*READ MY REVIEW & ENTER TO WIN!* GATES OF MARS by McFall & Hays

GATES OF MARS

The Halo Trilogy #1

by

CLARK HAYS AND KATHLEEN McFALL

Genre: Science Fiction / Detective (hard-boiled) 
Publisher:  Pumpjack Press on Facebook

Date of Publication: June 16, 2020

Number of Pages: 336 

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IN THE AGE OF SURVEILLANCE, HOW CAN A PERSON GO MISSING? 

The year is 2187. Crucial Larsen, a veteran of the brutal Consolidation Wars, is working as a labor cop on Earth. The planet is a toxic dump and billions of people are miserable, but so what? It’s none of his business. He’s finally living a good life, or good enough. But then Essential, his beloved kid sister, disappears on Mars. When Halo—the all-powerful artificial-intelligence overseeing Earth and Mars on behalf of the ruling Five Families—can’t (or won’t) locate his sister, Crucial races up-universe to find her. 

In the Choke, the frigid, airless expanse outside the luxury domes, Crucial uncovers a deadly secret from Essential’s past that threatens to shatter his apathetic existence … and both planets. Blending science fiction with the classic, hard-boiled detective story, Gates of Mars is a page-turning, futuristic thrill-ride featuring a gritty, irreverent anti-hero, Crucial Larsen. The first book of the Halo Trilogy, Gates of Mars is the eighth novel by award-winning authors, Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall.

PRAISE FOR GATES OF MARS: 

"An indelible introduction to an interplanetary saga and its sublime characters." 
—Kirkus Reviews

"The authors' imaginations again run wild, this time a science fiction/detective series looking at what our lives may hold in the not too distant future if everything that can go wrong does go wrong. And they've done it with their trademark undercurrent of humor that lifts an otherwise dreary future into something resembling—do I dare say?—hope. Their best work to date. And the giraffes? You'll have to read Gates of Mars to find out. I'm already wishing they could write faster." —Renee Struthers, East Oregonian newspaper 

"With twists and turns true to some of the best noir detective pieces—but with an other-world setting and futuristic society—along with psychological insights and connections, Gates of Mars is a riveting, unexpected story, filled with intrigue and change. Sci-fi and detective story readers alike with find Gates of Mars one of a kind, worthy of avid pursuit." —Midwest Book Review

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Howdy, y’all!  I hope all’s well with ya’ll.  Yesterday, the Govnah of the Great Republic of Texas released an Executive Order that all Texans must wear “face coverings” at all times in public.  (Rest assured that my rebellious self has been wearing a mask since day one. So calm down!)  While I know this is probably wise in the scheme of things, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s a weird thing to be thrust upon the residents of The Lone Star State. We’re an independent, rebellious lot … well those of us who have true roots here are.  Transplants from other states … not so much.  So there’s lots of tension in the air.

And that’s one of the things that connected me to some of the themes in GATES OF MARS by Kathleen McFall & Clark Hays.

I know … I know … y’all are shocked that I’m not bogging y’all down with a bunch of my usual rambling.  Well, I’m just too dadblasted excited to give y’all a run-down on some sci-fi deliciousness.  So wipe that shocked look of y’all’s faces, and listen up!

It’s no surprise, surely by now, that I lurve me some sci-fi.  I mean … it’s what I write!  So when the confounded book siren … y’all know of whom I speak … posted up the call for reviewers in the blogger group, well, I signed up lickety split for this here book.

And I’m glad I did.

The authors of this book must have some sort of pre-knowledge, or something, because there’s a feel to this book that’s timely for our current events. Are they time travelers or fortune telling writerly folks with a magic deck of sci fi Tarot cards? I know not.

All I know is, they are darn good writers.

This story begins at 10:20 A.M. on August 31, in the Year of Our Lord 2187. (I have a sneaky hunch that McFall & Hays hopped into a time machine and visited this very date. Just sayin’)

Well, I lurve me some futuristic, sci fi, time traveling, post-apocalyptic stories in which AI is reigning supreme, so tumbled right on down the rabbit hole and landed smack dab into the middle of an inquest in which an all-knowing AI system robot thingie is interviewing the main character, a man named Crucial Larsen.

That name spoke volumes to me. It whispered to me that this dude was born to do something important … something, well, crucial.  And the hook dug right on into my jib and reeled me in.

NOPE!  I ain’t telling y’all any more spoilers or hints.  Y’all keep on trying to drag ‘em outa me.  You’re gonna have to score a copy of this book to find out all the deets y’all’s-selves.

However, there are some things I will tell y’all about GATES OF MARS.  *Le Gasp*

The feeling of this story is engrossing.  To me, it’s Terminator (think Skynet) + Blade Runner + AI + Altered Carbon + Matrix + The 5^th Element + Dune (the books, not that wacko movie) + some others I’m too lazy to name.  

The world building in GATES OF MARS is immediate and tangible.  I was actually there while reading this book and suffered a bit of book hang-over when I finally put it down.  The shift from the story to reality was a mind trick. I think the authors may have done that on purpose, yo!

In fact, I was truly impressed with the crisp, intelligent prose in this book.  Some hard sci fi books are flat out boring and bog the reader down in too many unnecessary deets as an attempted mode to trick the reader into thinking the writer knows what he/she is talking about.  But that’s not a necessity when writing fiction.  And it’s also why I choose to write soft sci fi, myself, because who wants to purposely read something that’s going to bore them out of their minds?  (Now y’all might be surprised to hear me ask that question, seeing as how I’m working toward a PhD in History.  Hush up!  History is fascinating I tells ya!)

This book is the first installment in The Halo Trilogy, and I cannot wait to get my grabby hands on the next two books!  (If you wanna know what “Halo” is, well, you’re just gonna have to read the book! I promise, you’ll love it!)

McFall and Hays successfully spun science fiction elements into their prose in such a way that the reader experiences them instead of just reading about them.  That’s what makes GATES OF MARS deliciously engrossing.

And that’s why I’m granting

GATES OF MARS

By

Kathleen McFall + Clark Hays

5 Trillingly Sci Fi Brooms

Clark and Kathleen wrote their first book together in 1999 as a test for marriage. They passed. Gates of Mars is their eighth co-authored book.

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6/29/20	Excerpt	Texas Book Lover
6/29/20	Review	Forgotten Winds
6/29/20	BONUS Post	Hall Ways Blog
6/30/20	Review	Reading by Moonlight
6/30/20	Review	Sybrina's Book Blog
7/1/20	Author Interview	StoreyBook Reviews
7/1/20	Review	Book Bustle
7/2/20	Excerpt	All the Ups and Downs
7/2/20	Review	Chapter Break Book Blog
7/3/20	Review	Books and Broomsticks
7/3/20	Review	Bibliotica

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*Author Interview & Giveaway!* OUT AND IN by Pat Dunlap Evans

OUT AND IN
a mystery-thriller

MARIE DONOVAN MYSTERIES, #1

by

PAT DUNLAP EVANS

  Genre: Fiction / Romantic Suspense

Publisher: A.M. Chai Literary

Date of Publication: April 27, 2016

Number of Pages: 316

Scroll down for Giveaway!

Stunning beauty and amateur cellist Marie Donovan finds herself in deep trouble after her pro-quarterback husband dives off a Dallas high rise—many say in shame after his shady investments go sour. Just months later, the grieving Marie faces capital murder charges for the death of a lecherous opera maestro. When hard evidence points squarely at her, only her best friend and defense lawyer believe her.

Marie is no stranger to struggle. During her six years as an NFL Football wife, she fends off groupies eager to take her man, all the while feeling lost in her husband’s macho culture. Studying the cello becomes Marie’s solace until her hard-drinking husband retires after an injury. Returning to Dallas, he plays with high society's money in an investment scheme until winning at all costs leaves Marie and her twin sons on the hook for millions.

Scorned by society friends, charged with murder, Marie pins her hopes on hunky defense lawyer Ryan Ingles, one of Cole's college football pals. After Ryan’s legal team discovers some of the maestro’s dark secrets, Marie and Ryan’s investigative troupe travel to exotic islands in search of clues Cole left behind. As the tropics weave a romantic spell, a corrupt offshore banker dashes Marie's hopes. She wonders if she’ll ever be free of blame...and able to claim her own place in this world.

PRAISE FOR OUT AND IN

"Out and In is the perfect mystery-thriller for the beach, a long flight, or to savor before bed...an exciting but heartfelt story about a beautiful woman who struggles to prove her innocence … As for the ending, I am still stunned.”

 — Lara Reznik, Amazon best-selling author of The Girl from Long Guyland and Bagels and Salsa.

"Could not put it down, once I started reading. Definitely a must-read. Look forward to reading more books from Pat Dunlap Evans. " 

-- five-star Amazon review by reader "Mimi"

"Awesome...flowed nicely ... definitely kept you on your toes to who actually committed the murder. The lead character was a perfect blend of hard and soft. A great read." 

-- five-star Amazon review by reader "Tiffany"

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GET THE eBOOK FREE SEPTEMBER 22-24, 2018!

Where did you get the idea for this novel?

After writing my very emotional debut novel, To Leave a Memory, I wanted to try my hand at a page-turner mystery with a female protagonist. I also wanted to use my long-ago experiences as an NFL wife as a backdrop for a novel. But let’s be clear. The Cole Donovan character in Out and In is not my ex-husband, and I am not at all Marie Donovan. However, many NFL wives I knew during our long-ago era had similar experiences with our marriages. We felt as though we didn’t count. Didn’t exist. We were insecure and lacked any identify beyond our husband’s fame. So that’s where Marie’s somewhat desperate neediness comes from. The rest is fictionalized.

Did you always want to become an author?

Not really, although they say you should do the first thing you try to do as a child. For me, that was writing a neighborhood newsletter. Other than that, I had few aspirations. Mother simply told me, “Get a teaching degree just in case.” Later on, I thought I might like to be a hair stylist. I was known for cutting a great bob in Virginia Hall at Southern Methodist University. But I always excelled in English classes. Writing came easily. I used to bang out college papers right before class and made good grades.

Did you major in creative writing?

My first interests at S.M.U. were Spanish and math. Years later, I majored in P.E. at University of Missouri, Kansas City. I thought I might coach high school swimming, but I kept taking English classes. One of my freshman comp teachers took me aside and convinced me to look at an English major, so I signed up for American Literature and Creative Writing. That’s where I met Professor James C. McKinley. He was bright, articulate and funny as hell. I was enthralled. I followed him like some sort of academic groupie from class to class, not for any romantic interest, but for his intellectual magnetism. The classes I took with Jim, and the friends I made in the English department, became my mainline escape from the win or lose world of football. So, I changed my major.

Was To Leave a Memory your first novel?

No. After I got my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, I tried to publish a novel during the late 1980s, but it was an amateurish work based on my fifteen years as wife of an NFL quarterback. Probably due to the commercial aspect, it was almost published. “Almost” was the key word. After a divorce, I had three children to support and needed to make a living. So, I went into public relations and advertising for almost thirty years and sidelined the fiction writing until I had time to write.

What is To Leave a Memory about?

My debut novel is a poignant tale about a family struggling to move beyond grief. That sounds terribly sad, but there are many funny, joyous moments. In fact, there is more humor in To Leave a Memory than in Out and In. Young children added a lot of humor, and the main characters are intellectuals, so wit was easier to incorporate. It’s difficult to have a lot of humor in a mystery although I tried to give readers a smile in Out and In.

Will your next novel be a mystery?

The next novel is called Those Who Try. It’s high-concept women’s fiction with a thriller subplot. You might call it Bridget Jones Diary meets Adaptation. I don’t think I’m a pure mystery-thriller writer in that I included lots of character development in Out and In—some might say too much. However, my focus always has been “the human heart in conflict with itself,” the Faulknerian mantra. Because of this, I enjoy character development more than action-packed plotting. As for my next-two novels, the idea of having Marie Donovan return as a sleuth appeals to me. And I’m working on a cozy mystery set in a mythical town called “Greater Wrightway,” where several of the town’s clubwomen are murdered.

A.M. Chai Literary is your publisher, a small Indie house. Why not get a big New York publisher or make a movie?

Everybody and their brothers are authors these days, so it’s tough to get a break. But perhaps we’ll land a big house or movie deal. One can dream. Until then, I hope readers will enjoy my efforts.

For information about speaking engagements, book signings or readings, please contact AustinWriterGirl@Yahoo.com. Likewise, for screen rights.

Pat Dunlap Evans was born in Michigan but "got to Texas as soon as I could," she says. Her family lived in San Antonio and later Dallas, where she attended South Oak Cliff High School and Southern Methodist University. Pat eventually completed her bachelor's and master's degrees in English at University of Missouri, Kansas City, with emphasis on creative writing. She also taught freshman writing courses as a part-time lecturer. After a divorce, Pat stressed her way as a single mom through twenty-five years of high-stress advertising and marketing roles before retiring to write fiction and screenplays. She lives in the Lake Travis area with her second husband Dr. Bill Evans and enjoys travel, golf, volunteer work, sailing, and the chaos of the couple's combined five adult children, five grandchildren, and two cockalier dogs.

Pat has published two novels, To Leave a Memory and Out and In, with a third novel Those Who Try due out soon.

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 1^ST PRIZE: Signed Copy of Out and In + $10 Amazon Gift Card

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  September 12-21, 2018

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