Guest Post with author Eilis Flynn

Guest Post with author Eilis Flynn

Hello my lovelies! Some of you may remember Ms. Flynn from her appearance last month on the blog. Well, this lady is versatile because she also writes in the YA genre. Her latest release just came out a couple of months ago and I wanted to take the opportunity to tell you about it. For some of you, she will be a new author. If you missed that interview, you can check it out by clicking here.

Whether you have heard of her or not, I hope that you enjoy your time spent here today and are intrigued enough to check out her new book. She has been a lot of fun getting to know and I am sure you all will think so too! Please allow me to welcome back, Ms. Eilis Flynn!

**EILIS  FLYNN**

**BIO**

Eilis Flynn has spent a large share of her life working on Wall Street or in a Wall Street-related firm, so why should she write fiction that's any less based in our world? She spends her days aware that there is a reality beyond what we can see - and tells stories about it for Cerridwen Press. Published in other genres, she lives in verdant Washington state with her equally fantastical husband and spoiled rotten cats.

**GUEST  BLOG**

What Do You Think of When You Get an Electrical Shock?

By Eilis Flynn

Whenever I get an electrical shock, I think of the Readers, the (fictional) people in my book, STATIC SHOCK. Electrical shocks are the entire theme to their lives; they cause electrical shocks, they ARE electrical shocks. They are near and dear to my heart, because…

Let me explain. I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with electronic and mechanical devices. They end up not working or doing something unexpected that has me or someone who has to try to fix it stare at it, mystified, trying to figure out what happened.

I always assumed it was just me: brand-new tape recorders fail on me (twice), hair dryers melt (once), three computers die on me (three in three months), car alternators have be replaced more frequently than normal (three in a decade), the electrical system of cars can just fail (just once!), and watch batteries wear out fast, just to name a few examples – but then I found out that people with a heightened electromagnetic field will sometimes have this happen.

You see, I read an article in which it all became clear: Everyone has an electromagnetic field — if you’re alive, you have one — and basically, it’s like your appendix, in which most likely you’ll never have any reason to notice it. Then there are a few for whom that is not the case. Some people have heightened emfields, you see.

People with emfields that are heightened tend to have a problem with watches, have a problem with mechanical, electronic or electrical devices, and really can’t do much about it. Yes! There was a reason why mechanical things seemed to hate me!

And this is the good thing about being a writer — you’re always on the lookout for interesting, quirky ideas. I couldn’t do much about not making things explode, die, or spark out, but I could still make it work for me. So I figured I would use this unfortunate tendency and make it the structure beneath my latest novel.

In STATIC SHOCK, people with heightened electromagnetic fields, nicknamed “Readers,” are a twist in evolution, an anomaly in a society that has become technologically dependent. Readers, who are second-class citizens in that society, can’t wear wristwatches, get too close to a TV, nor drive for fear they will shut down the electrical system of a car. As you’d expect, computers become worthless doorsteps quickly around Readers. Career prospects are limited.

Reader Jeanne Muir, who’s spent most of her life as the ward of a university heavily involved in the study of these people, gets a job offer out of the blue, but when she takes it, she finds herself framed for attempted murder. Because Readers are not held in high esteem, she’s an easy scapegoat, and it doesn’t look good for her. Knowing she was set up and the odds are against her, Jeanne can’t let herself be taken into custody — and risks accepting help from mysterious Ran Owata, a fellow Reader who is no longer accepted among their kind. Can she trust him? Does she have a choice?

Everytime the computer sparked out on me, I knew I was going to get my revenge — by telling a story about it! Everytime I got stuck in traffic because the alternator went out on me, I knew I was going to get my revenge—by using it in a tale about technology and how it runs our lives. (For instance, this blog post, which you’re reading in a technological format.) If you’ve ever wondered what life without your computer, your smartphone, or your iPod would be like, you might get an inkling in this story.

So my electromagnetic field is finally working for me! Here’s a snippet from STATIC SHOCK:

I glanced up at the gigantic digital clock on the university’s neurosciences complex. I had work to get to. If I made the walk lights to cross the street, I wouldn’t be late for my assignment—but I couldn’t count on it.

I could, however, arrange for it.

There wasn’t a sky bridge connecting this side of the campus with the applied sciences complex, and it so happened the street that ran between those two parts of the university saw a lot more traffic than the surrounding streets. Sometimes, pedestrians who wanted to cross had to wait as long as five minutes before the lights changed. Anyone who had to cross when it was raining could be soaked by the time the lights changed.

Considering how many pedestrians jaywalked at this crossing, it was a minor miracle no one had been killed yet. And as far as I was concerned, it wasn’t going to happen today, either. At least not to me.

I looked up at the traffic lights.

