DAWN OF THE VIE EBOOK 99 CENTS NOW!

Hey all! My publisher, Curiosity Quills Press is having a Winter Sale on all their books this month. Super cool, right?
My YA sci-fi/dystopian/horror, DAWN OF THE VIE is only 99 pennies RIGHT NOW. 

(The sale runs for today 12/11 & tomorrow 12/12. 😉 )

So if you’re still holiday shopping or need a fun read for yourself, grab a copy now!

Amazon Kindle link

Summary: Since their Arrival, immortal alien Vie rule the planet. Enslaved humans are their servants, entertainment, and food. Anemies—humans with various types of anemia—are exterminated. Their nutritionally deficient blood is useless to the Vie.

Or so it’s thought…

Alex, an Elite Vie, is part scientist, part Raid Specialist, and part drug addict. He knows Anemie blood is valuable—as a drug. Rather than blindly carrying out his boss’s kill order, he spares a few Anemies, not only for study, but also for his own private stock.

The more Anemie blood Alex drinks, the more he slips into delusion, and the more his double life threatens to crumble. But quitting Anemie blood is not an option. There’s no rehab for his condition.

When Alex tastes Justin’s blood, his hallucinations bleed into reality…

Anemie Justin knows he’s living past his expiration date. It becomes a guarantee when he’s bitten by Alex during a raid and infected with the Vie’s toxin. Alex adds insult to injury by promising Justin a second chance—a cure if he agrees to be a lab rat. And a mule…of his own blood.

The only leverage Justin has is a stake and a serious lack of self-preservation.

GAME ON.

******

For those of you looking for a YA short story anthology, look no further. The Alliance for YA Authors published a collection of 40 magical short stories and the Ebook is FREE on Amazon. Over 5000+ copies have been downloaded so far and it reached #1 in two categories!

My story, LEARNING TO FLY, is about a boy in Ming Dynasty China who discovers that he is a dragon. 🐲🐉🐲

Check it out HERE. 

(Also, the post before this one has info of all the authors.)

Description: Love YA paranormal, urban fantasy, science fiction and dystopian books? 

We’ve gathered a handful of thrilling stories from all of your favorite genres and put them together into an epic anthology of young adult fiction. Some of them are just the beginning of a unique adventure, while others are complete stories that will spark your imagination. 

With over 200,000 words (about three full-length novels) That Moment When will provide weeks of reading pleasure.

OUR THEME

Have you ever reached a moment in your life when everything changed? A crossroads of sorts… a point of no return. An event or realization so enormous you knew it would impact you forever in ways you couldn’t begin to understand? Discoveries so momentous they changed everything you thought you knew about the world, and yourself?

That Moment When is filled with exactly these kinds of moments. 

If you read the stories in this anthology, I guarantee you’ll find at least a few that thrill and excite you. Make sure to follow the authors if you want to read more – most of us have at least one free book on our sites.

The Alliance of YA Authors is a community of over 1000 young adult writers. Many of us are award-winning, bestselling authors; others are brilliant debut authors just starting out. We team up to make it easier for you to find your new favorite reads, with book giveaways, contests and joint book promotions.

******

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, FRIENDS! ❤️

BOOK BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION: IT’S DAWN OF THE VIE’S RELEASE DAY!!!!

Dawn of the Vie
Laura Diamond
(Immortal Aliens, #1)
Published by: Curiosity Quills Press
Publication date: October 3rd 2016
Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Since their Arrival less than 30 years ago, immortal Vie rule the planet like the super-predators they are. Enslaved humans are their servants…their entertainment…and their food. Anemies—humans with various types of anemia—are simply exterminated. Their nutritionally deficient blood is useless to the Vie.

Or so it’s thought…

_________

Alex, an Elite Vie, is a bit of a Renaissance Alien. Part scientist, part Raid Specialist, part drug addict, he knows Anemie blood is valuable. Rather than blindly carrying out his boss’s kill order, he convinces some colleagues to spare a few Anemies, not only for study, but also to reserve a secret stock.

The more Anemie blood Alex drinks, the more he slips into delusion, and the more his double life threatens to crumble. But quitting Anemie blood is not an option. Every Anemie has their own personal flavor. Each gives a unique high.

