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Breeders 3 Update

9/17/2014

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The third week of September is upon us and that means back to school where I'm from. In Michigan this is also the time when everyone sadly closes their pools (even though it's been mostly too cold to swim in it anyway). It's the time when family vacations and heading up North slowly grind to a halt. No more sitting in awful traffic as your family gets restless and your dog, who snagged some discarded chicken nuggets, begins to fill the space with his perilous gas. As a teacher, it also means I'm heading back to the classroom for me and my children.  I could not be more excited. And overwhelmed. 

But on the writing front, things are zooming along faster than ever. I guess it's true what they say about practice makes perfect. I'm far from perfect, but this summer I spent any free time writing the third book in The Breeders series, tentatively called The Benders. I was able to write the rough draft in three months (my fastest time ever!) and am already two thirds through the first revision. This book feels really good and my beta reader has had positive things to say. So that leaves me doing the happy dance. My hope is to release at the end of November. It is looking like a realistic goal at this point. Readers have been waiting and I want to deliver. 

Instead of telling you about the book, I decided I would include a snippet of the first chapter. This is a rough draft, but it'll give you a flavor of what is to come. So, without further ado, The Benders. 


CHAPTER ONE
Riley

Clay holds the empty revolver in his fist and eyes it. The determined look on his face makes me think if he stares long enough he can conjure bullets from thin air. And maybe he can. In the last few weeks, I’ve seen him do some goddamned amazing things. But, seeing as how bullets are the most valuable commodities in the land, even Clay can’t make that magic happen. 

And it’s bullets we need because over the rise of the hill a curl of campfire smoke rises into the dusk. The smell of crisping meat makes my empty stomach clench. We ain’t had a decent meal in five days, just jerky and water and that’s gone, too. Whoever awaits on the other side of this hill better be ready for a fight. We sure are.

Our truck died over a week ago and our bullets ran out three days back. I think of the three square meals we had at the Citadel and wanna cry. Their provisions lasted us about a week. I look over at my brother, Ethan, and a knot forms in my throat. The little fat he put on at Citadel has wasted off his cheeks, leaving them hollow. His dark hair is dusty and coarse and the nice clothes we were given have already worn through at the elbows and knees from skulking around cactus and climbing up rocky hillsides. He’s got his tan back, which out in the desert is a good thing. It means we’ve been away from the clutches of the Believers long enough that their way of life’s been baked off our bodies. It’s some consolation to starving out in the desert. At least we ain’t in the Messiah’s clutches anymore. 

When Ethan sees me looking, he throws up a little smile, but I know he’s suffering just like me. I dig into the pack on my back and hand him the water canteen, my only act of defiance against the fates for making us starve like this.

He looks down at the water jug and shakes his head. “I’m fine. You drink it,” he whispers, shoving the jug back to me. 

I shake my head and push it back. “Took a drink an hour ago.”

“Don’t believe you,” he whispers, blowing out a breath that stirs the sand in front of his face. “You always give me too much.”

“Do not,” I say, pressing the jug into his hands from where I lay next to him. 

Clay shoots us both a will-you-hush-up look and trains his eyes to the crest of the hill where the smoke is rolling into the heavens. “We can worry ‘bout who drank what later. Right now I need your eyes and ears on this. Riley, come up with me.” He gestures to the crest of the hill. “Ethan, stay by the packs.” Ethan starts a protest, but Clay cuts him off with a look. They’ve become like brothers over the last few months. Something I’m still getting used to. 

I give Ethan’s arm a squeeze and press my hunting knife into his palm. Then I scoot on my belly up to Clay. Slowly, we inch up until we can peer down into the valley. 

