Daybreak by Cheree Alsop - Book Blitz + Giveaway
Daybreak
Cheree Alsop
(Girl from the Stars #1)
Publication date: October 7th 2015
Genres: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Cheree Alsop
(Girl from the Stars #1)
Publication date: October 7th 2015
Genres: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Liora Day, half-human, half mess-with-her-and-you’ll-die Damaclan, had been thrown onto a rough path at a very early age. But when she is broken out of a cage by Devren, the young captain of the SS Kratos, she is shown that perhaps humanity does have a heart. The Kratos is set on a mission to rescue fallen surveyors from the Revolutionaries, and Liora is given the choice to follow her Damaclan instincts, or trust Devren’s dark eyes and captivating smile that promise an adventure unlike any she has ever experienced.
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EXCERPT:
Liora twisted the bent end inward until she felt the teeth slide free. She slipped the bar from the handcuff and let it fall off her wrist. In two more seconds, the other cuff was on the floor.
The lock of her cage proved to be more difficult. Luckily, Liora had the two pieces of the tweezers to work with. She bent the second one to match the angle of the first. Following the same steps the apprentice had done so many times, Liora pushed the bent end of the first piece into the lock opposite the pins. She turned it slowly upward until it was in tension.
Inserting the second piece, Liora raked it slowly along the pins. The small metal on metal sound set Liora’s nerves on end. If Malivian found out what she was doing, she would be tortured again. The voice in the back of her mind whispered that perhaps she wouldn’t survive a second round.
A subtle, metallic click sounded. Liora’s heart jumped. She pushed at the bars. Her breath caught in her throat when the door swung outward. Liora stepped onto the cold floor and stumbled lightheadedly. She caught herself on the next cage, pushed upright, and ran down the hall.
The alarm sounded when she hit the button for the hatch to open. As soon as the gap was wide enough, Liora jumped out. Her feet, then her knees, hit the deck of Gaulded Zero Twenty-One. She shoved up to her feet once more and ran past the other starships.
Even at the late hour, the Gaulded’s landing deck was filled with activity. It appeared the Kratos and Kirkos weren’t the only ships who had been attacked. Blow torches, plasma cutters, and blazers filled the contained air inside the Gaulded’s hold with the acrid scent of metal. The sound of mallets and hand saws sounded from every corner.
Crew members of the ships Liora passed turned to watch her go. She felt conspicuous and alone as she darted between space crafts and around repair gear. A giant pallet of artillery swung over her head. Liora ducked and made her way along the stripped hull of a Copper Crow painted to look like an iridescent fish. The name Space Poseidon glowed near the hatch.
Liora ran around the corner and slammed into Devren.
“I was about to come looking for you—” he began.
Tariq cut him off. “Dev, her face.”
Devren gently pushed her back so he could see her better. Liora dropped her gaze at his gentle probing.
“Malivian did this to you?” he asked.
The anger in his voice made Liora look up. Devren appeared ready to kill someone.
“Calm down,” Tariq told him. “Let’s get her to the ship. It’s the only place we’ll have leverage.”
Devren put a protective arm around Liora. Tariq walked behind them like a bodyguard. Liora felt as though she had entered some different reality. Somehow, even with the thought of Malivian coming after her, she felt safe between the two humans who had entered her life by accident.
Cheree
Alsop Q&A
My top 5 favorite books:
The
Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The
Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
Pride
and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The
Farseer Triology by Robin Hobb
Crown
Duel by Sherwood Smith
Top
10 things you need to know about writing:
1-
It's not easy, but so worth it
2-
You get the power to make your dreams come true every day
3-
Persistence is the key to success
4-
You have to believe in yourself before others can believe in what you do
5-
You must write for yourself first and if it rings true to you, it will touch
others
6-
You can never force the words to come; readers can tell if a scene is organic
or mechanic
7-
You will never have more time to write than you do right now- sit down and do
it every spare minute you get!
