The Immortality Virus Blog Tour – a Review + Guest Post

Book Blurb

In the mid-21st century, the human race stopped aging. Those who know why aren’t talking, and the few who are brave enough to ask questions tend to disappear. To an elite few, The Change means long life and health, but to the ever-increasing masses, it means starvation, desperation, and violence.

Four centuries after The Change, Grace Harper, a blacklisted P.I., sets off on a mission to find the man responsible for it all and solicit his help to undo The Change — if he’s still alive. To complicate matters, Grace’s employer is suspected of murdering his father, and when the police learn of their connection, they give her a choice — help them find the evidence they need to convict Matthew Stanton, or die. But if they discover Grace’s true mission, they won’t hesitate to kill her in order to preserve their shot at immortality.

Winner of the Epic Award for Science Fiction, the Global eBook Award for Science Fiction, and a finalist in The Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

My Blurb (3 stars)

We all know curiosity kills the cat and still, curiosity brought Grace Harper to meet with one of the richest and most powerful man, Matthew Stanton Jr. Matthew Stanton Sr was killed a few weeks earlier and whilst Grace is good at her job as an investigator, she doubts that she is being summoned to find the murderer. When she walks out of that meeting, she knows that the job will be the death of her, whether she took it up or not.

The world is a different place in the 25^th century but not for the better. The Change has eliminated some diseases but humans are practically immortal, yet continue to reproduce. This gross overpopulation of the world is not without costs. Fresh food are available only to the elite whilst the poor, if they’re lucky, gets to eat nutribars (with questionable contents). There are those with different view of life and are fighting with their lives for it. Grace herself inclines to believe natural life (with natural death at the end) is ideal yet she has never put herself forward for her belief. She thinks that maybe it is time to be proactive and this job may just prove to be the key. Is it the right key? Will she be able to fight against those in more powerful positions and restore life as it should be?

I like Grace Harper. She is one tough chickie with a warm heart. Her heart was broken 60 years ago and she has not let anyone else in since. I like her snappy comebacks and her courage in face of pain. She is so very human in her vulnerability, cautious in trusting others, and yet, she still risks herself for the benefit of others.

The story was exciting, fast-paced, and thrilling. I got really involved in the mystery surrounding the Change so it was a pretty good and pain-free read for me. It just lack that bit of oomph to make it up to next star rating.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*

Guest Post: “A Day in Your Writing Life”

I’m always surprised by interest in my daily writing routine. The truth is, writing is a solitary and outwardly uninteresting task. Inside my head, it’s a whirlwind of activity, but to the passive observer, there’s just not a lot to see. This is me, sitting at my desk. Typing. I do that a lot.

As far as what I’m actually doing while typing, every day is just a little bit different. Today, I’m fixing a plot problem that involves switching the order of two scenes, and then smoothing them out so it looks like they were always written in that order. Tomorrow, I will continue writing new material. In a few weeks, this rough draft will be finished and I will move on to other projects while I await feedback. Then revisions begin. Then edits. Then the process begins again with the next novel.

I don’t have a routine. Because I have young kids whose schedule constantly seems to change, I haven’t managed to establish a schedule for myself. Sometimes I write in the mornings. Sometimes, in the afternoons. Sometimes, in the evenings. I do try to help ground myself by lighting a candle and doing some meditation when it’s time to write. This helps me shift my mind from whatever else I was doing, and lets me focus.

But mostly, it’s all in my head. I have entire worlds and multiple casts of characters in there, trying to come out through my fingertips. Drafting is my favorite part of writing, because that is when those worlds and characters fight for attention. During revisions, it’s more about fine tuning. If the life isn’t already there, you can’t breathe it in during a revision.

In my head, I wake up thinking about my story. It’s in the back of my mind all day long. And I fall asleep planning new details. Like I said, a whirlwind of activity, but it doesn’t look like much to the outside observer.

About Author

Christine Amsden has been writing science fiction and fantasy for as long as she can remember. She loves to write and it is her dream that others will be inspired by this love and by her stories. Speculative fiction is fun, magical, and imaginative but great speculative fiction is about real people defining themselves through extraordinary situations. Christine writes primarily about people and it is in this way that she strives to make science fiction and fantasy meaningful for everyone.

At the age of 16, Christine was diagnosed with Stargardt’s Disease, a condition that effects the retina and causes a loss of central vision. She is now legally blind, but has not let this slow her down or get in the way of her dreams.

When she’s not writing, Christine teaches workshops on writing, usually at Savvy Authors. She also offers professional editing services. She maintains a book review blog on her website with occasional writing tips thrown in for the fun of it.

Christine lives in the Kansas City area with her husband and two children.