Everything is just as we saw twenty minutes ago. The hill rolls into a low, bowl-shaped valley about fifty feet wide. At the bottom of the hill, a campfire crackles inside a ring of rocks. On one side, a figure sits on a boulder, tending the blaze. From here we can tell he’s a man, though we’ve got no idea what age or size. He could be a wizened old shell or a behemoth who’ll cleave us in half with his bare hands. I glance at Clay who works his jaw back and forth. If we run into this scene, we gamble with our lives. But then, out here, every damn day is a gamble.

On the other side of the fire the second of our worries lies wrapped in a tattered blanket. It’s a person though definitely smaller. Could be a boy. Could be a woman for all we know.

We know nothing and that’s what’s eaten at me. We should just turn around and leave.

Clay points and draws my attention to the one tending the fire. A shotgun rests at his feet. I glance at Clay, trying to discern from his face whether he thinks this is a problem or not. Most guns around here are for show. Bullets are harder to come by than chocolate cake and just as desired. If he has bullets he’s got a major advantage on us. We got a six-inch hunting knife and a nine-inch serrated blade that Clay keeps in his boot. We’ll have to get close to do any sort of damage, and if he hears us, he can pick us off easy as rabbits in a trap. 

I scoot back down the hill and lay on my back. The night sky thickens with stars. Coyotes howl in the distance, a night sound I’m so familiar with it’s almost soothing. But not tonight. I roll over and look at Clay. 

“This is plain crazy. We’ll get shot up before we make it to the fire.”

Clay looks over at me, his sky blue eyes finding mine. God, they soften me every time, but right now I don’t wanna be soft. My life, and more importantly Ethan’s life, hangs in the balance. 

“Riley,” he says, smiling. “One old man and his boy can’t stop me. You know I got this.” He flashes white teeth in a look that would melt any girl from here to White Sands. If there were any girls from here to White Sands.

I scowl and cross my arms over my bound breasts. “You mighta got this if you had bullets, but you don’t.” I gesture to the useless revolvers at his hips. “What’re you gonna do, throw those at him?”

 Clay smiles again, unfazed. “If I need to.” 

“This ain’t funny,” I say, frowning. “If he hears us coming down, we’re dead in two blasts. Then Ethan’s an orphan and he starves to death beneath that cactus. 

Clay’s smile fades. He scoots closer to me until his body is inches from mine. I refuse to turn. Instead I try to puzzle out my fate in the stars above. 

“Riley,” he whispers, his breath on my cheek. 

I don’t move. 

“Riley.” His hand slinks under the fabric at my waist, fingers caressing the skin there. Tingles ignite were his touch meets my skin. Finally I roll over until I’m facing him. In the twilight he’s stunning. His blue eyes match the last wink of day in the west and his stubbled cheeks make him look both rugged and manly. Any hint of the sickness from the Believers’ water has left and what’s replaced it is his deep tan and wind-blown hair. How in the world I landed such a man is beyond me. 

He slides a hand out and cups my cheek. “When I say I got this,” he pauses and runs a thumb from my cheekbone to my jaw, “I got this. I wouldn’t put you or Ethan in danger.”

I nod, but he cups my cheek and looks at me again. “Do you trust me?”

I think of what we’ve been through—the Breeders and the fight with Clay’s parents, the Citadel and how we side-by-side as the mall filled with poison. I press my hand to the gold band he gave me, resting on a chain beneath my shirt. 

“Yes,” I breathe.


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Cover Reveal: No Return by Zoe Cannon

4/22/2014

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I'm pleased to reveal the cover of Zoe Cannon's third book in the Internal Defense series: No Return, Book 3. It is releasing next month. Today I have a sneak peek of the cover and a blurb to peak your interests. 


Every dissident knows about Becca Dalcourt.


They know about the lives she’s saved. About the prison break she carried out against impossible odds. They know she turned a dying resistance into the first real threat Internal Defense has faced in a long time.

And even now, with the resistance under attack from the inside, they know Becca can save them.

They’re wrong.

The conclusion to the story that began with The Torturer’s Daughter and Necessary Sacrifices, No Return explores what happens when an ordinary person becomes a legend – and how to choose between who you are and who the world needs you to be.

