And we’re back! Thanks as always to the amazing and wonderful Magnolia Belle for creating really cool graphics for us. If you don’t know Belle, I suggest getting to know her. Pick up a copy of Lady Gwendolyn, why don’t you?

But we’re not here to talk much more about Belle, unfortunately. (But once she puts out a new book…)

Today’s brave soul is Michael C Bayer, and I might or might not have read an earlier draft of this one. And I am definitely dying to see how it turned out in the end!

Michael put The Absconded out back in November, and now that the holidays are over and we need some distraction, he’s decided to see how many West of Mars Fans he can entice to read his book. I know you guys won’t let him down…

Ready?

Here goes…

Michael, what song makes you think of your book?

That was a tough one, since I listened to a lot of music while writing The Absconded. But once I turned everything off and started thumbing through a couple of chapters, I realized that the song I listened to the most while writing it was Take Flight by Lindsey Sterling. Give it (and the rest of her songs) a listen. There’s an ebb and flow, highs, lows and struggles in the song that match the plights of three of my main characters – Kaliria, K’Pol and Scott. To varying degrees, each one finds themselves thrown off a cliff. They can either plummet or take flight (natch!), and some do it better than others. That, and when creating my characters, I always have a style of music in mind for each one. For one of the aliens, whenever she listens to music (from her world, not ours), to me it was always Lindsey Sterling. I’ll leave it up to you to figure out which character enjoys her music. Lastly, since this is my first novel, I was taking flight myself. There you have it! If you take a chance on my novel, please feel free to leave feedback.

You guys know I’m all about leaving reviews… they are important things!

This is also the spot in which I confess that I’m a Lindsey Sterling fan. Not all of her stuff, but an awful lot of it. And her single with Lzzy Hale of Halestorm? One of those songs I just cannot ever get enough of. So I concur: she is an incredible artist to be inspired by.

So. What’s the book actually about? Here’s the back cover copy:

Unfortunately for Scott, aliens exist. Snatched from Earth, he finds himself added to their collection of creatures gathered from throughout the universe. His cage is a window to the wondrous varieties of life, and the atrocities that can be inflicted upon it. Atrocities that are clues of what awaits him.

Nearby is Kaliria, a furred being that’s equal parts wild and wily. A long, torturous captivity has filled her with a righteous rage. She spends her days alone, simmering in her cramped confinement, pining for the fields and forests of her world. Pining for companionship.

While happenstance makes Kaliria and Scott neighbors, it’s desperation that makes them allies. In order to survive, they must overcome each other’s language, culture and mistrust, all while keeping their interactions hidden from their captors. And if they succeed, there’s still one more obstacle to surmount — escaping an alien ship traveling through space.

Get your copy — but only if you’re a Kindle reader! (aargh, I know!)

Personal links!

My self-publishing imprint. It’s run by a very energetic corn snake.

My Amazon author page

My Facebook page is still a work in progress

Just a reminder: The Featured New Book Spotlight runs on Mondays, when I have submissions. So send them in! Send your friends over here, too. It’s free (unless you want to reserve a date) and it’s easy and it’s fun. What more can you ask for?

And another reminder: If you want to post a review but are squeamish about any typos or if you need help, I’m always glad to tip my editor’s pen in your direction, and for a super cheap amount, too. Reviews are important for authors, and there’s no need to feel insecure about yours. Not on my watch. Drop me a line and I’ll be glad to help you out.