I
am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the POWER DIVIDED by S. Behr Blog Tour
hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the
giveaway!
About
The Book:
Author: S. Behr
Pub.
Date: November 11, 2019
Publisher: S. Behr
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Pages: 376
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, Kobo
A runaway princess with elemental powers stumbles upon a thousands-year-old archive of ancient tech that will forever change her utopian kingdom.
The citizens of Amera are blessed with a range of extraordinary powers ¬– from telepathy and healing to growing plants and breathing under water. As descendants of genetically modified humans desperate to survive an ice age, Amerans have built a peaceful, prosperous kingdom uniting nine realms, each with their own king and queen.
Violet is a princess of Neyr, the third of the nine realms of Amera, living in the transformed ruins of ancient New York City, high up in the reborn Chrysler building. Born into Neyr’s talented ruling family, she struggles to show evidence of any special power herself. Raised by one of the most powerful healers in Ameran history, Violet wants more than anything to pass her Criterion, a test all citizens must take to prove they are worthy and to find their place in society. But when her powers explode to catastrophic effect in front of her entire court, she runs from the unthinkable damage and misery she has caused.
In
her desperate escape, Violet stumbles upon an incredible archive of ancient
knowledge and awakens Hailey, an artificial intelligence relic who reveals
hidden truths that could be the key to her return home.
But when the sanctuary of the Amera is threatened by humans, old enemies of Amera who live in violent colonies beyond Amera’s borders, Violet must master her burgeoning powers and find a way to protect her idyllic kingdom from the outside world.
A thrilling, action-packed blend of Young Adult fantasy and post-apocalyptic science fiction. Perfect for fans of the Lunar Chronicles and Shatter Me series.
"This
first volume in the Evolutionaries series skillfully balances intriguing
worldbuilding, whose details are slowly revealed, with well-paced action
sequences. It also ably handles Violet's character development along the way,
while also offering a diverse, lovable supporting cast whose members become the
protagonist's close friends and allies. The novel effectively addresses themes
of cooperation and isolationism, as well as autonomy, consent, and moving on
with one's life after learning of long-held secrets." excerpt from
Kirkus Review about Power Divided.
Book
Trailer:
Interview:
Hey S.! First I want to say welcome to Two Chicks on Books I’m
glad you could stop by for a chat! POWER DIVIDED sounds AWESOME and I can’t
wait for everyone to read it!
Hi!
Thank you for having me! I am so excited to be a part of this wonderful site, I
have been a fan for a while! I find it a little fan girl moment for me.
Awwww thank you!!!
For the readers: can
you tell us a little bit about the POWER DIVIDED and the characters?
So
Power Divided, hmm, I am always a little unsure what to say, mostly because I
hope I wrote it in a way that would be exciting, and I never know if knowing
too much gives anything away. I can however say, that it’s a story set in the
future, after a long ice age, that humans survived by means of creating super
humans, to live along with humans like us to help in ways that if the need
arose they may be better suited to survive and keep the colonies built for
refuge alive.
The
story however takes place long after the ice age and the Earth has warmed. The
society that the MC Violet lives in is a Union of nine realms that are made of
the enhanced humans, that resulted after a war hundreds of years earlier
causing the humans without “abilities” to leave what remains of we call North
America.
So it
follows her journey, through a series of events and is a coming of age story.
There are Kings and Queens, and Violet is a Princess, but not in the
traditional sense that we would think of them today.
What are you working
on now?
Currently,
I am working on the follow up to Power Divided, the second in the
Evolutionaries series called Lost cities. It expands the world, and I hope that
next year allows me to do the follow up to that, still untitled, but I have
plans for the universe Violet lives in, to continue in two other series.
Were any of the
characters in the book inspired by people from your real life?
I
think that there is always a bit of you in anything you write. I laugh when my
husband brings things to my attention that I didn’t even realize when I published,
it took a few rereads when I was gearing up to begin the follow up to see that
there was deeper layers in the characters that fit so many things in my life I
didn’t even mean to put in at the time. So yes, I think there are definitely
things in there that fit my real life.
Who was your favorite
character to write? What about your least favorite?
I
think your MC is always a biggie to most authors, and for me it was a very
specific reason that I mention in the acknowledgements, but I loved writing
Hailey, she is very dear to me for so many reasons. She is named after our
first dog and while that may seem strange Hailey has always been credited with
being the best marriage counselor, she did not like fighting between her
parents, so we had to learn to disagree at a whisper, and if that wasn’t good
enough she would stand between us and bark so loud you couldn’t remember what
your argument was about in the first place, haha. The day I realized I could
make her name work for what I wanted I was over the moon and it felt like it
was meant to be.
What is your favorite
passages/scenes in POWER DIVIDED?
Gosh
that’s a tough one, I have three specific ones, that I do love, but I know if I
talked about them they would definitely be spoilers, but they would be
something that if I had not chosen to go indie, and a publisher wanted to cut,
I would have gone on my own to keep them. I wasn’t sure if anyone would find
them as meaningful as I did, but to my surprise, I have gotten lots of messages
that have regarded them as parts they really enjoyed so in the end I am happy
that I didn’t shy away from the fear of either making the book too long, and
cut things that I thought was needed to fill the story out in the way I wanted
to.
What kind of research
did you have to do for the story?
