Do you enjoy science-fiction? I have a fabulous indie author to introduce to you today. Her name is Zen DiPietro and she is a force to be reckoned with. She churns out one exciting book after the next and has already completed several series. Her latest is Chains of Command, which follows the lives of our heroes in the Dragonfire Station series when they were younger.
My Review:
I had a lot of fun reading New Blood (Book 1) and I can't wait for Blood and Bone (Book 2)! Most of Zen's books are young adult appropriate with older characters (as they are fairly clean), but this new series has young adults in them and certainly the first book has a young adult voice.
We meet Emiko (Fallon) at age 16 in Book 1 and as she gets older in the book, the voice also matures. It's a coming-of-age story and best suited for older teenagers and new adults. There's lots of action with interesting characters and unique adventures. The ending is satisfying (no cliffhangers!), but I can't wait for more!
We meet Emiko (Fallon) at age 16 in Book 1 and as she gets older in the book, the voice also matures. It's a coming-of-age story and best suited for older teenagers and new adults. There's lots of action with interesting characters and unique adventures. The ending is satisfying (no cliffhangers!), but I can't wait for more!
Purchase on Amazon:
My Review:
Blood and Bone is the second book in the fun and exciting Chains of Command series. Find out how Fallon digs deep to lead Avian Unit well. Learn more about the individual teammates and how they learn to work together as a team. And, come for the ride as they face their greatest challenge yet!
Zen writes great science-fiction and this series is suitable for young adults.
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Author Interview:
Zen DiPietro
1. What does a typical day in your home look like?
I wake up at way too early o’clock, stagger through the getting-ready routine, and go downstairs to pack lunches for the kids. They go to school when it’s still dark out, and I’m entirely solar-powered, so this is no easy feat.
After ensuring that lunches have gone into backpacks, teeth have been brushed (this sometimes involves actually touching a toothbrush to see if it’s wet, which is gross for everyone), I bid my sub-units a good day as they embark on a day of learning.
I shove laundry into the washer.
Then I work on downloading the previous day’s data in terms of book sales, website visits, and whatnot. I compile this data, look at it, and then close it out. I check all social media and email, and send replies. I start new ads, if needed, which is more often than not. I schedule doctor’s visits and other appointments.
I find something to eat. This involves the least amount of preparation possible, and often degrades into leftovers, bananas and cheese, or whatever else doesn’t involve cooking.
While eating, I check my calendar to make sure I’m not missing some web event or something. Then, I open up my work in process in MS Word, if it’s not already sitting open on my desktop—which it probably is.
I check out my book outline and my necessary word count for the day to make my next publishing deadline, and start pounding the keys.
When the kids come home from school in the afternoon, we might go to appointments or focus on homework. Then it’s dinner, soccer practice, a few minutes to watch tv with the spousal unit, and then bedtime.
Too few hours later, it begins again.
2. How many hours a day do you write?
It depends. My day splits between marketing/cover design/website maintenance/etc and actual typing words. And when I’m in edits, that cuts down on how many new words get written too. But when I’m full-on writing, I’m at the keyboard tapping for ten hours a day.
3. How do you prefer to write your books - with a pen/pencil, typing, or dictation?
Typing, typing, typing. I tried dictation, but it didn’t work for me. I type very fast, but speaking doesn’t give me time to really consider word choice. My prose suffered with dictation. Since I strive to make my writing smooth and easy, that just didn’t work for me.
I do outline in pen and paper, though. I have a horde of notebooks because I always ask for them when someone asks what they can get me for Christmas. It’s the one thing I’m certain I will -always- make use of.
4. What other authors are you friends with, and how have they inspired you?
I’m acquainted with the majority of writers who write in my genre. Some I know quite well, others are limited to social media interaction. I love seeing what they’re up to, and what they’re working on. Even though it’s often entirely different from what I’m doing, seeing that drive to create reminds me that I’m not alone. Writing is a very solitary thing, and my world can seem very small sometimes.
5. What would you like readers to know about your latest book or book project?
That each series stands alone, and so does each book. As a reader, I hate cliffhangers, so I don’t write them. My Dragonfire Station series is interwoven, but each individual series can be read alone, or at any point in relation to the others. It’s all about layers and connections between people, and all the amazing opportunities that sci-fi creates.
6. If you didn’t write full-time, what would you do for work, or if you write part-time, what other job/jobs do you have?
I used to do medical research (human subjects protocols—I could never do animal research). I had to stop to care for my oldest, who has special needs. It worked out, though. I never would have slowed down enough to write books otherwise. And the sub-unit is doing amazingly well.
7. Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
Absolutely! Sometimes it’s a favorite paraphrased quote or line from a beloved show. Sometimes it’s something that refers to my real life. In my upcoming Dodging Fate series, I wrote out something that happened to my husband, word for word, the way he related it to me. Some guy almost ran over another guy with his car, then got out and nearly assaulted the guy he almost ran over. It was entirely bizarre, proving that sometimes real life is stranger than fiction. So of course I had to write it into that series, which is entirely humor/satire. (Think Galaxy Quest or Spaceballs.)
More Reviews of Zen's Books:
2 FREE Science-Fiction Short Stories
Hello Protocol for Dead Girls
Heart-Shaped Chest
Trailblazer (Everternia Saga)
Hired Gun - A Bounty Hunter Space Opera
Please Note: Any prices listed were correct at the time of posting.
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Book Blast and $25 Giveaway
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