Book Tour: Element, Part 1 by CM Doporto Interview & Giveaway

 
Genre: New Adult Sci-Fi/Romance (ages 14 and up)

ISBN: 978-0-9888299-2-3

Number of pages: 169

Word Count: 45,807

Cover Artist: Amygdala Design

Book Trailer:  http://animoto.com/play/Zl4rnzUbmbjoI4kloNQdJw

Book Description:

College freshman, Natalie Vega, offers to be a test patient for several vitamins and supplements created by Kronberg Laboratories, a large pharmaceutical company where she interns. Immediately her body starts going through physical changes but when she runs into her former high school crush, Ryan Garrett, she is unaware of the life altering affects he will have on her.

Excerpt: 

CHAPTER 1 — NEW BEGINNINGS

“Ladies and gentlemen we are approaching a storm and it’s going to be a little rough until we clear it.”  The captain announced and then paused before continuing. “Please stay seated and turn off all electrical devices immediately. Thank you.”

Natalie looked out the small oval window. Raindrops smeared across it, dancing their way to the side. Lightening flashed and she shuddered. She didn’t mind flying but she could do without the terrible storm. For a moment, she wished she would have taken the later flight, but she wanted to get back early since classes resumed tomorrow. She reminded herself that she had a great Spring Break in Chicago with her family and ending it with her cousin’s fairytale wedding made it all worth it.

A sudden jolt called her attention back to the situation at hand. She looked out the window again. The plane shook and rattled as it flew on the edge of thick, dark clouds. Within seconds, darkness consumed the plane and the day turned into night. Out in the blackness of the sky she could see powerful flashes of light stretching out like tentacles waiting for the plane to enter. She pulled the blanket closer to her, clutching it up against her chest, somehow hoping it would calm the drumming of her heart.

“What the —” she blurted out when the plane hit another patch of rough turbulence.  She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

A horrible rumble echoed through the plane, and it wavered from side to side. Gasps and sighs along with people begging and pleading to God were heard throughout the plane. She swallowed hard, feeling the vitamins she took ten minutes ago ease their way up. Without warning, the plane dropped several feet. Her heart hit the bottom of her stomach. Gasping for air, she struggled to catch her breath. An alarm sounded and emergency instructions echoed through the overhead speakers. She grabbed the arm rests and her body stiffened. Her eyes stayed fixed on the flashing red and white lights above her head. Please God, don’t let me die! Please.

“Natalie… Natalie, wake up. You’re having another nightmare.” Lise shook her several times before she finally awoke.

“What?” She sprung up from her bed. Sweat trickled down the sides of her forehead and she breathed heavily.

“You’re okay. It was just a nightmare.” Lise sat down next to her.

It took a few seconds for her to realize that she had been dreaming. She wiped the sweat away and the pounding of her heart turned into slow thud.  She lay back on to her pillow and took a few deep breaths. “I don’t know why I keep having these darn nightmares.”

“Well I do.” Lise replied.

Natalie looked at her. “You do?”

“Uh, yea… because you said you nearly died on that plane. It’s post trauma you’re experiencing.”

Natalie swallowed hard. She couldn’t be experiencing post-traumatic stress because only soldiers suffer from things like that, right? “No, I don’t think so. I mean, it was horrible and scary but—,”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Lise’s eyes softened.

“What is there to talk about?” Natalie sat back up. She hadn’t told anyone the full details about what she experienced, including her parents. She wasn’t about to tell Lise either.

“Sometimes it’s good to talk about horrible events. It can help you get over them.” Lise played with the edge of her t-shirt, rolling it up.

“Thanks, but I’ll be fine.” She glanced over at the clock on the window seal. “I guess we should start getting dressed.”

Lise turned and looked at the clock. “Crap, I don’t want to be late.”

Natalie threw back the covers. “Neither do I. First impressions are everything.”

Interview:

1.     Where did you get the idea for the novel?

Element has special meaning to me because it was my husband’s dream that he shared with me. When he told me about his dream, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The next week we went on vacation and when we returned, I had the entire plot and characters written out.

You may ask, what was the dream about? My husband dreamed that every time he came near me his pheromones would change me into a female Hulk. The male Hulk would sense me and come after me. My husband and I were constantly on the run but couldn’t be apart because of the love we had for one another. The problem was if he was near me, I changed, so it made it difficult to be together.

I took that dream and created the plot for Element. I obviously had to come up with something different than the main character turning into a female Hulk, unless I wanted Marvel coming after me.

2.     Your title. Who came up with it? Did you ever change your title?

***spoiler alert*** I was looking for a word that described what the character, Natalie Vega, had turned into. Element, just stuck in my head and I knew that’s what the characters in the book would refer to her as when she’s in her transformed state.  No, I never changed it.

3.     Which came first, the title or the novel? 

Once I wrote the first few chapters, I named the book.

4.     Since becoming a writer, what’s the most exciting thing to ever happen to you?

The Eslites, hitting the Top 100 Free Best Seller’s List for Teen Sci-Fi and remaining there for over a month.

5.     What book are you currently reading or what was the last book you read?

I’m currently reading The Host. I like to read the book before I see the movie. The previous book I read was Beautiful Creatures.

6.     What was your first book that you ever wrote (very first one you wrote, not published)?

An adult romance version of Element.

7.     What is your writing process?

I’ve written from two different processes. With The Eslites, I did some research and light plotting and then sat down and wrote the story in eight hours. For Element, I did quite a bit of research, plotting, character development, and scene layout.

8. Who are your favorite authors of all time?

Jessica Shirvington, Amanda Hocking, Lauren Kate, Kerrilyn Sparks and Sherrilyn Kennyon

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’ve not done a live book signing since my books are only available in eBook format. However, I recently signed up with Authorgraph, which allows you to do a digital signature, and I did write a note along with signing my name.

10. What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

I love a clean house and good food but I hate to clean and cook but do it anyways.

11.   How do you react to a bad review?

Before I developed some thick skin, I cried.

Then after a day or so I got mad, knowing how hard I worked on the story.

Then I realized everyone is entitled to their opinion and they are just that, opinions.

12.   How did you celebrate the sale of your first book?

I don’t think I really celebrated, which is sad now that I think about it. I just remember my husband and I hugging and giving thanks.

About the Author:

CM Doporto lives in the great state of Texas with her husband and son enjoying life with their extensive family along with their Chihuahua, Mexican Redhead Parrot and several fish.

She writes Young Adult and New Adult Sci-Fi/Urban Fantasy stories about ordinary women who do extraordinary things, become a heroine, and find love along the way.

Web/blog: http://cmdoporto.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/cmdoportowriter

Twitter: @cm_doporto

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/cmdoporto

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/cmdoporto

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C3JDUJ4

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/300956

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/element-part-1-cm-doporto/1114967480?ean=2940016746135

Giveaway:

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