 |
Graphics Design by © 2014 Danni (Ellie) Williams. All
rights reserved
|
Ellie
Thank you for joining me on this hun.
This is not
only our first Spotlight, but we just finished your Fantastical Reads Event, and It’s been a
blast hasn’t it?
M.E
It has, it really has.
Ellie
I’m so happy that you asked me to do this Event
with you, and I believe we not only accomplished such a successful Event, I
think we have made a successful working as well as personal friendship together
also.
M.E
Oh most defiantly, Ellie (Danni).
Ellie
I just want to apologise for the delay in our
spotlight as I’ve been having quite a difficult time recently. But, as promised
I have abducted you today {laughs} and we are going to have a swell session I
believe.
I want to say Hi to my
readers and thank you for tuning in today for our Spotlight with Author M.E
Lorde. I hope you’ll join us after the spotlight and attend our further
interview on our ‘Author2Author BC Class of 2014’.
Ellie
Please welcome Author M.E Lorde, she grew up in the rural
community of Victor, NY, surrounded by farms, orchards, vineyards in
neighboring towns, and beautiful scenic views of lakes, mountains and canyons.
Her great grandmother was Iroquois Indian, whose family was deeply rooted in
the Great Seneca Nation, upstate New York. The author’s great-great
grandfather, whose family was from Great Britain, was a major contributor
toward the ‘Statue of Liberty’s’ pedestal in New York City. A man and a
woman from two different worlds met, fell in love and married and a family was torn
apart. But alas, life goes on. M.E.’s great grandmother and great
grandfather married. An interesting tidbit- at one point they became
great friends with and then great
friends and confidants with author Zane Grey, who from the early to mid 1900’s
wrote dozens of books, many Historical and Western. Rumor has it that you
will find the author’s great grandmother in at least one.
An avid reader since childhood (as well as an artist), M.E. has been
writing since she could hold a pencil. She wrote and bound her own book
by hand at the age of ten. Though books have always been a passion, Lorde
put writing on hold to raise four children while working in other fields which
include a career in law enforcement as well as a director position at a
technical college. With much encouragement from friends and family, she
finally decided to follow her real passion and pursue writing full-time.
With her newest release of the Tolomay’s World series, she has found her
audience, hitting Amazon’s best sellers list in adventure/romance and
adventure/fantasy in December of 2013 as #1 Action &
Adventure/Romance and #3 Action & Adventure/Fantasy (Tolomay’s
World and The Pool of Light- the first novel in the seven Novel series).
Her time is currently divided between quality time with her daughter,
writing, and activities with Indie authors, artists and a civic theatre.
She loves to travel and has seen thirty nine states up close and personal, and lived
in four. While M.E. enjoys the excitement and bustle of city life, she
remains a country girl at heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ellie
 |
| Provided by M.E.L |
Release date – Ebook – 8th
Jan 2014. Paperback – 17th Dec 2013.
Ebook
- £1.86/ $2.99 USD.
Paperback - £11.89/ $13.46 USD.
Kindle: 405 pages.
Publisher: Paper Airplanes Publishing; 1 edition (8 Jan 2014).
Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
ISBN: 0983715955/ ASIN: B00BFPRLCY.
Paperback: 404 pages.
Publisher: Paper Airplanes Publishing; 1 edition (17 Dec
2013).
ISBN-10: 0983715955/ISBN-13:
978-0983715955.
Your average Customer Review
is 5.0 out of 5 stars.
And your Amazon Bestsellers Rank is #228,763 in Kindle
Store. Congrats! :)
Book Genre Categories:
Fiction
> Adventure Stories & Action
Romance >
Fantasy
Kindle >
Fiction > Action & Adventure
Book Blurb:
~SO MUCH MORE THAN A ROMANCE FANTASY~
If you enjoyed Hunger Games, Lord of the Rings,
and The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, you will LOVE this book. There is no
swearing or sex in this series. Due to adult theme, it is Not intended for
young YA readers.
Genre
is NEW ADULT/FANTASY/ROMANCE FANTASY
Author M.E. Lorde creates a gripping story set
in the earth’s future, where the youth of the world have the privilege and
burden of saving humanity from extinction.
Years before an apocalyptic event, a new means
of travel is discovered. The modern technology comes just in the nick of time.
Though none can return to a past-time in order to fix what men have destroyed,
some candidates can now move forward to begin anew.
Highly intelligent, Tolomay Ramey was trained
since birth to do one thing… to lead others into the future of the ‘clean
earth’ where both nature and mankind are given a fresh start. Leaving the pod
community behind, she arrives as the only living ‘Original’ from the first team
of candidates. The clean world, abundant with plant and animal life, is covered
in green for the first time in hundreds of years.
Unfortunately for this young girl and despite
the beauty of the replenished earth, nothing she experiences from the moment
she arrives is as expected. Alone for three years, until others finally join
her, she learns to survive off the land, but that will not be what she finds
most challenging. What will happen when a strong-headed young man arrives with
the mindset that he should have been the first in this paradise? Can
independent Tolomay and fiercely confident Kenter meet in the middle? Can the
clean world become what it was intended to be for the new community, or will
all thoughts of peace be left a thousand years in the past?
This series is not intended for the younger YA
readers. It is considered New Adult or adult read. There is no cursing or sex
in this series, but there is adult subject matter and disturbing social
situations not suited for young readers. Suited for 17+
Book Reviews (5):
Contacts:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ellie
How much input did you have into it, and how
many covers until you came to this one?
M.E
I actually
decided on the cover. While I know it’s
more common to use cover photographs, I was led to something a little
different. This was actually the second
design… the first one was a lot different, much older looking, not as
modern. Something I saw put the idea of
this cover in my head and I began gathering elements for the finished design
myself. The ‘tweaking’ of the cover
design was outsourced to a graphic designer.
I’m very happy with the end results and all the covers in the series
follow specific guidelines. There are
even a couple of quirks in them- some things common to them that can only be
seen in the paperback versions. I’m
certain the Pool of Light cover design give a false presentation that this book
is exclusively a sci-fi novel- (which it isn’t. There are sci-fi elements in
the book, yes, and so anyone who enjoys sci-fi should hopefully enjoy it, but
it is truly an Epic Fantasy Romance series about rebuilding humanity and love
for nature. It’s quite evident once the
twins enter the clean world, that they are living in a Garden of Eden with
little to nothing, not a science driven environment like they had back at the
Pod Community. Still, I think the
depiction on the cover and the lead up to the clean world is relevant to the
storyline.
Ellie
That’s pretty true, M.E. I would have thought
these days the cover does make a big difference, especially in marketing. But I
was scouting online a few days ago and found an article on Marketing that was
published by Mark Coker, Rethinking
Book Marketing: Why Discovery Matters More stated; that a Smashword survey was taken in sept 2011,
that only 7% of people actually look at the cover before reading.
In-fact! That 29% of people found that they
look to a book via word-of-mouth from people/ blogs and forums. You’re cover is
cool anyway hun, I think you’re safe in the marketing world {laughs}
So get talking about it people, us Indie Author’s
rely on your word of mouth :) x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
{Ellie looks to her pages}
Ellie
Okay and wow – wow – wow – wow! OPENING
STATEMENT!!
{Ellie & M.E laugh together}
Ellie
Tolomay’s world is written in a language called
‘Merican!’
Tell us about that?
{M.E laughs to self}
M.E
It’s funny
you should ask about this, because no one else has ever asked me this question,
and, well, believe it or not, the quirkiness of the language is one of the
things I’ve had multiple comments on from readers who loved it, even writing
their messages to me using it- which I loved.
It’s the way the characters speak.
