FABRICATED
Nicole Givens Kurtz
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GENRE: SciFi Mystery
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BLURB:
Cybil Lewis, a private inspector in futuristic D.C., now The District, begrudgingly works with the Territory Alliance agents to track down an escaped violator, Nico Mars. Almost immediately, Cybil is tossed into the District's gritty underbelly of political ambition, drugs, and betrayal. This case will take her and Jane deep into the reaches of The District's notorious Sector 12, where life is cheap and currency is king. When her investigation leads back to those responsible for protecting citizens, Cybil discovers she's in danger. She's reminded once again that everything can be fabricated.
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Excerpt
If it’s one thing I’ve learned in my nearly forty years is this—trust your gut.
If I had, things would’ve gone much more smoothly.
Who am I?
I’m Cybil Lewis. Private Inspector licensed in The District Territory. July felt like an oven left on high. The sun’s rays rebounded off the pavement, fiberglass, and metal, back into people’s faces. An energy nightmare, certain neighborhoods suffered frequent electrical and computer grid breakdowns, leaving thousands stranded without air conditioning, automatic doors, and other necessities. Bots stopped working. Generators and recyclable batteries helped. Still the more tech-rich you were, the greater the potential for damage.
Venture outside at your own risk. Summer snatched victims into its greedy hands and swallowed them whole. Each year an ever-increasing number of people died because they became trapped in their residences without cool air when the grid responsible for controlling the electric crashed or when the generators melted.
Which was why I was leaning over the air conditioning unit when the doors to my office yawned open. In walked two women, one whom I recognized the moment her sleek, dark blonde hair crossed the threshold. I got up to meet them before they came too far into my lobby. Midwest Territory Alliance Agent Lynn stopped. Despite wearing make-up, pockmarks spoiled her attempt at flawless. Cold blue eyes stared out. She grinned, calculated, and cool.
We had a complicated history due to a shared case not too long ago. She tried to get me shot, killed, and sent to the cradle for violations I didn’t commit. The entire experience left a bad taste in my mouth.
You can imagine my joy at seeing her again.
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Guest Post
Topic: Convince us why you feel your book is a must read
Hi Readers! If you like intrigue, whodunits, and strong heroines who follow the directions of their own moral compass, then I invite you to read, Fabricated: A Cybil Lewis SF Mystery.
Fabricated is a continuation of an already epic story. One that offers a unique point of view, written by a woman when women's voices are struggling to be heard. Cybil is a private inspector in the District, an area that was once the District of Columbia. Set against the backdrop of high technology and devalued human lives, Cybil is a beacon of truth in the murky waters of politics.
Here's a brief excerpt so you can get a feel for the character and my writing style.
I saw only legs.
Even from this distance, I noticed the body laid face up, on its back. As I followed Daniel into the apartment, dressed in our protective white jumpsuits and masks, I couldn’t help but notice the blood. It decorated the foyer’s walls and the telemonitor hanging a short distance in.
Despite the mask, the odor made my throat close. Nothing smelled like death in the summer. The temperature control unit appeared to have failed. The floor complained as people fanned out across the living room. The space, once vibrant and filled to the ceiling with laughter and cries, hugs and fights, loud conversations and whispered secrets, had become a tomb marred by death and the lingering odor of wet pennies.
“Damn.” Daniel rubbed his face, dislodging his mask. He shoved it back into place. “Someone turned off the environmental control units.”
“They knew what they were doing.” I scanned the room.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Nicole Givens Kurtz has been called “a genre polymath who does crime, horror, and Science Fiction and Fantasy (Book Riot).” They’ve named her as one of the 6 Black SFF Indie Writers You Should be Reading, 30 Must-Read SFF Books by Black Authors, and The Best of the West: 8 Alternative History Westerns (Sisters of the Wild Sage). She’s a two-time Atomacon Palmetto Scribe Award winner. With over 20 years in publishing, She’s written for Pseudopod, Apex, Fiyah, White Wolf, The Realm, Baen, Subsume, and MV Media. Nicole has over 50 published short stories, including her story, “The Way Home,” in Marvel®’s Captain America: The Shield of Sam Wilson anthology from Titan Books. Nicole is the author of the Cybil Lewis and Death Violations cybernoir series as well as the Kingdom of Aves fantasy mystery series.
She has conducted workshops for Writer’s Digest Online, Clarion West online, SAGA, and is the owner of Mocha Memoirs Press. She’s the editor for the groundbreaking SLAY: Stories of the Vampire Noire and co-editor of Blackened Roots: An Anthology of the Undead anthology. Nicole is professional level member of SFWA and HWA. You can find her at www.nicolegivenskurtz.net.
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER
Nicole Givens Kurtz will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
