Extinction Of All Children
Book One
L.J. Epps
Date of Publication: June 3rd 2016
Publisher: L.J. Epps
Cover Artist: Damonza.com
Genre: Fantasy Fiction, Dark Fantasy
Tagline: What would you do if you were the last eighteen-year-old in the territory? Join Emma on a wild ride and find out how she survives this fate.
BLRUB
The futuristic world of Craigluy has been divided into three territories and three economic classes. A large wall separates the territories, so the poor cannot mingle with the rich.
Since President Esther, the ruler over all of Craigluy, believes the poor do not have adequate means to take care of children, they are no longer allowed to procreate. Pregnant mothers are imprisoned until their babies are born, then the infants are taken away.
Emma Whisperer is the last child to survive. She is the last child born in lower-class Territory L before the law was instituted in the year 2080. She is the last eighteen-year-old.
Emma struggles to understand why she was spared while others weren’t. She doesn’t like the laws and believes they should be repealed. Her family doesn’t agree with her; they discourage her rebellious streak. Yet, she helps them to cover up their own family rebellion. She helps them to hide a big secret, a secret that could be both disastrous and deadly for members of their family.
As she meets new people along the way, Emma learns who she can and cannot trust. And, in the end, she makes a gut-wrenching decision that may be disastrous for everyone.
She finds herself in danger for doing what she feels is right.
Get the entire series on Amazon
EXCERPT
My brain checks
back in on the conversation. My mother is still going on about her day.
“I was able to
pick up some fruit from the market. The apples and pears were fresh. We can
have them for dessert on Sunday, along with the whipped cream Emma picked up.”
She puts on a fake smile. “They don’t always have it, since it is only for
special occasions. Thanks for going back to the store to get it. I forgot it
when I was there earlier. I hope you didn’t have a hard time finding it.”
“It is fine,
Mother,” I say, softly.
Sundays are
special in Territory L. It is the day families are supposed to stay in and
enjoy each other’s company. The day we get to eat chicken or fish, instead of
beans and soup. It is the day we play old board games and read old books. Pears
and apples are what my mother considers dessert. Maybe this Sunday will be even
more special because we’re going to have whipped cream on our fruit. We never
had it before. I guess whipped cream will make it look more desirable. So,
while Territory U has pie and cake, we’ll have fruit with whipped cream
topping.
“Is there any
more milk?” Theodore asks.
“I had your
sister pick some up on her way back.”
“Yes, T,” I say,
chiming in. I always call him T, for short. “There is a fresh carton in the
fridge. Try not to drink it all. It has to last for at least the next week.”
I watch as he
narrows his eyes in my direction, then he stands with his glass in hand and
goes to the kitchen. He is such a child, sometimes I can’t even tell he is
nineteen.
“So, how was
your day, Emma?” My father turns to me. He just put a spoonful of beans in his
mouth. He clears his throat and continues. “I mean, before you ran that
errand.”
Every time
someone talks about the errand, I cringe. It is as if a knife has been put
through my stomach because we have such a hard time even saying what the errand
is. And the whole thing leaves a sour taste in my mouth. I try to forget about
the errand, for now, and dwell on his question—how my day was.
“If you’re
asking me if I found a job yet, I haven’t.” I take a sip of water. “There is
not much to do around here.”
“There is, if
you want to be cashier at the market or a salesperson at the clothing store.”
“Those aren’t
real jobs. Sorry,” I add, glancing over at him.
He has always
said it didn’t matter what the job is because any job, even if it isn’t
glamorous, should be respected. Judging by the slant in his eyebrows that makes
the lines in his forehead crease, he didn’t take kindly to what I just said.
“What I meant to
say,” I continue, “is I want to go to college and be a doctor like you, Dad, or
a teacher like Mom was. It is not fair—”
“We can’t keep
having this discussion every night,” Mother cuts in, her voice curt. “I know it
is disappointing that there are no colleges and no continued education for you.
And I also know you don’t want any of the jobs the territory has to offer—”
“But that is the
way it is, and you have to deal with it,” says Father, cutting her off.
“I’m not hungry
anymore.” I push my plate aside.
I know it is
foolish because around here you don’t always know where your next meal is
coming from, but I can’t stomach the same conversation along with the same dry
food every night.
“May I be
excused?” I lower my head.
“Yes, Emma. You
may.” My mother’s tone is soft. “And Em, things will get better,” she says with
sad eyes.
She always says
that. I think, more for herself than for me. But things never get better. They
always stay the same, or get worse.
Author Info
L.J. Epps is a lover of all things related to books: fiction and nonfiction novels, as well as biographies and autobiographies. She has also been known to sit and read comic books from cover to cover, several times over.
Over the last few years, L.J. has written several manuscripts; her mission is to publish all of them. She enjoys writing fiction in several genres, including contemporary romance and women’s fiction, as well as young adult dystopian, science fiction and fantasy. She loves to write because it immerses her into another world that is not her own.
The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with L.J. Epps . . .
How would you describe your style of writing to someone that has never read your work?
I would have to say I have different writing styles depending on what I’m writing. For this particular series, Extinction Of All Children the writing style is a bit different. When I dreamt up the world, they lived in…their world was depressing and dark. The voices in my head at the time were stiff and stilted. I felt that matched the bleak and dim world they lived in.
What are some of your writing/publishing goals for this year?
I’m currently working on a new manuscript. This particular manuscript is women’s fiction and romance. It’s still a work in progress. I hope to have it edited and published by the end of 2019 or the beginning of 2020.
Do you feel that writing is an ingrained process or just something that flows naturally for you?
Writing flows naturally for me. I have a ton of ideas for novels in my head…my problem is finding the time to get them all down on paper or computer. When I sit down to write the words just seem to flow. Of course, sometimes I do get writers block but I just play music to get my thoughts back together…and normally the words start to flow again.
Where would you spend one full year, if you could go ANY Where? What would you do with this time?
I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii. I would spend a year there relaxing by the water and on the beach. I would spend most of my time writing and working on upcoming projects. That year spent in Hawaii would give me enough time to knock out a few novels. It would be wonderful if something like that could happen for me!
If you could spend one-week with 5 fictional character, who would they be?
- Black Widow: Natalia Alianovna Romanova from the Avengers Marvel series.
- Cat Woman from DC comics.
- Wonder Woman from DC comics.
- Ellen Ripley from Aliens.
- Sarah Connor from Terminator.
As you can see from the list above, I am sort of a comic book nerd. Lol Most of my fictional characters come from comic books. As you probably also noticed I like strong female characters in movies and comics, as well as books. I hope the female characters in the novels I write are portrayed as strong and independent women. I strive to write them that way.
My goal would be to learn from them and find out how they gained such strength. I would like to know what makes them tick.
Thank you for featuring me as a guest on your blog today. I’m so excited to share my novel with you! I hope you enjoy my interview.
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