When Alex takes a hit of Justin’s blood, his hallucinations bleed into reality…

_________

Anemie Justin knows his little sister, Sammie, and he are living past their expiration dates. It becomes a guarantee when they’re bitten by a Vie named Alex during a raid. (The bite is fatal, thanks to a toxin carried in Vie saliva.) Alex adds insult to injury by promising Justin a second chance—an antidote in exchange for agreeing to be a lab rat.

And a mule…of his own blood.

When Justin says no, Alex takes off with Sammie.

All Justin has to do is find them, beat Alex, and cure himself and Sammie. All he has is a stake and serious lack of self-preservation.

No problem.

_________

Alex wants Justin’s blood.

Justin wants his sister back.

GAME ON.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

I hated afternoons the most. Soon after came darkness—the time when a raiding squad could snatch you out of bed and drain all the blood from your body. It was amazing that any Anemies survived with the extermination campaign ridding the world of us red blood cell-deficient freaks.

I gently squeezed my sister’s hand to make sure she kept up. Dirt caked under her fingernails like it caked under mine. The cuff of her torn sleeve had stains like mine. Her pant cuffs were rolled up six times… also like mine. A younger version of me—mouthiness and all—in girl form. Unlike me, Sammie tended to dawdle, and since we held onto the last rung of the society ladder by the tips of our fingers, giving in to distraction could get us hurt—or killed.

My gaze jumped to the pale, indifferent sky then jittered to the partially constructed biodome edge as I walked. Large, clear panels filled the metal framework in a beehive of hexagons. Eventually, the damn thing would cover the entire city, including the river surrounding the island and part of the ocean capping the south side. The project had been progressing since before I was born.

Once the construction workers completed the biodome, Vie wouldn’t have to fear the destructive UV rays of our sun and could wander freely during the day. We’d have no safe period whatsoever. Vie could get us any time.

Author Bio:

Laura Diamond is a board certified psychiatrist currently specializing in emergency psychiatry. She is also an author of all things young adult—both contemporary and paranormal. An avid fan of sci-fi, fantasy, and anything magical, she thrives on quirk, her lucid dreams, and coffee. When she’s not working or writing, she can be found sniffing books and drinking a latte at the bookstore or at home pondering renovations on her 225 year old fixer upper, all while obeying her feline overlords, of course.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

IMMORTAL ALIENS: DAWN OF THE VIE Cover Reveal!

Dawn of the Vie
Laura Diamond
(Immortal Aliens, #1)
Published by: Curiosity Quills Press
Publication date: October 3rd 2016
Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Since their Arrival less than 30 years ago, immortal Vie rule the planet like the super-predators they are. Enslaved humans are their servants…their entertainment…and their food. Anemies—humans with various types of anemia—are simply exterminated. Their nutritionally deficient blood is useless to the Vie.

Or so it’s thought…

_________

Alex, an Elite Vie, is a bit of a Renaissance Alien. Part scientist, part Raid Specialist, part drug addict, he knows Anemie blood is valuable. Rather than blindly carrying out his boss’s kill order, he convinces some colleagues to spare a few Anemies, not only for study, but also to reserve a secret stock.

The more Anemie blood Alex drinks, the more he slips into delusion, and the more his double life threatens to crumble. But quitting Anemie blood is not an option. Every Anemie has their own personal flavor. Each gives a unique high.

When Alex takes a hit of Justin’s blood, his hallucinations bleed into reality…

_________

Anemie Justin knows his little sister, Sammie, and he are living past their expiration dates. It becomes a guarantee when they’re bitten by a Vie named Alex during a raid. (The bite is fatal, thanks to a toxin carried in Vie saliva.) Alex adds insult to injury by promising Justin a second chance—an antidote in exchange for agreeing to be a lab rat.

And a mule…of his own blood.

When Justin says no, Alex takes off with Sammie.

All Justin has to do is find them, beat Alex, and cure himself and Sammie. All he has is a stake and serious lack of self-preservation.

No problem.

_________

Alex wants Justin’s blood.

Justin wants his sister back.

GAME ON.

