Welcome to my stop on the Nexis by A.L Davroe blog tour. I loved the authors last book and cant wait to read this!! You can find the full schedule HERE.
Nexis (Tricksters, #1) by A.L. Davroe
Release Date: Dec. 1, 2015
Genre: YA Sci-Fi / YA Science Fiction
Published by: Entangled Teen
In the domed city of Evanescence, appearance is everything. A Natural Born amongst genetically-altered Aristocrats, all Ella ever wanted was to be like everyone else. Augmented, sparkling, and perfect. Then…the crash. Devastated by her father’s death and struggling with her new physical limitations, Ella is terrified to learn she is not just alone, but little more than a prisoner. Her only escape is to lose herself in Nexis, the hugely popular virtual reality game her father created. In Nexis she meets Guster, a senior player who guides Ella through the strange and compelling new world she now inhabits. He offers Ella guidance, friendship…and something more. Something that allows her to forget about the “real” world, and makes her feel whole again. But Nexis isn’t quite the game everyone thinks it is.
Goodreads Book Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21480858-nexis
Amazon Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Nexis-L-Davroe/dp/1633750175?tag=entangpublis-20&link_code=ur2&creative=9325&camp=211189
Barnes & Noble Buy Link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nexis-al-davroe/1120919370?cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-je6NUbpObpQ-_-10:1
Entangled Page: http://www.entangledpublishing.com/nexis/
Excerpt from Nexis, Chapter 5 (pgs 31-32)
Sighing, I stare down at the headband until a shadow falls over me. “That’s quite the contraption.” I close my eyes. It’s Zane. Great, he saw the spectacle, too. Will my shame never cease? Well, there goes the courting. He’ll never want to be with a pariah like me now. “It was a stupid idea to wear it.” He steps to the side and sits next to the headband. He picks it up, turns it over between his fingers. “Was it? I think it’s pretty revolutionary, actually.” “That’s my point. If I could do that with a simple holo-mask, then anyone could.” Zane purses his lips. He knows I’m right. If I was able to program a mask to make my face look just as Modified and Altered as any Aristocrat’s, then what’s to stop one of the Disfavored from doing it? A mask like that undermines the system. Eventually he smiles, apprehensive, and meets my eyes. “Well, they don’t have Programmers as talented and ingenious as you out there. So it’s a good thing you’re on the side of the Aristocracy, isn’t it?” I snort and look away. “I’m a threat to them.” He places a hand on my knee, and it makes my stomach go aflutter, despite my bad mood. “It’s good that you’re aware of it.” My floating stomach sinks, and I shake my head with a bitter scoff. “Is that supposed to comfort me?” His fingers tighten, drawing my leg open so that our knees touch and he leans closer to me. “Not at all,” he whispers in a spine-tingling purr, eyes alight with secret sparkle. “It should scare you. It should scare you and enliven you. It should make you want to start a fire. Because you can.” Confused by his words and what he’s doing to my body, I stare at him for a long time. He sounds like Dad, spouting nonsense like this all the time. But, unlike Dad, Zane has a wild and dangerous charisma on his side. His touch and tone stir my insides, make me want to get up and run, make me want to do what he asks me to do.
Author Interview:
Where do your ideas come from?
A couple of places. Sometimes dreams. Sometimes something I read or watch will inspire an idea. Other times things just come out of nowhere. It really varies for each of my pieces.
How do you develop your writing ideas?
Develop? What’s that? That requires planning, right? LOL! I don’t plan any of my writing. I just go and see where it takes me. The only planning and developing that comes into play is when I know I’m going to be making something into a series. I will usually plan what book is what after the initial one has been written, but only because my agent requires me to write a series projection.
Where do you find inspiration for your characters?
They write themselves. Ever read that shirt, “I do what the voices in my head tell me to do”? Yeah, that’s me with my writing. Every so often a character will take on some personality characteristics of people I know in real life, but I try to avoid that. On a whole, I try to write complex characters who are damaged in some way or have the odds stacked against them – they are more believable and are perfect underdogs, but I try not to make them too sob-fest-ish (that’s totally a word). I like them to have their own strengths, even in the beginning, but continue to grow into someone totally kick-butt and *hopefully* inspirational.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I realized I liked and wanted to write when I started writing fan-fiction in high school. I didn’t decide to try and become a published author until college. I knew in college that I wanted to one day get published. And about a year after college I knew I’d written a piece that I knew needed to be published.
What makes you unique as a writer?
I think every writer is unique. We all have different experiences, different reasons for wanting to write, and different messages we’re trying to get our readers to take home. I’m no different. I’ve been told that I have a particular talent for setting a scene so that it’s like a reader is watching a movie. I think that’s a pretty fun trait if it holds true for all readers.
What writers inspire/d you?
I tend to think that Tamora Pierce is the author who really got me into writing. I loved her Wild Magic book so much that I didn’t want it to end, so I started writing my first real book -- creating my own world and characters instead of just writing another fan-fiction.
How has your writing career changed since you started?
I think the biggest change I underwent was the step into writing YA. I’d written only adult pieces until after the first book that I tried getting published. YA was starting to get big and I was reading more of it, so of course some YA characters started showing up in my head. I began writing my first YA and about half-way through it I read a piece that was written in first person present. After I put that book down I tried to go back to writing my own YA piece (which had been in first person past tense) and I couldn’t write in that tense anymore! I had to go back through and change the entire book to first person present. Since then I haven’t been able to write anything in first person past tense. It just doesn’t feel right anymore.
What does your writing process look like?
I tend to mentally think of my Muse as a fairy with ADHD. She’s highly enthusiastic, but loses focus -- flitting back and forth from project to project like she would a bunch of shiny things in Ali Baba’s cave. That’s pretty much the only way I can describe my process. One minute I’m so obsessed with something that I can’t focus on anything else and then the next I’m bored of it and want something else. Every-so-often, something will hold my attention long enough to get it out entirely. When my Muse cooperates enough to allow me to work on one project, I keep her happy with music, pictures, tea, and scones.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I have to pick just one? Sure, ask the quirky person to talk about her quirks... XD Hm, well, from what I know about my other author friends, I tend to be a minority in how loosely regimented, organized, and focused I am. I am usually working on at least five pieces at once and I manage to keep them all mentally organized without having to maintain notes or use a program like Scrivener. Some people seem really wowed by the fact that I keep everything straight and still manage to put out a book or two a year. Though, I kind of wish I was a little more organized and focused. (Don’t tell anybody though).
What are your writing goals for the next year?
I want to be better about having a regimented writing schedule. I would love to try to finish these two adult novels I’ve been working on for a while. I’d also like to get a couple more of my YA novels published. I have like six of them written, it’s the getting published part that is proving harder.
Name the five biggest distractions from your writing.
My cats, my friends, American Horror Story, fancy restaurants, and attractive men (of course).
What character would you most like to be stuck in an elevator with?
Does it have to be a book character? ‘Cause I really want to be stuck in an elevator with MacGyver. He’d have us out of there in no time. That’s a big priority to me because I would be that person who has to pee while stuck in an elevator and that’s no bueno.
Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
Not too much, though I would love to hear more from you all! Mostly it’s just people letting me know they are reading the book and like it so far. Sometimes someone will want a question asked or wants to know when the next book is coming.
Some Get to know me Questions
What’s the best vacation you ever had?
New Orleans was, hands down, my favorite vacation. I was there for a convention, so I didn’t get to do nearly as much as I wanted, but oh my goodness that place sings to my soul! The French Quarter with its music, art, architecture, mystique, and the food…Don’t get me started on the food.
What’s your favourite rainy day movie?
On rainy days I love kids’ movies, especially ones from when I was younger. I get so low and bleck on rainy days, so having those happy childhood memory movies really pick me up and make me feel good.
If you could be any age again for a week, which would you choose and why?
I’d probably choose to be a Senior in high school again. I really loved high school. I had a great school, amazing friends, and I did well at everything I did. I didn’t have a care in the world and the sky was the limit. It wasn’t until college that reality started to rain on my parade a bit. My freshman year of college was really hard for me and it changed me a lot as a person. I’d love to go back to a time when I still had that sense of anything being possible and had so much potential for growth without all the internal road blocks.
If you could have personally witnessed one event in history, what would it be?
I would have really loved to have gone to the Chicago World’s Fair. I know that sounds really crazy but I’m a huge fan of fairs and festivals. It was a world wonder at the time -- filled with amazing feats of invention, landscape, and architecture. It must have been quite the site to have beheld…And (I’m gonna say it again) H-E-L-L-O the food!
What's you favourite place to read?
I have a chair from the house that I grew up in that I’ve lugged around with me ever since. I read the first book that I actually enjoyed in that chair and it was “my chair.” It’s still my chair and I’ve gone through many books that I’ve loved while sitting in that chair. I don’t care if it’s falling apart, I love my chair!
When you walk into a book store, where do you head first?
Starbucks! Seriously though, the YA section and the Sci-Fi/Fantasy section are pretty much the only places I go unless I’m looking for something specific from somewhere else in the store – like horror or Middle Grade.
If you had a million dollars, what would be the first thing you would buy?
I’d be boring and pay off my college loans. Then I’d buy a car – a Tesla to be exact. I’d fix my mother’s house up for her, then I’d buy myself a house down south where it’s always warm.
About the Author: A.L. (Amanda) Davroe writes both YA and adult speculative fiction. She prefers revisionist tales in paranormal, romance, Steampunk, and fantasy. She is the author of Salvation Station (adult psych horror), The City Steam Collection (adult psych horror), For Your Heart (YA Paranormal Romance) and her YA Sci-Fi novel, Nexis, is coming out with Entangled Publishing December 1, 2015! By day, Amanda lives in Connecticut with her two feline hench-creatures and makes cheese. She’s a terrible blusher, has a weak spot for cuddly animals, loves Laffy Taffy and Cadbury MiniEggs, and she’s a huge advocate of alternative healing methods. Amanda also wears purple shoes and corsets…Though not always in the same ensemble. She’s a Capricorn, a Hufflepuff, a bit gothic, and a few nuggets short of a Happy Meal.
Author Website: www.ALDavroe.com
Author Blog: www.ALDavroe.com
Author Twitter: @ALDavroe Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ALDavroeFanPage
Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5212441.A_L_Davroe
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/RBlXP
The Giveaway:
- Fire HD 7, 7" HD Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB + Nexis Swag Pack (US/Canada)
- $50 Amazon Gift Card (INT)
- $50 Amazon Gift Card (US/Canada)
- Nexis Swag Pack (US/Canada)
- Opportunity to Name / Build the Look of a Character in the next book in the Trickster series with any of the Mods and Alts you can imagine! (INT)
Thanks so much for joining the NEXIS blog tour, Nat!!!
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You are welcome :)
DeleteThanks Nat! You do and always will rock!
ReplyDeleteNope, you do!!! ;)
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