Tour Stop/Giveaway: On the Threshold

 

Welcome author M. Laszlo to the Reading Nook blog where we are talking with them about their newest book, On the Threshold. Make sure to follow the tour HERE and enter the tour wide giveaway as the author will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. This tour is sponsored by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Interview with M. Laszlo

Tell us about your latest book, who are the main character’s and what can we expect when we pick it up?

Fingal is the main character, and you can expect to laugh at his eccentricities and often foul mood. Nevertheless, he’s a good chap who earnestly wishes to resolve the riddle of the universe and to determine the actual origins of life, the meaning of life, and the purpose of civilization.

Do you come up with the hook first, or do you create characters first and then dig through until you find a hook?

Honestly, they come at the same time for me. The hook is a character with a problem. And it’s a problem that makes the character unique enough and important enough to teach the reader something.

Which of your own characters would you like to have lunch with?

Doktor Hubertus Pflug. He’s a wise, friendly German physician who appears in the book early on. I like him because he reminds me of Goethe and other great, thought-provoking German writers. I’ve always been a Germanophile. Love the dynamic music and the brooding cinema.

Tell us about what you are reading at the moment or anticipate reading in the future? Any favorite authors you enjoy reading in your spare time?

I just finished John Scalzi’s Starter Villain. It was very funny but not the kind of book I usually read. The book satirizes Ian Fleming’s works in many ways, and in the future, I would like to revisit Ian Fleming’s writing. In his books, James Bond is actually quite an interesting fellow.

Which of your own books would you like to live in?

I’ve got an unpublished manuscript about a family that lives on the coast of Maine. That’d be a nice place to live. Who doesn’t love the coast of Maine? 

What do you do when you have free time?

Sometimes I go hiking with friends. Sometimes I go to Mass or sit in the pews and reflect. Often I get together with my aunt, and we visit a diner and have omelettes.

How do you approach character development in your stories? Do you have any specific techniques or methods that you find particularly effective?

It is important to give your protagonist flaws at the very beginning. Then you have something you can change or improve upon. Honestly, it really is that simple!

What do you believe sets your writing apart from others in your genre, and why should readers choose to read your books?

My prose is lucid, and it’s easy to slip into the world presented by the page. Most important of all, my books teach the reader things that are accurate.

Can you discuss any upcoming projects or books that you're currently working on? What can readers expect from your future works?

My upcoming release, Anastasia’s Midnight Song, is a dark-obsession psychological drama/coming-of-age tale about a depressed British youth living in WW-I era Egypt. He enters into an illusory-love relationship with a beautiful Russian woman, and ultimately, the tale traffics in some of the most esoteric problems that can complicate the life of a teenager.

On the Threshold

by M. Laszlo

GENRE: Historical Science Fiction

Buy Link HERE

Obsessed with learning the origins of the cosmos, the actual meaning of life, and the true purpose of civilization, a fine Scotsman named Fingal T. Smyth dedicates himself to the study of Plato’s most extraordinary ideas. Convinced of Plato’s belief that humankind possesses any and all innate knowledge deep within the collective unconscious mind, Fingal soon conducts a series of bold, pioneering occult-science experiments by which to resolve the riddle of the universe once and for all. However, Fingal forgets how violent and perilous the animal impulses that reside in the deepest recesses of the unconscious mind. And when Fingal unleashes a mysterious avatar of his innate knowledge, the entity appears as a burning man and immediately seeks to manipulate innocent and unsuspecting people everywhere into immolating themselves. Now, with little hope of returning the fiery figure into his being, Fingal must capture his nemesis before it destroys the world.

 

Excerpt Two:

 

Fräulein Wunderwaffe did not return the smile. Hand on heart, the little girl drew a bit closer. Then, as the hot, animalistic presence undulated all across Fingal’s body, the little girl’s eyes grew wide. Until the little girl’s expression turned to that of a vacant stare.

 

A moment later, her feet pointed inwards, she removed her hat and undid her long, flaxen hair.

 

Again, he cringed. “If you’ve noticed something, ignore all. This hasn’t got anything to do with you.” A third time, he cringed.

 

A most ethereal, lyrical, incomprehensible hiss commenced then: from the other end of the winding, decorative-brick driveway, each clay block shining the color of blue Welsh stone, a sleek Siamese cat with a coat of chocolate-spotted ivory had just appeared. And now the creature raced toward his shadow.

