Happy Monday!

May Dawney is here.

She’s giving away one signed copy of Survival Instincts. More details are below.

Please welcome May Dawney.

IT’S ALL ABOUT TRUST

When I started writing, a well-known author in the genre told me that contemporary romance sells best in lesfic. That the two terms are practically equated. She was right, of course, and I understand why. There is something beautiful about falling in love with a new person in every book.

When I heard the advice, I panicked just a wee bit. I didn’t want to write romance! Gay ladies, sure! Gay ladies being gay ladies together, sure! But romance? I hardly even read romance; I grew up on hard sci-fi where the only mention of romance was a hint on the final page of the book.

How the heck was I going to write “A Romance”?

Well, it turns out I didn’t. Survival Instincts is a story about trust and human connection, about overcoming fear and pain with the help of another person. I think, but you’d have to ask the readers if they agree, I wrote a story about self-love more than a romance, and I think that’s why main character Lynn resonates with so many people.

For those who haven’t read it, “Survival instinct” is a two week peek into the life of Lynn, a woman who is used to living alone in the urban wilderness established after a long-forgotten war. She only cares about four things: getting enough food, enough water, enough safe rest, and enough warmth to stay alive. Most days, she misses out on at least one of the four. Lynn is extremely underequipped to deal with the intricacies of social interaction, let alone romantic love, so when she meets other people—when she meets and falls for Dani—her life is turned up-side down. What follows is a battle with herself and the world around her to let go of the patterns that have kept her alive all these years and trust that this great leap of faith won’t kill her.

I describe Survival Instincts as a “trust story.” In dystopia, if you’re going to take a risk on love with anyone, you have to trust them with your life—literally. Even in today’s world trust, and the bravery to trust, are becoming harder to come by. I think trust is underrated. Everyone talks about love, but love is chemistry. The hard part comes after the dopamine floods your brain: will you or won’t you allow yourself to be in love. Do you trust this person enough to expose yourself? And, especially in Lynn’s case, can you be selfless enough to accept responsibility over the life of another?

Lynn’s world is a harsh one, but in many ways, so is ours. Even if you don’t like post-apocalyptic sci-fi as a genre, it’s easy to connect with the need for the comfort another person can provide when you’re struggling to make it through the days alone.

It’s my hope as an author that once you finish Survival Instincts, you’ll think about all the decisions you’ve been too afraid to make and you’ll choose the option that is the most terrifying. I believe the odds are good that that’s the option that will make you happiest…even if it’s a leap of faith.

SURVIVAL INSTINCTS
by May Dawney

Release date: March 21, 2018
Dystopian

Civilization ended long before Lynn Tanner was born. Wild animals roam the streets, but mankind is still the biggest threat to a woman alone in the ruins of a world reclaimed by nature. Lynn survives by sleeping with one eye open at all times and trusting no one but her dog.

When she is forced to go on a dangerous journey through the concrete jungle of New York City, Lynn does all she can to scheme her way to safety. Her guard, Dani Wilson, won’t be played that easily, however. As their lives become entwined, Lynn finds herself developing feelings for Dani and is forced to find the answer to the question that scares her most: is staying alone really the best way to survive?

Fast-paced and full of adventure, Survival Instincts introduces a post-war dystopian world where the only person you can rely on is yourself…unless you fall in love.

MEET THE AUTHOR

When I was a child, my father read Asimov and Zelazny to me. As a teenager, I gravitated toward the likes of China Mieville, Charles Stross, and Tad Williams because they wrote jaw-dropping, gear-turning science fiction, (future) fantasy, dystopian, and occult novels.

I create worlds that surpass the reality of our own; places where miracles are rooted in the logic of the supernatural or divine. My characters experience what remains of a person when circumstances strip away all they thought they were. Through them, I allow my readers to explore what it means to be human when humanity is no longer a given.

I write the stories I wish my father would’ve been able to read to me: riveting tales with a kick-ass heroine who happens to be gay. To the amazing and developing body of lesbian fiction, I want to add the weird, the gritty, and the uncomfortable. My love stories are messy, chaotic, glorious experiences that add flavor to the plot but which are not the plot itself—just like it is in life. To the mainstream body of work within the genres I write, I want to add stories where women turn to women once they stop the apocalypse—either global or personal.

CONNECT WITH MAY DAWNEY

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GIVEAWAY

Enter here for a chance to win a signed copy of

SURVIVAL INSTINCTS

All you need to do is fill in your email, check the box confirming you aren’t a robot, and hit enter.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.

Best of luck to everyone who enters the giveaway.