GUEST POST and EXCERPT
End of the Lie
(Anastasia Phoenix Book 3)
(Anastasia Phoenix Book 3)
by Diana Rodriguez Wallach
End of the Lie is the third book in the Anastasia Phoenix series by Diana Rodriguez Wallach. Also available: Proof of Lies and Lies that Bind.
End of the Lie is currently on tour with Chapter by Chapter Blog Tours. The tour stops here today for a guest post by the author and an excerpt. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
With her harrowing tale of espionage and near death experiences finally out in the open, Anastasia Phoenix thought things would be better. That she and her friends had outsmarted Department D, the criminal empire her parents helped create.
She thought wrong.
Former friends have turned to enemies, causing more innocent lives to get swept up into the dangerous world her parents created. Now it’s up to Anastasia to stop the damage before anyone else gets hurt - or worse. She embarks on a treacherous trail from Poland to Prague, and old rivals emerge at every turn. But when the final confrontation occurs, will she be too late to protect the ones she loves … or even herself?
Excerpt
KEIRA IRENE PHOENIX [Looking directly into the camera. Footage released by Phillip Stone Media, Inc.]
“Hi. My name is Keira Phoenix, and I am the daughter of international criminals. In May, I was kidnapped by a man named Craig Bernard who, at the time, I thought was my boyfriend. We had met weeks before at a bar in Boston. The anniversary of my parents’ death had just passed, so I was upset when he showed up, acting nice. [She scoffs, rolling her eyes.] I invited him to a party I was hosting, then later that night he drugged me and took me from my home.
“I don’t remember the abduction—one minute I was in my bed, the next I’m waking up on an airplane, my head pounding and my hands bound together with plastic cable ties. [She rubs her wrists.] I was held captive in Italy for months, by armed guards, and I had no idea why. Eventually, I learned that Craig Bernard and all of the men involved in my kidnapping used to work for my parents. Only not as engineers for the Dresden Chemical Corporation. They were spies. All of them, especially my mom and dad. It turns out that my parents, along with Randolph Urban, CEO of Dresden, conspired to create a criminal enterprise known as Department D, which stretches back long before I was born. We have photographic proof that my parents were involved in the assassination of Italy’s Prime Minister Aldo Moro in 1978, and we have a journal, in my father’s handwriting, and eyewitness testimony that proves he was involved in the fake terrorist plot that defamed nearly a half dozen Islamic women in London two years ago along with the reporter who covered the story, Julian Stone.
“I believe I was taken by enemies of my parents as payback for their past criminal activity. Evidence of my time in captivity is undeniable. [For the camera, Phoenix holds up a proof of life photo with a church bulletin, and a posed photo of her body in the trunk of a car.] I was rescued by my sister, Anastasia, and her friends, who acted alone, because the Boston P.D. refused to listen to them, for reasons none of us understand. After my rescue, my sister, her friends, and I made statements to Italian law enforcement and the CIA, and I was instructed to stay in hiding for my own protection. But I was never safe. No one around us is safe. Tyson Westbrook, a seventeen-year-old friend of my sister’s, was murdered recently as a way to get to us, to lure me and Anastasia out of hiding. When that didn’t work, when we continued to fight, these people poisoned one us—Marcus Rey, son of Dresden executives Carlos and Rosario Rey.
“They’re picking us off one by one, and we don’t know how high up the corruption goes. Our parents were hired by world leaders to create propaganda for decades. Now these same people are covering up their crimes against us—including kidnapping, poisoning, and murder. They’re trying to silence us, take us out, and prevent us from exposing the truth behind Department D and its shell corporation, Dresden Chemical.
“We won’t stay silent anymore.
“We won’t stay in hiding.
“And we won’t trust law enforcement to act on our behalf.
“That’s why I’m coming forward now. I’m telling my story, in my own words. I need the world to know what’s going on, so hopefully no one else gets hurt.
“I’ve learned a lot about my parents recently, and you will, too, over the coming weeks. They did a lot of bad things. I know that. And they might even still be alive. [She cocks her head.] I’ve heard the rumors, like you, but I swear, if they are, I haven’t seen them.
“However, I am certain that the only way my sister and I will ever be safe is if we bring down the Dresden Chemical Corporation and its corrupt underbelly, Department D. We need to take back our lives and stop paying for crimes we didn’t commit.
“My name is Keira Phoenix and I survived Department D. But will you?”
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Praise for the Book
“Diana was able to create something so new and different yet so approachable and engaging at the same time. And the ending could not have been more perfect, I could practically feel my heart swoon. Make sure to snag all books in the trilogy because you will want to binge read the series back to back so you don't miss a minute!” ~ Smada's Book Smack, Katherine Paschal
“This series has been action packed and fast paced from the beginning with the lead reminding me of a teenage, female James Bond. There's cover ups and conspiracies, danger and romance so a bit of something for everyone and having followed the whole series I was happy to jump right back in to find out where the story would go. In the end I would certainly recommend checking out this series!” ~ Carrie's Book Reviews
“The talented author quickly immersed me back into this thrilling story of family, espionage, deceit, danger and the dreaded Department D ... There's plenty of drama and shocking revelations to keep you turning the pages in this fantastic finale to this compelling series. It is meant to be for teens but don't let that put off anyone who is older than that, I certainly thoroughly enjoyed reading it and have no hesitation in highly recommending this and the entire series!” ~ Elaine, Goodreads
“I really recommend this series to people who enjoy spy stories and YA fiction - it's a really fun series and I have loved following Anastasia on her journey. Action-packed, fast-paced and with some romance, this series is a delightful read!” ~ Olivia F., Goodreads
“There was a lot of pain and angst, some fun moments, some love felt ones, a few heart breaking scenes. Overall, the perfect mixture for a YA book. A bonus? It also has the whole suspense thing going, making it even more enjoyable. End of the Lie was a page-turner and the best in the trilogy.” ~ Anky S., NetGalley
“The perfect end to a dynamite series!” ~ Erika C., NetGalley
Guest Post by the Author
Top 7 Writing Tips for Aspiring Writer
1. Love the act of writing - This may sound simple, but it’s vital. This isn’t an easy business, so if you don’t love what you’re doing, then turn around and look for the first emergency exit. Love writing. Love the art. Love that one aspect of this career that you can control, because that’s what will make everything else worth it.
2. Settle in for the long haul - Publishing is a slow process. You wait to get an agent. You wait for your agent to craft your pitch. You wait to hear from editors while on submission. You wait to see your cover. You wait to hear from reviewers. You wait, you wait, you wait over and over again each step of the way with very little control over the tedious pace of this process. This is why it is important you agree with Rule No. 1.
3. Grow some thick skin - When I started out, I was very sensitive to even the slightest feedback. I would take my husband's comments offensively. Now I embrace all feedback, because that’s how you grow as a writer. Your readers, your reviewers, your editors and agents are your teachers, so learn from them. That being said …
4. Learn which feedback you should listen to -If you have a single outlier comment, don’t jump to revise your book. But when you get the same criticism from more than one person, and these readers are knowledgeable writers, editors, or agents, then it’s time to take a look at your manuscript and see if a revision is needed.
5. Understand that NO feedback is also feedback - If you’re getting zero responses from agents or editors, there is something wrong with your manuscript, or your first 30 pages, or your query. Find some beta readers, start another book, set your manuscript aside, and …
6. Get some distance - Don’t complete a draft of a book and then immediately start revisions. Walk away, take a vacation, write a short story to clear your head, then go back to it. If you send your book to a beta reader, don’t look at the manuscript during this time, so when you get feedback, you have fresh eyes.
7. Don’t give up - If you are getting a lot of full reads of your manuscript, notes saying they “love your writing, but not the story”, comments that “this was a close call”, or “I loved the book but couldn’t get in house support”, KEEP GOING. You’ve got something, stick with it, keep editing, keep reading books in your genre, watch movies in your genre, dream about that book, and don’t give up on the story until you figure out how to tell it.
About the Author
Diana Rodriguez Wallach is the author of the Anastasia Phoenix series, three YA spy thrillers (Entangled Publishing). She is also the author of three award-winning young adult novels: Amor and Summer Secrets, Amigas and School Scandals, and Adios to All the Drama (Kensington Books); as well as a YA short-story collection based on the Narcissus myth, entitled Mirror, Mirror (Buzz Books, 2013). In 2011, she published a highly regarded essay in Dear Bully: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories (HarperCollins). It was the only essay chosen from the anthology by Scholastic to be used in its classroom materials. Diana is featured in the anthology, Latina Authors and Their Muses (Twilight Times Books, 2015), and she is currently on staff as a featured blogger for Quirk Books. In 2010 Diana was named one of the Top Ten New Latino Authors to Watch by LatinoStories.com, and she placed second in the International Latino Book Awards. She is an advisory board member for the Philly Spells Writing Center and is a Creative Writing instructor for Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Talented Youth. She holds a B.S. in Journalism from Boston University, and currently lives in Philadelphia.
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