No Return will be released on May 21st, 2014.

AUTHOR BIO: Zoe Cannon writes about the things that fascinate her: outsiders, societies no sane person would want to live in, questions with no easy answers, and the inner workings of the mind. If she couldn’t be a writer, she would probably be a psychologist, a penniless philosopher, or a hermit in a cave somewhere. While she’ll read anything that isn’t nailed down, she considers herself a YA reader and writer at heart. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and a giant teddy bear of a dog, and spends entirely too much time on the internet.

Website | Mailing List | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads


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The Breeders to Join a New Dystopian Box Set

2/5/2014

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I'm so excited to announce that The Breeders will be included in a new dystopian box set. The books included are awesome. Check them out. All for a crazy low price. Read below for an awesome giveaway.

Read these bestselling tales of survival against the odds, dark worlds, dystopian regimes and heroic rebels.

Shattered Worlds features six full-length novels from bestselling authors. Immerse yourself in post-apocalyptic civilizations and bleak near-futures where hope still lives.

The Books:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Elle Casey – Apocalypsis Book 1: Kahayatle

My name’s Bryn Mathis. I’m seventeen years old, and I live in a neighborhood outside of Orlando, Florida. I live alone because my dad died almost a year ago, along with all the other adults in the world. I’m almost out of food and the gangs of kids that roam around my town are getting more vicious by the day.

It’s time for me to leave and find another place to live … a place where I can find food and shelter … a place where they won’t be able to find me.

Alone, it might have been possible; but now I’ve got company. I’m worried that I don’t have what it takes to get from here to my final destination.

And I have no idea what might be waiting for me when I get there.

Shalini Boland – Outside

A post-apocalyptic romance thriller.

The world of the future is divided by Perimeters: high-security gated communities where life goes on as normal. If you’re inside you’re lucky, if you’re outside life expectancy takes a nose dive.

Riley is fortunate to have been born on the right side of the fence. But her life of privilege comes crashing down when someone breaks through the Perimeter and murders her sister. She forsakes her own safety to go in search of the killer. Luc decides to go with her otherwise she’ll be dead before she’s past the security gate. But what awaits her outside is more unbelievable than she ever expected.

Cut to the present day where Eleanor’s world is falling apart. This time next year, civilisation won’t be quite so civilised . . .

Zoe Cannon – The Torturer’s Daughter

When her best friend Heather calls in the middle of the night, Becca Dalcourt assumes it’s the usual drama. Wrong. Heather’s parents have been arrested as dissidents – and Becca’s mother, the dystopian regime’s most infamous torturer, has already executed them for their crimes against the state.

To stop Heather from getting herself killed trying to prove her parents’ innocence, Becca hunts for proof of their guilt. She doesn’t expect to find evidence that leaves her questioning everything she thought she knew about the dissidents… and about her mother.

When she risks her life to save a dissident, she learns her mother isn’t the only one with secrets – and the plot she uncovers will threaten the lives of the people she loves most. For Becca, it’s no longer just a choice between risking execution and ignoring the regime’s crimes; she has to decide whose life to save and whose to sacrifice.

It’s easy to be a hero when you can save the world, but what about when all you can do is choose how you live in it? An Amazon dystopian bestseller, The Torturer’s Daughter is a story about ordinary life amidst the realities of living under an oppressive regime… and the extraordinary courage it takes to do what’s right in a world gone wrong.

Scott Cramer – Night of the Purple Moon

Abby, 13, is looking forward to watching the moon turn purple, unaware that deadly bacteria from a passing comet will soon kill off older teens and adults. She must help her brother and baby sister survive in this new world, but all the while she has a ticking time bomb inside of her–adolescence.


Sarah Dalton – The Blemished

A beautiful world comes at a price…

In a world filled with stunning clones Mina Hart is Blemished. Her genes are worthless and that takes away her rights: her right to an Education, her right to a normal life and her right to have a child.

Mina keeps a dangerous secret which she never thought she could share until she meets Angela on her first day at St Jude’s School. But their friendship is soon complicated by Angela’s adoptive brother Daniel. Mina finds herself drawn to his mysterious powers and impulsive nature. Then there is the gorgeous clone Sebastian who Mina is forbidden from even speaking to…

The Blemished is a frightening take on a fractured future where the Genetic Enhancement Ministry have taken control of Britain. It will take you on a ride filled with adventure, romance and rebellion.

Book one in the popular YA dystopia series ‘Blemished’.


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Through a Tangled Wood New Release

12/17/2013

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 If The Believers wasn't enough new content for you, I've just released a new short story in a new anthology with some amazing authors. My story Plan B is set in the Breeders' universe, but explores what life is like for the employees that work at The Breeders' hospital. Pick up the book today. And it's FREE! 

Download it below.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords


Through A Tangled Wood: Slightly Twisted Tales

A variety of writers come together to twist traditional fairy tales into unusual and mysterious stories. From Beauty and the Beast, to Hansel and Gretel, to the Ugly Duckling, these stories will be sure to pull you into a fantastical world of princes, romance, and maybe a little science fiction.

“Plan B” by Katie French. When Nolan is selected as one of the few candidates to work in the Breeders’ hospital, he thinks all his troubles are over. Now he can afford precious medicine to save his ailing father. He’s heard of the Breeders’ cruelty, of their inhuman experiments, but he’s sure they’re fabrications. Then he stumbles into the Plan B room and learns how truly awful the Breeders can be.

“Tailless” by Ariele Sieling. A retelling of the Ugly Duckling, set on a far away planet in an unknown galaxy. While fighting a war with her people’s biggest enemy, young Bode struggles to understand why she feels out of place in her community, and why she, unlike her comrades, was born without a tail.

“I Am the Maid” by Sarah Dalton. A hostile zombie killing Maid Marian meets an ill-behaved ex-soldier Robin in this post-apocalyptic retelling of Robin Hood. When a young girl falls deathly sick, the two are forced to join forces in order to outwit the Sheriff, and the mysterious Guy Gisbon.

“Three Wishes” by Marijon Braden. When Aladdin rubbed the magic lamp, things went pretty well for him. But a few thousand years later, the world has changed and the genie is old, cranky, and doesn’t play fair. Young Alison thinks she’s found the answer to all her prayers, but instead finds that having wishes come true isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

“Killing Snow White” by Jamie Campbell. A magical retelling of the story of Snow White, told entirely by the Evil Queen who supposedly tried to poison her. Think Snow White is innocent? Think again.

“A House in the Woods” by H.S. Stone. At the conclusion of a scavenger hunt for Old World artifacts, Hansel and Gretel find themselves lost on the outskirts of the city after dark. They stumble upon a house in the nearby woods, hoping that they will find help inside, but the house’s inhabitant has other ideas.

“Flight” by Zoe Cannon. A retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Dragged to the palace at swordpoint, commanded to cure the cursed prince with a kiss, Lucia wants nothing more than to return to her solitary world of books and magical study. But she soon discovers that she and the prince share more in common than she could have imagined… and that the truth behind his curse could destroy—or save—them both.


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Land of Masks and Moonlight

12/10/2013

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The sequel to the Amazon Top 20 science fiction bestseller is here!

Three weeks on a ship to China as a stowaway. Backbreaking labor in paddy fields. A one-room shack for a house.

Vika Cannon will endure anything if it means giving her unborn child and her sister Ceres a chance to grow up. The Great Land may be fraught with dangers of its own, but it’s still safer than the grim Asylums and stinging acid rains of their poisoned home. The brutal conditions seem a small price to pay…especially with Shale Underwood to come home to.

