The
Perfect Tear Blog Tour
Title:
The Perfect Tear
Author: Connie Lansberg
Publisher: Rockit Press
Pages: 320
Genre: YA Fantasy
Author: Connie Lansberg
Publisher: Rockit Press
Pages: 320
Genre: YA Fantasy
The Perfect Tear begins
with the Singers of the world who, during their
initiation by a multi-dimensional being, are
given a magical three-pronged hair comb to use as tuning forks to
help keep the world in harmony. They are a special breed of women,
able to connect their voices to the vibration of the earth in order
to create this needed balance and equilibrium for all.
The story follows the main character
Eleanor, from age six to sixteen. She is a good natured and dutiful
young girl, with a profound ability to interact with both animals and
nature. Like her mother, she is a powerful Singer but
has not yet been initiated because she has not reached the age of
maturity. After the unexpected death of her mother, a grey mist
descends upon the earth and the world fails to thrive, forcing this
innocent child into a course of action that she had never asked for,
nor had ever envisioned.
Set against a backdrop of abandonment,
loss and betrayal, Eleanor is determined to find her way through
strange and dangerous landscapes in her desperate search for the
Perfect Tear, a dark and powerful crystal that contains
the Third Vibration, which she must find and
release in order to heal the land – and save her world. Just like
the notes of a song must connect to create a perfect melody, Eleanor
has to discover the proper associations needed to create this special
harmony.
For More Information
Book Excerpt:
Lerion forced
his lips into a smile and nodded politely in an effort to feign
interest in the creations of his fellow novices. Their excited
chatter and heightened energy pulsed the length of the room. They
seemed foolish to him, but he managed to conceal his disdain. Social
transparency in his society was the norm, but hiding his feelings
from the collective was something he excelled at. It was his secret
talent. Today however, he struggled to maintain a pleasant
countenance.
The novices
were allowed to see their competition for only a few moments and
Lerion extended his glance the length of the narrow corridor again.
He had to be certain he would win. Only the best young designers were
invited to enter the Creation Contest, and then, only once. Lerion
knew this was his only chance to achieve his dream, and he forced
himself to scan the room once more. He was searching for any design
that might pose a threat, but after another quick reconnaissance,
nothing he saw gave him cause for concern. He took a quick,
shuddering breath and lifted his chin. Why had he been so nervous?
He felt his
energy uncoil and his step became light. He’d worked for this
opportunity almost from the day his two co-creators sung him into
being–he deserved to win.
Lerion
clenched his jaw. The arrogance of his desire was not lost on him.
The Creation Contest was much more than a matter of whose design was
the most innovative or which novice showed the most initiative. The
winning design had to uphold and even surpass the standards of
creation set by the Ancient Ones. It had to enhance the evolution of
their society as a whole. Had he achieved that?
He stopped in
front of a nine-dimensional hologram and pretended to be intrigued
with the design, while he slyly studied its creator, a
feminine-biased novice named Lalycri. The energy emanating from her
shimmered against his outer layer and he involuntarily vibrated in
response. Her eyes lit up and he swallowed hard. Her animated smile
caused her nose to crinkle and her energy swelled in gentle waves. It
undulated softly through him. He felt himself surrender to the
pleasure of it and immediately blocked its flow. He would not allow
himself to respond. This was not the time to reveal his attraction to
her, and he nodded curtly. He had to admit, he found Lalycri
appealing and she peaked his curiosity. On any other day, he might
have encouraged her, but this kind of personal chemistry often led to
a desire to co-create, and he was not about to break the rules. Not
today, anyway.
Novices were
forbidden to form creative partnerships of any kind. Only those
having twelve activated strands of DNA were allowed the privilege of
co-creation.the privilege of co-creation. Lerion sighed. He had
activated only seven strands of the twelve that lay within each of
his cells. More than all the other novices, but still, not enough.
Determined to
ignore her vibrant energy, Lerion gave Lalycri a small nod. He leaned
in and studied the extremely unusual construct while she beamed at
him. He couldn’t work out what its purpose might be, and he
stiffened. It had never occurred to him Lalycri might be competition.
How had she managed such a complicated design?
