Redemption by JR Turner
Blurb:
Half-angel Savannah Mantas smells the sulfuric stench
of wrath when it enters her city, Iron Point. Resurrected by the archangel
Michael, she’s hunting for redemption and half-demon Nico Montenegro is her
prey. He comes from the Fringes, the border between the city and the toxic
wasteland beyond. When they meet, Nico tells her a story, one of genocide and
confiscated bodies. Not revenge, but justice is his purpose and his target is
the most admired family in the world–Commander Hathaway and his daughter.
Hathaway’s soldiers are slaughtering Fringers and
secretly feeding them to Revenants, mutants who survived the bio-bombing of
2120. They have a twisted idea they can train these clever creatures like dogs
and keep them out of the city long enough to mobilize an evacuation for the
wealthy and well-connected. Savannah knows better. Revenants are what killed
her. When they attack, the last of humankind may be wiped out completely.
Stopping Hathaway might just be enough to gain her redemption and escape a
hellish fate.
Createspace https://www.createspace.com/3830999
Interview:
1. Where did you get the idea for the novel?Because I love this genre and had never written in it before, I felt compelled to try my hand at it. Now I don’t want to write anything else!
2. Your title. Who came up with it? Did you ever change your title?Redemption was the first and only title for this book. I had come away from a few bad experiences with internet writing groups and discovered my author self-esteem was a bit shaky. Redemption wasn’t just the title of the book or the heroine’s goal, it was the author’s goal as well.
3. Which came first, the title or the novel? In this case, the title came first.
4. Since becoming a writer, what’s the most exciting thing to ever happen to you?I think when I became the acquiring editor for a publishing house and made my first ‘call’ to an author to publish their first book. What a fabulous treat that was!
5. What book are you currently reading or what was the last book you read?I’m reading Kiss of the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon. This is the fifth book in the Dark-Hunter series and I’m enjoying them all immensely.
6. What was your first book that you ever wrote (very first one you wrote, not published)?Loving Lillie was my first book. The historical romance taught me how much I really don’t enjoy researching history! But the joy I got from creating that book really hooked me on writing for life.
7. What is your writing process?When I’m in the heat of a book, I wake at 5:00 a.m and try to write between 7 and 8K a day. This keeps buried in that first draft where a lot of the exciting things happen.
8. Who are your favorite authors of all time?This is always changing, depending on my reading mood! I love Stephen King and Dean Koontz, but I also love Julie Garwood and Jude Devereaux. Newer authors I really love are Nancy Holzner and Jenny Siler, both incredibly talented writers.
9. At a book signing, do you just sign your name or do you write a note? How do you come up with stuff to say? I normally write a line or two, depending on the conversation I’m having with the person. I do try to give them a little something personal, but it’s always on the fly and if I can’t think of anything else, I just write, “Enjoy!”
10. What is something people would be surprised to know about you?I was almost arrested for attempted murder when I was 19. Young and impressionable, I somehow got myself romantically involved with a pretty bad character. When I left him, I brought a gun for self-defense and sure enough he showed up while I was moving out. I ended up calling the police and they arrested me because I had the gun, but they took me in to see a counselor instead of to jail. Not a fun time, but I’m so grateful that the very best things that could happen actually did. After I got myself back on track, I got married to a great guy and we just celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary.
11. How do you react to a bad review?I watch America’s Next Top Model and there was a moment where one of the young girls was getting a harsh critique from the judges. Before Tyra could dismiss her from the runway, the model spun around and tottered off rather quickly on her high heels. That’s the image I always have in my head when I read a bad review—I want to totter off rather quickly and try harder next time.
12. How did you celebrate the sale of your first book?I jumped up and down quite a bit! I believe the whole family went out for dinner. I just remember that as a very happy time.
Thanks so much for being a part of my blog tour!
Warmly,
Jenny
2. Your title. Who came up with it? Did you ever change your title?Redemption was the first and only title for this book. I had come away from a few bad experiences with internet writing groups and discovered my author self-esteem was a bit shaky. Redemption wasn’t just the title of the book or the heroine’s goal, it was the author’s goal as well.
3. Which came first, the title or the novel? In this case, the title came first.
4. Since becoming a writer, what’s the most exciting thing to ever happen to you?I think when I became the acquiring editor for a publishing house and made my first ‘call’ to an author to publish their first book. What a fabulous treat that was!
5. What book are you currently reading or what was the last book you read?I’m reading Kiss of the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon. This is the fifth book in the Dark-Hunter series and I’m enjoying them all immensely.
6. What was your first book that you ever wrote (very first one you wrote, not published)?Loving Lillie was my first book. The historical romance taught me how much I really don’t enjoy researching history! But the joy I got from creating that book really hooked me on writing for life.
7. What is your writing process?When I’m in the heat of a book, I wake at 5:00 a.m and try to write between 7 and 8K a day. This keeps buried in that first draft where a lot of the exciting things happen.
8. Who are your favorite authors of all time?This is always changing, depending on my reading mood! I love Stephen King and Dean Koontz, but I also love Julie Garwood and Jude Devereaux. Newer authors I really love are Nancy Holzner and Jenny Siler, both incredibly talented writers.
9. At a book signing, do you just sign your name or do you write a note? How do you come up with stuff to say? I normally write a line or two, depending on the conversation I’m having with the person. I do try to give them a little something personal, but it’s always on the fly and if I can’t think of anything else, I just write, “Enjoy!”
10. What is something people would be surprised to know about you?I was almost arrested for attempted murder when I was 19. Young and impressionable, I somehow got myself romantically involved with a pretty bad character. When I left him, I brought a gun for self-defense and sure enough he showed up while I was moving out. I ended up calling the police and they arrested me because I had the gun, but they took me in to see a counselor instead of to jail. Not a fun time, but I’m so grateful that the very best things that could happen actually did. After I got myself back on track, I got married to a great guy and we just celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary.
11. How do you react to a bad review?I watch America’s Next Top Model and there was a moment where one of the young girls was getting a harsh critique from the judges. Before Tyra could dismiss her from the runway, the model spun around and tottered off rather quickly on her high heels. That’s the image I always have in my head when I read a bad review—I want to totter off rather quickly and try harder next time.
12. How did you celebrate the sale of your first book?I jumped up and down quite a bit! I believe the whole family went out for dinner. I just remember that as a very happy time.
Thanks so much for being a part of my blog tour!
Warmly,
Jenny
Excerpt:
The green eye overhead scans
me
for obvious weapons. My tawny hair glows emerald in the
reflection on the glass, my pale skin an
alien
sea-foam green.
Security clears me and the doors open. Instantly the smoky
haze thickens and the
music is deafening.
thud–thud–thud–thud
There are no words to
this
melody–it's the
sound of prowling for relief
and release, the rhythm
recognized by humans
for centuries.
I may
have changed, but I'm
not so different from the
couples writhing
on the dance floor.
My human half responds to
the
seduction of losing
myself in the throng, to pretend I
don't know what I
do. The temptation is
delicious.
Wrath waits.
His scent comes from my right, not far. I squeeze into the crowd, wondering if I should return once I've dispatched this
man.
Why I wasted most of my mortal life working so hard is a
deep regret. Perhaps
if I had indulged in
more
normal interactions with non-military personnel, or if… If, if, if. I've
done this to myself a million
times and I'm not going there now.
The music changes–new
song, same beat. The couples, threesomes, and foursomes never pause,
riding
a wave of wantonness.
Clean
sweat, colognes, and
perfumes assail me from
every
direction–a heady
mixture
not entirely
unpleasant.
My heart wants to fall into the faster beat, pick up this pulsing noise.
thud–thud–thud–thud
At the bar, I shove a token across the scarred top and watch my
peripheries. Waiting.
He will make himself
known.
This close to him, I gain another scent, one deep from within his veins. He will sense me, if he hasn't yet and act soon.
The
wrath builds.
A girl, hardly out of her teens, maybe still a
teen,
all
of five feet tall and weighing as
much
as a bottle of Amethyst (named
after Commander Hathaway's daughter) hollers
above the music.
"What'd you
want?"
I shout, "Black on
red."
She turns, long black hair fans from a high ponytail as she
fetches the bottles and pours a healthy base of Amethyst, then
adds the colors. The black
entwines with the red in a sea of plum
liquor. Orgiastic figures form
and fade within the liquid clouds. I watch the hypnotic blend, like I'm not seeking the source of the
thick, wicked aroma. By the time she slides my drink to me and takes the token, I know where
wrath stands.
He is
behind me.
I spin the thin straw in my glass as if he and I don't know we are there with a purpose: I and my need for redemption, he and his need
for revenge. He is a Halfling–part man part demon. He
can heal, but he
can't
regenerate.
A swift slice
between certain vertebrae, severing
the
brainstem, and he is another death in
a dying world.
My impatience
flees and
I'm willing to wait. Is
he?
thud–thud–thud–thud
Am I
choosing my moment or is this hesitation based on human
vulnerabilities
I no longer have? The
relics of these mortal emotions are a struggle for me. Not so long ago I feared the same possibilities as everyone: injury, sickness, a return of
The
Wasting, and death. My determination is stronger than these
fears, I
tell myself. Yet without the duster, only my long hair
covers the bare skin above my corset. Awareness of him and of
my
true frailties increases. Immortal yes, impervious to pain, no.
I sip my black and red, feel the tangle of opposites flowing down my
throat, nearly hear the soft moans of pleasure–and he takes one step closer. A couple beside us are making out. His hand is beneath her spangled top, forcing her back against the
bar.
For one brief moment, as the drink hits my system, I feel his
hand on my breast and then the sensation is gone. They are
oblivious to everything, including the wrathful Halfling
and the dark angel beside
them.
thud–thud–thud–thud
"I know what
you are." He speaks
loud because of the
heavy bass,
but the words
come on a wave of warm breath
against my neck.
Deep,
his voice is filled with
darkness and
need, despair and
determination. I want to close my eyes, indulge in more of the sense-heightening Amethyst
and listen to the
rich
baritones
smooth all the roughness
from my edges, dampen
all my thoughts like an exotic shroud
over
my mind.
About the Author:
J.R. Turner is the Executive Director of the Wisconsin
Writers Association. She writes in a variety of genres including middle-grade
adventures, young adult horror, romantic suspense, horror, military action, and
urban fantasy. In her spare time she enjoys arts and crafts, traveling, and
movies. Few things in life compare to her passion for the written word, except
perhaps the pursuit of chocolate.
Website: www.jennifer-turner.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JRTurner17
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JRTurner
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