Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Disconnect Blog Tour Excerpt & Giveaway


Hi everyone!
Today I want to share with you an excerpt from Imran Siddiq's debut novel, Disconnect.


Disconnect by Imran Siddiq
Series: Divided Worlds Trilogy, #1
Publication date: February 22nd 2013
Genre: YA Sci-Fi


In space, love has boundaries.

Dirtying fingernails in sewers is fast approaching worthlessness for Zachary, a 16-year old Underworld scavenger. When footage of an Overworld girl, Rosa, is discovered, his intrigue heightens at why she expresses sadness with a lavish lifestyle.

In meeting Rosa, Zachary is scorned by her opinion of the deprived. She pities him and provides a means for them to communicate. With time, friendship and something he’s never felt grows; love for another human. Knowing Rosa calls him when it suits her isn’t enough; he wants to meet her, but how? Relationships in Underworld are few, let alone the impossibility with those above the ceiling.

Underworld will suffer when plans to conquer Jupiter’s moon, Europa move ahead. Worse is Rosa’s father, a disgraced Overworld ambassador, approving the plan.

Zachary must defeat the prejudice of the worlds, sneak within opposing forces, lose friends and challenge Rosa’s sadness. In doing so, a twisted secret is uncovered that may devour the reason he lives; Rosa.



Locked away from light, Underworld was a murky pit in comparison to the rich nature of Overworld that few had seen, and finds such as these were rare here. Luck placed Zachary within easy access of the clutter that lay on the west side of Underworld, the Wastelands. Spending most of his day amongst the sewer pipes didn’t bother him for it was far better than the dull lanes of District Two. No day was the same amongst junk. Every gush from the pipes revealed a new surprise. 

Nobody knew how thick the ceiling was or why its creation blocked Underworld from the world above. Often Zachary pondered what exactly sat above the ceiling. He guessed unlimited power, droids with abilities that dwarfed the functions of humans, and a life that didn’t require working in muck. Short hours. Free time. 

An eerie chill climbed his spine at imagining the scattered giant steel support pillars dropping aside? Would Overworld add to the mess of Underworld? Could the two worlds of the Galilei Research Base co-exist? No chance. 

What did it matter? Underworld’s builders had left it to rot. 

Zachary squinted in the darkness at the unbroken chain links on the bracelet and the deep dent in its centre. Components of music-playing Harmon bracelets weren’t difficult to locate, though one as complete as this? He clicked his teeth thinking of when a working bracelet had last been handed to the stall. Longer than five years at least. There was a harsh rattle as he shook the bracelet. If he fixed this, it could be enough to save him another day of shame. 

More than that, he could show his dad that scavenging wasn’t a deadbeat job by putting some good food on the table.

Imran Siddiq may have tried to leave Leicester a few times, but its become his place to wake up to two cats, freeze when the heating’s off and most of all, get down to writing. At a young age, his primary school teacher commented on his creativity and ability to tell stories. At the age of 29, during a night in the jungle, the bug inside awakened, and for the last 5 years he’s been sacrificing every second that he can to write. A veteran of writing festivals, a presence on Twitter and gobbling up all forms of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, he hopes he can bring a smile to others in the same way that he had, aged 5, reading with a torch under his duvet. Imran’s preferred genre is YA Sci Fi, and he has a tendency to throw a droid in every novel.


You can buy Disconnect on Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Enter the Rafflecopter to win:

A Kindle Fire HD or $199 Amazon Gift Voucher
$50 Amazon Gift Voucher
$25 Amazon Gift Voucher

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44 comments:

  1. Many thanks for hosting this.
    I'm also running another giveaway where anyone that leaves a review of the novel on Goodreads before June, will get e-copy ARCs of Books 2 and 3 for free.

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  2. What a cool concept for a story. I've always wondered whether or not we would begin to build underground, now that we're fast running out of space aboveground.

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    1. With the setting of the novel on a space station, and the above space is all but used, having the greedy want to take from those scavenging below ground seemed a great plot.

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  3. Intriguing! Every time I hear a news story about the underground tunnels of big cities like New York and Boston, I'm fascinated--and a bit freaked out (I am NOT a fan of enclosed spaces).

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    1. Don't worry the ceiling is really high up... however... it is ... very... dark....

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  4. This sounds like a really interesting read! The cover is slightly creepy too!

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    1. Thanks for that.
      I created the background and lettering from scratch, and commissioned a fantastic Chinese Artist: Sendol Arts Studio to create the character.

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  5. Thanks for being part of the tour, Maja! :)

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    1. Total thanks to Giselle for being an amazing Promoter.

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  6. Hi Maja!
    Please don't kill me but I accidentally entered the link to my tweet into the space where the FB link was supposed to go! (here it is: click)Sorry about that!
    I've never heard about this book before, but I've read the excerpt and I must say it sounds pretty cool - a lot like Enclave series, but who knows, might be way different on the long run, right?! :)

    Thanks so much for sharing this and for the chance to win!

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    1. Don't worry... the plot as it moves along ... and the twists at the end are nothing like the Enclave Series.

      And don't forget - anyone that reviews on Goodreads before May, will receive e-copy ARCS of Book 2 and 3 :)

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  7. Well Rosa seems like sort of a selfish and unlikable character. Zachary on the other hand sounds lovely. This sounds like an exciting read. Thanks for sharing! I'll have to enter this later as trying to do so in my phone is a complete nightmare.

    Is the Imran from Leicester, England? The same place as Jasprit?

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    1. I am indeed from Leicester! Though don't know Jasprit :(

      Rosa has been created to be despised at first, but I hope the reader will relate to her issues/personality and come around to feeling something for her.

      Zachary was a joy to write, and the character artist nailed the image I wanted of him.

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  8. Sounds like a really interesting world! SciFi is sometimes a struggle for me just because it's such a departure from all things familiar, but there's something undeniably fascinating about it for me as well. I love seeing authors' imaginations run wild:) Thanks for sharing this excerpt Maja!

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    1. Orignally, I wanted to write YA Fantasy, but have found myself doing YA Sci Fi because there are so many things in the world we can expand on.

      But don't worry - I've received some criticism that the novel is light on Sci Fi in comparison to a full-blown Adult Sci Fi novel... and that's because I want to keep it accessible to youngsters.

      Tricky bit with Sci Fi is trying to keep it partially realistic to what could come, but also have the freedom to go places that no man has gone before. (Well they have - but not in my way).

      :)

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  9. This sounds like it has a really cool concept behind it, I love that it is one I haven't seen before. So often lately it seems that the some ideas are just regurgitated and thrown at us in a new way. Thanks for sharing, Maja!

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  10. This sounds interesting and the world sounds creepy (in a good way). I think that is what I like about sci-fi... the world building. I also like that the characters sound quite interesting especially Zachary.

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    1. I will admit that Zachary was previously named Thomas.
      When I changed the name, a whole new character formed.

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  11. I like the sound of this, especially since it's told from a male POV. Nice!

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    1. Originally the novel was going to be similar to Beth Revis's Across the Universe with male/female POV chapters... however I then decided to tell it exclusively from the young male.

      We need more male YA novels :)

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  12. This sounds fresh and interesting, always nice to get a male point of view too..thanks!

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    1. I remember when I was aged 12-16, the lack of male YA novels associated with Sci Fi or Fantasy ... let alone in a male POV.

      PS: I'm doing an additional giveaway where anyone that leaves a review on Goodreads before May - will receive e-copy ARC of Books 2 and 3 for free.

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  13. Thanks for the giveaway!! :)

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    1. Me and my generosity will be the the end of me ....

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  14. Oooh, scavenging. And Scifi. I need to pick up another one soon. :) Thank you!

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  15. Sci-fi/dystopian stories with underground settings totally fascinate me. This one sounds like it could be really interesting, though I don't envy the main character his job of scavenging in sewers. :-) I'm curious to know more after that excerpt. Thanks for sharing, Maja!

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  16. This sounds good! I'm going to have to go check out some reviews of it now!

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    1. Reviews are here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17288352-disconnect

      Thanks

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  17. This is such an interesting idea for a book. I'm glad I found it when I did, I just started to really get into SciFi novels and this seems like a good one! Even if I don't win, I'm gonna buy this book.

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    1. Hugely appreciated for your kind words.

      PS: I'm doing an additional giveaway where anyone that leaves a review on Goodreads before May - will receive e-copy ARC of Books 2 and 3 for free.

      Delete
  18. I've seen the tour for this book but I haven't had time to read so I didn't join. It sounds really good and interesting. Thanks for the excerpt and giveaway :)

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  19. Oooh, very intriguing! I really do like this a lot! Male POV's are something I try and hunt down because there really isn't enough of them out there! I will definitely be on the look out for this book. Thanks for sharing! :)

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    1. Could we soon see a rise in the male viewpoint in YA?
      Also, it's 3rd Person Limited rather than 1st Person.

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  20. Oh, I like the idea of underworld and overworld. It seems like there is also romance thrown in, and I'm really curious about the different world in overworld. Sci-fi might not be my favorite genre, but this book sounds too different to miss. I'll make sure to check it out later. Thank you for sharing, hun! :)

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    1. I will be totally honest in that many who aren't into Sci-Fi have been pleasantly surprised by how I use the Sci-Fi more as a backdrop to help the novel, but the drivers are the characters and their desires.

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  21. I'd love to see her review too.
    There are many 'totally independent' reviews (and I'm not just saying that) on Goodreads.

    http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17288352-disconnect

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  22. This sounds like it could be a really cool book, and I'm always keen to check out new YA sci-fi ;)

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  23. Sounds pretty great! c: And what an amazing giveaway.

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    1. I've come to learn that giveaways are a great promotional tool.
      Good luck!

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  24. Ok, I totally left a comment last night but I think Blogger ate it. :-( Apologies if I'm wrong and this is a duplicate!

    I love sci-fi stories with underground settings, and the worldbuilding in this book sounds fascinating. I am really curious to know more about Zachary's life and to see how his relationship with this Overworld girl will play out. I'm not sure I'd ever want to be in his shoes (the idea of scavenging through sewers gives me germaphobe shivers), but I'd love to read about it. Thanks for sharing this excerpt!

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    1. Ha :) Don't worry about the scavenging through sewers, there's no gory details or splodges of slime. I give the reader a taste, but let them imagine the rest.

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  25. Reminder:

    I'm also running another giveaway where anyone that leaves a review of the novel on Goodreads before June...

    ....will get e-copy ARCs of Books 2 and 3 for free.

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