Book Details:
Author: Tabitha Lord
Category: Adult Fiction, 314 pages
Genre: Science Fiction, Space Opera
Publisher: Wise Ink Creative Publishing
Release date: December 2015
Tour dates: May 22 to July 14, 2017
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (There are a few, moderately explicit sex scenes, genocide, rape, and moderate language.)
Book Description:
Caeli Crys isn’t living—she’s surviving. On the run after the genocide of her empathic people, she witnesses a spaceship crash near her hidden camp. When she feels the injured pilot suffering from miles away, she can’t help but risk discovery to save his life.
Commander Derek Markham awakens stranded on an uncharted planet. His co-pilot is dead, his ship is in ruins, and he’s only alive because a beautiful young woman is healing him with her mind.
As Derek recovers, Caeli shares the horror of her past and her fear for the future. When Derek’s command ship, Horizon, sends rescue, Derek convinces Caeli to leave with him. But his world is as treacherous as hers—full of spies, interplanetary terrorist plots, and political intrigue. Soon the Horizon team is racing to defend an outlying planet from a deadly enemy, and Caeli’s unique skills may just give them the edge they need to save it.
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Book Details:
Author: Tabitha Lord
Category: Adult Fiction, 304 pages
Genre: Science Fiction, Space Opera
Publisher: Wise Ink Creative Publishing
Release date: June 6, 2017
Tour dates: May 22 to July 14, 2017
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (violence, non-explicit sex, language)
Book Description:
In the second installment of the award-winning Horizon series, Dr. Caeli Crys returns to her war-torn world to fight for those she left behind.
Almagest, Caeli’s home, stands on the brink of revolution. Long hidden from the rest of the galaxy, the once-peaceful planet suffers under a regime that grows more violent and oppressive by the day. Marcus, Almagest’s dictator, is building an arsenal of alien weaponry by selling empathic children into slavery. A resistance has risen, but they are outmanned, outgunned, and in hiding.
Joined by Commander Derek Markham and his elite squadron of operatives, Caeli embarks on a dangerous mission to find the Resistance, rescue her captive people, and save her civilization from destruction.
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Author Interview:
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1.
What
does your writing process look like? Do you know the whole story when you start
or do you just start writing and go with it (seat of your pants writing)? If
you plan it out, how do you do that? Outline, notecards, post-it notes, etc.?
When I’m working on the draft of a novel, I
try to work on it every day, at least for a little while. I start by reviewing
my writing from the day before and making minor edits. Then I work for several
consecutive hours. I need at least two hours, preferably four, to get my
imagination flowing and to have any success writing new material. When I’m
finished with my work in progress for the day, I like to leave it knowing what
scene I’ll be working on the next day. During the first draft phase, I write
mostly sequentially, but if a later scene just won’t leave my head, I’ll jump
to it and spend some time on it.
When the first draft is finished, I let it
sit for a while and work on something else. Then I do a few rounds of edits
myself before sending it out to my beta readers. Once I have some common
feedback from the beta readers, and have integrated them into another round of
edits, I send that version to my editor. She and I will go back and forth until
we’re both satisfied.
As far as knowing the story ahead of time,
I’d say I’m a loose outliner. I have the bones of the story worked out in my
mind, and generally a notebook full of scribbled thoughts, but I leave plenty
of room for interesting plot twists.
2.
How
do you come up with your ideas for your stories?
Thoughts for my stories come to me in
different ways. Sometimes it’s a character that appears in my head, fully
formed – personality, career, physical appearance, and name – ready for me to
create a story around. Other times, there’s an interesting scene that builds up
in my imagination over time. Or sometimes there’s a theme or idea I want to
explore.
3.
How
long have you been writing?
I’ve considered myself a professional
writer for just about three years now, but I’ve been creating stories my whole
life. In fact, when I was sorting through
some of my grandma’s things after she passed, I came across a whole collection
of poetry and stories I’d written that she kept. It was very sweet.
In my
previous job I’d written some ad copy, blog posts, and done some editing for
school publications, but I had very little time or energy for creative writing,
and I had that crippling notion that I couldn’t write a whole book.
Then, while
I was in the middle of a lengthy work project, I just sat down and started
writing my first novel, Horizon. I
remember the exact day. I was spending the weekend with my best friend. I woke
up early, sat on her couch under a blanket, and opened my laptop. Nine months
later, I finished the first draft. Being a mom, the significance of that
timeline isn’t lost on me!
4.
What
tips do you have for aspiring writers?
First, finish
something. A bad draft is better than no draft.
Second, a first draft
is nowhere near the finished product. This was shocking to me as a first time
novelist - although it shouldn’t have been! I knew edits were going to happen,
but I had no idea how much work they would be. If I had to estimate, I would
say that writing the first draft was only about one-third of the work. Editing
and working through the business side of publishing made up the other
two-thirds.
And finally, keep writing. Even when you feel stuck. Even when it’s a bad writing
day. Even when you want to toss the whole mess! Keep writing. It’s worth it.
5.
As a
science fiction author, how important do you feel about making sure the science
is as real as possible in a story? Do you research to try to keep the science
as factual as possible?
As a science fiction writer I have great
latitude. The worlds I imagine aren’t real. But to bring readers along for the
ride, and ask them to suspend their belief for the duration of the journey, the
places I create must feel authentic, and the science I introduce must be
plausible, or at least consistently applied throughout the world I’m building.
In addition to consistency, if I’m using
familiar science, for example a propulsion systems or a medical procedure, I
definitely do my research to be sure what I’m describing is accurate. There’s
one scene in Infinity where Derek and
Kat are flying an experimental aircraft into a dogfight. I researched maneuvers
from historic air battles and watched a ton of you-tube videos from inside jet
cockpits to try and create that scene authentically. It was pretty cool!