 

As he looked into the animal’s big, searching, blue eyes, the chocolate Siamese studied the off-center tip of his nose. Then the animal turned away, as if to compare the peculiarity with that of some disembodied visage hovering in the distance.

 

Out upon the loch, meanwhile, a miraculous rogue wave suddenly arose—and now the swell crashed against the pebbly strand.

 

Not a moment later, a cool flame crawled across Fingal’s throat. The strange fire rattled, too—not unlike the sound of fallen juniper leaves caught up in the current and dancing against the surface of a stone walkway.

 

Crivens. By now, the alien, pulsating presence held him so tight that he could barely breathe. Before long, he fell to the earth, and as the dreamlike flame continued to move across his throat, he rolled all about—until the illusory sensation of cool warmth wriggled and twisted and dropped into his neck dimple.

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

AUTHOR Bio and Links: 

M. Laszlo is an aging recluse who lives in Bath, Ohio. Rumor holds that his pseudonym is a reference to Victor Laszlo, a character in the classic film Casablanca. On the Threshold is his first release with the acclaimed, Australian hybrid house AIA Publishing. Oddly, M. Laszlo insists that his latest work, On the Threshold, does in fact provide the correct answer to the riddle of the universe. 

 

Book Spotlight/Giveaway: On the Threshold

 

Check out this New To Me Author, M. Laszlo's new book, On the Threshold, today. Make sure to check out the tour wide giveaway as well as the author is giving away a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card to one lucky reader. The tour is sponsored by Goddess Fish Promotion and you can find all the tour stops HERE.

Chatting with M. Laszlo

If you could have one paranormal ability, what would it be?

It’d be great to be able to touch an inanimate object and to automatically learn that object’s history.

 

What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to learn about you?

My writing includes an obsessive attention to details and little things, so people might presume me to be a rather acquisitive person. In point of fact, though, I own almost nothing.

 

When writing descriptions of your hero/ine, what feature do you start with?

It’s best to begin with deciding just what it is the character wants. Kurt Vonnegut says that every character should want something, even if it’s just a glass of water.

 

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Careful plotting and awareness of structure are absolutely crucial. If you plot and maintain structure, you are a writer. If not, you’re little more than a typist. Writing is not typing. In saying that, of course, I’m referring to Truman Capote’s famous criticism of Jack Kerouac.

 

Did you learn anything from writing this book? If so, what?

I learned that one ought to follow strict form but not let structure and form take the reader to a predictable place. By experimenting with form and structure, the storyteller can lead the reader in circles. And that’s necessary for a story about someone struggling to learn something. By going around and around in circles, my protagonist echoes the frustrations of any and all of us.

On the Threshold

by M. Laszlo

GENRE: Historical Science Fiction

Buy HERE

Obsessed with learning the origins of the cosmos, the actual meaning of life, and the true purpose of civilization, a fine Scotsman named Fingal T. Smyth dedicates himself to the study of Plato’s most extraordinary ideas. Convinced of Plato’s belief that humankind possesses any and all innate knowledge deep within the collective unconscious mind, Fingal soon conducts a series of bold, pioneering occult-science experiments by which to resolve the riddle of the universe once and for all. However, Fingal forgets how violent and perilous the animal impulses that reside in the deepest recesses of the unconscious mind. And when Fingal unleashes a mysterious avatar of his innate knowledge, the entity appears as a burning man and immediately seeks to manipulate innocent and unsuspecting people everywhere into immolating themselves. Now, with little hope of returning the fiery figure into his being, Fingal must capture his nemesis before it destroys the world.

 

Excerpt Two:

 

Fräulein Wunderwaffe did not return the smile. Hand on heart, the little girl drew a bit closer. Then, as the hot, animalistic presence undulated all across Fingal’s body, the little girl’s eyes grew wide. Until the little girl’s expression turned to that of a vacant stare.

 

A moment later, her feet pointed inwards, she removed her hat and undid her long, flaxen hair.

 

Again, he cringed. “If you’ve noticed something, ignore all. This hasn’t got anything to do with you.” A third time, he cringed.

 

A most ethereal, lyrical, incomprehensible hiss commenced then: from the other end of the winding, decorative-brick driveway, each clay block shining the color of blue Welsh stone, a sleek Siamese cat with a coat of chocolate-spotted ivory had just appeared. And now the creature raced toward his shadow.

 

As he looked into the animal’s big, searching, blue eyes, the chocolate Siamese studied the off-center tip of his nose. Then the animal turned away, as if to compare the peculiarity with that of some disembodied visage hovering in the distance.

 

Out upon the loch, meanwhile, a miraculous rogue wave suddenly arose—and now the swell crashed against the pebbly strand.

 

Not a moment later, a cool flame crawled across Fingal’s throat. The strange fire rattled, too—not unlike the sound of fallen juniper leaves caught up in the current and dancing against the surface of a stone walkway.

 

Crivens. By now, the alien, pulsating presence held him so tight that he could barely breathe. Before long, he fell to the earth, and as the dreamlike flame continued to move across his throat, he rolled all about—until the illusory sensation of cool warmth wriggled and twisted and dropped into his neck dimple.

 GIVEAWAY 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

AUTHOR Bio and Links: 

M. Laszlo is an aging recluse who lives in Bath, Ohio. Rumor holds that his pseudonym is a reference to Victor Laszlo, a character in the classic film Casablanca. On the Threshold is his first release with the acclaimed, Australian hybrid house AIA Publishing. Oddly, M. Laszlo insists that his latest work, On the Threshold, does in fact provide the correct answer to the riddle of the universe. 

Tour Stop/Giveaway: The Cyborg's Crusade

 

Check out author Benoit Lanteigne's Cyborg books, The Cyborg's Crusade & The Cyborg's Fortune, today. Make sure to enter the tour wide giveaway as the author is giving one lucky person a  $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card. The tour is sponosred by Goddess Fish Promotions and you can find all the tour stops HERE.

Good Dialogue by Benoit Lanteigne

Dialogue plays a large role in defining your characters. After all, most traditional stories feature a lot of talking. The way a character speaks can reveal a lot about them. This is especially true for media like movies and TV shows, though less so for books since books offer more alternative options. That’s not to say only dialogue defines the characters in a movie, far from it.

A major difficulty with dialogue is making each character “sound” different. It’s all too easy to fail here and have everyone speak in a way that feels the same. This lessens your character’s uniqueness and appeal. For this video, I’ll concentrate on tips to avoid this issue.

Frankly, I struggled with this for a long time. If I reread earlier drafts of The Cyborg’s Crusade, some characters feel flat in part because their dialogue isn’t very good. The biggest example I can think of is Janice Ricdeau, the sister of Rose, the winged woman. Looking back, whenever she spoke, she felt like a talking head that sounded like a watered-down version of Rose. Part of this was because I didn’t have a good grasp on the character yet and what made her unique. This wasn’t only dialogue related, but they needed work, no question. I put a lot of work into Janice, and it paid off. She went from one of the most boring characters to one of my favorites. One thing is for sure, she doesn’t sound like Rose anymore. All this highlights one important thing: It’s hard to write great dialogue for a character if you don’t know and understand them. If a particular character’s dialogue is giving you grief, maybe you need to figure out who they are more.

Like everything else about a character, their speech should reflect who they are. This means that their dialogue should reflect things like their personality and background. As a first point, let’s consider vocabulary. Someone who grew up poor and dropped out of school early will probably have a less diverse vocabulary than someone with an English degree. Try to determine the level of language mastery of each character. Restrictions can fuel creativity. Knowing what you can’t do if you want believable dialogue can force you to vary the characters’ dialect with little effort.

Another question is how polite a character is by nature. A professional, high-strung type of person should be more formal than a free-spirited soul. Having a very formal person interact with someone who is the opposite can lead to fun banters. Also, the formality aspect can play along with other traits of the character. For instance, imagine a character with poor language mastery/vocabulary trying to sound formal and smart. How they accomplish this can again be interesting.

Now for a question that might be a little controversial: Does your character swear? Some feel swearing is lazy and unesthetic. It’s up to you if you want to use swearing or not. To me, swearing is normal human behavior, whether or not we like it. Some people I know swear so much without even meaning to, I consider it part of their personalities! (Hello Dad!). No, I’m not mentioning him for any reason, just thought I’d say hi.

Anyway, the point is I’m ok with swearing if it fits with who a character is and not just for shock value. For instance, I wouldn’t have someone super religious swear in public unless something major happened. Even then, I’d consider it twice before doing it.

Another easy possibility is accents and dialects related to the region a character is from. Different places often speak differently and that can differentiate your characters during dialog. If you do this, BE CAREFUL! You don’t want them to sound like offensive stereotypes. When in doubt, avoid accents.

Also, don’t forget body language. Not everything a human being says is through words. Researching common body language can give good ideas on how to communicate subtle information to your readers. Sure, this isn’t strictly dialogue, but it goes hand in hand with it.

As a final tip, take who the character is talking to into consideration. Most of them wouldn’t express themselves the same way with their best friend, a parent, a perfect stranger, a bully, someone they hate, and so on. Think about how each of your various characters plays off against each other. That can help make the dialogues more varied and serve as subtle character development.

 

The Cyborg's Crusade - Day of the Deus Ex Machina

by Benoit Lanteigne

GENRE: Science Fiction

 

How did it come to this? My life used to be so simple. Back then, I hated it; I found it boring. Let me tell you: boring’s good. Boring’s great! I should’ve been thankful… 

It was supposed to be a date like any other for James Hunter, a simple convenience store clerk. Nothing more than watching a movie in the town of Moncton. A place as unknown and unimportant as he considered his own existence to be. And yet, while walking to a cinema, James teleports to another world. There, a hostile crowd surrounds him, including various mutants with strange deformities. 

Before he can even gather his wits or make a dash for it, a lone ally presents herself in the form of a winged woman named Rose. An important cultural figure in the country where James appeared, she offers him both protection and a home. 

Soon, James learns that this new world is divided by a cold war. On one side is Nirnivia, home to Rose. The other, Ostark, led by a mysterious cyborg. James is unaware that the cyborg has him in his crosshairs, thinking of him as the Deus Ex Machina that will end the war in his favor. 

But, the cyborg is far from the only potential threat to James. Soon after his arrival, BRR, a terrorist organisation, kidnaps him. 

What would a rogue group out for revenge seeking to turn the cold war hot want with someone like James? Is there anyone also aware of this other world who will try to find him? Or is he on his own? If so, how is he supposed to escape? If that's even an option...  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The book will be $0.99 during the tour. 

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Cyborgs-Crusade-Day-Deux-Machina-ebook/dp/B0CBZZRDZ4/ref=sr_1_1

Excerpt Three:

 

Though initially shocked by the vehicle storming at them, the crowd soon recuperated. They glanced at each other and brandished their fists at the offenders. A few gave chase, but on foot they stood little chance of overtaking the pair. One of the chasers yelled, “Hey, it’s that Wrathchild traitor bitch helping the human asshole.”

 

Not concentrating on the road, Wrathchild offered her companion a side glance. “Don’t listen. Had veterinarians do test.” She smirked. “Ain’t no female dog.”

 

Despite their superior speed, she opted for caution and swerved into a small street. James exhaled as he hoped the retreat cut the hunt short. Then a soaring bottle grazed his ear. It shattered on the asphalt with a chink. A rock followed, and next a banana-shaped fruit of all things. The projectiles missed their mark, yet James’s muscles tensed up. He mumbled to himself in an attempt to calm his nerves. His worries proved futile. They outpaced the flock, who vanished in the distance in a second. Before he could relax, a rumbling sound arose from behind.

 

James gulped. He deduced the implications. Terrified, his brain ordered him not to look, but the temptation ended up too strong. Out of breath, he took a glimpse. A bare-chested thug covered in tattoos had mounted his own bike and raced after them. A lone hand steered; the other wielded a club. The message seemed obvious: he’d prefer to risk an accident than not to pummel them.

 

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:  

So, my name is Benoit Lanteigne and I’m a French Canadian (outside of Quebec) who’s trying to write in English. That can be tricky. I’m a computer programmer and I enjoy it. I see many inspiring writers who hate their jobs and hope to quit someday, but that’s not my case. Mostly, I’ve worked on websites and web applications. 

Back in school, I enjoyed writing and according to my teachers and classmates; I had a talent for it. Well, not so much for grammar and spelling, but they liked my stories. Once I went to university, I dropped writing as a hobby. There were other things I wanted to focus on, such as my career. Then, in the early 2000s, around 2006 I’d say, I had a flash of inspiration. At first, it was a single character: a winged woman with red hair. I didn’t even know who she was, but the image stuck with me. From there, I began figuring out details about her origins and her world, but I only started writing for real in 2009. 

