Hi! My name is Tracy E. Banghart, and I'm the author of two YA paranormal romances, and a YA/crossover scifi adventure called SHATTERED VEIL. Thanks so much for having me! Here's a little more about my book:
"What starts as a tale of star-crossed romance quickly evolves into a gripping page-turner, with gender roles and identity explored and questioned at every turn." ~ STARRED REVIEW, Publishers Weekly
When everything that defines you is stripped away, who do you become?
War has invaded Atalanta's quiet villages and lush woodlands, igniting whispered worries in its glittering capitol. Far from the front lines, 18-year-old Aris Haan, a talented wingjet flyer, has little cause for concern. Until her beloved Calix is thrust into the fray, and a stranger makes her an impossible offer: the chance to join a secret army of women embedded within the all-male military.
Aris's choice to follow Calix to war will do more than put her in physical danger; it will make her question everything she believes about herself. When she and her enigmatic commander uncover a deadly conspiracy, her expert flying may be the only hope for her dominion's survival...and her own.
It's Mulan meets Battlestar Galactica, with a heroine who is strong enough to save a nation...but only if she's willing to sacrifice everything, even the one promise she swore she'd never break.
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Why I Went Indie
I have been asked a lot recently why I decided to indie publish. But, honestly, I don't see "indie" or "traditional" as the choice I made. I tried both, actually. I spent three years working with an agent, writing novels, submitting them to editors, and watching them come back rejected. I edited, chasing the perfect voice for THIS editor or the right plot point for THIS editor. I tried so hard to please everyone, I lost sight of the stories I was trying to tell. I knew something needed to change.
Ultimately, the choice I made was to take control of my writing and my story. I didn't want anyone else to define my self-worth as an author. I reworked my books so that they felt real and true to me. And then I put them out in the world. My goal has always been, and always will be, to connect with readers. If that means self-publishing, awesome. It's fun, and I love having all the control. If that means, at some point down the line, working with a traditional publisher, fabulous. I would love to have the editorial and marketing support.
I feel so lucky to be writing at a time when there are so many choices. Self-publishing, traditional, hybrid, digital, serial, novellas, free short stories....writers can and are pushing the boundaries of how and where to put their work out there. It's a wonderful, exciting time to be writing.
When it comes to success stories in indie publishing, most think of romance, new adult, or erotica (hello, FIFTY SHADES OF GRAY). But with Hugh Howey's WOOL series, indie science fiction is beginning to take a stronger foothold. Which is fantastic! Science fiction has always been off the beaten path, a little outside of mainstream. It is "genre", "niche", "pulp". And, most importantly, it's the kind of writing you can never have enough of. So many different worlds, so many different gadgets and creatures and wonderful imaginations at play! If the rise of indie publishing means scifi enthusiasts get more chances to read awesome stories set in new or different worlds, all the better. Here are a couple of my favorite recent indie scifi reads:
Blood Crown
By ali cross
In this science fiction romance, androids have claimed power over what remains of the human race. They rule without remorse. They are the Mind and humans exist only to serve them.
But it wasn't always so.
Before the android uprising, select droids, called Servants, were pivotal in engineering a new human race with nanotechnology enhanced DNA. The Blood Crown theorem was to be humanity's crowning glory and the key to their survival in deep space.
But Serantha, Daughter of the West, was the last female to receive Gifts from her Servant and when the Mind mutinied, she was hidden away, and presumed dead.
Without Serantha there is no hope of the Blood Crown being realized so Nicolai, Son of the East, abandons his crown to join the rebel forces. He might not provide the future for his people he had once dreamed of, but he will not go down without a fight.
When Nicolai discovers Sera among a small compliment of kitchen staff, everything changes--but Sera's Gifts were never completed and she is ill-equipped to face a legion of androids determined to wipe her, and every other human, out of existence.
Their only hope is the Blood Crown--but even if Serantha and Nicolai can realize their potential it may be too late to save mankind.
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Legacy Code
By Autumn Kalquist
The last humans fled a dying Earth 300 years ago, but there was something they couldn’t leave behind: the Legacy Code. Every colonist in the fleet carries mangled genes that damage the unborn, and half of all pregnancies must be terminated.
The day Era Corinth is supposed to find out if her baby has the Defect, her ship suffers a hull breach. And it may not have been an accident. As the investigation unfolds, Era begins to question everything she’s been taught about the fleet, their search for a new Earth, and the Defect. But the answers she seeks were never meant to be found...
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What are YOUR favorite indie scifis?
ABOUT TRACY E. BANGHART
Tracy E. Banghart is a cheesy movie–loving, fantasy football–playing (go Ravens!), globe-trotting Army wife who began “practicing” her craft at the age of five, when she wrote her first story. She loves visiting the international friends she met while pursuing her MA in Publishing and spends a portion of every summer at her family’s cabin in Canada, where she finds inspiration and lots of time to relax on the dock. She lives with her husband, son, two lazy dogs and one ornery cat. When not writing or spending time with her family, she is on a mission to bake the perfect cupcake.
She's the author of MOON CHILD, BY BLOOD, and SHATTERED VEIL, the first in The Diatous Wars trilogy. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and her blog.
5 comments:
I love, love, LOVE how you said that you didn't "choose indie", you chose to take control of your story and your career.
And thank you so much for the shout-out!
<3! You're welcome Ali! I LOVED Blood Crown!!
Thanks for the shout-out!
I love that you chose to stay true to the story you wanted to tell. Following your instincts was the way to go! Shattered Veil is an amazing book. <3 ;)
Aww...thanks Autumn!
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