Tony Bertauski

When kids awake on an island, they’re told there was an accident. Before they can go home, they will visit Foreverland, an alternate reality that will heal their minds. Reed dreams of a girl that tells him to resist Foreverland. He doesn’t remember her name, but knows he once loved her. He’ll have to endure great suffering and trust his dream. And trust he’s not insane. Danny Boy, the new arrival, meets Reed’s dream girl inside Foreverland. She’s stuck in the fantasy land that no kid can resist. Where every heart’s desire is satisfied. Why should anyone care how Foreverland works? INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR HOW IMPORTANT ARE NAMES TO YOU IN THIS BOOK. DID YOU CHOOSE THEM BASED ON SOUND OR MEANING? Almost all of my books have names with special meaning, some foreshadowing a big twist. In The Annihilation of Foreverland, Reed’s name was symbolic of his ability to tolerate suffering, bending in the face of gale forces but never breaking. WHERE DOES YOUR TOMORROW SPRING FROM? IN OTHER WORDS, HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE CRAZY WORLD? Sometimes, I can’t remember how the story started by the time I get to the end. The Annihilation of Foreverland started with the premise of identity. I wanted to write it as a YA book in the science fiction dystopia genre in a way that slowly unfolded as well as questioned who we are and explore our fear of death, and what we’re willing to do to avoid it. Like all of my stories, it does have a romantic angle mixed into the action. Because it should. GIVE YOUR BOOK THE BECHDEL TEST. IT HAS TO HAVE AT LEAST TWO (NAMED) WOMEN IN IT WHO TALK TO EACH OTHER ABOUT SOMETHING BESIDES A MAN. I failed because there’s only one female in The Annihilation of Foreverland. However, the young adult sequel (Foreverland is Dead) passes with flying colors since its mostly female characters that rarely talk about men. WHAT SORT OF BODY COUNT ARE WE TALKING HERE? The bodies die, but not necessarily the characters. Chew on that a second. DO YOU WANT YOUR TOMORROW TO MAKE IT BIG, AS IN JK ROWLINGS-BIG? WHY OR WHY NOT? Believe it or not, no. Don’t get me wrong, I’d like to make enough cash to pay off this house and send my kids to college, but I’ll pass on fame and fortune. Anonymity is a blessing. YOU CAST YOUR CHARACTERS FOR A MOVIE. WHO MAKES IT? In The Annihilation of Foreverland, I only casted two characters in my head while I was writing it. The Director is Jeff Bridges and Mr. Jones is Anthony Hopkins. It was like watching a movie as I wrote. HAVE YOU WRITTEN IN ANY OTHER GENRES BESIDES YA DYSTOPIAN? WHAT DREW YOU TO YOU THIS GENRE? I’ve been fascinated by consciousness, identity and what this all means since I was young. I would read my grandfather’s science fiction books with elements of artificial intelligence and alternate realities and wonder what happened when they died? I suppose that’s why all of my writing deals with the big mysteries of life in one way or another. In a way, I write for my own exploration, in a sort of thought experiment approach, pulling apart our identities, exploring what makes us who we are. If I lost my memories, would I still be me? If I had my body parts replaced with synthetic replications, at what point would I not be me? Do I even need a body? What am I? A few years ago, I figured I’d write a romance novel. Since all of my books have a romantic element, I thought it would be fun. Halfway through the novel, I found myself thinking more and more about the next project—a dystopian idea. So 40,000 words in, I scrapped the romance novel and got back to what I love. Science fiction.

A Science Fiction Thriller

The Annihilation of Foreverland

This week only, save 10% to 40% on the boxed sets, Claus Boxed (Volume 1 and Volume 2)… In the early 1800s, Nicholas Santa discovered an ancient race of elven. Short, fat and hairy, they have lived peacefully on the North Pole since the Ice Age but Nicholas is quickly swept into the colony’s first and only fracture. The elven known as the Cold One has divided his people. His name is Jack. And Jack’s tired of hiding. Why should they live in a shrinking ice cap when humans occupy the rest of the world? It’s just not fair. There’s no stopping Jack from world domination until Nicholas Santa, the only human to enter the elven colony, joins helium-bladder reindeer, artificially-intelligent snowmen, and a merry band of big-footed elven to bring peace back to the North Pole. And becomes a legend. REVIEWS FOR THE CLAUS UNIVERSE “Amazing rewrites that will astound you!” –Ruth Jackson, Reviewer“Best Santa Story Ever!” – Bob, Reviewer“Simply lovely.” –jl, Amazon Reviewer“MY HEART GREW THREE SIZES…” – Reviewer“Couldn’t Put It Down.” – Reviewer“Fantasy at it’s [sic] finest.” –Carol, Reviewer“Absolutely phenomenal!” –JayFly, Reviewer“A++” –TKJ 131, Reviewer“Absolutely Awesome.” –Dee greusel, Reviewer“I absolutely love this series…” –Kara McCabe, Reviewer“Tony is an excellent story teller!” jjjlake, Reviewer“I want MORE!” –J. Bunch, Reviewer“Awesomely engaging!” –Janice Everett, Reviewer

A Science Fiction Adventure

Claus: Legend of the Fat Man

For fans of Bladerunner and Brave New World comes a new twist… Perfection has arrived. Synthetic stem cells mean no more organ failure, no more pharmaceuticals. No cancer. The human race is stronger, smarter and prettier. Is it better? Cali Richards is a nanobiometric engineer who has been her younger brother’s guardian since their parents died. She’s lost too many people in her life to lose another. When the government declares the Halfskin Laws will shut down anyone with too many synthetics, she decides to hide him. But even brilliance can succumb to the pressure of suffering. And synthetics can’t cure insanity. Follow their twisting, slippery grip on reality as they strive to find happiness in a world that has everything it could possibly want. REVIEWS FOR HALFSKIN “This, quite frankly, is one of the best books I’ve read.” –John Gregory Hancock, Reviewer “WOW.” –Amanda Taylor, Reviewer “I was not expecting the twists…” – Reviewer “Hated finishing this book… many hours of enjoyment.” –Eleanor Wendlberger, Reviewer “Halfskin is one of the best science fiction stories I’ve read this year.” –ACFlory, Reviewer “Twisty turny, unexpectedness!!!!!! LOVED THE BOOK!” –Aisha-Kimberly Hashmi, Reviewer “One of the best stories i[sic] have read in a long time!” Brian, Reviewer “I was absolutely hooked from page 1!” – Reviewer AWARDS Underground Reviews 2015 Top Pick Award

A Technothriller

Halfskin

If you liked Ready Player One and Ender’s Game, you’ll love the thrilling high-tech adventure of Socket Greeny! I was a nobody before I was a legend. I had this funny name and white hair and really didn’t care about anything. But then one day something happened and nothing was ever the same. Change is like that. One day you’re a nothing, the next you’re saving everything. Not everybody. Everything. It’s not that I didn’t want to do what I did. Someone once told me that true nature is a train—you either get on board or get run over. So I got on and let it take me. What I saw… the androids and the off-world creatures. The psychotic minders. It’s out there. The rabbit hole is deep. That’s the thing with the truth. It’s been right in front of us all this time. We just have to see it. Once you do, you’ll never unsee it. Once you know the truth, you can’t ignore it. I was once a nobody and now I’m a legend because I saw the truth about reality, about this universe. And I did something about it. REVIEWS FOR SOCKET GREENY “Absolutely the BEST sci-fi! Totally enjoyable!” –Dr. Bill Encke, Reviewer “THE best book I have EVER read!” – Reviewer “I cried and laughed… I was captivated.” –Teresa Koschalk, Reviewer “A story along the lines of Heinlein’s best!” –SciFiGirl, Reviewer “Transcendent… a beautiful and well written expression.” Tiffany, Reviewer “A Great Series for the SF fan of any Age.” Greg T, Reviewer “Twists throughout woven in so well you may not notice the dominos until the very end.” Reviewer “This was one of the best sci-fi/tech audiobooks I’ve heard lately, and frankly I can’t believe it’s still relatively undiscovered.” Ms. Christian C., Reviewer AWARDS IndieReader’s BEST BOOKS of 2014 7 Indie Titles Perfect for the Big Screen –IndieReader (2015)

A Science Fiction Saga

The Discovery of Socket Greeny

Drayton once believed he was a vampire. He doesn’t know what he is. Or why he has lived for thousands of years. He takes not his victim’s blood but the silky essence of their soul during their last breath. Often mistaken for the Angel of Death, his victims sometimes ask for forgiveness. Sometimes he delivers. After all, he is not without sin. Blake Barnes commits suicide by freezing on Mt. Hood. As his life fades, he assumes Death has come to him in the form of a young man. In his last moments, he asks Death to find his family, to tell them he's sorry. Drayton honors this last request as he absorbs Blake Barnes' waning essence. He travels to the Lowcountry of South Carolina to find his family. But saying sorry is not always as easy as the words imply. Drayton seeks to unravel the mess Blake Barnes has left behind and the predator he's unleashed on his family. INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR Did you ever think you’d write about vampires? Nope. Drayton came out of nowhere when I was at a community theatre production of Dracula. I figured that an immortal vampire would more likely become compassionate and wise as he grew older. Twilight put a different spin on the vampire genre, much different than Nosferatu. Drayton’s nothing like Twilight. Or Nosferatu. What's a downside to writing a character similar that's similar to you? Predictable. Boring. If every book I write is similar, it ceases to surprise the reader. That’s what I loved about Drayton, he was just the opposite of me. This paranormal being was fearless not out of bravado but the wisdom brought about by countless years of immortality. I called him a vampire because it was the word that fit him the best in his early years, but he became something much for that. Whatever a vampire becomes after the gore and bloodsucking, sort of like the caterpillar and butterfly. Do your characters ever resemble you in your beliefs? Some do. But there are others that are just fun to go the other way, especially antagonists. I do find it interesting, even courageous, when authors can write very demented, sick and twisted antagonists. It’s very revealing to show the world what’s bouncing around in your head. What do you think is the most important aspect of writing a character? Letting him or her grow in my head. It’s when I’m driving to work, taking a shower, or lying in bed that they come to life. It’s also one of the most gratifying elements of writing. I’ve enjoyed letting this vampire walk through my mind, leaving his short stories behind.

Evolution of a Vampire

Drayton (The Taker)

Halfskin Boxed Set

If you liked Ready Player One and Ender's Game, strap in for Socket Greeny... “A brilliantly-written complexly-layered plot, set in a vivid, tangible future world.” --IndieReader I was a nobody. I had this funny name and white hair and really didn't care about anything. But then one day something happened. Change is like that. One day you're a nothing, the next you're saving everything. Not everybody. Everything. It's not that I didn't want to do what I did. Someone once told me that true nature is a train—you either get on board or get run over. So I got on. What I saw… the androids and the off-world stuff. The psychotic minders. It's out there. The rabbit hole is deep. That's the thing with the truth. It's been in front of us all this time. You just have to see it. Once you do, you can't ignore it. I was once a nobody and now I'm a legend because I saw the truth about reality, about this universe. And I did something about it. REVIEWS FOR SOCKET GREENY "Absolutely the BEST sci-fi! Totally enjoyable!" –Dr. Bill Encke, Reviewer "THE best book I have EVER read!" – Reviewer "I cried and laughed… I was captivated." –Teresa Koschalk, Reviewer "A story along the lines of Heinlein's best!" –SciFiGirl, Reviewer "Transcendent… a beautiful and well written expression." Tiffany, Reviewer "A Great Series for the SF fan of any Age." Greg T, Reviewer "Twists throughout woven in so well you may not notice the dominos until the very end." Reviewer "This was one of the best sci-fi/tech audiobooks I've heard lately, and frankly I can't believe it's still relatively undiscovered." Ms. Christian C., Reviewer AWARDS IndieReader's BEST BOOKS of 2014 7 Indie Titles Perfect for the Big Screen –IndieReader (2015)

The Socket Greeny Saga

The Christmas adventures continue. The third volume of the holiday tales you never heard growing up... TOYLAND When Tin’s family inherits an enormous rural estate, they discover the hidden treasures of Toyland. The eccentric mansion was built long ago by a toy magnate named Wallace Noel, a man made famous by his beloved Noel toys. Tin discovers an authentic-looking elf hat and knows what made his toys so special. GINGERMAN After Chris is accepted into the prestigious Institute of Creative Mind, he finds a clue written in code. He discovers students aren’t chosen for their artistic abilities but because of a DNA test. It's up to him and a strange little friend to find what they're looking for. And why Christmas will change forever if they don't. TOYMAKER Someone launches a global contest to find an elf called the Toymaker. No one knows who exactly it is that's looking for him. Nobody believes it's a real elf they're searching for, but Avery's late grandmother left instructions on how to find the Toymaker. And why it’s critical she does it first.

