BLOG TOUR: Dagger Hill by Devon Taylor

Welcome to the Official Blog Tour for Devon Taylor's Dagger Hill! Today, on our tour stop, we have a short Q&A with the author to share. Plus, let's celebrate this new release with a tour-wide giveaway! So... Be sure to check it out and grab your copy now! Follow the tour, HERE.

Genre:

Young Adult

Paranormal/Fantasy/Mystery/Thriller

Publish Date:

August 17, 2021

Publisher:

Swoon Reads

Synopsis:

Stranger Things meets One of Us Is Lying in this creepy paranormal mystery about four friends who find themselves hunted by a malevolent presence in their sleepy hometown.

It knows your fear...

Summer, 1989. Four best friends—Gabe, Kimberly, Charlie, and Sonya—are preparing for their last summer together before senior year, after which they’ll all be splitting up to start college in different parts of the country. They make a promise to always find their way back to each other, no matter how far away from their sleepy Pennsylvania hometown they get.

But their plans are destroyed when a plane crashes right on top of their favorite hangout outside of town—and right on top of them.

In the catastrophic aftermath of the incident, Gabe, Sonya and Charlie are plagued by eerie visions and messages from an unknown watcher. They soon realize that the plane crash was no accident, and now they are being hunted by a sinister presence. And everyone is still searching for Kimberly, who has been missing ever since Gabe saw somebody wearing a gas mask carry her out of the woods the day the sky fell down on them...

          

*Q&A with Devon Taylor*

1. When and/or how did you know you wanted to be a writer?

The Cliff Notes version of the story is that I was a second grader with his nose perpetually stuck in a book (Magic Tree House books to be more specific). And one day I was sitting on the floor of the school library, reading one such book, when it occurred to me that I would love to have Mary Pope Osborne’s job. Getting to use my imagination and tell stories all day? Stories that connected to other kids like me? It was the biggest A-Ha moment of my life and I’ve never looked back.

 2. What was the inspiration behind Dagger Hill?

Dagger Hill is, at its heart, a love letter to the horror genre. Not long after I fell in love with storytelling, I fell in love with horror. I love speculative fiction of any kind, but horror was always so gritty and terrifying and visceral. I picked up Stephen King’s IT at a yard sale when I was twelve and was immediately obsessed. Books, movies, TV shows. Anything horror that I could get my hands on, I went after. Another piece of inspiration for Dagger Hill was my love for 80s nostalgia. I was born in 1990, so it was a lot of fun to go back and delve into a decade that I had just barely missed out on.

 3. Why should new readers pick up/read Dagger Hill?

Dagger Hill is a terrifying fever dream of all my favorite horror tropes and styles. If you like old, campy horror flicks and psychological fear and monsters and government cover-ups and small towns with lots of secrets, this book is for you.

 4. What are you working on next?

At the moment I’ve got a couple of ideas in the air that haven’t quite landed, but one that I’m most excited about can only be described as Motherland: Fort Salem meets Terminator. Which makes zero sense to anyone who isn’t me.

 5. Who gets to read your first draft when you are writing?

Generally, my wife is the first one to read anything I’m working on. And even if she’s not reading it directly, it’s all I’m talking about, so she’s offering her input along the way. I spent a lot of late nights working on Dagger Hill because it had a few major hiccups, and she was immensely supportive and patient, as always.

 6. If you weren't a writer, what would you be doing?

I would either be a storm chaser or a stand-up comedian. And actually, I have a day job currently where I get to string and play guitars all day long, which is a pretty sweet gig in its own right.

 7. If you could do a book collaboration with any author (living or dead), who would it be? Why?

My first instinct was to say Stephen King. Because, duh. But when I stop to really think about it, I’d have to say his son, Joe Hill, instead. Stephen King was my initiation into horror and spec fiction, but I had many other teachers along the way who were of a more literary bent, who toiled over language and the rhythm of the words more so than the story. Joe Hill’s work is a lovely mashup of those two worlds. His stories are riveting and inventive, and his prose reads like a piece of music. I don’t think I have the chops to even keep up, but I’d give it my best shot.

