The Cyborg's Crusade: Day of the Deux Machina ;Science Fiction by Benoit Lanteigne Book Tour with Guest Post and giveaway

 The Cyborg's Crusade - Day of the Deus Ex Machina

by Benoit Lanteigne

 

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GENRE: Science Fiction

 

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BLURB:

 

How did it come to this? My life used to be so simple. Back then, I hated it; I found it boring. Let me tell you: boring’s good. Boring’s great! I should’ve been thankful…

 

It was supposed to be a date like any other for James Hunter, a simple convenience store clerk. Nothing more than watching a movie in the town of Moncton. A place as unknown and unimportant as he considered his own existence to be. And yet, while walking to a cinema, James teleports to another world. There, a hostile crowd surrounds him, including various mutants with strange deformities.

 

Before he can even gather his wits or make a dash for it, a lone ally presents herself in the form of a winged woman named Rose. An important cultural figure in the country where James appeared, she offers him both protection and a home.

 

Soon, James learns that this new world is divided by a cold war. On one side is Nirnivia, home to Rose. The other, Ostark, led by a mysterious cyborg. James is unaware that the cyborg has him in his crosshairs, thinking of him as the Deus Ex Machina that will end the war in his favor.

 

But, the cyborg is far from the only potential threat to James. Soon after his arrival, BRR, a terrorist organisation, kidnaps him.

 

What would a rogue group out for revenge seeking to turn the cold war hot want with someone like James? Is there anyone also aware of this other world who will try to find him? Or is he on his own? If so, how is he supposed to escape? If that's even an option...

 

 

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EXCERPT 

Though initially shocked by the vehicle storming at them, the crowd soon recuperated. They glanced at each other and brandished their fists at the offenders. A few gave chase, but on foot they stood little chance of overtaking the pair. One of the chasers yelled, “Hey, it’s that Wrathchild traitor bitch helping the human asshole.”

 

Not concentrating on the road, Wrathchild offered her companion a side glance. “Don’t listen. Had veterinarians do test.” She smirked. “Ain’t no female dog.”

 

Despite their superior speed, she opted for caution and swerved into a small street. James exhaled as he hoped the retreat cut the hunt short. Then a soaring bottle grazed his ear. It shattered on the asphalt with a chink. A rock followed, and next a banana-shaped fruit of all things. The projectiles missed their mark, yet James’s muscles tensed up. He mumbled to himself in an attempt to calm his nerves. His worries proved futile. They outpaced the flock, who vanished in the distance in a second. Before he could relax, a rumbling sound arose from behind.

 

James gulped. He deduced the implications. Terrified, his brain ordered him not to look, but the temptation ended up too strong. Out of breath, he took a glimpse. A bare-chested thug covered in tattoos had mounted his own bike and raced after them. A lone hand steered; the other wielded a club. The message seemed obvious: he’d prefer to risk an accident than not to pummel them.

 

 Guest Post

 My book series, The Cyborg’s Crusade, happens in a different world with its species, races, religions, cultures, and so on. This means that there is a lot of information that needs to be conveyed to the reader. As a result, when writing The Cyborg’s Crusade, I was at risk of falling into the trap of the dreaded info dumps. You know, those long paragraphs where nothing happens but revealing complex background details that are needed for your plot, but dry and boring. Those can get readers out of your story in a snap and it’s just poor craftsmanship. That is why I did my best to avoid them. Did I succeed? Well, I’d like to think so, but I don’t think it’s for me to judge the results. Anyway, because info dumping is a common problem, especially for newer writers, I decided to share some ways I used to avoid it in The Cyborg’s Crusade.

First, let’s start with something simple and obvious. If you can’t eliminate an info dump, at the very least break it apart. While not great, a bunch of spaced-out small info dumps is better than a single enormous one. This is because the reader is more likely to get through a small passage than a large one. It also impacts pacing less, reduces the risk of boredom, and so on. Don’t teach everything about your world to the reader right away. Instead, teach the bare minimum needed for the current moment and move on with the interesting stuff. The rest of it can wait until it’s required.

Now for something more effective: avoiding info dumps. Readers will need to learn about your world, especially if it’s a made-up one rather than Earth. Many people don’t enjoy learning, though. Besides, we learn best when we don’t realize we are learning. For instance, by playing, children learn a lot about their environment and their own body, but they don’t realize it. That’s why it’s so effective. Put them in a classroom and make the learning obvious; however, many of them will check out.

So, the question remains: How do we hide the learning? Well, avoiding info dumps is an excellent step in the right direction. How? I find it helpful if you weave the information you try to convey into your storyline and character motivation. This way, the subject comes up organically and feels like story progression and character development instead of just a bunch of dry text.

For instance, in The Cyborg’s Crusade, the world is ridden with mutations and not the fun superpower kind. Well, mostly… Mutants face constant discrimination and some organizations fight for their rights. A small part of the story deals with an old rich man who used to fight against mutant rights out of fear. Now on his deathbed, this old man wants to donate his fortune to the Kenneth Foundation, the top mutant rights organization. Those in charge, however, are reluctant to accept because of his past behavior.

Taken as is, the previous paragraph is an info dump and it’s dull. In the actual story, however, information isn’t delivered this way. Instead, the characters debate the issue, talk about the discrimination they faced, and take a stance. This, in exchange, pushes the subplot toward its conclusion: will the foundation accept the money or not? In addition, we learn a lot not only about the mutant situation but also about who the characters are. Their values, their personality, and their experiences. We see them interact with each other, get angry; sad, and so on. I’m not saying it’s perfect, but I’m quite certain the overall effect is much better than if I had just written a good old info dump telling everything.

Another thing I do is to have some details about the world being reflected in conversations. Now, this is important: I’m not having the characters explaining everything in contrived dialogue. That’s worse than a normal info dump. No, instead, they mention things about the world where it’s relevant in normal ways. The reader won’t necessarily understand everything, but they get an idea that will be further developed later on. It also contributes to the overall mystery. An example of this is two soldiers who interrogated a terrorist. Once their work is done, they discuss their day while drinking a beer to unwind. Out of this, the reader catches glimpses of what the terrorist organization called BBR is about, but the characters never go on and say something like: “You know how BBR was formed by… because of… and now the…” Instead, they have a normal conversation. The result is that the reader won’t know that much about BBR by the end, but they still have a better idea. Beyond that, the plot progresses, the characters are developed, we get a feel for their personality, and so on.

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

So, my name is Benoit Lanteigne and I’m a French Canadian (outside of Quebec) who’s trying to write in English. That can be tricky. I’m a computer programmer and I enjoy it. I see many inspiring writers who hate their jobs and hope to quit someday, but that’s not my case. Mostly, I’ve worked on websites and web applications.

 

Back in school, I enjoyed writing and according to my teachers and classmates; I had a talent for it. Well, not so much for grammar and spelling, but they liked my stories. Once I went to university, I dropped writing as a hobby. There were other things I wanted to focus on, such as my career. Then, in the early 2000s, around 2006 I’d say, I had a flash of inspiration. At first, it was a single character: a winged woman with red hair. I didn’t even know who she was, but the image stuck with me. From there, I began figuring out details about her origins and her world, but I only started writing for real in 2009.

 

It’s been roughly 10 years now, and it’s not yet finished. That’s in part because I write in my spare time, and in part because the scope of the project is huge. Maybe too much so. Still, I’m getting close to the point where I could release something. The question is what’s next? Self-publishing? Attempt traditional publishing? Nothing? I don’t know the answer yet, I’m trying to figure it out. Frankly, sharing my writing is difficult for me, and whatever I end up doing, as long as I make it available to people I consider the experience a victory no matter what comes out of it.

 

Website: https://thecyborgscrusade.com/

 

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The book will be $0.99 during the tour.

 

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Cyborgs-Crusade-Day-Deux-Machina-ebook/dp/B0CBZZRDZ4/ref=sr_1_1

 

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 One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

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