Jennifer Wilson's Blog - Posts Tagged "dystopian"
New World: Rising- Sneak Peek!
Book Excerpt:
I awoke with a start, my arms flailing outward, as the scream caught in my throat. It only took seconds to recognize my surroundings, to calm my racing heart. This was how I awoke every morning, every morning since my parents died. After years I managed to restrain the scream, awakening before it escaped my lips. Screaming in the night could get you found, screaming during the daytime would get you killed.
I checked my father’s watch in the green light. It was nearly three in the afternoon. There were still hours until dark. I knew I would have to stock up more food before I left for my next refuge, but scavenging during the daytime wasn’t an option.
Thumbing through my book collections, I felt uninspired and bored, having already read them so many times. I thought about trying to sleep longer but my mind was too awake. After eating a breakfast of dried apples, I made a plan to grow my personal library. Aside from needing something else to distract my mind, books always proved a good source of trade. Those few of us who defied the Tribes kept to ourselves and stayed quiet. We never gathered, nor really ever trusted one another. But when goods ran scarce, trades were not uncommon. It was finding the right recluses to trade with that was key. One wrong choice and you could easily find yourself with empty hands and a knife in your back. A select few of my merchants knew how to read and those that didn’t, never turned down good kindling.
Rifling through my few belongings, I decided to leave my larger backpack behind. It was too heavy and often cumbersome while crawling through the vents. I would only need a small tote big enough to carry books. My revolver lay on the mattress in its holster. I eyed it, speculating if it was needed. I always took it with me outside or to hunt for food, but no one ever came in the library anymore. I had seen a few rats and the occasional wild dogs on the floors below, but none of them ever bothered me. Instead I slid my knife into my hip sheath and climbed up the shelves to the vent.
As always, I moved with great caution, careful to never make a sound and always listening for others. But like usual, the building was empty. After nearly ten minutes of crawling, I saw light shining up through the galvanized steel. Cautiously I pressed my ear to the vent while holding my breath.
Nothing.
I smiled and pushed open the grate before sliding out onto the top of a bookshelf. Before descending I scanned the rows, my keen eyes looking for any trace of movement, foreign color or moved shelving. Nothing had changed since I was here last. Several of the books I had discarded still lay on the floor where I had dumped them, uninterested.
Relaxing a bit, I took a deep breath. The room was massive, filled with rows upon rows of abandoned books. It smelled like aged paper, and earth from the destroyed floors below. I loved that smell. Soundlessly, I climbed down the metal shelf I had perched on and headed for my favorite sections.
First I stopped by the romance section— business first, then pleasure. These were my least favorite kind of book. People fell into whirlwind romance, swept up with sex and passion. I didn’t believe in love, it was a wasted emotion that could get you killed. People did foolish things in the name of love. While I detested these books, they were generally thick and most of my allies didn’t care about the content as long as they burned.
I never made friends, not even with my allies. There were those I could barter with safely, and those I couldn't, I stole from. I never stole from the dead. Rationally it made more sense to take from the dead; after all it wasn’t like they would be using anything any more. But the thought made me nauseous, reminding me too much of watching my parents’ murders. Instead I traded with a few recluses and targeted the Tribes’ storage facilities for the rest. I never felt guilty stealing from them.
Blindly grabbing a few thick books, I tossed them into my bag and moved on to the educational section. I browsed the titles looking for books on survival and warfare. After skimming their backs I took two of the most promising titles before moving on to the fiction section. I loved this section the most. The books here provided an escape, a place to let my mind wander free and find friends. Not real friends, but friends I could care about without having to commit to. Once I had opened a book and read its pages, those characters could never be taken away from me. Even if the books were burned, they would still live on in my mind. They couldn’t die or betray you, friends on paper proved much more lucrative than real ones.
This section was also the largest, and after years of perusing its shelves I had only just scratched the surface. Leisurely, I moved through the rows looking for authors I recognized or titles that called to me. Upon finding one of interest I would pull it from the shelf and read the back cover or the first few pages. Anything of interest was added to my collection. Everything else got added to the growing pile on the floor. I was so immersed in the pages of a potential gem that I almost didn’t hear them.
Two voices were making their way toward me, speaking in hushed tones.
“Shut up. I swear I heard something up here.”
“If I scaled that damn rope for nothing, I swear I will slit your throat myself.”
Every muscle in my body tensed as the distinctly male voices drifted through the aisles. Careful not to make a sound, I slipped the book into my bag and peeked through a gap in the books. Their backs were turned to me, the black leather of their coats splattered in red. Both men were hulking in size, my head probably even with their chests. The taller one had a red mohawk with feathers dangling from it. The other was bald with deep scars that covered the entire left side of his head like angry red fissures. Both of them had an obscene amount of metal piercings protruding from their skin. My hair rose on end.