He made sure
to keep his voice polite rather than accusatory. “I had no idea
you’d been selected.”
Lalycri
tilted her head and her smile faltered. “Well, I was.”
Her tone had
a sharp edge and he realized he had insulted her. “Certainly. I’m
not surprised.”
“You sound
surprised.” Lalycri’s voice was stern but the twinkle returned to
her eyes. “I’m grateful for the honor. It’s definitely the most
daring design I’ve produced so far.” She lowered her lashes and
her mouth grew firm. “I would give anything to win. I long to pit
myself against Tsera.”
Her words
came fast and her voice had a ferocious quality that startled him.
Lerion blinked and looked sharply at her. They all wanted the honor
of winning. However, it had not occurred to him there might be others
who desired to win as much as he did. Nobody could want this as much
as he did. His every cell informed him being Main Creator was his
destiny, and the idea she could snatch it from him was ludicrous.
He felt his
vibration quicken, but Lalycri did not seem to notice the change in
his demeanor. She smiled brightly, as if she had not just made a
startling admission, and began to prattle without taking a breath.
“I should
not say this, but, every night, I dream I win the honor of competing
against Tsera.” Lalycri laughed out loud. “And then, I beat her
at the game to become Main Creator, much to her astonishment.”
Lerion found
the musical quality of her laugh charming, but couldn’t help being
irritated by her unfounded confidence and her delusion they were
competing on the same level. Yet, he’d never seen a design quite
like this.
He nodded
toward it. “Explain it to me.”
“A
vibrational matrix capable of protecting the smallest of creation
sequences. Once a unique sequence is within my matrix, no one will be
able to access it or use it in any way.” She lost her smile and
gazed at Lerion intently. “Every sequence in existence would remain
safe within this matrix.” She paused and stared at him. “My voice
is the only key.”
Lerion
blinked and the back of his neck felt cold. There was something odd
in the way her eyes bore into his with such intensity. Lalycri was a
more gifted designer than he had first thought. She might very well
be a true competitor, and this thought made the energy in his temples
pound. “Have you tested it thoroughly? Are there any innate
weaknesses?” He could hear the irritation in his own voice.
Lalycri
frowned and pushed her pretty face close to his. “If there are, I
shall not be telling you.”
She paused
and gazed at him with her large liquid eyes. “I imagine your design
is exquisite,” she said.
Heat rushed
into Lerion’s face. He also had a talent for reading energy and
intention in others, and he felt her energy change from jagged jolts
of excitement to the more circular movement of congruity. Her
compliment appeared to be genuine.
Glancing down
the long line of uninspired designs, he nodded and almost smiled a
real smile. His creation was exquisite and, though he longed
to boast about it and crush her silly dream, he remained silent. All
in good time.
Lalycri took
a step forward and touched Lerion’s arm. He had to stop himself
from snatching it away, which would have been a grave insult. He
didn’t like being touched without permission, but he instantly
adjusted his thoughts and frequency into a consistent flow so as not
to hurt her feelings.
She smiled
and gave his arm a squeeze. “I have no doubt, Lerion, you will be
the one chosen. We all know how brilliant your ideas are and
how...driven you are.”
What did she
mean? Was she mocking him? Without permission, he pushed his
consciousness through her etheric layers and fully connected with her
mind. It was strictly forbidden, but he couldn’t stop himself.
He found
himself caught up in a swirl of overwhelming thoughts and feelings,
all strangely thrilling to his senses, but within the thrill of their
mingling frequencies, he discovered Lalycri’s thoughts were not
harmonious with her words.
Lalycri’s
internal oscillations surged, and he was keenly aware of both her
shock and pleasure. He quickly broke the connection, his nerve
endings tingling at the energetic disruption. What had he done? He
refused to look her in the eye, but felt keenly the distress he
caused her by his intrusion and subsequent withdrawal. Her energy
fluctuated wildly and she winced. She was hiding something.
A wave of
panic caused his head to jerk back. “I must go. I do not wish to
miss the announcement.” He turned to leave and felt her energy
swirl downward, a sure sign of her indignation. He stopped and
searched for a compliment. Anything to placate her. “Your design is
clever and useful. Honor to you.”
