Publisher: Patrick McDermott Publishing (July 21, 2019)
Category: Science Fiction, Space opera, Action Adventure
Tour Dates: October-November, 2019
ISBN: 9780648092162
Available in Print and ebook, 282 pages
Description Fractured Prophecy: Science Fiction Action Adventure by PJ McDermott
An alien messiah is missing, presumed dead. Will one woman’s interplanetary search for answers bring resurrection or betrayal?
Auriga, 2183. Empath Hickory Lace is desolated by the fiery death of the alien she once considered the son of God. But a tiny flicker of hope that he could still be alive brings her back to the Corps for a perilous mission behind Bikashi lines to recover the powerful sword of Connat. And although the Teacher’s self-sacrifice burns in her heart, the truth she uncovers on the enemy’s planet ignites a fierce new purpose.
A desperate sprint across an alien landscape unearths two different species kept in slavery by the Bikashi. Hickory decides she must liberate these suffering people and plans a daring rescue. But her assignment demands that she find the high-tech sword before the Bikashi can harness its power to enslave her home world.
Will Hickory use her abilities to save the innocent and thereby allow an alien warlord to conquer Earth, or will she leave the slaves to their fate?
Fractured Prophecy is the fourth book in the engrossing Prosperine YA science fiction series. If you like tenacious heroines and political intrigue with spiritual undertones, then you’ll love PJ McDermott’s epic story.
Follow Hickory in her quest for galactic truth.
Trailer Fractured Prophecy: Science Fiction Action Adventure by PJ McDermott
https://animoto.com/play/2RqzW4Mm8xtlcSggV1TC2A
Praise Prosperine Series by PJ McDermott
“A Great read. Had me at the first chapter. Did not want to stop. Love the plot, the storyline, the action!!”
“Great characters; storyline with action, drama, and fast-paced intrigue; and unique description of an alien planet, society and it’s population. Highly recommended. I would get other books in the series.”
“McDermott creates a very original and hopeful future world similar to the kind of sci fi I grew up loving. His alien characters are delightful and believable. I could not wait to read the second book, Rise of the Erlachi which is even better!”
“This is a full-blown outer space adventure. Well described characters and a story that has a nice flow to it. I read it straight thru cover to cover.”
Interview with PJ McDermott
TR: Please tell us something about the book that is not in the summary. (About the book, character you particularly enjoyed writing etc.)
PJ: Hi, Teddy. It’s a pleasure to talk with you about my new novel, Fractured Prophecy. This is the fourth in the Prosperine Series featuring Hickory Lace and her teammates Gareth Blanquette and Jess Parker. When I finished writing the first three, I had in mind that would be the end of the story. But after a while, it dawned on me I really hadn’t said everything I wanted to say. Also, I’d left my Heroine in a state of shock following the death of the alien she’d believed to the second messiah, and I felt a little guilty about that.
In the first episode, I’d painted the Bikashi rather one-dimensionally as evil enemies, never to be trusted. In the Scarf, I gave Vogel, the main antagonist, a more complex set of ethics, but basically, he was the representative “bad guy”, sworn enemy of the “good guys.” And the story behind the plot was the war between good and evil, very black and white with little grey.
In Fractured Prophecy, no-one person or situation is totally good, or totally bad. There is evil working itself out on Earth, and integrity and generosity emerging on the Bikashi Planet. (something unthinkable in the earlier episodes). The characters consequently are richer, more questioning, less accepting of the status quo.
TR: I always enjoy looking at the names that authors choose to give their characters. Where do you derive the names of your characters? Are they based on real people you knew or now know in real life? How do you create names for your characters?
PJ: Often, character names just pop into my head as I write. I don’t allow consideration of the “right” name to stop the development of the plot or the story. I do belong to a writing group and seek feedback from my colleagues on the main character arcs including their names. I guess I like to make the names bigger than life, so rather than James Kelly for example, I’d go for Gareth Blanquette. (Gareth is named after a young friend who is also very clever and resourceful. Some of his jokes in the book are taken from real life.) I had a tougher time finalizing the name of my heroine. I thought Hickory Lace was a memorable name, and I’ve had positive feedback, but I also had one reader comment that her name sounded like she was a hooker! (Oh, well! Can’t win them all.)
TR: Where did you get the inspiration for your cover?
PJ: The covers of the previous books featured all three of the main characters, Hickory, Jess, and Gareth. For Fractured Prophecy, I wanted the focus to be on Hickory, because in this story she is the one who’s beliefs, courage, and self esteem, are tested most. The cracked mirror is a reflection (terrible pun, sorry!) of Hickory’s internal crisis, in particular, her doubts about the veracity of the prophecy upon which the plot and the heroine’s whole life are built. I am indebted to the talented young designer, Kelly Martin, who sourced the model and created the cover.
