Interview with LM Preston

What better way to start off a new month than with a new young adult book.  LM Preston visited us before, so I thought it would be great to invite her back for to talk about her new book.  

LM Preston

LM. Preston was born and raised in Washington, DC. An avid reader, she loved to create poetry and short-stories as a young girl. With a thirst for knowledge she attended college at Bowie State University, and worked in the IT field as a Techie and Educator for over sixteen years. She started writing science fiction under the encouragement of her husband who was a Sci-Fi buff and her four kids. Her first published novel, Explorer X - Alpha was the beginning of her obsessive desire to write and create stories of young people who overcome unbelievable odds. She loves to write while on the porch watching her kids play or when she is traveling, which is another passion that encouraged her writing.

Author Links

Website / Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads / Google +

Title: Purgatory Reign

Series: Purgatory Reign, Book 1

Release: ebook (March 2013) Print (May 2013)

Publisher: Phenomenal One Press

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, SciFi

ISBN: 978-0-9850251-3-7

EBook: 978-0-985-0251-4-4

Blurb

Tagline: Something evil this way comes, unfortunately for it, Peter Saints is waiting.

Seventeen-year-old Peter Saints' life stinks. But things are about to get much worse. First, his parents are murdered in front of him. Then another victim dies in his arms.

Visions plague Peter with warnings that something wants him for a sinister cause. It desires the one thing that Peter refuses to give - his blood.

On the run with Angel, a scruffy kid, Peter starts to unravel the mystery. It's the one secret the heavens sought to hide from the world. Unfortunately, when Peter finds the answer he hopes that will save the girl he loves, he opens the door to a great evil that happens to be salivating to meet him.

Excerpt:

A sickening thump made Peter jerk around. His face crinkled with

fury. The car threw the sparse girl’s body upwards into the air, and sped

off down the street. She bounced several times on the pavement. Peter ran

and knelt beside her. Blood dribbled from her lip. And he felt like gar-

bage, being the cause of her injury.

She smiled at him. “Petah. I…knew you would come.” Her dazed

eyes never left his face. “Take me home, Petah.”

He shook his head and searched around. Surprised the street was now

deserted. Tendrils of guilt filled his chest. Another one…my damn fault.

My fault.

Book Trailer (Please include in your post)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atvKA9E4bPI&feature=youtu.be

Book Sample

If you think Purgatory Reign is something you might like to review follow the link to read a sample.  If you enjoy please request a review copy.

http://www.freado.com/book/13273/purgatory-reign

Buy Links

Amazon / Books A Million / Goodreads / The Book Depository

Other works by LM Preston

Explorer X-Alpha, The Pack, BANDITS

The Pack, BANDITS, The Pack-Retribution,

Explorer X-Beta, Flutter of Luv

 

1)       What’s your favorite place to write?

LM: I prefer to write outside on my laptop or anywhere my kids are. Their energy gets me writing and I can share snippets with them for their input. It’s an instant critique.

2)       Do you have a special writing routine?  Perhaps you always have a mug of tea nearby, or you prefer to listen to classical music.

LM: I love writing to noise. I always take lots of breaks by getting up and hopping around. Oh, and I do play music or have a movie on.

3)       Were there any parts in this story that are almost exactly like something that happened to you in real life? 

LM: Actually yes. I don’t want to give it away, but I have had some weird instances happen in my life. However, the main character Peter says something my husband told me about his personal experience in an orphanage.

4)       Which character do you connect with the most? 

LM: I connect the most with Peter. He’s that guy you know that you just know has issues but can’t help falling in love with because you know that his heart is hungry for love.

5)       Which character in your novel do you love to hate? 

LM: I hate Gavin Steele. He was so hard to write. I had to really get in a bad place to sit down and understand his mind. And trust me, there are dark parts yet to come.

6)       Do you have a favorite book that you love to re-read? 

LM: I love re-reading the Child Thief by Brom.

7)       What’s the most inspiring thing an author has ever asked you?

LM: I remember talking to LA Banks (yes, the best selling author Leslie Banks!) and I was trying not to faint. She asked me about this very book, Purgatory Reign. I told her the idea and she mentioned that she had a someone similar book out. I cringed and told her I shouldn’t write this one.LA Banks, then told me, “You write that book. It sounds great and it’s your story, and I can’t wait to read it.” I was awed, and just so humbled that she would give her time and encouragement to me. Unfortunately though, later that year she died of cancer. That was the most wonderful moment in my writing career. A priceless memory.

Invisible

I received a copy of INVISIBLE by Ginny L. Yttrup from B & H Books.  The novel follows three women as they struggle with health issues.  Ellyn hates being fat.  It keeps her from having confidence in herself and from opening up to Miles, a doctor who finds her attractive.  Sabrina is struggling with depression, so she abandons her family and career to rejuvenate herself.  Twila is recovering from anorexia and trying to keep herself on track.  The three women come together and learn to help each other as they keep their faith in God.

