Interview with Sasha Alsberg & Lindsay Cummings for Nexus

Nexus (The Androma Saga #2)

by Sasha Alsberg & Lindsay Cummings

Publisher: Harlequin TEEN
Release Date: May 7th 2019

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy

Synopsis:

#1 New York Times bestselling authors Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings deliver the dazzling finale to the acclaimed Androma Saga, where stunning betrayals and devastating secrets send an embattled galaxy spiraling into the ultimate nightmare.

Her ship is gone, her crew is captured and notorious mercenary Androma Racella is no longer the powerful Bloody Baroness, but a fugitive ruthlessly hunted across the Mirabel Galaxy. The bloodthirsty Queen Nor now rules most of the galaxy through a mind-control toxin and she’ll stop at nothing to destroy her most hated adversary.

Andi will risk anything, even her precious freedom, to find a cure. Stranded with her unlikely ally, Dex, on the unforgiving ice planet of Solera, their plan to infiltrate a black-market city proves dangerously irresistible.

Back in Arcardius, Nor’s actions have opened Mirabel to invasion. As Andi’s crew fights to regain their freedom, Andi and Dex discover a threat far greater than anything they’ve faced before.

Only by saving their mortal enemy can the crew of the Maraudermake one last desperate strike to save the galaxy—unaware that a shattering, centuries-old secret may demand the most wrenching sacrifice of all.

Can you briefly describe NEXUS and their main characters?

Nexus picks up not long after ZENITH left off. If you’ve read book one, it ends on a pretty big cliff-hanger, so we had a blast getting to tie up all the loose ends that we left our space pirates with at the end of book one. This one is all about redemption, and “getting the band back together” so to speak…it’s also about new alliances forming, and a darker force at work than the Marauders had to face in book one.

Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why?

Lindsay- I love Valen in this one. His story is heart-breaking and dark, and I had an absolute blast digging into the corners of his mind that people never got to explore in book one! 

Sasha – I love Nor, she is seen as the “villain” but I loved dissecting her character and figuring out WHY she does what she does. 

How did the story occur to you? Did you find inspiration anywhere?

Lindsay- Sasha and I always have a blast coming up with scene ideas, and we’re super inspired by art, music, basically anything creative. I remember specifically a time when we were on tour last year for Zenith, where Sasha got a really fun idea for an ice dragon scene, and we fleshed that out together on one of our flights! 

Sasha- We find inspiration in everything, from people to landscapes to really, whatever! I loved our brainstorming sessions when we would throw crazy ideas at each other until one of them sticks!

If you could choose one song to describe your book, which one would it be?

Lindsay – Wrecking Ball.

Sasha - The Sound of Silence: HELLO DARKNESS MY OLD FRIEND…

What would you say it is the best thing about writing a book with another author? What was the process of writing this series?

Lindsay- It’s just fun to get two minds together…it almost feels like the creative possibilities are endless! We wrote a lot of this series on Google Docs, where we’d sort of plot out scene-by scene, and then tackle them at random. It’s messy, but fun!

Sasha – I find collaborating with people the BEST THING EVER. I am such a people person so I feed off of others. Getting to create this world with Lindsay was a DREAM. We wrote online together and in person. Zenith and Nexus both had different creature processes, which was so interesting to see once the series was complete.

Between Zenith & Nexus:

Which book has your favourite cover? We can’t decide!! They both are *heart eyes* to us!

Which one was more fun to write? Zenith, because it was all so new and exciting!

If your book was going to be made into a movie, who would play your characters?

Andi: Iskra Lawrence 

Dex: Marlon Teixeria

Nor: Naomi Scott

Valen: Francisco Lachowski

Since it is still cold outside, what hot drink do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date?

Lindsay - Peppermint mocha 

Sasha – Extra caramel latte or macchiato 

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish NEXUS?

Lindsay- Definitely Beth Revis’ ACROSS THE UNIVERSE series, and Avalon by Mindee Arnett! 

Sasha – Aurora Rising by Jay Kristoff & Amie Kaufman!

What’s next for you?

Lindsay- I have a new single title coming up in 2020 called BLOOD, METAL, BONE…it’s sort of a space western fantasy mashup with alien horses! 

