Happy Friday everyone! Today on my blog I have a guest author, the wonderfully talented, Jim Cronin. He's here to tell us about his new book Aeon Rises, and share some insight into the author himself! But first, let's have a peek into the world of Aeon Rises...
Blurb:
Justin Madrid
always considered himself an average nerdy freshman in high school,
and an outcast because intense migraines prevent him from playing
video games or watching television. Even looking at a phone screen
hurts. But when the aliens, disguised as local librarians, started
trying to kill him, everything changed. And now it is up to Justin
and his cool new power to save the earth from invasion.
Chapter One
“Okay
Mom,” he yelled, yanking the blankets over his head. “Okay, I’m
up already! Gimme a break! I don’t know why I have to get up before
the sun. It only takes a minute to get ready.” Struggling through
the fog in his head, Justin rubbed his eyes and shook his head trying
to clear it.
“Man,
that dream was so real.” The dream, so vivid only minutes ago,
faded quickly as he awoke fully. Only a vague memory of his father,
long dead now, spoke to him as they stood together among the stars.
While most of the conversation was gone now, there was something
about it being time. Time
for what? That was so fricking weird.
As
the dream faded completely, Justin gave in to the inevitable, sat up,
and tossed the covers to one side.
Today
began as every other day began…unfortunately for Justin. Still
having homework with only a week left in the school year, his ever
growing and never-ending mountain of chores, his ancient cell phone,
and, most important of all, the lack of privacy in his own home were
chief among his gripes.
“Don’t
give me that tone of yours, young man. Just get yourself up here with
a smile on your face and get your breakfast before you miss your
bus.”
Mumbling
through his hands as he scrubbed his face, Justin argued back. “Maybe
if you would drive me to school I wouldn’t have to get up so
fricking early just to catch the bus.” He made that mistake once
before of saying this sort of thing loud enough for his mother to
hear and did not want a repeat of that long lecture again, so he was
more careful to not let her actually hear his response. The
twice-daily torment on the rolling yellow prison was unbearable. Did
she really need to remind me about the bus? As
he brushed his teeth, a new strategy came to him and his mood
brightened. His mind searched through dozens of ways to open the
conversation once again before settling on what he considered the
most irrefutable, and logical argument. Putting on his best
Mom-pleasing smile and one last check in the mirror, he bounded up
the stairs. The meadowlarks sang sweetly in the field behind the
house as he entered the kitchen.
“So
Mom, I heard they’re going to start charging extra to ride the bus
next year…”
“Hurry
and finish breakfast so you can fix your lunch, young man. The bus
will be here before you know it.” Justin poured a bowl of Apple
Jacks and chugged his orange juice, then went to examine the fridge.
PB and J on whole grain bread, an apple and an organic juice box.
“Don’t forget to take
one
of those packs of carrots too,” his mom called out as he stuffed
everything into a reusable bag.
“And
another thing. I’m not going to be your personal chauffer, mister.
We are perfectly able to afford any sort of bus fee. It won’t kill
you to take the bus. You could even do some homework or extra
studying on the ride if you put your mind to it. Your grades aren’t
so perfect you couldn’t put more effort into them, you know…”
Her soapbox speech lasted for a good three minutes, rambling from one
pointless reason to the next. Justin zoned her out—a skill
perfected by most teenagers. He only caught the edges of her diatribe
and forgot the details.
He
sat back at the table and added some milk to his cereal, but did not
lift the spoon to eat any of it. Two fingers of his left hand
scratched nervously at the table. “I don’t like the bus. They
bully me on the bus and nobody does anything about it.”
She
moved to empty the dishwasher, but cocked her head, carefully
measuring her son’s mood. “Have you reported it to the dean at
school?”
Realizing
he had made the comment too loudly, Justin shrugged his shoulders,
sighed, and decided his best course of action was to finish his
complaint before the “I am your mother and you can tell me
anything,”
speech started up. He gobbled up a mouthful of cereal while he
organized his thoughts. “I tried once, but that only made it worse.
Nobody would be a witness so all they got was a warning. Everyone
except Kevin looks at me like I’m some sort of freak. I try to fit
in, but I don’t know anything about the benefits of Xbox versus
PlayStation. I can’t text them, or go on Snapchat to talk with
them. They all laugh at me in the lunchroom. I don’t fit in with
them, so I’m a target. You don’t understand.
The
school can’t do anything about it so I just try to ignore it.
Besides, they’re right. I’m weird.”
Justin’s
mom stood up with a handful of plates and turned to face him. Her
eyes narrowed as she tilted her head. “What do you mean weird? What
makes you say such a thing?”
Justin
swallowed another spoonful of his breakfast, sat back, and leaned on
one elbow as he faced his mom. “You know… just weird. I don’t
like the same things other kids my age like. Those video games they
play all the time give me headaches. The glasses you got me help
some, but they’re trash. Can’t I get contacts like everyone else?
I don’t get what they see in all those dumb You Tube videos. I
mean, like really, what’s so hilarious about cats playing the piano
after the first eighty-three times you’ve seen it? And I enjoy
reading real books, not Audible or Overdrive everyone has. I mean,
like real paper books. Real books never give me migraines. Those
books just don’t feel right to me. You see? I’m just weird.”
His
mother sighed and placed a gentle hand on Justin’s shoulder. “All
that means is you have better things to occupy your brain and your
time with than all the nonsense those other kids are filling their
brains with. You’re not weird, honey, you’re more mature than
they are. You’ll see. In a few years they’ll all catch up with
you and things won’t seem so bad.”
Justin
rolled his eyes at her well-meant remark, knowing she simply did not
understand the problem. “So, in the meantime, can you like give me
a ride in to school instead of making me ride the bus?” Her look
instantly told him the answer had not changed. “Well then, can I
get a real phone instead of this piece of crap? At least they won’t
be able to mess with me about having a junk phone.” That last
statement escaped his lips before he even realized it. He knew it was
a mistake, but just couldn’t help himself again. Oh
crap!
“Justin
Madrid, we’ve been over this before.” His mother’s voices
suddenly became a lot less motherly as she continued her efforts to
clean up the kitchen. “You said it yourself: going on the internet
gives you headaches, and you know how I feel about kids your age
being able to text anyone at any time. You don’t need that sort of
distraction. You know I don’t even have one of those idiotic smart
phones myself. A phone should just be a phone. Now let’s not have
any more of this nonsense. I have work to do. Finish your breakfast.
If you want, I’ll go in and have a talk with the principal about
the bullying.”
“No!”
he shouted, spewing cereal from his mouth. “Don’t talk to anybody
about anything, Mom.” He turned to face her. His hands gripped the
table so hard his knuckles turned white. “You’ll only make things
worse. I can deal with it on my own. School is just about over
anyway. Maybe next year I won’t feel like such an alien.”
She
turned to face him, her eyes wide as if in shock. The muscles in her
forearms knotted as her grip on the dish towel tightened. The morning
sun coming through the window caught Justin at the perfect angle. For
a mere second, his eyes reflected golden the soft light, the way a
dog or cat’s eyes reflect a car’s headlights at night.
His
mother’s face paled and she dropped the plate she was drying. It
shattered loudly all over the floor. She grabbed the counter top to
steady herself before kneeling down to recover the shards.
“Mom!
Are you okay?” He jumped up to help her pick up the
pieces
off the floor.
“I’m
fine. It just slipped. Must have still been wet, I guess. What was it
you said?”
“Nothing.”
“No,
I’m serious.” Her voice trembled slightly despite her effort to
control the fear. “What did you say about being an alien?”
Justin
sighed, rolled his eyes again, and reached for another piece of
broken plate, forcing up a few tears for added effect. “I just said
that sometimes I feel like I’m so different from everyone else my
age I must be from another planet or something. Don’t go all crazy
over it, okay? You have enough to worry about taking care of us on
your own and all. It’s just… like a kid thing, Okay? Let’s not
turn it into a big deal. Don’t worry about me, I’ll figure it
out.”
His
mom sat up onto her knees and took Justin’s hands in hers,
capturing his attention with her gentleness. “Justin, I know things
have been tough for you lately. I’ve tried to be both parents to
you, but you’re getting older now and I’m not sure how to handle
some of the things you’re going through. I’m sorry your dad can’t
be here for you.”
He
felt her hands shaking as he saw the worry on her face. “I’m
fine, Mom. You’re the best mom ever and I love you. The only way I
even know anything at all about him is because of all the stories you
tell me. Are you sure you’re okay?”
She
tousled his hair and placed one hand on his cheek. “Just go get
yourself changed before you miss the bus. I’ll finish up here.”
Now let's get to know Jim...
Your
latest/current work: Aeon Rises
Date:
9/10/2018
Publisher:
Solstice Publishing
1.Tell
us about your Latest Book/Book about to be released? Release Date?
And can you give us a teaser?
My latest book, Aeon Rises, is my first attempt
at writing a Young Adult science fiction novel.
2.What
other books/short stories have you written?
My previous works include the science fiction
trilogy: The Brin Archives: Hegira, Recusant, and Empyrean. I have
also had two short stories published by Solstice as part of an annual
anthology they produce.
3.Are
they available in e-book, print, or both?
All of my novels are available in both print
and ebook formats on Amazon
4.Where
can readers find your books?
All of my books are available on Amazon.com, or
through the following social media links:
5.What
do you think are the biggest challenges for the type of writing that
you do?
For me, the biggest challenge in writing is the
basics of the English language: spelling, grammar, punctuation, and
the like. I am a retired science teacher, not language arts, so the
English language is a bit of a challenge. Otherwise, I think trying
to make my work believable, and yet other-worldly is a real
challenge. How do I make my aliens live in a believable world with
actual laws of physics restraining them, yet fantastic enough to be
beyond our abilities today.
6.How
did you get started in writing?
I started writing by accident, if the truth be
told. My brother was writing a book and asked for my help proofing
it. It turned out to be fun, so we brainstormed ideas for me to write
about, and the result was the Brin Archive trilogy. Who would have
guessed? I know some of my former Language Arts teacher partners were
in total shock when I told them what I was doing.
7.Where
and How can readers get in touch with you?
I can be reached through any of the media links
listed above. I would love to hear from some of my readers.
8.So
with your latest work released/or being released, what comes next?
What can we expect from you in the future?
My next project involves continuing to write a
series of short stories to use science fiction and fantasy tales to
explain actual scientific concepts. My goal is to have something
science teachers, or anyone, can use to provide a fun and engaging
introduction to a scientific topic which avoids textbooks, at least
at first.
9.How
much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?
I
think Aeon Rises is a story with the most of me in it. I strongly
identify with Justin and Kevin as outcasts in high school, and their
nerdy nature. It also takes place in the community where I lived and
worked for many years. The library in the book is actually the place
my wife works. The librarians there love the idea of me turning them
into evil aliens invading the earth. Even Justin’s house is based
on one I lived in there. All of my books show, I hope, my awe and
love of science and nature.
10.What
about you in general? What is it that makes you tick? Makes you you?
Things you like to do and what prompted you into writing?
I am
a teacher. Even in retirement, I work part-time as an
educator/performer at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. I love
telling stories and making science accessible to others. I love my
family. My wife (married 40 years), two sons and daughter-in laws,
and soon to be four grandchildren are my life and heart. Aside from
that, I enjoy reading almost anything, baseball (Go Rockies!), going
for walks and bike rides. Writing turned out to be a fun, and
rewarding, but accidental part of my life.
11.Among
your own books, have you a favorite book? Favorite Hero or Heroine?
I
guess Hegira, my first published work, will always be my favourite.
It was a work that took about three years to get right since writing
was a lot harder than I ever expected. The effort and determination
it took to complete the story and have it published was incredibly
rewarding. I can be very stubborn when I set my mind to learning
something.
12.What
kind of research do you when writing one of your works?
I
will research different scientific theories to learn what ideas might
be best adapted to solve the conflicts in my stories. For Aeon Rises,
I also researched a number of UFO conspiracy theory locations to
include in the book. I had never heard of Hooper, Colorado as a prime
UFO site here, but it proved to be the perfect location to use in
addition to DIA and Area 51. I even got to visit the UFO Watchtower
in Hooper recently and was amazed at how well a nearby house fit the
description I made up for a house in the story. Can you say psychic
connection?
13.Do
you ever ask friends/family for advice or ideas to go into your
works?
My
brother and I always toss ideas around and problem solve sticking
points in all my books. For Aeon Rises, I was fortunate enough to
have access to an incredible group of 8th
graders at my old school who helped me make the teen protagonists
more believable.
14.Lastly
do you have any words of encouragement for unpublished writers?
Stick to it! It took three years, and
over a hundred rejections before I figured out how to get my first
book into shape for a publisher. Find some good proof readers and
editors to critique your work, and listen to their advice. When my
first editor ripped apart Hegira’s first version and rearranged all
the chapters, I was shocked. Turns out he was right. The story made
much more sense with the new order of things. Don’t let your ego
get in the way of making your story the best it can be.
Author Bio:
I am a
retired middle school science teacher, working part-time as an
educator at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. I have been
married for forty years to the love of my life. We raised two
incredible sons, and now have four amazing grandchildren to spoil
rotten.
I was born in Kansas City, Missouri and
lived in Arlington, Virginia before moving to Denver where I attended
High School and eventually college at Colorado State University,
graduating with a degree in Zoology and a teacher certification. My
wife and I currently live near Denver in the small town of Parker.
After writing The Brin Archives
trilogy, I wanted to try my hand at reaching a new audience. The idea
of a nerdy teenager with few friends suddenly learning the fate of
all earth depends on him struck me as a fun scifi adventure.
Other titles available by Jim