Claus Boxed 3

El cuento navideño que nunca habías escuchado. Santa no se trata solo de los regalos. Vean algo más profundo en esta figura mitológica. Una historia significativa. Encuentren un reparto de personas con determinación, compasión y valor que hace el viaje a la fama mitológica a pesar de sus debilidades y flaquezas. Quiten el velo de la magia, para revelar las dificultades del amor y la pérdida, y la lucha con la vida. Porque Santa Claus es mucho más que regalos. A principios de los 1800, Nicolás, Jessica y Jon Santa emprendieron el primer viaje hecho por humanos al Polo Norte y encontraron a una antigua raza de gente que había sobrevivido la Edad de Hielo. Son bajitos, gorditos y peludos. Se deslizan sobre el hielo con sus suelas escamosas y tallan sus casas del hielo que flota en el océano Árctico. Los élficos se han adaptado a la vida en el frío extremo. Su raza es tan sabia como antigua. Sus avances tecnológicos han rendido grandes inventos—aparatos que paran el tiempo y esferas gravitacionales que construyen muñecos de nieve vivientes y renos genéticamente modificados que saltan grandes distancias. Hasta han descubierto los secretos del envejecimiento. Durante 40,000 años han vivido en paz. Hasta ahora. Un élfico conocido como El Gélico ha creado una división entre su gente. Él se ha cansado de su aislamiento y quiere conquistar al mundo. Sólo un élfico se encuentra en el camino entre El Gélico y el caos total. Tiene una barba blanca y un abrigo rojo. La familia Santa le ayudará a detener a El Gélico. Llegarán a auxiliar a un élfico legendario conocido como...Claus.

CLAUS La Leyenda del Gordo

If you liked Neuromancer and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, you’ll love the MAZE… Sunny Grimm found her son with a strap around his head. An infamous symbol is embossed between his eyes, one that people only whisper about—the mark of awareness leaping. Where players launch into virtual realities. Where anything goes and investors make millions. Critics, however, refuse to call it a game. They argue that reality confusion will be the end of humanity. Still, there are many who play because the rewards are great. But the risks are steep and few ever win. Losers never wake. Sunny goes on a mad search for her son and the people responsible for allowing him to play. She knows the Maze is more than a game but she doesn’t care. She only wants her son back. Will she lose herself in the search? REVIEWS FOR GREY GRIMM “I’m a huge fan of Philip K. Dick… this feels like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.” –Jonica, Amazon Reviewer “Absolutely loved it.” –Fredrox, Reviewer “Spectacular.” –W. Nickels, Reviewer “Twists and twists and twists.” -- Reviewer “Fantastic book – amazing world building…” Informed reader, Reviewer “well-written, intelligent and makes you think.”-- Reviewer “Highly recommended for any sci-fi fan.” -- Reviewer “Excellent psychological thriller that plays with your mind.” –J Phillips, Reviewer “Keeps the action and the twists coming!” -- Reviewer “Thrill ride.” –Riann F., Reviewer

