Reading in Wonderland is thrilled to
welcome Author C. J. Redwine
to our Grand Opening Festivities!
DEFIANCE by C. J. Redwine
Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses, host dinner parties, and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan—the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same boy who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.
At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.
As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can’t be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.
DECEPTION by C. J. Redwine
Baalboden has been ravaged. The brutal Commander’s whereabouts are unknown. And Rachel, grief stricken over her father’s death, needs Logan more than ever. With their ragged group of survivors struggling to forge a future, it’s up to Logan to become the leader they need—with Rachel by his side. Under constant threat from rival Carrington’s army, who is after the device that controls the Cursed One, the group decides to abandon the ruins of their home and take their chances in the Wasteland.
But soon their problems intensify tenfold: someone—possibly inside their ranks—is sabotaging the survivors, picking them off one by one. The chaos and uncertainty of each day puts unbearable strain on Rachel and Logan, and it isn’t long before they feel their love splintering. Even worse, as it becomes clear that the Commander will stop at nothing to destroy them, the band of survivors begins to question whether the price of freedom may be too great—and whether, hunted by their enemies and the murderous traitor in their midst, they can make it out of the Wasteland alive.
In this daring sequel to Defiance, with the world they once loved forever destroyed, Rachel and Logan must decide between a life on the run and standing their ground to fight.
DELIVERANCE by C. J. Redwine
Everything hangs in the balance, and nothing is certain: Rachel has been kidnapped by enemy forces and is being taken to Rowansmark while Logan, imprisoned and awaiting trial, is unable to leave Lankenshire. Separated from each other and their Baalboden comrades, each must find a way to achieve what they desperately want: to rid their world once and for all of the Commander and the tech that controls the deadly Cursed One.
Fighting through her pain and embracing the warrior she’s become, Rachel will do whatever it takes to escape her enemies’ clutches and join Logan in his fight. But when she learns a secret that changes everything, she realizes that escaping Ian and his tracker friends is no longer an option if she wants to save the people she loves. Instead, she’ll have to destroy Rowansmark from the inside out—if she can survive the journey through the Wasteland.
Logan needs allies if he wants to thwart Rowansmark’s power grab and rescue Rachel. But securing allies will mean betraying his beliefs and enlisting the help of the man he hates more than anyone: Commander Jason Chase. Driven by his fierce love for Rachel and his determination to make their world safe, Logan may be just the weapon the city-states need to defeat the Cursed One.
But as Rowansmark bears down and uneasy alliances are tested, will Rachel and Logan’s love for each other be enough to surmount the unbelievable odds against them?
Why YA/NA?
I love how adventurous YA is. We have steampunk, fairy tale retellings, sci fi, contemporary dramas, historical, cyborgs, comedies … if an author can dream it up and do it well, there’s a place on the YA shelf for it.
I also feel strongly connected to stories for teens. Books were my best friends as I was growing up. I didn’t own many, I was a library kid, but I often re-read my favorites several times a year. Those stories intrigued me, inspired me, and sometimes saved me. I wanted to be a small part of that for someone else.
When did you fall in love with writing?
When I was in second grade. I was assigned a one-page short story. I turned in a story that was four pages, back to back. It was like a light turned on in my brain, and I realized that stories were how I expressed myself best.
Do you have a favorite YA/NA series?
Not just one! I love so, so many. I am a fierce fan of the Harry Potter series … to the point that we own several copies of each movie (because special edition, and director’s cut, and … boxed set or whatever else they did that made me spend more money) but yet we still watch the movies on ABC Family when they do Harry Potter weekends. And I still re-read the books. I’m also a huge fan of Rae Carson’s GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS trilogy, MG Buehrlen’s THE 57 LIVES OF ALEX WAYFARE (incredible time travel!), Jodi Meadows’ upcoming THE ORPHAN QUEEN and so many more I hardly know where to start.
What is your favorite Apocalypse trope?
I love it all. I don’t care how you end the world as we know it, as long as it’s done well. Often I don’t realize that I’d love to read something until an author writes it, and then I think “Why yes, I really HAVE been dying to read a book set in space where people have been cryogenically frozen with blue goo.”
What is your favorite thing to do outside writing?
Watch movies! I go see several every month. My husband is a movie critic, so we often see sneak peeks of things. I’m not a chick flick kind of girl, though. Give me Marvel movies, The Hunger Games, and live action fairy tales FTW.
Name something you cannot stand.
Green beans. Seriously. Just the smell makes me start gagging. Which is really awesome when it happens in a restaurant because nothing says fine dining like sitting near a girl who sounds like she’s about to puke.
Name something you cannot live without.
My kids. I can’t even imagine life without them.
If you were a comic book character who would you be and why?
Ooh the possibilities! I know I said I love Marvel movies (except Green Lantern because WHAT. WERE. THEY. THINKING?), but my all-time favorite comic book character is Batman. I love that his back story reads like a potential villain’s. He’s got both dark and light in him, just as I do. The thin line between being a hero and being a villain is the choice he makes. Also I want an Alfred. And a cool car. And I want to be able to give people a steely glare and say “I’m Batman.”
iPad or Surface?
Um … what is Surface? (You are talking to a technoidiot here so … yeah.)
Netflix, Amazon or Hulu?
Netflix! Especially their original series. And the fact that I can binge watch Sherlock while waiting FOREVER for season 4.
Favorite TV Show?
Sherlock!
Favorite Dessert?
Lemon bars if they’re sour. Also pie. All the pie in the entire world.
What is the first thing on your bucket list?
I’ve already done it. 🙂 It was to publish a book.
Please tell us about your latest or upcoming release.
My upcoming release is DELIVERANCE, the third and final book in the DEFIANCE series. DEFIANCE is a post-apocalyptic fantasy with city-states, wingless dragons tunneling up from beneath the ground, conspiracy, courage, loyalty, loss, kissing, and sword fights. Here’s a link for the Harper-approved summary: http://www.amazon.com/Defiance-Trilogy-C-J-Redwine/dp/0062117173/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1405449925&sr=1-1&keywords=defiance+c.j.+redwine
Will you be attending any conferences?
I usually attend quite a few events every year. Readers can see my upcoming schedule on my site: cjredwine.com
Where can your fans find you online?
@cjredwine on Twitter
C.J. Redwine on Facebook
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