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Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Marked by K. A. Gandy - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hi, lovelies!!  It gives me great pleasure today to host K. A. Gandy and her new book, “Marked,” 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 $20 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with K. A. Gandy and to increase your chances of winning!!

Thanks for stopping by!!  Wishing you all lots of good luck in this fabulous giveaway!!

Marked

Populations Crumble: Resurgence Book Series

Book One

by K. A. Gandy

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GENRE:   YA Dystopian Romance

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BOOK BLURB:

On the run from the men who murdered her parents, there's only one way to save herself. Marriage to a genetically-matched stranger.

Demy has been on the run since she was thirteen years old. Mysterious men in black cloaks have been chasing her, and so far she's evaded them. Something, though, has changed since she turned eighteen. Their attempts to capture her have gotten closer and closer, until she's only got one option left: turning herself over to the NLC, for the compulsory marriage program.

She doesn't want to get married, but with her would-be captors on her heels, she's got no choice but to hope the NLC's strict security protocols will be a safe haven. Marriage is a small price to pay for her life, after all. And maybe, just maybe, she'll finally have the space to discover why she's being hunted.

***

Marked is a new entry point in the Populations Crumble world, but many familiar characters will be present from the original trilogy.

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EXCERPT THREE:

“Do you think one of the guys got here early? I already picked two of my three.” She does an excited little shoulder shimmy at the thought, but I want to run back to my room. I’m not ready to meet my guys, and I really hope we’ll get a little more time.

I still haven’t even opened the app. Though, if people are going to start showing up . . . I need to get on that. I trail behind Cammie and Leilani to the top of the grand staircase, and we only make it halfway down before a chipper, feminine voice calls out.

“Whassup, my ladies?!”

My head snaps up from the woven stair runner, and I see another blonde girl waiting in the middle of the foyer.

Cammie and Leilani both call out excited greetings, and I belatedly add a, “Hello,” to the mix.

We make it down into the foyer, and she’s bouncing on the balls of her feet like a boxer. Though, as a boxer I can’t imagine she’d do much. She’s maybe a hundred fifteen pounds soaking wet, short and delicate-looking in a slouchy green t-shirt, ripped jeans, and scuffed-up tennis shoes.

“My name’s Nell, and I’m joining you three for this round of matches! Have you guys met your dudes yet?”

“Uh, no? We just did all the medical exams this morning. The schedule in our e-planners says we have a week of training classes before the introductions,” Cammie answers, mirroring Nell’s peppy tone.

A week before any guys show up? Oh, thank God.

“Okay, so the fun is just beginning, nice!”

“Uhm, have you done this before or something?” Leilani asks.

“Oh, yeah. Couple years ago, now. But, uh, things didn’t work out.” She shrugs one shoulder blithely, but doesn’t offer any other explanation. “So, this is round two for me. Sucks I couldn’t have gotten here after the boring classes, though.” Nell rolls her eyes dramatically.

“So, what was it like?” I blurt the question, suddenly needing to know everything, while simultaneously afraid to hear what she has to say.

“Which part? The matching? The honeymoons? The breakup?”

“The matching—let’s start with that,” Leilani cuts in, anxiety ratcheting her voice up to a higher register than usual, and for a moment, I feel a sense of camaraderie. We’re all going through this roller coaster of unease and unknown.

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GUEST POST:

Writing When You're Facing Burnout

Friends, whether you're a writer or not, if you're an adult in the 21st century, I'm willing to bet you've faced burnout at one point or another in your life. Whether it was pandemic restrictions, your first (or worst) job, the daily struggles of parenthood, or the words that just won't come . . . we've all been there.

The question is, as that adult with responsibilities—and an author, with a book due to the editor!—what do you do about it? Let's talk about that.

I hit burnout hard last summer. I had a book due for a pre-order, my Pre-K kiddo home from school for the first time ever, a two-year-old also home full time, and we'd just moved. Boxes and paint cans were still piled in almost every closet, dinner was takeout more often than not, and the words just wouldn't come, for love nor money. Oh, and our en suite bathroom was under construction, meaning everything in my room was coated in an inescapable layer of dust.

Fun times. Not.

First of all, we're going straight for the jugular. Self-honesty. What is causing you to burn out? If you're struggling to make it through the day, you're going to need to take a really honest look at your life, priorities, obligations, and stress levels. Is there one thing, or one group of things, that are causing you stress? Are you getting enough sleep? Is your day job soul-sucking? Are you burning the candle at both ends, and, as my husband likes to add, in the middle? Whatever the cause, it's okay to admit it. It's okay to be honest with yourself about how something is taking much more from you than it's giving back. If we can't be honest with ourselves about that, we can't find a way forward. And we need a way forward.

