Lifeliners by Stefan Vucak Book Tour and Giveaway :)
Lifeliners
by
Stefan Vucak
Genre:
Science Fiction
When
everybody is against them, it is tough being a lifeliner, as Nash
Bannon found out. Lifeliners are ordinary people…almost. They can
draw energy from another person; they live longer and are smarter.
Scientists claim that Western high-pressure living and growing
sterility in developed countries has triggered the rise of
lifeliners, and homo sapiens will replaced by homo renata within ten
generations. So, what’s not to like about lifeliners? Protest
marches by extremist groups, riots, attacks against lifeliners,
repressive laws enacted by governments everywhere, were portents of a
dark future. Young, successful, Nash Bannon did not like what was
going on, but he thought he had the world at his feet and life in
Australia was good, provided no one found out he was a lifeliner. A
chance encounter with Cariana during a lunchbreak develops into
something he considered important. The Australian government calls a
snap election, and Nash stands as a Senate candidate on the Lifeliner
Party ticket. Unless lifeliners rise up and fight for their rights,
they can expect sterilization, incarceration, and possible
extermination as democracies everywhere turn into autocracies. To
survive, the Lifeliner Party must employ the same dirty tricks the
government used against them, but they were not prepared for what
awaited them.
Review
Stefan
Vučak presents a fascinating look at racism, discrimination and fear
of ‘normals’ in a fresh way, which could not have arrived on the
market at a better time than now. Part science fiction, part
political drama, and part cultural observation, Vučak has
conceptualized some truly human attitudes and ideas, and created a
fascinating narrative that pops like a pressure valve as it unfurls.
Lifeliners
is an apt and excellent work, which I would highly recommend to
readers of all types.
Readers’
Favorite
Wow,
the details in this book are simply superb! Literally from page one
of the story you are drawn in by the excellent attention to detail. I
would recommend this book; it was a page turner from start to finish.
There are not many books that I can see myself reading multiple
times, but Lifeliners
is definitely one of them.
Literary
Titan
Books by Stefan Vu
ak
General
Fiction:
Cry
of Eagles
All
the Evils
Towers
of Darkness
Strike
for Honor
Proportional
Response
Legitimate
Power
Science
Fiction:
Fulfillment
Lifeliners
Shadow
Gods Saga:
In
the Shadow of Death
Against
the Gods of Shadow
A
Whisper from Shadow
Shadow
Masters
Immortal
in Shadow
With
Shadow and Thunder
Through
the Valley of Shadow
Guardians
of Shadow
Non-Fiction:
Writing
Tips for Authors
Contact
at:
LIFELINERS
By
Stefan Vučak
ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this book may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
Note:
This is a work of fiction.
All names, characters, places, and events are the work of the
author’s imagination. Any resemblance to real persons, places, or
events is coincidental.
Stefan Vučak ©2018
ISBN-10: 0-9942923-4-1
ISBN-13: 978-0-9942923-4-6
Dedication
To
Gloria … with a life full of promise
Acknowledgments
The
term ‘dobers’ used in memory of John Brunner, 1934-1995, in The
Shockwave Rider.
Additional
proofreading by Charlotte Raby.
https://charlotteraby.wordpress.com/
Cover
art by Laura Shinn.
Melbourne Center
He
spotted her sitting alone at a small square table in the open part of
La Asiago along the promenade and the world faded around him. Dressed
in cream slacks and gray business jacket, flaxen hair spilling across
her left shoulder, time stopped and he stared at this captivating
woman alone in her shell, surrounded by chattering people, yet
unreachable. He traced the lines of her delicate face, the fall of
her hair, and a small frown creasing her forehead that made her
perfect. You
don’t want to become involved again, old son! Probably
not, but he could not see any harm in an interesting lunchtime
diversion compared to the alternative of a lonely bench beside the
river, warm sunshine notwithstanding. It might do him good to seek
out some distracting company and wash out the unpleasant taste of his
IBM meeting. With
the exterior section of the restaurant packed and no empty seats, he
took a deep breath and weaved between the tables toward her. If she
didn’t like his approach, she could always tell him to buzz off. It
had happened before. Some women just didn’t want to be bothered.
Peace. “I
don’t mean to intrude, but you seem to have the only spare seat.
May I?” She
glanced around, gave him an appraising look with eyes that cut and
probed, and finally nodded. “There
are tables inside,” she said softly, her clear voice sending an
unexpected tingle down his spine. What the hell was going on? He
reminded himself that this was just lunch—diverting as it might
be—not a romantic encounter. “Yes,
but it’s not the same thing, and it’s too cold and crowded in
there,” he declared as he pulled back a chair. Her
eyebrows rose. “You prefer your own company?” “Depends
on the company,” he said and eased himself down. “I never take
chances I don’t have to.” “You’re
taking a chance now, aren’t you?” “Sometimes
you have to.” He glanced at two David Jones store shopping bags
beside her, and she smiled. “I
took advantage of a nice day to pick up a few things before returning
to The Alfred,” she explained. “You’re
a doctor?” The
babble of voices around them created a shield of intimacy and a sense
that time had stopped. Even the crowd strolling along the promenade
faded from his view. “Geneticist.” “Fascinating
line of work,” he said, genuinely interested. When
the waiter arrived, he ordered spiced ravioli and gnocchi and half a
bottle of red Chianti. Shortly afterward, her spaghetti marinara
arrived. Looking at her speculatively, he lifted the bottle. She
frowned and brushed back a stray lock of golden hair. “Is
this your standard gambit when picking up women?” She
had slim, delicate fingers with a subdued red nail polish that
complemented without being gaudy. He imagined fondling those hands,
running his fingers over her smooth skin. Could he be getting
infatuated with a woman he just met? No, this was merely an
interesting meeting with someone attractive and sophisticated. Still,
she had a magnetism he could feel and his soul reached out to her,
warning bells clanging in his head. He clamped a lid on them,
prepared to enjoy this moment. “I
don’t do casual pickups.” She
inclined her head in disbelief. “And I am…” “A
fortuitous and pleasant accident. No spare tables, remember? Besides,
you looked so lonely…” She
lifted a finger. “Don’t push it.” He
grinned at her. “A peace offering, then. A glass of wine?” “I
shouldn’t—” “It’s
a very light Italian red. Won’t do anything to spoil your day.” She
bit her lower lip, then slid her glass toward him. “Only a little.” “Great.” He
poured both of them half a glass. She lowered her fork and took a
cautious sip. Her eyebrows arched and she nodded. “Interesting
flavor.” “Glad
you like it. By the way, I’m Nash Bannon.” “Cariana
Lambert, and I still think this is a pickup routine.” Nash
winced. “Now I’m hurt. I really—” Just
then, the waiter brought a bowl of steaming ravioli and gnocchi,
cutting off whatever he was about to say. Nash thanked him, picked up
his fork, stabbed one of the gnocchi and popped it into his mouth. It
was nice and chewy the way he liked it and he relished the tangy
mushroom sauce. Cariana
watched him with an amused expression. “That won’t do much for
your waistline,” she remarked dryly. “It’s
my carbs day,” he explained between bites. “I usually have a
mixed salad and fruit juice, but that is not always enough to keep me
fueled and beat off the sharks at work.” She
glanced at her bowl. “I know what you mean. Seeing you relishing
your gnocchi eases my own guilt for being weak.” She dabbed her
lips with a napkin and took another sip of wine. “And what fills
your days, Mr. Bannon?” “Nash.
I do systems integration for IBM.” “Weren’t
they taken over by Facebook?” “They
certainly were. IBM culture was getting stale and needed an infusion
of new methodology and ideas. I have doubts that it worked, but they
run some cutting edge projects.” “And
what are you working on right now?” “I’m
currently managing a major Telstra network program where everybody is
giving me a hard time.” “Poor
you.” “Your
sympathy is appreciated.” She
turned serious. “I did not mean to tease you, and I do understand,
finding myself in a similar position. Doing research would be fun if
it weren’t for the oversight protocols, although necessary.” She
finished the last of her marinara and gathered her bags. “Thank you
for the wine…Nash.” Dismayed
to see her about to leave, his mind raced. He could not let it end
like this. “I enjoyed meeting you and I would enjoy it even more if
we could do this again, taking more time.” Now
what the hell made him say that! This was supposed to be a simple
lunch without sticky romantic overtones. She
stood and laughed. “Are you always this forthright?” “I
don’t go out much, and meeting someone like you is rare,” he said
quickly and rose, figuring his pickup line could use some updating.
“What do you say?”
About the Author
Stefan
Vučak has written eight Shadow Gods Saga sci-fi novels and six
contemporary political drama books. He started writing science
fiction while still in college, but did not get published until 2001.
His Cry
of Eagles
won the Readers’ Favorite silver medal award, and his All
the Evils
was the prestigious Eric Hoffer contest finalist and Readers’
Favorite silver medal winner. Strike
for Honor won
the gold medal.