Oh
soooo much! I had to research a lot of scientific things, I wanted there to be
an air of authenticity to the story. When I read something like Lord of the
Rings or say even game of thrones, one of the things I love is how diverse and
far reaching the universe is. That it makes it feel like it’s history, that it
could be real, and I wanted to be able to create a universe that felt that way.
So I did lots of map charting, and really had to do research on so many things,
geologically, environmentally, and things that would make what I was writing
possible if you were given two hundred years and unlimited resources to save
humanity. What would we do with that? That was the foundation of how I came to
the functions and of the way the characters are and the world they live in.
Who is your ultimate
book boyfriend/girlfriend?
Gosh,
I probably have to say it’s Ash from Iron fey, by Julie Kagawa. I don’t think
there has ever been a character written so well, and when I read the Iron
Knight, my first thought was this is a person I want my nieces, and nephews to
strive to find in their life partners.
What inspired you to
write yalit?
I love
the innocence of the genre. I know that not all YA is happy go lucky of course,
everyone’s life is unique, so their stories even similar ones will be unique.
But I do like the aspect of not being constrained by grown up rules so to
speak, I feel it has a broader sense of adventure, especially in fantasy. I am
older of course, and I have had other careers, namely photography specializing
in weddings. After 18 years of that, I think I have proven I am a lover of
love, and to my surprise so many of my couples were childhood sweethearts.
Which really taught me a lot, and to my joy out of 350 plus weddings I have had
less than 15 divorces and have had the chance to even photograph children
looking through books that I designed from the wedding me and my husband shot.
It is almost a full circle of what I set out to do.
That
feeling, was something that I wanted to catch in a bottle so to speak or words
in a book I guess would be more appropriate.
Being
surrounded by all the different kinds of love that occur during the process of
a wedding, it’s more than just two people. It’s the way their families love,
their friends, and I even see it be more than what the bride and groom
expected. Watching families come together, while a new one begins, is like
watching a miracle take place, and I am lucky enough to capture it, and tell
their story. So while I started telling stories with pictures, I eventually
felt a need and want to express it in words.
So to
me in YA literature, there tends to be the innocence of first loves, and coming
of age, that even if life didn’t unfold the way we want, as you get older,
reminiscing to times when things were simpler or just more pure is something
that I feel is a fleeting thing that happens to everyone, and most of the time
when we are younger we are so busy trying to be older that we miss out on that
special time. That’s what attracts me to the genre, and being a fan, having
read so many series, it was something that just felt naturally appealing. And
hopefully one day, I my way, I will be able to send a message to the younger
generations to enjoy what you have and what you do one day at a time.
There
is no other time in your life like that period when you go from being a child
learning to become an adult.
Lightning Round Questions
What are you reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that
you’re dying to read?
Right now, I am reading Power Divided haha,
continuity! Haha…
I have so many on my TBR, luckily I am a fast
reader, there are the usuals of course, I also have a lot of author friends, so
I am dying to read their books as well, I feature them a lot on my twitter
accounts and IG.
Instagram, Twitter or Facebook?
Favorite? Instagram, I’m a photographer, I love
pictures, and books and they have a healthy mix of both!
Favorite Superhero?
Thor and wonder woman
Favorite TV show?
Forged in Fire, and Curse of Oak Island
Sweet or Salty?
A perfect mix of both
Any Phobias?
Yes, some are so debilitating I don’t speak or say
the word.
Song you can’t get enough of right now?
At this exact moment, Wasted time by Skid Row, and Midnight Express by Nuno Bettencourt
Winter 2021 Movie you’re most looking forward to?
I am a big Tom Cruise fan, so definitely Mission Impossible, Maverick, and I do love the MCU, and Sherlock holmes.
Thanks so much S. for answering my
questions! I can’t wait for everyone to read POWER DIVIDED!
Thank you for having me again, and I am so excited for this opportunity! I wish everyone a safe and healthy 2021 and beyond!
About S. Behr:
S. Behr is a true
child of the world, born halfway around the globe she now resides in Texas with
her husband and their family, and fur babies. Almost two decades as a
professional photographer, featured in dozens of print features, covers, books
for her work, she used her love of wedding photography and used into her career
as an Author. Stephanie is a huge fan of Julie Kagawa, Marissa Meyer, Tahereh
Mafi to name a few!
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon
Giveaway
Details:
2 winners will win a finished
copy of POWER DIVIDED & swag packs that include magnets,& tote bags, US
Only.
Tour
Schedule:
Week
One:
|
1/4/2021 |
Interview |
|
|
1/5/2021 |
Excerpt |
|
|
1/6/2021 |
Excerpt |
|
|
1/7/2021 |
Instagram Post |
|
|
1/8/2021 |
Interview |
Week
Two:
|
1/11/2021 |
Guest Post |
|
|
1/12/2021 |
Review |
|
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1/13/2021 |
Review |
|
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1/14/2021 |
Excerpt |
|
|
1/15/2021 |
Review |
Week
Three:
|
1/18/2021 |
Review |
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1/19/2021 |
Guest Post |
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1/20/2021 |
Excerpt |
|
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1/21/2021 |
Review |
|
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1/22/2021 |
Review |
Week
Four:
|
1/25/2021 |
Review |
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1/26/2021 |
Review |
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1/27/2021 |
Excerpt |
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1/28/2021 |
Excerpt |
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1/29/2021 |
Excerpt |
I love the premise and this sounds exciting to read.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the interview.
ReplyDelete