Interview with K.M. Ruiz and Giveaway - June 18, 2012

Please welcome K.M. Ruiz to The Qwillery. Terminal Point, the 2nd novel in the Strykers Syndicate series, will be published tomorrow, June 19, 2012.


TQ:  Welcome back to The Qwillery!

K.M.:  Thanks for letting me stop by again!


TQ:  What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?

K.M.:  At this point? Trying to find the time to write! I have a really busy, stressful day job that sometimes requires copious amounts of overtime. When things die down, the second most challenging thing is trying not to get distracted by other books I want to read, movies I want to see, and the time-suck that is the Internet. Still, I’ll sit down at least once a day and try to pound out some words, even if it’s only for a short period of time. The next day might see me go back and delete those words in order to start over, but I’ll still try to squeeze in some writing.


TQ:  What do you wish you'd known when the 1st book, Mind Storm, came out that you know now?

K.M.:  That I need to win the lottery. (Don’t we all?) In actuality, I learned that while there’s always more you can do to help get the word out there about your book, sometimes it’s just not possible. There’s only so many hours in a day and only so much time off I could take when Mind Storm came out. I did my best to reach out for promotional purposes but I know there were avenues I didn’t or couldn’t pursue due to my own personal time crunch. I know those same issues are likely to come up again for Terminal Point’s release. Hopefully I’m more prepared this time around.


TQ:  If you were stranded on a deserted island for one year, which 5 novels would you want to have with you?

K.M.:  This is a torturous question. Only five? Cruel and unusual punishment! But if I had to choose, I’d probably pick these books:

Exiles: The Ruins of Ambrai by Melanie Rawn
On Basilisk Station by David Weber
Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling
Squire by Tamora Pierce
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs


TQ:  Please tell us something about Terminal Point, the second novel in your Strykers Syndicate series, that is not in the book description.

K.M.:  I put my characters through hell. There is no moral, right answer to any of the problems they face, which might make some readers pause. It’s a product of the world I created and to give any of them an easy way out wouldn’t be true to the narrative. I basically went into the second book knowing I couldn’t pull any punches. In a weird way, that made it fun to write.


TQ:  Which character(s) in the Strykers Syndicate series has surprised you the most?

K.M.:  Matron. Honestly, I didn’t know she was going to be in the story until I got to the scene in the first book where Lucas is contacting her. I don’t plot out every detail when I write but I have a vague idea of what needs to happen. Instead, I tend to write towards major events in order to get to the end without knowing where the story is going to take me. When it came to Matron, I was just writing away and a mouthy human scavenger came into the story to talk back to Lucas. So I kept her.


TQ:  Are there any other genres in which you would like to write in addition to Science Fiction?

K.M.:  Fantasy and its sub-genres. I know enough about how I write that young adult isn’t something I could do. I don’t really have the voice for that, even though it’s a huge market and I love reading it. Writing it is another thing entirely.


TQ:  What's next?

K.M.:  I’m currently working on an urban fantasy novel, so we’ll see how that goes. I know the market is pretty saturated but I’m going to hope there’s still room out there. Fingers crossed it sees the light of day!


TQ:  Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

K.M.:  Thank you for having me!



Strykers Syndicate

Terminal Point

Strykers Syndicate 2
St. Martin's Press / Thomas Dunne Books, June 19, 2012
Hardcover and eBook, 336 pages

Blade Runner meets X-Men in this follow-up to Mind Storm where humanity faces extinction and it’s up to a group of rogue psions to save society

Fans of Charles Stross and Hannu Rajaniemi will lose themselves in this adventure as Threnody Corwin and her team of rogue Strykers contend with the aftermath of the events in Mind Storm and the unlocking of a new kind of psion power. They’re on the run with Lucas Serca, who is closer than ever to destroying the World Court and his father’s grip on the planet. Targeting the hidden cache of the planet’s food supply meant to transform Mars into a paradise for the chosen few, Lucas triggers an escalating fight with the ruling government as worldwide chaos ensues. It’s up to Threnody to save society before it destroys itself, but the cost is high and in the end, there is no such thing as compromise.

There is only survival.

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Mind Storm

Strykers Syndicate 1
St. Martin's Press / Thomas Dunne Books, May 10, 2011
Hardcover and eBook, 304 pages

The first in an exciting new sci-fi series that’s being described as Blade Runner meets X-Men

Two hundred and fifty years after the world was nearly wiped out by nuclear war, what’s left of society fights over the scraps of the Earth as the rich and powerful plan to ascend in secret to another planet. But the deadly new breed of humanity that the rulers have enslaved to protect their interests are about to change everything.

K.M. Ruiz’s Mind Storm is the rip-roaring tale of Threnody Corwin, a “psion” with the ability to channel electricity like lightning through anything she touches. As a solider-slave for the human government, Threnody is recruited by an unknown enemy: the scion of Earth’s most powerful (and supposedly human) family, the Serca Syndicate. But Lucas Serca is far from human and he intends to make Threnody and her fellow psions meet their destiny, no matter how many people he has to kill to do it.

Mind Storm is the first of two books chronicling the fight for survival by the psions and other “gene-trash” humans, before they’re killed by the racist world government, or left to die on a crumbling Earth.

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

About K.M.

K. M. Ruiz lives in California with a cat or two for company and the occasional earthquake. She earned a B.A. in English and a minor in American Indian Studies from San Francisco State University. She likes her movies loud, her music louder, and when not writing, spends the rest of her time looking for her next cup of coffee.

K.M.'s Link

Website: http://www.kmruiz.com/
Blog: http://km-ruiz.livejournal.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/KM_Ruiz











The Giveaway

THE RULES

What:  One commenter will win a copy of Terminal Point (Strykers Syndicate 2) from K.M. Ruiz!

How:  Leave a comment answering the following question:

What are some of your favorite post-apocalyptic novels, movies, comics, etc.?

(You can list just one!)

Please remember - if you don't answer the question your entry will not be counted.

You may receive additional entries by:

1)   Being a Follower of The Qwillery.

2)   Mentioning the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Even if you mention the giveaway on both, you will get only one additional entry. You get only one additional entry even if you mention the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter multiple times.

3)   Mentioning the giveaway on your on blog or website. It must be your own blog or website; not a website that belongs to someone else or a site where giveaways, contests, etc. are posted.

There are a total of 4 entries you may receive: Comment (1 entry), Follower (+1 entry), Facebook and/or Twitter (+ 1 entry), and personal blog/website mention (+1 entry). This is subject to change again in the future for future giveaways.

Please leave links for Facebook, Twitter, or blog/website mentions. You MUST leave a way to contact you.

Who and When:  The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Monday, June 25, 2012. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.

*Giveaway rules are subject to change.*