Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Straight Reading from the Library: Twinned Universes by Sandra Ulbrich Almazan

Thanks to Goddess Fish Promotions for bringing me yet another book to add to my growing TBR pile (my husband isn't as excited as I am!!)  And, this author has an awesome prize package prepared.  You can take your choice of a prize package consisting of two Shakespeare mugs, a Sears tower pendant, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space by Carl Sagan, and a signed copy of the first book in this series Lyon's Legacy (all of these items tie into Twinned Universes) or you can choose a $50 Amazon gift card. All you have to do is leave a comment either here or on any of the other tour stops you can find here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/02/blurb-blitz-tour-twinned-universes-by.html


READ THE BLURB


Paul Harrison always wanted to play Hamlet, but he never expected he’d live the role first.

In the aftermath of a family tragedy on 21st century Earth, Paul discovers he’s the clone of Sean Lyon, his great-great-grandfather and a famous TwenCen musician. Suspecting his mother’s death was no accident, Paul comes up with a plan to trick the answers out of the great-uncle who had him cloned. But in order to make his plan work, Paul needs help from Sean himself—and Sean’s time is running out in the TwenCen universe next door. Although Paul’s family lives on the spaceship that travels between the universes, he’s never been allowed on TwenCen Earth. Now, with the help of his friends, his disguise-creating holoprojectors, and a quantum quirk, Paul must make his way to Sean while evading other time travelers who fear he’ll change the history of the TwenCen universe. If Paul is to achieve justice, he must not only risk his own life, but the wormhole connecting the universes. “To be or not to be” was a simple question in comparison....


READ AN EXCERPT 

 Paul didn’t care what Dad thought; Great-Uncle Jack was the most promising suspect. He hated Mom, so he’d have no problem getting rid of her, especially if it made Paul more like Sean. How could Dad expect him to forget about the matter when it was his own fault? How could he expect Paul to do nothing? He’d be eighteen in a couple more months, old enough to handle responsibility. Maybe he would be useless with the genetic research, but there had to be something he could do. But what?

All I’m good at is acting, and that doesn’t matter out here. It’s no help being in space when Great-Uncle Jack is back on Earth. Paul broke down the cardboard boxes for composting. But maybe when I get back….

Hamlet had staged a reenactment of his father’s death to gauge his uncle’s guilt by his reaction. Perhaps Paul could do something similar. For a moment he pictured himself playing his own mother, accusing her uncle. The image made Paul smile, but he was too tall to play her convincingly. There was only one role he could manage, the most dangerous one.

If Paul proclaimed on returning to Earth that he was willing to become a Sean impersonator, Great-Uncle Jack would be so ecstatic he might let his guard slip. If he wanted Paul to write songs, he’d write one about his mother and play it for the world. Perhaps that would make Great-Uncle Jack confess. All Paul had to do was learn a role he could get trapped in.

 MEET THE AUTHOR

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan started reading at the age of three and only stops when absolutely required to. Although she hasn’t been writing quite that long, she did compose a very simple play in German during middle school. Her science fiction novella Move Over Ms. L. (an early version of Lyon’s Legacy) earned an Honorable Mention in the 2001 UPC Science Fiction Awards, and her short story “A Reptile at the Reunion” was published in the anthology Firestorm of Dragons. She is a founding member of BroadUniverse and a long-time member of the Online Writing Workshop for Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror. Her undergraduate degree is in molecular biology/English, and she has a Master of Technical and Scientific Communication degree. Her current day job is in the laboratory of an enzyme company; she’s also been a technical writer and a part-time copyeditor for a local newspaper. Some of her other accomplishments are losing on Jeopardy! and taking a stuffed orca to three continents. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband, Eugene; and son, Alex. In her rare moments of free time, she enjoys crocheting, listening to classic rock (particularly the Beatles), and watching improv comedy.

Sandra can be found online at her website, blog, Twitter, and Facebook. Upcoming projects from Sandra include a standalone fantasy story called “The Fighting Roses of Sharon”; Twinned Universes, the second book in the science fiction Catalyst Chronicles series; and Scattered Seasons, the first book in the fantasy Season Lords series.

Buy the book at 
Amazon                                                               B&N                                                       Smashwords 


10 comments:

  1. Thanks for hosting, Judith, and I hope you enjoy Twinned Universes!

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  2. How funny that there are Shakespeare mugs in the giveaway package. I celebrated Shakespeare's birthday yesterday with some sonnet reading. Since it's also National Poetry Month, I celebrated 2 occasions with 1 event!

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  3. Yes, it is quite an eclectic collection of prizes including a Sears Tower pendant.

    kareninnc at gmail dot com

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  4. Love the excerpt, thank you.

    Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

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  5. Nicely done, Catherine. The prizes tie in with the book. Paul is an actor and loves Shakespeare, and part of the book takes place in Chicago. Has anyone figured out the significance of the Sagan book yet?

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  6. Ha! Did you guys know it was talk like Shakespeare day yesterday? I had a jolly old time calling people funny and ridiculous Shakespeare names!

    andralynn7 AT gmail DOT com

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  7. Great excerpt!
    -Amber
    goodblinknpark(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

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  8. This sounds likean incredible series. It is the type of Sci-fi I enjoy

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