RUN
Ragged
by
Kari Aguila
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE:
Dystopian Women’s Fiction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
In
a devastated country, those in charge rule by fear, inequality, and
oppression. Rhia, a strong and independent sea captain, just wants to
keep her head down and do her job, unitl she finds herself trapped in
a re-education facility designed to help people fit into the rules of
the New Way Forward. The warden claims to be guiding those in her
care, but Rhia quickly sees the cracks in the system. As she is faced
with torture and brainwashing, those cracks become gaping holes that
threaten to pull her down into the depths of despair. Can Rhia resist
the slow subversion of re-education and become the reluctant hero the
new world needs?
RUN Ragged is the thrilling second story by the award-winning author of Women’s Work. This brilliantly imagined novel is both a scathing satire and a profoundly poignant look at the price we are willing to pay for peace and what we are willing to ignore to keep our conscience clear.
RUN Ragged is the thrilling second story by the award-winning author of Women’s Work. This brilliantly imagined novel is both a scathing satire and a profoundly poignant look at the price we are willing to pay for peace and what we are willing to ignore to keep our conscience clear.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Exclusive
Excerpt ):
Miss
Deacon glanced back down at the file. “Now, in a case such as
yours, I would recommend intensive group discussions with Ms. Archer.
I think you will really connect with her, and—”
Rhia
stood up suddenly, knocking her chair backward. “You’re not
listening to me!” Her face was hot, and she felt her hands
trembling. “You just keep talking, but you don’t let me say
anything! I’m trying to tell you that I didn’t do anything wrong!
I was knocked overboard during the storm last week, and I nearly
drowned. John and Carol found me and helped me. That’s all! Ask
them!”
“Ms.
Malone, I would not take the word of a known—”
“And
if you would let me out of here, I could get back to my boat and fix
all of this. This is insane! You can’t just lock people up in here
without letting them prove that they haven’t done anything wrong.
You can’t just keep me here when I could so easily show you I’m
innocent! That isn’t the way the system works, lady.”
Rhia
shoved her hands onto her hips. “Contact the leaders from my
neighborhoods. Ask them. They’ll tell you I’ve never done
anything wrong in my life, and I can assure you, the second I get out
of here I am going to appeal to the regional officials to overhaul
this whole fucked-up place.”
Miss
Deacon’s hands were folded on top of Rhia’s folder. Her
expression had changed from mild surprise, to irritation, to an eerie
pleasure by the end of Rhia’s pleas.
“Oh,
yes. I can see that you are going to be quite a challenge.”
Miss
Deacon inhaled deeply and exhaled loudly through her widening smile.
The leather of her armchair scrunched as she stood up very slowly,
and she placed her hands flat on the desk and pushed herself up to
her full height. When she spoke, her eyes shone and her voice was
quiet.
“Rhia
Malone. I’m very sorry that you are so worked up about this. If you
are convinced of your innocence, I’m sure the justice liaison will
be able to help you on Monday. We would never want to falsely confine
anyone without just cause. Unfortunately, I’m unable to release you
until such time as the liaison informs me that it’s proper to do
so. And so, my dear,” her voice became oily and deep, “you are
completely in my care until that point.” Her lips curled into a
smile of perverse pleasure. “I’m looking forward to this.”
A heavy
drop of sweat trickled down Rhia’s spine, and she felt her flesh
crawl.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR
Bio and Links:
Kari
Aguila was the recipient of an IndieReader Discovery Award for her
first novel, Women’s Work. Her stories are gripping and
thought-provoking looks at gender stereotypes and relationships set
in a dystopic future. She is also an avid gardener, geologist,
outdoor enthusiast and mother of three. Aguila lives in Seattle with
her family. RUN Ragged is her second novel.
Website:
Twitter:
Facebook:
Goodreads:
Amazon
Buy Link:
http://www.amazon.com/RUN-Ragged-Kari-Aguila/dp/0991165039/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1451479942&sr=1-1&keywords=kari+Aguila
Kari
will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner
via rafflecopter during the tour
a Rafflecopter giveaway
That society sounds hauntingly familiar.
ReplyDeleteI must say that I am pretty sure I have never read an exerpt this intriguing. I love the name Rhia and that the character is portrayed as a strong independent woman.
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed reading the entire post, thank you!
ReplyDeleteLoved the excerpt!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! Interesting excerpt!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your second book. Love me a dystopian book!
ReplyDeleteI liked the excerpt
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt, RUN Ragged sounds like a fantastic read and I enjoyed following the tour and learning about it, thanks for sharing and good luck!
ReplyDeleteThank you 3 Partners in Shopping for hosting RUN Ragged today! It's a gripping story of survival, injustice, and the corruptibility of power. I just skyped with a book club last night about it, and we had some terrific conversations about societies that have sponsored "re-education centers" like in this story. It's haunting and timely, and I hope you all enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteThe first few chapters are available FREE on Amazon, so you can check it out. I'll pop in here a few times today, so feel free to post questions and comments!
Great giveaway, thank you for the chance at winning
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I've enjoyed following this tour.
ReplyDelete