A.G. Henley, Author

Category: Blog

  • Cover Reveal: Free Souls

    I’m very pleased to announce that Susan Kaye Quinn‘s final book in the Mindjack trilogy is now available. I read the first book, Open Minds, and Closed Hearts (and now Free Souls) are in my TBR pile. Enjoy this fast-paced, inventive YA spec fiction series! And for any writers out there interested in taking the Indie path to publishing, Sue’s website is jam-packed with helpful information. Check it out –

     

    Free Souls by Susan Kaye Quinn

    (Book Three of the Mindjack Trilogy) Now Available!

    When your mind is a weapon, freedom comes at a price.

    Four months have passed since Kira left home to join Julian’s Jacker Freedom Alliance, but the hole in her heart still whistles empty where her boyfriend Raf used to be. She fills it with weapons training, JFA patrols, and an obsessive hunt for FBI agent Kestrel, ignoring Julian’s worries about her safety and repeated attempts to recruit her for his revolutionary chat-casts. When anti-jacker politician Vellus surrounds Jackertown with the National Guard, Kira discovers there’s more to Julian’s concerns than she knew, but she’s forced to take on a mission that neither want and that might be her last: assassinating Senator Vellus before he can snuff out Julian’s revolution and the jackers she’s come to love.

    All of the Mindjack stories are available on Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Kobo, and iTunes

    (Note Free Souls is not yet available on Kobo or iTunes)

    Early Praise for Free Souls

    “Quinn paints a picture of a not-too-distant America where politicians inflame the hatred of one section of the populace for another—all for their own gain—and you worry that her world is not so far off from our own.”

    — Dianne Salerni, author of We Hear the Dead, The Caged Graves, and the forthcoming The Eighth Day

    “Free Souls starts with a bang and doesn’t let up. Like a mash-up of all your favorite science-fiction adventures from Star Wars to The Legend of Korra, it blends nonstop action, nail-biting escapes, and great romance. I absolutely loved it! A great series conclusion—a must-read.”

    — Leigh Talbert Moore, author of Rouge and The Truth About Faking

    “Susan did it again. Free Souls was WOW! I expected Kira to step up to her role as heroine but not like this. Surprises kept coming until the very end which tied up more loose ends than I knew existed. Warning: Don’t start reading until you have time to finish. I didn’t want to put Free Souls down for a second. It’s that kind of book.”

    — Sher A. Hart, Goodreads Review

    Interview

    Susan’s over at Amy Saunder’s blog today (12.14.12), answering questions about how she came up with the mages’ abilities, what kind of mage she would be, and all about her future works.

    Digital Box Set

    Since Free Souls is out, there is now a Digital Box Set of the Mindjack Trilogy for those of you who want the whole series!

    Available on Amazon, Barnes&Noble

    Mindjack Origins Collection

    Want more Julian? Wondering how Sasha’s ability really works? Looking for EXCLUSIVE DELETED SCENES from Free Souls? This collection of novellas, scenes, and other goodies is for those craving a bit more of the characters and drama of the Mindjack series.

    Includes:

    Mindjack Novellas

    Mind Games (Raf’s story)

    The Handler (Julian’s story)

    The Scribe (Sasha’s story)

    TWO EXCLUSIVE DELETED SCENES from Free Souls (published nowhere else!)

    PLUS Mindjack flash fiction, an (imaginary) conversation between Raf and Julian, and other goodies for readers who want just a little bit more of Kira, Julian, Raf, and the Mindjack crew.

    Available on Amazon, Barnes&Noble

    ENTER TO WIN

    one of FIVE ecopies of the Mindjack Origins Collection

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

     

  • Blog Tour for The Scourge Has Kicked Off

    In all the excitement of the Amazon promotion, I completely forgot to mention that the blog tour for The Scourge (Book 1) has begun! It’s so exciting to watch the reviews roll in from bloggers. Blog tours are usually done when a book is first published, but as I’ve mentioned before, I’ve done everything in the wrong order already, so why stop now?

    36 bloggers will read and review The Scourge over the next three weeks. I’m also giving away 30 free ebooks, so please visit any or all of the blogs and enter to win! I’ll tweet and post individual reviews to Twitter and Facebook, but here are the first two to get you started:

    Bloody Bookish

    Paranormal Indulgence

    Thanks to Kismet Blog Tours for organizing the book tour!

  • The Scourge chosen as an Editor’s Pick and Top Holiday Deal on Amazon

    http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/img12/traffic/holiday_h1/thd-kindle-h1_470x40._V400612643_.png

    The Scourge will be featured in Amazon’s Kindle Store all month long! It’s been chosen as an Editor’s Pick and Top Holiday Deal.

