Twin Time by Olga and Christopher Werby

 

Twin Time is a time travel historical fiction urban fantasy by Olga and Christopher Werby. Today you'll have the chance to take a sneak peek into the book, plus some background information from the author. Be sure to let her know what you think! And then follow the tour for more. Best of luck in the giveaway!

Alex and Sasha are twin sisters, physically identical down to their freckles. But the resemblance is only skin deep—Sasha is profoundly autistic, while Alex is not. Sasha can’t communicate and acts bizarrely, and the family revolves around her and her intense needs. Yet the aged, wealthy, and mysterious Aunt Nana seems to have a particular interest in both girls. Offering a helping hand, she encourages the family to move to San Francisco to be near her. And when the young twins discover a tunnel in Nana’s tool shed, it leads them on a journey across the world and back 100 years in time. The tunnel is a pathway to the Firebird Estate, the home of their ancestors, located in rural Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century. Even more remarkable, through the effect that twisting time has on cognition, Sasha is not autistic when she’s at the Firebird Estate. Now, growing up in two strikingly different times and places, the twins must face their separate destinies among the ravages of the incipient Russian Revolution. Can they save their families on both sides of the tunnel? Can they simultaneously stay true to their own hearts, to each other, and to the people they left behind? Each sister must face her own personal challenge—but only together can they discover their own future within their family’s past.

Read an excerpt:

Boris Blackburg was observing Alex carefully, judging her emotional state and her ability to comprehend what he was telling her. She seemed very confused. He wasn’t surprised. This was the strangest assignment he had ever accepted. At first, he thought it was some silly notion of a well-to-do old woman. But as the years passed, he got to know Nadezhda well, and he liked the old woman, eccentricities and all. And as he got to know the Orlov family as well–vicariously, of course—the assignment grew more and more strange and intriguing.

Boris was also well compensated for his work. He was going to ensure Nadezhda’s wishes were followed. Alex Orlov would inherit her great-aunt’s estate and all the accompanying strangeness that came with it. He would make certain of it.

“Where did you get these?” Alex asked.

“Nadezhda, your Aunt Nana, gave these to me about eighteen years ago, shortly after you and Sasha were born.”

“I… I…” Alex seemed to want to say something, but couldn’t get it out. Boris was prepared to give her time, as long as her parents didn’t interfere with his mission by arriving too soon. At least the girl was now of age and the complications of guardianship had gone away–but he needed to complete his assignment before her parents arrived and complicated matters.

“Who’s the woman in this photo?” Alex pointed to a small black and white print of a man and a woman walking on the street. The image was very small, and it was difficult to identify the people, both of whom were wearing hats.

“Who do you think it is?” Boris asked. He knew, of course–Nadezhda had identified most of the photos for him, and there was information written on the back of most.

“I don’t know. But… it looks like… me?” Alex’s voice was small, barely audible.

Boris nodded.

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Read the first few chapters here.

Crafting your fictional world

Strange thing happens when you start writing a work of fiction. You begin to dream and see the world where your characters live. You get cravings for the food your characters enjoy. You listen to certain songs over and over and over again because somehow they give you just the right feel for that fictional place. The more you get immersed into your story, the more vivid that world becomes. It’s very similar to reading really. When I read a book that pulls me in body and soul into its narrative, I see the story play out before my eyes as I read it. I think this is why it is so often disappointing when we watch a movie based on a book we really love. We had formed all those images and sounds and even smells of the story and then the movie just doesn’t match out imagination and it’s a let down. Writing a story is similar…just takes a lot longer!

For most of my stories (all of my novels), I’ve created Pinterest mood pages that help reinforce the visual sense of those stories in my mind’s eye. I always encourage my readers to take a look. Because even if they imagine the world I create differently, they might get a kick out seeing what I was thinking about when I wrote my stories. Here’s a link to “Twin Time” visual mood board: https://www.pinterest.com/OlgaWerby/scifi-book-twin-time/

For this story, I’ve also created a little book trailer, using the illustrations from the book (yes, “Twin Time” is a fully illustrated novel because why not?): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHCxRU64hyU

Olga Werby, Ed.D., has a Doctorate from U.C. Berkeley with a focus on designing online learning experiences. She has a Master's degree from U.C. Berkeley in Education of Math, Science, and Technology. She has been creating computer-based projects since 1981 with organizations such as NASA (where she worked on the Pioneer Venus project), Addison-Wesley, and the Princeton Review. Olga has a B.A. degree in Mathematics and Astrophysics from Columbia University. She became an accidental science fiction indie writer about a decade ago, with her first book, "Suddenly Paris," which was based on then fairly novel idea of virtual universes. Her next story, "The FATOFF Conspiracy," was a horror story about fat, government bureaucracy, and body image. She writes about characters that rarely get represented in science fiction stories -- homeless kids, refugees, handicapped, autistic individuals -- the social underdogs of our world. Her stories are based in real science, which is admittedly stretched to the very limit of possible. She has published almost a dozen fiction books to date and has won many awards for her writings. Her short fiction has been featured in several issues of "Alien Dimensions Magazine," "600 second saga," "Graveyard Girls," "Kyanite Press' Fables and Fairy Tales," "The Carmen Online Theater Group's Chronicles of Terror," with many more stories freely available on her blog, Interfaces.com.


Links:

http://www.interfaces.com/blog/

amazon.com/author/olgawerby

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4056895.Olga_Werby

https://www.facebook.com/OlgaWerby/

https://twitter.com/OlgaWerby

http://Pipsqueak.com

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDE3BNceupMYgvoaoAps2mg

https://www.linkedin.com/in/olgawerby/

Olga Werby & Christopher Werby will be awarding two signed books to a randomly drawn winner (US only) via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Review of Someone's Story by B.A. Bellec

 

Immortal Girl5 by Griffin Stark with Giveaway

Thank you so much for stopping by to check out the book blast this week for Immortal Girl5 by Griffin Stark. This YA fantasy is part of a story spanning a thousand years where five sisters are trying to save humanity, while also figuring out their purpose. Check out an excerpt from this story before you download your own copy. And be sure to follow the tour to read even more and to enter the giveaway along the way!

Please note that affiliate links are present within this post. Should you make a purchase through one, I may earn a few pennies to help support my websites at no additional cost to you.

Immortal Girl5

The year is 1095, Normandy, France. Five year old Skylar runs away into the woods to escape nuns who are convinced her inexplicable seizures are the work of Satan. She survives after being adopted by wolves, when two mysterious strangers appear and reveal Skylar’s destiny to her. Skylar is the first of the Immortal Girls, destined to save humanity from itself.

Immortal Girl5 (January 22, 2019) follows Skylar, Rachel, Caitlin, Beth, and Bethany, five immortal sisters who, over the course of a thousand years, attempt to learn the purpose of their own existence while hunting down the worst criminals this world has ever seen. They’ve faced the likes of Jack the Ripper and the Nazis, but as a new enemy arises to threaten the sisters’ survival they’ll soon learn that immortality doesn’t mean forever.

Read an excerpt:

“Wait! Now look, please, just let me explain!” he begged her, while shielding himself from the next imminent attack. Even if he’d had the desire to fight back—which he certainly did not—Luke wasn’t sure how easy it would be. After all, she’d survived more than a thousand years from what he’d been told. For being that old, this girl looked beyond amazing, with her blonde hair that fell into curls at the ends, angelic looks, and a flawless, pale complexion that held two stormy blue eyes of unusual intensity. Skylar seemed to accept Luke’s sincerity, at least for the moment, and slowly put her fist down by her side.

Available on Amazon

About Griffin Stark

GRIFFIN STARK is an American author who proudly lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Even as a young child, Griffin had an active imagination. As an author of young adult fiction, he has harnessed his creativity to tell memorable stories filled with important life lessons.

Griffin served as a combat medic in The United States Air Force and later founded THE SHEEPDOG MOVEMENT to join in the fight against bullying of teens worldwide.

Visit http://immortalgirl5.com/ to learn more about Griffin and his YA fantasy novel, Immortal Girl5.

Griffin Stark will be awarding a copy of the book (US ONLY) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Penelope Ray's 10 Favorite Things and Big City Villain

Welcome to the book tour for Big City Villain by Penelope Ray. Today she is telling us about her 10 favorite things. You can also enjoy a sneak peek into her new book! Follow the tour for even more fun stops!

Please note that affiliate links are present within this post. Should you make a purchase through one, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Big City Villain

by Penelope Ray

Genre: YA Superheroes
Release Date: September 28th 2018

Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Coal Black takes being the bad boy to a whole new level. A super level. Known as the city’s terrifying super villain, Headphones, Coal works hard to keep his bad reputation intact despite being banned from using his powers. But things soon take a drastic turn when a deadly vigilante promises to destroy his whole world and his brother.

When his secrets are threatened, how far will Coal go to keep everything from unraveling? And with betrayal around every corner, he just might not make it out alive.

Add to Goodreads

Read an excerpt:

Chapter 1

My Name Is Coal. Not Cole. Not Headphones.

“Shouldn’t you be home at this hour, Headphones?”

I clenched my jaw and balled up my fists, but I kept my gaze fixed on the city lights.

“My name is not Headphones. It’s Coal. And the agreement was to be home at nine. It’s 8:30 pm.” I still had a whole half-hour, and I was going to live it up to the last second.

“8:33 pm, actually.” Anti-Gravity corrected, standing next to me on the edge of the tall building.

He looked down at the ribbon of light down below us and whistled softly.

“People on the streets look like ants.”

I frowned and squinted my eyes. Finally getting frustrated that I couldn’t see anything worth a bean, I pulled my glasses out of my pocket and slipped them on. So that ribbon of light was actually the street.

(Don’t ask why I am not wearing my glasses in the first place. It’s complicated, and I’m not sure I have the answer.)

“Scared of heights, Tights?” I asked, glancing at him and noticing he was in full costume.

Overzealous superhero.

He sent me a scowl. “Don’t call me that. Either Ben or Anti-Gravity, but stop calling me Tights.”

I cocked an eyebrow and looked him up and down. “Your outfit is nothing but cherry red spandex, and I think I have the right to call you Tights. Besides, you call me Headphones, so why can’t I call you whatever I want? Would you prefer Benny-boo?”

“Firstly, everyone knows that superheroes, and yes, even supervillains wear tights. Secondly, everyone calls you Headphones. Thirdly—” Tights stopped and shook his head, slightly shivering at the new nickname “—I think I would prefer Tights over Benny-boo.”

“Look at me, sweats and a tee. No tights here. And just because I happen to like music, doesn’t give people the right to nickname me Headphones. Besides, I already have a real villain name,” I said, getting frustrated with the conversation and the cold breeze that was picking up.

I rubbed my bare arms in an attempt to warm myself up. It didn’t work. It never worked. I didn’t even know why I tried.

“What? Ember?”

I scowled at him. “Yes. Ember.”

Tights grimaced. “I’d go with Headphones if I were you, and you wearing those headphones 24/7 gives people the right to call you that. What do you even listen to?” he asked, reaching across and yanking off my headphones.

I snatched them back from his hands.

“Music. Ever heard of it before?” I turned from the edge and stomped back to the rooftop’s door, deciding the cocky superhero ruined enough of my night, but before I could open it, I felt Tights’s presence behind me.

I whipped around to find him both flying and grinning. My hand automatically tightened on the doorknob.

“How does it feel like to have superpowers and be banned from using them?” he asked.

There was no compassion in his voice, just pure unadulterated teasing.

“Like a whole strawberry cake all to myself,” I grumbled, yanking the door open and walking into the dimly lit staircase.

“See you at home, brother,” Tights called after me, his voice rising above the squeaking hinges as the door closes.

I whipped around just in time to see Tights flying off into the night. I could just make out his laughter as he left me behind. Some faithful twin brother I had. Some family values he cherished. 

“Jerk.”

I turned back around and stared at the stairs in front of me. I sighed loudly, loud enough that it echoed off the graffiti-filled walls. Why couldn’t this building have an elevator? That would have made my life so much easier.

Before I could even take the first step of my long journey down the nearly fifty flights of stained and sticky concrete stairs, my phone buzzed in my back pocket.

(Let’s just say, when you forget about your phone, feeling it vibrate is very weird.)

Taking it out of my pocket, I looked down at the glowing screen.

One new text message from Ben:

8:40 pm brother. Hope you get home safe.

I groaned loudly. This was not going to be fun. I put my headphones back on and turned up the volume. Okay, I could do this. I had been using these stairs for three months straight now. I could jog down this with no problem.

Hopefully.

It was not fun being banned from using my powers. Stupid Board of Heroes and Villains.

And grab Glitch's story here!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Penelope's Top 10 Favorite Things

Not to be biased, but my absolute favorite hero will always be Flaming Spark, followed immediately by Anti Gravity and Racerback. After that, I’d say Spiderman. Followed by cats, winter, socks, old paperback books, my small but growing used book collection, and last but not least, writing a new story.

About Penelope Ray

In her natural habitat, Penelope Ray can be found with headphones on and furiously typing away on her laptop, completely oblivious to what's going on around her except for her attention-demanding cats. Though writing about superheroes and their crazy adventures is her current obsession, she started off as a quiet romance author, but a year ago she found Wattpad and let her imagination run wild. It hasn't come back yet. And that's when she discovered me, Coal Black. Her hero, her dashing prince charming, the wind in her sails, and her motivation to keep writing. Happiest in the rain and snow surrounded by cats, Penelope writes her next book while trying not to overthink her author bio or how she's going to write the ending to the story.

Author Links:

Goodreads│Facebook│Wattpad

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Read an excerpt from Wolf of the Tesseract by Christopher Schmitz

Welcome to the blog tour for Wolf of the Tesseract by Christopher Schmitz! I have an excerpt to help entice you to download your own copy today. Then please follow the rest of the tour for interviews, reviews, and more!

Please note that affiliate links are present within this post. Should you make a purchase through one, I may earn a small commission to help support my websites at no additional cost to you.

Wolf of the Tesseract (Wolves of the Tesseract #1)

Release Date: July 2016
Black Rose Writing

Summary:

In a world underneath our own reality, magic & science are two sides of the same coin. After merging with her copy from an alternate reality, college student Claire Jones is thrust into a setting beyond imagine and must fight alongside Zabe, an inter-dimensional guardian. Together they must stop an evil warlock from shattering the laws of existence who, above all else, seeks Claire's blood as the key to controlling the all-powerful Tesseract.

As they flee his wrath, Claire must decide what her romantic feelings for her protector mean... apocalypse-bringing sorcerers aside, Claire's mission is to rescue the woman Zabe loves... even if Claire has likewise fallen for the selfless soldier.

Add to Goodreads

Read an excerpt:

“What am I looking at,” Jackie asked.

Claire took her phone back. “It was the original listing for the property, complete with blueprints, floor plans, photos, you name it. Whoever this Heptobscurantum Group is, they bought the agency, the content, everything, and shut it all down. The records are even unavailable through other channels like public works.” She tapped through a few screens on her device and turned it back to Jackie. “But not before I got this screenshot.”

Jackie cradled the LCD screen and stared at the picture. Clearly, the room had only one door. She handed the phone back. “What does this mean?”

Vivian started walking back. With her almost in range, Claire muttered under her breath, “It means someone is lying to me, and I don’t know who else I can trust anymore.”

Instantly changing her demeanor like a chameleon, Vivian switched from a dour expression to her happy sister-in-law face she’d been wearing since the fiery incident. “I like this spot for the reception,” she gushed. “Lots of natural light and plenty of space for guests. Plus there’s a nearby pavilion for the band to set up in.”

The three ladies simultaneously turned to look at the covered pavilion. A skinny man wearing a hood pulled low over his face sat at one of its shaded picnic tables. Something about him unnerved all three of them.

“He looks more like a washed-up hip hop artist than a band member,” Jackie tried to defuse her nerves with humor.

“Yeah,” said Vivian. “Let’s go check out the other side of the park. Maybe see how far we are from the guests’ parking.”

They moved as a small unit. Claire looked back to the pavilion and spotted the mysterious man. He followed them from a distance, walking intentionally, urgently, as he pursued. All three picked up the pace, speeding to a brisk walk.

Continuing to shoot furtive glances backwards, they barely noticed the other man in the ratty, thrift store poncho. He leaned suspiciously against the concrete block restroom building along the walking path. They rushed past him, almost jogging now, while he ducked around the corner, keeping hidden from the trail. 

The skinny hood broke out into a sprint. Jackie squealed and the girls tried to accelerate.

From around the corner of the utility building the second man launched out and tackled the skinny one, dropping him with a shoulder spear. The cowl of his poncho flung back to reveal Rob’s face.

“Run, Claire!” He urged her forward while the lithe stalker grappled him.

None of the girls moved. They stood riveted by the brawl.

The skinny one kicked free from Rob. He pulled his arms back and stiffened, contorted them before clapping his hands together. Flames sprang to life between his palms and he shot a column of fire at the girls’ protector, blasting Rob across the lawn and knocking him over a grassy berm.

Turning back to the girls, the fire in his eyes burned as intensely as the flames flickering between his tightly balled fists. For a moment, his eyes shimmered animalisticaly, like a reptilian blink.

A roar snarled from the other side of the lush knoll where Rob had been thrown. The air seemed to crackle, like the oxygen vibrated at a molecular level under the stress of so much supernatural power colliding in such close proximity.

Streaking across the green like an arrow, the massive lupine charged the slender man who had fixed his evil gaze upon the girls. Seizing him by the torso, he suplexed the fire wielder caught in his massive paw, smashing him into the concrete of the walking path, shattering the cement tiles below. The beast stuck his snout down into his prey’s face and bellowed a warning. His hot breath blew his victim’s hair backwards, flecking him with spittle.

Claire could barely see the skinny one’s face, but she could swear that the cheek where he’d been hit was covered with scales; his pale, pasty makeup had been scraped away by the werewolf’s fist. She cringed as  the thin man screamed back at the werewolf’s face, spewing a wave of caustic heat.

The wolf snarled, his face singed, and he flung the man the entire distance back to the pavilion. Skinny heat-miser crashed into the wooden structure and it collapsed upon him while the beast turned his face to the girls. He bellowed again and launched into a sprint towards their position.

Vivian drew a semi-automatic handgun and began firing rounds into the lycanthrope. Claire watched in horror as the beast closed the gap; Vivian practiced her marksmanship with cold, hard precision. Claire spotted something in the monster’s eyes and she instantly knew that he was Rob—not a doubt remained in her—but his eyes contracted with terror, and not from the hollow point rounds which barely seemed to phase the beast. A split second later, Claire was yanked off her feet from behind!

Claire could barely hear her own screams over the ringing gunshots and the sounds of the other fleeing park-goers. Tipped sideways, before she could spot her attackers, she saw the rubble of the pavilion explode in flames and the skinny man walking from the pyre.

Rob, the wolf, peeled off in another direction, crashing through the brush nearby. Vivian leaned into a shooters stance and squinted down her sights, firing hot lead at the fleeing lycan.

Jackie shrieked, pointing to the approaching pyromancer.

Vivian paid him no mind, but pushed Jackie back. “We’ve got to go!”

“But where’s Claire?” She turned and spotted two burly, well dressed men in the distance. One had Claire under an arm, barely containing her as she fought and writhed to escape. The other held a pump action shotgun in his grasp. He looked ready for anything; walking backwards, he provided cover for his occupied partner.

“They’ve got her!” Jackie insisted.

“Yeah. I see them.” She paid them little attention, instead focused on retreating to the car. In a rare display of bravery, Jackie broke with Vivian and rushed towards her friend.

Rob burst out of the underbrush nearby. He leapt over the first blast of shotgun fire and pounced towards the backpedaling mercenary. He ducked under a second blast that tore through the space above his head. The acrid, sulfuric smell of gunfire hung in the air; Rob leapt past his enemy, dragging his razor-sharp claws across the man’s midsection as he pursued Claire’s handler. They’d almost made it to the white cargo van that waited for them in the parking lot with doors open.

Claire screamed for help just as Rob caught her kidnapper and dashed him to the ground with a sickening thud. He gingerly lifted Claire to her feet, even as he shielded her from the small arms fire: Vivian continued to approach with extreme prejudice.

Jackie shrieked as she almost reached her friend, but both were thrust to the ground under the shockwave from a nearby explosion. The white van detonated with a colossal fireball, throwing flame and broken glass everywhere.

Rob turned and growled. Vivian stood only fifty yards in the distance, another fifty beyond was the skinny pyro fiend. He dashed forward as Jackie helped her friend to her feet. They fled to the parking lot, watching over their shoulders.

The werewolf slugged Vivian as he sped by. The force of the blow tossed her twenty feet away where she crumpled like a ragdoll. Jackie was in shock and barely managed to find her car keys while tracking the battle just beyond the lot.

As she watched their lupine savior fall upon the fire wielding maniac she tore out of the parking lot, spraying gravel behind her as she turned the corner faster than common sense dictated. Both girls hyperventilated uncontrollably; tears streamed down their faces as they hit the freeway. Neither had any plan beyond simply drawing their next breath.

Purchase Links: Book 1 / Book 2

Join author’s mailing list to immediately get a free copy of the prequel comic book delivered instantly: http://eepurl.com/b6phYn

Read an interview with Christopher Schmitz here.

About Christopher D. Schmitz

Christopher D. Schmitz is the traditionally published and self-published author of both fiction and nonfiction. When he is not writing or working with teenagers he might be found at comic conventions as a panelist or guest. He has been featured on cable access television broadcasts, metro area podcasts, and runs a blog for indie authors.

Always interested in stories, media such as comic books, movies, '80s cartoons, and books called to him at a young age—especially sci-fi and fantasy. He lives in rural Minnesota with his family where he drinks unsafe amounts of coffee. The caffeine shakes keeps the cold from killing them. His entire family is musically gifted, although he is, sadly, their only bagpiper.

Education: Schmitz also holds a Master’s Degree in Religion and freelances for local newspapers. He is available for speaking engagements, interviews, etc. via the contact form and links on his website or via social media.

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook