All We Leave Behind: Transits of Three

                          All We Leave Behind: Transits of Three

by Benjamin X. Wretlind

 

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GENRE:   Science Fiction

 

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BLURB:

 

Following the exodus from rising floodwaters, the surviving descendants of those who came to create a society on a planet far from Earth have struggled to rebuild within the remains of an ancient temple. Now, as disease and an unfamiliar environment threaten to destroy them yet again, everyone seems to have an opinion about what to do next.

Miriam and Tobias Page, newly married, believe there may be a possible home beyond a distant canyon. Their journey with a quarter of the population doesn’t start well and soon nature and their own humanity will conspire to end it all. Meanwhile, Miriam’s two cousins, Joel and Micah, have different ideas. Joel is convinced the best course of action is to return to the mountains they left to mine for the ore that would make a great return to Earth possible. Micah hopes to stay, learn all he can about the temple’s previous occupants, and prove both of them wrong. But soon, he and his new partner Patience realize that no option is truly safe.

As the transits of three different groups get underway, new dangers and surprises emerge from within the rainforests, mountains, and deserts of the planet…and one of those may have followed them from Earth. While a final home is a dream away, present nightmares must be dealt with first if any of them are going to survive.

 

A Word With the Author

Did you always want to be an author?

Absolutely! I wrote my first story when I was 8, and since then I’ve always dreamed of writing as a full time gig. I’m not there yet (still have to pay those bills), but I’m working on it from just about every angle imaginable. Even though I’ve written 12 books and published 10, I’m still constantly working toward my goal of being supported by my writing.

Tell us about the publication of your first book.

The first book I published was not the first one I finished writing. Castles was started as a short story in 2004. Someone mentioned in a writers group that I had written what sounded like the first chapter to a novel, so I worked on that for a while. It wasn’t until 7 years later that I finally published the book. It did well initially, but my marketing skills were very weak at the time. Even though the book is out there and has been republished by a small press, it’s not my favorite. Truthfully, that book made me realize I wasn’t even sure of my focus. Was I going to be a horror writer or a fantasy writer? What about science fiction or magical realism? It was actually through the writing and publication of the next two books--one dark fantasy and the other literary with a side of magical realism--that I found my true focus. That is, I consider myself a speculative fiction author who writes science fiction, dark fantasy, magical realism, and some horror. It’s not because I dislike the other genres, but because reality bites. Why not spice it up a little here and there?

Besides yourself, who is your favorite author in the genre you write in?

I have to go with Ray Bradbury. I was a fan of his the day I stole my brother’s copy of The Martian Chronicles and started reading about the “Rocket Summer.” There are no words really to describe my complete fascination with that first opening chapter. By far, my favorite book by Bradbury is Dandelion Wine, and it’s one of the few books I’ve read at least three times. Perhaps it was the description of the “Happiness Machine” I read about or the oration given about living the life we have now and not a life we can’t have. Perhaps it was the feeling of being on a street in summer in Green Town, listening to the bees buzz, the apples fall, the susurrus of the wind through brilliant leaves... Whatever it is that gave me that feeling, I know it’s important to retain. It is that feeling, in fact, that drives me forward, to look at the words on a page and want to put them in just the right order to pull readers into a story and drop them inside my own fantasy world, where gods do battle, princes and princesses run amok through ancient castles, monsters lurk in the woods at the very periphery of our vision.

What’s the best part of being an author? The worst?

The best part? Having the ability to get what’s in my head onto paper. I can’t thank my creative writing teachers enough for giving me that drive nor my parents for supplying me with a library full of books. The worst? Putting the words on paper in the order that I want them. I’m a huge planner--not a pantser--and I must have structure and organization before I even write the first sentence. I admire those who can write a novel without anything more than an idea, but for me, writing a book is a project. Therefore, I have spreadsheets, charts and a host of other tools to help me plot. That can be very distracting and can slow me down.

What are you working on now?

I am working on five things: planning the fourth book in this Transit series, The Widening Gyre; writing a new science fiction series that I’m hoping to have complete very soon; waiting on beta readers to give me their comments on a non-fiction book called Creating Atmosphere with Atmosphere: How to Use Weather as a Literary Device; writing a screenplay based on the first three books of the Transit series; and working on three workshops I will be presenting at a writer’s conference at the end of April. Like I said, I’m working on being an author from just about every angle imaginable.

 

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EXCERPT

 

“How many?” Moran asked.

 

“Four. Just up ahead.” Tobias tightened his grip on his weapon. 

“Bethany is waiting for us.”

 

Moran stopped and watched as the caravan slowly edged toward the right, away from immediate danger. “Wish we had more to spare.”

 

“So do I.” Tobias took in a calming breath and let it out slowly. The nervousness in his stomach eased up. Miriam had taught him several techniques for dealing with fear, for calming his anxiety and sharpening his mind. He would forever be grateful to be married to a counselor, a therapist, a wise wizard of the brain’s complications.

 

“Ready?” Moran asked.

 

They both walked slowly toward Bethany’s position, their eyes locked on the trees where Tobias saw the four animals.

 

“Eight,” Bethany whispered as they approached. “Four more in a cluster of trees to the right of the others.”

 

“Typical pack. Haven’t heard the growl, yet,” Moran said. “Maybe they didn’t see us.”

 

“Oh, they did.” Tobias pointed to the tree with the first rychat he spotted. “I swear I saw that one lick its lips.”

 

“Well, we’ll have to take care of that.”

 

Moran raised his crossbow and took aim at the one Tobias pointed out. In tandem, both Tobias and Bethany raised their own weapons.

 

“One on the trunk,” Tobias whispered.

 

Bethany responded. “The big one to the right.”

 

The three were silent as they steadied themselves.

 

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Benjamin, a speculative fiction author, ran with scissors when he was five. He now writes, paints, uses sharp woodworking tools and plays with glue. Sometimes he does these things at the same time.

Benjamin lives with his wife Jesse in Colorado.

https://www.bxwretlind.com/

Twitter: @bxwretlind

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bxwretlind

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bxwretlind/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2900267.Benjamin_X_Wretlind

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/benjamin-x-wretlind-73b7dde4-3fc4-4b7c-a57f-97db25374b10

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION 

 

Benjamin X. Wretlind will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway