5 Reasons to Write Dystopian Novels

I consider myself an eclectic writer in that the genres for the stories I’ve written tend to vary, from romance, science-fiction, dystopian, political thriller, paranormal, adult, young adult, and chick-it. In fact, my first novel, Enigma Black, is four of those aforementioned genres all rolled into one. But, if you were to hold me down, kicking and screaming, after careful thought, I would tell you that the increasingly-popular dystopian genre is by far my favorite type of novel to write. Why? I’m glad you asked because I just so happen to have five reasons why I prefer to write dystopian novels:

1.  Better world building. A dystopian setting offers a literal world of possibilities. Whether your literary world is governed by anarchy, oppression, a disease that forces its  inhabitants to live in seclusion, forced pairings, or generalized fear, the dystopian genre allows you more of a creative liberty (in my opinion) to multiply the darkest fears buried in the deepest recesses of your mind and bring them to life on paper.

2.  More kick-butt female protagonists. From Katniss in The Hunger Games to Tris in Divergent, dystopian novels are rife with strong female main characters who make wonderful role models for young women, and have more honorable traits for others to emulate, such fearlessness and strength (as opposed to selfishness and a dependence upon others to save the day).

3.  Because rainbows and sunshine get old. I, for one, don’t want to read a novel where everything is hunky-dory all of the time nor do I always want there to be a happy, sugar-coated ending. I want there to be tension; I want to feel a sense of impending doom amidst a world I can’t seem to figure out. And you get all of that in the dystopian genre, making it one of the more exciting genres to both read and write.

4.  You can stack other genres on top of it. There is so much more you can work into a dystopian novel. You can have an epic romance, an alien invasion, a political thriller, or even a horror story (think zombies), all set within a dystopian environment. Really, the world’s your oyster when it comes to the dystopian genre, allowing you to be a tad more creative with less restrictions than some of the other genres impose.

5.   Heroes rise from oppression. One of the things I love most about the dystopian genre is the ultimate banding together of those who oppose it. Alliances are made, heroes are born, and a darn good story usually ensues as a result.

 I recently took part in a blog tour with RABT Readers. The following are just some of the reviews that Enigma Black garnered during that tour:

 

http://readingaddictionvbtreviews.blogspot.com/2013/05/review-wrap-up-enigma-black-by-sara.html

http://mustreadfaster.blogspot.com/2013/05/blog-tour-and-guest-post-enigma-black.html

http://faerietalebooks.org/2013/05/02/enigma-black-by-sara-furlong-burr-enigma-black-1/

Excerpt From Enigma Black

The automatic door was now more manual than automatic. I banged on it with my fists, attempting to do the job the explosion had been unable to accomplish. When that failed, I braced a leg on one side of the frame and, with my aching arms, attempted to pry the door open like a human crow-bar. No luck. After a couple more minutes of kicking, smacking and invariably flipping the door off, I realized that what I was doing was not going to work. Undeterred, I scanned the rubble for an idea. A piece of scaffolding stuck out like a sore thumb within the concrete. Lunging towards it, I prayed it would be suitable to pry the door open. Just as I bent down to grab it, I felt one hand on my shoulder and another one around my waist, attempting to pull me back.

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” A man whirled me around to face him. His eyes were wild, his hair gray from soot. He appeared to be a security guard or an officer of some sort. It was too hard to tell based on what was left of his tattered uniform. “There’s nothing left. Do you hear me? The ramp is gone. You’re going to get yourself killed trying to go out there.”

Even though I heard the words he spoke, they made absolutely no sense to me. What did he mean when he said the ramp was gone? It had been there just twenty minutes ago. Deciding that the good officer must be crazy, I broke away from him and proceeded onward in my quest to pry the door open, grabbing the piece of scaffolding from its concrete tomb.

“No!” he screamed at me again, lunging to restrain me.

I’d had enough. As much as I didn’t want to do it, I felt like I had no other option but to disable the officer, as reasoning with him was clearly not going to work. Raising my arm, I forcibly swung it back, striking him in the chest. The force of my elbow to his rib cage caused him to release his grip on me enough to where I was able to break away. Once free, I whirled around, swiftly kicking him in the legs as hard as I could in the hope that it would incapacitate him long enough for me to pry the door open.

