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Thursday, July 28, 2016

Transition by Luke Ahearn Excerpt & Giveaway


Transition
The Euphoria Z Series
Book Three
Luke Ahearn

Genre: Thriller/Post-Apocalyptic

Publisher: Luke Ahearn

Date of Publication: April 25, 2016

ASIN: B01ESFRJW4

Number of pages: 194
Word Count: 56,200

Book Description:

Transition is the third book of the Euphoria Z Series set in a post-apocalyptic California.

The post-apocalyptic world is in transition. While things may seem safer, a great danger lurks under the surface and sometimes from above.

What does the Island have to do with the state of the world, and the invisible creatures? New threats arise and evil is tracked down. Will this finally be the end for Ben and his psychopathic lifestyle?

Continue the adventure as we find out what happened to Cooper, Lisa and the others.



Excerpt: Prologue

It doesn’t rain frequently in San Jose, California and when it does it’s a quick gray affair that rinses away dust and freshens the air. Every few years there’s a day or two of torrential downpours, interspersed by widespread drizzling and dripping. And rarely, as was the case this day, the skies opened and dumped a decade’s worth of rain upon the city in only a few days. These rare downpours could last days and do substantial damage citywide.
The downpour was so heavy it was impossible to see farther than a few hundred yards. Water ran from the highest spots in the city and merged into thick fast flowing rivers on its journey downhill. It gushed down streets, blasting over curbs and past sign posts, taking away anything that wasn’t nailed down. The waters were black with months of accumulated filth and foamed with the runoff of a million miles of city streets. The fine dust of millions of corpses, that which wasn’t already blown away by the winds, was swept into storm drains and out to the Pacific Ocean.
But the most alarming aspect of the rainstorm by far was the thunder and the lightning. Every few minutes great jagged bolts of light arced across the sky, illuminating the world in blinding flashes, followed moments later by the thunder, a terrifying sound as if the heavens were being torn open. Then cascading booms shook the earth for long moments after.
One of these giant flashes illuminated the inside of a dark warehouse revealing a world of crisp black shadows and harsh blinding whites. For a split second a human shape was visible laying atop a large worktable. It resembled the sarcophagus of a long dead pharaoh. Puddles of odd liquids had collected under the body and run off the edge, hardening in long stalactites of black and dark red. A minor flash revealed a hardened shell, mottled with the same black and reddish hues. The long low rumble of the distant thunder that followed caused an eye to twitch. A loud crack and a blinding flash of light caused both eyes to open wide in shock and fear. A high-pitched keening could be heard emanating from the misshapen body on the table.
Slowly a hand rose, the cracking of dried viscera was faint but clearly audible above the muted pounding of rain. The open eyes, clear and green, regarded a grotesque hand armored in a red and black crust. The arm dropped and the eyes closed. The thrumming of the rain and intense fatigue made slipping back into the sweet darkness of sleep all too easy.


About the Author:

Luke Ahearn was born in New Orleans, LA and now lives in Central California. He is a successfully published author of both fiction and nonfiction, most recently completing Transition, the third book in the Euphoria Z Series. He has over 20 years of professional game development experience in lead positions; designer, producer, and art director.

Luke is also a book cover designer interested in supporting his fellow authors. He hates writing about himself in the third person, but thinks it makes him sound more substantial.

He can be reached at www.LukeAhearn.com






Interview

Where are you from?
Monterey, California

Tell us your latest news?
I am working on the fourth book in the Euphoria Z Series. I am finishing up a thriller called Zone of the Damned. I am also doing book covers too.

When and why did you begin writing?
I began writing seriously when I was in my twenties but never finished anything I started—maybe I wasn’t that serious? I first finished a novel about two years ago. That novel was Euphoria Z and I wrote the entire first draft in a month. I began writing because I loved reading so much that I thought writing might be as great an experience and for me it is actually better than reading.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
The label writer is foolish to me. It’s another way people get intimidated into never writing because they think they somehow aren’t good enough or don’t have permission to write. It’s not flying a plane; you don’t need a special license to do it.

What inspired you to write your first book?
I don’t know. I just wanted to and stop thinking about it and just did it.

Do you have a specific writing style?
I don’t know.

How did you come up with the title?
The right title for me always comes up in the middle of the book. The way I write I can’t make up a title upfront because I don’t know what is going to happen yet. If I still don’t have a title by the end of the book, there’s a problem with the story.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
The messages in my writing are almost always unconscious on my part. I don’t set out to teach the reader a lesson, I just want to entertain. But I think what usually comes out in my writing is that some people are just bad and unredeemable while others act bad but can be redeemed. I am also big on the strength and redeeming power of love.

How much of the book is realistic?
Well, it is about zombies but I do strive to make everything as realistic as I can otherwise. The science is all based on present day and near future expectations of science. I research weapons used, etc. I consulted with psychologists and psychiatrists on certain medications and mental conditions. I even walked down the farm roads of the Central Coast of California and spent a few hours walking around San Jose and the airport to get an accurate feel of the area. If I write about a race or gender, I am not I always get feedback on the characters that are different than me.

Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Usually to some degree. In Euphoria Z the crazy destructive Bacchanalian scenes are based directly on my childhood in New Orleans during Mardi Gras.

What books have most influenced your life most?
The Hobbit, The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes, and anything by Jeffery Deaver.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
I really can’t choose.

What book are you reading now?
Ten Days in a Mad-House by Nellie Bly.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
A lot.

What are your current projects?
A sword and sorcery novella entitled The Wizard’s Bones, a thriller entitled Zone of the Damned, and another thriller entitled Radical Therapy.

What would you like my readers to know?
You are awesome! Thanks for this opportunity. 


Tour giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Certificate

5 Audible Codes



8 comments:

  1. I loved reading the author interview!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Excellent interview! I also enjoyed reading the excerpt. This book sounds like such an interesting and intriguing read! Totally can't wait to check it out!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Did you read a lot as a child?
    Sherry Compton

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, a tremendous amount! It's what saved me.

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  4. I always enjoy reading an author's response to the question, "When did you first consider yourself a writer?" Here, I am so appreciative of Mr. Ahearn's response! I absolutely love it, and found it quite enlightening.

    "The label writer is foolish to me. It’s another way people get intimidated into never writing because they think they somehow aren’t good enough or don’t have permission to write."

    I am going to save this as a quote-- as something to motivate and encourage. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

    --Ann

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow. Thank you. I hope to read something you write one day very soon.

      Delete

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