So, how was your weekend? We are full blown BBQ season here in Vancouver. Time to get those patio chairs out and settle down with some iced-tea and turn some pages. Today we have author L.J. Epps in the house to answer our three favourite questions.
SC: Tell
me a little bit about your main character of this book.
LJE:
The main character is Emma. Emma lives
in a world that has been divided into three territories, the rich, the working
class, and the poor by an evil president. The poor are no longer allowed to
have children, since they do not have the means to take care of them.
Emma
is the last eighteen-year-old in her territory; every baby born after her has
died.
Somehow,
she survived this fate. During the president’s Monday night speech, she announces
a party will be held to honor the last child in the territory, Emma Whisperer. Emma
must read a speech, expressing how happy she is to be the last
eighteen-year-old. Emma doesn’t like the rules; she feels she must rebel
against them. Her family doesn’t agree with her rebellion, since they are
hiding a big secret. After doing what she feels is right, Emma finds herself in
imminent danger.
Her
journey takes her through twist and turns…that land her in jail. She also finds out what love is and experiences
her first kiss. Emma is always curious as to her surroundings. She feels as if
she is also strong and independent. Her wild ride helps her find out just how
strong-willed she really is, and shapes her into the woman she will eventually
become.
SC:.Do
you believe in the paranormal and if so, do you have an experience you can
share?
LJE:
I don’t believe in the paranormal but there are people I work with that do.
Someone
I work with shared this with me. She told me her daughter has dreams and
sometimes when her daughter wakes up the dreams are from something that took
place in real life. What I mean by that
is her daughter was spending the night at her grandparents’ house. While
staying at her grandparents’ house she had a dream that a young girl was
killed. She could vividly see the young
girl in her dream…the eye color and hair color.
The young woman was crying out for help for someone to save her. My
co-worker’s daughter woke up shaking and crying and shared the dream with her
mother. My co-worker said that a young girl had been killed in that very house
over forty years ago her daughter had no idea of that fact…but dreamed about
it.
I
still don’t believe but like I said my co-worker does.
SC:
What titles are you working on now that you can tell us about?
LJE:
I am currently working on a novel. It’s
almost finished just needs a little editing before it is published. It has a working title right now but I plan
on changing it. I like to write young
adult fantasy fiction and dystopian. I
also like writing women’s drama fiction/romance.
The
novel I’m currently working on is women’s fiction/romance. It’s about a woman living in a small town
whose husband just up and left her. This
woman has to figure out
how
to provide for her young daughter. She also has to figure out how to move on
and find love again. There are twists and turns which I love in a novel. I hope once it’s completely finished others
like it too.
SC:
Well, thanks for stopping by. Let's take a look at your novel now.
Extinction Of All Children
Book One
L.J. Epps
Genre: Fantasy Fiction, Dark Fantasy
Publisher: L.J. Epps
Date of Publication: 06/03/2016
ISBN: 978-0-9971913-3-2
ASIN: B01GM2YTHE
Number of pages: 250
Word Count: 79,826
Cover Artist: Damonza.com
Tagline: What would you do if you were the last eighteen-year-old in the territory? Join Emma on a wild ride and find out how she survives this fate.
Book Description:
The futuristic world of Craigluy has been divided into three territories and three economic classes. A large wall separates the territories, so the poor cannot mingle with the rich.
Since President Esther, the ruler over all of Craigluy, believes the poor do not have adequate means to take care of children, they are no longer allowed to procreate. Pregnant mothers are imprisoned until their babies are born, then the infants are taken away.
Emma Whisperer is the last child to survive. She is the last child born in lower-class Territory L before the law was instituted in the year 2080. She is the last eighteen-year-old.
Emma struggles to understand why she was spared while others weren’t. She doesn’t like the laws and believes they should be repealed. Her family doesn’t agree with her; they discourage her rebellious streak. Yet, she helps them to cover up their own family rebellion. She helps them to hide a big secret, a secret that could be both disastrous and deadly for members of their family.
As she meets new people along the way, Emma learns who she can and cannot trust. And, in the end, she makes a gut-wrenching decision that may be disastrous for everyone.
She finds herself in danger for doing what she feels is right.
Get the entire series on Amazon
Excerpt
1:
“On your feet.”
I hear a loud
voice. My heart jumps. It sounds like Rich.
There are no
windows here, but my internal clock tells me it is bedtime. I was waiting for
the lights off in ten minutes call. Instead, I see him standing in front of my
cell. He looks the same yet scarier, and his green eyes peer at me. His hair
looks as bright as a ripe cherry. My hands shake.
“I’m not going
to say it again. You’ve been summoned to see the president.”
“But it’s almost
time for lights out.” My voice quivers.
“I don’t care what time it is. I gave you an
order.”
I stand and my knee twitches. The ice pack,
lying on my side, falls and crashes to the floor. My cell door opens with a
squeal, and Rich steps inside. He is dressed in his uniform, and he smells of
musk and liquor. I didn’t think guards could drink while on duty, but what do I
know.
“Let’s go,” he
says, clutching my arm.
Once I’m out of
my cell, he snaps the handcuffs on. The coldness straddles my wrists. Like a
dog on a leash, he leads and I follow. My stomach is in knots. I don’t know
what to expect once we reach the president’s quarters. But, we don’t go to the
fifth floor; the elevator dings on the second floor. He pulls on my handcuffs
and yanks me off the elevator. My gym shoes scuff against the hardwood floors
as we walk down the long hallway. We end up at the conference room.
The room is
bright red. There is a large window. I see a few remnants of sunlight, peering
through the blinds. There is a long, brown table that looks like it is made of
marble. There are four chairs on each side and one large chair at the end where
President Esther sits. She has on a dark blue pants suit and a white shirt. Her
silver hair is pulled back into a bun, and her lipstick is bloodred.
“Sit down,
Emma,” she says, pointing to the chair next to her. “I thought we could have a
chat.”
I plunk down,
but not next to her. I sit a few seats away.
“You’re
cautious, I like that.” Her mouth curls up.
Rich still
stands in the room. He’s glaring at me, like a fire breathing dragon. I shiver.
“Thank you,
Rich.” President Esther looks at him. “That will be all.”
“Are you sure
you don’t need me to stay?”
“No, I’ll be
fine.”
“But, I think I
should.” He steps closer. His eyes narrow.
“I said I’ll be fine, Richard.” She uses his
full first name. “You can go now.”
“As you wish,”
he says, with a lion-like growl.
I never knew his
full first name was Richard, but I’m glad she told him to leave. He seems like
he would challenge her, at every turn. I wonder why she keeps him around. He
looks like a coldhearted killer, so maybe she needs his talents. I pray, once
he leaves the room, my knee will stop wiggling. He roughly exits, stomping like
a drunken man whose liquor has been cut off. The door bangs as he slams it
behind him.
“Sorry about
that.” Her piercing blue eyes gape at me. “He goes overboard, sometimes.”
About the Author:
L.J. Epps is a lover of all things related to books: fiction and nonfiction novels, as well as biographies and autobiographies. She has also been known to sit and read comic books from cover to cover, several times over.
Over the last few years, L.J. has written several manuscripts; her mission is to publish all of them. She enjoys writing fiction in several genres, including contemporary romance and women’s fiction, as well as young adult dystopian, science fiction and fantasy. She loves to write because it immerses her into another world that is not her own.
Thank you for featuring me as a guest on your blog today. I’m so excited to share my novel with you! I hope you enjoy my interview.
ReplyDelete