Fetching the metallic bar from the rubble, I jammed it between the seal and the frame of the doorway, pushing it with all my strength. At first, it put up an admirable fight, but after several solid jabs it finally conceded defeat, slowly squeaking open. Smoke — thicker and black in color — poured into the store from the outside, sending me into another coughing fit. Holding my breath, I gave the bar a few more solid pushes until enough room opened up for me to squeeze my entire body through the door. Through the clouds of smoke, I took off down the crumpled concrete. In the suffocating fog, snowflakes stabbed my face like tiny daggers, grinding salt in my wounds.

My eyes worked to focus in the direction I’d left my parents’ vehicle. I walked carefully down the pavement, looking for the familiar sight of the garage. I should have been there by now; this walk was taking entirely too long. The smoky haze slowly became less and less dense the further out I walked until a wayward gust of wind blew past me, punching a hole into the unknown. What it revealed was a scene I hadn’t expected.

Instead of the familiar ramp, I found myself standing on the edge of a ledge with the rest of the city spread out before me. Sirens surrounded me. I shielded my ears with my bloodied hands. A strange sound approaching from above drew my attention to the helicopter that was circling the mall. The hurricane-force wind it generated pushed my broken body in all directions. Did I take a wrong turn? Was I that disoriented?

No, I wasn’t. This was where I’d left my parents and Jacob. They had been right here waiting for me. A thought occurred to me then; a thought that rendered my delicate stomach as fragile as an egg shell. Taking in a deep breath, I staggered to the edge of the cliff, peering over the edge to see what I had feared and somehow already knew would be there.

Tear Stained Beaches-Blog Tour

The wonderful and talented Courtney Giardina's debut novel Tear Stained Beaches is now available at Amazon! I just picked up my copy and am excited to begin reading it!

Here is the synopsis:

Haylie Julian wants nothing more than to put her crumbling marriage back together. Chase used to be a fun-loving, light hearted husband who had lately become an overworked attorney obsessed with climbing the corporate ladder. It isn’t long before Haylie starts waking up next to a man she barely knows. His secretive phone calls and late nights at the office leave her feeling alone and afraid of what he might be hiding. Ignoring his continuous pleas to just leave well enough alone, she continues to dig for answers and discovers a heartbreaking truth.

Struggling with what she has just learned, Haylie sets off to a quaint little North Carolina beach town to decide if her marriage can survive. It isn’t long after she arrives that her world is once again turned upside down as Chase’s secret stares her right in the face.

Tear Stained Beaches explores what happens when a marriage isn't the happily-ever-after you thought it was. Can trust be rebuilt? Can a wife forgive the ultimate betrayal?

 

As part of the blog tour, Courtney has generously provided me with an excerpt from Tear Stained Beaches.  Enjoy!

Tear Stained Beaches Excerpt

The sun was just about to set over the water. I took off my flip-flops and walked along the edge of the sand where it met the waves of the ocean. It was funny; the entire drive to Kettlewood Island I hadn’t cried a single tear. I was angrier than anything. Angry about how someone could throw their marriage away and hurt someone they claimed to love. During dinner, I was so focused on getting food in my stomach, it blocked out most of the pain, but now, now it was quiet. People were coming out of their hotels and beach-houses for some nightly entertainment, but the noise was reduced to a murmur as the sound of the ocean drowned them out.

I didn’t notice the chill of the water as it grazed over my feet, as I was lost in the scenery. I stopped and watched as the sun met the ocean, and the sky burned with hues of red and orange. As the sun lowered into the ocean, and I breathed in the salty air, my vision blurred. My tears flowed freely, wetting my cheeks as the ocean had my feet. I hated myself for still loving him. After everything he’d done; how could I still love him? I stood there and stared, engraining the image into my mind until the sun just about disappeared from the horizon. It left just enough light to guide me home.

That sunset confirmed that even though I couldn’t see it now, all the hope in life was not gone. There was still beauty left in this world, and even if I had to crawl, and be dragged on my knees for a while before I had the strength to stand, I would stand again. That is what I was here for. To find out who I was, what I wanted out of life, and what it would take for me to get there. I needed to understand what was happening to me, to my marriage, and whether or not it was worth fighting for.

Take Two Publishing is running a contest for anyone who leaves a review of Tear Stained Beaches on Amazon from now until Sunday, March 31. The prize is a Tear Stained Beaches themed gift basket! All you have to do is send an email to courtney@taketwopublishing.com and let her know that you left a review.

Get your copy today for only $2.99!
 

FREEBIE ALERT

 
Hi everyone!  I'm running a free promotion for Enigma Black through Amazon KDP Select beginning February 22 through February 25.  The last time I did this, I received nearly 2,000 downloads.  I'm hoping to top that this time around.  Enigma Black has received 22 awesome reviews on Amazon.com.  Hope you all check it out!