But when a local cell of New Amanian Radicals is captured, Vika knows it’s only a matter of time before her true identity is revealed. In order to survive, she must immerse herself in an underground society where masked strangers revel in the spoils of illicit power. 

A mistake now could result in her unmasking—and the obliteration of everything Vika holds dear. As the net around her cinches tighter, she begins to understand that nothing in life is free.

What will Vika trade for her family’s safety?

Buy it on Amazon 
Find it on Goodreads


To celebrate the release of Land of Masks and Moonlight, it is being offered for $2.99 for one day only, until December 10 at 11:59 Eastern! After that, the price will go up to $3.99.

Haven’t started the series yet? Book 1, World of Shell and Bone, is only $0.99 until December 12th!

A free audio book download of World of Shell and Bone is available to one lucky commentor. Sound off below. One of you will be picked at random to receive the audio book. 

About S.K. Falls

A huge fan of spooky stuff and shoes, S.K. Falls enjoys alternately hitting up the outlet malls and historic graveyards in Charleston, SC where she lives and imbibes coffee. Her husband and two small children seem not to mind when she hastily scribbles novel lines on stray limbs in the absence of notepads.

Since no writer’s biography is complete without mention of her menagerie of animals, you should know she has one dog that doubles as a footstool, a second that functions as a vacuum cleaner, and a cat that ensures she never forgets that her hands are, first and foremost, for pouring cat food.

S.K. Falls is represented by Thao Le of the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. Visit her on her website, Facebook, or Twitter.

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Release of The Believers: Breeders Book 2 !!!

11/29/2013

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It's here! The Believers: Breeders Book 2 is available on Amazon and Kobo. (Coming soon to Barnes and Nobel and Apple.) For today only it will be $2.99 and after midnight the price will go up to $3.99 so get your copy now. And drop me a line after you read it. I'd love to hear what you think. 

To celebrate, The Breeders (Book 1) is currently on sale for $.99 until the 3rd. Tell your friends and neighbors. Also, I'll be giving away signed paperback copies of both books. Enter to win below. 

BUY IT ON AMAZON (PAPERBACK AND EBOOK)
BUY IT ON KOBO
BUY IT ON BARNES AND NOBLE


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Sneak Peek! Chapter One of The Believers

11/14/2013

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For all of you patient fans, here's a sneak peek. Chapter One of The Believers, Breeders Book 2.             


                             CHAPTER ONE

               Five of us duck behind a boulder scorched by the day's heat as the approaching car's headlights pierce the night.

               “Get down,” Clay whispers, drawing up his revolver. The steeliness of his voice sends gooseflesh galloping over my arms.

               I curl up, my knees tucked into my chest, my back dug into the boulder's hard surface. Beside me, Ethan scrunches down until he's a little bit of a thing, a wiry jackrabbit of a kid with his bony arms around his knees. When I lay my hand on his shoulder, he’s trembling. Mama crouches on the other side of him, one hand wrapped around her pregnant belly, the other on Ethan’s arm. Even though we've cropped her hair short and she wears men’s clothing, it'll be easy to tell she's a woman. No man has a stomach that round unless he's got a belly full of tapeworm.

               Rayburn, the Breeders' doctor who helped us escape, sits beside her, clutching one of Clay's revolvers to his chest. I roll my eyes. A gun in Rayburn’s fist is like a handsaw in the hands of a toddler: just as useless as it is dangerous. I heft the rifle. The warm stock fits snugly in my palm like it was made for me. I'm a decent shot, even in the dark, but I've got five shells left—maybe. Five precious shells. I try not to think about what will happen when the bullets are gone.

               Clay shifts beside me, his thigh brushing against mine. I know this low crouch hurts his wounded leg. All night he's walked beside me without complaint, but he’s getting weaker. The speckle of sweat on his brow is unmistakable no matter how many times he wipes it away when he thinks I got my eyes on the horizon. He hasn't had time to heal, but how could he? We've been driving and starving for days. Then our truck ran out of gas yesterday. We knew it would happen. It didn't make it any less of a punch in the gut when it did.