8-
If you have something to write, there are readers waiting to read it
9-
The best thing you can do is give your readers the highest quality book you
can; don't take shortcuts
10-
It is completely and entirely worth all the time you put into the pages
The
top 10 things you didn't know about me:
1-
I grew up on a 3,000 acre alfalfa farm in Delta, Utah
2-
If I could only have one food for the rest of my life, it would be chocolate
3-
I have 3 dogs named Holly, Ari, and Whisper
4-
The first book I ever wrote was a tragic western named 'One Man Alone' that I
finished in tenth grade and will never see the light of day
5-
I love riding motorcycles, especially my CBR 600
6-
I am the bass player in a rock band and sometimes even resort to backup singing
7-
I love 80's action movies (and the world needs more of them- thank you Mad
Max!)
8-
I have been intrigued by wolves since the first time I heard the story of
Little Red Riding Hood
9-
I never wanted to write a vampire book, and now it's one of my favorite things
I've ever written
10-
I love getting letters from readers telling me I've made them laugh and cry-
eliciting emotion is the greatest thing an author can do
What do you love most about self-publishing?
I
love the freedom that comes with being a self-published author. I am a hybrid
author, meaning that I have a traditional publisher (Stonehouse Ink), and I
also self-publish. While I enjoy being able to send a book to my publisher and
then step back to let them do the heavy lifting, I really enjoy the details of
being able to choose my own cover images, design my page layouts, and the
ability to finish a book, send it to my editors, and get it out the next week
instead of the longer release timeframe publishers have. I also love the fact
that I can write books in any genre instead of being limited to the specialties
of a particular publisher. If I want to write an epic fantasy followed by a
contemporary novel and then a young adult vampire series, I can do that. I love
being able to write whatever inspires me. I also love the fact that I am so
close to my readers. I get letters from my readers every day, and I always take
the time to write them back. It might take me a week or so depending on how
backlogged I am with my self-created deadlines, but I am honored by the fact
that readers take the time to write me and I love to write them back. As far as
the deadlines go, I am a very dedicated writer and so my deadlines are
fairly loose, but at the same time, they keep me disciplined because I know my
readers love the books and I want to make sure they know when to look forward
to the next release! Self-publishing has been such a wonderful experience for
me and I hope other writers take the chance and put themselves out there. It is
worth it!
A
song playlist for any of your novels:
Whenever
I start a new book, the first thing I do is create a playlist that captures the
emotions I want to create in my books. This is the playlist for Girl from the
Stars Book 1- Daybreak:
Dark by Sital-Singh
Heal by Tom Odell
Heartless by William Fitzsimmons
Be Still by The Killers
Run and Escape (Mozaix Remix) by Red
Meter & Verse by Young Guns
All I Want by A Day To Remember
The Last Fight by Bullet for my Valentine
Heal by Tom Odell
Heartless by William Fitzsimmons
Be Still by The Killers
Run and Escape (Mozaix Remix) by Red
Meter & Verse by Young Guns
All I Want by A Day To Remember
The Last Fight by Bullet for my Valentine
Where
do your ideas come from?
Anywhere.
A lot of times a new song, a simple scene- someone digging in a garbage can or
a dog sitting at the corner of a dark alley, or the 'what if' questions get me
going down a plot idea that I can't turn back from. I started the Silver Series
because I was walking down the aisles of huge bookstore looking for an urban
fantasy from the point of view of a male teenager with action, adventure,
violence, and a hint of romance. I couldn't find the book, and so I went home
and started writing. With the Werewolf Academy branch-off series, I'm now
working on book 14.
Where
do you find inspiration for your characters?
A
lot of authors will use inspiration from the people they know in their lives,
but I can honestly say that every character I write is unique. I feel like
circumstances should shape a character just like they do in real life, and so
starting from scratch with a character lets me get to know him or her from the
mind out. It is a fun way to start a story!
What
makes you unique as a writer?
I
write organically. I know where a story starts, somewhat of where the climax
will be, and a bit of where it will end, but then I let the story shape itself.
I like to be surprised by the story and characters just like my readers. I know
that if I'm bored with the direction a book is taking, my readers will be, and
so I am truly my harshest critic. I feel like that makes me unique and also
draws my readers onto more of my books because the stories don't take the usual
shapes you find out there. Werewolves, gladiators, Death, self-made
superheroes, vampires, and other characters try to live normal lives, but
because of what or who they are, they grow, have trials, fall in love, battle
dangerous circumstances, and end up being something far more than they were
when the story starts. I know that if I write the final word and I feel that
heartache at saying goodbye to my characters, I have done what I set out to do,
and I hear the same thing from my readers. Stories truly will write themselves
if you set the groundwork and have strong enough characters, both on the good
and bad side, to drive the plot. It's such a fun and rewarding experience!
What
writers inspire you?
When
I was a young farm girl, I spent all my free time reading. I wrote letters to
all of my favorite authors. It was a bit harder back then (that makes me sound
far older than I am, haha). I handwrote the letters, researched addresses, and
mailed them off, hoping that maybe in months I might get a response back. One
author wrote me back. Robin Hobb, the author of the Farseer Trilogy, sent me a
very nice and inspiring letter. She told me to believe in what I was doing and
to never give up. She also told me I would never have more time to write than I
did then, and so to grab every opportunity. I took her advice and carried a
notebook with me everywhere. I wrote so many stories back then that will never
see the light of day, but for me they were practice for what I wanted to do. I
put in the time and wrote thousands upon thousands of words to get to how I
write now. It's like putting in the time in college, doing an internship, and
starting out at the ground level to rise to the top of a career. If you want to
write well, you have to practice just like you would any job. The best part
about writing is that the practice is so much fun! I will forever be grateful
to Robin Hobb for taking a young girl seriously and writing back. I always make
sure to do the same to with the letters I receive from my readers, and it's
been fun to see the cycle go full circle!
Do
you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
I
get many, many letters from readers, and I love each one! Because I write such
a variety of genres, readers respond to different things in the books. Some
readers enjoy the love stories, others like the action. I often get letters
telling me that the reader has never cried before when reading or been so
captured by a character or story. I had one reader tell me that at a scene he
never saw coming, he jumped out of his chair and yelled, "What!" It
turns out that he was at his office and everyone else in the cubicles just
stared at him like he was crazy. He said later that day he actually had tears
streaming down his face during a particular scene, and when he looked around,
he realized several of his coworkers were looking at him again. He decided he
probably shouldn't read at work anymore. Another reader told me that Galdoni
actually helped to restore his faith in humanity. That touched me deeply
because as an author, I set out writing the stories in my head and send them
out to the world without knowing the impact they will have. It means everything
to me when I hear that they give my readers the escape I always loved to find
in books when I was younger and still find now!
You
have quite a few different series out, can you describe each series in a tweet?
The
Girl from the Stars Series- Firefly meets Romeo and Juliette
The
Dr. Wolf Series- A werewolf ER doctor. What could go wrong?
The
Monster Asylum Series- Can the world accept a monster as a hero?
The
Silver Series- Can a werewolf change the world he lives in?
The
Werewolf Academy Series- Twilight meets Harry Potter with werewolves.
The
Galdoni Series- "This is the arena and here we live to die."
The
Smalltown Superhero Series- If Batman grew up as a boy in a small farm town.
The
Shadow Series- Darkness and light rule, but in this epic fantasy series, hope
lies within the shadows.
Heart
of the Wolf- A wolf shifter, true love, and the chance to change the fate of a
nation.
Stand Alone Books:
When
Death Loved an Angel- What happens when Death's heart beats in the presence of
a guardian angel?
The
Million Dollar Gift- The true meaning of Christmas is found by a young man
taken in by a selfless family.
Keeper
of the Wolves- Wolf by day; human by night. Can love change a person's fate?
Thief
Prince- The Chronicles of Narnia meets Romeo and Juliet.
Stolen-
Kidnapped children, renegade shifters, and the men who will stop at nothing to
erase their existence.
The
Monster Asylum Series- Can the world accept a monster as a hero?
The
Silver Series- Can a werewolf change the world he lives in?
