Monday, July 18, 2016

Blog Tour + #Giveaway: Afterimage & Encender by J. Kowallis @J_Kowallis @XpressoTours


Afterimage
J. Kowallis
(The Enertia Trials #1)
Publication date: May 7th 2015
Genres: Dystopian, New Adult


Reggie’s dreams . . .
aren’t dreams.

Visions of the future flood her mind like shards of broken puzzles. Caged in her cell, every morning begins the same. She’s drugged, tortured, and images are torn from her memory by Public One.

Until the morning everything changes. The vision is different. The future’s never been about her, and now she knows they’re coming for her:

Nomads.

How will she convince them to keep her alive when Nate, their leader, doesn’t like or even trust her? To him, she’s a science experiment. A machine.

When Public One will do anything to keep her, Reggie must make a decision: remain a slave to her past, or risk her future to venture into a world more terrifying than she’s ever known.




Encender
J. Kowallis
(The Enertia Trials #2)
Publication date: February 29th 2016
Genres: Dystopian, New Adult


They say you feel cold when you die.
The people I’ve killed would beg to differ.
For twenty-something Ransley, the adopted daughter of famed street fighter Estevan Benitez, fighting is all she knows. One hidden detail separates her from the endless string of her pathetic opponents: she can craft and influence heat and fire.

When she’s pitted against the strongest fighters at the infamous Argolla, Ransley faces something she never expected:
A man like her.

Roydon can duplicate himself. When the two collide in the ring, a chain of deals turns Roydon over to Public Four and he’s taken away to undergo the disturbing process of the Nexis. What it is, or what it does, no one outside of The Public knows.

Driven by guilt and a desire to release the only person she’s ever met who’s like her, Ransley isn’t about to leave him for dead—not when he might hold the answers to her missing past. Now she must trust a pair of strangers: a former military man out to collapse the system, and a woman whose premonitions could tear them all apart.


Author Interview:

What inspired you to write The Enertia Trials?
I was working on a chick lit book while in college. I had an agent tell me that chick lit wasn’t selling. So … I moved onto my next great love (aka. violence, action, and superheroes). If you can’t have it swoony and funny, make it dark and thrilling, I guess!
When or at what age did you know you wanted to be a writer?
In college, I was just stressed out enough that I remember thinking I needed a stress relief. Oh, and I’d finished reading a popular novel series at about the same time and I thought to myself, “Well, gosh, I can do THAT!” So, over Spring Break of 2008, I started typing. And typing. And typing. In one week, I had 50,000 words and I realized I was studying the wrong field.
What is the earliest age you remember reading your first book?
I was a rather quick learner when it came to reading. I usually found myself reading ahead of my elementary school peers through first and second grade, and I think the first chapter book I ever got was while I was in second grade. It was “Meet Felicity” from the American Girls collection. Shortly after that, I started “The Silver Chair” from The Chronicles of Narnia and “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White, both of which are still near and dear to me!
What genre of books do you enjoy reading?
Just about everything (almost). I enjoy YA paranormal, urban fantasy, dystopian, and historical fiction. I also enjoy classics, adult dystopian and historical fiction, as well as many emerging New Adult genres that are kind of taking over that YA place in my heart.
What is your favorite book?
Hands down, no contest. It would be “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte. Gritty and romantic, with a strong female lead that combines with a touch of mystery and suspense. It’s really the whole package.
You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?
Sheesh, that’s like asking me to pick my favorite kind of dark chocolate. I love Charlotte Bronte, I love C.S. Lewis, Michelle Hodkin, Sophie Kinsella, Cassandra Clare, Robert Munsch, J.K. Rowling, E.J. Mellow, Emma Raveling, Gerald N. Lund, and so many others for all different reasons. I can’t pick. It’d kill me.
If you could travel back in time here on earth to any place or time. Where would you go and why?
Victorian Era England (if only for a couple weeks—I can only go so long without modern conveniences and female rights). The dresses, the parties, the tea time, the homes, the monarchs (sorry, but I LOVE Queen Victoria), and if I just so happen to find a handsome version of Mr. Rochester, then so be it.
When writing a book do you find that writing comes easy for you or is it a difficult task?
It really depends on the day. Sometimes my fingers are flying so fast, they can barely keep up with the ideas in my head. Other times, I’ll go months without writing hardly a thing. It’s a tricky thing.
Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?
I have one baby. Her name is Etta, and she’s my silver mini schnauzer. I do believe she’s the best dog in the whole world.
What is your “to die for” favorite food/foods to eat?
Indian and Thai food. I also crave tofu. You think I’m kidding. I’m not.
Do you have any advice for anyone that would like to be an author?
Just do it (get out of her Shia). No, but seriously, if you want to do it, just do it. The more you put it off, the better chance you have of never doing it. The only way you can really fail is if you never try.


Author Bio:
J. Kowallis, the only girl of four children, grew up in northern Utah with a head full of wild stories (most often unreal). At the age of 9, she wrote her first poem, a dedication to E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web. It was so intriguing, her third grade teacher requested to keep the original. Between living in various fictional worlds, and spending time on her studies, she managed to graduate from Weber State University’s creative writing program. She now lives in Utah with her Mini Schnauzer, Etta, and spends most of her time still bouncing between this world and the fantastical while enjoying delectable über-dark chocolate and lavender baths. She enjoys dreaming about, flying to, and writing about distant lands (real or unreal). 

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1 comments:

Giselle said...

Thanks for hosting today, Nancy! :)