Add to Goodreads

Author Bio:

Laura Diamond is a board certified psychiatrist currently specializing in emergency psychiatry. She is also an author of all things young adult—both contemporary and paranormal. An avid fan of sci-fi, fantasy, and anything magical, she thrives on quirk, her lucid dreams, and coffee. When she’s not working or writing, she can be found sniffing books and drinking a latte at the bookstore or at home pondering renovations on her 225 year old fixer upper, all while obeying her feline overlords, of course.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Reading Jag

I’m a book binger. Stick a pile of books in front of me and I’ll binge on them like a food addict at an all you can eat buffet. I can’t help it. I can’t stop myself.

This past week has been a particularly productive binge. (Doesn’t help that I’ve shopped at the bookstore like three times in the past couple of weeks!) 

So what have I read?

SOLD by Patricia McCormack. Soon to be a film, it captures the life of a Nepali girl sold into sex slavery in India. A tragic story; an excellent book.



FIRE AND FLOOD by Victoria Scott. The first book in the series, it shows how far someone will go to save a loved one. I picked up the sequel straight away because I enjoyed it so much!





THE MARTIAN by Andy Weir. I’d give this a hundred thousand stars if I could. It’s about an astronaut who gets stranded on Mars and how he struggles to survive. This one is also going to be a movie and I can’t wait to see it!!!



HOLLOW CITY by Ransom Riggs. This is book two in the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series. I love how the author includes old, strange pictures and weaves them into the plot. 



A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC by VE Schwab. Magic, intrigue, & multiple Londons–AWESOME! I just started this one & I’m in love! 





What are you reading these days?

Film Fun: Jupiter Ascending

I hate to say it, but most movie previews I see don’t interest me. I might get to the theater once a month (sometimes more, but mostly less than that). Actually, there were a few years that I barely got to the theater once a year.

Some folks don’t go at all. Seeing a film in the theater can be expensive!

But in some cases, I prefer the theater. You just can’t compare the big screen and sound systems–unless you have a home theater in your house. (I do not.)

Anyway, I’ve been looking forward to Jupiter Ascending for quite some time. (Since last summer, I think!) the film was supposed to be released much earlier, but was postponed for a long time.

I love Scifi, so that makes it a big draw for me. I like Mila Kunis. And I’m dying (pun intended) to find out if Sean Bean’s character survives!

How about you? Yay or nay on Jupiter Ascending?

Jupiter Ascending Trailer

Of Scifi and Time-Space: When Fiction Meets Physics

I’ve always enjoyed science fiction–the broad expanses of space, the quiet beauty of galaxies scattered across infinite blackness, the raw imagination, the astrophysics.

Something occurred to me in my recent musings as I tried to reconcile a common theme in Scifi stories with a bit of science fact.

Theme: Humans travel across vast amounts of space, either through a wormhole or while hibernating in a ship on autopilot. The goal is to meet an alien race, as in The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, or to meet their makers/engineers, a la Prometheus.

(Cool, right?)

Science fact: Light from the galaxies and stars we see now took, what, billions, trillions, etc, of light years to get to us.

Therefore, the very Galaxy, solar system, star, planet, moon, whatever the intrepid space explorers are traveling toward doesn’t exist anymore.

Bummer.

Any ideas how to reconcile these bits of seemingly paradoxical information? Maybe there’s an answer I haven’t come across yet. Please share your thoughts!

Book Versus Movie On YAtopia

Hey all!

On Saturday, I posted on the YAtopia blog about film adaptations of books. Which one to you think is better: the book of the movie? Hop on over and leave your two cents.

One of the examples I used was Ender’s Game. Well, I saw it over the weekend and LOVED it! Are you guys gonna check it out?

How about Catching Fire and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug? They’re definitely on my list.

Switching gears a bit…

If you take a look on the right side of my blog, I’ve added ZODIAC COLLECTOR to my list of works. Click on the picture (on the side bar) and it’ll take you to the Goodreads page. Zodiac is due for publication in May 2014!

ENDURE RELEASE DAY!!!!

WOOT!!!!!

Book One of the Endure Series, ENDURE, is now available via Amazon and B&N, and will hopefully be available soon on Omnilit!

I hope you guys enjoy it. Book Two, EVOKE, is currently in editing. Hold tight, cuz it’s a wild ride. 😉

Please consider leaving a review on Amazon, B&N, and/or Goodreads–it’s like a great big hug for an author.

THANK YOU!!!!

Immortality ends with a few drops of blood…

Seventeen-year-old Justin’s anemic blood is a blessing. Or a curse. It all depends on who you ask.

In the Post-Collapse world where the immortal Vie lord over the rapidly diminishing humans, Anemies like Justin and his sister are rabidly sought after. Their blood is a drug—and a scourge. Justin’s blood causes the Vie to age—a priceless hope for the Earth’s downtrodden humans.

When Justin’s sister is kidnapped by the Vie, he strikes a deal with the human resistance, but they’re nothing more than a cult with delusions that a messianic Anemie will free them all. They believe that person is Justin. Justin thinks they’ll need someone a lot stronger than an anemic kid who can’t run twenty feet without getting dizzy. Between saving what’s left of humanity and saving his sister, Justin can’t decide which will get him killed first.

 

I’d like to give a BIG shout out to YA Bound Book Tours for hosting a FAB book blitz for ENDURE. THANK YOU!!!!

Cover Reveal: ENDURE

Hi all!

I’m SUPER stoked to share the cover of my upcoming YA dystopian, ENDURE. It’s the first book in a two book series by Etopia Press. This book has been in the works since 2009, so it’s about time y’all get to take a look! 😉

Title: ENDURE (Book One of the Endure Series)

Author: Laura Diamond

Publication Date: July 12, 2013

Genre: YA dystopian

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Justin’s anemic blood is a blessing. Or a curse. It all depends on who you ask.

To most of the immortal Vie, his blood is a scourge: untouchable and useless. To some Vie, his blood is a drug. To Justin, it’s something that gets him in a lot of trouble. Being poisoned by a Vie is just one example. His sister getting kidnapped is another. Whether it’s being coerced by a deluded cult leader, or negotiating with Alex—an Vie scientist addicted to Anemie blood—Justin struggles to keep every mutated drop of blood he’s got.

His fight for survival gets more complicated when he meets Alex’s slave, Cara. Despite coming from different worlds, they’re both prisoners, at risk of being drained by a hungry Vie any moment. When she risks her own neck to help Justin find his sister, he’s left with a terrifying choice.

Saving what’s left of humanity.

Saving his sister.

Saving the girl he loves.

Or sticking a stake in Alex’s chest.

Justin can’t decide which option will get him killed first.

Please visit ENDURE on Goodreads and add it to your To Be Read list! 😉

I’d like to give a BIG THANKS to the following bloggers who’ve helped me spread the word about ENDURE’s cover!

You guys RAWK.

* Karen Y Bynum

* Nicole Zoltack

* Mary Waibel

* VB Tremper 

* Ally Shields

* Stephanie Sauvinet

* Theresa McClinton

* Lacey Wolfe

* Cate Peace

* Erin Danzer

* Catherine Cavendish

* Ellie Garratt

* Dani-Lyn Alexander

* Catherine Johnson

* Angela Brown

* Rebecca Enzor

* Amie Borst

* Sara Hubbard

* Christine Fonseca

Also, a SPECIAL THANKS to my AWESOME editor, Rhiannon Morgan! WOOT!

And, the following book blog sites:

Marissa and Michelle at Novels On the Run

Steph at FakeSteph.com

Sarah Elizabeth’s Bookshelf

Debbie at Snuggling On the Sofa

I’m Visiting SA Larsen Today!

I know I said I was on a blogging break–and I totally am–but wanted to pop in and tell you that YA/MG/PB author SA Larsen is hosting me on her blog today. Please check it out for info about me, my writing, Shifting Pride, and my upcoming YA dystopian, ENDURE!

I’d love to hear from you!

LINK TO SHERI’S POST

Some upcoming info:

Next Monday, I’ll have deets about Kimberly Ann Miller’s debut, TRIANGLES. I’m super excited for Kimmy. She’s written a FAB story!

I just got the final cover art for ENDURE, so might be giving all y’all a gander next week!!! SQUEEE!!!!!

(Looks like I can’t stay away even when I’m staying away, LOL!)

***hugs***