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Silent Symmetry Spotlight
Today we are checking out a book from author JB Dutton. It will be FREE tomorrow, 3/13/13, so don’t forget to get your copy!
SILENT SYMMETRY BY JB DUTTON
SYNOPSIS:
The Embodied glide through the busy streets of New York, uttering barely a sound.
Their eerie beauty comes from their perfect symmetry. Male, female, old, young… their faces are always absolutely symmetrical. Are they flawless humans, the epitome of evolution? Are they a genetically modified super-race? Are they extra-terrestrials? Once prep school student Kari Marriner becomes aware of their existence, she is driven to find the answer and finds herself ensnared in a web that reaches further than she could possibly have imagined.
Kari’s earliest memory is her father’s death in a car crash back in small-town Wisconsin. Now, 12 years later, her mother has been hired by a pseudo-religious organization in Manhattan called the Temple of Truth (a.k.a. the ToT). At Chelsea Prep, Kari develops a crush on classmate Cruz. But when she realizes that Noon, another attractive guy at school, is involved with the ToT, her curiosity gets the better of her.
Kari stumbles upon a secret tunnel leading from her apartment to another in the building, where an ancient book holds images she can scarcely believe, and a cavernous room contains… something inexplicable. As Kari pieces together the incredible evidence, she discovers that the ToT is run by other-worldly beings called The Embodied who influence human behavior and have established a global long-term human breeding program. But why? And what is her role in all this?
Just as she starts wondering whether the love she feels for Cruz is genuine or if her emotions are being controlled by The Embodied, her mother is kidnapped and Kari has to figure out who is human, who is Embodied, and who she can count on to help rescue her mother.
Silent Symmetry is the exciting first novel in JB Dutton’s EMBODIED trilogy. The second installment, Starley’s Rust, will be published in late 2013.
AUTHOR BIO:
After graduating from film school in London, England, John emigrated to Montreal in 1987, where he still lives with his two young children and their even younger goldfish. He spent over a decade as a music TV director before moving into the advertising industry as an award-winning copywriter and translator. In parallel to his corporate work, John has written novels, short stories, blogs, screenplays and a stage play. John speaks four languages and has been married three times in three different countries in three different decades. He therefore likes the odd pint of Guinness. And he’s pretty keen on the even pints too…
AN EXCITING EXCERPT FROM SILENT SYMMETRY:
I wriggled inside on my hands and knees, then pushed the flap open again. I crawled through it, testing the strength of the surface beneath me as I went. The tunnel creaked a bit – I guess it was made of wood – but it seemed pretty firm. I advanced, the tunnel’s blackness stretching out in front of me. The flap swung shut and the dank air enveloped me.
I stopped and listened, probing the tunnel with the flashlight. It seemed to go on forever. “Flash?” I whispered loudly. But all I could hear were the echoey voices. I carried on crawling forward. They seemed to be getting louder. The young woman’s higher-pitched voice was easier to make out than the man’s gravelly rumble.
I thought I heard her say, “…control of it…here, I can get…here…make it…” Just snatches of sentences. The man said something in reply. When I was crawling, the noise my jeans made on the wood made it impossible to distinguish individual words in what the woman was saying. I shone the flashlight ahead of me. Was that a turn in the tunnel? As I got nearer, I could tell that there was a junction to the left in the tunnel up ahead.
I reached the bend and looked around it, the flashlight beam sweeping the tunnel walls. There was another long stretch that ended in…? A bend or a drop? “Flash?” I whispered again and listened. Now both voices were more distinct. They were definitely coming from further along the tunnel.
“…can’t stop them,” said the man.
“That’s just it,” answered the woman. Then silence.
I crawled onward, accompanied only by the swoosh and scrape of my jeans and shoes. Half a minute later I reached the end of this stretch of tunnel. Now there was a turn to the right, and a section that went upward. I raised my head to look up this chute. For a second my brain made a connection. That was it – garbage chutes! These big old buildings were usually equipped with them. Maybe that was what this was. But why did the tunnels go sideways? No, it made no sense.
I knelt at the junction, searching for an explanation. Then, before I knew what was happening, I screamed. Something had dropped from the chute and landed in front of me. Something alive. I scrambled backward, heart in mouth, the flashlight making crazy-ass shadows on the tunnel walls.
In seconds I was back at the first turn, but as I tried to crawl around it, one of the belt loops on my jeans snagged on a nail. I tried to pull it off, frantic. I glanced back down the tunnel and saw a movement. It was coming toward me. It was… Flash.
My limbs sagged, I stopped struggling, and the loop unhooked from the nail. The cat meowed and trotted up to me. Laughing in relief, I petted him. “You… you… I love you!” I said, happy to have found him. And happy that he wasn’t a giant rat. Or something worse that the depths of my imagination had conjured up in my state of panic. He purred and snuggled against my nose.
“Kari.”
I froze.
It was the young woman’s voice. Distant, but distinct. I strained my ears to hear more but I was already far from the source of the sound, and Flash’s purring obscured the rest of the words. But I know I heard it. I know I heard my name.
“Kari.”
Excerpt from Silent Symmetry
Copyright © 2013 John B. Dutton
AUTHOR LINKS:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6949191.J_B__Dutton
http://www.facebook.com/johnbduttonauthor
Twitter: @JohnBDutton
AMAZON BUY LINK:
Silent Symmetry (The Embodied trilogy)
DON’T FORGET THAT ON 3/13/2013 SILENT SYMMETRY WILL BE FREE!
Deadly to Love Blog Tour and Rafflecopter
The Influence of Music
I believe that music has a big influence on writing in general, especially if it fits with the scene the author is writing. It can create a certain atmosphere and can either help or hinder the writing process and the creation of a new book.
Personally, when I am writing I love to have music on and when the right type of music is playing it gives the images in my head a more film like quality. If the music fits well, then I find that the story flows quicker as it is like I am watching my creation on a screen rather than in my head, for example in action sequences if I have a piece of music with a strong beat and a quick tempo I find it easier to describe the action as it creates the right atmosphere and brings the scene to life.
This can however work in the opposite way. If I am listening to music that doesn’t fit with what I am writing, for example classical piano music when I am writing a fight scene, then I can find it incredibly difficult for my ideas to flow as the music changes the atmosphere. This is also something I have learnt through my acting; music can be great to help convey meanings and build atmosphere but it has to link otherwise it can change the piece’s and convey a totally different meaning.
As well as this I have found that if I haven’t been writing for longer than an hour and a track with lyrics comes on it will inevitably distract me. Normally it will take me at least an hour to focus my attention solely on writing so I can get in the right place. If things happen, such as lyrics before an hour is up it will more than likely distract me. I hate to admit it, but I will end up singing along to the tracks (badly I might add) rather than getting any work done.
To avoid this when I am writing, unless I am in a really focused mood, I will usually always listen to instrumental music. Most of these pieces come from film scores as I find they are great for building atmosphere. This is probably due to the fact that is what they were created for. Some of my favourites include: Island Essentials Einaudi by Ludovico Einaudi, Transformers 1,2 & 3 Movie OST by Steve Jablonsky, Harry Potter Movies OST by Alexandre Desplat and any music by Hans Zimmer (Gladiators, Inception, Pirates of the Caribbean etc.) who in my opinion is one of the best composers out there.
When I have the right kind of music on not only does it help with atmosphere but it also shuts out all surrounding noise and can therefore help me focus. I find that once I am focused on the section I am writing, if I have music on very rarely does anything distract me as one, I can’t hear it and two, the music draws me into my novel.
In general I believe music can both aid and distract an author but for me I would rather have it on as more often than not, it helps focus me.
Title: Deadly to Love (Elemental Killers #1)
Author: Mia Hoddell
ASIN: B00BDQ3QGA
ISBN: 9781291319170
Genre: YA/Paranormal/Urban Fantasy/Romance
Description
There is a love that is so dangerous, so powerful, so intoxicating that it embraces your heart and smothers your mind until it leaves you defenseless.
Serena knew that but still, it didn’t stop her. His name was Kai. He was the most beautiful, irresistible man she had ever encountered. Their attraction was too compelling to fight and she knew she would go to the end of the world beside him. That is love.
However behind the allure was hidden a deadly secret – a secret that threatened her fragile life… But secrets best left unsaid never remain hidden forever. When Kai reveals his true identity, she is exposed to a frightening world she had no idea existed. Controlled by powerful Elemental forces her life is placed in mortal danger.
Unbeknown to them, their lives have been entwined from the beginning and it leads her to discover an even greater secret about who she really is. As the pieces begin to unravel and death becomes a reality, Serena is forced to decide what is more important…her love or life.
Paperback (Lulu) and will be available on Amazon soon
About the Author
Mia Hoddell lives in the UK with her family and two cats. She spends most of her time writing or reading and her preferred genre is Young Adult, Paranormal Romance. Before 2009, Mia wouldn’t even pick up a book and was more interested in sports. However she finally found some novels that captured her interest and developed a love of both reading and writing. Mia began with poems and after getting two published in separate anthologies she moved on to short stories. Although she enjoyed this, Mia found she had too much to tell with too little space, so later on she created her first series The Wanderer Trilogy and from there other ideas have emerged which she hopes to turn into novels as well. Elemental Killers is her second series and book two will be out soon.
Author Links
Blog: http://miahoddell.blogspot.com
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mia-Hoddell-Author/421368247889610?ref=hl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiaHoddell
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/miahoddell
What people are saying:
“I read this book in one sitting as I just couldn’t put it down. The story line was original, intriguing and made you feel like you were part of the action. As well as this there were many twists and turns that kept me hooked and the book was really well written with a solid plot. The book didn’t reveal everything straight away which was great as it left in suspense right up until the end.” ~Lucy M 5/5
“ I found that it’s surprisingly original concept was quite common in real life but not so much in books. I found it a delightful read that I will look forward to reading in the future. And the new cover! Marvelous.” ~ Kathy H 5/5
“All I can say is WOW! This book was amazing and different. I love the twist and detail she used I was instantly pulled in and felt like I was there with the characters.” ~Brianna 5/5
Tour Wide Giveaways
• 1 ebook copy of Deadly to Love through amazon kindle (INT)
• Deadly to Love Swag (UK ONLY)
Ebook Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Swag Giveaway
Thanks to Cynthia for hosting me on her wonderful blog and remember to check out the rest of the tour stops found here: http://miahoddell.blogspot.co.uk/p/tour-schedule.html!
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