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Tiffany Truitt | Why Dystopian? Why Now?
Author Guest / June 8, 2012

Yep. I’m an author. Yep. I have a novel coming out on June 12th. Yep. It’s a dystopian. Yep. Yet, another dystopian novel. Groan? Much like the plethora of vampire novels that appeared on the shelves after the wildly successful Twilight series, the publishing world is pushing out dystopian novel after dystopian novel Why are dystopian novels so popular right now? It would be easy to point to The Hunger Games as the reason behind such a flooded market, but I believe there is more to it than this. If one looks at the cycles of popular literature throughout history, certain patterns emerge. For example, the study of the history of the novel itself is rich in its statements on class strife and gender roles. It is no secret that our country is struggling. And during times of unrest, it is natural for citizens to question their government: how much power should government have? How has my government failed me? How can my government help me? How can I help my government? These aren’t new questions, but they are the ones haunting us now. And like all good art, literature reflects life…whether it’s a conscious choice of the author or…

Shawn Dalton-Smith | To Forgive or Not? ~ Comment to win LIFE AFTER
Author Guest / June 8, 2012

Imagine you have everything you ever wanted. In twenty-four hours, the man of your dreams will make you his wife. Life is good. Then, in an instant, it’s all gone. You’re mowed down and your life is cut short thanks to a drunk driver. And your best friend was the one behind the wheel. Could you forgive her? What if after you died, your friend married the man you thought you would spend the rest of your life with? Could you forgive either of them? LIFE AFTER is the story of Kalyste Spradlin and Jude Whitten. Kalyste had it all. By the time she was thirty, her women’s magazine was about to go international. She had money, beauty, youth, happiness, and about to marry the love of her life, Ryan Sloan. The night before her wedding, she is killed by a drunk driver, her best friend Chantal. When she wakes up in Haven, (not heaven) and told what happened, she is hell-bent on revenge. Especially when she goes back to the human realm to check on Ryan and watches him marry the woman responsible for her death Jude has been a counselor in Haven for the past thirty-two years when…