The Calling by Branwen OShea

Today I'd like to present  The Calling by Branwen OShea !

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GENRE: YA Sci-fi        

Humanity’s wake-up call. Answer it or face extinction.

When Bleu’s little sister shows symptoms of the deadly Sickness, a strange vision directs him to leave humanity’s subterranean haven and seek the cure on Earth’s glacial surface. Joining the expedition team, Bleu expects extreme temperatures, not a surface ruled by ingenious predators.

Rana and her fellow star beings have co-existed with Earth’s top carnivores since the humans disappeared. But when her peers transform into Crowned Ones, the final stage of star being development, she fears remaining Uncrowned like her parents. To prove her worth, she undertakes a dangerous mission—contacting the hostile and nearly extinct humans.

But Rana’s plan backfires, and Bleu’s team retaliates. As war with the more advanced star being civilization looms, both Rana and Bleu separately seek a way to save their people.

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The Book sounds fantastic! Let's hear more about the author. Hello and welcome to my blog! Can you tell me a little about yourself, and how you became an author?

Thank you for hosting The Calling’s tour! I love talking about my books and interacting with readers.

I always loved stories and their power to help me learn new things, escape from my day-to-day reality, explore new worlds, and see problematic social issues in new ways. I experienced a horrible origin story, lol, but instead of becoming a villain, I became an author. Though what I put my characters through, maybe I am a villain.

I hope my stories inspire teens and adults to consider their own potential and possibilities for Earth’s future other than climate destruction, war, or a technological apocalypse.

What is your book about?

So here’s the pitch:

In a future ice age, Bleu’s expedition team emerges from their subterranean haven to discover humans are no longer the dominant species.

The series explores what would happen if humans were given a choice to change their millennia-long patterns of violence and dominance over the environment to survive or become extinct. Could our species do this, or, given our history, would we fail?

Who is your hero/heroine? Is he/she based on someone in real life?

Because the story involves humanity as a group, I chose to make this a multiple point of view book. There’s a large cast of characters, but the point-of-view characters are two human teens: eighteen-year-old Bleu and fifteen year-old Atsushi; two star being teens: sixteen-year old Rana and seventeen-year-old Kahali; and then the morally gray adult, Commander Savas.

None of them were based on anyone I knew in real life. Instead, Rana came to me in a dream and gave me the entire story. As I started to write it, the others introduced themselves. I joke that as Athena sprang fully formed from Zeus’ head, these characters seemed to spring from mine. They were always super clear personalities, though Bleu had a few secrets he kept from me until the final rewrites.

What are your favorite times for writing? Morning? Evening?

I work, write novels, and homeschool my kids, so I write whenever I can fit it in. I can write anytime and anywhere, though my favorite place is in a corner of one of my favorite coffee shops. I can’t wait for quarantine to be over and get back there.

Who are your favorite authors? Did they influence your writing, and if so, how?

My taste is a bit backwards, lol. When I was a kid, I read mostly adult books, and as an adult I now read mostly young adult books. I loved Isaac Asimov’s Robot and Foundation series as a teen, and always wanted to write my own epic tale of humanity’s future. He probably influenced my interest in vast, expansive science fiction tales.

My current favorite authors are Laini Taylor, Hafsah Faizal, Erica Cameron, Katheryn Purdie, the team of Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff, Ruta Sepetys, Alechia Dow, the team of Rebecca Schmid & Niamh Schmid, and Alyse N. Steves. They have influenced my writing by inspiring me with their beautiful words and/or support. I also like to study their books to see how they handle various aspects of the writing craft.

Did you have a favorite book as a child? Did it influence your choice to become an author?

The first author I fangirled over was Marguerite Henry’s horse books, but the books that probably made me most want to write were Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series. I also really wanted more books about the character Yoda from Star Wars. I feel like Yoda’s movie character inspired me to ask a lot of “what if?” questions that I explore in this series.

                                                  

Thank you for answering my questions! Here is an excerpt and where-to-buy info! 

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EXCERPT:

A bloodcurdling howl pierced the darkness nearby. He startled, and the rover lurched to the side, the treads grinding against the ice. In all his years of secret studies, he’d never considered studying animal vocalizations. Anything, including the Undescended, could be making the howls beyond the range of his snow rover’s headlights. As much as he had longed for this world, he was lost here.

As he scanned the inky horizon, a large dark blob drew his gaze to an elevated area of ice. Did it move? He narrowed his eyes, straining to confirm reality. Just get to the camp. Just get to the camp.

It moved.

"Base, something’s out here…pacing on a hill above me. I’m maintaining course, but I’m going to have to pass below it. Should I change course?”

“You heard Commander Savas. Shoot it as soon as it’s in range. Continue course.”

“Continue course. Got it, sir.” Bleu hastily checked his gun, wishing for Stamf’s longer-range rifle. It’s not close enough yet…

His hand tightened on his gun. I don’t even know what it is, and I have to kill it? The rover sped along as his indecision churned within him. Trust your instincts, Bleu, his mother had said. It lured us, Savas had said.

In his mind, Bleu replayed Neviah’s terrifying video footage. That creature could be stalking him right now. Orders were orders. He raised his gun.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

As a young girl, Branwen wanted to become an ambassador for aliens. Since the aliens never hired her, she now writes about them.

Branwen OShea has a Bachelors in Biology from Colgate University, a Bachelors in Psychology, and a Masters in Social Work. She lives in Connecticut with her family and a menagerie of pets, and enjoys hiking, meditating, and star-gazing. Her previously published works include contributing to a nonfiction yoga book, wellness magazines, and her published science fiction novella, Silence of the Song Trees.

Website: www.branwenoshea.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/branwenoshea

Instagram: www.instagram.com/branwenoshea

Facebook: www.facebook.com/branwenoshea

Order Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1735915998

Branwen OShea will be awarding $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via

rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway