Friday Reads-Reversal Zone

Happy Friday friends! We are excited to be a part of the Reversal Zone blog tour. I don’t believe we have featured a science fiction novel yet. This one is part of a series and we love series,,don’t we? Be sure to enter to win signed copies of the first three novels!

J. Grace Pennington has published four science fiction novels. They each have a unique bent to them, but this one is very different. Each book is a standalone, but as with any series, you get more of the story if you read them all in order. In Reversal Zone, the main character, Andi Lloyd, becomes the only one who can save the ship and crew. Can she do it in time?

About the Book

Nothing is as it should be.
After weeks of boredom, Andi is excited when the Surveyor is called upon to rescue a freighter that mysteriously vanished in uncharted space. Excitement quickly turns to unease when the ship encounters an unknown phenomenon—a cloud that appears not to exist. But with the freighter’s crew in danger, the Surveyor has no choice but to venture into unknown territory.
As soon as they enter the cloud, its unstable effects wreak havoc on the ship. They’re flying blind. Every piece of equipment is malfunctioning. And every member of the crew is unable to think straight or act like themselves—except Andi.
Now she’s expected to guide them through the predicament with no previous command experience and no one to turn to for support. And with each passing hour, it becomes clear that if they don’t escape the cloud soon—they won’t escape it at all.

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LZV1ILB

About the Author

Grace Pennington has been telling stories since she could talk, and writing them down since age five. Now she lives in the great state of Texas, where she writes as much as adult life permits. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading good books, playing movie soundtracks on the piano, and looking up at the stars.

You can find out more about her writing at www.jgracepennington.com.

Friday Reads Interview

Tell our readers why they should choose your novel as their Friday Read.

Firmament: Reversal Zone is a great Friday read for three basic reasons.

a) It’s short. Reviewers have told me that they’ve read it in one to three sittings. So you don’t have to worry about using up your whole weekend.

b) It’s twisty. My readers so far have reported there were multiple twists they didn’t see coming. Who doesn’t love a good twist?

c) It’s clean. Unless you’re sensitive to some medical jargon and moderate peril, you should have nothing to worry about.

1. d) Space. We all love space!

e) The characters. I know I’m biased, but I love my characters—even if none of them are quite them selves this go-round.

(Okay, that’s five reasons. I thought of more while I was writing. But five reasons is better than three, amiright?)

I agree, and they are excellent reasons. I’m sure our readers would like to know the book’s backstory, what inspired you?

Well, this is the fourth book in the series, so it’s partly inspired by the books that came before it. Other than that, I tend to be inspired by two types of “what if” scenarios. The first is “What if this idea were taken to its logical conclusion?” and the second is “What if this character were thrown into this particular situation?”

In Firmament: Reversal Zone, I was inspired by both. I wanted to explore the idea that we are responsible for our choices, no matter how we feel, and I wanted to explore what it would look like if my characters behaved in completely different ways than they usually do. It was great fun, and I have to say this might be my favorite of the series so far.

Who were your favorite authors as a child and teen.

Too many and too varied to count, as per the norm, but among them were C. S. Lewis, L. M. Montgomery, Louisa May Alcott, Donald J. Sobol, Dr. Seuss, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and of course I loved Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys! I also loved Elsie Dinsmore, but we won’t talk about that.

(As an aside, I can still recite much of Dr. Seuss. I pride myself on it. People love it when my brother and I just start spouting Seussian tongue-twisters for no reason. Or when my sister and I recite selections from The Silver Chair and other Narnia books.)

4. Those are interesting authors! Now, imagine a modern day, big name author that you love is reading and raving about your book. Choose one of these reactions and explain why.

Freak out and shake all over.
b. Google everything you can find about your book and the author
c. Call everyone you know to share your excitement
d. Post immediately to Face Book so your friends can freak out with you.
e. Begin to mentally compose a tweet to tell the world.

Hmm, it’s hard to choose just one. I would probably post immediately to Facebook to tell all my friends and family, because all of them have been such a huge part of my writing journey, and I would be eager to share the joy and excitement with them. But I would probably be freaking out and shaking all over while I did it.

I’m sure I would be shaking too!

Giveaway

Grace is generously offering three prizes. A signed copy of each of her three previous novels in the series. They are each standalone stories, but they are also connected. If you would like to read more about them, you can read about them here: Radialloy, In His Image, Machiavellian.

To enter the giveaway, please fill out this form.

Tour Schedule

Friday, October 7
Bookish Orchestrations-Tour Introduction
Fathers and Sons-Sports and Life-Guest Post
The Destiny of One-Guest Post
Perpetual Gardener, Writer, and Mormon-Excerpt
Rebekah Lyn Books-Author Interview
Saturday, October 8
Shout outs-Guest Post
Author Franky A Brown-Excerpt
Shire Reviews-Book Review
Sunday, October 9
Letters from Annie Douglass Lima-Excerpt
Zerina Blossom’s Books-Excerpt
Monday, October 10
Rachel Rossano’s Words-Excerpt and Guest Post
In the Bookcase-Excerpt and Book Review
Writings, Ramblings, and Reflections-Book Review
Tuesday, October 11
The Abrahamic Adventures-Book Review
The Overactive Imagination-Excerpt
Morgan Elizabeth Huneke-Book Review
Lisa Swinton Queen of Random-Excerpt
Wednesday, October 12
Bookish Orchestrations-Giveaway Winner
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The Space X Explosion~My Thoughts

A little after 9:00 am Thursday, (9/1/16) I heard a loud boom. The sky was overcast and Tropical Storm Hermine was off the west coast, sending unpleasant weather across the state so I initially thought the sound was a loud clap of thunder. There was a second smaller boom, and I thought maybe it was all sonic boom of the SpaceX Dragon capsule returning from the International Space Station.

