BLOG TOUR: Nighthawks (Children of Nostradamus #1) by Jeremy Flagg - Excerpt + Interview + GIVEAWAY!

Good morning! Today, we're happy to be a part of the blog tour for Jeremy Flagg's newest book, Nighthawks!  Jeremy stopped by for an interview, and we have an excerpt for you to read! There's also a giveaway for a $50 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card, so be sure to enter via the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post.

Don't forget to stop by all of the other incredible stops on this tour for more interviews, excerpts, guest posts, and more! The more blog posts you visit and comment on, the greater your chances of winning the giveaway! You can find the tour schedule by clicking the banner above. And now, on to the book, excerpt, and interview!

About the Book

Title: Nighthawks (Children of Nostradamus #1)
Author: Jeremy Flagg

Publication Date: March 1st, 2016

Genre: Sci-fi, Dystopian

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis: Twenty-six-year-old painter Conthan Cowan takes art to a shocking frontier…

His debut exhibit features the transformation of his high school friend, Sarah, as she went from a shy, soft-spoken girl to a Child of Nostradamus—an individual gifted with extraordinary abilities. Living in a society where the Children of Nostradamus are captured by the government, Conthan’s exhibit draws attention from officials and protesters alike.

A government psychic may be dead, but that doesn’t stop her from manipulating the future…

The deceased White House aide is only remembered for her failed assassination attempt on the president decades before Conthan was born. Foreseeing her own death, she scribed letters to bring together specific Children of Nostradamus on a mission that will change the world.

On the night of the gallery exhibition, Conthan receives one of those letters…

Whispers from the past direct him to visit Sarah, the subject of his paintings, who like many Children of Nostradamus, is being detained in a government research facility. It’s there he finds himself aligned with a rogue group of Children on a mission to prevent a dark future.

As a dark future unfolds, there's only one hope to stop the destruction of the world...

The Children of Nostradamus.

Excerpt

“…Seabrook, New Hampshire is gone. If you’re just tuning in, the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant has just exploded. We have no word yet on what caused the explosion, but we do know there was a catastrophe resulting in failure of the systems at the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant.”

“God help them,” said the woman at the news desk.

He could hear Elizabeth gasp at the announcement. His mind was moving a million miles an hour. His wife, still covered in sweat and grime from giving birth, his newborn son, his office calling him to alert him to the news, all of it caused his head to swim. He was unsure of what his next move would be.

The television flickered and turned to static. Mark reached up and smacked the side of the box. The static began to take the shape of a person. He stepped back to see the solid outline of a man on the TV.

“United States of America,” said a voice through the static, “land of the free and home of the brave. We are calling out your discreet operations. We know all about The Culling. Individuals who for years have been in your employ, using their more-than-human abilities to further your goals, will not die in vain. Killing empaths, slaughtering clairvoyants, and the genocide of telepaths will be responded to in kind.”

“Eleanor,” he said in a hushed voice as he realized what they were talking about.

“The United States has declared war on the wrong people. We can see you coming. We can hear your plans. We will not be eliminated. You’ve seen our reach.”

About the Author

I’m high school graphic design and marketing teacher, at a large suburban high school in Massachusetts. Working as a high school educator and observing the outlandish world of adolescence was the inspiration for my first young adult novel, “Suburban Zombie High.”

My inspiration for writing stems from being a youth who struggled with reading in school. While I found school assigned novels incredibly difficult to digest, I devoured comics and later fantasy novels. Their influences can be seen in the tall tales I spin.

I took the long route to becoming a writer. For a brief time, I majored in Creative Writing but exchanged one passion for another as I switched to  Art and Design. My passion for reading about superheroes, fantastical worlds, and panic-stricken situations would become the foundation of my writing career.

I participated in my first NaNoWriMo in 2006 and continue to write an entire novel every November. Now I am the NaNoWriMo Municipal Liaison to the Massachusetts Metrowest Region. I also belong the New England Horror Writer’s Association and to a weekly writing group, the Metrowest Writers.

Author Links: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram

Author Interview

What group did you hang out with in high school?

Where I grew up there weren’t typical groups of kids. We had jocks in band and everybody partook in the drama productions. There are definitely perks to growing up in a small town. However, the group I related to the most was the geeks and awkward kids. We were the comic geeks and without them, I would have just hid away in my room reading comics on my own. It was good to find a group of people who supported my weirdness with their own weird.

What are you passionate about these days?

These days I spend the majority of my time writing. A lot of the writing business keeps me occupied so I spend the majority of my free time actually writing. I’m kind of a solitary person so I like hanging out, watching movies, but writing is my passion. I’m also a huge fan of music and for me, the two intertwine nicely.  Generally if I’m writing I have music on as it helps me set the mood of my writing. If I had more time, I might even pick up the guitar and start playing again, but at the moment, writing comes first.

If you had to do your journey to getting published all over again, what would you do differently?

I would start earlier. I had books sitting on my shelves collecting dust for years before I decided to take the plunge. I had thought of it as a hobby and not as a money making tool, and in truth, they’re the same. I waited five years before I put out my first book and I think that is one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made. However, it has allowed me the ability to speed up my release schedule, I still wish I had done it earlier so I could have learned the ropes when it was young. 

My other major wish would be to not work in a vacuum. It took me years of solitary writing to finally start meeting writers in person. However, the moment that happened, something changed in my motivation. I started writing more, writing better and pushing myself. When I found my community of writers I realized I had all these resources to draw from and it’s been helpful. I also say vacuum, because I didn’t think at first to try and connect with my fans. They would email me and I’d send it back, but I didn’t think of trying to make a community of fans. I’m doing it now, and think, “If I started this years ago, I’d be so much further along.” But hindsight is 20/20 and there’s no better time than now.

Ebook or print? And why?

I mix them. My mom was a librarian and I’ve always grown up with a house full of books, so I will never get over the smell of the binding glue when you crack open the pages. There is something fantastic about knowing when you shut the book, between two pieces of backerboard, is an entire universe filled with intrigue and human lives. It’s magical. However, I’ve started using my iPad for some books. I mostly use it for technical manuals or for book series I’m not actively collecting. I read so much that I would have to buy another home to store them, so it has become essential for my sanity. However, when I find an e-book I love so much I can’t put it down, I think why the heck not, let’s add it to the library and I’ll buy the physical book. When it arrives it goes straight into the study (right after I take a moment to smell it.)

What is your favorite scene in this book?

I find the best moments in my book are when the characters are put under an unbelievable amount of stress. In one particular scene, Dwayne, my father figure in the book is trying to protect his superhuman family and has to resort to extreme measures. The reaction of his victim, labeling him a “hero” is halted as he begins the torturing. I love this scene because it forces us to think, “Would I do the same?” and we find that our heroes are cut and dry good guys. There are moments when they have to become the villain to protect the people they love. I love this idea they are battling their situation to maintain their humanity while others are offering it up for personal grandeur. In the end, you walk away knowing that even the heroes have to get their hands dirty and I think this is an important life lesson to be had.

Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway