Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Author Interview: Allie Burke (Nowhere Train)

Malibu is pretty much the last place you’d expect a zombie 
apocalypse to happen, but that’s ground zero in Nowhere Train by Allie Burke.  

Here’s the description: 

Two-years post end-of-the-world, all Jetilyn Fournier wants to do is learn to navigate a world that is no longer her own. Surviving zombies feels easy, though, compared to dealing with her rocky relationship with her best friend, the death of her mother, her sister’s faux happiness, and her father’s sudden desire to speak, after decades of silence. Saving herself is not even something she can fit in at the moment. Enter Devlin Shea: for all intents and purposes, a mortal enemy. Though she should hate him instantly upon contact, she doesn’t, and before she knows it, Jett has another life to save. Told in the surreal prose that Allie Burke has come to be known for, Nowhere Train is the first zombie novel of its kind. At two parts hippie and one part magic, it is as deadly as it is beautiful; as dark as it is hopeful, baring the question in mind: who–and what–are Jett and her family really fighting for?
Allie is hanging out today to tell us all about this kick-ass book.

Tell me about Nowhere Train.

Nowhere Train is the first in a dystopian trilogy about the zombie apocalypse in Malibu Beach, California.

What inspired you to tell Jetilyn’s story?

Jetilyn’s story is very unique because I felt she was caught in between two (or three) worlds. She is the way she is because her family brought her up that way, but she has been exposed to so much through her friendship with Chris that I thought she could tell the story of zombies like no one else could. 

What drew you to writing in the zombie genre?  

I didn’t used to be into zombie fiction, but I’ve had a bit more exposure to it due to my brother being absolutely obsessed with it. My brother is very supportive of my work, so I wanted to write something he would truly enjoy. I really wrote it for him. Beyond that, it’s always my goal to write something that stands out from the genre, and so far, readers have confirmed that is the case with Nowhere Train.

The world you’ve created is divided into factions, The Holies, The Gunners, and The Enders. Can you explain those a bit? What inspired you to create these factions? 

It is really about The Holies versus The Gunners, and both of them versus The Enders. The Holies have adapted a holistic lifestyle wherein they don’t speak (most of the time) and The Gunners believe in living by force, which often involves weapons. The Enders are the zombies. My inspiration to write this series this way derived from my fascination with physical energy and auras.  

Now that Nowhere Train is released, what is next for you?

I’m working on Prius, the sequel (or prequel) to Nowhere Train.

Do you have any writing rituals?

No, I don’t. I’m always writing, no matter where I am or what I’m doing.

Where is your favorite place to write?

In independent coffee shops.

What inspires you to write? 

Everything.

What 5 books are on your bookshelf right now?

Five books? Haha. I have an entire to-be-read-bookshelf. I’ll tell you what’s on my immediate list, ie what’s in my car and my purse: The Red Queen, First Frost, Blue Lily, Lily Blue, The Untouchables, and Unblocked.

What do you recommend people see/read/hear?

I recommend anything by John Green: books, videos, anything. He is my hero

You can connect with Allie online at her website.  

Friday, May 8, 2015

Kickstarter for When They Come Calling (plus giveaway!)



Atthis Arts is a small independent publisher that uses crowdfunding in its partnership-publishing model to market and pre-sell upcoming titles. With Kickstarter rewards, you can get unique book items that won't be available with the published book. Rewards offered include naming a character in the book, a one-of-a kind hardcover edition containing an illustration of you with the book's protagonist. There is even a reward for self-published authors to get a finished manuscript professionally typeset for print and ebook! Pretty cool stuff, right?

Check out the awesome terrific book trailer/Kickstarter video for their upcoming title, When They Come Calling by author Sarah Fleming Mountford.





When They Come Calling is a modern ghost story, a suspenseful weaving of urban battles, romance, and supernatural intrigue.
Anna is a physician from Kansas City. She’s spent her life giving and caring to others while trying to hide how different she is. Anna has lost everyone she’s ever loved: her relationships, her family, and her hope for something more.
Jed is a warrior from another era, haunted by the horrors of a brutal family feud three thousand years in the making, and inspired by his own secret quest. Relentless and driven, Jed’s determination radiates to everyone around him.

If you pre-order a copy through Kickstarter, you receive a first edition.

Giveaway Time!

Atthis Arts is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card, along with a signed Advanced Reader Copy of Atthis Arts founder E.D.E. Bell's upcoming release, The Banished Craft. A quirky and modern take on dragons and wizards, The Banished Craft follows the adventures of Cor, a woman caught in a dying world that does not accept her, and Atesh, a dragon scientist who’s been asked to violate his own ethics or put the lives of his family at risk. Follow their trials as they deal with a shattered world, mired in political upheaval, while they try to rediscover a lost magic. (signed paperback U.S. only, international winner will receive ebook in epub/mobi format)

Too good to enter just once? Share the Kickstarter video and link, and you will receive 4 additional entries into the giveaway.

Here is the link: http://atthisarts.com/kickstarter, or simply visit the Kickstarter page and click "Share This Project" under the main video and fill out the rafflecopter below!
(Ends May 26)

a Rafflecopter giveaway
This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.