Blog Tour: The Cyclopes' Eye by Jeffrey Haskey-Valerius #blogtour #giveaway #youngadult #yascifi #dystopian #interview #rabtbooktours @jeffreyhvwrites @RABTBookTours

 

YA Dystopian, Soft Sci-Fi

Date to be Published: 04-09-2024

Publisher: NineStar Press

 

First they came for his sister’s eye. Now they’re coming for his. And what’s even worse is he deserves it.

Henry has never had anything good happen to him, period. Full stop. That’s why, after school, he’s going to put on his big-boy pants and confess his love to his best friend—because the universe owes him one, dammit, and he needs a win.

But maybe doing it on Drill Day wasn't the best idea—the one day a month that healthcare conglomerate Axiom infiltrates schools across America to select a new candidate to give up one of their eyes, for... research? And if this Drill Day is anything like the last, Henry will never get a chance at a good life. Especially if his past keeps threatening to eat him alive, and especially if his old ways of keeping the darkness at bay refuse to work anymore.

 

INTERVIEW

Is There a Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?

That they are not alone despite any trauma or mental health struggles they are facing. There’s always someone who understands.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

I have a tendency to overwrite. This book had 115,000 words originally, and it was a challenge figuring out what scenes and words to cut because you don’t want to let go of any precious words you carefully curated and spent hours writing!

How many books have you written and which is your favorite?

This is the first one!

If You had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?

Joe Locke. I loved him in Heartstopper, and he has the look of my main character, Henry. Henry is also openly gay, as is Locke, which would be important to me while casting.

When did you begin writing?

In the seventh grade, I wrote a short story for my English class and loved it. The teacher thought I’d plagiarized it because it was apparently so good, and that’s when I knew that I wanted to be a writer.

How long did it take to complete your first book?

The first draft poured out of me and only took a few months, but that draft had to be gutted and rewritten several more times before it became publishable. It took almost five years for it to be published.

Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?

Sylvia Plath – her catalog is humongous, and each of her works (both poetry and prose) is so beautiful, so emotional. She’s always been a great inspiration.

What is your favorite part of the writing process?

When I’m so invested in a scene, I literally forget I’m a human behind a computer screen and I lose all track of time until it’s two a.m. and I have to go to bed for work the next day!

Describe your latest book in 4 words.

Suspenseful

Dystopian

Action-packed

Emotional

Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is in the future for your writing?

I’m hard at work on the next installment of The Cyclopes’ Eye!

About the Author

Jeffrey Haskey-Valerius works in healthcare by day and writes weird fiction and poetry by night. His shorter work has been featured in numerous literary journals and has been nominated for prizes, including Best of the Net. He currently lives in the Midwest with his unbelievably handsome and perfect dog, and also a human whom he loves. The Cyclopes’ Eye is his debut novel.

 

Contact Links

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Twitter: @jeffreyhvwrites

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