Welcome to the Blog Tour for Silent Stars by Brett Armstrong, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: Silent Stars
Series: Tomorrow's Edge #3
Author: Brett Armstrong
Publisher: Expanse Books
Release Date: September 26, 2023
Genre: Christian, Dystopian, Science Fiction
AD 2040: Barely eighteen, things have become much harder for Elliott. Reeling from the losses during the confrontation that brought Project Alexandria to a halt, Elliott feverishly hunts for the original files needed to finish it off. Finding only dead ends, he instead stumbles upon something dire: messages about the Babel Initiative. Conceived as a successor that would make Project Alexandria’s manipulations seem tame, this new threat once again forces Elliott into alliances with morally grey programmers known as Siegers. Beset by continual setbacks and defeats, many Siegers abandon the cause and go underground to survive the dangers ahead. The bleak reality that Elliott and those closest to him are almost certain to die in the fight against Dr. Almundson begins to set in. But Elliott isn’t ready to give up. He knows the cost of such a silent surrender will be humanity itself.
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More in This Series
Excerpt (Action Scene)
John got free and to his feet. Grabbing Elliott and hoisting him back into the fireman’s carry, the AI called out, “Wait, sir! Please stop.”
Not slowing, he narrowly got them through the doors before they snapped shut and ostensibly locked. The sound of sirens filled the warm afternoon air. No cars were in the pickup/drop-off lane. A brick wall surrounded most of the sprawling parking area, but as Elliott got whipped back and forth, he could verify no cars pulling out to help them.
“No sign of Chevy,” he concluded.
“Couldn’t wait two and a half minutes ...” John muttered.
From over John’s shoulder, Elliott saw security personnel for the hospital streaming into the lobby. “Um, we can’t stay here.”
“Right.” John took off, huffing down the sidewalk. The blue barriers indicating it was not safe to cross from the sidewalk by the building to those of its parking area did not drop, despite there not being a car approaching.
Another “safety measure” from the hospital?
Suddenly, amid the approaching drone of the sirens, a low whistling sound could be heard, and a car that had been low riding enough to be hidden behind the brick wall surrounding the parking area zipped out. The vintage sports car had been retrofitted from a combustion engine to an electric one. A door raised up on the sleek, jet-black car. “Jump in,” Chevy yelled as the car erratically swung around, almost onto the curb.
The protective barrier dropped, and John didn’t ask questions, essentially tossing Elliott inside and then jumping in after.
About the Author
Brett Armstrong has been exploring other worlds as a writer since age nine. Years later, he still writes, but now invites others along on his excursions. He’s shown readers haunting, deep historical fiction (Destitutio Quod Remissio), scary-real dystopian sci-fi (Tomorrow's Edge), and dark, sweeping epic fantasy (Quest of Fire). Every story is a journey of discovery and an attempt to be a brush in the Master Artist’s hand. Through dark, despair, light, joy, and everything in between, the end is always meant to leave his fellow literary explorers with wonder and hope. Always busy with a new story, he also enjoys drawing, gardening, and spending time with his wife and son.
Connect with Brett by visiting brettarmstrong.net to follow him on social media and sign up for email updates.
Author Interview
Q: What was the inspiration behind
Silent Stars?
Brett: Since
Silent Stars is the final entry in the
Tomorrow’s Edge stories a lot of it’s inspiration drew from completing the journey for character arcs, plot lines, and themes in the earlier entries of the series. There’s motifs and symbolism all over the series, but one of the elements that was specific to
Silent Stars and inspired the title and a core theme is found in the verses at the start of the book:
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.”*I saw a Lou Giglio (thankfully this isn’t a verbal interview) talk where he mentioned that stars emit radio waves and that you can listen to their sound in a very physical fulfillment of those verses. That always stuck with me and while I was imagining where the story led after Veiled Sun, those verses came back to me, along with:
“…that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world…”**I also began to think about how in city limits it can be difficult to see the stars because of the artificial light. The intersection of all those things led me to a core theme of the story, which is the need for the stars which declare God’s glory in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation to not allow the artificial substitutes to drown out true light. The temptation to just ignore the truth and drift into accepting the easier surreality—a reality of our own imagining—and the protagonists clinging to the truth and the Truth, because it is too precious a treasure to relinquish and too important a cause to forsake.
