The Hierophant's Daughter by M.F. Sullivan - Book Tour + Giveaway
The Hierophant’s Daughter
(Disgraced Martyr Trilogy #1)
by M. F. Sullivan
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GENRE: Sci-fi, Horror, LGBTQ
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BLURB:
By 4042 CE, the Hierophant and his Church have risen to political dominance with his cannibalistic
army of genetically modified humans: martyrs. In an era when mankind's intergenerational cold wars
against their long-lived predators seem close to running hot, the Holy Family is poised on the verge of
complete planetary control. It will take a miracle to save humanity from extinction.
army of genetically modified humans: martyrs. In an era when mankind's intergenerational cold wars
against their long-lived predators seem close to running hot, the Holy Family is poised on the verge of
complete planetary control. It will take a miracle to save humanity from extinction.
It will also take a miracle to resurrect the wife of 331-year-old General Dominia di Mephitoli,
who defects during martyr year 1997 AL in search of Lazarus, the one man rumored to bring life
to the dead. With the Hierophant's Project Black Sun looming over her head, she has little choice but
to believe this Lazarus is really all her new friends say he is--assuming he exists at all--and that these
companions of hers are really able to help her. From the foulmouthed Japanese prostitute with a few
secrets of her own to the outright sapient dog who seems to judge every move,
they don't inspire a lot of confidence, but the General has to take the help she can get.
who defects during martyr year 1997 AL in search of Lazarus, the one man rumored to bring life
to the dead. With the Hierophant's Project Black Sun looming over her head, she has little choice but
to believe this Lazarus is really all her new friends say he is--assuming he exists at all--and that these
companions of hers are really able to help her. From the foulmouthed Japanese prostitute with a few
secrets of her own to the outright sapient dog who seems to judge every move,
they don't inspire a lot of confidence, but the General has to take the help she can get.
After all, Dominia is no ordinary martyr. She is THE HIEROPHANT'S DAUGHTER,
and her Father won't let her switch sides without a fight. Not when she still has so much to learn.
and her Father won't let her switch sides without a fight. Not when she still has so much to learn.
The dystopic first entry of an epic cyberpunk trilogy, THE HIEROPHANT’S DAUGHTER is a
horror/sci-fi adventure sure to delight and inspire adult readers of all stripes.
horror/sci-fi adventure sure to delight and inspire adult readers of all stripes.
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EXCERPT
VIII
Miki Soto
What couldn’t a person access from the Japanese Internet?
The question inspired Dominia to get out of the bathtub for another look at the card.
There was no address, whether web or physical, as there hadn’t been an address on the ad floating
across that billboard; instead, when she studied the lotus embossed upon the card,
the DIOX-I highlighted it as though it were a link. How fascinating, this augmented reality!
After fixing the device’s settings back to manual control, she “clicked” on the link with
an unsteady wink, and her right field of vision was covered by the floating window of a browser.
Had she cochlear implants, she would have heard some sort of music, or even a voice accompanying
the woman’s writhing in and out of the browser’s dark: less a whole person,
and more a disembodied assortment of lips, fingers, lower backs, and thighs.
At last, the vision disappeared to present her with the crimson words,
“WELCOME TO THE RED MARKET.”
The question inspired Dominia to get out of the bathtub for another look at the card.
There was no address, whether web or physical, as there hadn’t been an address on the ad floating
across that billboard; instead, when she studied the lotus embossed upon the card,
the DIOX-I highlighted it as though it were a link. How fascinating, this augmented reality!
After fixing the device’s settings back to manual control, she “clicked” on the link with
an unsteady wink, and her right field of vision was covered by the floating window of a browser.
Had she cochlear implants, she would have heard some sort of music, or even a voice accompanying
the woman’s writhing in and out of the browser’s dark: less a whole person,
and more a disembodied assortment of lips, fingers, lower backs, and thighs.
At last, the vision disappeared to present her with the crimson words,
“WELCOME TO THE RED MARKET.”
A button appeared: “Connect Your Halcyon for Age Verification.”
The idea of giving the women of the international and highly loathed illegal organization any information
might have stopped her in a simpler time, as it surely stopped 70 percent of potential Red Market
customers—the ones able to access the site, anyway, inaccessible from Europa and the Front
through traditional routes. That had been all the Hierophant could do to combat in any meaningful way
the world’s oldest profession-cum-cult. Far trickier than hampering Internet access was controlling
in-person transactions in gold or silver, or the off-brand cryptocurrency, Redcoin;
and because there were almost no freelance prostitutes left in the world, catching a working girl was
difficult.
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The idea of giving the women of the international and highly loathed illegal organization any information
might have stopped her in a simpler time, as it surely stopped 70 percent of potential Red Market
customers—the ones able to access the site, anyway, inaccessible from Europa and the Front
through traditional routes. That had been all the Hierophant could do to combat in any meaningful way
the world’s oldest profession-cum-cult. Far trickier than hampering Internet access was controlling
in-person transactions in gold or silver, or the off-brand cryptocurrency, Redcoin;
and because there were almost no freelance prostitutes left in the world, catching a working girl was
difficult.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
INTERVIEW
What would we find under your bed?
