Blog Tour, Interview, & Giveaway: Precipice: The Beginning (Kevin J. Howard)

Paperback, 482 pages
Published November 23rd 2012 by Outskirts Press

The End is only the Beginning....
It wasn't the first time Lieutenant Travis Daniels had been far from his wife and son. Leading an elite team on countless missions, dodging death at every turn-it was what he was trained to do. And returning to his family was always his driving force... but this time might be different. Imprisoned for an unsanctioned intrusion into a hot zone, Travis and his elite team took a deal to assist in the colonization of Mars to evade the death penalty. While stationed there, Travis' only source of sanity were the brief video conversations he was allowed with his family. When the last transmission received showed choppy images of the city in darkness and blurs of humanoid creatures running through the streets, Travis and his team must decide to either stay on Mars or find a way back to his family-unknowing of the hell that Earth has become.

Kevin J. Howard was born in Mission Viejo, California, moved to Seattle at the age of twenty-one, and now lives in Puyallup. He hand wrote his first novel in the fifth grade and has been writing ever since. His first published novel, Faithful Shadow, is a return to the classic horror novel. Since writing Faithful Shadow he has completed four additional horror novels that will soon be published. In 2012, he won an award in the Las Vegas International Film Festival for his screenplay, Identical Opposites. Kevin's latest novel, Precipice: The Beginning, is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The sequel, Precipice: The Retrieval, should be released in the summer of 2013.

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1.      What gave you the inspiration to write this book?  I've always been fascinated with Mars, the Solar System, and just space in general.  There are so many wonders in this world, beautiful destinations and mystery, so I can only imagine the amazement beyond.  The creatures coming from the cracks in the Earth have been on my mind for a long time.  I've always felt that the scariest monsters were the ones no one ever expected.  Just up and out of the ground, as if we should have known about them, but there are so many things in this world we don't know.  What lies at the bottom of the ocean, creatures living deep within the Amazon...this is my inspiration. 

2.      Who is your favorite character in the book?  This is hard for me, because I can see every character in my mind.  I tend to lean more toward Dasher.  A product of a terrible upbringing, but beneath his troubled exterior lies a beautiful heart.  Dasher is someone you feel sorry for, someone you want to see make it through.  I find his story interesting, because Annie and Travis are working so hard to find each other, but when Dasher is set loose upon the world, he finds himself truly alone, no direction or family.  A person being born into a new world, shedding his past to start anew.

3.      Which came first, the title or the novel?  This might be a bit backward, but the title always comes first.  The idea usually hits me all at once, as if being struck by lightning.  I can see the entire novel playing out, as if I'm watching a movie.  The title is something that stays with me as I write the novel, helping me to keep the theme running throughout. 

4.      What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?  I am very pleased with the entire novel, so this is very difficult to pick just one scene.  My favorite would probably be the very end, how all the characters on Mars come together, racing against time to save themselves from Andrews and his officers.  There are just so many elements working against them, and they're racing against the clock.  I'm just very pleased with the suspense.

5.      Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?  Just don't give up, and be grateful for every success, no matter how small.  I've also learned to take breaks.  When I first started writing full time, I'd find that I would turn my computer on when I first wake up, and then pretty much work until right before bed.  I've since then learned to treat my writing career as I would any other job.  I start first thing in the morning, after my two cups of coffee of course, and work for a solid eight hours. 

6.      What do you like most about the cover of the book?  I requested the same artist for all three of my novels, and I did so because I feel each cover sums up the novel so well.  It's amazing all the elements you can gather from a single image.  The cover for Precipice: The Beginning was so well done.  You can see the individual standing alone, atop a steep cliff (or Precipice), looking off into the distance at a far away world.  But in the background, you see the approaching terror of the creature, it's clawed hand reaching up from the ground.  It really does set the mood.

7.      What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2013?  I'm looking forward to the release of Closed Cell, my third novel.  I wrote the novel over ten years ago when I first met my wife, and it took me roughly six months to finish.  Since then, Closed Cell has gone through so many transformations, but I finally feel it's ready to release.

8.      What was your favorite book in 2012?  This was actually one of the busiest years of my life, so I think the only books I read were on screenwriting, promoting, and other business related materials.  Not the most fun I guess.   

9.      What’s up next for you?  Right now I have three completed novels that are just starting to go through the editing process.  My next novel, Closed Cell, is about the Archangel Michael.  Michael Skinner spends most of his time sitting in the emergency room, hoping to feel emotions he’s long since forgotten.  Desperately trying hard to ignore who he really is and join the human race, he can’t change the fact that he’s immortal.  And not only that:  Michael is really the Archangel Michael, left to wander the Earth as God’s protector.  When detective James Van Uden of the Seattle PD seeks him out to aid in a string of bizarre ritualistic style murders, their only hope is for Michael to battle evil once again.  And that battle transpires in a cataclysmic struggle between Good and Evil, as Michael links the serial murders to a demon’s master plan.

10.  Is there anything that you would like to add?  I am very thankful for the opportunity to answer these questions and discuss my work with you.  I would like to add that Precipice: The Beginning was just awarded a 5 Star Review emblem from Readers' Favorite, and that I am currently outlining the third novel in the series, Precipice: The Return.

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Launch Party Schedule:

·         June 17^th Monday                Review & Spotlight Jean BookNerd

·         June 18^th Tuesday               Review & Spotlight A Dream Within a Dream

·         June 19^th Wednesday         This or That & Spotlight Librarian Mouse

·         June 20^th Thursday             Review & Spotlight Best Books

·         June 21^st Friday                   Tens List & Spotlight Jessabella Reads

·         June 21^st Friday                   Excerpt & Spotlight Wintry Words

·         June 21^st Friday                   Review & Spotlight Ya-Aholic

·         June 22^nd Saturday             Review & Spotlight Rose’s Book Corner

·         June 22^nd Saturday             Interview & Spotlight Curling Up with a Good Book

·         June 23^rd Sunday                Review & Spotlight Paranormal Book Club

·         June 24^th Monday                Excerpt & Spotlight Tsk What to Read

·         June 25^th Tuesday               Excerpt & Spotlight As You Wish Reviews

·         June 26^th Wednesday         Review & Spotlight Chapter by Chapter

·         June 27^th Thursday              Review & Spotlight Beneath the Cover

·         June 27^th Thursday               Favorite Things & Spotlight Annie Brewer Writes

·         June 28^th Friday                   Review & Music Playlist Tam’s Book Blog

·         June 29^th Saturday              Review & Spotlight Intoxicated by Books

·         June 29^th Saturday              Spotlight The Serial Reader

·         June 30^th Sunday                Review & Dream Cast Sabrina’s Paranormal Palace

·         July 1^st Monday                    Guest Post & Spotlight Me, My Shelf and I

·         July 1^st Monday                    Art Work & Spotlight Artist James Vallesteros