6.
How
important are names in your books? Do you choose the names based on the way
they sound, or the meaning? Do you have any name choosing resources you
recommend?
For me, naming the characters and places in
my stories is a really important, almost sacred activity! Sometimes I’ll just
use a name I’ve always loved, but often they have additional meaning. For
example, Caeli’s name is derived from the Latin word for sky, and some of the
mountain ranges and bodies of water on her planet are taken from Greek words
(my undergrad degree is in Classics!). Her planet, Almagest, is named after the
astronomical manual written by Ptolemy around 150 AD.
When I’m looking to name cities on a
particular planet, I’ll look up obscure towns in foreign countries and use
those. Honestly, I think I have a little too much fun with the whole naming
thing!
7.
Some
favorites: books/authors/genres; movies/TV shows; music; food/writing snacks
The favorites are hard! I love to read. In
addition to writing novels and short stories, I also give author interviews and
write reviews for Book Club Babble, and I belong to two book clubs, so I’m
constantly reading. In general, I prefer genre fiction to literary fiction, but
The Goldfinch is an all-time
favorite. I just finished Jonathan Maberry’s latest Joe Ledger book, Dogs of War, and that was a page-turner.
I can go on and on about books…
For TV shows I admit to being a
Supernatural fan. I’m dying for the last season of Orphan Black. Colony was
terrific, and I think The Expanse is the best sci-fi show since the reboot of
Battlestar Galactica. And of course, I am waiting with baited breath for
Outlander to return.
I’ve always got music playing in the
background, whether I’m writing or folding laundry. My current playlist is
pretty eclectic with bands from Linkin Park to Imagine Dragons, Ed Sheeran to
Maroon 5. I live with a musician and all my kids have serious musical talent so
a favorite list here is nearly impossible!
Meet the Author:
Tabitha’s debut novel, Horizon, won the Writer’s Digest Grand Prize for Self-Published Fiction in 2016, and was named finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards and National Indie Excellence Awards. Infinity, the second book in the Horizon series, will be released in June 2017. Her short story “Homecoming” appears in the anthology Sirens, edited by Rhonda Parrish and published by World Weaver Press, and was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She is also a senior editor for www.BookClubBabble.com.
Visit her blog at www.tabithalordauthor.com where she discusses favorite topics including parenting, teaching, and her writing journey.
Connect with Tabitha: Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest ~ Instagram
BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE:
May 22 - Working Mommy Journal - review of Horizon / giveaway
May 22 - To Be Read - review of Horizon
May 23 - Working Mommy Journal - review of Infinity / giveaway
May 24 - 411 on Books, Authors and Publishing News - spotlight / guest post/giveaway
May 25 - Bound 4 Escape - review of Horizon / giveaway
May 26 - Cheryl' Book Nook - review of Horizon / author interview / giveaway
May 29 - Book review nature photos and everything in between - review of Horizon
May 30 - Library of Clean Reads - review of Horizon / giveaway
May 31 - Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf - review of Horizon / giveaway
May 31 - Lisa Loves Literature - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
June 1 - A Mama's Corner of the World - review on Horizon
June 2 - A Mama's Corner of the World - review on Infinity
June 5 - Haddie's Haven - review of Horizon / guest post / giveaway
June 6 - The Autistic Gamer - review of Horizon
June 7 - The Autistic Gamer - review of Infinity
June 8 - Library of Clean Reads - review of Horizon / giveaway
June 9 - Cheryl' Book Nook - review of Infinity / giveaway
June 12 - To Be Read - review of Infinity
June 12 - Deal Sharing Aunt - review of Horizon / giveaway
June 13 - Haddie's Haven - review of Infinity / giveaway
June 14 - Mystery Suspense Reviews - review of Horizon
June 15 - Bound 4 Escape - review of Infinity / giveaway
June 16 - 100 Pages A Day - review of Horizon / guest post / giveaway
June 19 - Elsie's Audiobook Digest - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
June 20 - Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf - review of Infinity / giveaway
June 21 - Deal Sharing Aunt - review of Infinity / giveaway
June 22 - Books, Dreams, Life - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
June 26 - Nighttime Reading Center - review of Horizon / giveaway
June 27 - Crossroad Reviews - review of Horizon
June 28 - Baker Kella - review of Horizon / author interview / giveaway
June 29 - Baker Kella - review of Infinity / giveaway
June 30 - Svetlana's Reads and Views - review of Horizon
July 3 - Book review nature photos and everything in between - review of Infinity
July 4 - Sharing Stories - review of Horizon
July 4 - Books for Books - review of Horizon
July 5 - Lukten av trykksverte - review of Horizon / giveaway
July 6 - JBronder Book Reviews - review of Horizon / guest post
July 7 - JBronder Book Reviews - review of Infinity
July 7 - A Book Geek - review of Horizon
July 10 - Nighttime Reading Center - review of Infinity / giveaway
July 11 - Books for Books - review of Infinity
July 11 - Crossroad Reviews - review of Infinity
July 12 - Lukten av trykksverte - review of Infinity / giveaway
July 13 - A Book Geek - review of Infinity
July 13 - Reviews in the City - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
July 14 - Sharing Stories - review of Infinity
July 14 - Svetlana's Reads and Views - review of Infinity
Enter the Giveaway!
- Win one of 5 prize packages that contains: Horizon (Book #1) and Infinity (Book #2) by Tabitha Lord and a $10 Amazon gift card (open to USA only - 5 winners)
