Published: May 3rd, 2016
Everyone in Dahlia's world knows when they're going to die. Except her.
Her father has never shown her the pocket watch counting down the days she has left to live. When he sacrifices himself to save her from her scheduled death, Dahlia abandons her comfortable home and sets off after his murderer to uncover the secrets her father died to protect…and the time research that could bring him back to life.
Then she meets Farren Reed. She should hate him. He’s an enemy soldier, a cowardly deserter, and the most insufferable man Dahlia’s ever met. Still, she needs all the help she can get, and Farren is the only chance she has to find the man who murdered her father. But Farren has only twenty-seven days left on his watch.
In that time, Dahlia must recover her father’s time research, foil a psychotic general’s plot, and learn to survive in a world that will never be the same. But the research holds secrets more dangerous than she had ever imagined. She will have to choose what is most important: revenge, Farren's life, or her own. And time is running out.
GUEST POST
What if
(if we all would know when we are going to die)
In my novel, 27 Days to Midnight, every person has a pocket watch showing exactly how long they have to live. It doesn’t matter how they are destined to die, and they can’t die before their time expires (unless their watch is destroyed). I loved writing this setting. It got me thinking about each character in a whole new way. How would they act if they all knew when they were going to die? Ultimately, I wanted readers to think about how they would react to knowing their own time. What would you do if someone gave you your pocket watch?
Imagine holding it, feeling the cool metal against your fingers, and tracing the etched letters of your own name on the case. Do you open it? Or do you tuck it away, unexamined, and try to push it from your mind? There are characters in 27 Days to Midnight who handle their watches like this. Other characters check their time obsessively, never able to stop thinking about it for longer than a few hours.
Let’s say you decide to open the watch you’ve been given and look inside. How would the time there change your life? Naturally, your reaction would depend on how much time you had. If you had eighty years, it would be sensible to work hard for a good career, invest in your retirement, and settle down into a comfortable life much like the one many people have in our world. The average life expectancy in the United States is just shy of 79 years. In a way, we can all expect to live that long. Unless…
Unless the watch in your hand shows something else. Perhaps a decade, or a year, or a month. Maybe you’re scheduled to die in your twenties. There wouldn’t be much point to getting a higher education, not if you’ll only live to enjoy your career for a handful of years. Forget waiting until retirement to travel and pursue hobbies. If you don’t do the things you love now, you’ll never have the chance. At the beginning of 27 Days to Midnight, one of the characters has 27 days left on his watch. He doesn’t handle it well. He’s spent years trying—and failing—to forget about it. As he nears the end, he looks for meaning in the life he’s lived and, when he can’t find any, he tries to create it in his last few weeks. He wants to leave something behind. To help someone else.
What would you do if you knew you had 27 days to live?
How can you be sure you don’t?
About the author:
Kristine Kruppa is a mechanical engineer, writer, and world traveler. Her days are spent
designing cool new car parts, but her evenings are filled with writing and cats. She has traveled solo to seventeen countries on five continents. Her other hobbies include hunting for the perfect cup of coffee, exploring used book stores, and accidentally climbing mountains. To keep up with her adventures, follow Kristine:
Very cool cover looks great.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds great!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading the guest post. This book sounds like such an interesting and intriguing read. Looking forward to checking out this book.
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