Zenn Blog-a-palooza Tour and Giveaway (INT)

Hello my fellow escapists,

Today, on the blog we have the wonderful Christian Schoon dropping by and talking about his exciting new book, Zenn Scarlett. I’m sure you have heard about it if you have not (which I find hard to believe) then keep reading.

Firstly, feast your eyes on the lush cover and read the blurb below.

Zenn Scarlett is a bright, determined, occasionally a-little-too-smart-for-her-own-good 17-year-old girl training hard to become an exoveterinarian. That means she’s specializing in the treatment of exotic alien life forms, mostly large and generally dangerous. Her novice year of training at the Ciscan Cloister Exovet Clinic on Mars will find her working with alien patients from whalehounds the size of a hay barn to a baby Kiran Sunkiller, a colossal floating creature that will grow up to carry a whole sky-city on its back. But after a series of inexplicable animal escapes from the school and other near-disasters, the Cloister is in real danger of being shut down by a group of alien-hating officials. If that happens, Zenn knows only too well the grim fate awaiting the creatures she loves. Now, she must unravel the baffling events plaguing her school, before someone is hurt or killed, before everything she cares about is ripped away from her and her family forever. To solve this mystery – and live to tell about it – Zenn will have to put her new exovet skills to work in ways she never imagined, and in the process learn just how powerful compassion and empathy can be.

I was sold when I laid my eyes on this beauty.

Read on to know what Christian has to say about Zenn.

THE UNEXPLORED TERRITORY

The heroine of my book is a bit of an outsider. Let me rephrase: Zenn Scarlett grew up as the only kid in a science-based cloister that provides medical treatment for huge, often potentially deadly alien animals. Oh, and the kids she might otherwise have associated with? The ones in the nearby town? They all think she’s totally weird because she hangs around these alien life forms, which they refer to as “monsters.” So, outsider is putting it mildly. 

Also not exactly helpful in the social contact department: the Ciscan Cloister Exovet Clinic and training school is housed in a sprawling compound surrounded by a thick, high mud-brick wall. Did I mention we’re on Mars here? Yes. The deep end of the spectacular canyon system known as the Valle Marinaris. The mud-brick wall was originally built, hundreds of years ago, to ensure that in case an animal escaped its cage or enclosure, they would still be contained within the walls. But now, as the struggling Earther colonies on Mars teeter on the verge of total collapse, the walls serve a different purpose than keeping the animals in: they keep the roving outlaw bands out. 

And all of this makes it hard for Zenn-the-outcast to understand when one towner boy, her age, kind of good-looking, kind of self-absorbed and cocky, suddenly takes in interest in her. Zenn has rules about making friends outside the cloister, though. You see, the people she’s loved most in her life have either left… or been taken from her. So, she’s a little gun-shy when it comes to any sort of emotional attachment. And, being scientifically inclined, she tells herself to always weigh the cost vs the benefit of any new relationship. But Liam Tucker, even though he’s a towner, even though towners as a group hate everything Zenn and the Ciscan Cloister stand for… Liam seems to be different. He seems willing to overlook Zenn’s outsider status, and her association with alien “monsters.” He seems genuinely interested in reaching out, finding common ground. 

For Zenn, Liam’s attentions are both confusing and distracting. But as Zenn throws herself into pursuing her dream of becoming an exovet, she also finds herself coping with a mind-boggling array of challenges and issues, personal and academic, from the slightly annoying to the totally life-threatening. And she simply cannot afford to be either confused or distracted. Of course, Zenn knew her novice year of training would be tough. She knew she had a massive amount to learn about a whole universe of astonishing life forms. But she never imagined that learning about the unexplored territory of her own heart would be toughest subject of all.

CHRISTIAN SCHOON BIO

Born in the American Midwest, Christian started his writing career in earnest as an in-house writer at the Walt Disney Company in Burbank, California. He then became a freelance writer working for various film, home video and animation studios in Los Angeles. After moving from LA to a farmstead in Iowa several years ago, he continues to freelance and also now helps re-hab wildlife and foster abused/neglected horses.  He acquired his amateur-vet knowledge, and much of his inspiration for the Zenn Scarlett series of novels, as he learned about - and received an education from - these remarkable animals.

Find Christian on Twitter and his Blog.

Are you thrumming with excitement yet?

 Do you want to lay your hands on this?

Zenn comes out on the 2nd of May, 2013 by Strange Chemistry.

 Order now on Amazon catch it on GoodReads.

Or else, you can take your chances and take part in the giveaway below to win a copy of Zenn Scarlett. The best thing of all is Strange Chemistry are kindly giveing the book away internationally. So this giveaway is International. Yippee!

a Rafflecopter giveaway