Straight Chatting from the Library - The Leviathan Chronicles: The Last Stand at Aeprion by James Mascia

James Mascia will be awarding 5 copies of the ebook in either mobi or epub formats to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click the tour banner to find the rest of the stops.

READ THE INTERVIEW

What is your favorite book today?

My favorite books today would have to be the Percy Jackson series of books, along with the follow-up series The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan. Ten books about the modern day demi- gods. These books are awesome and are a great read if you like the old Greek Myths. These books are also a great way to introduce those same myths to a younger audience. I feel like Rick Riordan did an excellent job on these books and really knows his stuff when it comes to this subject.

Favorite book to recommend?

This would be the same answer. Whenever someone I know is looking for something to read, I will pull out my copy of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief and I will hand it to them. Sometimes people take it. Sometimes they don’t.

Now, I am also an avid comic book/graphic novel reader. So, when people are looking for something in this genre, I will tell them they have to read Batman: No Man’s Land. It is what The Dark Knight Rises is loosely based on (and I do mean loosely). It is about Gotham City being exiled from the United States to fend for itself and what happens as a result. It is hands-down, the best Batman storyline I have ever read.

E-Reader or print? and why?

I honestly have to say I prefer print. I feel so much better when I’m reading an actual book. I guess I’m old school that way. However, I do have a Kindle, and these days, because I move about so much, and because it is more convenient to take rather than a couple of full-length novels, I end up reading much more on the Kindle than in actual paper.

How do you keep your books organized?

Sadly, at this time, I have almost no organizational method. While I have enough books to rival a used bookstore, most of them at this time are in boxes. When I can finally get a house big enough to house my library, I will have them all on shelves. Then, I still don’t know how I will organize them.

Tel l us about your current book in 10 words.

Man makes promise to wife to find lost world. (HA! Beat you… that was only 9!)

Favorite genre?

My favorite genre is sci-fi. I love all the stuff with spaceships and aliens, and technology running afoul. I read so much in this genre, and I love writing it too. As a writer, you know you can literally do anything in this genre, because it lends itself to coming up with original ideas that no one has ever thought of before.

Favorite place to read?

It used to be the café in my bookstore. However, since my son was born, it has becom harder and harder to get there to sit and read (coincidentally, this used to also be my favorite place to write). Now, I get to read largely during my lunch at school and just before I go to sleep while I’m lying in bed.

What would make you not finish a book?

Actually, I recently have not finished a book. I won’t mention names, but the book (which was published by a major publishing house (yeah, surprising)) was horribly written to the point of distraction. Being that I am an English teacher, seeing glaring errors in a text that are easily fixable makes me not want to read it. The book I am speaking of, it was as if they hadn’t even tried to edit it. I don’t read books to see the same errors I see when I grade my students papers.

I have also put a book down because of foul language used in a book. Now, I have slipped in a bad word here or there, but when one or two words in a 100,000 word novel are bad, it lends a bit more power to the words. The book I am talking about, there was literally bad words in almost every paragraph. After two chapters of this, I gave up. I also don’t read books to hear the same language I hear out of people’s mouths every day.

Thank you for the interview. I look forward to reading it on your site.

READ THE BLURB

Still reeling from his wife's murder, Joel tries to escape the alien hunter and fulfill a promise he made to her. Years of searching for the fabled planet, Aeprion, has left the space freighter captain torn between giving up the search or giving himself up to Kraxem, an alien hunter. When Kraxem and his minions attack Joel's ship again, he is forced into the nebula, where he'll have to do repairs. Once there, his thoughts revert back to the final day of Kate's life and the promises that were made. Learning to come to terms with her loss and release the guilt that he feels will be a hard battle to fight, but giving up will prove to be even more difficult and, perhaps, deadly.

Steeling his resolve to forge on, Joel vows to find the fabled living planet before guilt devours his soul and all is lost.

READ AN EXCERPT

He was outside. The air was fresh. The sun was warm on his face. A cool breeze made his skin tingle. His mind knew that something was wrong, but everything seemed so right—so, perfect. Joel jumped and his eyes shot open as a hand caressed his cheek. In front of him was the smiling and very familiar face of a brunette woman.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked in a giddy, sing-song voice.

Joel grabbed her hand and pulled it from his face. He squeezed it as if trying to figure out if it was real. It felt the same as it always had, the smooth texture, the faint scent of flowers. It had to be real—she had to be real. “Kate?”

She wasn’t at all bothered by his confusion. She pulled her hand away from his and caressed his face again. “That’s my name.”

He stared at her for several seconds, unable to speak, unable to think. His mouth hung open, trembling as if the words were trying to get out. Finally, he breathed deeply and managed a question. “How did you get here?”

She raised an eyebrow and grabbed a glass, filled with an amber liquid, sitting on a table between them. “I think it’s time we cut you off.”

He stopped her, grabbing her hand again and forcing her to set the glass back on the table. “No. It’s not that. It’s just…” He couldn’t find the words to say how elated he was to have her here in front of him. Instead, he pulled her to him and pressed his lips against hers.

Her lips were as warm, soft, and smooth as he remembered. He savored the moment as long as he could, knowing that the kiss would have to end eventually. He didn’t stop attacking her mouth until she finally pulled away.

“What was that for?” her voice had a slight giggle in it.

“I… I just can’t believe I’m here with you.”

MEET THE AUTHOR

He fights evil across the known universe and crushes them between his fingers (at least, he does this with his words). James Mascia is an accomplished writer with a bestselling series, High School Heroes, as well as a bestselling graphic novel, The Poe Murders. He has always been a fan of sci-fi, and is glad to be delving back into the galaxy once again.

James teaches in Maryland, where he also writes. He has a lovely wife and a tiny terror (a two- year-old) driving him mad, but making him laugh.

Check out some of his other work below:

https://www.islandofdren.com
  https://www.twitter.com/masciajames
https://jmascia.deviantart.com  
http://www.amazon.com/James-Mascia/e/B005I3HX3Q#
a Rafflecopter giveaway