Marked
by K. A. Gandy
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GENRE: YA Dystopian Romance
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BLURB:
On the run from the men who murdered her parents, there's only one way to save herself. Marriage to a genetically-matched stranger.
Demy has been on the run since she was thirteen years old. Mysterious men in black cloaks have been chasing her, and so far she's evaded them. Something, though, has changed since she turned eighteen. Their attempts to capture her have gotten closer and closer, until she's only got one option left: turning herself over to the NLC, for the compulsory marriage program.
She doesn't want to get married, but with her would-be captors on her heels, she's got no choice but to hope the NLC's strict security protocols will be a safe haven. Marriage is a small price to pay for her life, after all. And maybe, just maybe, she'll finally have the space to discover why she's being hunted.
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Marked is a new entry point in the Populations Crumble world, but many familiar characters will be present from the original trilogy.
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EXCERPT
The man in black found me yesterday. I was able to slip away for the night, but he’s getting closer. It’s awful timing, him cropping up right now—as I’m only two blocks from the bus stop—but I just caught a glimpse of his hood again. For the last five years, whenever one of them catches my trail, I lie low until they lose my tracks, and then hop the next bus or train out of town and hit the farthest tri-state I can afford the fare to.
Simple. Clean. Safe.
Unfortunately, that’s not an option right now. I have to be at the bus stop at three p.m. The shuttle only comes once a quarter, and I’m not going to make it another three months. I look down at my banged-up watch and see there are only fifteen minutes left. Making a split-second decision, I take a hard left into the alley in front of me, and duck into the side entrance of a smoke-filled bar. As soon as the door shuts behind me, I dash into the bathroom—a single stall, thankfully—and slide the bolt home.
I don’t know what’s changed since I turned eighteen, but I haven’t made it a full month since without one of them finding me, and it’s freaking frustrating. What’s changed? I honestly don’t know. But after five months, I’m out of cash and out of options. I can’t keep a job long enough to build up my cash cushion without getting busted again.
Which is why I finally pulled my last-resort card and contacted the NLC about getting matched.
A Word With the Author
1.Did you always want to be an author? No, actually! I have always written, but not necessarily with a goal or plan; journals, notes, love notes, poetry, freewriting when I needed to clear my head. It wasn’t until I quit my corporate job to stay home with my kids that I had the time to explore writing as a career.
2.Tell us about the publication of your first book. Oh, my. It was a whirlwind! The whole thing went so much faster than I thought was possible, and I was so, so nervous. I laid awake the night before, vacillating between scared no one would buy it and that people would buy it, but then hate it. It was a long night. But, it came out, and it all turned out well in the end. Two years later, that book is still my best seller.
3.Besides yourself, who is your favorite author in the genre you write in? I don’t know that I have one single favorite author in Dystopian; I read widely, so I have a few favorites. But if I had to pick one from Dystopian only, I’m going to go Dystopian-adjacent and say Cinda Williams Chima. Her Demon King series is phenomenal.
4.What's the best part of being an author? The worst? The best part is getting to do what I love, and make a living. I enjoy both the writing and business aspects of it, so it’s really a good fit for my personality. The worst part is putting something up publicly that you worked so hard on, knowing that not everyone will like it, and it may be criticized. Growing a thick skin is a necessary part of the job, though, and I try to learn from any negative feedback, instead of taking it personally.
5.What are you working on now? The Hatchling, the second book in my Fantasy series. I’m a genre-hopper, so I get to switch worlds after every book, which I love.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
K. A. Gandy was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, and is married with two kids. She has worked as a restaurant hostess, library book shelver, ranch hand, tour guide, Realtor, tech whiz, landlord, and small business consultant, all in addition to pursuing her passion of writing. She likes to write late in the evenings and thinks drinking hot tea and baking great cookies fuels hopes and dreams. If you would like to find more of her works, you can sign up for her newsletter at https://www.subscribepage.com/kagandy. You can also get updates on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KAGandyAuthor. I’ve also recently started a facebook group for readers, who enjoy YA Dystopian books, and am available by email at kagandyauthor@gmail.com as well, if you’d ever like to drop me a line directly!
Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/stores/K.-A.-Gandy/author/B08NLQQTZF?ref
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
K. A. Gandy will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
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