Hi, lovelies!! It gives me great pleasure today to host Larissa Soehn and her new book, “The Defender,” here on FAB!! For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.
Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Larissa and to increase your chances of winning!!
Thanks for stopping by!! Wishing you all lots of good luck in this fabulous giveaway!!
The Defender
by Larissa Soehn
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GENRE: Sci-Fi / Fantasy
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BLURB:
A woman battling depression and anxiety finds herself trapped in her own life, but when an alien device rips her away from Earth, she is forced to fulfill an impossible role and save the galaxies from destruction.
On Earth, Alexia Harmon is a mother and wife, but in a foreign galaxy, she is so much more. Torn away from her family, Alex is in an epic battle to escape from Gatlin and return to Earth. But little does Alex know, Gatlin is on the verge of destruction. The galaxy faces annihilation; a prophetic doom that was set in motion thousands of years ago.
Alex struggles to stay alive as she fights against an alien government that is trying to kill her, a species of genetically engineered creatures that are hell bent on her destruction, and the demons of her own mind that threaten to overthrow her. Join Alexia Harmon as she works to fulfill her role as THE DEFENDER.
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EXCERPT TWO:
With Stellie’s last words still hanging in the air, the lights go out and Alex is slammed into darkness. Immediately, her mind begins to race, and she can feel the panic rising in her stomach, starting to choke her throat. Darkness has always been a weak point for her. It’s the moment where she is left alone with only her thoughts to keep her company. With a strangled feeling in her chest, she manages a breath, and then another.
The darkness stretches on for longer than Alex thought possible. There is no noise from the aliens in the crowd; there is only black. The darkness begins to press in on her as if she is being compressed, her breathing becomes more rapid, and she begins to feel sweat bead on her forehead. She can feel a panic attack coming on, something she frequently experiences, but they still have the ability to leave her paralyzed, unable to make decisions or do anything to help herself.
Breathe, Alex, just breathe, she says to herself. She crouches down to place her hands on the ground and puts her head between her knees. She can feel the ground beneath her vibrate lightly, but she knows enough not to trust her senses right now. Panic attacks allow her mind to play tricks on her, altering the way her surroundings look and feel, taking everything that is real and skewing it into something negative, something scary. Her steady breathing starts to return, and the panic attack is narrowly avoided. What is going on? Has something gone wrong with the test? Alex thinks to herself.
Just as the thought enters her mind, a very faint light starts to appear in the far corner of the room. She stares at the light, unsure if her mind is playing tricks on her. As she stares, the light grows brighter, illuminating one of the tables she saw when she first entered the room. With a curiosity that she cannot control, she moves to a standing position and starts to take a tentative step forward.
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GUEST POST:
Reasons Why You Should Read My Book
Writing The Defender was fun and exciting, but reading it is even better. Here is a behind-the-scenes look at the work that went into the book.
While writing the book, I was suffering from a severe episode of depression. Writing was my ability to escape from reality and dive into something otherworldly. Despite being at a hard time in my life, the book shows a strong female character, but she has her own set of flaws. Like me, Alexia Harmon suffers from anxiety and depression, but she proves the world wrong and becomes more than what her own mind tells her she is.
Naming
my characters was a lot of fun. I used my three-year-old daughter to help me
come up with the names of the aliens. I would come to a place in the book where
a new character would wander in, and I would have to pause and ask her for a
new name. A few of my favourites are Rickert and Veela. Rickert is her
imaginary best friend, and Veela is now the name of our fish!
I wrote for nearly eight hours a day. Sounds crazy, right? I was off work at the time, and a lot of my time was being spent watching tv or doing other very unproductive things. At first, I started writing the book as if it were a game. My husband and I make and sell mystery games (kind of like escape room games), and I started writing The Defender as a game. At some point, I still may venture into turning the book into a game, but that would come after books two and three are published.
Speaking of books two and three, I wrote all the books in six months. It was like the story was built up inside of me. It poured out of my fingers onto the computer. I distinctly remember writing the ending of book two while sitting around the campfire while on a special camping trip with my family. I wrote in so many different places like Starbucks, the library, my parents, camping, and even in Mexico.
I hope you get a chance to read the book and enjoy knowing some of these behind-the-scenes facts.
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AUTHOR BIO:
Larissa Soehn is a budding new author from the cozy city of Red Deer, Alberta, where she lives with her husband, daughter, two cats and a dog. She started this journey as a recovery method for severe depression. She found that creative writing helped her process her emotions and work through the struggles of depression. As a child, Larissa enjoyed writing and telling stories, a passion that has recently reignited inside of her. Currently she is working to finalize the Gatlin Series, as well as publish a series of children's books to help families discuss the importance of mental health, amongst other social issues facing children today. Larissa is an advocate for mental health and uses her personal experiences to help others work through their struggles. She uses social media platforms to help spread her message and give people permission to speak up and speak out.
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CONNECT WITH LARISSA:
Website:
Facebook – Fan Page:
https://www.facebook.com/LarissaSoehnAuthor
Facebook – Personal Page:
https://www.facebook.com/larissa.soehn
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/larissa_soehn
Goodreads Author Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21998189.Larissa_Soehn
Goodreads Book Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59617805-the-defender
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BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon US Kindle eBook:
Amazon US Paperback:
Amazon US Hardcover:
Amazon CA Kindle eBook:
https://www.amazon.ca/Defender-Larissa-Soehn-ebook/dp/B09LRVKC57
Amazon CA Paperback:
https://www.amazon.ca/Defender-Larissa-Soehn/dp/0228866030
Amazon CA Hardcover:
https://www.amazon.ca/Defender-Larissa-Soehn/dp/0228866049
Apple Books eBook:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-defender/id1595487361
Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-defender-larissa-soehn/1140523152?ean=2940165085475
Barnes and Noble Paperback:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-defender-larissa-soehn/1140523152?ean=9780228866039
Barnes and Noble Hardcover:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-defender-larissa-soehn/1140523152?ean=9780228866046
Book Depository Paperback:
https://www.bookdepository.com/Defender-Larissa-Soehn/9780228866039
Book Depository Hardcover:
https://www.bookdepository.com/Defender-Larissa-Soehn/9780228866046
Books-A-Million Paperback:
https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Defender/Larissa-Soehn/9780228866039
Books-A-Million Hardcover:
https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Defender/Larissa-Soehn/9780228866046
Kobo US eBook:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-defender-31
Kobo CA eBook:
https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-defender-31
Smashwords eBook:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1115119
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Larissa will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those fabulous community outreach projects and awesome giveaways on here**
This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions. Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteI love the cover and think the book sounds really interesting.
ReplyDelete