A moment of discord shot deep through my mind as I focused. A low buzz tickled the back of my throat as the timer that controlled the lights and the “walk/don’t walk” signs clicked and flashed, but it was at a gut level that I sensed the power feeding into the simple timed system. I closed my eyes for a moment, reveling in that familiar sensation of the electricity I could connect with. In this way, electricity wasn’t my enemy; it was an ally.

The traffic lights blinked once, then went out of sequence. Unless you were watching closely or you knew what to look for, it wasn’t noticeable. I didn’t have to look around to know the other traffic lights up and down the street weren’t affected. It was only this one I was in sync with, the one I controlled right now. All the other lights could flash green, but this one would flash …

Red. Green. Yellow. Red. And it stayed red.

The pedestrian light flashed “walk.”

“Aces,” I whispered. Maybe I couldn’t lock down my abilities the way I was supposed to, but I could play with the traffic lights. And I was good at it.

I hurried across the street. A glance at the clock told me I had two minutes till my appointment. Once I crossed, I looked back to see the traffic light click back into its usual routine, with no one the wiser.

I couldn’t wear a watch, but I could control traffic lights for a few minutes. I could live with that.

I had to hope Ran Owata would think it was a handy talent if—when—he found out.

I didn’t want to have my brain cut into if he didn’t.

My assignment took more time than I expected, even though it was a simple problem I was asked to consult on—electrical power was leaking out of what should have been a closed system. It wasn’t hard to determine what the problem was, but I still had to track down where the problem was in the wiring and make a recommendation on how to fix it. It was boring work, but it paid the bills.

By the time I made it back to the crosswalk, it was rush hour and the sleet had turned into a cold, hard rain. Waiting for the light to change meant I was going to get soaked.

Shoving wet hair off my face, I tried to estimate how long it had been since the last time the walk sign had flashed. Reaching out, not intending to influence the traffic light pattern—yet—I tried to figure it out by the feel of the electrical patterns coursing through the wires and cables.

Crap. The light had changed right before I got to the crosswalk. I’d be waiting a while unless …

“It’s either do it or drown,” I muttered as the rain ran down my face.

I closed my eyes and, just like that, I turned the traffic light, as if I had flicked a switch.

The walk light flashed. I knew it, I didn’t even have to look to confirm it. I started to cross …

And had to jump out of the way when car tires screeched, water splashed, and a car horn blared. Next thing I knew, I was sprawled on the sidewalk, drenched.

A car door slammed, followed by the splash of footsteps. “Are you all right? Don’t move,” a voice said.

“I’m okay,” I muttered. I wiggled my shoulders; no problem there. I might be sore later, but not now. “What happened?”

“You didn’t look both ways before you tampered with the traffic lights, Ms. Muir. And you did, right?”

Shit. I knew that voice. I pushed my hair back and looked up. Damn it.

Ran Owata, looking annoyed. Son of a bitch. It was not my day. “I was getting wet waiting for the light to change.”

“And you’re real dry now, aren’t you?”

Raindrops splattered across my nose. I wiped the moisture away with my jacket sleeve. “So I’m not a genius. Was anyone hurt?”

“Depends. Can you get up?”

“I’m fine,” I said. This was my life. Of all the times for the light-changing trick to work against me, it would have to be in front of the new director of the Geller Institute. The one with the lobotomy fetish.

So what do you think? Sure seems to explain a lot about some people I know. Does it make sense to you? Tell me what you think. Maybe you have just hand an epiphany! That would be awesome. You know, I always think about people who tell me I waste my time reading so much fiction regardless of genre. To them I “pfft” in their face. I mean look at what I just learned about today simply because I read fiction and have chosen to blog about it. BooYeah! In your face haters! *deep breath* Sorry. Just had to get that out. But seriously. How about STATIC SHOCK? Why don’t I tell you a bit more about it. And if you are so inclined, please post your comments. They are always welcome and I love hearing what you all think!

**STATIC  SHOCK**

**BLURB**

Can you live without your computer? Can you wear a watch? Do you know anyone who can't?

In a time not long from now, there are people whose life paths are determined by such simple details. Legally recognized as electromagnetics, or "Readers", they are a twist in evolution, an anomaly in a society that has become technologically dependent. Considered second-class citizens because of their heightened electromagnetic fields, Readers can't wear watches, get too close to a TV, or even drive for fear they will shut down the car's electrical system. Computers become worthless doorstops quickly around Readers. Career prospects are limited.

Reader Jeanne Muir decides to expand her horizons when she's unexpectedly offered a new job opportunity. But she hasn't been told that her job description includes being framed for a crime she didn't commit. Because Readers are not held in high esteem, Jeanne's an easy scapegoat, and law enforcement definitely is not on her side. Knowing she was set up and the odds are against her, Jeanne can't let herself be taken in-and risks asking mysterious, sexy Ran Owata, a fellow Reader who is no longer accepted among their kind, for help. The problem is: Can she trust him? Does she have a choice?

Buy Links:

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I hope you all enjoyed your time spent here today! And until next time …

HAPPY READING!!!