Welcome, Tara Elizabeth!  Thank you for being a part of BOD’s author spotlight interview.  We’re so happy to have you and get to know you better.

Thank you so much for having me. I was very excited to receive an invitation to the group.

Let’s start off with a little introduction.  Can you tell us where you’re from, how and when you became a writer, and what interests you about dystopian writing?

I’m from south Louisiana – land of crawfish & southern hospitality. It’s been a wonderful place to grow up. Writing only came to me in the past five or so years. I’ve always loved reading, but I was so intimidated by the types of books I was reading. It wasn’t until I discovered YA that my imagination took off. The dystopian genre has endless possibilities – no boundaries. I love it!

What book(s) or writer(s) have most influenced your writing?

After reading Amanda Hocking’s Trylle Trilogy, I thought, I can do this. While her words are simple, she tells amazing stories. I love to read for entertainment, and Ms. Hocking’s works absolutely fit the bill for me. So, while I’m no wordsmith like Stephen King or Jane Austen, I hope that people love my stories.

My favorite YA author is Richelle Mead. I love the relationships she creates and her humor.

I’ve had the opportunity to read your book “Zoo.”  It’s a fascinating book.  I love the comparison you make between humans and animals in a zoo, whose lives are micromanaged by more intelligently advanced beings.  Can you tell us a little about the story and where you came up with the idea?

The story for Zoo came from visiting a local zoo with my then two-year-old son and husband. I’ve always struggled with my feelings about zoos. I know the benefits and enjoy going, but still can’t help feeling sorry for all the animals. The idea popped into my head while watching a cheetah pace its enclosure. I could feel its desire to run free on open land. It was heartbreaking.  I tried to put myself in his place. What emotions would I experience? Would I fight or accept my fate?

There are some definite religious overtones in “Zoo.”  Especially the concept that there is a god-like figure who is controlling our lives.  How do you think this concept most resonates with your readers?

That’s the first time I’ve heard that. Religious overtones weren’t intended, however, I think we all experience these types of controlling figures in our lives; whether they be religious figures, parents, bosses, etc… When faced with these people, we learn who we are.

“Zoo” isn’t the only book you’ve written.  Can you tell us about your Exalted series?  What’s it about?

After the fall of mankind, the Exalted became the protectors of the people. As an Exalted trainee, all Mena ever wanted was to be strong, to serve and to fearlessly protect the people of the United Republic of the Saved. All Exalted feel the same. In fact, that’s all they feel.

This trilogy follows Mena and her friends as they search for the truth of their world. There is fighting, love, friendships, loss… This series has everything dystopian lovers are looking for.

The third book in Exalted just came out.  What can you tell us about United without giving away what happens in book 1 and 2?

United has some great surprises regarding the characters. You’ll end up loving characters that you may have disliked and vice versa.

If any of your books were made into a movie which one would you like to see on the big screen, and who would you like to play as your main characters?

I love this question! Obviously, I’d love to see them all turned into movies, but I think Zoo has the most potential for the big screen. Claudia Lee from Hart of Dixie would be a great Emma. I love her sassy personality and soft look. I have yet to find my perfect Kale.

Are you working on any other writing projects, and if so can you tell us about them?

I am currently working on Rebel – Book 2 in the Enclosure Chronicles (Zoo). The book will follow Kansas’ story. We’ll get to see more of the future world.

What are some of your other talents and hobbies?  And when you’re not writing, how do you like to spend your time?

I have a degree in graphic design and work as a designer by day. I design all of my own book covers and some of my friend’s covers. Recently, I’ve really gotten into Crossfit. Mena really inspired me to improve my physical strength. I love feeling strong!

Time . . . When I’m not working, taking care of my kids, or going to the gym . . . Well, that pretty much takes up all of my time. So, when I have free time, I write.

Thank you so much, Tara, for sharing a little bit about yourself, and thank you for being a part of BOD!

Thank you as well! I feel so honored to be part of the group!

I hope you all enjoy my stories and look forward hearing from you. Make sure you follow my Facebook page for giveaways, updates, and fun posts.

ABOUT TARA

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon

I write Young Adult Fiction, mostly Dystopian/Sci-Fi novels with a splash of Romance and a hint of sarcasm. I’m also a graphic artist, wife, mother, and Red Vine lover. I grew up in the Deep South surrounded by bayous, magnolia trees, crawfish and great people. My culture is a huge part of my life, and you can see some of those details in my writing.

