Dear Reader, Love Lisa King

 

 

First, a quick note for Dear Reader, Love Author …

Thank you for featuring me on your blog, and for bringing authors together with their readers in such a meaningful and special way. Much gratitude.

Dear Reader…

Hi! I guess we should probably start there, at hello. I’m Lisa (King), and I wrote the book you’re about to read, Blue Haven (which you’ve probably gathered, since my name’s on the cover and all).  

It would be nice to have this conversation in person, but such is life nowadays: digitalized and convenient. That said, in a very personal sense, I want to thank you, thank you, thank you, for choosing me to tell you a story about a woman named Aloe Malone in a place called Blue Haven. I fully intend to guide you through a thrilling and thought-provoking adventure with a few big twists along the way; I hope I live up to your expectations. Authors are nothing without their readers. So, from the bottom of my heart, I’m incredibly lucky to have you.

Since you’re about to spend several hours of your valuable time reading this novel, I do hope you enjoy it. I mean, it only took me thirteen years to finish and all. Regardless, Blue Haven belongs to you now. The entire story and every last character; the good, the bad, the ugly—all yours to imagine and savor, think about critically, or toss in the ol’ dumpster (please recycle, at least). You’re my audience. You call the shots.   

As you probably know, Blue Haven is a science-fiction thriller with psychological and speculative components, but it’s also a story about happiness. And in this vein, I saw a meme the other day that really resonated with me. Maybe it will resonate with you, too. Imagine two panels. In the first, there’s a cartoon graphic of a linear hill with a stick figure at the bottom, and a steep incline leading to a high point. Beneath, it reads: What you think happiness is. The second panel—What it really is—depicts a hilly contour with lots of peaks and valleys that gradually, if you take a step back, inclines. 

I’ve spent most of my life viewing happiness as a conceptual destination (a lot like that first panel), when really what most of us call happiness probably isn’t “happiness,” in a contentment sense, but some variation of pleasure; and that point entirely aside, neither pleasure or happiness are enduring destinations. In real life, we’re up and down, up and down, up and down, and in the end, hopefully you’re a little higher up than when you started, thanks to growth.

But fiction isn’t real life (or we’d be in a lot of trouble, wouldn’t we?). And what I found myself exploring in Blue Haven—through the lens of sci-fi, with a heap of thriller—is what life might look like if happiness were a destination. Sounds pretty great, right?

Maybe, if not for an aspect of human nature I’ve consistently observed in hindsight: we royally suck at foresight.

I won’t hold you up any longer, but I will say this: I hope Blue Haven entertains you, and I hope it makes you think. And if it does (or if you’re onto my plot trickery, I’m always curious) please reach out. I’d love to hear from you (authorlisaking@gmail.com).  

            Happy reading, and happy day!

 

            Love,

            Lisa King

 

Lisa King is a Canadian fiction author and researcher whose work on veteran mental health has been published in numerous academic journals. She holds degrees in psychology and neuroscience, both from Western University. Aside from writing, she enjoys family outings, ample coffee, and unapologetic napping. She lives in London, Ontario with her husband, daughter, and wonky-eyed cat.

Her latest book is the adult science fiction/psychological thriller, Blue Haven.

You can vist her website at www.AuthorLisaKing.com or connect with her on Twitter and Instagram.

Welcome to Blue Haven, the world’s most lucrative condo corporation—so exclusive that only five lucky residents live in this lush, tropical paradise, housed in a top-secret location.

Among them is twenty-five-year-old Aloe Malone, an introvert and former waitress who traded bussing tables for lengthy sleep-ins, ocean dips, Michelin-star restaurants, spectacular sunsets, and unlikely new friends—all thanks to a spurious lottery win.

Life’s good.

Damn good.

That is, until Aloe discovers a journal.

Seemingly left by a past resident named Eloise whose entries are both sad and evoking, Aloe quickly suspects there’s more to Blue Haven than meets the eye.

Her suspicions are confirmed when visions arise, gruesome hallucinations she can’t understand, followed by a strange yet familiar man lurking in places he shouldn’t. Something’s wrong. Or maybe it’s all in her head. Regardless, she vows to uncover the truth.

Except someone wants to keep her quiet, and it’s the last person she ever suspected.

Blue Haven is a science-fiction thriller that explores what innovation can achieve—and destroy—despite the best intentions. King’s imaginative world building and use of moral ambiguity make this page-turning novel a thought-provoking thrill that’s impossible to put down.

Book Information

Release Date: May 31, 2022

Publisher:  The Story Plant

Soft Cover: ISBN: 978-1611883206; 336 pages; $26.95; E-Book, $7.49

Book Trailer https://youtu.be/DgnqxcZLRcg

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3LVsZB0

Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/3waPpHv  

Indigo: https://bit.ly/3MWRayO

IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781611883206

Book Depository: https://bit.ly/3kNK4kk