Apocalypse Alley: A Guest Post and Giveaway with Author Don Allmon

We’re so pleased to have author Don Allmon dropping in today on the tour for his latest release, Apocalypse Alley, book two in the Blue Unicorn ~verse from Riptide Publishing. He’s sharing some factoids—some that made it into the book, some that didn’t—and a giveaway today, so be sure to check out all the details at the end.

Welcome, Don!

Little Factoids

It’s true of all fiction, but especially so with sci-fi and fantasy I think, that a huge chunk of the background you’ve imagined never makes it to page. So here’s a handful of things that never made it into the books or were mentioned only in passing:

• Comet is eight years older than Buzz. Their ages are mentioned in the book, but not in comparison to each other and the difference isn’t a “thing.”

• Duke was born human and transformed into an orc when he was 17. He’s what is called the “zero-generation.”

• The research lab in which JT was born was shut down after a news expose. The records containing the identity of JT’s genetic parents (subjects J and T) were sealed during a legal battle that still hasn’t been resolved twenty years later.

• Buzz once offered to hack those records for JT. JT told him he didn’t want to know who his parents were.

• Buzz and Roan’s favorite movie is the full sim-stim 2067 remake of Star Wars Episode IV. While the rest of the world was busy simming Luke, Han, or Leia, Buzz would sim R2-D2 while Roan simmed C-3P0. They’d both hack the script to keep each other laughing.

• Comet is an only child. His parents are faculty at the Public University of California, San Francisco. His mother specializes in the history of the U.S. Fracture (the breaking up of the U.S. into regional polities). His father specializes in Trans-Pacific literature and media.

• Comet’s interest in martial arts arose from his father’s research, part of which looked at the evolution of martial arts cinema as a Trans-Pacific phenomenon. His grandfather tried to counter this influence with older “more Chinese” stories.

• Buzz (unsurprisingly) dropped out of high school at the start of his junior year. He never received a grade higher than a C except in English.

• None of my main or secondary characters have formally attended college. Buzz has hacked several college databases, though; and JT has illegally audited a class here and there.

• In case you’re wondering, Comet and Duke have never had sex. Duke just likes to watch.

Any other things you’re curious about? Let me know in the comments (and enter yourself in the gift card drawing at the same time)!

About Apocalypse Alley

Home from a six-month assignment to war-torn East Asia, genetically engineered supersoldier Noah “Comet” Wu just wants to kick back, share a beer, and talk shit with his best friend, JT. But JT’s home has been shot up like a war zone, and his friend has gone missing.

Comet’s only lead is a smart-mouthed criminal he finds amid the mess. His name’s Buzz Howdy. He’s a con man and a hacker and deserves to be in jail. Or in handcuffs, at least. The only thing the two have in common is JT. Unless you count the steamy glances they’re sneaking at one another. They have those in common too. But that just makes Comet all the more wary.

Despite their mutual distrust, they’ll have to work together to rescue JT before a cyborg assassin gets to him first. Racing down a miserable stretch of road called Apocalypse Alley, they must dodge radioactive spiders, a killer Buick, and rampaging cannibals. They also try to dodge each other. That last bit doesn’t work out so well.

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About Blue Unicorn

JT is an orc on the way up. He’s got his own boutique robotics shop, high-end clientele, and deep-pocketed investors. He’s even mentoring an orc teen who reminds him a bit too much of himself back in the day.

Then Austin shows up, and the elf’s got the same hard body and silver tongue as he did two years ago when they used to be friends and might have been more. He’s also got a stolen car to bribe JT to saying yes to one last scheme: stealing the virtual intelligence called Blue Unicorn.

Soon JT’s up to his tusks in trouble, and it ain’t just zombies and Chinese triads threatening to tear his new life apart. Austin wants a second chance with JT—this time as more than just a friend—and even the Blue Unicorn is trying to play matchmaker.

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About the Author

In his night job, Don Allmon writes science fiction, fantasy, and romance. In his day job, he’s an IT drone. He holds a master of arts in English literature from the University of Kansas and wrote his thesis on the influence of royal hunting culture on medieval werewolf stories. He’s a fan of role-playing games, both video and tabletop. He has lived all over from New York to San Francisco, but currently lives on the prairies of Kansas with many animals.

Connect with Don: Website || Twitter: @dallmon || Pinterest

The Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Apocalypse Alley, one lucky winner will receive a $20 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on March 3, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!