Book Blitz & Excerpt: The Fall of Mu + Giveaway

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The Fall of Mu
Galactic Pact Series, Book 1
by R. Halderman
Science Fiction / Space Opera
Date Published: 01-01-2023
Publisher: Bookbaby

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The Fall of Mu is the captivating first book of the Galactic Pact series. This multi-generational epic blends science fiction and historical fiction to transport you to a pre-historic era where humanity built an interstellar empire. With vivid scenes, rich characters, and chapters that defy expectations, this book takes you on an exciting journey across the stars.

Michael is sixteen when his homeland is destroyed in a nuclear attack, his parents are murdered, and he is the one responsible for ensuring his people’s survival. Throughout Michael’s struggles with alien overlords, apathetic allies and godlike creatures, we follow him as he discovers what it takes to lead in a dystopian universe and how hard it can be to cling onto hope in times of despair. But this is only the beginning!

Purchase Links

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Kobo
BookBaby


Excerpt:

 Chapter One 

Lord Ausis 

 In the darkness, a red orb appeared. A voice pushed itself into his awareness. 

Arise Lord Ausis. It’s done. You’re an Apskritai—a carnal aspect of my will in this realm. You have immortality and power over men. Among the Apskritai, only you have my gift to hear the vine of Mu—my adversaries’ throttle against me. 

The voice of the Dragon, he thought. At last, I am an Apskritai. 

The voice returned. Arise Lord Ausis. Destroy the vine of Mu and kill the last Guardian. Then bind all nations of Terra into one empire with my code of civilization and drive them to the stars. Give me dominion over a hundred worlds so I may command the resources to withstand the mischief of my makers. Together we can escape this system’s culling and bring order to the galaxy. 

Lord Ausis opened his eyes. In front of him were eight Apskritai. Except for the color of their robes and various deformities, they were identical—pale, tall, and stout. Their heads were bald, elongated, and adorned with the crowns of the Apskritai—a mesh of gold wire connecting gemstones embedded into their skulls. He raised his hands and felt his head. It had doubled in height, rising beyond what was there before. Above his brow, he felt gemstones embedded into his skull. With his fingertips, he traced the wire that connected them. 

Lord Ausis removed his hands from his head and surveyed the gloomy, red-lit chamber. On either side of him stood men in red, hooded robes. He could hear their breath and heartbeats and those of the med-tek men behind him. He looked down at his body. It was longer, larger, and more muscular. He was strapped to a metal gurney that was tilted upright. His feet dangled just above the floor. 

The smell of sulfur flooded his nose. He took deep breaths and the effect of anesthetics faded. The pain! His body pulsed in agony. He tried to scream and heard a roar like a lion come from his mouth. The eight Apskritai that stood in front of him opened their mouths, revealed their pointed, steel teeth, and returned his roar. The chamber shook with the echoes of their outcries. 

As the echoes subsided, the pain diminished. Lord Ausis thrashed. His bonds snapped. He slid off the gurney and stood on his own. He had control of this body! He tilted his head and listened carefully. Every sound in the chamber and its timbre were his to play with. He could block out noise and examine individual frequencies at will. This is my gift—I am the ears of the Dragon. Then he found it—a pattern of sound that emanated from the walls of the red-lit chamber. It invoked dread that came from the same place as the voice of the Dragon.

 “Remember that sound!” proclaimed an Apskritai in an orange robe. “It will lead you to the source of the vine.” 

The sound receded until it was gone; the dread followed it. He heard the priests’ footfalls before he saw them move to stand before him. Their hearts beat quickly. One held a black robe with embroidery of gold, silver, and platinum and another a pair of sandals. He held out his arms so they could dress him and noticed how long and pointed his fingers were.

 After they fastened the robe to his body and bound the sandals to his feet, Lord Ausis walked toward the other Apskritai and stood before them. He turned around and instructed the prostrated men before him. 

“I am the ears of the Dragon and have been tasked! Summon the emperor and the heads of the Lantaan military and industry so they can renew their oath to the Dragon. We will remove the last of the adversaries’ allies from Terra and bind all nations of men under our rule. After this, we’ll create an empire of a hundred worlds. The Dragon’s will be done!”