The stuff I can’t find a place for anywhere else—and hidden birthday/Christmas presents,
depending on the time of the year.
What was the scariest moment of your life?
Waking up from a seizure while at college. I’m not epileptic but I had a freak seizure while withdrawing
from the benzodiazepine, Klonopin, and I came to surrounded by paramedics, totally disoriented.
President Obama had just been elected for the first time and the paramedics were trying to convince
me I had, in fact, had a seizure by asking me who the president was—I just remember the gears of
my brain struggling to turn and my eyes scrambling around as I sort out the presidents in my head
and realize I can’t name him. All I knew was that it wasn’t George W. Bush anymore!
So I said, “I don’t know, but that doesn’t mean I had a seizure!” Haha, I was so freaked out.
That moment was heavy inspiration for a big part of The Lightning Stenography Device,
my book before The Disgraced Martyr Trilogy.
from the benzodiazepine, Klonopin, and I came to surrounded by paramedics, totally disoriented.
President Obama had just been elected for the first time and the paramedics were trying to convince
me I had, in fact, had a seizure by asking me who the president was—I just remember the gears of
my brain struggling to turn and my eyes scrambling around as I sort out the presidents in my head
and realize I can’t name him. All I knew was that it wasn’t George W. Bush anymore!
So I said, “I don’t know, but that doesn’t mean I had a seizure!” Haha, I was so freaked out.
That moment was heavy inspiration for a big part of The Lightning Stenography Device,
my book before The Disgraced Martyr Trilogy.
Do you listen to music while writing? If so what?
I have to! I can’t write in silence—and I can’t edit with music, so I’m never tempted to combine the two
tasks, conveniently! As for what music I listen to, that depends on the book.
The soundtrack for The Disgraced Martyr Trilogy was 64 songs long by the end, but I’d say the most
influential songs to the novel were by Sisters of Mercy (“Under the Gun”, “Dominion/Mother Russia”
and “This Corrosion”), Sharon van Etten (“Peace Signs”, “One Day”, “Every Time The Sun Comes Up”),
and Styx’s song “Lady”—that last song becomes relevant in Book III, actually.
influential songs to the novel were by Sisters of Mercy (“Under the Gun”, “Dominion/Mother Russia”
and “This Corrosion”), Sharon van Etten (“Peace Signs”, “One Day”, “Every Time The Sun Comes Up”),
and Styx’s song “Lady”—that last song becomes relevant in Book III, actually.
What is something you'd like to accomplish in your writing career next year?
Well, once 2019 is over, the publication of the Disgraced Martyr Trilogy will be at its blessed end,
and I hope that sometime during 2020 I’ll release a collection of plays in addition to the DMT Omnibus.
That’s all marketing, though. On the writing side, I have 2 ½ novels to go in the next trilogy,
so I’ve got to get cracking! Hopefully mid-2020 it will be in editing, ready to come out sometime in 2021!
That’s all marketing, though. On the writing side, I have 2 ½ novels to go in the next trilogy,
so I’ve got to get cracking! Hopefully mid-2020 it will be in editing, ready to come out sometime in 2021!
How long did it take you to write this book?
It took me nine months to write the first draft of the Trilogy, then nine months to re-write and edit to
something more reasonable…then another two months each to read through AGAIN for the editor!
By the time Book I comes out on May 19th, I’ll have been working on these three books for two years—
since April of 2017. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but try living it!
something more reasonable…then another two months each to read through AGAIN for the editor!
By the time Book I comes out on May 19th, I’ll have been working on these three books for two years—
since April of 2017. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but try living it!
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
M.F. Sullivan is the author of Delilah, My Woman, The Lightning Stenography Device,
and a slew of plays in addition to the Trilogy. She lives in Ashland, Oregon with her boyfriend and her
cat, where she attends the local Shakespeare Festival and experiments with the occult.
Find more information about her work (and plenty of free essays) at
https://www.paintedblindpublishing.com!
and a slew of plays in addition to the Trilogy. She lives in Ashland, Oregon with her boyfriend and her
cat, where she attends the local Shakespeare Festival and experiments with the occult.
Find more information about her work (and plenty of free essays) at
https://www.paintedblindpublishing.com!
Author Links:
Blog: https://www.paintedblindpublishing.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TheRealMFS
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/M.-F.-Sullivan/e/B013DDEQVE
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14199461.M_F_Sullivan
Buy/Review Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hierophants-Daughter-M-F-Sullivan/dp/0996539565
NetGalley: http://netgal.ly/AYYlKV
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42921564-the-hierophant-s-daughter
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-hierophants-daughter-m-f-sullivan/1129918390
Hardback: 978-0-9965395-6-2
Paperback: 978-0-9965395-7-9
eBook: 978-0-9965395-8-6
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
8 Comments
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