THE SIREN WAKES
by J.A. Hayman
Alex Nicholls wakes in a field with no recollection of how he got there. With his identity pulled into question he is forced on the run from the corrupt government who believes he is sick. He is led on a journey to discover the truth behind his identity and the truth behind the sickness which haunts him.
EXCERPT
In the corner of my eye I spotted something behind Terry. There was a man. A man walking by. He looked just like me. It was like looking in a mirror, and my mind struggled to comprehend how this could be possible. He glanced at me before scurrying off into the stairwell. I stood up in a daze and walked to the corridor. Terry protested, but I just ignored him. I reached the empty stairwell perplexed.
Feeling inexplicably drawn to the man, I ran out into the stairwell. I felt like I had to find out why he looked just like me; was this some sort of bizarre prank? The man was gone. I looked down the middle of the staircase, but he wasn’t there. I sprinted up the stairs toward the roof, leaving Terry floundering in the stairwell entrance, unsure what to do. My footsteps thudded as I paced upward, anticipating what could be happening, but when I threw open the roof door, I found the roof to be empty. There was no way the man could have gone anywhere else, but he simply wasn’t there. Terry caught up to me. “You...okay there, man?” he said, panting. He wasn’t the most interesting man I knew; however, he was kind, which meant he was decent friend material, not to say I wouldn’t ditch him if someone else swooped into my desolate life. I was confused. I was sure I had seen someone a moment ago, but no one was out on the roof. I gave a nervous laugh, scratching at my palm. “I thought I saw something.” Giving him a meek look, I returned to the stairwell. Maybe I was just tired and seeing things. Could have I fallen asleep for a moment and dreamed it? It’s hard to determine a dream from reality; in a dream everything seems to make sense, only upon waking do you realize the absurdity of it all.
~Buy THE SIREN WAKES on Amazon
AN INTERVIEW WITH J.A.
-What inspired you to become a writer?
I had always been a very creative person and I had plotted out novels and series in my head from a young age but I didn’t take that step into being a writer until I was 22 in University. I am a huge fan of Stephen King and I watched an Interview where he compelled you to make your mark on the world and give it a shot. I came up with an idea and ran with it… and it eventually ended up as my first novel ‘The Siren Wakes’. During the whole process I discovered I really enjoy creating a story for others to enjoy, so I will continue to write and hopefully everyone will continue to enjoy my work!
-If you could visit your book’s world for a day, what one thing would you do?
It’s a very dark world so it isn’t a place I would really want to go to… but if I had to; I would probably want to visit the ASA headquarters in Los Angeles as it is such an important building in that world. Another place I would like to visit would be the ruins of Europe… it would be a sad and desolate place to go to, but just a world away from our own, so would be interesting to experience firsthand.
-Give us a fun or interesting fact you learned researching this book.
I learnt a lot about the particulars of Nuclear Weapons in my research for my series. I found it interesting looking into the past Nuclear Weapons tests, a lot of which I had never heard of before. There was one Nuclear Bomb detonated high up in the atmosphere which wiped out the power in Hawaii and damaged a lot of electrical equipment. I was interested when I found out that EMP blasts don’t work as they are portrayed in a lot of films and books… so I had to use that knowledge and adapt it to my story.
-Which of your characters would you go out for drinks with?
I would definitely want to go for drinks with Eric. He is a charmer and a funny guy, so I imagine it would be a lot of fun. He has a lot of darkness in him but he would have a lot of stories to tell and has lived through a lot. Although I am not sure whether he would want to go for a drink with me! There are some really interesting characters in my upcoming work who I would love to go out for drinks with but that is spoilers! You will have to wait and see.
-What do you enjoy reading in your free time?
Most of the time I read Science Fiction books such as The Machine by James Smythe or Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury but I also enjoy a lot of Crime Fiction. In particular I really enjoy Keigo Higashino’s crime novels! Devotion of Suspect X and Salvation of a Saint are incredible novels and I would definitely recommend them.
-Is there a genre you could never write? Which and why?
I don’t think I could ever write Erotic Fiction or Romance. I try to put threads of Romance into my novels to add that layer of realism and believability… but I would find writing a whole Romance novel pretty boring. My favorite scenes to write are action packed scenes or fight scenes, so Erotic fiction or Romance just wouldn’t work out for me.
ABOUT J.A.
Native to the UK, I was born in the Garden of England in the early 90s. I was creative from a young age, always wrapped up in my own world and fantasies. I was a big reader from a young age, reading Les Miserables and Lord of the Rings while I was still in primary school.
I was fortunate enough to be able to travel a lot in my youth, from Hong Kong to Houston I experienced the world and gained a greater perspective of the world outside my small woodland village I grew up in.
In secondary school I was told I was too cynical to be a writer and was put off writing for many years. Instead I pursued a degree in Physical Geography, gaining my Masters degree in late 2015. University gave me time to really discover myself as a person. Allowing me to pursue my passions and dreams to their fullest. I want to share my stories and ideas with the world. As a child I hungrily devoured fiction and now I will help feed the minds of others.
Find J.A. online:
GIVEAWAY
J.A.Hayman will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteYou are a new-to-me author and your book's genre is not one I read. That said, I will enjoy following you during your tour to discover more about you and your work. There might be something hiding there that I will like.
ReplyDeleteHopefully you will enjoy the rest of the tour! There are some interesting posts coming up!
Deletecongrats on the tour and thanks for the chance to win :)
ReplyDeleteThankyou! Good luck!
DeleteVery informative interview!
ReplyDelete--Trix
I enjoyed the excerpt, sounds like a great read, good luck with the tour!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway and I like the excerpt. :)
ReplyDeleteThankyou for hosting! Some great questions. Awesome start to the tour! Thankyou for everyone who checked out the post!
ReplyDeleteJudging by the excerpt, book sounds very intriguing, looking forward to reading it!
ReplyDeleteI really liked the excerpt. Sounds like a great book.
ReplyDelete