TR: How did your earlier years later influence your writing?
PJ: I was the eldest grandchild on my mother’s side, raised in a large Catholic Family. After mass every Sunday, we’d head off in our old banger (and boy, did it bang!) to grandma and grandpa’s house for Sunday lunch along with all the uncles and aunts and cousins. There were huge expectations placed on my young shoulders. I was the one the adults trusted to look after all the other kids and to set the right example. In a sense, the freedom the other kids enjoyed was suppressed in me, and I became rather introverted, spending much of my free time in the library. This was a habit I continued until my late teens. So, I read everything from Enid Blyton to Robert Lois Stevenson. I even read my sister’s books (Little Women etc.) before I discovered Isaac Asimov. I found school boring and would play truant, but instead of going fishing or heading to the billiard hall, you’d find me in the town library enjoying Edgar Allen Poe. I ended up leaving when I turned sixteen.
TR: What has been your worst or most difficult job? How does it compare to writing?
PJ: I’ve had a varied working life from concrete laborer to factory worker to office jobs to executive and business owner. All of these paid more than writing, and some were more physically exhausting, but none were so mentally challenging, nor interesting as writing. When I’m in the mood, hours can slip by without me noticing it (something I can’t claim for my earlier jobs.)
TR: What do you do when you are not writing?
PJ: When I’m not writing, publishing, or marketing my books (as an independent author, you have to do everything!) I enjoy a glass of wine or two in front of the idiot box. I also read, draw still life using colored pencils, ride a road bike, and play acoustic guitar.
TR: What are you currently working on?
PJ: Currently I’m in the process of turning my print books into audiobooks. Born of Fire (The prequel to the Prosperine Series) and the first in the series, The Alien Corps are already available. Currently, I’m looking for the right narrator for the next episode, Rise of the Erlachi.
I’m also brainstorming ideas for my next writing challenge, which will be set on the home planet of the Bikashi called Auriga, and feature the new characters introduced in Fractured Prophecy (Anyar, the young female Yatzi, and the Bikashi twins Sabrina and Sikona.)
TR: Is there a question that you would have liked me or another blogger to ask but didn’t?
PJ: After the success of my first book, Small Fish Big Fish ‑ a dark coming of age novel, I turned my hand to scifi – why?
Anyone who reads “Fish” would understand why science fiction was very important to me growing up. My childhood and early teens were spent immersed in the works of authors like Asimov, Herbert, Niven, and their contemporaries. Their stories were set in distant, exotic worlds, far different from the one I lived in. Reading about these was a great escape from my life spent in the bleak surroundings of an impoverished neighborhood in Scotland.
In writing SF as an adult, I am in a sense returning to my first love, trying to recapture the excitement, color, and adventure of those early stories. I believe science fiction is one of the most creative outlets an author can have. Also, it’s fun.
About PJ McDermott
Born in Scotland, PJ McDermott moved to Australia 50 years ago, and now lives in the tropics in the North Queensland town of Trinity Beach. He started writing after he retired from the corporate treadmill and published his first novel in 2015— Small Fish Big Fish, a coming of age thriller set during the sixties. But he has always read and loved adventure and science fiction books. PJ has fond early memories of hiding under the blankets in his bed, torch in hand, reading 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Gulliver’s Travels. In his teenage years, like many other kids, he had lots of unanswered questions about God and the purpose of life (is there one?). Even today, similar questions remain unanswered in his mind, providing him with a springboard for his book series, ‘Prosperine’.
Website: https://pj-mcdermott.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pj_author
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thealiencorps/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mcdermott1705/
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Giveaway Fractured Prophecy: Science Fiction Action Adventure by PJ McDermott
This giveaway is for the winner’s choice of one print or ebook copy of the book. Print is open to Canada, Australia, and the U.S. only and ebook is available worldwide. There will be 3 winners. This giveaway ends November 29, 2019, midnight pacific time.
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Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Oct 1 Kickoff and Interview
Cremona Mythical Books Oct 2 Guest Review and Guest Post
Dennis Amazon Oct 7 Review
Lu Ann Rockin’ Book Reviews Oct 11 Review and Excerpt
Dawn Bound 4 Escape Oct 17 Guest Review
Katy Goodreads Oct 24 Review
Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Oct 28 Guest Review
Shannon The Pulp and Mystery Shelf Nov 1 Guest Review and Flash Fiction
WriterGideon Goodreads Nov 12 Review
Hywela Lyn Romance Out Of This World Nov 20 Review and Excerpt
Steve Silver Screen Videos Nov 25 Review I
This schedule is subject to change.