Sasha – I am working on an urban folklore fantasy book set in Scotland! Its code name is PROJECT RED ;)

Sasha Alsberg is the #1 NYT Bestselling Co-Author of ZENITH: The Androma Saga.

When Sasha is not writing or obsessing over Scotland she is making YouTube videos on her channel Abookutopia. She lives in Massachusetts with her dogs, Fraser and Fiona

For her writing, she is represented by Joanna Volpe at New Leaf Literary.

Lindsay Cummings is the #1 NYT Bestselling co-author of ZENITH, along with her duology, THE MURDER COMPLEX from Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins, and the MG trilogy THE BALANCE KEEPERS, from Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins. She is represented by Pete Knapp at Park Literary in NYC.

Lindsay deals with chronic fatigue, writes full time from her home in the deep woods in North Texas, and loves to chat with fellow book nerds. Lindsay created the #booknerdigans hashtag.

She's still waiting on her letter from Hogwarts--it was probably just lost in the mail. You can follow Lindsay on twitter @authorlindsayc or on instagram @authorlindsaycummings.

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Excerpt Blitz: The Murder Complex (The Murder Complex #1) by Lindsay Cummings

Today we are revealing chapter one from THE MURDER COMPLEX by Lindsay Cummings. For a very limited time, you can get THE MURDER COMPLEX ebook for just $1.99!

The Murder Complex (The Murder Complex #1)

by Lindsay Cummings

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Release Date: June 10th 2014

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Bookdepository | Kobo

Synopsis:

An action-packed, blood-soaked, futuristic debut thriller set in a world where the murder rate is higher than the birthrate. For fans of Moira Young’s Dust Lands series, La Femme Nikita, and the movie Hanna.

Meadow Woodson, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in Florida. The state is controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that tracks the population with precision.

The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is—although he doesn’t know it—one of the MC’s programmed assassins. Is their meeting a coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family?

Action-packed, blood-soaked, and chilling, this is a dark and compelling debut novel by Lindsay Cummings.

Chapter One

    MEADOW

It is the key to survival, the key to life. My father’s old dagger.

“Peri!” I call out over the waves to my little sister. An old can bobs up and down in the water, mesmerizing me for a moment. Beyond the Shallows, the sea is packed with boats. Some of them are still afloat, with their masts stretching like arms to the sky. Others are half-submerged, shipwrecked and covered with moss.

Among the boats are other things. Old tires, half of a rusted car, plastic. A body lies facedown in the waves, her hair spread out like seaweed.

Behind me, in the city, the Night Siren wails. It starts low, then whoops higher and back down again. Everyone on the beach hurries into the shadows, knowing all too well what happens when the sun goes down.

It isn’t safe anymore. I call out to Peri again. “It’s time to go!”

She holds up a tiny hand and gives me the signal: two grubby little fingers held high above her head.

Two minutes. It is always two more minutes with her.

The sun is sinking, a massive orange ball melting into the sea. It sets fire to the sky, and everything is dancing in colors. Reds, oranges, yellows. It reminds me of blood, it reminds me of my mother.

Peri comes running up to me, kicking a spray of sand behind her. “I found a periwinkle!” she squeaks, sounding like a startled seagull. “Like me!”

“Yeah? Let’s see it.” I cast a glance over my shoulder, at the few people who still litter the beach, before kneeling down to her level. Peri’s big gray eyes, the color of sea foam, widen as she places the tiny shell in my outstretched palm. It’s twisty and fat, with a sharp point at the top. A mollusk sticks out. Though it has barely enough meat for anyone to eat, I’m still tempted to shove it into my pocket. But somehow the Initiative would find out. As sure as the tide comes and goes, the Initiative will always discover our secrets.

“It’s a good one,” I say, smiling down at her. “But we can’t keep it.”

The thick black numbers tattooed onto her forehead crease in frustration. 72050. Peri’s Catalogue Number, just one number different from mine. Our barcodes show the Initiative where we are, who we are, every moment of our lives. As Peri grows, it will grow, and it will never fade or wrinkle because of the healing nanites we all have in our blood.

“Tell you what.” I point the tip of my dagger toward the shell. “We’ll mark it. That way, next time you find it, you’ll remember.” I etch a small heart into the side of the shell. It’s crooked, and hardly legible. I drop the mollusk on the sand, let the waves take it away. Peri smiles triumphantly. She’s a miniature version of me. Silver hair that hangs in loose curls to her waist. Like our mother’s.

“Okay, time to go.” She grabs my hand and tows me along the sand, humming the tune to an old lullaby under her breath. Soft, so no one but the two of us can hear it. Peri knows the value of silence in the Shallows.

At the far end of the beach, a jetty of large rocks juts out into the ocean. Waves crash on the rocks, and we get soaked, but it doesn’t matter. The heat of the summer clings to me like fog.

Peri goes first, clambering on hands and feet up the jetty and over to the other side. I climb down after her and my breath catches in my throat.

Pirates.

They’ll do anything for extra Creds. The Initiative pays them to guard the shore and take care of minor problems, as well as find and report the citizens who break the four Commandments of the Shallows.

Commandment One: Honor the Initiative.

Commandment Two: Thou shalt not attempt to cross the Perimeter.

Commandment Three: Honor the Silent Hour.

Commandment Four: Thou shalt not harbor useful items from the days Before.

“Pay up,” one of the Pirates says. He stands from his spot by a blazing campfire. They are cooking fish.

We could never afford an entire fish. Whatever we gather is sent to the Rations Department, and mixed and pureed with other nutrient-rich foods for distribution.

“We don’t want any trouble tonight,” I say. I press Peri closer to my side. “We just want to get to our boat.”

The Pirate laughs, and the two men with him join in. They are all covered in tattoos. One of them has an Initiative tattoo—an open, unblinking eye—on his neck, just below his chin. “You want to go to sea, little girl, you gotta pay.”

My hand finds the dagger on my thigh. There are only three of them. If I were alone, I could end this at once. But Peri tugs on my shirt, and I see the fear in her eyes. I cannot risk her safety. Not now, when the Dark Time is so close. And I have nothing to give the Pirates, nothing to buy us passage.

But Peri does.

She wears a pair of too-large tennis shoes, and the laces are still intact. Something like that is precious, and it kills me that I will be the one to take them from her.

“I’ll give you the laces,” I tell the Pirates, pointing at Peri’s feet. “Then you’ll let us go.”

The largest man lets out a whistle. His breath is rotten. “I’m feeling generous tonight, little girl. Next time, you better come prepared. Understood?”

I nod my head. “Next time you might not get away with your life.”

He thinks it’s a joke.

I stoop to untie the laces. Peri frowns, but does not cry.

She’s strong, my little sister.

The Pirates snatch the laces and go back to their fish, laughing. Peri and I pass safely and run down the beach. We yank the palm fronds and seaweed from our boat. It is a tiny dinghy, large enough for only two people. I quickly untie the line, push the boat into the waves, and we leave the shore behind.

“Meadow? Will we eat tonight?” Peri asks me as I row, weaving through the maze of waste and litter. The wind blows her hair back from her face, and I notice how her cheekbones stick out, how her eyes are slightly sunken. She’s losing more weight.

“Yes.” I nod, looking away. The way she’s studying me, as if I am the only thing in the world worth loving, makes my heart fill with guilt. If she only knew what I do to make sure she can eat. To make sure that all of us survive.

Two miles from shore, I stop and stare out at the black sea, feeling my shoulders burn from the effort of rowing. The dinghy bumps up against our houseboat. It is quiet here, a still night, the waves lapping the boat, the same way they always have. When my mother was murdered, I thought the world would end with her. But it goes on.

Lindsay Cummings is the 20-year-old author of THE MURDER COMPLEX, as well as its sequel, coming 2014 from Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins, and the MG trilogy THE BALANCE KEEPERS, coming Fall 2014 from Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins.

Lindsay deals with chronic fatigue, can’t get enough of her two pesky German Shepherds, wolf cub, and two horses. She's still waiting on her letter from Hogwarts--it was probably just lost in the mail. You can follow Lindsay on twitter @lindsaycwrites.