It’s been roughly 10 years now, and it’s not yet finished. That’s in part because I write in my spare time, and in part because the scope of the project is huge. Maybe too much so. Still, I’m getting close to the point where I could release something. The question is what’s next? Self-publishing? Attempt traditional publishing? Nothing? I don’t know the answer yet, I’m trying to figure it out. Frankly, sharing my writing is difficult for me, and whatever I end up doing, as long as I make it available to people I consider the experience a victory no matter what comes out of it.

 

Website: https://thecyborgscrusade.com/ 

Newsletter: https://thecyborgscrusade.com/fanclub.html 

Social Media Link Hub: https://thecyborgscrusade.com/hub.html 

https://www.facebook.com/people/My-Skeptical-Angel/100055656492122/

https://twitter.com/bl98

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS80WvrsYaBCOKBVgYwsXTA

https://www.tiktok.com/@thecyborgscrusade

https://www.instagram.com/thecyborgscrusade/

 

Book Spotlight/Giveaway: Death Tango

 

Check out Death Tango from author Lachi today and make sure to enter the tour wide giveaway as the author is  awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. The tour is sponsored by Goddess Fish Promotions and you can find all the tour stops HERE.

Author Interview:

Q: What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book, Death Tango?

A: If you like deep-dive world-building, four-dimensional character development with quippy dialogue, visionary metaphysical conversation and fast past WhoDunIt Thrillers blended with Horror-tinged Sci-fi, then you will love ‘Death Tango’.

 

Q: Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?

A: I can do nothing until I’ve spewed everything in my head down onto the page.

 

Q: What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?

A: I’m a pretty high-level Google Guide, level-7 as of this writing. A Google-Guide receives points for contributing to and upkeeping Google Maps via ratings and contributing to corrections, location, timing and accessibility updates, Q+As etc. Folks like the superior foodie pictures I take and add especially considering the fact I’ve severe vision loss and often can’t see the awesome photo I took.

Q: What are your favorite genres to read?

A: Science Fiction and Horror.

 

Q: What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?

A: I would be remiss if I didn’t give a shoutout to one of my favorite early horror series ‘Child’s Play’ today on National Chucky The Notorious Killer Doll Day!

 

 

Q: What do you do when you have free time?

A: I am actually a touring performing artist, songwriter and public speaker for my day job. In my free time I write novels!

 

Q: What can readers expect from you next?

A: As a novelist, I’d be interested to develop ‘Death Tango’ into a series, dripping with authentic representation of different identities and disabilities, captivating worlds and intricate interpersonal and metaphysical discussions. As a recording artist, I aim to record an album celebrating the different, the weird, and the fringe in all of us, and to hopefully build out a full tour. As a public speaker, I’d love to continue traveling the nation and the globe speaking and performing on said topics.

Death Tango

by Lachi

GENRE: Science Fiction/Horror

 

In a Utopian twenty-third-century New York City, where corporations have replaced governments, AI dictates culture, and citizens are free to people-watch any other citizen they choose through an app, this horror-laden Sci-Fi Thriller follows four mis-matched coeds as they attempt to solve the murder of an eccentric parascientist. Only someone or something able to navigate outside the highest levels of croud-sourced surveillance could get away with murder in this town. If the team can't work quickly to solve the case, New York City will be devoured by a dark plague the eccentric had been working on prior to his death, a plague which, overtime, appears to be developing sentience.

 

Buy link:

 Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Death-Tango-M-Lachi-ebook/dp/B0BLGYMCQ7/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0

 

Excerpt Two:

 

Rosa heard Torian Ross murmur an expletive from Johnny’s bedroom. She turned into the hall and spotted him standing in the dark room facing a backlit closet of some sort. He turned to her, immediately palming for her to halt. Rosa would never forget the look of pure terror on his face at that moment. Torian wasn’t the type to scare easily. Before she could ask him the matter, she stopped short as she saw a dim shadow hover over his face.

 

Someone was approaching him.

