Friday 11 October 2013

Sunset Rising Blog Tour



Name of Book: Sunset Rising
AuthorS.M. McEachern
Published: September 23, 2012
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Genre: YA Dystopian

Book Description: 

February 2024: Desperate to find refuge from the nuclear storm, a group of civilians discover a secret government bio-dome. Greeted by a hail of bullets and told to turn back, the frantic refugees stand their ground and are grudgingly permitted entry. But the price of admission is high.


283 years later… Sunny O'Donnell is a seventeen-year-old slave who has never seen the sun. She was born in the Pit, a subterranean extension of the bio-dome. Though life had never been easy, lately it had become a nightmare. Her mom was killed in the annual Cull, and her dad thought it was a good time to give up on life. Reyes Crowe, her long-time boyfriend, was pressuring her to get married, even though it would mean abandoning her father.

She didn't think things could get any worse until she was forced upstairs to the Dome to be a servant-girl at a bachelor party. That's where she met Leisel Holt, the president's daughter, and her fiancé, Jack Kenner.

Now Sunny is wanted for treason. If they catch her, she'll be executed.

She thought Leisel's betrayal was the end. But it was just the beginning.


Author Bio

S.M. McEachern (also known as Susan) has an honors degree in International Development.

As an author, Susan combined her political background with her love of action and romance to create her debut novel Sunset Rising. 

The first book of a trilogy, Susan is currently working on the second book and drafting the third. What does she like best about being an author? Hearing from her readers!



Authors Interview

1. Can you tell us how you came up with the storyline behind ‘Sunset Rising’?

Two things in my life collided that prompted me to write Sunset Rising: first, the idea for the novel came to me (years ago) after I did academic research on a Bio-dome in Arizona and, second, my teenage daughter and I have been doing buddy reads of Young Adult novels for the past four years. So an old idea coupled with modern day literature got me thinking until the story was so persistent that I had to put it on paper.


2. What is your favourite chapter of the book and why?

I guess if I had to pick a favourite, it would be Chapter Eight. That’s when the proverbial poop hits the fan. Things get pretty fast paced after that.


3. How do you get in the mood to write your ‘masterpieces’?
I set aside work hours and try to clear my head of all the day-to-day noise we all experience. It’s tough to do. I understand why people meditate or take up yoga. That said, the story is rarely far from my mind and I find inspiration in the weirdest places.

4. Most writers get ‘writer’s block’, so how do you cure yours?

Easy. Insert earbuds, select a favourite playlist, and go for a run. The music inspires me, the exercise recharges me, and the sunshine brings me to life. It’s the perfect combination! And yes, I’m from Canada. Snow doesn’t scare me.


5. This is your first book; do you plan to write a sequel? And when do you plan on publishing it?

Anyone who has read the book knows there is a sequel. In fact, I’ve had fans email me about the release date and reviewers say they eagerly await the next installment. Sunset Rising is a series. I have a date with my editor on December 2nd, so I’m hoping to release book 2 around Christmas or shortly thereafter. Look for a cover reveal and excerpts on my blog in November 2013.


6. And lastly, what three words would describe ‘Sunset Rising’ to our followers that would make this book stand out from the rest in this genre?

Intrigue. Action. Romance.

Excerpts

Excerpt #1

“I wish I could help.” Somewhere inside my head a little voice told me that was the very opposite of what I wanted to do.

“Perhaps you can help, Sunny,” Leisel said, her expression brightening. “Maybe you can take my place in the wedding.”

Excerpt #2

Something in his expression changed when I said that. He almost seemed surprised. His intense blue eyes narrowed. He seemed to want to look inside me, see right into my soul. Maybe he thought I was lying.

“So you’re saying you’ll pose as the bride and risk taking a bullet for her in order to save your people?”

“Yes.”

What I was saying could be considered treason. Jack could call in the guards and have me arrested right now…

Excerpt #3

“Seventeen? I married a teenager?” He sounded shocked. “Wait a minute, are you telling me that you and Reyes got engaged when you were only thirteen?”

“Yes. What’s so strange about that?”

“I’m twenty and that’s a young age in the Dome to get married. Usually people wait until they’re about twenty-five.”

“Well, when you face certain death at thirty-five, you speed up your life a little bit.”

Excerpt #4 

“Do you believe in fate, Sunny?” he asked after a while.

“I don’t know. I never really thought about it. Why?” I was relieved that he didn’t sound mad.

“I was brought up to believe that my main purpose in life was to get rid of our dictator and restore equality and freedom back to the people. My mother was convinced that the best chance we had was through my marriage. And here I am married to you… the girl who just found a way to raise an army.”

Excerpt #5

I took him by the hand and guided him toward the bedroom. He took off his t-shirt and flopped down on the bed. Since he was blind in the dark, I stripped off my vest and put my t-shirt back on before I climbed in.

“It’s not pitch black in here. The guards use nightlights, and it leaks into the apartment,” I said.

Jack opened his eyes as wide as he could and looked around the room. “I guess you have to born in the Pit to find light where there isn’t any.”

I rolled that thought over in my mind and realized just how true it was.


Author Links

  Website | Amazon 

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