Category: Mastic

Eli Constants Dead Trees 2 'Release Day' Spotlight!

29/5/2014

If you've been following me for this long, then you'll probably know that I like to help pimp out talented authors. Well, one of my favorite authors is a wonderful lady named Eli Constant.

Eli is one of those authors that writes stories that completely suck you in, using both realistic characters and fantastic world building. Her stories range from the crazy to the beautiful, and she writes with such poetic skill that even when she writes a genre I don't normally read, I find myself lost within her words.

I first met Eli over two years ago, when we traded review chapters for our then first books. Mine was Limerence, and hers was Dead Trees. I instantly fell in love with it.
It wasn't without its flaws--just as Limerence wasn't. The science lost me at times, but I was both equally amazed that she knew so much the subject as I was drinking it all in. Plus those damn characters were so easy for me to relate to, and those monsters, Jesus, they were so inventive and well thought out.

Two years later, after much nagging and hounding from me, and I got to beta read Dead Trees 2. And it is AWESOME. It's the right amount of strong female protagonist, hot male (hubba hubba), well thought out plot, tear-evoking (oh, the feels!!!) and scary monsters that every great book needs.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I PREDICT GREAT THINGS FOR THIS AUTHOR!

Dead Trees 2 doesn't release until tomorrow, but I'm going to give you the chance to win a copy of either Dead Trees 1 or Dead Trees 2. I'm literally putting my money where my mouth is. So have a read through, get a taste for the series, and for Eli (but no biting her) and enter!

Good Luck

Claire

Ps. Congratulations, Eli. I'm so freaking proud of you!

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Author Bio

Eli Constant is a genre-jumping detail junkie, obsessed with the nature of humanity. She believes that there is beauty at the core of most everything, but that truly unredeemable characters create the best stories. Eli is the author of “Dead Trees,” “Dead Trees 2,” “Mastic,” “DRAG.N” and is a contributor to the charity anthology “Let’s Scare Cancer to Death.” (LSCtD: TW Brown, Editor MayDecember Publications) 100% sales proceeds go to the V Foundation, a leader in cancer research for the past twenty years).

Her works-in-progress include the final book in the Dead Trees Trilogy, a 3-author anthology exploring the psychosis of serial killers, a 6-author anthology exploring humanity in the face of hopelessness, the second companion novel to DRAG.N, and a zombie origins novel (this last work in progress comes as a huge surprise to Eli; she honestly thought she’d never write about zombies, but somehow, she fell down the zombie hole and couldn’t crawl out, or rather, didn’t want to crawl out).

Keep posted on these upcoming publications by following Eli on any of her social links below.

Eli's Social & Website Links

Dead Trees 2

Release Information: “Dead Trees 2” is the sequel to Eli Constant’s début book, “Dead Trees”. Fans of the series include- Claire C. Riley (Odium Series, Limerence), Jerry Benns (Editor/Owner Charon Coin Press), Author TW Brown (The Dead Series, That Ghoul Ava) & more.

book prices from Friday 30th May!

Dead Trees Book 1 on sale @ $1.99

Dead Trees Book 2 @ $3.49

Set: Book 1 & 2 + Bonus Short Story (“Day of Amarok”) @ $4.49

Paperback: full price, available next week

Book Blurb

Two years of peace in a primitive setting can make anyone forget a past full of science, beasties, and blood.

On the day of her son’s birth, the past invades the Yukon valley where Elise and her family reside and they are once again forced to travel survival-road. The General has found her… tracked her across the miles. Elise is his obsession; he wants her for reasons beyond comprehension.

H2H was supposed to be the answer, but the world’s ‘savior’ has created a new pack of demons. The Rippers, beasties on steroids. Wild undergrounders are a mild nightmare in comparison.

Thankfully, humanity has an ace up its sleeves.

The question is: This time, when a new solution for saving humanity is put into action, what will the consequences be?

Dead Trees 2 Trailer

Book Excerpt

Cocking my head, I was able to see the beastie pounce, its body perfectly positioned to mount mine and slam me to the ground.

I fluidly rolled, tucking the pickaxe into my body and avoiding the unsharpened point. The undergrounder hit the forest floor where I’d just been crouching. In a flash, I was on my knees, my weapon raised above my head. The beastie also rolled, but towards me, not away. Like the proverbial window of opportunity, I knew it was my time to strike. The beastie realized it too, a screech escaping its mouth as it saw my weapon raised high. The monster took an instant too long to move out of my way. Hesitation will kill you.

With both hands gripping the handle, I brought the pickaxe down. The weight of the weapon’s head combined with gravity increased the velocity of the fall, amplifying the force. When the pickaxe made contact with the very centre of its chest, a bone-busting crack shot like gun fire through our surroundings.

The undergrounder’s rib cage was split apart, the cavity opening like a clamshell to reveal internal organs. The heart was still beating wildly, pumping blood to an injured body. I reveled in the sight.

My right hand, of its own volition, moved from the pickaxe handle toward that moving, thumping heart. It was warm in my hands, fluttering. I squeezed.

I squeezed.

The sack formed of myocardium muscle burst in my hands, spraying my face with warmth, getting into my hanging-open mouth. And when I contemplated eating its brain, I knew myself in the darkest places, the mental rooms in my mind that housed nightmares and ghouls. Half-beastie. Fully-realized.

I was frozen in horror, my human-self flooding into my mind and tossing out the beast. No intelligence could bear under the weight of such psychological turmoil.

The curtain of beasties had fallen, the path was open.

More undergrounders would come, attracted to the smell of blood, ready to eat, ready to consume the banquet of flesh memory we’d provided.

Click To Enlarge

Dead Trees Cover & Reviews

Horror author TW Brown had this to say about Dead Trees.

~Twisting the post-apocalypse story in a GOOD way!~

DEAD TREES is a morlock-esque take on the apocalypse. This reads much different than what you will find in the zombie genre (NO, this is NOT a zombie book, but rather a post-apocalyptic tale with "Beasties" as they are dubbed by the narrator hat have emerged from underground a la H.G. Wells.) First, know that there is some exceptional attention to detail here that is often lacking in the genre.

One thing that makes this book stand out is a strong female protagonist. SO often this genre is dominated by uber-military MacGyver types that have all the answers and can get out of every scrape. Elise is a mother simply trying her best to keep her daughter's alive, and while she does "hook up" with Jason, you get the impression that she can do with or without him just fine.

What you need to know is that this book is a page turner. It has plenty of action and strong character development. There are time when it gets "sciencey" but those times flow within the scope of the story and are not cumbersome. There are some editing flaws, but nothing that will make you pause or detract from the flow of the story (and the author has worked to make improvements in that area for those wondering). This is a strong book and you WILL be pestering her Ms. Constant about the sequel. I did not rate this book 5 stars because it was perfect. Truly, nothing really is. I rated it 5 stars because it took chances (that paid off) and it kept me wanting to read more.

Author TW Brown

The Dead Series, That Ghoul Ava Series

@maydecpub | Amazon Author Page

Jerry Benns Owner of Charon Coin Press had this to say

~ What would you do if the world we knew didn’t exist anymore? What would you do to protect your children and survive? ~

Eli Constant answers these questions and takes the end of the world to new levels in "Dead Trees". Starting on page one, readers are immersed into a world where humans are no longer at the top of the food chain and survival is measured in hours. Constant’s storytelling abilities bring the characters, setting, and the 'beasties' to life, making "Dead Trees" one of the most engrossing and ghoulish dystopian tales I have read in quite some time.

-Jerry Benns: Editor for State of Horror Anthologies, Charon Coin Press

State of Horror Anthology Facebook Page | Charon Coin Press Website