Our latest writing prompt winner was Brea Behn, author of YA Dystopian Romance, Wolves in the Woods.

You can view the original photo and prompt here on Facebook, and check out Brea’s winning story below!

Alex Tuoku was a slave, but brief moments like these — where he was able to give himself over completely to the music, even if for the entertainment of his captors — these were the moments he lived for. It was all he had. He’d always known he would never get off this planet, but today he was snatched up after his set and then everything changed.

“Who are you people?” Alex asked as the shuttle lifted into the air. The rescuer closest to him pulled a black helmet off revealing a tumble of blonde hair the same color as his own.

“Aliah! I thought I would never see you again.” Alex said pulling his twin sister into a hug.

They were both crying when they pulled away.

“How did you find me?”

His twin sister smiled. “We’re twins silly. I’ve always known where you were. Sorry it took me so long to get here. I had to get some quinar together to buy a crew. It took some time.”

They chatted for hours about his shows, his fame all over the galaxy and his life as a captor. The shuttle landed suddenly then and the bay door opened.

Aliah put a hand to Alex’s face. “Now it’s your turn to be free Alex.” “Aliah what did you do?” Alex was held back as his twin backed off the ship and into the waiting arms of a pion. The scum of the trading world. It was hard to read his reptilian face, but Alex was pretty sure he was smiling.

“I will come for you Aliah!” The doors slammed shut blocking his view as his sister was escorted away.

In his head he heard her words like when they were little: “I know you will Alex. I will be waiting.”

Check out this second win for Amber Butler! View the original prompt on Facebook here.

They’d come so far. Her tired head rested on his lap. She had started fat, strong, covered in white hair that shimmered in the ceaseless sunlight. Whether the sun had faded with her, or her with the sun, no one knew.

What they did know was that she was going to die.

He watched as the heartbeat that had pulsed beneath her translucent skin for a millennia slowed, as its light evaporated like the water and the food and the sun, as breath left her lungs.

He hadn’t meant to cry, not for her. He had one job. In thirty generations of masters and apprentices he, and only he, had one single, coveted job.

Dear god in heaven, he didn’t want it.

He wept, shocked at his ill preparedness considering all his preparation, and eased her beautiful, lifeless head into the snow. The sun was almost dark. He began to count.

He had ninety seconds.

He stuck the knife in below her rib cage and yanked upward, tearing apart this majestic beast who had fed humanity with her heartbeat for a thousand years. He drew it out, faintly glowing, barely beating, and flung it far out to the hungry sea. The waves rose to swallow her sacrifice and the light was lost to the water.

Twelve.

Eleven.

Ten.

The ocean brightened as her heart began to beat for the earth, and the sun rose and shone warm, and the ice began to melt, and he knew that hundreds of miles away, wheat and corn and apples were shooting up to feed the few starving millions who remained.

He was glad. She would have been glad.

But he couldn’t go to see it. Not yet. He just sat down beside her, put her ancient, cold head in his lap, and cried.

This week’s winner is Amber Butler. Check out her winning story below.

The original photo and prompt can be seen here: LINK.

The liquid was warm, almost imperceptible. He forced his eyes open and nearly gasped at the blinding light. He shut them again and was plunged into darkness.

His lungs felt big and sharp as he kicked, hard, downward. His chest seared with every slowing heartbeat. He struggled to maintain consciousness as one last, fleeting picture swam in his mind: Sam.

Sam’s yellow curls bouncing. Sam hitting me in the arm for a stupid joke. Sam throwing a dirt clod at my bike. Sam lying face down. Sam, bleeding. Sam, dead.

His hand had found an empty place where there was no more concrete and he pulled himself down through the bottom of the water. He fell to solid ground, gasping, choking, coughing, and opened his eyes. The world was dim once again. He looked up and the black water floated above his head. The moonlight shimmered through it and cast a barely perceptible glow on the vast concrete slab.

In the corner was a shape. He knew it, even with half its head missing. He knew those curls, still clinging to the remaining pieces of skull. He knew that back, hunched, arms wrapped around knees, feet bare.

He stood up. He could no longer feel the pain in his chest. There was only one thing he could think:

Sam.

He walked and sat down next to the figure. He put his arm around him, and the boy turned. Even with the hole where his eye used to be, the eye the bullet had ripped out, Sam looked like Sam.

