Welcome to my stop on the NBtM virtual book tour for Guns & Smoke by Lauren Sevier and A. Smith. This book tour was organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. On my stop, I have an excerpt from the book as well as a helpful guest post from the authors. There's also the tour wide giveaway for a chance to win a $20 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card. Be sure to follow the rest of the stops on the tour for more content. Enjoy!
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Series: The Fool's Adventure #1
Authors: Lauren Sevier & A. Smith
Publication Date: July 10th 2021
Print Length: 374 pages
Genre: Dystopian Western Romance
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In a world where safety is a luxury and honor is found only among outlaws, two people attempt to outrun danger lurking around each corner and the tragedies that define them.
Bonnie is an outlaw on the run. Beautiful but dangerous; her dark past stalks her like the crater beasts that roam the desert. As the notoriously cruel outlaw Jones sends his henchmen to track her down and retrieve the gun she stole from him, Bonnie hopes she can stay one step ahead. Because if he catches her, a fate worse than death awaits.
Jesse always dreamed of leaving the farm to explore the ruins of the big cities. He just never imagined he’d be forced to flee after strange men burned down his rural mountain town and murdered everyone he loved. Responsible for his kid brother and searching for an uncle he’s never met before, he isn’t sure he can navigate the perils of life among con artists and thieves long enough to find him.
Their two paths collide as they find themselves thrown together on the adventure of a lifetime.
Together, they may just discover that life is about more than just surviving.
Goodreads * Amazon * Apple Books *
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BOOK TRAILER:
Watch the book trailer below or by clicking here!
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EXCERPT:
“I didn’t mean what I said earlier, about turning you over to Sixgun. I was just…” He struggled for the words.
“Hurt?” I offered, and he nodded. “I know. I have a talent for pushing people away.”
“I still shouldn’t have said it,” he muttered near my ear, his arm tightening around my shoulders to hold me closer.
“Do you really think I’m stupid?” I asked.
“No, I think you’re the smartest person I’ve ever met,” he said, with all the conviction with which he said everything else. I smiled against his shirt. “Did you really climb into my bed because you thought I was upset about the train?”
“No,” I croaked, hiding my face as best I could. “I don’t have nightmares when you hold me.”
“I don’t have nightmares when I hold you either,” he admitted.
So I let him. I let him hold me all night. We didn’t speak, we just leaned against each other until the sky began to lighten and the shadows of our pasts seemed to fade into the distance.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Lauren Sevier & A. Smith are long time friends and co-authors from southern Louisiana. Guns & Smoke, their first joint publication, began as a “short” story after having too much wine on girl’s night. Nine years later it is now the first novel in a Dystopian/Western Romance series. The duo has plans to publish several series together in the future.
A. Smith spends her time with her two rescue dogs and rescue cat surrounding herself with books and Labyrinth paraphernalia.
Lauren Sevier collects antique tea cups and tries to stay sane, though as the mother of a toddler she fails brilliantly most days. She also has a growing collection of crowns and tiaras and likes to act silly on TikTok.
Look for more thrilling novels from The Fools Adventure series in the future!
LAUREN SEVIER'S LINKS:
A. SMITH'S LINKS:
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GUEST POST:
- Share writing advice to aspiring authors - what are three things you wish someone would have told you?
Abbie:
Read. Read read read. Read everything that you can get your hands on. Read every single book that you can think of, because you never know what you will learn from it. This doesn’t apply only to fiction, but also non-fiction. Find craft books! I’ve read more craft books in the last year than I ever have in my life and it has definitely made a difference in my work.
Remember to give yourself a little grace in everything. You are only one person, and this business can get incredibly overwhelming. Be sure you’re taking time for yourself, and that you allow yourself the chance to breathe. I get very overwhelmed at times, and I just have to remember that it’s okay if I need to take a step back.
Don’t write to the market. The market is always changing. Something you write right now may not be popular in a year or two by market standards. Write stories that you love, that you are passionate about, that set your soul on fire. Guns & Smoke is a dystopian that we started when dystopian was super popular, but it’s the story and the characters that have kept us connected, and why we chose to publish it, regardless of what the market says is popular.
-Lauren:
I love this question! I think the first thing I would tell aspiring authors is that Imposter Syndrome is a myth. It doesn’t exist. Well, not really. See, the reason we get ‘imposter syndrome’ is because we care so much about getting our books exactly right. We get in our own heads about not being good enough, original enough, technically brilliant enough and start to feel like an ‘imposter’. *whispers* But I have a secret. Imposters don’t feel that way. They fake it. They don’t do the work or agonize over comma placement or plot points. So ‘imposter syndrome’ is only felt by people who are categorically not imposters. When I realized that I was able to finally finish my first solo book and gain so much confidence in myself that I pursued publication, and I’m not ever going back.
The second piece of advice I have is that comparison is the enemy of success. There are tons of stories that are similar thematically, in execution, or structurally, but what makes them special is the unique voice that story is told in.
Lastly, don’t ever lose the joy of it. If this is a business to you, I understand. But the minute something goes from being art to being a job, it’s really easy to lose the joy of creation and artistic expression. Make sure you take the time to slow down and enjoy the process. It’s beautiful and I hope you never forget that.
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GIVEAWAY:
Lauren Sevier and A. Smith will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. Good luck!
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting! Lauren and I will be in and out all day to answer any questions!
ReplyDeleteLove the title.. makes me want to check out this book!
ReplyDeleteI hope you do Michele! It's a great read. :)
DeleteWe definitely hope you do! Guns & Smoke is a fun, gritty dystopian full of Wild West influences!
DeleteHow do you decide who write what part of the story?
ReplyDeleteGreat Question! There are a ton of different ways to co-author novels. A. Smith and I wrote this novel in 1st person dual perspective and decided to each take ownership of one of the two main protagonists. We did that to make both narrative voices really unique and distinctive so the characters would feel more realistic and grounded to readers. We plot and edit together for continuity and to make sure everything flows really well.
DeleteSounds like a wonderful book.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! We definitely hope you check it out!
DeleteSounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jodi! Please be sure to add Guns & Smoke to your TBR or Goodreads. We can't wait for everyone to read it!
DeleteHow long was the writing process?
ReplyDeleteThis is a great question! So Lauren and I started writing this novel nine years ago! We actually have gone through several drafts and iterations of the story. When we decided to publish it last August, the draft took roughly a month. Then we had to sit on it and work through edits. All in all, it'll be almost a year from the time we jumped back into the project and publication!
DeleteThis sounds like an interesting book and I also like the cover.
ReplyDeleteabfantom at yahoo dot com
Thank you so much Ann! If you enjoy gun-toting Outlaws, strong female protagonists, cowboys, steamy romance, and end of the world dystopian elements, it will definitely be your kind of read!
DeleteSounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteThank you Rita! We hope everyone will enjoy reading it!
DeleteThis sounds like a very good book.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sherry! We really enjoyed writing it and we hope you love it too!
Deletecongrats on the release this sounds amazing
ReplyDeleteThank you Wendy!
DeleteWe're excited to share this book with everyone. Signed copies are available for Pre-Order and ship internationally through Cavalier House Books.
this looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteAhhh! Thanks Zelda! I hope you get a copy to enjoy! :)
DeleteThis sounds like a book that many people would enjoy.
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
Thank you Nancy! Don't forget to add it to your Goodreads TBR! :)
DeleteSounds great, I like the cover and the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Susan! Our cover artist did such a great job taking our concepts and making it into a beautiful piece of art. We can't wait to see what she does with the next one!
DeleteThe book sounds really great.
ReplyDeleteThank you Dale! It's full of outlaws, action, and two broken people edging closer together at the end of the world. I hope you get a copy!!
DeleteSounds like a great read
ReplyDeleteThank you Danielle! We love the characters and the world we've created and can't wait for everyone else to love them too!
DeleteI liked both the excerpt, and the book cover.
ReplyDeleteThanks Juana! We worked with a really great cover artist named Stefanie who put up with my constant nitpicking. Lol! I hope you grab a copy of the book. It's action-packed with tons of heart and grotty western themes. :)
DeleteThe book sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteThanks Deb! We hope you check out our gun-toting heroes as they fight against the elements, dangerous madmen, and their attraction for one another!
DeleteGreat post - thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading, Victoria!
DeleteCool cover
ReplyDeleteThank you! We had a wonderful cover artist who took our general concept and then tolerated tons of feedback from us and made it absolutely perfect!
DeleteIt sounds like a really interesting book. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteBook looks good
ReplyDeleteI like the cover! It sets the tone for the book.
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds great. I love a good western.
ReplyDeleteThanks! This is definitely going to please fans of westerns. Its filled with train rides, horse races, revolvers, and gritty outlaws. :)
DeleteThe excerpt is interesting. Thank you for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteThank you! It's from one of my favorite scenes in the book. The heart of the book is about these two broken people as they edge closer together and realize that life is about more than just surviving day to day. This is one of those rare tender, vulnerable moments between them as they get closer. *squee*
DeleteWhat inspired you to write this book?
ReplyDeleteHi David! Originally, we sat down on a girls' night and talked about writing a short story. We both love dystopian fiction and dystopian was very big at the time, so we started writing this 'short' story and it blossomed from there. Once we decided it wasn't going to be short, we took a lot of the dystopian elements that we love and added the western twist to it!
DeleteDystopian Western Romance - This sounds quite intriguing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the review.
I enjoyed the excerpt. Thank you for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteHave a fun week and love the cover of the book .
ReplyDeleteI like the concept of this book. It sounds exciting. I'm looking forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteHow do you inspire yourself during a writing slump?
ReplyDeleteAbout how long does it take you to write a book?
ReplyDeleteSuppose it varies?
What inspires your main character ideas?
ReplyDeleteWhere is your favorite place to write?
ReplyDeleteWhat is your favorite writing space?
ReplyDeleteDo you have any advice for new writers?
ReplyDeleteIs it difficult to think of a title for your books?
ReplyDeleteLove the cover and the excerpt sounds amazing.
ReplyDeleteDo you write while on vacation?
ReplyDeleteDo you ever use your own experiences to write a book?
ReplyDeleteI like your advise to any new author to not get overwhelmed and to go at your own pace
ReplyDeleteHow many years have you been writing books?
ReplyDeleteDo you set an alarm so you don't write for too long at a stretch?
ReplyDeleteHow many books do you read in a year?
ReplyDeleteWhat inspired you to write this book?
ReplyDeletedigicats {at} sbcglobal {dot} net
The book sounds really interesting. Do you ever shoot guns on a range.
ReplyDeletelindacfast@hotmail.com
Do you ever get writer's block?
ReplyDeleteIf so how do you get through it?
Hope you have a great night, this book sounds really good. I’m curious as to the inspiration behind it?
ReplyDeleteDo you usually stick with one genre when writing?
ReplyDeletesounds like a fun one
ReplyDeleteThe excerpt sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great book. I like the cover and excerpt.
ReplyDeleteI love the cover!
ReplyDeleteHave a great day!
ReplyDeleteDo you play Mario Kart?
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a interesting book with unexpected twists.
ReplyDeletelooks like a fun one
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great book! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter would enjoy this book
ReplyDelete