Stefan
leveraged a successful career in the Information Technology industry,
which took him to the Middle East working on cellphone systems. He
applied his IT discipline to create realistic storylines for his
books. Writing has been a road of discovery, helping him broaden his
horizons. He also spends time as an editor and book reviewer. Stefan
lives in Melbourne, Australia.
To
learn more about Stefan, visit his:
Website:
www.stefanvucak.com
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/StefanVucakAuthor
Twitter:
@stefanvucak
Shadow Gods books by
Stefan Vu
ak
In
the Shadow of Death
An
extraterrestrial craft is discovered in an ancient Mayan pyramid and
the knowledge throws Earth into social and political turmoil. As a
new agent in the Diplomatic Branch, First Scout Terrllss-rr is tasked
to destroy the craft before international tension throws Earth into
open conflict.
Against
the Gods of Shadow
Facing
economic sabotage by Palean raiders, Pizgor pleads for help from the
Serrll government. Second Scout Terrllss-rr is tasked to find the
raider base and expose Palean's duplicity. Terr is forced to battle a
Fleet ship that leaves them both badly damaged and leads Terr to
confront forces that threaten to destabilize the Serrll itself.
A
Whisper from Shadow
An
extraterrestrial craft is discovered in an ancient Mayan pyramid and
the knowledge throws Earth into social and political turmoil. As a
new agent in the Diplomatic Branch, First Scout Terrllss-rr is tasked
to destroy the craft before international tension throws Earth into
open conflict.
Shadow
Masters
With
his mission on Earth completed, Fist Scout Terrllss-rr is returning
home, only to be intercepted by an Orieli Technic Union survey ship.
The encounter sends ripples of consternation throughout the Serrll
Combine. In an attempt to establish a link between a raider network
and the AUP Provisional Committee, Terr’s cover is compromised. To
extricate himself, he has to raise the hand of Death.
Immortal
in Shadow
On
his way to a prison planet, Tanard, a renegade Fleet officer, escapes
and vows vengeance. He is recruited by an extremist Palean group to
raid Kaleen worlds. First Scout Terrllss-rr must find the secret base
that is supporting him before the Wanderers rise up and unleash
Death’s wrath on the Serrll.
With
Shadow and Thunder
2002
EPPIE finalist
The
Orieli are caught in an interstellar war and now they are about to
drag the Serrll Combine into it. Betrayed by his Wanderer brother
Dharaklin, First Scout Terrllss-rr crashes to Earth in a sabotaged
ship. He now has a whole world after the secrets he holds.
Through
the Valley of Shadow
Bent
on revenge, Terrllss-rr pursues his Anar’on brother to the fabled
world of the Wanderers—and face judgment by the god of Death. On
their frontier, the Serrll Combine is plunged into a savage encounter
with a Kran invader, showing them a glimpse of a dark future.
Guardians
of Shadow
Having
destroyed a Kran invader, Terr, Teena and his brother Dharaklin, head
for Orieli space where they will begin their cultural exchange
mission. In a devastating Kran attack, Teena is taken and Terr seeks
to rescue her. To win a war that threatens to consume the Orieli and
the Serrll Combine, the fabled Wanderers must march against the Krans
wielding the hand of Death.
Other books by Stefan
Vu
ak
Cry
of Eagles
2011
Readers’ Favorite silver medal winner
Iran’s
nuclear capability represents a clear national threat to Israel, but
the United States and Europe do nothing. A Mossad black ops team
sabotages
a refinery complex in Galveston, plants evidence that incriminates
Iran, confident that an enraged America will strike back in
retaliation. But the Mossad team makes one small mistake, which the
FBI exploits to uncover the plot before America vents its wrath on
Iran and plunges the world into political and economic turmoil. An
award-winning thriller that will leave you at the edge of your seat.
All
the Evils
2013
Eric Hoffer finalist
2013
Readers’ Favorite silver medal winner
A
researcher in the Secret Vatican Archives uncovers a papyrus that
claims Jesus was John the Baptist’s disciple and the second
Messiah. To prevent the tractate from becoming public, the Vatican
secret service engages an assassin to silence anyone who has
knowledge of the papyrus. It is up to an FBI agent to unravel a
series of murders and prevent the assassin from killing him.
Towers
of Darkness
A
Wyoming mineworker discovers a human hand bone embedded in a forty
million year-old coal seam. An anthropologist, Larry Krafter is sent
to recover the bone and unearths a human skull. Instead of receiving
acclaim when he publishes his discovery, vested establishment
interests seek to discredit him, using murder to do it.
Strike
for Honor
2013
Readers’ Favorite gold medal winner
In
a joint exercise with the Korean navy, Admiral Pacino’s son is one
of the casualties from a North Korean missile strike. Enraged that
the President is more interested in appeasing the North Koreans,
forgetting the lost American lives, Pacino decides to make a
statement by bombing military facilities in both Koreas. His
court-martial puts American foreign policy under public scrutiny.
Proportional
Response
2015
Readers’ Favorite finalist
The
Chinese populist faction, the Tuanpai, plan to trigger a global
disaster that will devastate America. In the aftermath, the FBI
identifies China as the culprit, but don’t know if this was a rogue
operation or a government plot. Fearful of American retaliation,
China invites U.S. investigators to find that proof. Under a cloud of
mutual suspicion, America readies itself for a military
confrontation. A mind-bending expose of international politics!
Legitimate
Power
2017
Book Excellence Awards finalist
What
happens when a person living on the outskirts of Jerusalem digs up
two ossuaries and finds a strange crystal the size of a smartphone
able to repair itself when scratched and turns into a perfect mirror
under laser light? When the crystal is put on the shadow gem market,
suspecting that it is not natural, an American collector buys it,
wanting to tap into its hidden potential. When the Israelis learn
what it is, they want it back…as do the Chinese…as does the
American government, which sets off a race to get it, no matter what
the cost in shattered lives.
Stefan
Vucak has written eight Shadow Gods Saga sci-fi novels and six
contemporary thrillers. He started writing science fiction while
still in college, but didn't get published until 2001. His Cry of
Eagles won the coveted Readers' Favorite silver medal award, and his
All the Evils was the prestigious Eric Hoffer contest finalist and
Readers' Favorite silver medal winner. Strike for Honor won the gold
medal.
Stefan
leveraged a successful career in the Information Technology industry,
which took him to the Middle East working on cellphone systems. He
applied his IT discipline to create realistic storylines for his
books. Writing has been a road of discovery, helping him broaden his
horizons. He also spends time as an editor and book reviewer. Stefan
lives in Melbourne, Australia.
What do you do when you
finish your novel?
The last scene is written,
the last piece of dialogue done … and it is finished!
After slaving over the damned thing for seven months, I can sit back, heave a huge sigh of relief, and toast myself with a nice tumbler of bourbon. Another novel done and dusted. Well, not quite. The cursor is blinking, daring me to change a word, sentence, or paragraph. Glass in hand, I stare at the last page, replaying the book in my mind, savouring the good parts, mulling over the bits that could stand some polishing. Not just yet, my dear characters! I have to finish my bourbon first, and then do some basic maintenance. First, I make a copy of the manuscript on my internal and external backup drive. If my primary drive packs it in, I haven’t lost anything. I wince at the number of times I read tales of woe on LinkedIn and Facebook where authors have not done ongoing backups as they write. The computer fails and … well, you know what happens: tears, gnashing of teeth, tearing of hair. Not nice. Lesson? Always do backups as you write! With the book done, it is not ready for publishing, not by a long shot! As I write a section, I always do an edit before moving on to the next bit. After some twenty or thirty pages, I print them out and proofread the stuff. I am always amazed at things I missed editing online. The human mind is tricky, and it will sometimes fool you, automatically correcting errors your eyes pick up. Reading a printed page tends to give a more accurate world view to the brain, enabling me to correct the little bloopers that managed to avoid online obliteration. Learning to be a stern, objective self-editor takes time and perseverance. Writers can become possessive about their creations, unwilling to admit that the product of their genius could possibly have punctuation, grammar, or word usage errors. Cut out that word or sentence? Cut off my hand instead! But cutting out that word or sentences is exactly what every writer must be prepared to do. Not only cut out that sentence, but a paragraph or page. Every piece of freshly finished writing must be viewed critically and any rough elements polished off. How much polishing is required depends on how good a writer is at writing. It takes time to go over several hundred pages of manuscript, pen savagely attacking everything out of place, then updating the computer version. Done, ready to be released on unsuspecting readers! Again, not quite. Even though I don’t do a bad job editing my stuff, I am sure there is a little blooper or two grinning with glee that has managed to escape my eyes. To make sure the manuscript is as clean as possible, I send it off to a proofreader to kill off those wayward bloopers. When I get the thing back, sure enough, dead bloopers. After applying the corrections, I print out the whole thing again and, you guessed it, I do a final proofread. As you might expect, by the time it is all finished, I am heartily sick and tired of the book! Anyway, I can now confidently publish the masterpiece! Confidently? There is never a perfectly finished book. After rereading some of my old novels, I invariably spot a word or phrase that should be cut or changed. I could keep polishing a novel forever, which would mean I would never get around to writing a new one. At some point, I have to let go and let the novel face critical readers and their reviews. Writing a novel is like rearing a child. From initial toddler paragraphs, to developing middle teens, and finally a finished manuscript. Once done, you have to let it make its own way in the world, maybe with a sniff or two. The final step? Publish, of course! Well, that is not really the final step. There is the ongoing marketing, but I have suffered enough pain for the moment. Let me recover a bit, okay? All right, I have finished the novel, the damned thing is published, I push it along with some marketing, and then what? I don’t know about you, but I usually take some time off to clear my head and perhaps start tossing ideas for the next novel. I have several ideas on tap, and it takes a bit of time to sift through them, and nurture an idea that can be developed into a novel, or perhaps a short story. With a short story, I can get stuck into it fairly quickly. For a novel, that takes considerably more effort…and several glasses of bourbon. You may want to check out the following article on planning a novel.
After slaving over the damned thing for seven months, I can sit back, heave a huge sigh of relief, and toast myself with a nice tumbler of bourbon. Another novel done and dusted. Well, not quite. The cursor is blinking, daring me to change a word, sentence, or paragraph. Glass in hand, I stare at the last page, replaying the book in my mind, savouring the good parts, mulling over the bits that could stand some polishing. Not just yet, my dear characters! I have to finish my bourbon first, and then do some basic maintenance. First, I make a copy of the manuscript on my internal and external backup drive. If my primary drive packs it in, I haven’t lost anything. I wince at the number of times I read tales of woe on LinkedIn and Facebook where authors have not done ongoing backups as they write. The computer fails and … well, you know what happens: tears, gnashing of teeth, tearing of hair. Not nice. Lesson? Always do backups as you write! With the book done, it is not ready for publishing, not by a long shot! As I write a section, I always do an edit before moving on to the next bit. After some twenty or thirty pages, I print them out and proofread the stuff. I am always amazed at things I missed editing online. The human mind is tricky, and it will sometimes fool you, automatically correcting errors your eyes pick up. Reading a printed page tends to give a more accurate world view to the brain, enabling me to correct the little bloopers that managed to avoid online obliteration. Learning to be a stern, objective self-editor takes time and perseverance. Writers can become possessive about their creations, unwilling to admit that the product of their genius could possibly have punctuation, grammar, or word usage errors. Cut out that word or sentence? Cut off my hand instead! But cutting out that word or sentences is exactly what every writer must be prepared to do. Not only cut out that sentence, but a paragraph or page. Every piece of freshly finished writing must be viewed critically and any rough elements polished off. How much polishing is required depends on how good a writer is at writing. It takes time to go over several hundred pages of manuscript, pen savagely attacking everything out of place, then updating the computer version. Done, ready to be released on unsuspecting readers! Again, not quite. Even though I don’t do a bad job editing my stuff, I am sure there is a little blooper or two grinning with glee that has managed to escape my eyes. To make sure the manuscript is as clean as possible, I send it off to a proofreader to kill off those wayward bloopers. When I get the thing back, sure enough, dead bloopers. After applying the corrections, I print out the whole thing again and, you guessed it, I do a final proofread. As you might expect, by the time it is all finished, I am heartily sick and tired of the book! Anyway, I can now confidently publish the masterpiece! Confidently? There is never a perfectly finished book. After rereading some of my old novels, I invariably spot a word or phrase that should be cut or changed. I could keep polishing a novel forever, which would mean I would never get around to writing a new one. At some point, I have to let go and let the novel face critical readers and their reviews. Writing a novel is like rearing a child. From initial toddler paragraphs, to developing middle teens, and finally a finished manuscript. Once done, you have to let it make its own way in the world, maybe with a sniff or two. The final step? Publish, of course! Well, that is not really the final step. There is the ongoing marketing, but I have suffered enough pain for the moment. Let me recover a bit, okay? All right, I have finished the novel, the damned thing is published, I push it along with some marketing, and then what? I don’t know about you, but I usually take some time off to clear my head and perhaps start tossing ideas for the next novel. I have several ideas on tap, and it takes a bit of time to sift through them, and nurture an idea that can be developed into a novel, or perhaps a short story. With a short story, I can get stuck into it fairly quickly. For a novel, that takes considerably more effort…and several glasses of bourbon. You may want to check out the following article on planning a novel.
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