Today I have a guest post for you from Becca Campbell, the Author Empath, the first book in The Flawed Series. Becca is here to talk about the new book, and where the brilliant idea for it came from. Take it away Becca.
Welcome to the Empath Blog Tour! During the tour, Empath (The Flawed Series Book One) is on sale for a discounted price of $0.99 (77p in UK). Read on to find out more about how the idea of the Flawed series came about and why I enjoy writing about people with superhuman weaknesses.
A New Twist on an Old Concept
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| Cover links to amazon |
Four and a half years ago, I decided to try a creative experiment. With no prior writing experience, I wondered if I had it in me to write a book – a full-length novel – from start to finish. The question nagged at my mind like a dare while the very idea of such a massive undertaking thrilled me to the core. So I decided to take the leap.
Before I put pen to paper (or more accurately, fingers to keyboard) I needed to have an idea. Not just a generic plot, but that perfect, riveting idea that would keep me going long after the honeymoon of inspiration had worn off. To do that, it had to be unique.
I began by considering the type of stories I like to consume via books, movies, and television. I’m a geek at heart and there’s always been something intriguing about comic-book-type stories in which people have superhuman powers.
I didn’t want to start with an overused concept as the diving board into this writing adventure. So I tried to think about how to put a twist on the typical stories in the genre. What could I do to really be different? I asked myself one question that was key: what’s the opposite? Using that, I discovered a fresh way of using an old trope for my own purpose. I explored the idea of people with superhuman weaknesses. The concept instantly struck a chord inside me, and I knew it was something I could write about. I had no idea it would turn into a series.
An Empathic Sense - A Handicap?
When I tell people I write books about people with superhuman flaws, I usually get a blank stare. That's probably because it sounds like an oxymoron and doesn't make sense to most people until they hear specific details.
Jade Edwards, the main character of Empath, has supernatural empathy as a character flaw instead of a superpower – in other words, this young woman is inhabited and controlled by the emotions of the people around her. Not only is she powerless to influence them, she can't even experience her own feelings when around others. Jade was sheltered from stray emotions by her parents since she was a young child. Here's a little peek inside her head as, now entering society, she wrestles with her first day of college.
Excerpt
"When she heard the teacher enter and begin talking, Jade’s eyes flicked back open. She sat up and gripped her pen with a shaking hand.
A wave of irritation hit her like a slap in the face, jerking her away from the professor’s words. Her shoulders hunched and she dug her toes into the floor as she fought the compulsion to kick someone. The pen in her tightly clenched fist gouged into the table’s surface. She dropped it and clamped her hands together in her lap, scanning the classroom. Where was the source of this anger pounding through her skull and flooding her veins? There—a guy on the end of the third row scowled, shaking his head at the professor.
Without warning, excitement replaced the agitation. Jade straightened in her chair and fought the urge to bounce in her seat, though she couldn’t keep the dumb smile off her face. Farther down her row, one girl whispered something about a vacation to the Bahamas and another girl nodded enthusiastically.
She was gulping quick and irregular breaths, telling herself to regain control, when a surge of intense attraction hit her, knocking the wind from her lungs. Her heart beat faster and a hot blush crept over her face. She was acutely aware of every male in the room. Forcing herself to stop ogling the guy in front of her with the armpit stains, she distracted herself by searching for the culprit. Her gaze froze on a girl who was gazing at a guy two rows up. Oblivious, he seemed to be one of the few faithfully taking notes on the current topic: modern rationalism and the theories of Descartes.
Jade dropped her head into her hands and pressed on her temples, wishing for the hundredth time that she could turn off her empathic sense. She squeezed her eyes shut again and tried to focus on only her breathing. She had to escape."
Grab Empath at a Discounted Price
Empath is on sale during the blog tour for a bargain price of $0.99 (normally $2.99)! Grab your copy today:
Book Blurb
Supernatural empathy isn’t a gift, it’s a curse. Anywhere she goes, Jade’s emotions are replaced by those of the people around her.
Jade grew up in a suburb of Colorado Springs, protected from other people by her parents. Now she faces college—and the world—with nothing to shield her from unwanted feelings.
When Cam, a classmate with a major crush on her, unintentionally hijacks her emotions, Jade struggles to keep from being carried away in feelings of attraction. When Ethan, a psychopath with a thirst for fear, fixates on her, the emotional impact could be lethal.
Caught in a deadly trap, Jade must untangle the emotions and find a way to use her empathic curse to overcome this killer or be overcome by him.
More About Becca J. Campbell
Becca J. Campbell is the author of the New Adult Romantic Science Fiction novels Foreign Identity and Gateway to Reality, New Adult Romantic Paranormal Thriller Empath (The Flawed Series #1), and Sub-Normal, a series of Science Fiction short stories.
An avid lover of stories that tiptoe the line between fantasy and reality (even when they plunge off one side or the other), Becca looks for new angles on bridging the gap between the two. She holds a special place in her heart for any story that involves superpowers or time travel. Her passion is defying the limits of her own creativity. You can find her on her Author Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, and Amazon.
