Blurb
Two years ago, a solar pulse destroyed modern life. Bea Crenshaw organized her starving, suburban neighbors into a farming community. But now Bea’s gone, and her grandchildren must carry her legacy forward.
In the post-apocalyptic pressure cooker of Austin, Texas, 19-year-old Keno and his younger cousins struggle to ensure their community’s survival even as they’re forced to relocate to safer grounds. Northern Lights that don’t belong this far south grow increasingly intense, making Keno fear what harm the sun will cause next.
Even worse, a marauding militia called the Raiders is closing in, led by a deranged woman who preys on teenage boys. Despite Keno’s debilitating flashbacks from a firefight, he and his wife have a new baby to protect. Though Bea is dead, her spirit desperately searches for ways to shield her grandkids. When Raiders target two neighborhood members, the only hope lies in the community’s strength, Keno’s ingenuity, and the family’s fierce love for one another.
Excerpt
I am only the essence of my former self. A disembodied mind floating free in the ether, perhaps with my soul attached—if such a thing exists outside my mind. I’d heard for years that our minds are made up of electrical impulses that extend beyond our physical bodies. Now … my mind is still alive even though my body is dead and gone.
I hover near my living loved ones, but they aren’t aware that I’m here. From this perspective, I watched my grandchildren suffer … and … I couldn’t help them…
Most of the time, they bat me away in their sleep as though I were a fly. But sometimes, I feel them unconsciously relax … getting a short rest from the traumatizing world they’ve been living in … since the solar pulse took down civilization.
I don’t know how much longer I’ll be here, but I have a strong intuition that it won’t be for long.
Yet I have unfinished business. I can’t leave my family in this condition… not now when they aren’t safe…
My name was Bea Crenshaw. I suppose it still is. Some might call me a ghost, but I prefer to think of myself as a floating, conscious collection of energy. I can’t be seen or heard by living humans, but I still have love to give…
“Nana?” A small voice snaps me out of my reverie. It’s my granddaughter, Mazie.
“Nana, I know you’re here.”
About the Author
BRENDA MARIE SMITH is attracted to stories where everyday characters transcend their limitations to find their inner heroism. She lived off the grid for years in a farming collective where her sons were delivered by midwives. A lifelong community activist, Brenda has managed student co-op housing, produced concerts, and raised a small herd of boys. She and her husband live in Kyle, Texas. They have more grown kids and grandkids than they can count.
Author Links
Website: https://brendamariesmith.com
Blog: https://brendamariesmith.tumblr.com
Twitter: @bsmithnovelist
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJlLSnORIyoaygvZ1j49ZKw
Buy Links for the Braving the Light Series
IF DARKNESS TAKES US (Book One): https://www.amazon.com/Darkness-Takes-Brenda-Marie-Smith-ebook/dp/B07WK9BQHN
IF THE LIGHT ESCAPES (Book Two): https://www.amazon.com/If-Light-Escapes-Braving-Novel-ebook/dp/B09CMZZRKZ
IF THE SUN SPARES US (Book Three): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CGTHY55H
The author will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
28 comments:
Thanks for being my guest, Brenda. This series sounds, if you'll forgive a pun, stellar!
I do like post-apocalyptic stories.
It rings a familiar bell as to irregular weather patterns!
I need to read this, thanks for reviewing the series
We appreciate you featuring this book.. thank you!
Sounds like a great book. I am ready for the fall.
Thank you so much for hosting me and my book here today. I love that you have such a pretty blog and also such interested followers. I have to go out to a clinic this morning, but I'll be back in early afternoon, and I'll be eager to check in with you all then.
I liked the excerpt.
Do you have a favorite space to do your writing?
Traciem, I do most of my writing at a big desk in my bedroom, and often times I print things out and edit them in the den in front of the TV, lol. I don't get around too well, so I don't write other places. Except once in a while I might scribble some passages by hand.
I once wrote two passages in my head and memorized them while I played a slot machine at a casino. The passages had the rhythms of the machine. That was fun.
Great excerpt and giveaway. I like the cover.
This sounds really good!
BTW, the books are on sale this week. $2.99 for the Kindle and $15.99 for the paperback. I hope you will check them out.
I enjoyed the excerpt and this is one of my favorite genres to read!
Thanks so much to all of you for your kind comments. And thank you Lisabet for hosting me. I hope everyone has a lovely autumn.
BTW, a lot of you have commented on the cover. Olivia Hammerman is the awesome cover artist. She designed covers for all three books in the series.
I enjoyed the excerpt and blurb. Sounds really interesting.
Sounds really good
Thanks again, everyone! Have a good night!
interesting book
This sounds intriguing!
Looks great!
This sounds like a really great read. I like the excerpt a lot.
What do you need in your writing space to help you focused?
Good question, Tracie. I need space, I need some liquid to drink, and I need the option to have either quiet or noise. Sometimes the TV news in the background actually stimulates my writing--agitates my brain, lol. Other times, I need quiet. So my TV is where I have to turn around to see it.
This looks like a great read. Thanks for hosting.
Looking back on your life , who or what makes you instantly light up?
Tracie, since I'm 70 and have lived a full life, I can light up over many things that have happened in my life. I'm very fortunate in that regard. There was the birth of my two sons, falling in love with my husband, seeing my grandkids soon after they were born, getting my first publishing contract, and so many fun and funny moments I can't count them all.
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