The
Werewolf Academy Series- Twilight meets Harry Potter with werewolves.
The
Galdoni Series- "This is the arena and here we live to die."
The
Smalltown Superhero Series- If Batman grew up as a boy in a small farm town.
The
Shadow Series- Darkness and light rule, but in this epic fantasy series, hope
lies within the shadows.
Heart
of the Wolf- A wolf shifter, true love, and the chance to change the fate of a
nation.
Stand Alone Books:
When
Death Loved an Angel- What happens when Death's heart beats in the presence of
a guardian angel?
The
Million Dollar Gift- The true meaning of Christmas is found by a young man
taken in by a selfless family.
Keeper
of the Wolves- Wolf by day; human by night. Can love change a person's fate?
Thief
Prince- The Chronicles of Narnia meets Romeo and Juliet.
Stolen-
Kidnapped children, renegade shifters, and the men who will stop at nothing to
erase their existence.
What’s
your favorite movie?
My favorite movie of all time is The Last Samurai. That movie speaks to me in so many different ways. I love the Samurai lifestyle, the dedication to the little details in life, and the simplicity of being away from the distractions in the world so that every moment is one well spent with loved ones or in dedication to whatever craft is needed. I also love the tragedy of being caught between two worlds, something that often shows up in my own writing. There will always be something so beautiful about cherry trees and something so heart-wrenching about a battle in which both sides are like brothers fighting for the cause they feel is the right one.
My favorite movie of all time is The Last Samurai. That movie speaks to me in so many different ways. I love the Samurai lifestyle, the dedication to the little details in life, and the simplicity of being away from the distractions in the world so that every moment is one well spent with loved ones or in dedication to whatever craft is needed. I also love the tragedy of being caught between two worlds, something that often shows up in my own writing. There will always be something so beautiful about cherry trees and something so heart-wrenching about a battle in which both sides are like brothers fighting for the cause they feel is the right one.
What's
your favorite place to read?
When
I was younger and if there wasn't any farm work to do, I used to take a couple
of books, a bag of carrots, and a handful of airheads and I would climb a tree
in the backyard and not come down until it was too dark to read anymore.
Sometimes I still think about the solitude of being just a girl with a book,
snacks, and endless adventures within the pages. Now, the best part is that I'm
the one writing the books for other little girls and boys (of all ages) to
escape into!
If
you had a million dollars, what would be the first thing you would buy?
I
would love to buy an island. I've always dreamed about what it would be like to
have a private island with a Swiss Family Robinson tree house to live in. It
would be so nice to have the peace and quiet to write, to have adventures with
my family, and also to get away from the hustle and bustle of things for a
while. I'd probably have to bury some treasure there with an elaborate map that
I would hide in a book for a lucky reader to find...the possibilities are
endless.
Black
and white or color? Gray
Drawings
or paintings? Drawings
Dresses
or pants? Pants
Books
or movies? Books
Pepsi
or Coke? Pepsi
Chinese
or Italian? Italian
Early
bird or night owl? Night owl
Chocolate
or vanilla? Chocolate (without a doubt!)
Introvert
or extrovert? I am in the middle of this one, haha
Winter
or summer? Summer
Spring
or fall? Spring
Rural
or urban? Rural
PC
or Mac? PC
Tan
or pale? Tan
Cake
or pie? Rice krispies
Ice
cream or yogurt? Ice cream
Ketchup
or mustard? Ranch
Author Bio:
Cheree Alsop is an award-winning, best-selling author who has published over 30 books, including two series through Stonehouse Ink. She is the mother of a beautiful, talented daughter and amazing twin sons who fill every day with joy and laughter. She is married to her best friend, Michael, the light of her life and her soulmate who shares her dreams and inspires her by reading the first drafts and giving much appreciated critiques. Cheree is a fulltime author and mother, which is more play than work! She enjoys reading, traveling to tropical beaches, spending time with her children, and going on family adventures while planning her next book. Cheree and Michael live in Utah where they rock out, enjoy the outdoors, plan great quests, and never stop dreaming. You can find Cheree's other books at www.chereealsop.com
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