 

The person emerged from the closet and stood before Torian. Exact build, exact posture and exact hair color down to the highlights—a wholly perfect robotic replica of Rosa Lejeune, wearing only a threadbare tank and frayed underpants. Along with a tattered face, the android’s arms and legs exposed inner metallic joints and loose artificial sinew as if it had walked out of an unfinished autopsy. Its many bruises proved the bot had been regularly abused. This week Rosa had faced some of the most bizarre things she’d ever known, but this? This was by far the eeriest.

 

“Hello,” the android pertly intoned to a stunned Torian Ross. “I am Rosa Thirteen, and you are not my master.” Though slightly mechanized, the vocal timbre and pronunciations matched Rosa’s precisely. “I have your iris match programmed in my archive as Oz Corp Piece of Shit. Hello, Oz Corp Piece of Shit.”

 

“Holy Jesus,” Rosa whispered as the depravity of this abomination’s existence sunk in. A brisk inhuman twist of the neck brought Rosa Thirteen to feast its eyes on Rosa. With a front view of the android’s face, Rosa noticed one of the bot’s eyes was missing. Just an empty socket, like that of its master.

 

“You are Rosa Lejeune,” Rosa Thirteen declared. For an instant, Rosa felt a surreal break in reality as the thing, the Her, addressed her. Then came a full body flush of terror as the android’s shoulders also snapped toward Rosa. “You cause my master pain. You cause my master to mistreat my hardware.”

 

“I…” Rosa could hardly do more than open her mouth in petrified awe.

 

The bot furrowed its brow and with a deep, mechanical growl bellowed, “You must be destroyed!”

 

The bot charged for Rosa with a hasty limp. Torian rushed to grab its arm, but it yanked free and jabbed him full force in the chest with an iron punch that sent him flying backwards. This was no woman. Underneath the simulated skin was cold, hard metal.

 

Rosa sprinted back toward the living room, but even with the limp, Rosa Thirteen revved up formidable speed. As it rushed forward, the android bumped against a wall-panel, and Vivaldi’s Common Era concerto, Andante, blasted stridently through every wall in the apartment. The first song to which Rosa and Johnny had ever danced.

 

Rosa grabbed at an end table and raised it to thwart the coming bash. But Rosa Thirteen grabbed the table’s legs and flung it across the room to crash against a mirrored wall. Rosa staggered backwards into a coat closet. She snatched a heavy coat from the rack as Thirteen rushed her and chucked it at the bot’s face, causing the bot to halt and flail its arms, temporarily confused at the sudden darkness. Rosa grabbed the sleeves of the coat at its hilt, twisted and pulled with adrenaline-laden force. She felt gears snap at the base of the bot’s neck.

 

Rosa ducked around Thirteen and dove for the kitchen, accompanied by a swell in Vivaldi’s blissful strings. She seized a carving knife and cleaver from a cutlery set on the counter. The bot snatched off the coat and charged for the kitchen, its head permanently lopped to one side. Rosa swung the clever at the bot’s head to finish the job. Thirteen knocked the cleaver aside effortlessly, but Rosa did manage to sink the carving knife deep into the bot’s abdomen.

 

This impact caused minimal damage, so Rosa retreated back to the living room, this time headed for the exit. However, the bot reached out and gripped Rosa’s arm just under the shoulder. The android lifted Rosa into the air and slammed her onto the living room floor with such velocity Rosa could hardly process it until she lay face up on the ground, her shoulder throbbing.

 

Thirteen stomped hard onto Rosa’s belly. Rosa’s breath escaped her along with bits of lunch. The bot then lifted its leg to stomp down on Rosa’s face. Rosa searched for a final prayer, but her could find none amidst her whirling terror.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

a Rafflecopter giveaway

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Lachi is an internationally-touring creative artist, writer and award-winning cultural activist living in New York City. A legally blind daughter of African immigrants, Lachi uses her platform to amplify narratives on identity pride and Disability Culture. In her public life, Lachi has helped increase accessibility to the GRAMMY Awards ceremonies as well as create numerous opportunities for music professionals with disabilities, through her organization RAMPD. Lachi also creates high-quality content amplifying disability. She has hosted a PBS American Masters segment highlighting disabled rebels and releases songs such as "Lift Me Up" and “Black Girl Cornrows” that elevate disability and difference to the pop culture market. Named a “new champion in advocacy” by Billboard, she’s held talks with the White House, the UN, Fortune 100 firms, and has been featured in Forbes, Hollywood Reporter, Good Morning America, and the New York Times for her unapologetic celebration of intersectionality through her music, storytelling and fashion.

 

In her free-time Lachi writes sci-fi and fantasy novels with diverse, headstrong characters, focusing heavily on atonal world-building, quip-ridden character development, likable villains and psycho-spiritual discourse.

 

Website:www.lachimusic.com

Twitter: twitter.com/lachimusic

Facebook: facebook.com/lachimusic

Instagram: instagram.com/lachimusic

New Release Spotlight/Giveaway: Last Chance by Darren E. Watling

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Darren E. Watling will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

The earth's epilogue was a forgone conclusion.

Our World selects seven of the best human beings that man, woman, and other could put their faith in, to ensure human existence, each displaying traits of a master in his/hers/its field.

However, not all traits are in the best interest of humankind.

Out of this World places seven hospital patients on a Plan B shuttle. Life was difficult on Earth. A new planet presents new problems. The ex-Fruit and Nut Friendly Psychiatric Hospital patients are up for the challenge.

Into the Other World—The Twist. Not only a mid-1900s dance, it is also associated with a lemon, a warped shape, a frame of mind, a warped frame of mind, a face you pull from sucking lemons and an end of story, unexpected finish, not to be given away, glancing at the back cover.

Read an Excerpt

“The court versus Jarred Pork,” the bailiff announced.

“Another serious offence. Jaywalking again. Unbelievable. What have you got to say for yourself, hmm? Well? Speak up, speak up,” the judge said, his thick and fearsome eyebrows alternating up and down.

“If the court pleases, Your Honour . . .” Sid, the defence lawyer, started.

“I’m not too pleased so far but ‘carry on, Sid’.”

“I’m the accused’s attorney. I will speak for Jarred as the accused is mute.”

The judge gave a heavy sigh and adjusted his black gown. “Very well, continue.”

“Jarred went out looking for his husband, as he hadn’t returned with an asthma puffer for their great-grandson., Wheelchair-bound, Jarred left the child with a trusting neighbour. As Jarred left their tiny unit, the red-bearded, dreadlocked kiddies friend, Molly Lester sang a kiddie song, and everyone assumed the child was safe, sport. (It is said Molly was heard on the phone: Hey, Dad! Bring Bill over. I’ve got another one. Presumably, another child to nurture, teach and explain what fine examples of human beings they are).

“I’ve heard enough from that man’s/woman’s/its mouth. Guilty! Throw away the key, like a rapper!” “Next, and this better be good, Johnny,” Clint said, as Sid swapped out and Johnny became the new defence lawyer.

“You sure are a weird lawyer Johnny, but I like you.”

“The court versus Harlett Sexton Action. The Honourable Judge Clint Eros presiding,” the bailiff stated.

“Oh, you poor thing. What have they got you in here for?” the judge showing compassion to the DD’s.

Harlette continued chewing gum as she spoke, “Well, Clinty, I’m pretty sure it’s a case of mistaken identity. I was on my way to make another porn movie, and the next thing I remember was a police officer saying I hit something or something.”

“You have a very strong defence Miss Action,” the unbiased judge claimed. “Let the prosecution begin.”

From chapter ‘Clint’ part three – Into the Other World

About the Author:

Born Darren Edward Watling, Subiaco, Western Australia, 1966. Darren excelled in English, maintaining ‘A’s, throughout his schooling and wrote a play, ‘Laughing Gas’, for his school at the age of 10. Credited with one small, published article, Darren found inspiration and reward, arriving at his latest piece, ‘Last Chance’.

He completed an apprenticeship, as a fitter, at Princess Margaret Hospital, while continuing his passion for short story writing.

Traveling Australia for three years on a private bus gave Darren a beginning to the experiences and continued, humorous outlook he has on life.

Darren approached his mother Jill Stubbs Mills and asked for her blessing to take her short story, ‘Deception’, and rewrite it into a novel. (The feedback from her publisher about her story was exceptional). Jill agreed to her son’s request. Sadly, Jill now suffers with dementia, but, keeps her sense of humour.

Various forms of employment, including a movie extra, a welder on a crocodile farm, a drummer for a touring band and currently a roof plumber, gave Darren considerable ‘fuel’, for a fired up, comedic novel.

Darren has had several passions over the past 56 years while walking this Earth. Drums, Karate, tennis and continuing today- comedic writing.

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