               The sound of a car motor reaches us, a wheezy, choking sound. Whatever approaches is not some new, souped-up Breeders' vehicle, but that doesn't mean they’re friendly. Everyone on this road is our enemy the way I figure.

               The chugging motor draws closer, the ground vibrating in anticipation. I press my back to the rock and look up at the sky, trying to slow the patter of my heart. I recognize a constellation amongst the splattered stars, but I can't remember the name. Cassiopeia? Andromeda? Six pinpricks of light in the shape of a W. My step-daddy, Arn, used to teach me stars’ names, pointing with his calloused fingers, drawing lines to connect them. Now Arn's a few months dead and my memories of him are fading. I look away and push the sadness down deep.

               Then the car is upon us, headlights streaking everything into long, black shadows. We all crouch together and wait. Breathe. Pray. The car rumbles past, tires bumping down the pitted road. One red taillight glows as they continue along their way. I blow out a breath and wonder where they're headed. Hopefully to a town not far from here. We need food and a car if we're ever going to get back to Auntie.

               A hand on my chest draws me out of my thoughts. Clay's tensed arm presses me back to the boulder. I open my mouth to protest, but then I hear it. The squeal of brakes. The slam of doors. They've stopped. They're getting out.

               Mama's hand tightens around my arm. Rayburn looks at me through his greasy black curls, fear etched on every feature. He pushes up his glasses, the revolver wobbling in his hand. In the moonlight, I find Clay's face. Beneath his cowboy hat, his brow is folded, his lips a tight line. He's calculating. How many shots to take them out? What angle? I can see the discharge of his gun in my mind's eye. Hopefully it won't come to that. We can't waste bullets.

               Footsteps head our direction, boots scraping the pavement, slow and steady. Two sets. Two men. Each step toward us makes my heart lurch. With my back to the boulder, I can't see them and it's making me crazy. There's only one reason they'd have stopped: they spotted us.

               I shift and Clay's hand tightens. “Stay down,” he breathes in my ear. Then he stands.

               What in God's name is he doing? I reach for him, my heart slamming in my chest. Is he trying to get himself killed?

               “Ho there,” he shouts. He levels his revolver. “That's close enough.”

               I rise up ever so slightly and peer over the boulder.

               Two men stand in the middle of the busted two-lane highway. The first is tall and skinny with a wide-brimmed hat and a shaggy beard. His bug-eyes and long neck make him look like a lizard in a trench coat. I can't make out the rest of his features, but his clothes are worn and holey. Maybe he's a rancher or a lower-class road gang member. The man beside him is a little better dressed in patched jeans and a sleeveless leather jacket. His head is bare and the moon reflects off the bald surface. He's wearing cracked glasses that make him look owl-like. 

               “Whoa, friend,” owl man says, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender. He's missing both pinkies. “That's quite a pistola you’ve got there. Give 'er a rest. We come in peace.”

               Clay shakes his head, his aim never wavering. “Ain't nobody come in peace these days. Turn round and get back in yer dirt wagon.”

               Lizard man chuckles behind his scraggly beard, his neck bobbing back and forth. He pushes back his hat and narrows his bug-eyes. “Well, now,” he drawls slowly, “that ain't too neighborly. We jist stepped out to take a piss. We ain't got guns.”

               “You ain't got guns showing,” Clay says. “Doesn’t mean you ain't got guns. You can take a piss a couple miles down. Now get back in yer car or I'll stop asking nice.” He thumbs down the safety with a click that cuts through the desert.

               The two men stand stock-still, hands at their sides. Lizard man tilts his head slightly, considering Clay. “Ain't nobody had bullets in these parts for months. What you so worried about us seeing behind that boulder?” He narrows his eyes and takes a step forward. “I know you ain't alone.” A smile curls on his mouth, slow and nasty.

               Clay's jaw hardens. “I asked you nicely.” He takes a step forward, aiming. “This is how I ask now.”

               The gun fires. The shot cracks through the night like a bomb. Mama gasps. The gunpowder spark lights up Clay's face: his eyes squinted, his jaw granite. Lizard man whirls sideways, left arm out like a sail. A spray of blood wets his partner's shirt. Lizard man staggers twice and falls to his knees, facing his friend. Bent over and clutching his wound, lizard man stares.

               Then he starts howling.

               “Clay,” I whisper. Will he shoot them both? We need every bullet in that gun. He says nothing, just keeps aiming.

               Lizard man half-runs, half-staggers back to the car. Blood plops on the pavement with a heavy, wet sound. His partner pushes up his round, blood-splattered glasses, fear crinkling his face. “You didn't havta!” he shouts as he turns to run. “You didn't havta shoot 'im.”

               Clay narrows his eyes, still aiming. “I don't havta shoot you either.”

               Owl man lets out a little squeal as he runs back to the car jumps into the driver side. The car engine chugs to life and they peal out in a spray of gravel. When the taillight is a little red dot in the distance, Clay slumps down beside me.

               I place my hand on his arm, smiling, but once I see his face my smile fades. Sweat sprinkles his forehead and rolls down his neck. His face is pale, yet his cheeks blaze red. The revolver clatters to the dust as his arm sags against the boulder. The calm gunslinger act has cost him.

               Leaning over to him, I wipe the sweat off his brow with my sleeve. “Clay,” I whisper, “you did it. You scared 'em off.” I press my hand to his cheek tenderly. I hate seeing him like this.

               His hand cups mine, his sky-blue eyes shining in the moonlight. There's no smile on his face. “This time.” Slowly, he reaches for his revolver and flicks out the chamber. Five bullets rest in their cylindrical beds. He frowns and snaps the barrel back with an awful click. Rayburn's revolver has six shells and I have five. I know what he's thinking. What happens when we run out of bullets? What happens to us?

               My mama stands, drawing my eight-year-old brother, Ethan, up with her. Her cotton T-shirt flutters against the swell of her newly pregnant belly. “Can you walk?” she asks Clay softly. He nods, pushing up, hiding a wince of pain behind a small quirk of his mouth. As I help him stand and take a sip of water from our canteen, a chilly wind stirs. Clay's body shivers. Then he throws his arm around me and shuffles forward.

               We walk on the shoulder of the road. North, toward home and whatever awaits.  


The Believers releases November 29th, 2013. Sign up for sequel notifications above. 


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MacGregor Literary Marketing Seminar

11/4/2013

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This weekend I had the privilege of attending MacGregor Literary Marketing Seminar in Chicago, Illinois. Some of you may know that MacGregor Literary is my agency. This was my first time being able to meet with the good people who represent me, including my fabulous agent, Amanda Luedeke. Though I have spoken with Amanda on the phone, I've never been able to meet her in person. I knew a five hour car ride with my husband, listening to his strange musical selections was worth the chance to meet Amanda and all the other authors represent by the agency. So, we packed up the car, left my children in the loving care of their grandmother (and her hyper wiener dog) and headed to the windy city.

First of all, let me say that the first events were nerve wracking to say the least. Since it was my first seminar, I felt like 1) I was the only person there that knew no one (including her agent) and 2) I was the only one who had not yet gotten a publishing contract. I was pretty sure as soon as these seasoned veterans started talking to me they'd politely find an excuse to go clean bathroom grout, or anything else equally more exciting. What I found instead was some amazing authors all of whom were very kind and very welcoming. Amanda was charming, smart and hilarious, all the things I suspected she was. And Chip MacGregor could be a stand-up comedian in his next life. I got to know some amazing authors like Leslie Gould who writes amazing Christian Fiction, and Jill Williamson who write speculative fiction for teens (just like me!). Getting to hear their perspectives and ask them questions was invaluable. And making writer friends is always amazing whenever or wherever it can happen. 