 8. Of all your books, what characters were your favorite to write? Why?

It’s hard to pick favorites because you spend so much time with these characters, trying to figure them out, that they become kind of like your kids. All you want is for them to succeed and do good things (until you have to kill one of them off). But one of my absolute favorite characters that I’ve written is Treeny from the Soul Keepers duology. I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read those books, but her story arc is a rollercoaster ride and I love it.

 9. What is your favorite activity you do with your family when you are not writing?

We like to get up on a Saturday or Sunday morning and go to the diner for breakfast. It’s become kind of a ritual for us most weekends and I always look forward to it.

10. What would your advice be to aspiring writers/future authors?

My advice is this: If you want to write, then write. If you want to be an author, you have to learn how to unwrite as well. Being simply a writer is just you in a room by yourself, scribbling down pieces of your imagination. Being an author is you as part of a team, taking those pieces and forming them into something that resembles a story. And you always end up having to leave some of those pieces behind, often the ones you think are your favorites. They don’t call it killing your darlings for nothing. But if you can figure out how to both write and unwrite, then you can probably get where you want to be.

There you have it! Thank you Devon for giving time for your readers to get to know you with this Q&A!

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Praise for Dagger Hill

"A wild and satisfying romp through small town friendships, government conspiracies, bloody histories, long-kept secrets―and all of your deepest, darkest fears." ―Katrina Leno, author of Horrid

"Taylor (the Soul Keepers series) layers horror styles―found footage, monster, paranormal, and psychological―while switching perspectives among the Almost Nobodies and townspeople. ... Visceral descriptions (“bullets shredded into meat”) and the introduction of a shape-shifting figure lead to a jolting read in the style of Stephen King―one with plenty of 1980s nostalgia and a tender LGBTQ romance." ―Publishers Weekly

source

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**About the Author**

Devon Taylor was born in Las Vegas, Nevada and currently lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and two daughters. His day job consists of sneaking around the house with ninja-like stealth to avoid waking up his kids. When not writing, reading, or tediously typing out text messages with all the correct spelling and punctuation, he spends his time with his family. He is the author of THE SOUL KEEPERS, THE GHOST SEEKERS, and the newly released DAGGER HILL.

Stay connected with Devon Taylor

      

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***The Giveaway***

Giveaway Open Internationally

- ends August 26, 2021

Note: Not Responsible for Lost & Damaged Prizes in Your Mail Box

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BLOG TOUR: The Freedom Race by Lucinda Roy

 

Welcome to the Official Blog Tour for Award-winning Novelist Lucinda Roy's The Freedom Race, the first title in the Dreambird Chronicles series! Today, on our tour stop, we have a Q&A with the author to share! On top of that, we also have a tour-wide giveaway to share, too! So... Be sure to check it out and grab your copy now! Follow the tour, HERE.

Genre:

Adult

Science Fiction/Dystopian

Series:

The Dreambird Chronicles, #1

Publish Date:

July 13, 2021

Publisher:

Tor

Synopsis:

The Freedom Race, Lucinda Roy’s explosive first foray into speculative fiction, is a poignant blend of subjugation, resistance, and hope.

In the aftermath of a cataclysmic civil war known as the Sequel, ideological divisions among the states have hardened. In the Homestead Territories, an alliance of plantation-inspired holdings, Black labor is imported from the Cradle, and Biracial “Muleseeds” are bred.

Raised in captivity on Planting 437, kitchen-seed Jellybean “Ji-ji” Lottermule knows there is only one way to escape. She must enter the annual Freedom Race as a runner.

Ji-ji and her friends must exhume a survival story rooted in the collective memory of a kidnapped people and conjure the voices of the dead to light their way home.

          

*Q&A with Lucinda Roy*

1. Tell us about your new book!

 

My new book THE FREEDOM RACE is the first book in THE DREAMBIRD CHRONICLES trilogy. It’s set in the near future in the Disunited States. The U.S. has fractured following widespread secession, and plantation-like plantings have been established throughout the South and Midwest. Jellybean “Ji-ji” Lottermule grows up on Planting 437 and dreams of entering an annual race that grants freedom to winners. She’s classified as a botanical Muleseed, and not entitled to the rights and privileges afforded to certified humans. Something extraordinary and completely unexpected happens to Ji-ji in the middle of the book that obliges her to rethink her assumptions about herself and about the world she knows. It also places her and those she loves in great jeopardy. At the heart of the book are the relationships Ji-ji forges with an outcast called Afarra, and Tiro, an athlete who performs in the planting flying cage. It’s a story about the power of dreams and the tenacity of hope in a brutal world. A word of caution: the opening depicts the world as Uncle Dreg, Ji-ji’s mentor, wants her to see—kind, gentle and filled with wonder. Because this survival narrative is told from Ji-ji’s point of view, we see the world through her child’s eyes in the Prologue. Soon, however, this is replaced by the harsh realities of the planting. Ji-ji’s struggle is in trying to find her way back from despair to that place of wonder. Ji-ji dares to see the world both as it is and as it can be—always a very tricky juggling act, especially for women, girls, and people of color. 

 

2. What motivates/inspires you to write?

 

The idea that someone needs to hear this story.

 

3. What are you working on next? 

 

FLYING THE COOP and THE BIRD TRIBE, the next books in the trilogy. Writing a series is completely different from writing a stand-alone novel. From now on, whenever I encounter writers who’ve written novel series, I plan to get them a drink. (I may also pay for it.)

 

4. Why should readers read your book?

 

For readers who enjoy magical realism/fantasy: To see what happens in the middle of the book.

 

For readers who enjoy realism and satire in futuristic novels: Because there is a chance some of the things that occur in it will actually come to pass, if we’re not careful, particularly the fracturing of the U.S. and increased racism.

 

5. If you could do a book collaboration with any author (dead or alive), who would it be and why?

 

I would love to collaborate with Emily Bronte, author of Wuthering Heights, which is, in my opinion, one of the boldest explorations of point of view in literature, and an early example of how to subvert conventional ghost stories and conventional romance into something both glorious and tormented.

 

6. What advice would you give to aspiring writers/artists?

 

Don’t be afraid to question your own assumptions about your subject/subject matter. Don’t write to prove a point; write to discover what the point is.

 

7. What writing/creative process works for you?

 

As long as I have time set aside, I can almost always write. I have at least a dozen book ideas in my head. I sit in my favorite chair and write by hand so I can gaze at the mountains and forest of Southwest Virginia, or I work in my study and focus solely on the computer screen. I love writing very early in the morning before the sun comes up. But I often don’t get to bed until well after midnight, which can pose a problem.

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Praise for The Freedom Race

“Every now and then a work comes along that makes you wonder whether you are reading or dreaming. And you’re not sure it matters which.” ―Nikki Giovanni

“You ever have the feeling that if you don’t read something, you may be missing out on something momentous happening? . . . I got that vibe from the first page of The Freedom Race. It has a prescience about it in the tradition of Octavia Butler. . . . If ‘resilience’ was a book, it would be The Freedom Race.” ―Maurice Broaddus, author of Buffalo Soldier

“Roy (The Hotel Alleluia) turns to speculative fiction for the first time with this lyrical, Afrofuturist hero’s quest set in the not-too-distant future. ...[Ji-Ji's] harrowing but profoundly spiritual quest for sovereignty against all odds impresses. Readers ... will appreciate both the tenacious heroine and Roy’s intricate prose stylings.” ―Publishers Weekly

“The future Lucinda Roy calls up in The Freedom Race is a fierce, unsettling riff on our past and present. Instead of watching democracy evaporate and justice fail, Ms. Roy challenges us all to get over ourselves and join the race for freedom.” ―Andrea Hairston, author of Will Do Magic for Small Change

“American magic-realism meets the outcome of the Second U.S. Civil War in a well-told, but brutally jolting, strangely prescient, and soul-haunting narrative.” ―L. E. Modesitt, Jr., bestselling author of the Saga of Recluce series

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**About the Author**

Photo Credit: Larry Jackson

Novelist and poet Lucinda Roy’s latest book deal is with Tor/Macmillan for her futuristic slave narrative series The Freedom Race. Her previous novels are Lady Moses, a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers Selection, and The Hotel Alleluia. Her poetry books are entitled Wailing the Dead to Sleep, The Humming Birds, and Fabric: Poems. She also authored the memoir No Right to Remain Silent: What We’ve Learned from the Tragedy at Virginia Tech. Among her awards are the Eighth Mountain Prize for Poetry, the 2017 Zenobia Hikes Woman of Color in the Academy Award, and the Baxter Hathaway Prize for her long slave narrative poem “Needlework.” An Alumni Distinguished Professor in Creative Writing at Virginia Tech, she has been a guest on numerous TV and radio shows, including The CBS Evening News, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS’s Sunday Morning, Oprah, and NPR. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian, USA Today, the Chronicle of Higher Education, North American Review, American Poetry Review, and many other publications. She delivers keynotes and presentations around the country on creative writing, diversity, campus safety, and higher education. Currently, she is working on her speculative novel series, a book of ekphrastic poems, and a series of oil paintings depicting the Middle Passage.

Stay connected with Lucinda Roy

      

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***The Giveaway***

Giveaway Open Internationally | Must be 13+ to Enter

- ends August 2, 2021

Note: Not Responsible for Lost & Damaged Prizes in Your Mail Box

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BOOK BLITZ: The Memory Thief by Lauren Mansy

We are excited to kick off this 5-day Book Blitz for Lauren Mansy's The Memory Thief! Today, we are celebrating this new release with a Q&A with the author AND a blitz-wide giveaway! So... Check it out and grab your copy now!!!

Genre:

Young Adult

Fantasy

Publish Date:

October 1, 2019

Publisher:

Blink

Synopsis:

In the city of Craewick, memories reign. The power-obsessed ruler of the city, Madame, has cultivated a society in which memories are currency, citizens are divided by ability, and Gifted individuals can take memories from others through touch as they please.

Seventeen-year-old Etta Lark is desperate to live outside of the corrupt culture, but grapples with the guilt of an accident that has left her mother bedridden in the city’s asylum. When Madame threatens to put her mother up for auction, a Craewick practice in which a “criminal’s” memories are sold to the highest bidder before being killed, Etta will do whatever it takes to save her. Even if it means rejoining the Shadows, the rebel group she swore off in the wake of the accident years earlier.

To prove her allegiance to the Shadows and rescue her mother, Etta must steal a memorized map of the Maze, a formidable prison created by the bloodthirsty ruler of a neighboring Realm. So she sets out on a journey in which she faces startling attacks, unexpected romance, and, above all, her own past in order to set things right in her world.

      

  

*Q&A with Lauren Mansy*

• What was it like to write your first book and have it published?

Incredible! It’s been such a wonderful journey filled with many sweet moments. I began writing over seven years ago, and it’s definitely surreal that The Memory Thief is now on shelves! As of late, there have been quite a few teary moments—and I’m totally not a crier! I’m truly overwhelmed by every kind word, the support, and the willingness to walk alongside me as The Memory Thief has gone from something imagined to a real book. I couldn’t be more excited to share this story with readers!

• What was your inspiration behind TMT?

When I was a teenager, my mom was diagnosed with a heart condition, which led to an unexpected heart surgery. On the way to the operating room, her heart stopped six times, and the doctors warned my family that it was unlikely she’d survive. And if she did, she may not remember us due to the trauma she’d experienced throughout the entire ordeal. 

I was sitting at her bedside when she first began to stir after her surgery, and I slipped my hand into hers and told her that it was me. Then she began to squeeze my hand three times, our signal for I love you! That’s my most favorite memory because I’d never felt such fear suddenly overcome by the most incredible joy. That collision of emotions was the moment which first sparked the idea for The Memory Thief. 

Ever since then, I always struck by how memories make up so much of our identity and influence our relationships with others. It terrified me that my mom wouldn’t remember me, but I’m so thankful to say that she made a full-recovery. Though it was long and difficult process, she never gave up hope that things would one day get better. Her unwavering courage inspired me to want to share this story. 

• What kind of impact did writing TMT have on you personally?

Writing TMT has had a huge impact on me. I first began writing after completing treatments for Hodgkin’s Disease, a form of lymphatic cancer. It was a very difficult time in my life, and writing fiction helped me express myself in ways that I’d never done before. It helped me process through some of my most difficult memories. 

When I first began drafting The Memory Thief, I realized there were still some emotions about being faced with the possibility of losing my mom that I’d yet to express out loud. Writing this book proved to be a source of healing, and a wonderful platform for exploring truth in my own life through a backdrop of fiction. 

This story is very dear to my heart, and reflecting back on the process of writing this book is what made the moment of holding it in my hands so amazing. 

• What is your favorite part about TMT?

I think my favorite part is the relationship that Etta has with her mother. 

Gwendolyn was one of my favorite characters to write because she’s full of opposites. Because of her coma, she hasn’t spoken a word in four years yet that entire time, she’s been teaching Etta how important it is never to give up, even when all the odds are stacked against you. 

On her journey to save her mother, Etta discovers that Gwendolyn’s story is intertwined with Etta’s in ways that she never imagined. Writing this aspect of the plot was so much fun, and definitely one of my favorite parts of the drafting process, as well! 

• What do you hope readers take away from TMT?

The main thing I hope readers take away is that it isn’t the hardships of the past which define us but the strength we find in overcoming them. Etta has been through a lot of difficult things, and she struggles with trusting others because she has a hard time trusting herself. At the beginning of the story, Etta has spent four years hiding from both the people and events which haunt her, but to save her mother, she’ll have to come face-to-face with the past. I hope her journey will inspire readers to never lose hope, even in the midst of impossible odds. 

• How are you reflected in TMT (or, how much of you is reflected in the book)?

Because this story is based on my own journey with my mother, many of Etta’s worries, doubts, and fears are things I also experienced when faced with the possibility of losing my mom. The questions that Etta asks about how to deal with a situation like this are questions that I often pondered myself. 

So when I first began writing TMT, I thought, “What if I wasn’t the only one who faced this fear? What if there was an entire society that feared their loved ones no longer remembering them?” It was these kinds of thoughts which ultimately let me to want to explore a world where memories reign over everything. Then writing Etta’s emotional journey also helped me process through a lot of my own memories, as well. 

That’s one reason that I love not only writing but reading fantasy novels. Even though these characters live in worlds that are vastly different than our own, what they love, hate, and fear can often be so relatable. That often sticks with me long after I read the last page, and I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to share this journey with readers. 

• What is your favorite thing to do to promote your book?

My favorite thing has been getting to know readers. I had the privilege of attending BEA and ALA this past summer, and I loved meeting librarians, educators, fellow writers, bloggers, and industry professionals. Writing can often be a solitary venture, but the publishing process has been filled with creating some wonderful relationships. I couldn’t be more grateful for this community!

• Why should readers be sure to place TMT on their TBR list?

The Memory Thief is a book full of secrets, lies, and betrayal. It’s set in a world where memories are currency, people are struggling to hold onto their true identity, and nothing is quite what it seems. And Etta is a very flawed character. She has a lot of regret and has made many mistakes, yet she never stops fighting to save her loved ones. If any these things appeal to you, I hope you’ll consider adding TMT to your TBR! 

• What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned while being a writer?

I think the biggest lesson being a writer has taught me is the importance of the “story behind the story”. Though the publication journey is filled with exciting moments (like seeing the cover for the first time and holding the final copy!), the journey of getting here has changed me for forever. There have been highs and lows, moments of uncertainty coupled with unexpected encouragement, and wonderful support from family, friends, and even strangers! Writing fiction gave me a voice when I was still struggling to find mine, and I’ll be forever grateful that even as the last page of The Memory Thief ends, my own life story is still being written :)

• Additional thoughts?

If you’re interested in learning more about The Memory Thief, I have more information of my website, and I also LOVE connecting with readers! 

Website: www.laurenmansy.com

Instagram: @lauren_mansy 

Twitter: @LaurenMansy

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**About the Author**

Lauren Mansy lives in the Chicago area, where she's spent years working with youth, from young children to high schoolers. When she's not writing, Lauren is usually with her family or exploring the city to find the best deep dish pizza. The Memory Thief, which was inspired by Lauren's own journey with her mother, is her first novel. You can visit her online.

Stay connected with Lauren Mansy

    

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***The Giveaway***

Giveaway Open Internationally

Note: Not Responsible for Lost & Damaged Prizes in Your Mail Box

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized by