Hi everyone, and welcome to my first ever book blitz. Today I'd like to present to you Suzanne van Rooyen's new book, Obscura Burning. Suzanne wrote a wonderful guest post about various poems that played a role in the making of her book. I am delighted to share them here.
Author: Suzanne van Rooyen
Relase date: December 7th 2012
Publisher: Etopia Press
Buy: Amazon
The world's going to end in fire…and it's all Kyle's fault.
Kyle Wolfe's world is about to crash and burn. Just weeks away from graduation, a fire kills Kyle's two best friends and leaves him permanently scarred. A fire that Kyle accidentally set the night he cheated on his boyfriend Danny with their female friend, Shira. That same day, a strange new planet, Obscura, appears in the sky. And suddenly Kyle's friends aren't all that dead anymore.
Each time Kyle goes to sleep, he awakens to two different realities. In one, his boyfriend Danny is still alive, but Shira is dead. In the other, it's Shira who's alive...and now they're friends with benefits. Shifting between realities is slowly killing him, and he's not the only one dying. The world is dying with him. He's pretty sure Obscura has something to do with it, but with his parents' marriage imploding and realities shifting each time he closes his eyes, Kyle has problems enough without being the one in charge of saving the world...
When I first started writing Obscura Burning I discovered a poem by the Muskogee writer, Joy Harjo. Sadly, I couldn’t include this poem in the final version of the book due to copyright issues but I can include it here. This is the poem to which Shira and Kyle refer in the story:
“I can hear the sizzle of newborn stars, and know anything of meaning, of the fierce magic emerging here. I am witness to flexible eternity, the evolving past, and I know we will live forever, as dust or breath in the face of stars, in the shifting pattern of winds.”
Joy Harjo, Secrets from the Center of the World
Given the apocalyptic theme in the book and Kyle’s penchant for fire I’d like to share a few more quotes from songs and poems, which I found inspirational while writing this story.
“Now I'm all alone
Kept the pain inside
Wanna torch the world
Cause I'm breathin fire”
Cold, End of the World
“You're still alive, she said
Oh, and do I deserve to be
Is that the question
And if so...if so...who answers...who answers...
I, oh, I'm still alive”
Pearl Jam, Alive
“World serves its own needs, listen to your heart bleed.
Tell me with the rapture and the reverent in the right.
You vitriolic, patriotic, slam, fight, bright light, feeling pretty psyched.
...It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.”
R.E.M, It’s the End of the World as We Know It
And lastly, perhaps the most poignant and chilling of all comes from a bleak but brilliant poem by T. S Eliot:
“This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.”
T.S Eliot, The Hollow Men
Suzanne is a freelance writer and author from South Africa. She currently lives in Finland and finds the cold, dark forests nothing if not inspiring. Suzanne is the author of the cyberpunk novel Dragon’s Teeth (Divertir), the YA science fiction novel Obscura Burning (Etopia) and has had several short stories published by Golden Visions Magazine, Space and Time and Niteblade. Niteblade nominated her short story Where dreams are grown for the Pushcart Prize. Her non-fiction articles on travel, music and other topics can be found scattered throughout the Internet. Although she has a Master’s degree in music, Suzanne prefers conjuring strange worlds and creating quirky characters. When not writing you can find her teaching dance to ninth graders or playing in the snow with her shiba inu.
Suzanne is represented by Jordy Albert of the Booker Albert Agency.
Giveaway time! Enter the Rafflecopter for a chance to win:
-1 autographed paperback of Obscura Burning-1 ebook of Dragon's Teeth (epub, mobi or pdf)
-1 $10 GC for Amazon
-3 surprise items from each of the main characters
Thank you to 
for the wonderful organzation.
for the wonderful organzation.
This books sounds really interesting and unique. I haven't heard of anything quite like it to be honest.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, I shall definitely have to think about checking it out.
Congrats on your first ever book blitz! :)
That T.S. Eliot quote is one of my favourites. And I haven't come across Joy Harjo before, but I like the sound of that poem. Thanks for sharing! The book looks incredibly interesting, too. :)
ReplyDeleteWow, that T.S. Eliot quote is definitely bleak and dreary. This book sounds so unique. I'm definitely going to check it out! Thanks for putting it on my radar. :)
ReplyDeleteOh heck. That cover looks amazing. this book sounds like my cup of tea. :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome quotes! I especially like the first one.
ReplyDeleteI think I would buy The fault in our stars by John Green. I have read it, but I really need to own it :)
Love the quotes and thanks for sharing this and congrats on your first book blitz!
ReplyDeleteOoh, this sounds good! I hadn't heard of it before, but the cover is gorgeous and the synopsis is really intriguing, so thanks for putting this on my radar, Maja!
ReplyDeleteI had Suzanne on my blog not long ago and she was really nice! I think her book sounds amazing, I just wish I could find time to fit it in!
ReplyDeleteOh there we go! When someone puts R.E.M. and Pear Jam them he/she is my instant friend! :D I haven't heard of this book before but I will add it to my to read list :) Thank you Maja for sharing ;)
ReplyDeleteI don't know why I haven't heard of this book before but it is so far up my alley that I almost think I could've written it myself and I want it so bad it hurts. As for the question, what I'd buy, I'd look for anything even remotely LIKE this book and buy them all. *salivates*
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds tragic but also quite intriguing. Thanks for sharing Maja and thanks for the giveaway :)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a dark and emotional read. I wonder what reality will win out. Thanks for sharing ladies and for the giveaway. :)
ReplyDelete