It’s simplified. What are our
daily expressions, have been changed up for those future times, just as we all
know the expressions, quotes, phrases from hundreds of years ago have changed
for us. For example, instead of saying
‘I don’t think you should worry.’
Tolomay would say, “I think it you should not worry.” There is an explanation for the make-up on
this language in the second book, actually.
It’s the way it is because governments of the future dumbed down
languages and attempted to use them to divide citizens, nations and society as
a whole over hundreds of years’ time.
The vocabulary is very basic, easily understood and has almost a mantra
to it, like beats, or so I’m told. I
think there are mentions of it in the Amazon Reviews as well. If you’ve read the classics and have read proper
English, you should have no problem reading Merican, which of course is nothing
at all like proper English. Still, it will make perfect sense to any reader.
Ellie
Thankfully I am gifted in that way
{Ellie poked her tongue out playfully}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ellie
So tell those who haven’t read the books yet, what
the pool of light is?
M.E
Five hundred years from now, in
the future of our world, plants, animals and mankind are slowly becoming
extinct. Though Technology is
everywhere, science even at its strongest cannot bring back the health of the Earth
they have nearly killed. No scientific
discoveries are that powerful. However,
there is a final scientific breakthrough.
They’ve designed a device that can be used to see the future. Mankind’s extinction is seen by those men and
women… the apocalyptic event… The End Times.
All hope is lost until it is discovered that the machine can also
transport living items, first plants, and then animals to the future as
well. Only one choice can be made. The scientists must find a light point (A
point in time that can be viewed) far enough into that future of the
replenished Earth… where they can send the still fertile teens to repopulate
the Earth… so mankind will not go extinct.
That chosen light point is a thousand years in their future, and the
POOL OF LIGHT is the name of the time machine.
Through it, people will travel into the future ’Clean World’ and society
will begin anew. The project is called
‘Vision Fold’, because they are folding time, and the time travel is called a
‘Swim’.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ellie
And
tell us about, Tolomay.
M.E
Tolomay was raised by the
lead scientist of one of the last living communities on Earth. She is brilliant, has a photographic mind and
was trained since birth on almost all available knowledge. However, intellect can’t teach maturity and
life’s lessons and experience. Tolomay
was thirteen when she swam through the Pool of Light. She is sixteen when others arrive. She is the youngest and in spite of what the
others might have earlier thought, she is in charge of teaching them all. All of this, after she was alone for three
years in a completely different place than where she grew up (imagine if we
were beamed to a liveable environment on mars- alone. It would fell nearly the same). But the age of these candidates- 16 and 19,
19 is what’s the most fun. They are
learning everything together and it is quite challenging. To top it off the males in the Pod community
were given injections to keep their libido’s at bay while they were still too
young to be sterilized, so Kenter, the first male to travel through to the
Clean World is having all kinds of testosterone ‘rages’ going on as his body’s
regular functioning is kicking in. Used
to getting his own way much too often at the Pods, he is now very confused at
times, and rightfully so… and he is being forced to follow this younger, more
experienced girl around so he can learn how to survive. Can you say drama?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ellie
Tell us about the clean world…
Is
that a Futuristic Earth?
M.E
Yes, the clean world is the
Earth fifteen hundred years in the future of our time, or a thousand years in
the future of Tolomay’s time. It’s after
the End Times and after the Earth has become healthy once again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ellie
And
what is a Chideman, hun?
M.E
The Chideman is the scientist
responsible for mixing and pouring the chemicals that allow time travel. The measurements are very exact and handling
instructions just as precise, so it is a grave responsibility, one taken very
seriously. The concoction is mixed in
liquid form and then poured into the water that the candidates are to step
into. Water absorbs the chemical change,
allowing the swims to occur once power is added. The Chideman is also responsible for speaking
the words of farewell to the candidates before their swim. He stands before the Pool of Light, which is
comprised of copper and crystal tiles (perfect conductors of energy when
arranged properly) as the candidates take their last steps from the Pod.
The Chideman is vital for the
survival of mankind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ellie
So,
Tolomay is 13. Such a young age for big responsibilities.
M.E
Due to dietary factors, the deaths
of pregnant women and infants during childbirth increased at alarming rates. Over
half of pregnant women and their children began to die. So, in the future children are born in
labs. Boys are given Testonine among
other drugs in order that they will not follow their libidos to what would mean
certain death to the females. Laws are
strict regarding dating and one must apply to the council for approval for a
date. At the age of 20 everything
changes. The shots stop, eggs and sperm
are collected for future lab babies, and the males and females are sterilized
so they can date and marry safely. The
goal of all the adults is to teach the younger citizens, the newer generation,
mankind’s hope for survival. The age of
candidates is specific because of these things.
There is no other choice but to send the teenagers as only they can
procreate. They must swim before the age
of 20 years old. Tolomay was chosen for
a number of reasons, regardless of her age.
She is the best trained and was since birth, her memory is photographic…
and there is another reason, but I can’t give that spoiler away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ellie
Who
is Tarron? And what does he/she do?
M.E
Tarron is Tolomay’s
father. He is also head of the science
division and he birthed the Vision Fold project. He is the only reason there is a time machine
at all. He designed it. He teaches Tolomay in his lab most of their
waking hours and has since her birth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ellie
Tell
us about Carmella, the Lizard, Tolomay’s companion.
M.E
Carmella does her own thing,
but follows Tolomay much of the time, always eating together (The lizard must
smell the food). She likes being
scratched and sleeps in the dark, like beneath Tolomay’s bedding and in dark
corner, behind rocks… place like that. She
is a scrawny lizard, as if an underfed iguana with less spikes on her back but
with webbed feet like a salamander… she has kind of creepy eyes, but awesome
feet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ellie
What
type of world did Tolomay live before the Clean World?
M.E
The Pod community is sleek,
ultramodern and very scientifically and technically controlled. Society, on their way out, has become very
controlled out of need for survival.
Unfortunately those controlling that environment are still unable to
heal the Earth. The most horrible thing
about living there is that the clock is ticking. Soon, every person there will cease to exist
and they all know it… even the young children are told this.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ellie
So
does, Tolomay find love eventually?
{Ellie Laughs}
M.E
I mean of course, after 3
years alone on the Clean World, she’s eventually accompanied by others, one in
particular; Kenter!
I’ll just say this. Life
is full of surprises. Some are little
like that dollar you found in the dryer.
Some are big, like when that stranger handed you your cell phone you
didn’t know you left on the shelf at the grocery store. Then there are those mind blowing surprises
that stay on your mind often. It’s my
hope that readers will find all of these and more throughout this series.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(*)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
M.E
And as promise, I have provided a excerpt od Tolomay’s World and the
Pool of Light, for you and the readers. Would you like me to go and read that
for you now?
{Ellie smirks}
Ellie
Oh my gosh of course, go ahead…
{M.E gets comfortable}
M.E
‘Tolomay’s World and the Pool of
Light’
“Peace of life,” said the chideman as he poured the blue water from
the glass urn into the pool. It was surreal.
“Peace of life.” My response was automatic.
My heart pounded. For thirteen years I’d trained for
this. Still I was not ready. The machine’s copper pipes gave off a
warm smell that drifted to my nostrils as if precious biscuits were baking in
the eating room. The calming scent only made it worse. I was
leaving.
On display before every citizen in the community, my bare feet
stepped the few inches further to the edge of the pool. Fear haunted my
mind. Shivering from head to toe caused my short golden dress to tickle
at the tops of my thighs. I brushed away the itch. Goose bumps
peppered my arms and legs. I was freezing. For a moment, the
massive musics and sounds on the stage overwhelmed me. I was small in
comparison to everything here, all present and to this wondrous event.
Through dazed thoughts, my focus returned and I remembered to count to three
before placing my foot in the shallow liquid.
With eyes watering, my every heartbeat echoed in my ears.
Never again would my father’s eyes look upon me. Never again would I feel
his warm embrace. I would so miss his gentle, loving voice. How
would I bear it? I fought my great desire to turn and dart to him, or
steal a look as he sat in his chair upon the stage. Instead, I kept my
step.
There would not be another last goodbye. We already said it,
and he wanted just the one. It would be my greatest honor to him to leave
with the dignity, respect, and position he bestowed upon me, to act older than
my meager thirteen years. I had to be brave and pave the way for the
others, as he had instructed.
The tears nearly choked me as I quietly sniffed them back. I
could scarcely see, but chose not to rub the wet away. Everyone would
notice. More would only follow and my eyes would be closed soon
enough. The time had arrived. This was no longer wholly my
choice. I was being led by my duty and so had to control my emotions for
these last few seconds.
The immaculate stage held static, causing the miniscule hairs on my
head to stand on end. They reached toward the beautiful colored glass of
the cathedral roof in the pod community’s grandest room, as if they too wanted
to stay. The urge to run, to escape, consumed me, yet I betrayed my
heart, followed my learned directions, and kept my course.
No matter the logic and knowledge in my head, nothing had prepared
me for this feeling of claws tearing me apart from the inside out. I
fought off the nausea. I could not be ill, not in front of the community
while representing my father.
The crystal and copper Pool of Light lay before the five of us, with
solar panels running from floor to ceiling as the toner’s chorus continued to
sing behind us. The brilliant round majesty beneath my feet, only six
inches deep, held the key to our futures and to what would become the whole of
humanity. We were taking these steps for everyone. Once we left, we
could never return home.
Tarron had ordered that we space ourselves just two paces separated,
one behind the next. The four older candidates followed behind me, the
taste of anticipation mingling with the hum of energy that filled the great
room. My mind whirled.
‘Keep walking forward… do not turn around,’ father’s words echoed in my
head.
I was horrified. Chills took residence up and down my spine,
causing me to shake further. How would my days unfold without him by my
side? How could I leave him alone? My heart was dying.
‘The coming light can blind, if you lose protection of your
eyelids,’ he had warned.
Think only of your training and the swim, I reprimanded myself against
my inert weakness. Focus. You are leading the others.
I squeezed my eyes closed.
“Your eyes… don’t forget,” I choked out the words, reminding the
four following me to keep theirs closed as well.
The desire to see where my feet landed was nearly more than I could
endure as I took my next step. Blindly, trembling as I’d never thought
possible, I walked on until a humming of energy engulfed me. Then a wall
of water, warm and flowing, caressed my face and arms and legs until I was
drenched in it. It unnerved me. I imagined my skin would feel this
way if covered with a million tiny insects. That vision sent more
shivers. I rubbed away the feeling. Fear controlled me. I was
holding my breath. ‘Do not forget to breathe, Tolomay,’ I remembered
father’s training. ‘Or you may lose consciousness.’
Barely able to manage my thoughts, I took back my air and continued
forward.
A light penetrated the liquid as if they were one and the
same. Much too bright, even with eyes closed, it rained down upon my body
as if it were the sun and had no limits. The burning lasted only a moment
and rid me of my chills. Then I was struck hard in the back by a force
that seemed more as power than matter. It propelled me through the air so
fast I almost opened my eyes, but instead fell into a somersault, ending in a
stand as I had been trained.
The grasses felt soft beneath my bare feet. The air smelled
completely different...
Ellie
Oh my god thank you so much for that M.E. That
was awesome for you to have shared that with us.
I wanna thank you again for coming on the
Spotlight, inviting me to join you on your Fantastical Reads Event, and of
course thank you before-hand; for joining me on our Author2Author Blog Chat, ‘Classof 2014’.
You guys can head on over there now by clicking
the link, and joining us on the second part of the show with Author M.E Lorde.
xXx
