rules."
You write a blog post about your work in progress and include the first sentences of the first three chapters (at least as they stand at the moment). You link back to me and you link to several other authors who you nominate. Traditionally, you nominate four. I tried but it seems that most of my author friends are either too early in the process or a bit secretive about their WIPs, so I nominate three for now. Good luck!