Q: How long did it take you to write this story?
I suppose in a way I've been writing
Silent Stars ever since I realized the story originally meant for
Day Moon would be too long to resolve as a standalone. I've been actively dreaming and drafting it for the last four years at least, but then my active writing of the draft that made it to press started about a year and a half ago with a lion's share of it written earlier this year.
Q: Do you have a favorite quote from this book?
Brett: “I truly forgive you for what you did to me. You have my word I will do everything the Lord enables me to ensure that you are among those who live to see it.”
“See what?” [REDACTED FOR SPOILERS]
“The glorious other side of the better tomorrow’s edge on which we stand.”I picked that one because for years I felt like I understood the meaning of calling this the
Tomorrow's Edge series and while coming down the slope from writing the climax of the story and series I was suddenly hit with this realization that I had never gotten it till that moment. The above quote is what I immediately wrote on realizing it. For years I struggled with the deep conviction that dystopian stories must end tragically in order for the core messages to ring out with the force they deserve. But realizing what the Lord was leading me to with the series title it changed everything and was one of the most beautiful experiences I've ever had as a writer.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from Silent Stars?
Brett: Hope. Resilience. Perseverance. The world is a dark and broken place and there are so many forces and pressures driving us towards a future that feels scary. It's easy to feel helpless and discouraged about where society is heading. We're standing on the edge of that frightening tomorrow, but I hope in reading Silent Stars, readers realize like Elliott that no matter how dark that future looks, just beyond is the day long promised where all of the dark will be forever forgotten and that is the tomorrow to keep our heart's fixed to as we weather the passage to there.
Q: Would you share something about yourself that most readers would not know?
Brett: I’m in need of all sorts of wisdom and insight into how to care for a cat. I grew up with dogs as family pets my whole life, so I understand them reasonably well. But my family adopted a stray cat during the height of the COVID pandemic after the poor guy came to our house consistently with a bloodied ear, mangy fur, and looking starved and cold. He’s been with us for a couple years now and I’ve learned a lot along the way, but we found out he has FIV (the cat equivalent of HIV) and sometimes I don’t know how much of his well being and behavior is just pure cat and how much is his condition wearing on him. He’s pretty much the nicest cat I’ve ever met and has literally never scratched us intentionally (the most he does is tap us with his paw, claws tucked in). He’s also the chattiest, most opinionated animal ever, with zero interest in cat things like toys, scratching posts, catnip, mice (that was a hilarious encounter), or laser lights. He often confounds me.
Q: How many bookcases are in your home?
Brett: We have four half book shelves and three fulls with er, um, some overflow...We really like books.
Q: How long ago did you start writing?
Brett: It depends on how one would want to date it. I wrote my first original story for the purpose of storytelling when I was nine and wrote stories off and on growing up. When I reached college, I tried for a few years to be “serious” and “realistic”, thinking there was no way I could be a writer and that I needed a real career. But then I had a creative writing class that felt like a breath of fresh clean air after holding my breath for so long. Through it, the Lord really put me back on the writer's path. Since then He’s helped me see that writing isn’t my career, it’s something He’s woven into me and so long as He leads me to do it, I want to tell the stories He brings me to. The Lord is the Master Artist and I want to be brush in His hand.
Q: What is your favorite thing about being a writer?
Brett: Picking just one thing is tough. I think it’s the feeling when I’m talking to a reader and I can tell that they really got the story and I see how it’s spoken to them. That taking the journey through that story world and leaving the signposts behind, so-to-speak, has helped them too. That’s an incredible and humbling feeling to know the Lord has used you to help others.
Q: What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Brett: I really enjoy walking in the woods, drawing, the harvesting side of gardening, but I don’t do an enormous amount of that, because my little boy makes sure I keep plenty busy in my “down time”. He’s creative and spunky and knows just about everything there is to know about Minecraft. So, whatever he’s got on his agenda is usually what I end up doing…and it’s a pretty great way to spend my days.
Tour Giveaway
(2) winners will win a $25 Amazon gift card, print copy of Silent Stars, and a poster of a scene from the Tomorrow's Edge series!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight October 4, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on October 11, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Open to winners in the US, Canada, Australia, and UK only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
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