Blog Tour- BURN OUT by Kristi Helvig and a Giveaway

I am so excited to have Kristi Helvig here with an awesome scene from James for the BURN OUT Blog Tour! I loved this book and since it was told from the MC. Tora's POV I thought it would be cool to hear from one of the other characters! Check it out and make sure to enter the awesome giveaway below!
Haven't heard of BURN OUT? Check it out!

Title: BURN OUT

Author: Kristi Helvig

Publisher: Egmont USA

Pages: 272

Pub. Date: April 8, 2014

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

A futuristic blend of Beth Revis's Across the Universe and Lenore Appelhans's Level 2, Burn Out will satisfy the growing desire for science fiction with a thrilling story of survival, intrigue, and adventure.

Most people want to save the world; seventeen-year-old Tora Reynolds just wants to get the hell off of it. One of the last survivors in Earth's final years, Tora yearns to escape the wasteland her planet has become after the sun turns "red giant," but discovers her fellow survivors are even deadlier than the hostile environment.

Holed up in an underground shelter, Tora is alone--her brilliant scientist father murdered, her mother and sister burned to death. She dreams of living on a planet with oceans, plants, and animals. Unfortunately, the oceans dried out ages ago, the only plants are giant cacti with deadly spines, and her pet, Trigger, is a gun--one of the bio-energetic weapons her father created for the government before his conscience kicked in.

When family friend, Markus, arrives with mercenaries to take the weapons by force, Tora's fury turns to fear when government ships descend in an attempt to kill them all. She forges an unlikely alliance with Markus and his rag-tag group of raiders, including a smart but quiet soldier named James. Tora must quickly figure out who she can trust, as she must choose between saving herself by giving up the guns or honoring her father's request to save humanity from the most lethal weapons in existence.

Now on to the scene from James's POV!

One of the opening scenes in BURN OUT involves my main character, 17-year-old Tora Reynolds, as she steps outside her underground bunker. She thinks she’s alone on the planet and is caught off guard when soldiers begin firing at her. The scene in the book is from Tora’s point of view, so below is the same scene from the POV of James, a young soldier who captures her attention against her better judgment.

James:

I hoped this wouldn’t take long long. It was hot as hell out here and sweat streamed down my neck. The dying red sun blazed down on us and, despite our helmets and sunsuits, I didn’t know how much longer we could stand it out here. Markus tossed another pebble toward the bunker door. Please just let her come outside and surrender. Or we could do it the hard way and shoot her. We had orders to take her back alive, so we’d only be aiming to incapacitate her which would be easy since I was a perfect shot. Then we could get off of this godforsaken planet for good.

         

“Seriously, Markus?” Britta’s exasperated voice came through the com system in our

helmets. “It’s not like we have all day. I’m sweating my ass off.” Britta crouched behind another large boulder near the one where Markus and I hid. She leaned over, picked up a larger stone and flung it at the door as hard as she could.       

A minute later the bunker door swung upward from its underground entrance. The girl climbed out of the bunker in a faded red sunsuit. She was an easy target amidst the barren landscape as she swung her gun around looking for the source of the noise. I readied my gun and waited for our commander Kale to give the order.

Though the girl’s face was obscured by her helmet, the picture that Markus had shown me earlier flashed through my mind. Something in her eyes had reminded me of myself. She looked strong and sad at the same time. It was hard to tear my eyes away from the photo when Markus identified her as our target. I focused back on the girl, bent over to examine the pebbles strewn about the bunker door.

“Fire!” Kale ordered. I aimed at her right thigh knowing it would take her down quickly. My finger hovered on the trigger panel as I pictured her grief-filled eyes. The others had started firing, so maybe they wouldn’t notice. I moved my gun a few inches to the right and did something I’d never done before. I missed.

Thank you Kristi! That was awesome I adore James!!

About Kristi:

Kristi Helvig is a Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist turned sci-fi/fantasy writer. You can find her musing about space monkeys, Star Trek, and other random topics on her blog. Kristi resides in sunny Colorado with her hubby, kids, and behaviorally-challenged dogs.

Website  |  Blog | Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

1 signed hardcopy of BURN OUT, a red sun necklace, and assorted sun survival items (ie. chapstick, sunscreen) US Only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule

Week One:

3/31/2014- Library of a Book Witch- Interview

4/1/2014- Shortie Says- Review

4/1/2014- Literary Meanderings- Guest Post

4/2/2014- Ketch's Book Nook- Review

4/3/2014- A Book and a Latte- Interview

4/4/2014- Such a Novel Idea- Review

4/4/2014- Fantasy Book Addict- Guest Post

Week Two:

4/7/2014- Reading with ABC- Review

4/7/2014- Refracted Light Reviews- Interview

4/8/2014- Imagine a World- Review

4/8/2014- Ticket to Anywhere- Guest Post

4/9/2014- The Demon Librarian- Review

4/10/2014- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post

4/11/2014- Working for the Mandroid- Review

4/11/2014- Parajunkee's View- Interview