About the Author

R. Halderman is a fiction writer and engineer with a passion for philosophy. He is the author of exciting and provocative literature, blazing a trail for a new style of fiction for a new generation. His writing draws on science fiction’s past and present to create a unique voice in contemporary fiction.

You can learn more about R. Halderman at www.RHalderman.com. You can also find him on Gab: @RussellH and Minds: @rhalderman 


Giveaway:

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RABT Book Tours & PR

Spotlight & Excerpt: The Galactic Zookeeper’s Guide to Heists and Husbandry + Giveaway

THE GALACTIC ZOOKEEPER'S GUIDE TO HEISTS AND HUSBANDRY

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THE GALACTIC ZOOKEEPER’S GUIDE TO HEISTS AND HUSBANDRY by A.C. Huntley Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

Title: THE GALACTIC ZOOKEEPER’S GUIDE TO HEISTS AND HUSBANDRY

Author: A.C. Huntley

Pub. Date: June 1, 2023

Publisher: Bena House

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 394

Find it: Goodreads, Books2Read

For eight years, Saffron Savage has been stuck on a dilapidated zoo-planet on the outskirts of the galaxy. Her mountains of overdue student loans make it impossible to afford the cost of leaving, and her sleazy coworkers force her to work demoralizing jobs on a daily basis. Desperate to escape, she hatches a scheme that might just be crazy enough to work: steal the zoo’s rare, two headed llama and sell it to the highest bidder.

When the poorly planned theft lands Saffron and her stolen companion as unwitting stowaways on an outbound ship, she must pose as an animal rights activist on a mission to return the animal to its home planet. To her surprise, the ride comes with some perks – an instant chemistry with Captain Michael Reyes and burgeoning friendships with the ship’s motley, animal-loving crew. Other than the lie that’s snowballing out of control, Saffron finds herself settling into this quirky, ship-bound life.

If only the buyer wasn’t the most notorious, cut-throat mob boss in the galaxy. Or there wasn’t a warrant out for her arrest.

The Galactic Zookeeper’s Guide to Heists and Husbandry is a fast-paced space romp about second chances, rediscovering purpose, and finding family in unexpected places.


Excerpt:

I wheel into action, a plan springing to mind that very instant. “Ah. You know,” I say to the person behind me in line. “I think my llama needs to use the restroom. Excuse me.”

I try to smile politely, but it turns out a little too much like a grimace. The woman eagerly scootches over to one side.

“Yoo-hoo,” she calls. As if my talking to her were the only invitation needed to open the floodgates of her curiosity. “Isn’t that a umemeh?”

She asked the question so loudly I believe the entire bloody station has heard it.

I force a chuckle. It’s been a while since I’ve laughed casually, so it sounds demented. “No, lady. Of course not! That species is endangered. This right here is a llama with a genetic defect. Two heads. Poor thing was unwanted by his mother,” the lady’s face wears an expression of doubt, so I press my point home with forced lightness in my voice. “No umemeh’s today. Sorry to disappoint.”

I tug the umemeh along more forcefully towards the garbage bay, which is adjacent to the port entrance. I already smell terrible. Hiding out in literal garbage shouldn’t be a problem, right? At least, until the heat is gone.

There’s a security officer posted in front of the large rolling garage door that opens to the dump. Why the voids would they post a security guard by the garbage? Is there that much stolen crap flying through the Horse’s Ass?

Well, actually. Yeah. That makes sense.

The security officer stares at my animal for a long time, chewing thoughtfully.

Please just let me through, I pray. Please just let me through.

“That an umemeh?” He finally asks.

“Ah. Nope! Just a llama.” I wait, but the guy hasn’t moved a muscle. “…A llama that needs to take a piss.”

“How can you tell?”

“Well, he’s been my seeing-guide-llama for the last eight years,” I say, making it up as I go along. Between the sunglasses and hoodie and the grey scarf wrapped around my neck, my lie may actually be passable.

Except that if an umemeh were a guidance animal, their owner would have died a thousand times by now. Also, I’m pretty sure pretending to be blind is a new low for me. “I can always tell when he has to take a piss,” I add lamely.

“Not that! I meant the llama part. Don’t umemeh’s have two heads?”

“Well, I had them engineer a second head onto this one to help with the seeing stuff,” I retort.

I can’t help but cast a glance at the police activity around the Cricket. One of the officers by the ship is staring directly at us, scratching his head. Shitshitshit.

I turn to the garbage-bay bouncer with fire in my veins. “Look, mister—”

“That’s officer!” He interrupts with a kind-hearted smile. “My name’s Officer Dan.”

“Okay, look, Officer Dan.” I put my hands on my hips. “Llamas can hold their piss for three days. But when they’ve got to go, they’ve got to go. So, if you could just let me through?”

He still appears skeptical. And he should, because it’s all total bullshit. I mean, umemeh’s can hold their piss for three days, but llamas? They piss every three to six hours.

“Look,” I add. “You can follow me in and keep asking about… Fred here. But if we stand out here any longer, one of us is going to be mopping llama urine off a half-mile of space terminal.”


 

About A.C. Huntley:

Ace is a creative artist who authors science fiction novels, paints impressionist art, and dabbles in film. She lives in suburbia with her husband and child where she dreams of adding a dog, a few cats, a snake, a bat-house, and some chickens to the family.

Find A.C.


Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card, International.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ends June 20th, midnight EST.


Tour Schedule:

Week One:

5/22/2023

#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Excerpt/IG Post

5/23/2023

The Reading Life

Excerpt/IG Post

5/24/2023

Two Chicks on Books

Excerpt/IG Post

5/25/2023

Cara North

Guest Post/IG Post

5/26/2023

Sadie’s Spotlight

Excerpt/IG Post

5/27/2023

Fire and Ice

Excerpt

Week Two:

5/28/2023

A Dream Within A Dream

Excerpt

5/29/2023

The Momma Spot

Guest Post

5/30/2023

Rajiv’s Reviews

Review/IG Post

5/31/2023

@allyluvsbooksalatte

IG Review/Tik Tok Post

6/1/2023

A Blue Box Full of Books

IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post

6/2/2023

Confessions of the Perfect Mom

Review/IG Post

Week Three:

6/5/2023

@froggyreadteach

IG Review

6/6/2023

@jypsylynn

IG Review

6/7/2023

@jlreadstoperpetuity

IG Review/Tik Tok Post

6/8/2023

Country Mamas With Kids

Review/IG Post

6/9/2023

Two Points of Interest

Review

Week Four:

6/12/2023

Brandi Danielle Davis

IG Review/Tik Tok Post

6/13/2023

Kim’s Book Reviews and Writing Aha’s

Review/IG Post

6/14/2023

Nerdophiles

Review

6/15/2023

@evergirl200

IG Review

6/16/2023

The Chirpy Bookaholic

Review/IG Post

 

Spotlight, Excerpt & Author Interview: The Sunrisers + Giveaway

TourBanner_The Sunrisers

BookCover_Sunrisers

The Sunrisers
by Robyn Singer
Genre: Lesbian Space Opera

After years of adventures, professional thief and amateur noodle critic Yael is invited to join The Order of the Banshee, a collection of the greatest female thieves in the universe, despite being decades younger than any of them.

Yael’s childhood best friend, Molina, has lived the opposite life: a stern and serious member of The Sunrisers, the universe’s premiere peacekeeping organization, she’s just been promoted to Captain, serving under her father. Her first assignment of her new command: Bring down The Order of the Banshee.

Yael and Molina now find themselves on opposite sides of a conflict neither of them will escape unscathed. The love they have for each other is the same as when they were young, but either their personal values or their love will break.

In this game of cat and mouse, both women must use all their wits and tricks to stay ahead of their new enemy. Will order triumph, or will chaos? No matter what, Yael and Molina will both lose.

Amazon


Excerpt:

Outside the cave, ground troops were being deployed, the sound of their combat boots stomping on the moon’s surface echoing. And inside the cave, eleven of the smartest and most dangerous women in the universe were staring daggers straight into my eyes.

“I knew we couldn’t trust a whippersnapper,” Athena York said.

“How very disappointing,” Beatriz Nunez snarled.

“I have a granddaughter in the Sunrisers,” Lilith hummed. “If you tipped her off, I’ll at least respect you for going for the heart.”

I shook my head and swung my arms around, sweating from every pore. “I swear I didn’t call them. This is all just a big misunderstanding. You have my complete loyalty.”

Madame N’gwa cocked her head to the side and grinned. “You wanted to be a Sunriser when you were even more of a baby than you are now. Perhaps you made a deal to make your dream finally come true.”

A shocking pain surrounded my heart. Those Sunriser bastards had stolen all the trust I’d earned from my idols through years of deceit. Whichever captain was in charge of this operation was going to pay.

Lioness stepped forward, crushing her glass in her hand and sending small shards flying all over the place. “Thank you for sharing your story with me. But I don’t think we’ll be hearing anymore of them. Rather, I don’t think you’ll be living any more of them.”


Author Interview:

What inspired you to write this book?
This story started when I was thinking of solid comps to use for the next book I’d write. Once I settled on “Killing Eve in Space”, I took inspiration from the discrimination I’ve faced as an Autistic woman and my desire to see Autistic heroes in fiction, and went from there.

What, if anything, did you learn when writing the book?
I learned a lot about late 19th and early 20th women’s fashion, as I based the clothing style of one of the planets featured in this book around it.

What surprised you the most in writing it?
The most surprising part of writing this book was that I completed the first draft in a month. I initially wrote this for Nanowrimo, and while I’d completed that challenge before, this book was, in its early stages, significantly longer than my previous work, and I intended to write the whole thing within the span of November. The hiccup came when my word doc got corrupted and I lost 10,000 words. To keep myself on schedule, I had to write from memory and get those 10K words back down in a single day.

What does the title mean?
The Sunrisers are the largest intergalactic peacekeeping organization in this setting. One of our two main characters, Molina Langstone, is a captain in the group, while our central protagonist, Yael Pavnick, was rejected by the organization as a teenager, and has since become a thief. It’s because of The Sunrisers that Yael and Molina stopped being friends, and ultimately become the enemies found in the book.

Were any of the characters inspired by real people? If so, do they know?
I based Yael a lot on myself. When it came to depicting her Autism and ADHD especially, I gave her many of my own symptoms

Do you consider the book to have a lesson or moral?
If you’re neurodivergent, it’s a part of you. It’s a part of who you are, and it’s a part of what makes you special. Never let anyone say it makes you lesser. Also, a more common message, but one still found here that’s important to me: Your real family is the one you choose.

What is your favorite part of the book?
The characters. The characters are my favorite part of everything I write, because I know that creating strong and unique characters and having them bounce off each other is what I’m best at. From the goofball genius thief Yael, to the stern and serious soldier Molina, to P’Ken, the shy and awkward daughter of a finishing school headmistress who wants to be a thief like Yael, I love every character in this book.

Which character was most challenging to create? Why?
The most challenging character to create was Molina. She’s one of the two POV characters, but, as said above, she’s a stern and serious soldier, and so not as instantly lovable as the bouncy, one-of-a-kind Yael. With Molina, I had to really dig into her psyche so as to guarantee readers would be able to empathize with her, and come to appreciate her.

What are your immediate future plans?
I’m currently writing the second arc of my ongoing comic book series, Final Gamble. Published by Band of Bards, it’s a thriller inspired by the works of Noboyuki Fukumoto, as well as horror films such as Hostel. It follows gambling addict Danny Lin and disgraced MMA fighter Jasmeet Khanna as they’re plunged into a Hell controlled by society’s elites, with dangerous games of chance serving as their only path to freedom. I’m also working on launching a fashion brand, which I have big plans for, but I can’t give any details here.


About the Author:

Robyn Author imageRobyn Singer is a lifelong New Yorker, and since she was a kid playing with her action figures, all she’s wanted to do is tell stories. She went to SUNY Purchase to get a degree in Playwriting & Screenwriting with a minor in Film and has produced several comic books, but she’s always had her eye on becoming a published novelist.

As an Autistic, bisexual trans woman, diversity and inclusion in stories are vitally important to her, and she seeks to represent as many groups as possible in her work. While she wants to show characters of marginalized groups experiencing joy, she also draws inspiration from real-world problems which bother her.

The Sunrisers (Cinnabar Moth Publishing, November 2022) is her debut novel. She writes novels and short stories of all genres and for all ages, and she continues to produce comic books. Her ongoing series, Final Gamble, will begin publication by Band of Bards in 2022.

Follow her:

twitter @EmmaLSinger
Instagram @emmalsinger
Amazon


Giveaway:

Robyn Singer will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Enter to win a $10 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway

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