If you're able to come up with the what/why, let's move on to what's next. You're going to need some rest, most likely. Whether that's couch time, nature time, active time (let's say you LOVE EXERCISE, but even you can't drag yourself to the gym at 4 AM before your soul-crushing job starts), or just some good old-fashioned heads-down freewriting time is up to you. What makes you feel charged up? Energetic, and ready to face the day? How can you incorporate more of that into your life today, even if it's literally five minutes?

A few things that refill my well (as examples, not a prescription) are below.

Introvert activities:

- Reading a good novel

- Re-reading an old favorite, if none of the new options are drawing me in

- Going for a walk, alone or with only the dog.

- A nice soak in a bath or hot tub

- A walk on the beach while the sun sets

- Meditation or stretching

Extrovert activities:

- A girls' day out with my bestie (can be any activity or lack thereof you desire)

- A date night with my husband

- A fun activity with the kids, such as the zoo, park, etc where I don't have to entertain them myself

- Yoga Class

But, Gandy, I don't have time for any of that! Didn't you get the message—I'm exhausted?!

It's painful, but if you want to get out of the burnout, something has to change. Even if all you have is the five minutes you're laying in bed before your eyes close, I want you to try to do something in those five minutes. Whether that's read, bake, re-watch trashy tv, or simply closing your manuscript for the weekend (or week days, if those are the hectic ones). It's okay to prioritize yourself, your health, and your mental health. I'm going to say that again, in case you don't have someone in your life to tell you that as often as you should hear it, are you ready? It's okay to prioritize yourself, your health, and your mental health.

If you really don't know where to start at all, I challenge you to five minutes of stretching. You can choose whether that's first thing after waking, or last thing before bed.

For me, last summer, I had to realize that some days, there wouldn't be words. That was a hard pill to swallow, but trying to wring words out of an exhausted brain only made me feel guilty and more stuck. It also meant cooking easier, less complicated meals at night, and encouraging the kids to spend at least an hour outside every day. I also gave myself permission to read, guilt-free, for an hour every single weeknight after my husband was home from work to take care of the kids. Small changes, but they really helped me get through that stressful time and start the momentum back in the right direction.

Wherever you start, give yourself grace, and remember that this is a process. Realizing that your job isn't a good fit isn't something that will likely be resolved overnight. Realizing you've got a HUGE, TERRIFYING PLOT HOLE might take some serious noodling to work through. Breathe. You didn't fall down the rabbit hole in a day, and you likely won't hop out in one, either.

Okay, what's next?

This is the part where we keep putting one, grace-filled foot in front of the other every day. Keep building the things that refill your well into your life. Keep working to change those things that drain it, as the energy comes back and you're up to tackling them. Open your manuscript, and write the next sentence, paragraph, page. Whatever you're able to do, when you sit down to do it.

If you're a writer and you find yourself with the energy to delve further into the topic, Becca Syme's book "Dear Writer, Are You in Burnout?" helped me immensely with building my own list of well-filling activities, as did finding a supportive group of other authors to talk about the struggles and joys of this career we've chosen. Being an author can be very isolating, and talking to other people on the same path as you (rather that's parenthood, entrepreneurship, or an author caree—it still applies) can lighten the mental load significantly.

Whatever is causing your burnout, you're not alone, and you can turn it around. One step at a time.

Love and Books,

K. A. Gandy

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AUTHOR BIO:

K. A. Gandy was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, and is married with two kids. She has worked as a restaurant hostess, library book shelver, ranch hand, tour guide, Realtor, tech whiz, landlord, and small business consultant, all in addition to pursuing her passion of writing. She likes to write late in the evenings and thinks drinking hot tea and baking great cookies fuels hopes and dreams. If you would like to find more of her works, you can sign up for her newsletter at https://www.subscribepage.com/kagandy. You can also get updates on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KAGandyAuthor. I’ve also recently started a facebook group for readers, who enjoy YA Dystopian books, and am available by email at kagandyauthor@gmail.com as well, if you’d ever like to drop me a line directly!

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CONNECT WITH K. A. GANDY:

Website:

https://kagandy.com

Newsletter:

https://www.subscribepage.com/kagandy

Email:

kagandyauthor@gmail.com

Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/KAGandyAuthor

Facebook Group – YA Dystopian Romance Book Lovers:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/yadystopianromancebooklovers

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20945272.K_A_Gandy

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63883204-marked

Amazon Author Page:

https://amzn.to/3z88sUP

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AMAZON BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon US Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/3KaC3Dv

Amazon US Paperback:

https://amzn.to/3LQZEKL

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

https://www.amazon.ca/Marked-Dystopian-Adventure-Populations-Resurgence-ebook/dp/B0BD69239C

Amazon CA Paperback:

https://www.amazon.ca/Marked-Dystopian-Adventure-Populations-Resurgence/dp/1956423125

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

K. A. Gandy will be awarding a $20 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

**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.

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