Putting on the Big Author Panties/My Favorite Review Thus Far

I posted this as a rant on my Facebook page, and decided to share it on my blog as well.

 

The following review came in this morning on Amazon and Goodreads and had me sweating bullets ever since I noticed that the blogger had marked Enigma Black as “currently reading” on Goodreads. Why was I so anxious? This blogger is known for her brutally honest reviews. In fact, her reviews are so honest that authors whose books she didn’t care for began seeking retribution against her on her we...bsite, giving her books (yes, she’s an author, too) negative reviews even though they’ve never read them. As an author, this behavior by fellow authors sickens me. For starters, you never, ever comment on a poor review (no matter how much it bothers you) and you most definitely never act like a middle schooler and take your frustrations out on someone purely because they were expressing their own opinion. After all, isn’t that what we indie authors are looking for, an honest, unbiased opinion of our work? It irritates me that this particular blogger has had to hide her identity from the public just so she can safely review the books that she PAID for. This just goes to show you that not everyone is ready to hear the truth. Heck, even traditionally published books receive poor reviews. Take any of the Harry Potter books, for example. Do a search on Amazon and I’ll guarantee you that you won’t find a single book in that series that doesn’t have at least one 1* review. “Well, that reviewer must be crazy,” you say. No. It’s just that the book didn’t resonate with them. And that’s completely okay. Just because someone goes against the grain and gives their honest opinion on how THEY feel about a book doesn’t give anyone the liberty to go batshit crazy on them. After all, as indies we have a hard enough time finding reviews and readers for our books. Let’s not taint that further by acting unprofessional.

And, yes, I would still have made this rant even if this blogger had hated Enigma Black.  And, no, I've never spoken to this blogger before, nor do I know who she is, but I'm going to take her up on her offer to contact her on her blog's FB page.

Here is the review from blogger evilicious whose blog is called The Good, The Bad and the Ugly:

"Obviously - given my rating - I love this book. I was torn between a 4 and a 5 star.

I am leaning toward a 5 star but there were a few issues for me that made it a 4 star. Mind you - I LOVED the story overall.

THE GOOD:

The plot was brilliant, and totally sucked me in. I love stories that are pure escapism - and this was one of those. There were plenty of twists and turns (which I love) . Some were predictable but others weren't. I was not expecting what happened in the last few chapters at all - well I kind of was - but I thought it would involve a different character.

The characters are well drawn, and relatable, the story flowed nicely and was well written. A few minor editing issues, but I have seen worse in traditionally published books.

BTW - ending was a cliff-hanger. You figure this out as you get toward the end of the book so it's not jarring, and it's not the sort of cliffhanger that annoys the crap out of you. Actually I started to worry the author was going to sell herself short (for purely selfish reasons) leading up to the climax, and that it would be a complete read.(Phew!)

THE BAD:

Overall I loved the story but it took me a bit to get into for two reasons (but then BAM! Suddenly I was zooming through the pages like nothing else). The dialogue was overly lengthy at some points and was slightly 'off' character if that makes sense, at times. I guess it was sometimes a little formal compared to the narrative. I think there should have been a little more world building to help readers suspend disbelief *SPOILER ALERT (sort of) a nationwide curfew is imposed and I kind of went 'WTF - as if! It would take a lot more than that' , so strengthening this earlier in the story would help, though as I got further into the book there was more to back this up and strengthen it END (the-sort-of-spoiler) ALERT *

There were also a couple of areas where the wording didn't work. One that comes to mind is 'few' meaning three, but the author used it to mean two. Little things like that suck me out of a story.

IN FACT - I think the author might want to do one final edit, taking some of my points into account, and those of other reviewers as I have a feeling this one will rocket up the Kindle charts as word gets out! And we all know how nasty some reviewers can be when a book suddenly gains popularity. (Note to author, feel free to contact me via my FB page if you would like more clarification - I really do think you are onto something here and you should be proud of your achievement. [...] Being an author myself (and no dear reader - I am not about to tastelessly link my books - or even my author name) I understand how easy it is for these things to slip through in the editing process.

THE UGLY:

Nothing - because despite my few issues (I like to show both sides) this is a brilliant story that sucked me in and the issues obviously weren't enough to stop me reading. In fact I couldn't read it fast enough. An absolute page turner that kept me up late into the - er - morning, and one I wouldn't be surprised to see snapped up by movie producers in the near future. First time I ever said THAT about an indie book!"