Lalycri
pulled her lips into a tight smile and raised her eyebrows in
acknowledgment of his praise, but said nothing more. Lerion had no
idea what words would elevate her dampened vibration, so he bowed his
head in a swift movement and left. He clenched his fists and moved
rapidly down the corridor.
With each
step, he silently berated himself for his gross indiscretion. Novices
were forbidden to connect directly, one to one. How could he have
been so rash? Lalycri had every right to report his intrusion. It
would mean instant disqualification from the contest.
Lerion forced
himself to breathe deeply and with great effort, managed to bring his
anxiety under control. He lifted his chin. Hiding his emotions,
though socially unacceptable, was not forbidden, and he was good at
it. He allowed himself a rueful smile. It was a necessary skill. He
found his fellow novices irritating. And weak.
From his many
forays into the Void, the unending nothing, the absence of light, the
disconnection from the Main Energy Grid, Lerion had discovered his
ability to hide his intentions from the whole and how to appear
congruent while his true agenda remained hidden. This prodigious
ability separated him from the others and made him different, a thing
he relished.
He shivered
involuntarily at the memory of darkness, of disconnection. Part of
their training as newly created beings was to prepare for the Void.
No further activation could take place until disconnection with
M.E.G. had been experienced and indeed, survived. Many did not. Their
unbounded terror overwhelmed them, and they were reabsorbed into the
Main Energy Grid. Lerion would never let such a thing happen to him.
He was the only novice who had made several trips to the Void in
order to defeat the terrible, crushing fear and accelerate his
activation. It won him an enormous amount of respect from his fellow
novices.
Nevertheless,
sometimes, like now, he just felt alone.
His thoughts
returned to his indiscretion. The actuality of a one-to-one
connection was intense and pleasurable, something he hadn’t
expected. He forced the memory out of his conscious mind. He had to
bury the experience, and as long as Lalycri remained silent, he would
get away with it.
She had
revealed a small talent for shielding her thoughts. However, given
time, he would discover her secret. Of that, he was certain.
About the
Author
Connie
Lansberg is a singer/songwriter and
now author based in Melbourne Australia. She’s had her original
songs placed in some of Australia’s best loved TV shows that play
around the world and The Connie Lansberg Quartet is a fixture in the
Melbourne jazz scene. Her most recent original musical project, Alone
with Bees, performs her songs written especially for The
Perfect Tear. This is
Connie’s first novel and the movie is coming soon.
She
also received several grants from the Victoria Council of the Arts
for the development of mobile phone games that she created.
Connie
joined the Melbourne Writers Group in 2010 to work on ideas and
scripts and during this time the idea for The Perfect Tear began to
develop and take shape. She continued her education by taking
scriptwriting classes at the Australian Film and Television School in
Melbourne and later, worked extensively with Marcy Kennedy on the
book. She has two more stories to complete The Perfect Tear Trilogy
and is hoping to have the second book finished by 2016.
"The
first thing anybody tells you about this business is to say what
makes you unique and different, but I couldn't and the very idea of
it never sat well with me and after much deliberation, I finally
realized why.
Because,
I'm not unique or different – I'm exactly like you and I love that.
We
each have a unique filter through which we interpret the world, and
with this filter in place, I write stories and songs and you might
find them surprising or intriguing or confronting, you may relate or
you may not. They may make you laugh and sometimes, even cry.
You
may or may not understand what I'm trying to say and you may not
understand me, however, rest assured, once we get past the filters,
at our core, we are wonderfully and beautifully, exactly the same."
For More
Information
Author Interview 3 Partners in shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! would like to thank author Connie Lansberg for being with us today.
Do you like ebooks or paperback better?
I
love real books, I grew up reading real books, but I like the
convenience of ebooks. I can read in the dark! I also think the low
price of most ebooks encourages young people to read, because it’s their
on their phones or pads. People in general are more willing to take a
chance when they’re paying $3.00 as opposed to $15.
Do ebooks make authors lose money?
No,
absolutely not. Ebooks are very inexpensive to make. It’s everything
that gets you up to that point that can be costly. Ebooks can only make
an author money. You pay once to produce it and then it can be sold to
thousands of people. It’s much less inexpensive than making music.
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