In the post-apocalyptic pressure cooker of Austin, Texas, 19-year-old Keno and his younger cousins struggle to ensure their community’s survival even as they’re forced to relocate to safer grounds. Northern Lights that don’t belong this far south grow increasingly intense, making Keno fear what harm the sun will cause next.
Even worse, a marauding militia called the Raiders is closing in, led by a deranged woman who preys on teenage boys. Despite Keno’s debilitating flashbacks from a firefight, he and his wife have a new baby to protect. Though Bea is dead, her spirit desperately searches for ways to shield her grandkids. When Raiders target two neighborhood members, the only hope lies in the community’s strength, Keno’s ingenuity, and the family’s fierce love for one another.
read an excerpt...
I am only the essence of my former self. A disembodied mind floating free in the ether, perhaps with my soul attached—if such a thing exists outside my mind. I’d heard for years that our minds are made up of electrical impulses that extend beyond our physical bodies. Now … my mind is still alive even though my body is dead and gone.
I hover near my living loved ones, but they aren’t aware that I’m here. From this perspective, I watched my grandchildren suffer … and … I couldn’t help them…
Most of the time, they bat me away in their sleep as though I were a fly. But sometimes, I feel them unconsciously relax … getting a short rest from the traumatizing world they’ve been living in … since the solar pulse took down civilization.
I don’t know how much longer I’ll be here, but I have a strong intuition that it won’t be for long.
Yet I have unfinished business. I can’t leave my family in this condition… not now when they aren’t safe…
My name was Bea Crenshaw. I suppose it still is. Some might call me a ghost, but I prefer to think of myself as a floating, conscious collection of energy. I can’t be seen or heard by living humans, but I still have love to give…
“Nana?” A small voice snaps me out of my reverie. It’s my granddaughter, Mazie.
“Nana, I know you’re here.”
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
BRENDA MARIE SMITH is attracted to stories where everyday characters transcend their limitations to find their inner heroism. She lived off the grid for years in a farming collective where her sons were delivered by midwives. A lifelong community activist, Brenda has managed student co-op housing, produced concerts, and raised a small herd of boys. She and her husband live in Kyle, Texas. They have more grown kids and grandkids than they can count.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Website: https://brendamariesmith.com
Blog: https://brendamariesmith.tumblr.com
Twitter: @bsmithnovelist
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJlLSnORIyoaygvZ1j49ZKw
Buy Links for the Braving the Light Series:
IF DARKNESS TAKES US (Book One): https://bit.ly/3FA6oYR
For IF THE LIGHT ESCAPES (Book Two): https://bit.ly/3tJP94Q
IF THE SUN SPARES US (Book Three): https://bit.ly/3QrWgaV
We appreciate you featuring this book today. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for hosting my book today. I'd love to chat with your readers if anyone is interested. I'll keep checking in throughout the day.
ReplyDeleteIt’s an intriguing excerpt!
ReplyDelete—Elizabeth
Thank you, Elizabeth. I'm glad you like it.
ReplyDeleteWhat is on your bucket list?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your good question, Tracie. I have two big things on my bucket list: (1) to write another book, not in this series, and to have it be really great; and (2) to try very hard to get this series turned into a television series. We shall see how it goes, lol. Wish my luck! And I wish you good luck as well!
DeleteI think this sounds really interesting.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Marcy. Much appreciated.
DeleteGood excerpt, thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteThanks, Marisela. I'm always happy to share. Thanks for reading it.
DeleteThanks again for hosting my book here today. Wishing the best to all of you.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a good read.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sherry.
DeleteSuch a gorgeous cover.
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
Thank you. I feel very lucky to have Olivia Hammerman as the cover artist for all three books in this series.
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