“Alex?” The boy’s voice was familiar, though odd and distant. “Is that you?”

Alex let his lips touch the boy’s cheek. “Yes,” he whispered.

“Can I go home now?”

“No,” Alex said. “But I can stay here.”

Check out last week’s Writing Prompt winner, David McIntyre! The original post and photo can be found here (LINK). Great job, David!

Here’s David’s story.

I felt the bullet snap past my ear and crashed down the embankment. I scrambled back to the culvert intent to crawl through and pulled a rotting pallet from the pipe.

“Won’t do you no good,” a man’s voice spoke. “I already tried.”

He sat up from the weeds and pushed his hood back to get a better look at me. Whatever color his clothes had been originally, they now matched his weathered skin.

“You got a name, old man?” I asked.

“You ain’t from around here,” he said.

“Just passing through.”

“Now that’s the truth,” he said. “If you was from around here, you’d know my name. This ain’t the kind of place you pass through, Son. It’s the kind you pass by.”

“Why is he shooting at us?”

“Cause he’s ignorant. He don’t know who you are.”

“Why’d he shoot at you?”

“Cause he’s ignorant, and he does.”

The man pulled a half-smoked cigarette from behind his ear and twisted its contents into a fresh paper, added some tobacco, and rolled a smoke. He then rolled another, and from the way he scraped the pouch, it was his last. He held it out to me.

“It’ll calm your nerves,” he said.

I don’t smoke but took it anyway to honor the gift. “Calm my nerves for what?”

He reached over is pack and passed me a Winchester .30-30. “You see the top of that Cherry tree from there? The one where my wife is buried?”

“I see it.”

“He’s under it.”

I edged forward to the road and slowly poked the rifle between the weeds. The man by the cherry tree jumped to his feet and aimed. We fired at the same time. The old man had stood to draw fire. I buried him with his wife.

It’s such an awesome opportunity to introduce to all of our BOD members the incredible authors among us! So, thank you, Drew Avera, for taking part in the BOD author spotlight interview. I’m excited for everyone to get to know you.

Thank you. I’m excited to be here and love being part of the group!

I love learning about when authors discovered they wanted to be writers. So, tell us, how or when did you know that writing was for you? What are your aspirations as a writer?

Growing up I didn’t enjoy reading, since my mother usually made it part of punishment for something. When my parents split I started getting into comic books. I watched Batman the Animated Series and the X-Men cartoon. My dad bought the comic books, provided I’d read them. He probably spent hundreds of dollars on my comic addiction. Eventually I got into reading real books. Ever since I was sixteen and read “The Incredible Hulk: What Savage Beast” by Peter David, I’ve wanted to write a book. It was a novelized version of a comic book. It took fifteen years later for me to write a book. But we can get to that later.

You’ve mentioned on BOD that you serve in the military. Can you tell us what you do, (without having to kill us) and how your current job has influenced your writing?

Absolutely, I’m an Aviation Electricians Mate First Class. Most of my career was spent working on electrical systems on the F18. It’s two parts awesome and one part anguish with deployment. I’ve seen some really cool stuff, but I’d prefer to be home with my family. My job is different now that I’m not working on Hornets any more. I don’t know how my job influences my writing, but I definitely use the personalities I’ve met in my books. But usually not in a good way. I encounter unpleasant people lol.

I love sci-fi, and I’ve noticed that your stories definitely have that feel to them. What are some of your favorite sci-fi mediums, whether books or movies, that have influenced your stories?

Like I said, I’m a huge comic book fan and I think that has influenced me most of all. If you notice, most of my books are short and there’s always some kind of action or drama happening in some way. Most comic books follow that kind of rhythm. I also love sci-fi influenced art, especially landscapes. Most are very beautifully done and I can imagine what those worlds would be like. But let’s not forget all the awesome movies coming out. It’s like a sci-fi buffet!

I totally agree. Some of the dystopian/apocalyptic sci-fi movies that are out or coming soon are incredible. Kind of along those lines, tell us a little bit about Exodus and how this story came to be.

When I turned thirty I looked at what I had accomplished on my dream list. Rock star? No. Comic book artist? Nope. Self-made millionaire? Lololololol…no. Wrote a book? Not even close.

So, with that list of potential things to accomplish I decided to focus on one. I eventually decided to write a book and began the painstaking task of writing one with pencil and paper. That was a travesty and I was ready to quit, but then I found a little something called National Novel Writing Month. I decided to give it a go as a last ditch effort. Twenty six days and fifty some odd thousand words later I was an author. What I didn’t realize was it would become an addiction. At least it’s not cocaine or heroin though, right?

As far as Exodus goes I’m not real sure where the idea came from. I was watching Falling Skies and based my character, Serus, off of the actor, Drew Roy. I guess I wanted a flawed superhero with a tortured past. Exodus is what I eventually created, lol.

I have read a couple of books lately that deal with law enforcement and government using their positions in an imbalanced way in order to achieve personal goals. Have any of the recent supposed imbalance between law enforcement and everyday civilians had an impact on the creative process of writing Exodus or any of your other books?

Truthfully I don’t like watching the news. I come up with bad enough ideas of what the future will be like without it. But I don’t live in a void and I hear about things. I think growing up in the Bible Belt and knowing about what Revelations said the future is supposed to be like, coupled with my own personal views, gives me enough to roll out about a hundred different futures without happy endings. It’s easy to see how people come to those conclusions when you look at how corrupt government is worldwide. It’s actually scary to think about.

Tell us a little bit about the other books you’ve written. Are they strictly dystopian/apocalyptic? What other projects are you working on?

Most of my books are dystopian science fiction. But I am also part of a multi-author urban fantasy series called The Twin Cities Series. We are doing a big push in February to bring in readers and recruit more authors into the series.

I’m also trying to wrap up The Dead Planet Series this year. It’s been a long road completing the series so I’m excited to have the trilogy done. After that I want to write a Batman fanfic and finish other projects.

Now tell us some fun facts about yourself. If you could write yourself as a character into any book series or movie, who would you want to be and why?

You know that meme that says to be Batman? Yeah…

That’s a pretty hard question because I’ve seen a bunch of movies with awesome characters. I think the only prerequisite is that I not die…that would suck lol.

Give us a list of things on your bucket list. What have you done already, and what do you still want to do?

I want to see the world and retire from the navy, live in the country, and be a full-time author. I’ve only seen parts of the world at this point 😉

Again Drew, thank you so much, for being a part of BOD and for sharing a little bit about yourself and your awesome stories with all of us!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Amazon

Drew Avera is an active duty navy veteran and science fiction author. After growing up in rural Mississippi, Drew joined the US Navy at the ripe old age of seventeen. It required parental consent and only ten days after high school Drew was in boot camp. It wasn’t fun, but it was a necessary obstacle that taught him how to commit and achieve something so challenging. After graduating in the summer of 2000 his career started as an aviation electrician working on F18s. Since then he has met his wife and had two awesome daughters, he’s seen the world, and he’s achieved one of the dreams he had as a kid; to be a published author.

If you’re into fast-paced, action-packed, science fiction thrillers; then look no further. Drew creates dystopian fiction for those who love post-apocalyptic worlds ruled by corrupt governments. Get your fill with science fiction thrillers with The Dead Planet Series. You can also find urban fantasy thrillers in the multi-author created titles called The Twin Cities Series. There’s a little something for everyone who enjoys speculative fiction, so have a look at Drew’s author page and pick up a few free dystopian short stories.

Our latest Writing Prompt winner was Frank Messina! Frank has participated in our prompt challenges many times and it was cool to see him pull in a win this time around. Thanks for playing and congrats Frank! You can read his story below.

View the original photo prompt here. The prompt reads: “What’s this?” she chirped. I panicked when I saw her kneeling beside the hole in the ground. I knew exactly what it was and I didn’t want her anywhere near it!

Frank Messina’s winning entry:

What’s this?” she chirped. I panicked when I saw her kneeling beside the hole in the ground. I knew exactly what it was and I didn’t want her anywhere near it!”

I watched her from behind the tree. To this day, I am still not sure how she got passed me. She looked into the hole, but I knew she wouldn’t be able to see what was down there, it was just too deep. Ellie was always the curious one or should I say the nosy one. She always was snooping in my room at home and would always tell Mom and Dad whenever I did something wrong. I had to be careful with her, if she discovered my secret, it would all be over. I was careless once again, but out here I thought I was safe. I should have never left the cover off the hole.

