Dispocalypse by Michael Rothman #BookBlitz & #Giveaway

Dispocalypse by Michael Rothman

Publisher: M & S Publishing, L.L.C. (June 1, 2016)
Category: Science Fiction, Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Epic Fantasy, Young Adult
Tour Date: Oct and Nov, 2016
ISBN: 978-0989089494
ASIN: B01GIIEDXW
Available in: Print & ebook, 406 Pages

In a post-apocalyptic world ruled by a Governor who is both feared and worshipped, Willow is a seventeen-year-old girl who is just trying to get through her last year of studies. But when her father dies, she experiences strange dreams that change everything about how she looks at the world and at herself.

Haunted by the tragedy, Willow begins pushing herself beyond anything she could have imagined she was capable of. It’s only when she catches the attention of some of the Governor’s minions that her world is turned upside-down.

Excerpt:

“Who would have believed the world could have gone to the crapper in just a couple days. The governor has declared a state of emergency, and after one o’clock today, nobody’s allowed on the streets. Mom and Dad took our cousins, the farmworkers, and their families, to Atchison. If the worst happens, they’ll be safe in the underground mines over there.

John and I couldn’t let you stay here by yourself….”As he squeezed her palm, Willow felt a pang of sadness over the fact that she couldn’t feel him holding her hand. Willow knew that she should be freaking out, but she wasn’t the same anymore. She couldn’t feel her body. She wasn’t exactly sure if she was even alive.

Sure, her body was there. The respirator kept it breathing. But it didn’t really belong to her anymore. Was she a ghost?

Suddenly, that tingling grew stronger, and her attention strayed from her brothers. Shimmering against one of the walls was a glowing pinprick of light she’d not noticed before. It began to swell and stretch, forming what looked like a large round disc of white light. A low hum came from the shimmering portal, sounding almost like static from a bad phone connection.

Willow glanced at her brothers, and even though John faced the light, his eyes didn’t for a moment look toward it.

The mild tingles she’d felt were becoming more distracting. It was almost as if thousands of tiny needles were pricking her all over her body. And then it dawned on her.

Was this the same light she’d read about in magazine articles? The one that people talked about when they were near death.

Am I dying? Am I dead?

She tore her attention from the humming portal and glided over to the monitors, which indicated that her heart was still beating. She was still breathing. John bowed his forehead against her arm and quietly mumbled a prayer.

She couldn’t be dead and hear him. Could she?

“The fever is starting to subside….”

The voice sounded like John’s, but it didn’t come from him. Willow scanned the room, looking for the source of the sound.

Was she going crazy?

And then she heard Brad and John’s disembodied voices pleading, “Willow, come back to us….”

She stared at her brothers and they both had their heads bowed, holding her hands. They couldn’t be the source of the voices she’d just heard.

Coming from the glowing doorway she heard her brothers’ voices plead for attention as, somewhere in the distance, Willow heard a wailing siren.

The siren’s pitch and volume rose as Brad and John’s heads popped up and looked out the window with frightened expressions.

John muttered, “It’s begun.”

“Willow, we need you with us. Come back to us….”

She turned toward the shimmering portal broadcasting the voices of her brothers with a puzzled expression. She glanced to her right at her brothers and back to her left where she’d just heard them pleading for her.

She willed herself closer to the shimmering light, and it was as if Brad and John were speaking from just on the other side of it.

Someone outside her hospital room yelled, and the panic in his voice caught Willow’s attention. “They’ve launched missiles! Everyone get to the basement!”

Brad and John huddled over her unmoving body. Brad whispered, “Baby sister, we were with you when you came into this world. We’re not ever leaving you.”

Yet, not a foot away, she heard Brad and John’s disembodied voices crying for her attention. She stared at the shimmering doorway and worried about what might happen if she stepped into the light.

As the screams in the hallways continued and the chaos of the world rattled around her, Willow began wondering what she was afraid of.

Suddenly, the world paused.

A blinding light appeared through the outside window and filled the hospital room. The screams and chaos in the hallway were silenced for the briefest of moments as the world turned white.

Willow looked through the hospital window as the blinding light from the first bomb shimmered.

As the light began to fade and the details of the world came into focus once again, a tiny orange ball of flame rose into the sky near the horizon.

Brad and John both leaned over her body and braced themselves while their disembodied voices called for Willow through the glowing portal.

She turned toward the shimmering white doorway and took her first step toward whatever awaited her on the other side.

Praise for Dispocalypse by Michael Rothman

“Michael Rothman is a writer with interests in many areas: from fantasy adventures to nail-biting science fiction thrillers. As a result, his stories are like a roller coaster that carry you away into imaginative worlds where surprises abound, and the only thing that you can expect, is the unexpected. So sit back and enjoy the ride!”-David Farland, New York Times Bestselling Author

“The duality of worlds was very interesting and it hooked me completely especially with the way Willow was made out in those scenes. The presence of a world we are familiar with and then another which had totally different geography and races drew me in slowly but steadily.
The world building was unique and it was a blend of dystopia and fantasy. I believe that was my favourite part of the book. It’s not usual that fantasy elements are introduced into a dystopian/apocalyptic tale. And it has more of a feel of the events happening after apocalypse so it was appropriately named too.

Overall, the read was a great enjoyable one with ample fighting and adventures. I can recommend this to fantasy and dystopian lovers equally.”- Floryie, Travelogue Of a Book Addict

“I like how this book kept me guessing. It certainly didn’t expect the book to go to the places that it did. You think that one thing will happen, but the story surprises you and goes a totally different direction. The lack of predictability was quite refreshing.
The pacing in this was great! I was surprised how fast I was able to read this once I got started. Nothing seemed to drag. The flow was just perfect. I highly recommend this book! It is one of the most unique stories that I have had the pleasure of reading. The meshing of genres really makes this one stand out.”- Vanessa [Queen Alchemy ], The Alchemy of Ink

I loved reading it, and can truly say it’s unique! I love how it’s written, and the wording/tone really drew me in. The prologue is somewhat confusing, and it took me a chapter or so to really understand what was happening, but it was a quick read, and easy to follow after that. I also enjoyed the illustrations, an added bonus in any story!

“I loved the characters, and felt the plot was unique, and well thought out. I enjoyed the quick pace, and read a large portion of the book in one sitting!
For this time this is a stand along, still I still have some questions, but I would love another book to answer them! XD (OK so I really just want to visit Willow’s world again!)”-Stephanie, Adventures Thru Wonderland

“Dispocalypse is a Shannara-esque post-apocalyptic return of magic tale, rich with prophecy, redolent with the stink of evil, and vibrant with the undaunted clamors of a young woman who will not allow her will to be constrained. It walks a delightful line between science fiction and fantasy and delivers a tale sure to please readers looking for unusual adventure fiction.”- Big Dave, Amazon Reviewer

About Michael Rothman

Michael Rothman is an Army brat, a polyglot, and the first person in his family born in the United States. Given his first-born American status, hegrew up with English as his third language. As a child, he always had an active imagination and would continuously drive his family crazy with a myriad of “what if” questions.

After a while, they shoved him at the local public library and that’s when he was finally introduced to the world of books, and more specifically, science fiction and fantasy novels.

His earliest influences were J.R.R. Tolkien’s classics as well as those of Isaac Asimov. Titles such as these tickled his imagination both as a child and into adulthood.

Website: http://www.michaelarothman.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelARothman
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichaelARothman