Virtual Book Tour [Excerpt & Interview + Giveaway!!] The War Inside: Book One of the Horizons Trilogy by M. Kircher

The War Inside: Book One of the Horizons Trilogy
by M. Kircher

BLURB:

The end of the world is only just the beginning. So eighteen-year-old Thea discovers when her solitary life on a dying Earth is shattered by a mysterious dream, a devastating choice, and a strange gift that propels her on a journey towards the restoration of all mankind.

Thea is bitter and alone; eking out her miserable life on the sunless, cloud-covered Earth she inhabits. A terrifying dream convinces her to save the life of an injured girl, and despite her misgivings, Thea decides to rescue sixteen-year-old Viviana. She soon learns that gentle Viv has a life-threatening infection, as well as a freakish patch of glowing skin over her heart. When this light spreads to Thea, causing her palms to glow, she is forced to trust Caden, an arrogant, lazy, and annoyingly handsome boy she despises. Caden has a map to the last city on Earth, and the only place that might have a cure for both Viv's infection and the strange light on Thea's hands. As the trio embark on a journey through the barren wilderness, Thea and Caden discover, and try to fight, their mounting attraction to each other. Along the way they are joined by Rain, Naomi, and Enoch who explain that the light is not a curse, but a powerful gift meant to heal the polluted Earth and reconnect the remnants of humanity. When the group learns that Viv is the key to this planet-wide redemption, and that there are deadly shadows who will do anything to keep humans in the darkness forever, they each must make the difficult decision to help Viv fulfill her destiny...and save the world.

Don't miss THE WAR INSIDE, an exciting young adult dystopian/fantasy novel by debut author M. Kircher.

The War Inside
© 2013 By M. Kircher

“Thea sucked a breath in through her teeth, trying to settle the distinctly uneasy feeling that was clawing at her stomach. She glanced back down at the injured girl and jumped back in surprise. She was gone! The girl had just…disappeared. Vanished into thin air. Thea blinked and ground the palms of her hands into her eyelids. What the hell was happening to her?

And that’s when the voice spoke for the first time.

“Keep her alive,” it whispered softly from the empty space behind Thea’s right ear.

Her muscles tensed, and the hairs on the back of her neck prickled. Thea whirled around, ready to face this unknown assailant, but as she did she noticed for the first time that her staff was clenched tightly in both hands. Had it been there a moment ago? For the life of her, Thea couldn’t remember. Either way, its familiar presence felt reassuring. She flipped the weapon around and shoved its rusty metal tip out into the darkness.

“Who said that?” Thea demanded, her tone hard and threatening.

“Keep her alive,” the voice repeated, like the edges of a cold wind. The words wrapped around her and sent a chill straight down her spine. The voice had moved. Now it spoke from somewhere just beside her left shoulder. She pivoted toward the sound, the thick treads of her boots grinding into the dirt and her staff poised to strike. But no one was there.” - Page 7, The War Inside

M. KIRCHER graduated with a B.A. in Fine Arts from Gordon College and is currently an author and artist. "The War Inside" is her first novel, but there are more to come including the second book in The Horizons Trilogy, "The Gray Horizon" and "Dreamcatchers", a futuristic twist on the legend of Rip Van Winkle. She devours YA, science fiction, fantasy, and romance on a regular basis and is immensely happy to pour her time and energy into creating stories for other people to enjoy. Bob Ross and J.R.R. Tolkien tie for her two favorite people of all time.

She and her husband write regularly for Relevant Magazine (www.relevantmagazine.com) and Simply Youth Ministry (www.youthministry.com). They also just had their first book published called "99 Thoughts on Marriage and Ministry", by Group Publishing.

M. Kircher lives in Connecticut with her husband, one energetic son, and a new baby girl.

Do you like the spotlight or lurking in the shadows?
I’m definitely a shadow-lurker. I really enjoy doing things behind-the-scenes at parties or events, and don’t like to be the center of attention. I’d much rather have a deep conversation with a friend for a couple of hours than make small talk with everybody or dance on a table. (Says the introvert!) My husband is the same way, and during the first dance at our wedding we clutched each other and whispered, “When is this going to be over? When is this going to be over?”

How many books are in your TBR pile?
If we were going to go with my Goodreads.com “to-read” shelf, the number would be nine. But in reality, there are many more than that. I read about four or five books a week and so my lists are always in a state of flux. If any of your blog readers have suggestions, I’m always open to hearing about amazing, new titles.

What is next on your to read list?
I just added Graceling by Kristin Cashore and Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, so those two will be what I’m diving into next. But I have to finish Dan Brown’s, Inferno first. It’s so creepy!

What one item would you eat for the rest of your life?
It’s so cliché, but I’d have to go with chocolate. I eat dessert twice a day (not at breakfast though, thank goodness) and will do so until the day I die. But dessert for me must include some element of chocolate or it’s disregarded. I think I might have a real problem…

What is the last thing you bought?
Oh, so boring and so cute at the same time – headbands. They are for my five-month-old daughter to help her hair, which refuses to do anything but stand straight up. And also so that other people will be able to tell that she’s a girl-baby instead of a boy-baby. They all look like cute, pasty, androgynous mounds of flesh at this point. It takes about a year to really be able to tell for sure, and thus, the headband buying.

Pet Peeves?
Being stuck in traffic and patiently waiting to get off an exit, and then another driver who has not waited cutting into the line of patient waiters and getting to the exit before everyone else. I say words that I should not when this happens…and then my two-year-old repeats those words. It’s a no-win situation.

Pizza or Pasta?
Pizza. You can put so much more stuff on pizza and it still tastes good.

What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
That during our first year of marriage my husband and I got kicked out of our apartment because we had so many screaming matches. It was the most embarrassing thing to happen, but because of it, we got some help and began blogging about what we learned. That blog eventually turned into a book deal and got both of us started as writers. Sometimes really awful stuff can turn into amazing opportunities.

If you had 24 hours alone how would you spend it?
That is my idea of a vacation, as both an introvert and as a mom of two kids under two! I would get a haircut, eat lunch out and read a book without anyone spitting up on me or throwing a sippy cup. I’d go see a romance movie and probably shop a little bit too. Oh, and take a nap. Definitely that.

If you could meet one person who has died who would you choose?
J. R. R. Tolkien. That man had patience. He didn’t publish his writing until he was an older gentleman, and the time, research, and pure craftsmanship he put into The Lord of the Rings is astounding. He made up an entire language! I would love to meet him and have a couple of hours to pick his brain about writing.

What do you do in your free time?
Read, read, and read some more. My kids are very young, so my husband and I can’t do much of the outdoors-y things that we love, like biking, hiking, canoeing, and swimming. But I can sit at home and read with a piece of chocolate and a glass of wine. I also love to paint, go to the movies, and try out new ethnic restaurants with my hubby or girlfriends. Some of my extended family is from India and I grew up appreciating all different kinds of cultures and foods.

Can you share a little about the current title you are working on?
I would love to! I’m currently working on The Gray Horizon, the second book in The Horizons Trilogy. It continues the story from The War Inside, but it will be told from Caden’s perspective. I’m really excited to be working with a male point of view this time and adding in some more shadow battles, developing Thea and Caden’s relationship, and letting Viv grow up a bit.
I’m also in the outlining stages of a young adult novel about a group of utterly normal teenagers in a world where everyone has superpowers.

Ohhh! Now that sounds AWESOME!!! :)

Thank you so much for having me!
-M. Kircher

M. Kircher will be awarding a $25.00 Amazon.com gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

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