So far she knew nothing, but then I heard it. Faint but clear. “Is someone there?” said a voice from inside the hole. Ellie almost fell back. She peered harder into the hole, holding her lantern as far down as she could. “Hello? Is someone down there? HELLO?” Dammit, I had to do something. A piece of nearby vine was my worst enemy. Ellie grabbed the vine and tied it to the lantern handle. She lowered the lantern into the hole. She would see the girls I had deposited there, or what was left of them. I had no choice, I leapt from my hiding spot and ran toward Ellie. Without slowing I pushed and heard her scream as she fell. I turned and reached the hole and fell to my knees. I peered inside, the lantern illuminating the hole. I saw my sister and my other victims. Three total now. One dead, one alive, one my sister. They looked up at me, and I smiled. “Sorry sis.” I placed the cover over the hole.

Thank you so much, Mara, for taking part in the BOD author spotlight interview! Our BOD family is in for a treat to get to know you.

Thank you so much for having me! I’m thrilled to be part of BOD. It’s one of my favorite places to browse on Facebook!

What was the first book you read that made you know you wanted to be a writer?

Honestly, I didn’t always know that I wanted to be a writer. I first fell in love with reading with Romeo and Juliet in middle school, but at the time my love of the characters and the story fueled my passion for acting. It’s funny, because that drive led me to write stories on my own—the kinds I would want to see. But I never called myself a writer. It wasn’t until I was in my mid-twenties that I sat down and wrote a book. That’s when I sat back and realized that I’ve kind of always been a writer, just never owned it until now. It was just something I did, something that was part of me.

Who have been your greatest inspirations for writing, and how have they helped you achieve your writing goals?

Jane Austen, as cliché as that sounds. Her story is just so amazing. A woman, in a time where women were meant to find a husband and take care of a household, who had so much passion for writing that she just had to do it, regardless of the consequences. And the stories she told still live on today, which just amazes me. On the fantasy end of things, I love Terry Goodkind and am way overdo for rereading the Sword of Truth series (and catching up now—there are more books! More Kahlan and Richard!!). His ability to build such a rich fantasy world with characters that are strong but also flawed and vulnerable just amazes me.

The Altar of Reality is the third book you’ve published and the first in a sci-fi dystopian series. Tell us a little bit about this book and where you came up with the idea.

Altar of Reality follows the story of sixteen year-old Madeline, whose epilepsy triggers an ability to slip between alternate realities. She doesn’t know she can do this, so she thinks she’s losing her mind as she flips back and forth between the life she’s always known and a reality where she finds herself in the aftermath of the Cold War turned hot.

Funnily enough, Neil Gaiman is tied to the inspiration for my book directly. A friend of mine took me to see his storytelling event when it was here in Columbia. The idea is that a group of people, along with Neil Gaiman, get up on stage and tell stories. Like sitting around a campfire. It was really amazing, but I digress. The emcee for the event told his story in bits and pieces in between the others. He spoke about his wife and their experience with her epilepsy. And at some point, he said, “What happens to her when she has a seizure? What does she see, even if she doesn’t remember it? Does she go somewhere else?” And the thought struck me: What if she went to another reality? Thus, Altar of Reality was born. I used some characters I had created when I was around 19 or so for a screenplay that I had been wanting to play with again. And then I wrote the book for NaNoWriMo, pitched it during the Twitter PitchMas event the next month, and got a contract with Curiosity Quills.

I love that you tie sci-fi with the dystopian genre. How do you think this genre is affecting the young adult writing/reading scene?

Thank you! Dystopian seems to be all the craze right now with The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, and so many other huge hits out there. I think as far as genres go, the scene kind of comes and goes, so I’m not all that surprised to see dystopians as popular now. Personally, I love it. Reading is such an escape, and sometimes it is really great to read about characters who overcome the worst situations and persevere. That’s not an uncommon theme in literature, of course, but throwing in the brink of an apocalypse does tend to put things in perspective. =)

What can you tell us about what is going to happen to Madeline in the next book in the Altar of Reality series, and can you tell us if there is going to be just one obvious love interest for her? (That’s the question I really want to know.)

I can tell you that Madeline is going to be very torn in the next book. Without giving too much away, obviously she finds herself in a very difficult situation and surrounded by faces that used to give her comfort and a sense of security that are now potential threats. She doesn’t know who to trust, or if she can even trust herself. And she might be seeing that the Lord Commander isn’t as evil as she thought. It isn’t always black and white in a war or a time of struggle, and she starts to see that, which is very difficult for her. That doesn’t mean she can forgive him, though, even if she might find herself in a situation where she has to choose between playing the good dutiful would-be daughter or getting tortured.

As for the love interest, I think I wrote myself into a love triangle on accident. Austin was supposed to be a minor character, but now he has a POV in book two. But then again, Brandon will have a POV in book three. I might be just as torn as Madeline on this one. 😉

Why don’t you tell us about the other books you’ve written and do you have any other writing projects you’re working on?

My other series is a new adult fantasy series called Heirs of War. It’s very much a family driven story. The Duillaine are the ruling body of all the worlds, the four most powerful women born into the same bloodline and each representing an element. They’ve been fighting against a brewing rebellion for generations, and things are getting really bad. When the fifth is born into the next generation, it causes a ripple effect due to a prophecy about the five uniting all worlds as one. The five girls are sent away, and four are sent to our world with the protectors blood-bound to them. They don’t remember anything of this magical world or their real families. When the rebels discover them, they are forced to come back early and thrust into the middle of a world and a war they know nothing about. Zelene and Ariana are the twins, the two youngest, and they drive a lot of the story. They’ve never met and have lived very different lives—Ariana growing up in a normal and loving household (and a bit spoiled) picked out for her, and Zelene bouncing around from foster home to foster home when our laws prevent their shared protector from adopting her. Zelene is very much a solo act, so all of this is a lot to take in for her when she finds herself surrounded by relatives and people clamoring for her attention. She wants nothing to do with any of it and basically tells them all to screw themselves. But when she finds out she has a twin that has been captured… her priorities shift. She’s deadest on saving Ariana, and isn’t content to wait around for the current generation of Duillaine to get off their royal butts and do something.

The second book in the series (Heirs of War, Crown of Flames) came out in October and I’m hoping to release the third book by the end of this year. I’m also already working on book two in the Shifted Realities series, which I might call Fractured Minds. The two series keep me busy, but I have been discussing a superhero serial with a good friend of mine, so we’ll see. 😉

Now on to some fun facts about yourself. I love the idea that there are alternate realities that we could exist in. If you lived in an alternate reality, what would it be and which reality would you choose to stay in?

Definitely not the one Madeline lands herself in! I don’t know… When you hit 30, you kind of look back on your life and wonder “What if?” so I think I’d just like to skip through all of those possibilities and answer that question. What if I had moved to New York when I was younger like I always wanted to? What if I had pursued a career in acting? What if I had pursued a career in writing earlier? What if I dyed my hair blue? Those kind of things.

If there is one author or time period you could travel to for a writing conference, who or what time would it be and why?

I would want to bring Jane Austen here, really. I wouldn’t necessarily want to be a writer in her time, but I’d love to get a one on one with her. I’d love to one day attend BEA, or attend a conference with Susan Kaye Quinn. She’s such an inspiration, and always has an abundance of knowledge and experience to drop on you at any given second. (Can you tell that I Facebook stalk her from time to time? Hehe)

It’s been a pleasure to get to know your writing and getting to share your awesome talent with the members of BOD. Thank you so much for being a part of the BOD family!

Thank you ALL for being so amazing!

ALTAR OF REALITY

by Mara Valderran
Genre: young-adult, dystopian, science-fiction romance
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Date of Publication: January 22, 2015
Cover Artist: Alexandria Thompson at Gothic Fate

Sixteen year-old Madeline has struggled with epilepsy for most of her adolescent life, leaving her something of a social pariah. Things go from bad to worse when she wakes up from her first grand mal seizure in an extremely unfamiliar world but surrounded but familiar faces. Her hometown is in ruins, the aftermath of a Cold War turned hot.

Madeline isn’t sure what to believe. The brothers insist her memories must be of a dream life she created while in her coma. But when she returns to the reality she knows, they insist this war-torn world must be the dream. She doesn’t know if she’s truly caught in the middle of a brewing rebellion or teetering on the brink of insanity. As she finds herself flipping between the two lives, her heart becomes torn between two versions of the same boy and the lines between her realities begin to blur.

Goodreads | Amazon US | Amazon UK

ABOUT MARA

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Mara Valderran is an author of young adult and new adult books, but she’s more than just a madwoman with a writing box. She is an avid reader and fan of all things sci-fi and fantasy. She loves roller skating and movies, though typically not together. She hopes to one day meet Daniel Jackson from SG1, or at least the actor who played him. When she’s not writing, you can find her reading, playing video games, or counting down the days until DragonCon.

Her debut novel, HEIRS OF WAR, has been met with great reviews and was featured on Wattpad in 2013, raking in over 600k reads. The series continues with the second book, HEIRS OF WAR, CROWN OF FLAMES, released in Summer 2014. Her short story “The Austenation” will is included in the Borderlands Anthology and she is looking forward to publishing her young adult dystopian ALTAR OF REALITY with Curiosity Quills Spring 2015.

Our Writing Prompt contest from January 9th was one of our most popular prompts yet. The image was downright creepy and certainly caught a lot of attention and pulled in quite a few entries. In the end, we chose Lee Ryder as the winner! Read her story below.

View the original (and super creepy cool) photo prompt here. The prompt reads:
I looked up from my breakfast and saw them. With my heart drumming in my chest, I managed to say, “We’ve got company.”

Lee Ryder’s winning entry:

I looked up from my breakfast and saw them. With my heart drumming in my chest, I managed to say, “We’ve got company.” I told my wife to take the children to the secret room as I stood to meet our ‘visitors’ at the door. I knew why they were here.

I heard my wife let out a small yelp as three loud raps were heard at the door, shaking the whole house. I walked slowly to the door giving my wife time to secure the wall in place before opening the door.

Simeon Shackleroot, and Dartangnan Ravenwood were standing there dressed in their official Council’s clothing.

“Good morning,” I said. “What brings you to our neck of the woods?”

“You know why we’re here.” Simeon said snidely. “We’re here for the boy.”

“You mean Thomas?” I asked. “You’ve just missed him, he’s gone to school.”

“You’re lying.” Dartagnan said. “We already waited there. We’ve been watching him every day.”

“So you were going to take my son out from under my nose.” I spat. “So the Council has lowered himself to kidnapping?”

“We wouldn’t have to, if you would just follow the mandates.” Simeon retorted.

“What and sacrifice my only son to be a magical battery for the Chancellor? I think not. You’ll have to kill me first.” I shot back at them.

“This is how it has been done for thousands of years, the first born are sacrificed to t the council to grant them the protection they need from the outside world.” Dartagnan said angrily. “I had to give my daughter this year!”

“There are other means of protection.” I replied coldly. “Just as effective if not moreso. If the Chancellor wants my son he can stick it up his…..” I began. “You get my drift.”

“You could be brought up on charges.” Simeon threatened.

“Let them try, I’ll bring fifty other families with me and they’ll bring fifty more. The Chancellor is doing this to stay in power and rule our kind with fear. The time for change has come.” I threatened.

“You are looking for a war you cannot win.” Dartangan replied acidly. “You will destroy us all over a child.”

“Yes, I would kill a thousand men for my son. Any parent who says they wouldn’t, is lying.” I said stepping back into my house. “My doors are warded to prevent you from coming in without my invitation. So if you don’t mind my breakfast is getting cold.” I slammed the door in their faces and walked back into the kitchen trying to calm my shattered resolve. A war was coming, and I just became the commander in chief of the rebellion.

December 19th’s Writing Prompt was a neat one with a fun Sci-Fi twist, like many of the ones we’ve done. We saw some new faces jumping in and our winner from that week was a first-time participant, Andrea Tino! Great job, Andrea! (You can read her story below).

The original photo prompt is here. The prompt reads: “There it is,” he whispered, “the safest city on earth.” I took a step toward it and said, “Do you wanna knock or should I?”

Andrea Tino’s winning entry:

A mix of emotions flooded over me. Relief, exhaustion, and anxiety to name a few as I looked up at the city in the clouds. We had been traveling for weeks now, my brother and I, to reach the rumored last safe haven. I was exhausted, filthy and damn near starved to death.

After our parents were taken in the last Collection we had been going from one camp of survivors to the next, collecting pieces of rumors about this place. Now we were finally here and I wasn’t sure if we should go in. Something wasn’t right.

“Ethan, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Look, what could be worse than this. I mean look at us Janelle. We’re filthy, starving and so damn tired we can’t see straight. Go back if you want to but I made it this far. I’m going in.”

“No I’m serious. I’m getting a reall bad vibe from this place. If we turn and go back now we can go back to camp and be there before nightfall.”

“I love you Janelle.”

I watched as Ethan turned and walked to a group of guards, hands up, showing that he meant no harm. I crouched down in the thick grass and watched. Little did I know that the next time I saw Ethan, we’d be behind opposite ends of a gun.