My guest today is
Gissel Brito. Hello! Welcome to Writing in the Modern Age! It’s such a pleasure
to have you here.
Can you tell us a little bit about your latest book? When did it come out? Where can we get it?
Can you tell us a little bit about your latest book? When did it come out? Where can we get it?
The Universe Between Us is a dystopian Sci-Fi thriller following two
characters as they both struggle to survive. Eliza, the main lead, is a witty,
sharp-tongued, young woman who is abducted and taken to an alien planet
for experimentation. As she struggles to stay alive, she must find a way
to stop the aliens from achieving their harrowing plans. Anzu, my second
protagonist, is a coerced space cadet who must choose to betray his people and
help Eliza escape, or die.
It went live on April 2,
2016, and it's currently enrolled on KDP Select, so anyone can find it on Amazon
and also read it for free on Kindle Unlimited. I also have a paperback edition
available for sale on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
It sounds interesting!
Is there
anything that prompted The Universe Between Us? Something that inspired
you?
Yes, definitely. I grew up feeling
passionate about the universe and someday encountering intelligent alien
life, however it may be. After mulling over a way to bring all my ideas
together, I, one day, finally decided to sit down and start writing it. At
first, I was a little skeptical and thought my ideas were ridiculous, but as
the word count increased, I felt more and more involved with my story to
the point where it has completely taken over my life. And I love it. So I
think the inspiration is something I cultivated as I wrote. It's exciting to
see people I created, living on a world I imagined, interact, struggle, and
redeem themselves.
That's great!
So, when did you know you
wanted to write? Or has it always been a pastime of yours?
I remember writing as a
child--I even won a poetry contest. But then I stopped, and after ten or so
years of overcoming countless obstacles as I tried to fulfill my dream of
becoming an engineer (I still do), I rediscovered writing, and it has been the
best therapy for me. It's like, wow, I finally discovered what I really, really
want to do in my life. This is what I love, and if it's meant to be, you know,
being successful...I would love to make a living as a writer. What a wonderful
career.
Oh, I hear you! And I love to
hear about an author's journey!
Do you have any favorite
authors yourself, Gissel?
I grew up reading Harry Potter,
so J.K. Rowling is and will always be my favorite author. Then there's
Isaac Asimov, Kafka, Card, Clarke, Orwell, Beth Revis, Margaret
Atwood, and so many others.
It's hard to narrow them down,
right? ;)
So, do you write in a specific
place? Time of day?
I write in my room, nothing
special--a big construction project right out of my window. You can
imagine the view and the noise. My dream is to own a cottage in the middle
of a pine forest with a nearby lake and a snow-covered mountain, though.
So that's where I imagine myself writing.
Wow, that sounds like an
amazing writing location.
Are there any words you'd like
to impart to fellow writers? Any advice?
Write for the joy of it, and
always believe in yourself.
Sounds like a good plan. That's
great advice! Thank you for offering those words of wisdom.
And thank you so much for stopping
by to visit us here today at Writing in the Modern Age. It was so nice
having you! :)
Readers,
here is the blurb for The Universe Between Us.
Aliens, conspiracies, power
struggles, sibling love, and romance!
In another universe, a high-tech alien empire works on a secret experiment. But there’s double espionage, and an intriguing conspiracy brews.
One side seeks universal dominion. The other craves to overthrow the government.
Both forces rely on Eliza, the witty nineteen-year-old girl the aliens abducted for experimentation.
But Eliza is not stupid, albeit her harrowing situation, imprisoned in an underground facility and subjected to torturous experiments, she discovers Anzu, the charismatic alien who flew her to her nightmare and can’t keep his eyes off her, has a secret, one that could cost him his life. But that’s hardly Eliza’s problem. Especially after she finds out she’s mankind’s last hope.
So, determined to stop the evil Commander from eradicating all life on Earth, Eliza uses Anzu’s secret as blackmail to coerce him into helping her save Earth. And Anzu must now choose to betray his people, or die.
In another universe, a high-tech alien empire works on a secret experiment. But there’s double espionage, and an intriguing conspiracy brews.
One side seeks universal dominion. The other craves to overthrow the government.
Both forces rely on Eliza, the witty nineteen-year-old girl the aliens abducted for experimentation.
But Eliza is not stupid, albeit her harrowing situation, imprisoned in an underground facility and subjected to torturous experiments, she discovers Anzu, the charismatic alien who flew her to her nightmare and can’t keep his eyes off her, has a secret, one that could cost him his life. But that’s hardly Eliza’s problem. Especially after she finds out she’s mankind’s last hope.
So, determined to stop the evil Commander from eradicating all life on Earth, Eliza uses Anzu’s secret as blackmail to coerce him into helping her save Earth. And Anzu must now choose to betray his people, or die.
Here is an excerpt.
Anzu stood in front of Zaoni’s most dreaded door, ready to enter
the jury room and plead guilty for his sickness. A shot to the temple, to him,
was better than having Damkina blow him up.
It was the same white door with gleaming aqua lights he and Sief
had watched when they stood nervous waiting for a verdict. Centered on the
door, it read:
*Confessions*
Be an honored citizen and save us from social havoc
For Zaoni, by Zaoni
Below this, the images of recent citizens that had gone through an
honorable execution glowed. Anzu imagined his image floating on this door too,
and swallowed.