Ravagers.
What the hell were they doing here? Panic prickled in the pit of my stomach. The vent leading to safety was nearly five rows over across the aisle; there was no way to make it there without being seen. Why hadn’t I brought my gun? I cursed myself as their eyes scanned the empty rows.
“I smell fear.” One of them taunted, his gruff voice no longer whispering.
They cackled with delight.
I swallowed hard. Even if it was just a farce to scare me, it was working, my pulse accelerating. Punching the other in the shoulder, the one with the mohawk motioned for them to spilt off. My ears began to ring as they moved to either side of my row and progressed towards me. I was trapped. My eyes instantly searched for another route of escape or a place to hide. As their footsteps moved closer, I began to silently climb.
I awoke with a start, my arms flailing outward, as the scream caught in my throat. It only took seconds to recognize my surroundings, to calm my racing heart. This was how I awoke every morning, every morning since my parents died. After years I managed to restrain the scream, awakening before it escaped my lips. Screaming in the night could get you found, screaming during the daytime would get you killed.
I checked my father’s watch in the green light. It was nearly three in the afternoon. There were still hours until dark. I knew I would have to stock up more food before I left for my next refuge, but scavenging during the daytime wasn’t an option.
Thumbing through my book collections, I felt uninspired and bored, having already read them so many times. I thought about trying to sleep longer but my mind was too awake. After eating a breakfast of dried apples, I made a plan to grow my personal library. Aside from needing something else to distract my mind, books always proved a good source of trade. Those few of us who defied the Tribes kept to ourselves and stayed quiet. We never gathered, nor really ever trusted one another. But when goods ran scarce, trades were not uncommon. It was finding the right recluses to trade with that was key. One wrong choice and you could easily find yourself with empty hands and a knife in your back. A select few of my merchants knew how to read and those that didn’t, never turned down good kindling.
Rifling through my few belongings, I decided to leave my larger backpack behind. It was too heavy and often cumbersome while crawling through the vents. I would only need a small tote big enough to carry books. My revolver lay on the mattress in its holster. I eyed it, speculating if it was needed. I always took it with me outside or to hunt for food, but no one ever came in the library anymore. I had seen a few rats and the occasional wild dogs on the floors below, but none of them ever bothered me. Instead I slid my knife into my hip sheath and climbed up the shelves to the vent.
As always, I moved with great caution, careful to never make a sound and always listening for others. But like usual, the building was empty. After nearly ten minutes of crawling, I saw light shining up through the galvanized steel. Cautiously I pressed my ear to the vent while holding my breath.
Nothing.
I smiled and pushed open the grate before sliding out onto the top of a bookshelf. Before descending I scanned the rows, my keen eyes looking for any trace of movement, foreign color or moved shelving. Nothing had changed since I was here last. Several of the books I had discarded still lay on the floor where I had dumped them, uninterested.
Relaxing a bit, I took a deep breath. The room was massive, filled with rows upon rows of abandoned books. It smelled like aged paper, and earth from the destroyed floors below. I loved that smell. Soundlessly, I climbed down the metal shelf I had perched on and headed for my favorite sections.
First I stopped by the romance section— business first, then pleasure. These were my least favorite kind of book. People fell into whirlwind romance, swept up with sex and passion. I didn’t believe in love, it was a wasted emotion that could get you killed. People did foolish things in the name of love. While I detested these books, they were generally thick and most of my allies didn’t care about the content as long as they burned.
I never made friends, not even with my allies. There were those I could barter with safely, and those I couldn't, I stole from. I never stole from the dead. Rationally it made more sense to take from the dead; after all it wasn’t like they would be using anything any more. But the thought made me nauseous, reminding me too much of watching my parents’ murders. Instead I traded with a few recluses and targeted the Tribes’ storage facilities for the rest. I never felt guilty stealing from them.
Blindly grabbing a few thick books, I tossed them into my bag and moved on to the educational section. I browsed the titles looking for books on survival and warfare. After skimming their backs I took two of the most promising titles before moving on to the fiction section. I loved this section the most. The books here provided an escape, a place to let my mind wander free and find friends. Not real friends, but friends I could care about without having to commit to. Once I had opened a book and read its pages, those characters could never be taken away from me. Even if the books were burned, they would still live on in my mind. They couldn’t die or betray you, friends on paper proved much more lucrative than real ones.
This section was also the largest, and after years of perusing its shelves I had only just scratched the surface. Leisurely, I moved through the rows looking for authors I recognized or titles that called to me. Upon finding one of interest I would pull it from the shelf and read the back cover or the first few pages. Anything of interest was added to my collection. Everything else got added to the growing pile on the floor. I was so immersed in the pages of a potential gem that I almost didn’t hear them.
Two voices were making their way toward me, speaking in hushed tones.
“Shut up. I swear I heard something up here.”
“If I scaled that damn rope for nothing, I swear I will slit your throat myself.”
Every muscle in my body tensed as the distinctly male voices drifted through the aisles. Careful not to make a sound, I slipped the book into my bag and peeked through a gap in the books. Their backs were turned to me, the black leather of their coats splattered in red. Both men were hulking in size, my head probably even with their chests. The taller one had a red mohawk with feathers dangling from it. The other was bald with deep scars that covered the entire left side of his head like angry red fissures. Both of them had an obscene amount of metal piercings protruding from their skin. My hair rose on end.
Ravagers.
What the hell were they doing here? Panic prickled in the pit of my stomach. The vent leading to safety was nearly five rows over across the aisle; there was no way to make it there without being seen. Why hadn’t I brought my gun? I cursed myself as their eyes scanned the empty rows.
“I smell fear.” One of them taunted, his gruff voice no longer whispering.
They cackled with delight.
I swallowed hard. Even if it was just a farce to scare me, it was working, my pulse accelerating. Punching the other in the shoulder, the one with the mohawk motioned for them to spilt off. My ears began to ring as they moved to either side of my row and progressed towards me. I was trapped. My eyes instantly searched for another route of escape or a place to hide. As their footsteps moved closer, I began to silently climb.
Want to know what happens?! Read more at New World: Rising
Triven
Whilst perusing the web I found this photo of Alex Pettyfer. He would make a good Triven, no?
SNEAK PEEK: Phoenix's journal- Meet the tribes
Check out these exclusive conceptual pages from Phoenix's journal!
In New World: Rising the Tribes of Tartarus rule the city. Their power is unequivocal and they have only one rule. Join or die. Who would you choose?
In New World: Rising the Tribes of Tartarus rule the city. Their power is unequivocal and they have only one rule. Join or die. Who would you choose?
Surprise Coming!
Greetings all!
While still working eagerly on book two, New World: Ashes, I have found a bit of cheeky inspiration and thus am going to give you a slight insight into the inner workings of my mind.
Stay tuned for a surprise next week and a chance to win a signed copy of New World: Rising...
New World: Rising
While still working eagerly on book two, New World: Ashes, I have found a bit of cheeky inspiration and thus am going to give you a slight insight into the inner workings of my mind.
Stay tuned for a surprise next week and a chance to win a signed copy of New World: Rising...
New World: Rising
Jumping Into My Characters
NEW WORLD: RISING CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT!
This week I have several surprises for readers!
For those of you who don't know me-I love getting to dress up at Halloween and jump into different characters. SO with this passion—combined with the inspiration from the amazing book blogger @darkreaders's "looks on books"—I will be releasing a photo each day this week of me stepping into one of the Tribes from my book!
The week will end with my final photo, a contest announcement to win a ton of NWR swag and a release date for book two NEW WORLD: ASHES.
So stay tuned!
Follow me on Instagram for more! @jkwilson29
New World: Rising
This week I have several surprises for readers!
For those of you who don't know me-I love getting to dress up at Halloween and jump into different characters. SO with this passion—combined with the inspiration from the amazing book blogger @darkreaders's "looks on books"—I will be releasing a photo each day this week of me stepping into one of the Tribes from my book!
The week will end with my final photo, a contest announcement to win a ton of NWR swag and a release date for book two NEW WORLD: ASHES.
So stay tuned!
Follow me on Instagram for more! @jkwilson29
New World: Rising
Day 1: Meet the Tribes- Adroits
Greetings all!
I'm Jennifer Wilson, author of the newly raved about ya dystopian novel New World: Rising. Join me in a five day journey, where I literally don the clothing of my characters. Then put on your creative-caps and think about what your New World: Rising costume would be—you could win big!
So without further ado, meet my first alter-ego:
Adroits – Smart clever group, set traps that result in high pay with low physical involvement.
o Colors: Purple, gold
o Markings: Bald heads
What would you look like as Adroit? You might want to make plans because you could win an awesome swag box with a costume of your own...
Stay tuned for a new Tribe member every day and two big announcements on Friday! Tomorrow the Taciturns.
I'm Jennifer Wilson, author of the newly raved about ya dystopian novel New World: Rising. Join me in a five day journey, where I literally don the clothing of my characters. Then put on your creative-caps and think about what your New World: Rising costume would be—you could win big!
So without further ado, meet my first alter-ego:
Adroits – Smart clever group, set traps that result in high pay with low physical involvement.
o Colors: Purple, gold
o Markings: Bald heads
What would you look like as Adroit? You might want to make plans because you could win an awesome swag box with a costume of your own...
Stay tuned for a new Tribe member every day and two big announcements on Friday! Tomorrow the Taciturns.