Maze: The Waking of Grey Grimm

Get a triple-dose of Holiday sci-fi magic with all three novels and discover how elven live on the North Pole, how reindeer fly and what makes a snowman live. (10% of the profits is annually donated to WINGS for Kids.) The Christmas stories you never heard as a kid. CLAUS: LEGEND OF THE FAT MAN In the early 1800s, Nicholas, Jessica and Jon Santa attempt the first human trek to the North Pole and stumble upon an ancient race of people left over from the Ice Age. They are short, fat and hairy. They slide across the ice on scaly soles and carve their homes in the ice that floats on the Arctic Ocean. The elven are adapted to life in the extreme cold. They are as wise as they are ancient. Their scientific advancements have yielded great inventions -- time-stopping devices and gravitational spheres that build living snowmen and genetically-modified reindeer that leap great distances. They’ve even unlocked the secrets to aging. For 40,000 years, they have lived in peace. Until now. JACK: THE TALE OF FROST Sura is sixteen years old when she meets Mr. Frost. He’s very short and very fat and he likes his room very, very cold. Some might say inhumanly cold. His first name isn’t Jack, she’s told. And that’s all she needed to know. Mr. Frost’s love for Christmas is over-the-top and slightly psychotic. And why not? He’s made billions of dollars off the holiday he invented. Or so he claims. Rumor is he’s an elven, but that’s silly. Elven aren’t real. And if they were, they wouldn’t live in South Carolina. They wouldn’t hide in a tower and go to the basement to make…things. FLURY: JOURNEY OF A SNOWMAN Life hasn’t been kind to Oliver Toye. As if juvenile diabetes isn’t enough, he’s forced to live with his tyrannical grandmother in a snow-bound house. He spends his days doing chores and the nights listening to the forest rumble. But when he discovers the first leather-bound journal, the family secrets begin to surface. The mystery of his great-grandfather’s voyage to the North Pole is revealed. That’s when the snowman appears. INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR Where did you come up with the idea of writing science fiction for holiday characters? My nephew mentioned the “secret Santa ninja elves” that visit his school during Christmas, and this spawned the idea of writing a semi-serious sci-fi version of Santa. How the ideas flesh out is a long process. I started keep track of how the story arc of my latest novel evolves, just to remember where it began. It’s all over the place. I love the challenge of bringing a story to light, letting the characters get in my head and telling me where to go. Flury: Journey of a Snowman is the third book in the Claus series. It was originally Frosty the Snowman, but Frosty is copyrighted. It didn’t matter, really. The character was better suited to be something other than Frosty. Flury is a bit more serious. . Are you getting any backlash for rewriting these Christmas legends? Not at all. In fact, a lot of readers have connected to all the unanswered questions surround them, especially Santa Claus. How does he go around the world in a night? Why is he fat? Why does he live on the North Pole? How do reindeer fly? How does he carry all those presents? All of them answered with the magic wand of science fiction… I mean, the science wand of science fiction. The stories still have the fantasy element, of course. Some leaps of imagination. And...

Claus Boxed

Quando i ragazzi si svegliano su un’isola, viene raccontato loro di un incidente. Prima di poter tornare a casa, dovranno visitare Foreverland, una realtà alternativa che curerà le loro menti. Reed sogna una ragazza che gli dice di opporsi a Foreverland. Non ricorda il suo nome, ma sa che un tempo l’aveva amata. Dovrà sopportare gravi sofferenze e fidarsi del sogno. E fidarsi di non essere pazzo. Danny Boy, il nuovo arrivato, incontra la ragazza del sogno di Reed a Foreverland. È bloccata in quella terra fantastica a cui nessun ragazzo può resistere. Dove ogni desiderio del cuore viene soddisfatto. Perché a qualcuno dovrebbe importare come funziona Foreverland?

L'annientamento di Foreverland

Seis garotas adolescentes acordam sem memórias. Uma delas está em uma mansão de tijolos, seus cabelos loiros tão brilhantes quanto seus sapatos. As outras estão em uma cabana, com seus nomes etiquetados no interior de suas calças. Suas cabeças, raspadas. Talhos marcam a parede da cabana, como se alguém estivesse contando. Centenas deles. Ao seu redor, mata selvagem e uma adulta morta. As garotas encontram seu corpo apodrecendo em algum lugar em meio as árvores. Conforme as semanas passam, elas se unem para sobreviver ao frio, questionando onde estão e como foram parar lá. E por quê. Quando um velho chega acompanhado de um adolescente, as garotas aprendem a respeito de uma ilha longínqua chamada Terra do Sempre, onde os sonhos se tornam realidade e tudo é possível. Mas a Terra do Sempre está morta. Para fugir da vastidão selvagem, terão de compreender onde estão. E mais importante, quem elas são.

A Terra do Sempre Está Morta

The Jack Frost you never knew… Sura is sixteen years old when she meets Mr. Frost. He’s a strange man. Very short, very fat. And he likes his room cold. Some say inhumanly cold. Mr. Frost’s love for Christmas is over-the-top and slightly psychotic. He’s made billions of dollars off the holiday and, according to Mr. Frost, a holiday he invented. Rumor is he’s an elven, but that’s silly. Elven aren’t real. And if they were, they wouldn’t be in South Carolina. Sura takes a job at Frost Plantation that’s strange and magical and, for the first time in her life, a place where she feels like she belongs. She’ll uncover the mystery of what really happens at Frost Plantation and who’s making all the toys. She’ll discover the biggest secret of all—Mr. Frost hates Christmas. Really, really hates it.

Jack: The Tale of Frost

If you liked Inception, The Maze Runner and Ready Player One, you’ll love the mind-bending thriller Foreverland! The boys woke on a tropical island. The girls in the wilderness. They don’t know where they are or how they got there. Or why. Remembering who they are is only the beginning of their escape. Reed will make great sacrifices to find his lost love and Danny Boy will refuse to let the old men win. Cyn will have to battle through madness. Self-discovery is the only way out, but a journey through dreamlands of alternate reality and the greed that powers them is difficult to escape when you have everything you could ever want. In the end, they will all discover what Foreverland really is and what it wants in return for making dreams come true. Will they find their way out? REVIEWER FOR FOREVERLAND “Foreverland is a psychic roller coaster.” – Reviewer “Soo amazing that I was yelling at everyone to leave me alone to finish.” –, Reviewer “One of the best series I’ve ever read.” – Reviewer “What a freaking ride!!” –Dianne, Reviewer “Addictive and delicious!” – Reviewer “Potent page-turner… Foreverland will grasp you from the very first page.” –Mallory a. Haws, The Haunted Reading Room Reviews “It doesn’t get better than this…” – Reviewer “Mindblowing and original… one of the best I’ve ever read.” –Alex Slater, Reviewer “Brilliant read… will have you on the edge off [sic] your seat.” –John Jackson, Reviewer

Foreverland Boxed

Many professional landscape architects and designers embrace the practice of rendering plan drawings by hand as an artistic approach that supports the design process. Tony Bertauski uses abundant illustrations to train aspiring designers in the essential drawing techniques used to craft presentation graphics while learning the essentials of design. He guides students through the tools and techniques of drawing that are often overlooked in the classroom so that students can complete assignments on their own outside the lab. Student designers will learn to create plans that not only appeal aesthetically, but communicate effectively with clients.

with Section-Elevation and Computer Graphics, Third Edition

Plan Graphics for the Landscape Designer

The 6th standalone novel in the Claus Universe. The holiday legends you never heard growing up. This is Ryder’s last stop. It’s a half million acre ranch and home to forty teenagers. It’s also home to a famous and eccentric philanthropist with a peculiar obsession with the North Pole. His name is Billy “Big Game” Sinterklaas. But shortly after Ryder arrives, secret messages begin leading him to what’s really happening. Billy Big Game believes that Santa Claus is real. This is the year he proves it. He says there’s one Christmas story no one has ever heard, the legend of the biggest and baddest reindeer of them all, the one who leads the sleigh and protects the herd. But Billy Big Game doesn’t want to discover the last reindeer. He wants to capture him. That’s why he brought Ryder to the ranch. REVIEWS FOR THE CLAUS UNIVERSE “Amazing rewrites that will astound you!” –Ruth Jackson, Reviewer “Best Santa Story Ever!” – Bob, Reviewer “Simply lovely.” –jl, Reviewer “MY HEART GREW THREE SIZES…” – Reviewer “Couldn’t Put It Down.” – Reviewer “Fantasy at it’s [sic] finest.” –Carol, Reviewer “Absolutely phenomenal!” –JayFly, Reviewer “A++” –TKJ 131, Reviewer “Absolutely Awesome.” –Dee greusel, Reviewer “I absolutely love this series…” –Kara McCabe, Reviewer “Tony is an excellent story teller!” jjjlake, Reviewer “I want MORE!” –J. Bunch, Reviewer “Awesomely engaging!” –Janice Everett, Reviewer

Ronin (The Last Reindeer)

Jacob Marley is dead. His business partner, Eb Scrooge, is left to run Avocado, Inc., an innovative technology business, all alone. An introverted shut-in locked away in a Colorado mansion, he changes the company’s mission statement. Only his servant droids keep him company. Until the gifts arrive. Each Christmas, a messenger forces Eb to look at his life in hopes he will change. But change does not happen in a single night. And only Eb can make it happen. But who is sending the messengers?