FFBC: Welcome to the club, The Murder Complex + The Fear Trials by Lindsay Cummings

The Murder Complex (The Murder Complex #1)

by Lindsay Cummings

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Release Date: June 10th 2014

Synopsis:

An action-packed, blood-soaked, futuristic debut thriller set in a world where the murder rate is higher than the birthrate. For fans of Moira Young’s Dust Lands series, La Femme Nikita, and the movie Hanna.

Meadow Woodson, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in Florida. The state is controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that tracks the population with precision.

The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is—although he doesn’t know it—one of the MC’s programmed assassins. Is their meeting a coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family?

Action-packed, blood-soaked, and chilling, this is a dark and compelling debut novel by Lindsay Cummings.

The Fear Trials (The Murder Complex 0.5)

by Lindsay Cummings

Publisher: HarperTeen Impulse

Release Date: May 27th 2014

Synopsis:

Meadow Woodson has been trained to survive. This is a prequel to The Murder Complex, by Lindsay Cummings, and it is set in a blood-soaked world where the murder rate is higher than the birth rate. For fans of Moira Young's Dust Lands series, La Femme Nikita, and the movie Hanna.

Meadow Woodson's father calls it The Fear Trials, and it is a rite of passage in their family. Meadow is up against her brother Koi. The Fear Trials will both harden her and make her brave. If Meadow wins, she will get a weapon of her own and the right to leave the Woodsons' houseboat without her father or mother at her side. Set in the violent, complex, and mysterious world of The Murder Complex, and introducing Meadow Woodson—a teenage girl trained to survive no matter what the cost—and her family, who are together for the last time on their houseboat in the Florida Everglades.

Lindsay Cummings is the 20-year-old author of THE MURDER COMPLEX, as well as its sequel, coming 2014 from Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins, and the MG trilogy THE BALANCE KEEPERS, coming Fall 2014 from Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins.

Lindsay deals with chronic fatigue, can’t get enough of her two pesky German Shepherds, wolf cub, and two horses. She's still waiting on her letter from Hogwarts--it was probably just lost in the mail. You can follow Lindsay on twitter @lindsaycwrites.

This is the hardest question ever! I have so many favorites. Obviously, I love THG and Harry Potter, Divergent, Legend by Marie Lu…but I am also a sucker for The Great Gatsby, Catcher in the Rye, anything by Ray Bradbury, Gary Paulsen…too many!!

It’s a tossup between The Walking Dead (Daryl is my man) and Firefly

Probably all 8 Harry Potter movies! And Remember the Titans makes me cry every time, even though I hate football.

Freebird! Or Babe I’m Gonna Leave You by LedZep.

I really love Cici’s Alfredo Pizza. YUM

Peeta. So much love for Peeta. 

“I love you. Remember. They cannot take it.” – Delirium by Lauren Oliver.

ALL THE BOOKS.

I actually already got to meet him!!! It was Gary Paulsen, whose book HATCHET really got me started on my love for survival stories. I fangirled so hard when I met him, and I said “Gary I wrote a book and it’s getting published” and his response was a cuss word and a smile. Amazing.

Never be afraid to be who you are! Also, always fangirl in public. Always.

Hi Lindsay! We are really happy to host you in our FFBC. We are super excited to have the Murder Complex and the Prequel Fear Trials as part of our FFBC. 

Thanks for having me!

The Murder Complex is set in the futuristic Florida Everglades, and is told in spit points of view between Meadow and Zephyr, two teens who are struggling to survive in a world where every night at dark, hundreds of murders happen. 

I carried a knife with me while writing it. And now I always do!

Fierce, loyal, terrifying, deadly…teenager.

All the fight scenes! I fly through those because in my head, I see them as shots on a big screen. I just love picturing it, and it always gets me so excited!

Meadow would be Saoirse Ronan, Emily Kinney (Beth from The Walking Dead), or Teresa Palmer. Zephyr would be Max Irons!

FULLY ALIVE by Flyleaf! It’s perfect!

Follow the FFBC The Murder Complex + Fear Trials blog tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Win (1) of (3) signed hardback of The Murder Complex + swag pack (US Only)

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Tour organized by The Fantastic Flying Book Club (FFBC):