Sandra Hurst's Blog, page 2

Poisonous Tribalism

Many people say that all art reflects life or that all of it—at it’s base—is social commentary. l don’t know. That sounds pretty pretentious to me.

What I do understand is that no one writes in a vacuum. The things we see, experience, and feel deeply will find their way into our stories in one form or another, often as a plot device or a viewpoint character that shines a light on those issues that have impacted our own lives

One or the overarching themes in the sky road is that of tribalism. Our deepseated need to belong to something. Whether a family group, a nation, a profession, or a religion, it is built into our nature to identify ourselves with something or someone outside of ourselves. To seek likeminded people. To have—a tribe.

This collective mentality can be a great source of strength. It encourages heroism and self-sacrifice and instills in us the understanding that at times /cough “The needs of the many do outweigh the needs of the one” /drops over exaggerated Spock voice.

 

But this unshakable need for community and cohesiveness can become poison. In the first book of my series, Exile, it was Y’keta’s need to find a family, to belong to the People that forced him to deal with his past and his relationships. In Guardian we see what happens when this instinct is turned against the people it is designed to protect.

The most divisive, hurtful, downright skanky word in the English language isn’t hatred or anger it is much, much older and more basic than that. It is the word, them. . .  Coming from the old Norse word ‘theim’ its meaning is literally ‘of them’.

The word epitomizes the plight of the other, the outsider. If you are ‘of them’ are not and can never be ‘of us.’ The very heart of our sense of tribe or community is challenged by the way we treat those who are ‘not us’. Those who do not look like we do, do not match our colour palette or slip seamlessly into our communities.

What will happen when a village elder forgets this lesson?
Who will pay the price of their hatred?
The spear in your brother’s heart IS the spear in yours.
You are he.

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Pre-Order Guardian Now – Available April 8, 2019

or start at the beginning with

Exile, Book One in the sky Road Trilogy. 

EXCERPT – Conspiracy by Jenn Nixon.

#Excerpt – The Monarch Mission Files: Conspiracy #SF #Mystery #Romantic #TeaserTuesday







While searching for a missing girl on Mars, Mari and Trevor follow a tip which leads to an abandoned dome near the “Club Zone” and go to investigate…

Mari noticed a few old scaffolds from when they thought of renovating, and even a few three-tier store units against one of the wall, probably the old high ends shops, some of them liked looking down at the rest of the peasants. “Well, none of this seems like a bootlegger hiding place.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Nash said, pushing through to the middle of the dome, stepping over old shopping carts and display pieces. He didn’t say anything else until they circled the entire dome with their light-drones and paused near the opposite exit, which had no connecting tubetunnel.

A tremor moved through her pinky toe then her whole foot. Mari grabbed Nash’s arm as the vibrations grew stronger.

“Mar—” Nash froze. The entire dome and the ground beneath them shook. Mari gasped and pulled him away from the crumbling stacked shops lining the wall. When the floor shifted hard, Nash tackled her to the ground as the top floor tipped over. The ground quaked harder. Nash palmed the floor, shielding her from the falling debris. “Shit. We need to move.”

Another wall fell toward them.

Mari gasped.

Nash met her eyes.

She shoved her right hand straight up, almost clipping the side of his face, catching the wall before it slammed into his back. His eyes widened, the whole floor rippled and the rumbling quake began to slow.

Everything went still.

Dust from the wall she was holding sprinkled down.

Nash wasn’t staring at her anymore; he was focused on her arm, holding up a huge wall inches away from crushing them both. “Mari…”

Certain the quake stopped, Mari grunted and shoved the wall sideways while he watched, knowing she couldn’t keep the truth from him anymore.

“We should go back to the suite, get that drink, Nash.”

Coming this April!!

Coffee Break with Sandra Hurst

As part of the build up to the release of Guardian in April, 2019 (coming way too soon), I was given the opportunity to film a video ‘coffee break’ for GoIndieNow.com.

Here I am answering some questions about writing, life, and living as a fan of so many fandoms.

Enjoy!

 

 

CONSPIRACY – by Jenn Nixon

[image error]Killjoys meets Helix in Jenn Nixon’s next SciFi series coming this April!

Mari Yosoto has been keeping a dark and dangerous secret from everyone since her life-changing accident. No one would believe the truth anyway, her ex-fiancé had seen to that. Instead of wallowing in misery, she stays busy, shuttling cargo to the Moon and back, enjoying the easy work and time alone. When an old EarthCorps acquaintance asks for her help finding a missing girl on Mars, Mari can’t say no, even if it means working with the ex’s former best friend.

Although Trevor Nash took the Mars job to help his former commanding officer, deep down he needed to see Mari again. After trying and failing to find out what happened to her, Trevor makes the best of an odd situation, hoping he can remind Mari of their budding friendship and finally get answers. When their rescue mission goes sideways and they find the not-so-missing girl, a centuries-old conspiracy theory emerges and the only thing more unfathomable is learning Mari’s secret.

Together with their newly formed ragtag team, Mari and Trevor team up and undertake a mission unlike anything either of them has faced before with life-altering and possibly deadly consequences.

Sneak Peak:

Chapter One

Beep. Mari’s heart thumped so hard her ribcage hurt.

Beep. Beep. She lifted her head, shielding her eyes from the bright lights above her head.

Beep, beep. Beep, beep. There was something wrong with her hand. It didn’t feel right.

A pair of voices echoed from behind her, muffled and indecipherable through the fogginess filling her mind. Half of her body felt numb and cold, the other covered in fiery pins and needles. When she cried out in agonizing pain, the pair of brown eyes that filled her vision seemed familiar.

The accident flashed in her head.

Breathing became impossible.

Beep, beep, beep.

“You’re okay, Mari,” the male voice said, making her heart race faster.

Beep, beep, beep, beep. She lifted her arm, stared at her hand and screamed. “What did you do to me?”

Can’t wait until April? Check out Jenn’s MIND series – you can get book one for FREE!

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Link: http://amzn.to/2lDOiuG

 

 

 

 

Baby steps and big changes.

I’ve been quiet on the Sky Road recently, and it almost killed me. There are some big BIG changes happening in the world of Y’keta and now, FINALLY I can tell you about them.

Re-release!
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With the help of my amazing team at Ink-N-Flow Management, I have been busy re-branding both myself as an author and Sky Road series as a whole.

To bring it into line with the other titles in the series I have re-released Y’keta under the name Exile and with an amazing new cover!

Exile is the story of two strangers, one running from responsibility, one dying to be given it, together they can save the People, but only if they can stop arguing.

A young exile, Y’keta, finds a place to belong, only to find his new home threatened by secrets from his past. If he reveals what he knows to the villagers, it will tear their history and traditions apart but sharing his secrets may be their only hope for survival.

Siann has always dreamt of being a shaman. She longs for the day when she will be one of the Elders of the People. Her power whispers that this newest warrior is hiding something, and she has sworn to uncover his secrets.

Exile is an epic fantasy set in an ancient world, where legends walk and the Sky Road offers a way to the stars.

You can check out Exile at Amazon.com and soon at Kobo, Ibooks, and Barnes & Noble.

 

Coming Soon!

Book Two in the Sky Road Series is called Guardian and is currently in post-edits with a release date of /gulp/ April 2019! While I chew frantically on my fingernails about comma placement and verb tenses – you can enjoy a first look at the blurb!

Haunted by an old decision!

Five cycles ago Y’keta’s fear of responsibility drove him into exile. Now, settled in a new village, he faces the same choice again.

The Utlaak horde is on the move. Burning village after village in their search for the mysterious Lifebinder Crystal, and Siann, the young shaman who controls it.

Soon, they will find his village, and her.

On that day Y’keta must decide if he will risk losing everything he has come to love, or will he finally become what he was meant to be? The Guardian.

 

 

 

Hunter’s Gambit- Brandy Ackerley

I’m eagerly waiting for this new release, coming March 15th! I’m a sucker for asian-inspired fantasy and Ackerley is steeped in the traditions and conventions that make it wonderful.

About the book:

Kuzunoha is running out of options. In just a month she’ll be an adult but as the illegitimate younger daughter of a rich noble, she can only see two possible futures. Both leave her a pawn in her elder sister’s game as family matriarch, a future as unacceptable to Kuzunoha as it is unavoidable. That changes when Kuzunoha saves the life of a stranger. In return for her help, the stranger offers her a way to have a future that doesn’t tie her to her family. He’s heard of a forgotten treasure nearby and needs a guide to help him search for it. Her family and friends don’t trust this dangerous man’s offer, but Kuzunoha accepts, knowing that she can’t live the life her sister wants for her anymore. Will she succeed in proving she can have a life outside of her sister’s shadow? Or will it all fall to pieces around her?

