Fabricated
by Nicole Givens Kurtz
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GENRE: SciFi Mystery
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BOOK BLURB:
Cybil Lewis, a private inspector in futuristic D.C., now The District, begrudgingly works with the Territory Alliance agents to track down an escaped violator, Nico Mars. Almost immediately, Cybil is tossed into the District's gritty underbelly of political ambition, drugs, and betrayal. This case will take her and Jane deep into the reaches of The District's notorious Sector 12, where life is cheap and currency is king. When her investigation leads back to those responsible for protecting citizens, Cybil discovers she's in danger. She's reminded once again that everything can be fabricated.
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EXCERPT ONE:
Lynn sighed in dramatic fashion. “She’s been following the stories in the news files about you for months.”
Agent Winsome yanked down her jacket. “Not just months. Two major political and high-profile cases solved within this last year. I still remember the governor’s case with the souped-up hatchling serum, The Change, a while back. Right?”
“Yeah. Right.” My mouth tasted like I’d been chewing leftover tofu. The Change had destroyed the love of my life, introduced me to Trey, and cast me into the spotlight. “Look, agents–”
“I have been following your career since I joined the T.A.,” Agent Winsome said. “I admire trendsetters in the field, blazing paths for us to follow.”
Did she just call me old?
Well, I was waxing poetic about my wisdom and age. What bothered me more was the contradiction. Didn’t she come in talking about my rudeness and flair for firing my laser gun at folks? But now, with forked tongue, Agent Winsome admired my work?
This whole thing reeked like the Atlantic Ocean’s contaminated banks or the Sector 10 sewer system.
As if to fill the silence, Agent Winsome rushed forward. “But, you’re the best P.I. in The District. That’s why we want you.”
Agent Winsome’s round face remained closed off but attempted to be professional. My concern locked on to Lynn. No way she believed a word of the newer agent’s words.
That made two of us.
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GUEST POST:
Cybil’s CyberFUNK Playlist
Music and books have been my refuge from the world’s awfulness since I was a young girl. One of my favorite cyberpunk anime is Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C,, but before that I loved Cowboy Bebop. The opening song for Cowboy Bebop is “Tank”, a jazzy and lively song that embodies the theme and atmosphere of the anime. It was the first time I realized that music can embody and convey the mood of a story.
When writing Fabricated: A Cybil Lewis SF Mystery novel, there’s a certain feel and mood that permeates through the series. The genre of the novel is science fiction and mystery but the sub-genre is cyberpunk. By its definition, cyberpunk is “a genre of science fiction set in a lawless subculture of an oppressive society dominated by computer technology.”-Dictionary.com. Thus the music tends to be a bit broody and haunting.
To keep myself immersed in the atmosphere and in the world of The District, I listen to the following playlist. It’s titled Cybil’s CyberFUNK.
Songs:
Tank! Written by Yoko Kanno and performed by The Seatbelts
Dark Will Fall by Bonobo featuring Jacob Lusk
All We Do by Oh Wonder
Tokyo by RM of BTS
Bird of the Night by Tomorrow By Together
Hurricane by Thirty Seconds to Mars
Island of Souls by Sting
Bury a Friend by Billie Eilish
The Definition of Ugly by The Rose
Screen Time by Epik High featuring Hoshi of SEVENTEEN
Battlecry by Nujabes featuring Shino02
Inner Universe by Yoko Kanno featuring Origa
When the Angels Fall by Sting
It’s Probably Me by Sting
FastLove by George Michael
Like a Stone by Audioslave
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AUTHOR BIO & LINKS:
Nicole Givens Kurtz has been called “a genre polymath who does crime, horror, and Science Fiction and Fantasy (Book Riot).” They’ve named her as one of the 6 Black SFF Indie Writers You Should be Reading, 30 Must-Read SFF Books by Black Authors, and The Best of the West: 8 Alternative History Westerns (Sisters of the Wild Sage). She’s a two-time Atomacon Palmetto Scribe Award winner. With over 20 years in publishing, She’s written for Pseudopod, Apex, Fiyah, White Wolf, The Realm, Baen, Subsume, and MV Media. Nicole has over 50 published short stories, including her story, “The Way Home,” in Marvel®’s Captain America: The Shield of Sam Wilson anthology from Titan Books. Nicole is the author of the Cybil Lewis and Death Violations cybernoir series as well as the Kingdom of Aves fantasy mystery series.
She has conducted workshops for Writer’s Digest Online, Clarion West online, SAGA, and is the owner of Mocha Memoirs Press. She’s the editor for the groundbreaking SLAY: Stories of the Vampire Noire and co-editor of Blackened Roots: An Anthology of the Undead anthology. Nicole is professional level member of SFWA and HWA. You can find her at www.nicolegivenskurtz.net.
Social Media Platforms:
Instagram - @mochamemoirspress
TikTok - @mochamemoirspress
BlueSky - @ nicolegkurtz.bsky.social
Facebook - facebook.com/nicolegkurtz
Buy Nicole a coffee at Ko-fi/nicolegkurtz
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GIVEAWAY:
Nicole will be awarding a $20 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner.
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