The Unwinding of Ebenezer Scrooge

Humbug

Tyler Ballard was in prison when his son created a dreamworld called Foreverland, a place so boundless and spellbinding that no one ever wanted to leave. Or did. Now his son is dead, his wife is comatose and Tyler is still imprisoned.But he planned it that way.The final piece of his vision falls into place when Alessandra Diosa investigates the crimes of Foreverland. Tyler will use her to create a new dimension of reality beyond anything his son ever imagined--a Foreverland for the entire world.Danny, living outside of Spain since escaping the very first Foreverland, begins receiving mysterious clues that lead him to Cyn. They are both Foreverland survivors, but they have more in common than survival. They become pieces of another grand plan, one designed to stop Tyler Ballard. No one knows who is sending the clues, but some suspect Reed, another Foreverland survivor. Reed, however, is dead.Everyone will make one last trip back to Foreverland to find out who sent them. And why.INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHORHOW IMPORTANT ARE NAMES TO YOU IN THIS BOOK. DID YOU CHOOSE THEM BASED ON SOUND OR MEANING?Almost all of my books have names with special meaning, some foreshadowing a big twist. In The Annihilation of Foreverland, Reed's name was symbolic of his ability to tolerate suffering, bending in the face of gale forces but never breaking.WHERE DOES YOUR TOMORROW SPRING FROM? IN OTHER WORDS, HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE CRAZY WORLD?Sometimes, I can't remember how the story started by the time I get to the end. The Annihilation of Foreverland started with the premise of identity. I wanted to write it as a YA book in the science fiction dystopia genre in a way that slowly unfolded as well as questioned who we are and explore our fear of death, and what we're willing to do to avoid it. Like all of my stories, it does have a romantic angle mixed into the action. Because it should.GIVE YOUR BOOK THE BECHDEL TEST. IT HAS TO HAVE AT LEAST TWO (NAMED) WOMEN IN IT WHO TALK TO EACH OTHER ABOUT SOMETHING BESIDES A MAN.I failed because there's only one female in The Annihilation of Foreverland. However, the young adult sequel (Foreverland is Dead) passes with flying colors since its mostly female characters that rarely talk about men.WHAT SORT OF BODY COUNT ARE WE TALKING HERE?The bodies die, but not necessarily the characters. Chew on that a second.DO YOU WANT YOUR TOMORROW TO MAKE IT BIG, AS IN JK ROWLINGS-BIG? WHY OR WHY NOT?Believe it or not, no. Don't get me wrong, I'd like to make enough cash to pay off this house and send my kids to college, but I'll pass on fame and fortune. Anonymity is a blessing.YOU CAST YOUR CHARACTERS FOR A MOVIE. WHO MAKES IT?In The Annihilation of Foreverland, I only casted two characters in my head while I was writing it. The Director is Jeff Bridges and Mr. Jones is Anthony Hopkins. It was like watching a movie as I wrote.HAVE YOU WRITTEN IN ANY OTHER GENRES BESIDES YA DYSTOPIAN? WHAT DREW YOU TO YOU THIS GENRE?I've been fascinated by consciousness, identity and what this all means since I was young. I would read my grandfather's science fiction books with elements of artificial intelligence and alternate realities and wonder what happened when they died? I suppose that's why all of my writing deals with the big mysteries of life in one way or another. In a way, I write for my own exploration, in a sort of thought experiment approach, pulling apart our identities, exploring what makes us who we are. If I lost my memories, would I still be me? If I had my body parts replaced with synthetic replications, at what point would I not be me? Do I even need a body?What am I?Since all of my books have a romantic element, I thought I would write a romance novel. Halfway through...

Ashes of Foreverland

For fans of Bladerunner and Brave New World comes a new twist… Perfection has arrived. Synthetic stem cells mean no more organ failure, no more pharmaceuticals. No cancer. The human race is stronger, smarter and prettier. Is it better? Cali Richards is a nanobiometric engineer who has been her younger brother’s guardian since their parents died. She’s lost too many people in her life to lose another. When the government declares the Halfskin Laws will shut down anyone with too many synthetics, she decides to hide him. But even brilliance can succumb to the pressure of suffering. And synthetics can’t cure insanity. Follow their twisting, slippery grip on reality as they strive to find happiness in a world that has everything it could possibly want. REVIEWS FOR HALFSKIN “This, quite frankly, is one of the best books I’ve read.” –John Gregory Hancock, Amazon Reviewer“WOW.” –Amanda Taylor, Amazon Reviewer“I was not expecting the twists…” –Amazon Reviewer“Hated finishing this book… many hours of enjoyment.” –Eleanor Wendlberger, Amazon Reviewer“Halfskin is one of the best science fiction stories I’ve read this year.” –ACFlory, Amazon Reviewer“Twisty turny, unexpectedness!!!!!! LOVED THE BOOK!” –Aisha-Kimberly Hashmi, Amazon Reviewer“One of the best stories i[sic] have read in a long time!” Brian, Amazon Reviewer“I was absolutely hooked from page 1!” –Amazon Reviewer AWARDS Underground Reviews 2015 Top Pick Award

Tony Bertauski

About

Books

Join the club