Even though each one suffered from a different health issue, I was able to connect with each.  For example, I agreed with Twila’s decision to become a vegan and I felt for Ellyn when her inner voice told her she wasn’t good enough.  The novel is a fast read – I got through it in one evening.  It feels like a television sitcom.  By the final chapter, I knew the characters as friends.  Ginny Yttrup really takes us into their minds.   I highly recommend this book to anyone struggling with a health problem, be it obesity, depression, anorexia, or anything else.  You can experience the ups and downs with the characters, while understanding God’s love.  I will be passing this novel on to a friend, that she may also experience the joy in reading this. 

Truth Stained Lies

I received a copy of TRUTH STAINED LIES by Terri Blackstock from Zondervan, via BookSneeze.  It is part of the Moonlighters series book one.  How cool is a title like TRUTH STAINED LIES?  The book involves Cathy, an investigative blogger.  That job description earned another “how cool is that?!” from me as I read.  The novel really is a page turner. 

Cathy’s brother Jay is going through a violent divorce with his past wife.  They have a son in the mixture and Jay wants custody.  When he goes to his wife’s house, he sees a clown leaving in an unfamiliar vehicle.  The clown waves to Jay – that literally gave me the chills as I pictured the scene in my mind.  When Jay goes into the house, he finds his wife shot dead in the bathtub.  Of course the authorities don’t believe a clown did it. 

Due to a threatening note she received, Cathy believes the killer is framing Jay to get back at her.  Her friends and family set out to prove Jay didn’t murder his wife.  Love and faith in God wove beautifully into the storyline.  I highly recommend this to fans of Christian fiction and crime/suspense novels.  It keeps you glued to the pages.  I look forward to reading the next books in the series, as well as others by Terri Blackstock.  

MY VERY FIRST EASTER STORY

I received a copy of MY VERY FIRST EASTER STORY from Kregel Publications.  The text is written by Lois Rock and the illustrations are by Alex Ayliffe.  When I first received my copy in the mail, my mom said, “Yay, a sticker book!”  Each page is divided into two sections, the upper half dedicated to the story of Easter and the bottom half created for activities.  The activities involve counting birds, amongst others.  The stickers are applicable to both sections.  I found the book to be an interesting way to introduce children to Easter.  It would be perfect to tuck into an Easter basket or to play with at the dinner table while surrounded by family.  There are spaces on the pages that represent where the stickers go – I would have personally preferred to put them on wherever I wanted, but the direction should be good for kids.  I didn’t actually use the stickers.  After I read the story, I gave the book to a coworker for her little brother.  He’s eleven and absolutely adored it.  She said that he played and read it for hours.  The back cover lists other books in the series, including MY VERY FIRST NOAH AND THE ARK and MY VERY FIRST JONAH AND THE WHALE who want to continue the learning experience. 

CAST OF STONES

I received a copy of A CAST OF STONES by Patrick W. Carr from Bethany House, one of my favorite publishers.  The book is the first in the Staff & the Sword series.  While I love fantasy novels, this one didn’t quite do it for me.  There is plenty for a fantasy lover to enjoy – magic, kingship, a quest.  All were very cool and well thought out, but it just wasn’t a page turner.  Many of the sentences seemed simplistic enough to be geared toward a children’s book, although the content was definitely adult, and the characters were older. 

I would have liked to see more emotion in the story as well.  Many of the sentences were more Telling than Showing, which is one of the writing tricks of the trade I’ve been lectured not to do.  A sentence such as “Errol fumed” could have been made into something such as, “Errol clenched his fists until his broken fingernails stabbed his palms, while he gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes.”  Of course, it is up to the author how he or she wants to display the characters.  For me, the lack of emotion kept me distanced from the story.  It also didn’t have anything to make it stand out from other fantasy novels.  Since I needed to review the story, I read it in a few days, but my mind kept wandering.

Nonetheless, I recommend this to fantasy lovers.  It was overall entertaining and a quick read. 

Unholy Hunger

I received a copy of UNHOLY HUNGER by Heather James from Kregel.  It is the first book in the Lure of the Serpent series.    The cover is breathtaking – a little girl plays on a path near a swing set while the shadow of a man falls along behind her.  I couldn’t wait to sink my gaze into the novel. 

The story follows Evelyn Barrett.  Her little girl told a stranger in the park that she had “lellow” hair.  That was his trigger and he would ask little girls until they told him the right answer.  The stranger killed Evelyn’s Corinne and since then all she could think about was revenge.  She used to be an attorney, but instead spends her time finding the killer. 

I couldn’t stop reading from the first page to the last.  The sentences can be as simple as “Great until she fell asleep on a park bench and let someone take my child” and hook you.  The story is very real.  You feel as if you know these characters, and will them, you suffer their pain.  Heather James really takes you inside of Evelyn’s mind until you seethe with anger too.  I recommend UNHOLY HUNGER to anyone seeking a fast-paced read that will keep you awake long into the night.  Be prepared to sniffle at the end.