    When you see your book being grouped with the likes of Aldous Huxley, Khalil Gibran, Diana Wynne Jones, Garth Stein, Barbara Kingsolver, and Agatha Christie . . . yeah. It’s like I crashed a famous author’s convention via the window in the bathroom. Still, I’ll take a moment to bask in the reflected glow.

    The price is discounted, too, so it’s a win-win all around. Check it out, and please spread the word where you can!

     

  • Cover Reveal: World of Shell and Bone

    I’m so excited to be hosting my very first cover reveal for Adriana Ryan‘s dystopian novel, World of Shell and Bone! You might remember from my last post that I’m thankful for the amazing writers I’ve met over the last year? Well, Adriana is one of those writers. We’ve been corresponding for months, and I can tell you she’s a wonderful person along with being a fantastic author.

    World of Shell and Bone will be released December 7th. I’ll be among the first to buy it, and I hope you’ll join me. Here is her gorgeous, provocative cover, along with a description of the book. Enjoy, and let me know what you think when you read it!

    Cover of World of Shell and Bone by Adriana Ryan

    Cover by: James Helps (humblenations.com)

    In a world ravaged by a nuclear holocaust, Vika Cannon knows there are no guarantees: no guarantees of safety, no guarantees that your neighbor is not actually a spy for the government, and no guarantees you’ll be allowed to emigrate to a new life in Asia.

    New Amana is dying. Food and water are scarce, and people suffering from radiation-caused mutations—the Nukeheads—are the new class of homeless. 

    Vika has just one purpose: to produce healthy progeny using a Husband assigned by the Match Clinic. Unhealthy children are carted away to Asylums to be experimented on, just as Vika’s little sister Ceres was, eight years ago. Parents incapable of producing healthy progeny are put to death in gas chambers.
    When she’s assigned a Husband shortly after her twentieth birthday, Vika expects him to be complacent and obedient. But Shale Underwood has a secret. He is a member of the Radicals, the terrorist group intent on overthrowing the government. And Shale has information about Ceres.

    As she learns more about the Rads’s plan, Vika finds herself drawn to Shale in ways she’d never imagined. When freedom calls in the way of a healthy pregnancy, will she betray her government and risk death for Shale and Ceres? 

    Adriana Ryan lives and writes in Charleston, SC. She is currently at work on a dystopian and an urban fantasy series. A huge fan of spooky stuff and shoes, she enjoys alternately hitting up the outlet malls and historic graveyards.

    Adriana Ryan is a member of the Romance Writer’s Association (RWA).

    Contact: Adriana@adrianaryan.com
    http://adrianaryan.com
    www.facebook.com/authoradrianaryan
    www.twitter.com/adrianaryansc

     

  • What I’m Thankful For: My Readers

    I’ve learned a lot in the last ten months since I published my debut novel, The Scourge. But the biggest revelation is that I’m not just writing for myself. I’m writing for readers.

    Um, obvious, right? Not always. Many people start off writing for themselves. Then, by necessity, they write for friends, family, critique partners, or for an agent, a publisher, and an editor. THEN they write for readers. My path took me straight from writing for myself and the few people I showed my work to before publishing it, to my readers. It has been a profound learning experience.

    Connecting with readers has been one of the unexpected joys of this year. I’ve been genuinely surprised at how much I’ve enjoyed conversing with the people who write to me through my blog, Facebook page, Goodreads, or who find me on Twitter. I always love hearing from you, even if it’s just a simple, “Hey, your book wasn’t bad” tweet.

    The first person to contact me after I published The Scourge was Jenna. This was way back in early March 2012 when the book had sold a mere few hundred copies. Until then, the only readers I had heard from were the brave family and friends who took a chance on it, full-well knowing they may have to lie like politicians and say they liked it : ) So I was over the moon to hear from a “stranger.” Jenna asked if I was planning to write a sequel (my answer at the time: I don’t know). She told me what she liked most about the book was that it was hopeful compared to many dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels. I love that. As a psychologist, I’m all about giving people hope that things can change for the better. I didn’t expect to be all about that in my writing, too.

    Emily, a teen reader, wrote soon after to ask me specific questions about the first book and to request a second book in the series. It was fun to correspond with her, and her questions guided the early chapters of the sequel. Another reader that made an impression was Michelle, who contacted me through Goodreads. Her comment prompted this blog post. Several Indie authors also got in touch. It’s been amazing to connect with other talented, funny, and hard-working writers across the country.

    Every author should be so lucky to have a few readers who love their book enough to shout it to the blogosphere (not to mention book bloggers/reviewers – you guys rock!) I’ve had at least two such devoted readers: Terri and Colleen. They both wrote to me directly, then proceeded to tweet about The Scourge, and to leave comments on other reading/writing blogs about how much they enjoyed the book. It means so much to me that they took the time out of their busy lives to spread the word.