Around 10 am my mom called from North Carolina asking if I knew anything about a SpaceX explosion. She’d heard rumblings on Twitter so I flipped on a local television station and found they had interrupted programming to discuss the explosion. I was surprised to hear the anchors talking like this was a death knell for SpaceX. Yes, it was a huge loss of money, but we are talking about a private company that is full of intelligent and innovative people. Surely they can figure out what went wrong and find a way to prevent it in the future.

View from the river in Titusville, Fl

If we stopped a project every time things didn’t go as planned we would be in a sad state. Failures help us learn and improve. There were a number of failed launch attempts before Alan Shepherd completed his first flight aboard Friendship 7. If we had quit trying after those first failures we would have never reached the moon and may have never invented the thousand of items that were made to move the space program forward, Did you know UV-blocking sunglasses, cordless tools, and water filters are just a few items that were developed using technology created by the space program?

We are living in an exciting time, not unlike the first phase of space exploration. Today we may not have the race against the Russians, but we should still be excited. If for no other reason than because private companies seem to be saying it’s not okay for us to be relying on the Russians to carry our astronauts to the Space Station.

Having spent more than a year researching the first 15 years of the space program for my novel Jessie and another year researching the first eight years of the Space Shuttle program for my work in progress, Virginia, I find myself comparing those days with what we are seeing now. With multiple private companies- SpaceX, Boeing, and now Blue Origin– there is competition and a surge of growth Brevard county has desperately needed since the end of the Space Shuttle program.

I will continue hoping SpaceX, Boeing, and Blue Origin will succeed and we will discover new frontiers.

Is Fall on the Way?

Some of the trees on my commute are starting to show red leaves. I’m not sure if they are harbingers of fall, a symptom of the lack of rain or a by-product of the scorching sun this summer. I’d like to believe the first, because fall is my favorite season & maybe that would mean cooler weather is coming.

Of course fall means almost another year has passed and I still don’t have a first draft completed for my next novel, the sequel to Jessie. I’m not sure why I’m having trouble finishing this book. I could give you a list of excuses, but that’s all they are, nothing of substance. I find more research books to read, which opens up more questions, that need more research, and it can be an unending circle if I don’t pull back on the reigns.

I have learned some cool things, though. I wish I could intern with or shadow professionals in the fields I am writing about. Spending a day or two with an astronaut and a flight attendant would answer many of the questions I have in developing these characters.

Plus, the lure of baking is tempting me away from writing time. Maybe if indulge in some baking I will be inspired to write more. There’s usually a lot of food in my books, but this one is woefully bereft of scenes involving food. I think I have talked myself into baking a peach cobbler this week. I already have the peaches. Thanks for being my sounding board. I already feel the creative juices flowing again.

Exciting Update: I am going to have a chance to spend a few hours with an astronaut at Kennedy Space Center! The best part is that he flew during the timeframe that Jessie is set. I am hoping he can fill in some gaps, especially regarding Navy pilot training.

Yesterday’s explosion of the Space X rocket was a devastating loss. I heard the explosion, it sounded like the loudest sonic boom I had ever heard. I went down to the river and took at picture, It is posted on my Facebook Page.

Announcing our August Book of the Month

via GIPHY

I am deep into writing Virginia, the sequel to Jessie. Historical fiction requires a ton of research but I am loving it. Last year, I was honored and thrilled when Jessie received the Patrick D. Smith Literary Award for Florida fiction and I am excited about continuing the story from the point of view of Jessie’s high school sweetheart.

While Virginia will be considered a stand alone novel, reading Jessie will add depth to her story. To encourage you to get started, Jessie will be on sale the month of August, reduced from $4.99 to 99 cents.

Quotes from reviews

“The core value and innocence of the era were captured very well. Kudos go out to Ms. Lyn on the ability to take your research and create the life and times of Jessie Cole.”

“Jessie surprised and delighted me. What started out as a simple boy’s dream emerged into a deep historical, emotional and spiritual journey sweeping through the sixties in NASA crazed Eastern Florida”

“Jessie was a delightful change of pace for me and a very refreshing read. This coming-of-age story was steeped in the history and constant stream of change that is characteristic of the 60’s. This book holds a true sense of authenticity as it takes you on a nostalgic journey to the past.”

Jessie is available on most major retailers.

Nook ✮ Amazon ✮ Smashwords ✮ iBooks

Jessie is also available on Kobo

Click HERE

Did you know that Summer Storms, book one of my Seasons of Faith series is free? It is my gift to readers who enjoy bold Christian fiction.

Summer Storms is available online at most major retailers.

Amazon ✮ Barnes and Noble ✮ Smashwords ✮ Apple iTunes ✮ Kobo

The Season of Faith series has been featured on