Monday, April 13, 2015

Savage Winds



Savage Winds
by R.J. Merle

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

A dangerous conspiracy unfolds...

In Author R.J. Merle’s whirlwind start of the Children of the Elements series, a clumsy teenage techno-geek struggles to protect kidnapped children from a covert government organization responsible for creating their abilities to control the five elements.

A mighty wind…

Eighteen-year-old Stedford Thackett’s conspiracy theorist brother ensnares him in a real life children-as-weapons plot, while a determined scientist grooms happy-go-lucky five-year-old Darcie Lynn Carpenter to use the wind as a deadly weapon.

Out of control...

Despite the firm hand of Scientist Nora Hicks, Stedford struggles to rescue the kids and escape, even as Darcie Lynn fights to gain control of the surging power of the savage winds.




EXCERPT:

If only Stedford could spend his Saturday afternoon working on projects. Nowhere near as lucrative or fun, keeping track of Cantrell was a honking full-time job.

Up ahead, a left-to-right movement shifted among the towering tree trunks.

He choked out a loud whisper, “Cantrell?”

A coyote howled. Behind him. Too close.

A rush jolted through Stedford’s veins. He shoved the phone into his back jeans pocket and dashed into the brush.

Branches slashed and snapped.

Briars grabbed, snagged, and snatched free.

The pounding smash of his high-tops bulled through the scrub. Grayness reduced the reach of his eyesight. As dusk fell toward nightfall, he wouldn’t be able to see squat.

Zero night vision.

Zilch.

After pulling up to a halt, like a tree among many, he stood stark still.

What had he been thinking coming out here like this?

That maybe he might keep Cantrell from getting into trouble, all the while protecting his own chances to contract for a special project. Nothing wrong with looking out for both their futures.

If Uncle Merv’s contacts worked out, the brothers would be set money-wise for life.

Not a bad deal for a geeky eighteen-year-old.

Except Stedford would soon be wandering the dark.

He retrieved his phone and gauged the average power usage. Three and a quarter hours of battery life. Tops. Way before midnight, his flashlight app would die with the phone, and he would flounder in total darkness.

Ominous shivers goosed his chill bumps.

A stick snapped atop the hill.


A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR

1.What's the best and worst part of being an author?
The best part of being an author is making up stories… I cannot imagine a career more awesome than that! I get to entertain myself during the writing process, as well as entertain readers. Fun, fun, fun!
The worst part of being an author is that I am ALWAYS writing in my head. At the dinner table, while driving, and even during—gasp!—episodes of the Walking Dead. I struggle to focus on the moment at hand, and to thoroughly enjoy reality, because I’m having so much fun storytelling in my head.
2. Which book of yours is your favorite? Why?
Savage Winds, the first book in the Children of the Elements series that features the local community where I grew up, is the the whirlwind start of the series about psychically gifted children and their struggles to survive, so it has a special place on my fav list.
3. What are your favorite authors in the genre that you write?
Suzanne Collins, Ilsa J. Bick, and Veronica Roth.
4. Which of your characters is most like you?
Eighteen-year-old Stedford Thackett’s point of view weaves through the entire series—five full novels, one huge story—and no matter how bad he’s messed up, challenged, or defeated, he struggles to keep on keeping on.
LINKS:
Website: www.rjmerle.com
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P89UM5G
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/savage-winds-r-j-merle/1120920193

AUTHOR INFORMATION AND LINKS
Author R.J. Merle stepped out of the realm of Top-Secret documents (shh, don’t tell…) to write sci-fi and paranormal fiction.

R.J. survived and escaped both the entertainment field and the government-contracting environment, craves the Walking Dead, and entertains what-if tidbits about “supposed” technological and biological advances.

No stranger to the goings on in the city of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, R.J. Merle blends a down-home flavor with a former in-the-know—hypothetically, of course—technical background to craft the twists and intrigue of Secret City Adventures.

Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/R.J.-Merle/e/B00P8E0X5A
BN Author Page:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/r.j.-merle
Website: http://www.rjmerle.com/COTE.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/RJ-Merle-Author/1409155235976147
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10944948.R_J_Merle
Blog: http://rjmerle.blogspot.com/


Buy Links:

NOTE: Savage Winds is FREE!

http://www.amazon.com/Children-Elements-Science-Fiction-Adventure-ebook/dp/B00P89UM5G/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/savage-winds-r-j-merle/1120920193?ean=2940046560206

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/516527
The author will be awarding a $50 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Use the link below to enter. You can find the tour schedule at http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2015/02/vbt-savage-winds-by-rj-merle.html



a Rafflecopter giveaway


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11 comments:

  1. Goddess Fish PromotionsApril 13, 2015 at 4:30 AM

    Thanks for hosting!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mai T.April 13, 2015 at 6:36 AM

    What would you say are the main advantages and disadvantages of self-publishing against being published or the other way around?

    ReplyDelete
  3. katsrusApril 13, 2015 at 7:09 AM

    Sounds like a great series. Great covers.
    Sue B

    ReplyDelete
  4. R.J. MerleApril 13, 2015 at 7:30 AM

    Thanks for hosting, Hope. Dreams. Life... Love Blog! Please note that the regular price for Savage Winds is $3.99, and, that for this most awesome blog tour, the price is discounted to $0.99. (Sorry for the confusion on the pricing.) I look forward to questions/comments!

    ReplyDelete
  5. R.J. MerleApril 13, 2015 at 8:08 AM

    Mai T, in today's publishing climate, one aspect for an author to consider might be a possible hybrid (both self and traditional) publishing career.

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownApril 13, 2015 at 10:46 AM

    Thanks for the giveaway. Sounds intriguing.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Amber DaultonApril 13, 2015 at 11:08 AM

    Self pubbing and traditional pubbing both have pros and cons.
    With self pubbing, you have to market your book yourself without much outside help but you get to control the marketing and do what you think is best.
    With traditionally, you have to rely on someone else and you usually don't have a say in how your book is largely seen by the public. You still should personally market your book if you go the traditional route, but you have no control over how much--or little--the publishing company does for you.
    In my opinion, it's a catch 22.
    There's both good and bad to both kinds of publishing.
    Thanks for the giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  8. MomJaneApril 13, 2015 at 11:19 AM

    What an exciting excerpt. Leaves me wanting more.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Karen HApril 13, 2015 at 12:35 PM

    Enjoyed reading your interview today.

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousApril 13, 2015 at 1:22 PM

    I enjoyed the excerpt and interview!

    Trix, vitajex(at)Aol(Dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  11. R.J. MerleApril 13, 2015 at 10:16 PM

    Thanks again for hosting, Hope. Dreams. Life... Love Blog. I appreciate everyone stopping by. Best of luck with the Giveaway drawing!

    ReplyDelete