The marketing seminar was very helpful. So many fantastic ideas were thrown out that I don't think I can chronicle them all in one post. I will say that I learned I need to define my ideal reading audience and do more specific targeting. I need to approach bloggers and reviewers with the mindset of how I can help them, not the other way around. And I need to consider titles that make my books more searchable on Amazon. (Don't worry. I plan on another post next week highlighting some of the best advice on marketing I've gleaned to share with anyone interested.)

Overall, it was a great experience. One I hope to duplicate in the future. Thanks again to Amanda and Chip and all the people at MacGregor for putting on such a lovely event. It will be a highlight of my year for sure.  

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Cover Reveal - The Believers: Breeders Book 2

10/28/2013

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It's finally done! The cover for The Breeders' sequel is here and I'm so excited. Thanks to my cover artist, Andrew Pavlik for all his hard work with my constantly changing mind. Here's the book's blurb to pique your interest. 


They’ve escaped the Breeders, yet their journey has just begun.

Riley and Clay are once again on the run from the Breeders. The group may have escaped the deranged experiments at the hospital, but as one of the world's last free women, Riley can never be safe. On the road back home, Riley and her crew are captured by a band of savage men. Their destination: the Citadel, run by a bizarre religious prophet named the Messiah. Somehow he knows their secrets. He wants them to join his group of Believers, but only if they’ll drink the baptismal water and swear allegiance.

The problem is there’s something wrong with the water. Something wrong with the people. And there’s human moaning coming from the bottom of a dark crevasse that no one wants to talk about. If they can’t figure out what’s going on, Riley and everyone she loves could become a Believer forever.


Releasing November 29th, 2013! Stay Tuned for more. 

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The Believers: Breeders 2 Status Update

9/30/2013

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Friends, fans and anyone on the blogosphere, I wanted to give you an update as to how The Believers: Breeders 2 is doing. The good news is I have worked on it every day since March and it is shaping up to be something I am really proud of. I admit there were times when self-doubt, that ugly ol' monster, came knocking. Writing a sequel is hard by any measure and I had many moments where I fretted that book 2 would disappoint. But, I'm happy to say I don't think readers will be disappointed with this installment. Feedback from beta readers is positive and I'm feeling good about the direction in which the book is going. I might go as far as to say that it is nearly ready. 

Today, September 30th, I will send my worked-over and polished-up draft to a fabulous editor, Ms. Lindsey Alexander, who was recommended to me by author A.G. Henley of The Scourge. If you haven't seen A.G.'s sequel, you should pick it up. She's sold a ton of books which only solidifies my belief that Lindsey is going to rock the socks off my draft. Once she is finished with her edit and gets it back to me, I have to make changes. Then I need to get the book out to my copy editor for all those tweaks that make the book shine. Then it will be ready for the world.

My timeline is an end of November release, just in time for Christmas and cozy by-the-fire reading. I know you've been waiting patiently, but I promise it'll all be worth it. Here's the teaser to get you by. 

They’ve escaped the Breeders, yet their journey has just begun.

On the road back home, Clay, Riley and her family are captured by a savage group of physically huge, but mutated men. Their destination: the Citadel run by the seemingly psychic religious prophet, the Messiah. Somehow he knows their secrets. He wants them to join his group of believers, but only if they’ll drink the baptismal water and swear allegiance.

But, there’s something wrong with the water. Something wrong with the people. If they can’t figure out what, they’ll become one of them and become a believer forever.






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    Katie French is the author of The Breeders, a Young Adult dystopian adventure and Eyes Ever to the Sky, a sci fi romance. Nessa: A Breeders Story, a prequel novelette is available on Amazon for FREE. Sign up for notifications, or like her on Facebook. 

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