Escape From the Past: The Kid (Book 2) by Annette Oppenlander

Escape from the Past: The Kid

by Annette Oppenlander

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE:   YA historical/sci-fi

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

 Time-traveling gamer, Max, embarks on a harrowing journey through the Wild West of 1881! After a huge fight with his parents, Max tries to return to his love and his best friend, Bero, in medieval Germany. Instead he lands in 1881 New Mexico. Struggling to get his bearings and coming to terms with Dr. Stuler’s evil computer game misleading him, he runs into Billy the Kid. To his amazement Billy isn’t at all the ruthless killer history made him out to be. Trouble brews when a dying Warm Springs Apache gives Max a huge gold nugget to help his sister, Ela, escape from Fort Sumner. Shopping for supplies Max attracts the attention of ruthless bandits. Before Max can ask the Kid’s help, he and Ela are forced to embark on a journey to find his imaginary goldmine. This is book 2 in the Escape from the Past trilogy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt:

 From my higher vantage point I noticed a dust cloud growing rapidly larger. And from it grew an apparition of terror as I’d never seen.

Two dozen Indians galloped toward us, fanned out like the tip of an arrow. They rode bareback, their faces painted black, red and white, their long oiled hair flowing behind them. They wore leather pants with loin clothes and nothing but beads and feathers around their necks.

“Indians,” I mumbled. I hadn’t even realized I said something except that Wade whipped around and followed my gaze.

“Injuns, Boss,” he shouted. “Looks like Comanches.” He ripped his gun from the saddle holster, the other men following suit.

The next moments were a blur. I felt myself slide off the donkey and race to the wagons for cover. The settlers were scrambling underneath, getting in position. The girl raced to grab the two little kids and shove them under the wagon.

I watched in fascination. As if time had slowed to a crawl, the Indians, shrouded in a dust cloud, drew near. Their faces looked hideous with the war paint, but their cries were what made me tremble with terror. It sounded like something out of this world, eerie whoops that curdled my blood.

I had no weapons. Even if I’d had any, my body was stiff with panic.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Interview with the Author:

1. How long have you been writing?

Becoming a writer/author was a process that took several years. In the beginning–the late 90s–I wrote children’s stories for early readers. I didn’t know anything about writing for children, the market nor the submission process, so this went nowhere. In 2002 I interviewed my parents about their lives during WWII in Germany which led to a number of short stories. I didn’t really imagine writing a novel, let alone several, I merely wanted to preserve the memories for my family.

 

But I became aware how much I enjoy the writing process. How I felt while I did it. I worked for a PR agency and did lots of business related writing. I’d go home at night and write some more, spent my weekends writing fiction. I grew more and more invested, took classes, read books on craft, attended conferences and joined a critique group. In 2009 I attended a short story class at Indiana University and that’s when the light bulb turned on fully. I’ve known ever since that writing is my passion and I must do it even if publication is light years away.

2. How long have you been a published author?

In my previous life at a PR firm I had non-fiction pieces published. I’ve been a published author of fiction since April 2015.

3. What titles do you have available?

1. “A Different Truth” – YA mystery: Tells the story of a sixteen-year old kid who’s banished to a military boarding school where he has to solve the hazing crime of his best friend.
2. “Escape from the Past: The Duke’s Wrath” – Action/Adventure: About nerdy gamer, Max, who tries out an experimental computer game and time-travels to medieval Germany where he must survive a hornet’s nest of feuding lords and find a way home.
3. “Escape from the Past: The Kid” (book two) – Action/Adventure: Takes Max mistakenly to the Wild West of 1881 New Mexico where he’s kidnapped by bandits and rescued by a beautiful American Indian girl.4. What made you choose the subject of this book?

Growing up in Germany, I’ve always been fascinated with the Wild West. I remember watching westerns with my father and reading books about pioneers, American Indians and the gold rush. After I moved to the U.S. I continued reading historical fiction set in the eighteen and nineteen hundreds.

I chose Billy the Kid because I see him as a tragic character who encountered a string of bad luck and was basically set up to fail. He isn’t much older than Max and it’s easy to see how any young man could’ve had Billy’s fate. The second important character is Chief Nana, A Warm Springs Apache warrior, who in the summer of 1881 rode a 3,000 mile vengeance war against the U.S. Army. He was never caught nor were his fifteen or so warriors. The amazing thing about him was his age. He was around eighty years old then and had a bad leg.

5. Do you have any new titles coming soon?

“The Kid” is released this month. The last book in the trilogy, “At Witches’ End” will be out this fall. In it Max returns to medieval Germany to take care of unfinished business and gets into a whole new world of trouble.

6. What is your favorite genre and why?

I love historical fiction because it takes me to real places and events that actually happened. If the story is based on real characters even better. I find historically based stories enriching, maybe because I look at the small details of how people lived. What did they wear, what did they eat? How did they look at the world? And how are all those things different from the way we live today. Fascinating!

7. What, to you, is the most exciting part of the writing process?

The final editing has to be the best part. At that stage, the story is in place and you sort of put on the finishing touches. It’s like decorating a cake with colorful icing after you’ve slaved for hours making the dough, baking and shaping the cake. Final editing is the fun part.

8. If you could co-author a book with anyone, who would you choose and why?

That’s really a tough question because I have no idea about the writing process of other authors. That aside I wouldn’t mind writing a book with Stephen King, J.K. Rowling or J.R.R. Tolkien (unfortunately he’s passed on). For one I’m a huge fan of their work, in the case of Stephen King I like his non-fiction. It’d be fun to see how they develop a story, how they make notes, develop plot, do editing, etc. I think it’d be fun and could be quite synergistic. On the other hand it could be a disaster if you don’t agree on the direction of the story or character arcs and if you have different writing styles. I guess that’s why most authors work alone.

Here is the intro to “The Kid.”

Time-traveling gamer, Max, embarks on a harrowing journey through the Wild West of 1881! After a huge fight with his parents, Max tries to return to his love and his best friend, Bero, in medieval Germany. Instead he lands in 1881 New Mexico. Struggling to get his bearings and coming to terms with Dr. Stuler’s evil computer game misleading him, he runs into Billy the Kid. To his amazement Billy isn’t at all the ruthless killer history made him out to be. Trouble brews when a dying Warm Springs Apache gives Max a huge gold nugget to help his sister, Ela, escape from Fort Sumner. Shopping for supplies Max attracts the attention of ruthless bandits. Before Max can ask the Kid’s help, he and Ela are forced to embark on a journey to find his imaginary goldmine. This is book 2 in the Escape from the Past trilogy.
Thanks so much for being my guest.

 

Thank you very much for having me!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Annette Oppenlander writes historical fiction for young adults. When she isn’t in front of her computer, she loves indulging her dog, Mocha, and traveling around the U.S. and Europe to discover amazing histories.

“Nearly every place holds some kind of secret, something that makes history come alive. When we scrutinize people and places closely, history is no longer a number, it turns into a story.”

Social Media Links

Website: http://www.annetteoppenlander.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annetteoppenlanderauthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27180530-escape-from-the-past

Twitter: @aoppenlander

Buy Links

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Escape-Past-Kid-book-2/dp/178535213X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1447856090&sr=8-2&keywords=escape+from+the+past+the+kid

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/escape-from-the-past-annette-oppenlander/1122768791?ean=9781785352133

IndieBound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781785352133

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Annette Oppenlander will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: 

 http://www.goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2016/01/vbt-escape-from-past-kid-by-annette.html