Interview with Red Rain author Aubrey Hansen

Good morning, Ladies and Gents! Welcome aboard Flight 74 heading for the Red Planet, Mars. Please strap on your seat belts because this promises to be one wild ride. We've got free books galore, three fun giveaways, author interviews, and more. Let's get this adventure started! About the Book 17-year-old Philadelphia has been imprisoned most of her life because of her Christian beliefs. When her father is sent to Mars against his will to work on a mysterious science project and a benevolent official allows her to accompany him, Philadelphia knows she must keep her head down or be sent back to prison on Earth. But when she stumbles into the wrong hallway and accidentally learns too much, Philadelphia is faced with a question she doesn’t want to answer: the choice between returning to Earth—or destroying it.
Free Offer
Aubrey is such a generous gal. She's not only offering Red Rain for free this week, but if you sign up for her newsletter, you can also get the prequel short story for free! What are you waiting for?About the Author Aubrey Hansen is a pink-haired, caffeine-fueled twenty-something. She's a writer (obviously), barista, dog trainer, and the co-founder of Penoaks Publishing. She shares her house in Kansas City with three cats, a pit bull, a snake, a ferret, and a husband.
What Reviewers are Saying “One day while I was busy mindlessly entering data into the computer at work, I put on my head phones and started listening to the book. I was hooked from the first few sentences. In fact, I stayed up late when I got home (even though I had to get up early the next morning) to finish the book.”-Amazon Reviewer
“With solid craft and poignant world building, Aubrey Hansen has outlined a future both horrifying and realistic. I appreciated Hansen's character building skills.”-Amazon Reviewer
“I loved this book! I didn't realize it was a short novella, and I wished it would have been longer.”-Goodreads Reviewer
“The story was fascinating. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but everything came together in the end and it made sense.”-Goodreads Reviewer
Giveaway Aubrey is offering three paperback copies of her book, Red Rain. This book will have the new cover on it. And the grand prize offering will also have the paperback of Faith Blum's book, Heaven's Jubilee, a Christian futuristic collection of short stories. To enter the giveaway, please fill out this Google form (you do not need a Google account to enter). The only required entries are your name and email address, but the more you do, the more chances you have to win.

Excerpt
The bus was quiet on the way home. I sat by myself and thumbed through the Bible on my reader. I skimmed the virtual pages, picking up random verses.
My times are in Thy hands… deliver me… from them that persecute me…
I jumped when Cami slipped across the aisle and squeezed in next to me. I looked at her face and instantly knew what she was going to ask.
“Can you?”
I held out my hand. She pressed a tiny chip into my palm.
I closed out my window and snapped the chip into my reader. The screen chirped.
Cami explained while I navigated my library to find the appropriate file. “The Marksens, the new people, had their data wiped.”
“Weren’t they caught transmitting?”
“Yeah. Apparently the father signed the file to keep his job, but the kids hadn’t. Or something. But they lost all their data.” She picked at the bench with her fingernail. “Dad wanted me to ask you to do it.”
I didn’t need an explanation. I knew why I always made the copies, even though Cami’s reader was perfectly capable. Everyone else stopped making copies after my mother died.
I suppose they stopped for the same reason my father kept doing it—and kept letting me do it. Even if his wife had died for violating the “no transmitting” law.
I suspected the commander knew what I was doing. After all, my device was continually connected to the camp’s cloud. He could monitor my activity if he wanted to. I assumed he didn’t care, not if I limited my distribution to my fellow inmates. We were all criminals anyway.
I knew he would care if he found out my dad was transmitting copies from work.
“Thanks,” Cami said finally.
I nodded and tapped the screen. The progress bar seemed stuck at 15%. Usually it took about three seconds, five if my dinosaur of an electronic was feeling grumpy.
“Something wrong?” Cami asked, probably more worriedly than she intended.
“It’s stuck. I’m going to try again.” I canceled the transfer and backed out to the menu. I clicked on the Bible folder and got a hideous beep. I shuddered and looked at the screen.
It said: File not found.
I frowned and backed out a few folders, then went in another way. This time, I couldn’t even find the folder.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s gone.”
“What?”

“My Bible—the file. It’s gone.”
Author InterviewSo, Aubrey, tell us a bit about you.Hi! Big secret, but my real name is actually Rachel Greene, but I’ve been writing under the penname Aubrey Hansen for years and am not about to let it go. I’m in my twenties, run purely on caffeine, and have (partially) bright pink hair. When I’m not writing my own books or building my company, Penoaks Publishing, I’m either watching movies or working with animals. I train dogs and have six assorted animals in my house, plus a husband. We live in the Kansas City area.
What can you tell us about the world of Red Rain.Philadelphia’s future is one where the “United,” a one-world government, has stomped out all individuality in favor of a fake unity. Social structures, racial heritage and patriotism, and religion are all outlawed in an attempt to make society “one.” The result is a strict mold enforced with even stricter rules and punishments, and there’s no room for freedom of religion...
What inspired the character of Philadelphia?At first Philli was just a first-person voice, a lens with which to view the transpiring events. I think it took me just as long to realize what made her unique as it did for her to discover herself. I think the realization that we have something to contribute, and we can do great good even if it’s in small ways, is a notion we all have to discover as we grow up.

What can you tell us about the sequel?Philadelphia gets arrested. Cea reveals that she and Ephesus have been up to some interesting exploits. A forgotten friend walks back into Philli’s life. Things explode. (No, really, they do.) Oh, and half of the book is told from Dr. Nic’s POV.

What other projects do you have in the works?As I type this, I’m working on finishing a collection of Christmas-themed short stories featuring the characters from Peter’s Angel—a little Christmas present for my readers. I’m also working on editing and photographing a homemade frappe recipe book—a completely new project for me. In other news, my film mentor will be flying over from Hollywood to direct my first feature film in October.   

Thank you so much for stopping by and spending time with us. It has been wonderful to learn more about you and your many projects. I personally am eagerly awaiting the sequel to Red Rain.Tour Schedule June 2 Bookish Orchestrations-Tour Introduction and ExcerptLaurel’s Leaves-Author InterviewFrances Hoelsema-ExcerptAubrey Hansen, Author and Screenwriter-ExcerptPerpetual Gardener, Writer, and Mormon-Book SpotlightThe Overactive imagination-Book Spotlight
June 3 J. Grace Pennington-ExcerptGabriellyn-Excerpt and Author InterviewJoyful Peacock-Author Interview
June 4 Letters from Annie Douglass Lima-ExcerptAnother OtherWorld-Character Interview with PhiladelphiaJaye L. Knight-Excerpt
June 5 Mary’s Writing World-Book SpotlightGod’s Peculiar Treasure Rae-Book SpotlightRachel Rossano’s Words-Excerpt and Author Interview
June 6 Tale Weaver-Author InterviewLisa Swinton Queen of Random-Book SpotlightIrly Scribblings of David J Hartung-Excerpt
June 7 BookishOrchestrations-Tour Wrap-up and Giveaway Announcement