About the author:

Brandy Ackerley is a creator of worlds with words. While primarily a fantasy writer of novel-length fiction, she also enjoys writing short stories and novelettes in a variety of genres. Hunter’s Gambit is her first published novel. She adores anime, tabletop RPG’s and finding out more about mythology and culture worldwide. Brandy lives in Calgary, Alberta with her husband, both of whom are owned by their cat.

Media Links

You can find out more about Hunter’s Gambit and Brandy Ackerley by checking her out on the following sites:

Facebook – Inked Fox Press

Blog: Musing about the words

Twitter – Foxy Writer

 

#Friday Fiction 100-Word Challenge / “The Girl Who Takes Pictures of Locks”

I really liked this blog post by Jimmie Bise. Locks have such strong symbolism and what they keep out, or even more importantly – what they keep in, sometimes means the difference between life and death to the soul.

Jimmie Writes

The Girl Who Takes Pictures of Locks

Charly took pictures of locks, any lock she saw. She kept them on her smartphone and scrolled through them every night before she went to bed. She called each of them by name and whispered words of strength over each one. She knew where they were, what they held.

And who they protected.

She always finished with the same picture — five battered padlocks on a rusted orphanage gate. These were the oldest, brave locks and true, the ones she knew best. Her heroes. They had held out the horrors. They had saved her life.

And she would never fail them.

This story is based, very loosely, on a dear friend whose pictures of locks have become a particular delight of mine. No even bother trying to sort out why — my delights are often completely inexplicable to anyone who isn’t actually me…

View original post 130 more words

Foster An Author 4 – Author Sandra Hurst

via Foster An Author 4 – Author Sandra Hurst

So glad to be teamed up with Bursting Bookshelf Blog for this year’s Foster An Author Event!

Guest blog coming soon!

Keep your eyes on this space for a guest blog from the amazing Punam Farmah. Indie Author, Gardening Guru, and all around good egg! She’ll be joining us next week to share news about her newest book Kangana as well as her forays into the romance genre and experiences writing cross-culturally.

Asking the big questions.

What is right and wrong?    Does it matter if I do the right thing?   Can I make a difference? These are the questions that make us human. These are the things that I strive to explore in my work.

Attempting to deal with great questions on a human level is probably the hardest part of being a mythmaker. I do not write unkillable hero’s just people with big questions who are willing to go outside of their everyday lives to find big answers.

My most recent question is unfolding in my character, Siann’s, story. What happens if you get what you want and then don’t like it?

All her life Siann has wanted more than just to follow her mother as Shaman of the people. She wants adventure, to be honoured and respected by the village and to hear the voices in the lightning. After finding the Lifebinder stone and using it to save a young warrior, she thought her wish had come true.

But now

Conversations end when she gets close …
People who used to be friends are now wary and overly polite…
The elders call on her for things far above her twenty years of experience…
And she’s on the run from a relentless enemy determined to use her power.

How do you make a normal life once you have been touched by such power? Can she find a way back to just being Siann?

Here’s a taste of her story:

“He’s not really sleeping, Siann.” D’vhan’s gravelly voice echoed from the darkness. “As much as you don’t believe it, he watches over you, we all do.”

“But I don’t want to be watched over!” Sian complained. “I know I sound childish. You’ve told me so many times.” Sitting up Siann grabbed her knees and pulled them to her chest, protecting the huddled ball of misery that was her heart. “I am tired, D’vhan. Tired of being treated like some legendary wise woman. I’m just me. The same me that grew up here!” Reaching out, D’vhan pulled Siann’s hand from it’s white-knuckled grip on her knees and turned it towards the fire. His rough callused finger traced over the image of the Lifebinder burned into her palm. “You are different child, and it’s not a blessing,” he said. The Stone marked you, claimed you for something beyond just being a village shaman.”

Sian’s dark hair flopped limply across her face as her head dropped despondently onto her knees. “But I don’t want it.”

“Don’t you?” D’vhan asked gently, tipping her face up and forcing her to meet his eyes. “You aren’t the hatchling who wanted more than to be tied to the village? Who longed for travel and adventure beyond the normal life of a shaman? Then you aren’t the same Siann I watched grow up, always underfoot and questioning everything.”

“Maybe I did want something.” Siann answered staring into the dying fire, “But not this. This running, hiding, never feeling safe. I didn’t want this.”

If you are interested in reading more, the first part of the Sky Road Trilogy is available at getbook.at/Y’keta and keep a lookout for Siann’s story. Coming later this year.