The Defender

 

 

The Defender

by Larissa Soehn

GENRE:   Sci-Fi/Fantasy

A woman battling depression and anxiety finds herself trapped in her own life, but when an alien device rips her away from Earth, she is forced to fulfill an impossible role and save the galaxies from destruction.

On Earth, Alexia Harmon is a mother and wife, but in a foreign galaxy, she is so much more. Torn away from her family, Alex is in an epic battle to escape from Gatlin and return to Earth. But little does Alex know, Gatlin is on the verge of destruction. The galaxy faces annihilation; a prophetic doom that was set in motion thousands of years ago.

Alex struggles to stay alive as she fights against an alien government that is trying to kill her, a species of genetically engineered creatures that are hell bent on her destruction, and the demons of her own mind that threaten to overthrow her. Join Alexia Harmon as she works to fulfill her role as THE DEFENDER.

Excerpt:

Alex sits down at the spaceship controls and enters her coordinates. With tentative fingers, she reaches out and places her hand on the gel control pad. Wires leap forward and wrap painlessly around her fingers. She has studied the Knowledge Computer and watched as Rick learned how to control the ship. She is confident that she is capable of flying the ship, but she is still nervous about venturing through space by herself. With a deep breath, she wills the ship to take off from the landing pad on Alars. In seconds she is airborne and rising toward the atmosphere of the planet. The darkness of space zooms toward her as she pushes the ship forward.

It will take Alex roughly two weeks to reach the far side of Solax. With every passing moment she moves deeper into outer space, putting more and more distance between herself and her friends. The old Alex would have feared the intense loneliness and been scared that she would fall into a deep depression as her mind struggled to find things to distract herself with. Now, thoughts of her family flow freely in her mind, but they don’t cripple her. They leave her feeling sad but not distraught. She works through her coping mechanisms and focuses on the things in her control. Alex tells herself that she will see them again. She smiles at her newfound strength, the mental discipline to control her emotions and work through the depression and anxiety.

About the Author:

Larissa Soehn is a budding new author from the cozy city of Red Deer, Alberta, where she lives with her husband, daughter, two cats and a dog. She started this journey as a recovery method for severe depression. She found that creative writing helped her process her emotions and work through the struggles of depression. As a child, Larissa enjoyed writing and telling stories, a passion that has recently reignited inside of her. Currently she is working to finalize the Gatlin Series, as well as publish a series of children's books to help families discuss the importance of mental health, amongst other social issues facing children today. Larissa is an advocate for mental health and uses her personal experiences to help others work through their struggles. She uses social media platforms to help spread her message and give people permission to speak up and speak out.

 

Q&A With the Author

When did you first consider yourself to be a writer?

I first considered myself a writer when I finished the first book. Until then, I was writing for fun, and the idea of actually completing an entire 90,000-word manuscript was beyond what I imagined myself capable of. But when I typed THE END on book one, I finally sat back and looked at the work I had done. That is when I considered myself a writer. 

What advice do you have for a new writer?

Stick with it. For all five books I have written, I tried to write at least one page every day, even when faced with significant writer’s block. Sometimes I would delete what I wrote the next day, but at least I knew that that wasn’t the direction I wanted my story to go. 

What is the easiest part of the writing process for you?

Picking character names was incredibly easy. For book one, I used my three-year-old daughter to help me come up with a lot of the alien names. She quickly spat them out, and I loved working bits of her imagination into the book. 

What is your favorite part of this story?

There is a part of the story called the Cataloguing. It’s the first time we really get to see Alex in action, and it is incredibly descriptive. It’s also early in the book, making it exciting right from the get-go. 

Which Character was the most fun to write about? Why?

I think Rickert was the most fun. He is a loveable sidekick that brandishes many traits that my husband has. He is supportive, energetic, funny, and overall helpful. 

Which character was the hardest to write about? Why?

Veela, the leading scientist in my novel, was the hardest to write. She is brilliant and clinical. I found her hard to write because I had to intentionally shift my thinking for all of her dialogue and scenes to something that made me sound more intelligent than I was used to writing. All the other characters were easy because they embodied parts of me or those around me. She was tough because I don’t have any scientist in my life that I could emulate.

CONNECT WITH LARISSA SOEHN

WEBSITE - Larissa Soehn – Author Website

FACEBOOK - Larissa Soehn | Facebook

INSTAGRAM - Larissa Soehn (@larissa_soehn) • Instagram photos and videos

PURCHASE LINKS THE DEFENDER   

AMAZON.COM - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0228866030 

AMAZON.CA - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0228866030

BARNES & NOBLE - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-defender-larissa-soehn/1140523152?ean=2940165085475

SMASHWORDS - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1115119 

APPLE IBOOKS - https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-defender/id1595487361 

The book will be free.

GIVEAWAY:

Larissa Soehn will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway