NEW RELEASE and GIVEAWAY
SAFE
by Dawn Husted
Dawn Husted has just released her new book, SAFE, a science fiction novel in a post-apocalyptic setting. She has kindly donated an ebook copy for one lucky winner. Please enter the giveaway below to show your appreciation.
Description
SAFE is a science fiction novel in a post-apocalyptic setting. Penny, a teenage girl, has been genetically mutated along with other inhabitants by a vaccine given to their great-grandparents who settled the Land, an island. This particular serum caused everyone to develop vine like marks all over their bodies, along with enhanced abilities passed down through the generations. Penny finds a shift in her reality that causes her to fight for survival as she searches for the truth, even if it puts her at odds with the only person she can trust.
Book Trailer
Excerpt
I began today in the lab like every other, pulled petri dishes ready for fluorescent examination and placed them in chronological order along Doctor Benton’s rollaway table. They’re each made of glass. If I were to break one by accident, it would destroy the bacteria we’ve been growing for months. We’re trying to narrow down the search of a specific bacteria strain and in turn create viable medicine. Two years ago, a noticeable influx of sicknesses became apparent. Not many have died, but my fears are heightened nonetheless. It has taken months and months of research before finally narrowing the microorganisms down to the correct form.
Doctor Benton pushed through the plastic curtain, translucent tablet in hand, as he walked over to the table where I was categorizing. He tapped a few buttons on the screen and shut it off before placing it in the desk’s drawer.
“How are we doing today Miss Penny? I trust everything is in precise sequence and you’ve followed all the safety regulations?”
“Yes Doctor Benton,” I replied.
When I first started working here, I found out very quickly never to use the term Mister instead of Doctor. Apparently, the former is a sign of disrespect and every other doctor agrees.
“They’re ready now.” I stacked the last dish onto the end of the never-ending rows and helped roll the table out the doorway and down the hall to the only room containing a door. Doctor Benton scanned his ID and instantly the door unlocked, a slight suction sound escaped, breathing from the secured fit.
I became stiff and the cold air from inside the room flowed across my arms causing a slight shiver. Once inside, we walked around the table towards the glass box hanging on the wall encasing our safety specs—goggles. The goggles are sanitized overnight with an automatic spray and it was another protocol we wear them. The stiff air in the room wasn’t harmful to our lungs but it caused irritation to the eyes without the goggles. I grabbed mine after the doctor grabbed his and proceeded to follow him back to the table. In unison, we rolled to the contained area at the end of the room.
The rest of the day, I helped him analyze and study every single dish—it took hours. We skipped lunch just so we could finish by late afternoon.
“That’ll be all, Miss Penny. Thank you for your help. See you tomorrow, same time.” The doctor gestured away from him with his hands as he continued staring into the microscope. I replaced my goggles in the box and walked back out the door to get my things from the other room. Halfway down the hall, my ID badge started beeping and flashed a bright red color in the top corner.
Anxiously, my fingertips held the tiny plastic edge and a message scrolled across the screen:
- LAND MEETING 18:00 HOURS - LAND MEETING 18:00 HOURS - LAND MEETING 18:00
The meeting wasn’t what concerned me—the red flash did. Only three colors were used to inform the Land what type of meeting was expected, and red has never been used before, not since I had been alive. The red meant urgent, attendance mandatory. It even applied to the people residing in the outer areas within the perimeter, the Lowers. According to the law, if someone didn’t come, individual punishment would follow.
Review
This book was excellent! The author did a great job of grabbing my attention. I couldn't put it down once I began reading. The plot twisted and the ending was equally unpredictable. I think it's a difficult thing for an author to do; it isn't easy to keep a reader guessing. I loved that! This was a great book and I'm hoping for a sequel.
About the Author
Dawn Husted started writing in the fall of 2008, though she didn't start publishing her work until 2011. Dawn graduated with a Bachelor degree from Texas A&M University and spent the next couple of years trying to figure out what she wanted to do.
In 2008, she dabbled with writing a book intended for her first child and published it three years later. Since then, she has published Worlds Apart, a short story prequel to the Sci-Fi Windor series, as well as the first two Windor books, Concealed Refuge, and City H888. In November 2012, Dawn released Silently Screaming, a literary fictional work geared towards young adults. She has just released SAFE, a science fiction novel in a post-apocalyptic setting.
Giveaway
Dawn has kindly donated an ebook copy for one lucky winner. Please show your appreciation by entering the giveaway.
Links