    Recently I’ve had the opportunity to Skype with two groups of middle school readers from Macon, Georgia. They asked wonderful questions about the book and about my influences, inspirations, and writing process. I had no idea going into it how much fun it was going to be to talk to groups of young readers. Definitely a highlight of the year.

    Of all the people I’ve heard from, Monica might have the best story. Here’s what she had to say:

    So your book was so good it saved my life…literally! I am currently a student studying in the Middle East. I’d somehow left my gas stove on a little so it was slowly filling my apartment with gas. I had meant to go to bed early, but I got started on your book earlier, and could not put it down. By 2 am, I was done, but had a killer headache. I went out to the kitchen and hadn’t noticed the gas until it about knocked me over. Had I just been able to sleep, I might not have woke up this morning. So, your awesome story kept me awake, and alive. I have three kids and a husband back home that I need to get home to. Can’t wait to read the next book (without the life threatening circumstance; the story was exciting enough.)

    I’m very glad my book didn’t put Monica to sleep! I know that adding conflict and drama to a story are of utmost importance, but I never thought the consequences of not adding them would be so high. Monica and I have been emailing, and she shared the blog she is writing about her time studying in Jordan. I’m fascinated by her description of daily life in the Middle East, and awed by her honesty as she talks about the emotional roller coaster that her time there has become.

    I haven’t had the chance to meet many readers in person, but I hope I will at some point. I want to shake your hands and tell you how grateful I am for your support. Until then, please keep emailing, tweeting, and commenting. You keep me going when I’m too tired, lazy, or uninspired to write. I am still writing for myself, but now I’m writing for you, too.

    Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I hope your blessings are many, as mine are.

  • Because I Said So: The Breeders by Katie French

    The Breeders (The Breeders Series)

    It’s been a while since I recommended a book. Not because I haven’t been reading (oh, far from that), or because I couldn’t find anything to recommend (please read Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi. Please. You will love it.) I just haven’t gotten around to writing a post, until today. I offer you The Breeders, by Katie French.

    The Breeders is a YA dystopian read that’s as gritty and dark as the cover and title suggest. It takes a look at how society might devolve if females were commodities: bought, sold, stolen, and traded to keep the dwindling human race going. Frightening concept. I loved it. You might recognize Katie French’s name from her review of The Scourge and an interview she did with me a few weeks ago. Turns out she’s an Indie author as well as a book blogger. She didn’t ask me to read or review her book, and I certainly won’t make it a habit to recommend every book by an author that liked mine. I bought The Breeders because I was drawn in by the cover and the promise of an exciting tale set in the American West, an unusual choice for YA speculative fiction novels. I wasn’t disappointed.

    Protagonist Riley is an impetuous sixteen-year-old girl hiding out with her family in one rusty, dusty farmhouse after another. They’re avoiding the Breeders, a mysterious group hell-bent on rounding up the last of the girls and women of childbearing years to play with like chemistry sets. They’d snatch Riley and her mother in a New Mexican minute . . . if they knew they existed. Riley’s lost any hope of falling in love, or having a life of her own. She’s focused on survival. And survival becomes difficult indeed when her stepfather doesn’t come home after a trip to trade for needed supplies. Determined to find him, Riley walks into a town full of smelly, dirty men who would just love to sell her to the Breeders for a princely sum, or use her for their own purposes. Sound like fun? Read it. It gets even better.

    The Breeders is action-packed, and genre-bending. Cowboys and banditos have shootouts in saloons and ghost towns, but elements of modern medicine and technology like Tasers and ATVs indicate the story is set sometime in the near future. Being YA, there’s also a sweet romance, but it takes a back seat to the action. I liked Riley a lot. She’s a real girl with real faults who makes plenty of mistakes while still remaining sympathetic. But my favorite character is Riley’s Auntie, who may be too old to pack heat, but sure can sling a good insult (“You stinking, rotten pig eater! . . . You loathsome, dirty hair pie! I spit in your mother’s grave!”) Hair pie? Love it. The villains remind me of the bad guys in the films Cool Hand Luke and O Brother Where Art Thou? While there are some line editing problems (spelling issues, missing words, misuse of homophones), the writing overall is very good. The dialogue is especially good, IMO.

    At the gun-powdery heart of The Breeders there’s a fundamental tension. The women and girls left in this dark world both love and rely on the men in their lives. But break the somewhat tenuous ties of their emotional bonds, and those same men can easily become the enemy. And if there are no ties at all . . . watch out. It’s a tension that exists for many women in our world, too, which makes Riley’s story both familiar and uncomfortable.

    My advice? Pour yourself a shot of cheap whiskey, settle into your bar stool, and grab The Breeders. For $2.99 you’ll have yourself a darn good read.

    Picture Find Katie at www.katiefrenchbooks.com