Hey everyone! I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the blog tour for PITCH DARK by Courtney Alameda !
I have an excerpt from the book to share with you today! And make sure to enter the giveaway below!
Haven't heard of SECRETS IN HER SCARS? Check it out!
Set against a future of marauding space scavengers and deadly aliens who kill with sound, here is a frightening, fast-paced YA adventure from the author of the acclaimed horror novel, Shutter.
Tuck has been in stasis on the USS John Muir, a ship that houses Earth’s most valued artifacts—its natural resources. Parks and mountains are preserved in space.
Laura belongs to a shipraiding family, who are funded by a group used to getting what they want. And they want what’s on the Muir.
Tuck and Laura didn’t bargain on working together or battling mutant aliens who use sound to kill. But their plan is the only hope for their crews, their families, and themselves.
In space, nobody can hear you scream . . . but on the John Muir, the screams are the last thing you'll hear.
Now on to the excerpt!
As I limp through the bulkhead, I hear my mother’s voice echoing
through the bridge:
“. . . Find us.”
“Mami?” I call out, my spirits lifting. I hurry past the bulkhead. My
hopes shatter like little sugar skulls when I see a projection of my mother
shooting out of a portaScreen node placed on the floor, and not the woman in
the flesh.
Mami’s image stands about as tall as she does in life, a compact five
feet, five inches. I still remember the day I grew taller than her, and she
grumbled about me taking after my father. Her bright aureole of bleached-blond
curls glows like a saint’s halo in the portaScreen’s light. Mami looks
bloodied, but the fierce cast of her eyes hasn’t changed a bit.
She survived the crash. Tears press against my eyes and I don’t bother
to blink them away.
Beyond her, darkness looms. The Conquistador is wrenched open like an
old tin can.
The bridge is busted, entire shears of metal are bent up like
teeth in a prehistoric shark’s mouth, or rolled up in crazy spirals like snail
shells. The Conquistador hit the John Muir so hard, the ships have merged
together.
“Attention all crew and staff,” Mami’s projection says, straightening a
bit. “For reasons we’re currently still investigating, the Conquistador has
crashed and is presumed to be unsalvageable. Due to the failure of our bioware
systems, those of you who didn’t make it into an emergency pod remain
unaccounted for—”
Mami’s voice wobbles. She presses the back of her hand against her
mouth, composing herself. I’ve never seen her even teeter on the brink of
losing her composure, not once in my life.
“No, Mami,” I say to her image, taking a step toward her. It takes all
my courage to suppress the fear rising through my chest. “Don’t tell me you
left me here, alone.”
After a long moment, she composes herself. “I’ve taken the sixty-odd
survivors into the John Muir, as the ship appears to have viable life support.
Follow us. We’ll be marking our path every five meters with phosphorescent
paint. We’ve left some supplies, including flashlights and shortwave radios.”
Her image gestures to a now-empty box, which means I wasn’t the only crew
member to be left behind. It was probably full of things Dad kept “on hand”
because old-world tech could be useful in emergencies. But people like us—prepared,
professional, and practiced—aren’t supposed to have
emergencies.
My lip quivers.
I couldn’t be left behind, my family doesn’t leave people behind.
No.
About Courtney:
A veteran bookseller and librarian, Courtney Alameda now spends her
days writing thriller and horror novels. Her debut novel, SHUTTER, was
nominated for a Bram Stoker Award and hailed as a "standout in the
genre" by School Library Journal. Her forthcoming novels include the
science fiction/horror mashup, PITCH DARK (Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends
2018), and SEVEN DEADLY SHADOWS, an urban fantasy set in Japan. (Co-authored
with Valynne Maetani.
HarperTeen 2018).
Courtney holds a degree in English literature with an emphasis in
creative writing. She is represented by John M. Cusick of Folio Literary. A
northern California native, she now resides in Utah with her husband, a legion
of books, and a tiny five-pound cat with a giant personality.
Member HWA, SFWA, SCBWI; and SDCC Creative Professional.
Giveaway Details:
International
3 winners will receive a signed finished copy of PITCH DARK & pin
with a quote that’s important to the story, US Only.
Ends on March 6th at Midnight EST!
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
2/19/2018- Here's to Happy
Endings- Review
2/19/2018- Adventures of a Book Junkie- Interview
2/20/2018- The Blonde Bookworm- Review
2/20/2018- BookHounds Ya- Guest
Post
2/21/2018- A Gingerly Review- Review
2/21/2018- Literary Meanderings- Excerpt
2/22/2018- Howling Libraries- Review
2/22/2018- YA Books Central- Interview
2/23/2018- The OWL Book Review Blog- Review
2/23/2018- Pretty Deadly Reviews- Review
Week Two:
2/26/2018- Smada's Book Smack- Review
2/26/2018- Mary Had a Little Book
Blog- Review
2/27/2018- Adventures
Thru Wonderland- Review
2/27/2018- Tales of the
Ravenous Reader- Interview
2/28/2018- Two Chicks on Books- Excerpt
2/28/2018- A Dream Within A
Dream- Interview
3/1/2018- Savings in Seconds- Review
3/1/2018- The Cover Contessa- Excerpt
3/2/2018- Reading for
the Stars and Moon- Review
3/2/2018- Abooktropolis- Review