Day 2: Meet the Tribes- Taciturns
As promised, here is day two of my "Author In Role" promotional shots! Meet my second alter-ego from New World: Rising.
Taciturns – Silent, deceptive- have planted their spies in other Tribes
o Colors: maroon, grey
o Markings: tattoos- undercover Tribesman have only the bottom of their tongue tattooed
Yup, that's me all dressed up as a Taciturn Tribe member from my book New World: Rising! I'm kinda digging the tattoos, not going to lie!
Feeling inspired yet?! You might want to make plans because you could win an awesome swag box with a costume of your own... Stay tuned for a new Tribe member every day this week and two big announcements on Friday!
Taciturns – Silent, deceptive- have planted their spies in other Tribes
o Colors: maroon, grey
o Markings: tattoos- undercover Tribesman have only the bottom of their tongue tattooed
Yup, that's me all dressed up as a Taciturn Tribe member from my book New World: Rising! I'm kinda digging the tattoos, not going to lie!
Feeling inspired yet?! You might want to make plans because you could win an awesome swag box with a costume of your own... Stay tuned for a new Tribe member every day this week and two big announcements on Friday!
Day 3: Meet the Tribes- Scavengers
Here is another of my "Author In Role" promotional shots! Meet my third alter-ego from New World: Rising. The despicable and loathed rats of the city...
Scavengers – thief’s/rats of the city. They scurry behind other Tribes reaping the profits of their kills. When spoils run slim they will pick off the weak, turning on each other just as often as they would a stranger. Their motto is "Sleep with one eye open." They stole from Phoenix's parents...
o Colors: brown, filthy
o Markings: missing teeth, poor hygiene, dirty
So what do you guys think of the costumes so far?!
I certainly had a blast getting into the characters of my books and I'm hoping you will too. Remember, it could win you some goodies!
Stay tuned for a new Tribe member every day this week and two big announcements on Friday!
New World: Rising
Scavengers – thief’s/rats of the city. They scurry behind other Tribes reaping the profits of their kills. When spoils run slim they will pick off the weak, turning on each other just as often as they would a stranger. Their motto is "Sleep with one eye open." They stole from Phoenix's parents...
o Colors: brown, filthy
o Markings: missing teeth, poor hygiene, dirty
So what do you guys think of the costumes so far?!
I certainly had a blast getting into the characters of my books and I'm hoping you will too. Remember, it could win you some goodies!
Stay tuned for a new Tribe member every day this week and two big announcements on Friday!
New World: Rising
Day 4: Meet the Tribes- Wraiths
This is my fourth alter-ego from New World: Rising. I have to say I think this one might be my personal favorite...
Wraiths – The ghosts of the city, rarely seen—they collect their victim's left hands.
o Colors: white, blue
o Markings: Wear hand bones around their necks, animal pelts, & war paint. Look wild.
Have you picked your Tribe yet? No, that's okay there's still one more to go and you won't want to miss it... Official contest will begin tomorrow!!
New World: Rising
Wraiths – The ghosts of the city, rarely seen—they collect their victim's left hands.
o Colors: white, blue
o Markings: Wear hand bones around their necks, animal pelts, & war paint. Look wild.
Have you picked your Tribe yet? No, that's okay there's still one more to go and you won't want to miss it... Official contest will begin tomorrow!!
New World: Rising
Day 5: Meet the Tribes- Ravagers
Alright, this is my fifth and final alter-ego from New World: Rising. The most terrible and horrifying of Tartarus's Tribes...
Ravagers – the most loud and violent of Tribe. They hunt people for sport. Easiest source for food and weapons. Killed Phoenix's parents...
o Colors: black, red
o Markings: tons of piercings & wears mostly leather
Okay ladies and gents, sadly that is the final promotional image I have for you. But that is not the end of this adventure!
I am hosting a contest for all of you creative creatures out there who love an artistic challenge and dare to don the garb of Tartarus's Tribes. I will post the official contest and details later today on my website with details and prizes.
I can't wait to see your take on my Tribes!
jenniferkaywilson.com
New World: Rising
Ravagers – the most loud and violent of Tribe. They hunt people for sport. Easiest source for food and weapons. Killed Phoenix's parents...
o Colors: black, red
o Markings: tons of piercings & wears mostly leather
Okay ladies and gents, sadly that is the final promotional image I have for you. But that is not the end of this adventure!
I am hosting a contest for all of you creative creatures out there who love an artistic challenge and dare to don the garb of Tartarus's Tribes. I will post the official contest and details later today on my website with details and prizes.
I can't wait to see your take on my Tribes!
jenniferkaywilson.com
New World: Rising
Jennifer Wilson's Blog
Author of the New World series and The Chosen series.
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