With sweaty hands, he remembered when he and Sief, both fourteen
cycles, fled to a remote island near Zaoni's South Pole. They had planned to
live on that island forever, away from the stupid rules and regulations. But
they were followed and processed.
He shook his head at the memory, looked around, and sat on a
nearby glass bench to reflect a little more about taking this decision.
Standing in front of the door was not proper. It would raise suspicion.
He sat with his shoulders bunched, his chest tight, for he still
remained unsure if he should indeed confess. Then he rubbed his forehead and
ran his hand through his hair. Eliza hated him as much as he hated himself. If
only she could understand him. But asking her to comprehend him remained ridiculous;
he had lied to her, out of fear, after all. Moreover, she didn’t even have to
talk to him, and if she desired to kill him, he well deserved it. He’d bow and
let her cut his head off.
As he stared at the door, citizens walked past him. Citizens who
deserved their lives, for they were free of emotion. Then he closed his eyes
and put his hands on his face, but the whoosh of air near him drew his
attention. Glancing up, he saw Baak standing next to him. Anzu's stomach
twisted, and he fought to hold on to his composure.
"Anzu," Baak said, taking a seat next to him. "What
brings you here? I thought you were on active duty somewhere near Ral, I
believe."
Anzu looked him in the eye and clenched his hands. "Not
today." Anzu cleared his throat. He had to speak up. "I am thinking
about this thing called life. I sometimes fee— I sometimes wonder if I deserve
it. If we deserve it."
Baak narrowed his eyes. "Now, do you?"
Anzu glanced at his hands, the same ones that had taken Luvia’s
life away and almost Iris’s. He became marked for life. With a hurting heart,
he said, "Yes. You see, I have been watching how your experiments take
away the happiness of a being who needs that happiness to live..." Anzu
met his gaze, holding his tears, jaw clenched. "We are doing something
wrong." He paused to catch his breath. "Terribly wrong. We were
emotional once, weren't we? Why did we choose not to anymore? Why is it illicit
to feel, and why must we execute those who do?"
Baak listened to him attentively, in silence.
Anzu glanced at the confessions door. "I despise the society
I belong to."
Baak clapped Anzu's shoulder. "Change it."
Anzu heaved a breath. "How? I have no power. But you
do."
Baak pressed his lips together, his eyes kind on Anzu's. Anzu
looked him in the eye, wondering if he should let Baak know of his sickness. It
would make no difference if he confessed or if he didn't, when all was already
lost. So Anzu spat his situation, his torments. "You don’t need to test me
like we had coordinated. I feel, Baak. I feel," Anzu admitted, feeling a
bitter type of relief and, at the same time, a heavy heart incapable of
beating, of pumping blood, of giving life back to him.
“Hm. I see.”
Anzu looked at his hands and fidgeted with them. "Living with
feelings and not having the liberty to express them is like committing suicide
and failing to die." He met his gaze. "But even worse is watching
those who suffer and empathize with them, and yet I am powerless, unable to
help them, because somehow, my life belongs to someone else, to the one with
the real power."
Baak gripped Anzu's shoulder. "Must you die?"
"Are you sparing my life?" Anzu asked.
"Wrong question."
"I am already dead inside," Anzu said, rubbing his
hands. "I am a murderer. What difference will it make if I’m alive or
dead?"
Baak eyed him in silence, then he said, "Me and Uziel
designed you, Anzu. I always knew you felt."
Anzu glowered at him, shocked at his confession. "What?"
Baak held Anzu's hand down. "Like Eliza, you are nothing more
than a scientific experiment.”
Anzu opened his mouth to speak, but Baak waved his hand in the
air, and said, “Listen. Eliza is free to feel, you aren't. Both somehow suffer,
thus I have proven most emotions are useless while others are necessary."
Anzu closed his eyes, his face burned, jaw clasped. Hate inflamed
his heart, hate for his people, who used science for nasty social experiments.
He was alive! Conscious. His being, bleeding. And for the sake of science, Baak
had observed Anzu throttle himself in treacherous ways?
Anzu glared at Baak and bristled.
Baak smiled at him.
"You are sickening," Anzu said, controlling his
reactions but desiring to punch him in the face.
Baak heaved to his feet, and his eyes bore into him. "No, no.
Thanks to you, I will find a cure."
Purchase Links:
Amazon Universal: http://bookgoodies.com/a/B01DQB0L4E
CreateSpace: https://www.createspace.com/6164942
This book sounds fascinating!
We'll be sure to check it out! :)
Author Bio
Gissel Brito was born in Miami,
Florida, to an Ecuadorian mother and a Portuguese father. She grew up in
Ecuador, the country that inspired one of the settings of The Universe
Between Us. Gissel is currently living in Florida, where she is working on
her latest book's sequel and on a middle grade Sci-Fi adventure.
Author Links:
Website/Blog: https://www.gisselbrito.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gisselbrito88
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/gisselbrito88
Amazon
Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Gissel-Brito/e/B01DFTSZ36/
Gissel's
Books:
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