Brought to you by Evilicious Book Reviews: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Review of Enigma Black from K.A. Perkins

REVIEW - ENIGMA BLACK by SARA FURLONG-BURR

K A Perkins: Posted on 31 December 2012 15:45

There has been a series of bombings across the USA, perpetrated by 'The Man in Black', and Celaine's family has been caught up in one of the most devastating, changing Celaine's life irrevocably. This is powerful and emotive storytelling and we are drawn into Celaine's world from the start as she tries to put her life back together. The trauma to Celaine's life is mirrored in the changes to the USA as the country and all it stands for.is broken by these relentless attacks and the USA descends into dictatorship. But who is 'The Man in Black'? How does he single-handedly bring down a democracy such as the US? And how can he be stopped? Celaine will have to work this out once she is 'selected' to join a secret government agency created to do just that. This is exciting, fast-paced, action-packed and at times humorous and heart-breaking. The Science Fiction elements sound plausible and well thought through and Celaine is a great main character – resourceful, sarcastic, loyal and caring with a great wit and all the doubts any one of us entertain at one time or another. – and it is impossible not to empathise with her. I'm very much looking forward to the next book in the series. Look out for an interview with the author, Sara Furlong-Burr, coming soon. Enigma Black is available from: Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Enigma-Black-ebook/dp/B00ABVO2ZC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1356968526&sr=1-1 or Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Enigma-Black-ebook/dp/B00ABVO2ZC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356968429&sr=8-1&keywords=enigma+black

Review-Growing Disenchantments by K.D. Berry

As a writer, it's also important to read as much as you can.  Not only is it entertaining, but you can also learn a few things from other author's writing styles.  I recently participated in a review swap with author Kevin Berry.  Mr. Berry co-writes medieval humor with Diane Berry.  The pair have two books available on Amazon.com: Growing Disenchantments and Dragons Away.  For my review, I selected Growing Disenchantments, and am glad I did.  It is one of the most humorous, well-written stories I've read in a long time.  And the dialogue is pretty amazing as well. 

Here is my review posted on Amazon.com and Goodreads:

There is much to be said about Growing Disenchantments by K.D. Berry, but to sum it all up in one word, I would call it brilliant. Growing Disenchantments is a humorous medieval drama that follows several main and supporting characters, including Ragonnard, a sorcerer who has his sights set on obtaining an amulet worn by fellow sorcerer Syranax, whose soul has been trapped in a painting for the better part of five hundred years. Ragonnard believes he knows the spell to obtain the amulet from the painting without disturbing Syranax. To aid him in his pursuit, Ragonnard recruits the assistance of Ganfrey, a thief whom he catches after she breaks into his home. After successfully stealing the painting from the palace where it's kept, Ragonnard casts a spell to obtain the amulet. However, not only does his spell free the amulet he desires, it also freed Syranax, too. Syranax, arguably the most powerful sorcerer of his time, immediately traps Ragonnard in the painting and  proceeds on a quest for retribution from those who imprisoned him, using his magic to take over the kingdom from the unassuming, child-like King Credos.

An unlikely group of characters including Ragonnard, Ganfrey, Lautrec, the head of palace security; Dewdrop, King Credos' trusted sorcerer/advisor; Velasco, Dewdrop's family and constant thorn in his side; time traveler, Ned Merrivel; and Desquartz, a palace gargoyle who becomes animated by one of Syranax's spells rally together in a bid to regain control of the kingdom and banish Syranax once and for all.

Growing Disenchantments is chock full of action and drama, but it's the brilliant and witty humor that makes it a must read. It's a story that doesn't take itself too seriously with puns abound, especially at the expense of palace guards Fowid and Holt and numerous other instances including Ragonnard's animated windows being "paned" and the broom's "bristling". There's also a very humorous instance where, after having been animated, gargoyle Desquartz seeks the use of the facilities to wash away years' worth of bird poop that has accumulated on him.

In all, Growing Disenchantments is nicely paced with very unique and likeable characters who set aside their differences in the pursuit of righting wrong. There's also a bit of a love story for us women folk, too. I highly recommend this book to everyone as I believe it will appeal to a broad range of readers and am looking Fowid :-) to reading other works by K.D. Berry.

Growing Disenchantments can be purchased here:  http://www.amazon.com/Growing-Disenchantments-ebook/dp/B008F5DQTE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1357106822&sr=8-2&keywords=Growing+Disenchantments