Hi guys, we have Ally Blue visiting today with her newest release Down, we have a guest post from Ally, we have a great excerpt, a brilliant giveaway and my review… and let me tell you this story has made me never want to see water again *shudder*, so enjoy the post and leave a comment (with a way to be contacted) for the giveaway! <3 ~Pixie~

Down

Ally Blue

Seven thousand meters below the ocean’s surface, the crew of the BathyTech 3 mineral mining facility has found something remarkable: a rock-like sphere of unknown material and origin.

For Mo Rees, the discovery calls to his inner explorer and adds color to his dull miner’s life. Even better than the promise of new knowledge is the unexpected connection he forges with Dr. Armin Savage-Hall, leader of the team brought down to study the thing.

For Armin, the object is the find of a lifetime. It could prove his controversial theories and secure his scientific reputation. And Mo is a fascinating bonus.

Then crew members start behaving strangely. Worse, they start to change: their eyes glow purple, their teeth sharpen. Then the violence begins, the brutal deaths. As BathyTech descends deeper into chaos, the surviving crew works desperately to find the cause of the horrors around them. What they uncover could annihilate the human race. And they can’t stop it.

Excerpt

Hi y’all! I’m Ally Blue, and I’m galavanting around the interwebs this week talking about my newly released horror novel, Down. I appreciate the good folks at MM Good Book Reviews for hosting me here today, thank you!

When I write, I generally use music as a mood setter. The right music helps me get into the right frame of mind for whatever story I’m working on. Since every book has a different vibe, I usually create a new playlist for each book as soon as I figure out what sort of “feel” that book is going to have. I think some of my choices aren’t always obvious, but they make sense to me!

Here, in no particular order, are some of the songs I feel best reflect the mood for Down—dark, dreamy, introspective, sometimes sensual, kind of brooding, with a side of screams here and there. Heh.

• Into Dust, by Mazzy Star.
• Rain City, by Turin Brakes
• My Body, by Perfume Genius
• Reflecting Light, by Sam Phillips
• Lights In the Sky, by Nine Inch Nails
• Climbing Up the Walls, by Radiohead
• Ghost Towns, by Radical Face
• The Sun Is Often Out, by Patrick Wolf
• No Sleep, by The Cardigans
• Live With Me, by Massive Attack
• Radioactive, by Imagine Dragons
• Bullet With Butterly Wings, by Smashing Pumpkins

Not an exhaustive list, by any means. My playlist for Down is about three hours long and pretty heavy on the Radiohead. Which won’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows my taste in music. But these songs here are representative, I’d say. If anyone’s already read the book, I’d love to hear your suggestions for additions to my playlist.

Thanks for reading, everyone! I hope y’all enjoy Down, and I really hope some of you will check out these songs, and these artists, because they’re all awesome

Excerpt

The main dinner rush in the cafeteria seemed to be over, but several people still sat singly or in small groups around the room, talking and eating. There was no line at the self-service food bar. Armin and his team loaded their trays, found a spot in the corner, and dug in.

The three of them ate in a heavy silence. Armin knew his fellow scientists must be mentally sifting through the day’s findings and trying to slot them into a working model of the universe. He couldn’t help feeling a bit ahead of the curve, in spite of the difficulties inherent in working with such an unusual find. Mandala was right—the fact that he’d predicted the existence of an object like this one did not make the reality of studying it any easier.

“Wow, this is a real happy party, huh?”

Startled, Armin blinked himself out of his thoughts and lifted his gaze from the remaining peas he’d been pushing around his plate to the man standing on the other side of the table grinning at him. “Hello, Mo. We just got finished in the lab. I suppose our minds are still on the work.”

Mo let out a loud pfft, which made Neil snicker. Mo ignored him. “You science types’re always working. You ought to let your hair down once in a while.”

Ashlyn set her fork down on her empty plate and watched Mo with obvious amusement. “Mr. Rees, have you been drinking?”

“Maybe a few.” Mo favored her with a wink and a rakish smile that made Armin feel hot inside. “Jem made me take next shift off, so why the hell not, right?”

“Amen, brother.” Neil leaned back in his plastic chair with a deep sigh. “I could go for a beer myself, if I wasn’t so tired. Maybe another night.”

“Doc, you let me know when you want to go drinking, and I’ll take you to The Beach for that beer.” Mo gave Neil a friendly slap on the back. “Armin, you think we could talk for a minute?”

Instinct—plus the way Mo fidgeted—told Armin that the request was related somehow to Jemima ordering Mo to take tomorrow off. He hid his sudden vague anxiety behind a casual smile. “Of course. Would you like to sit down?”

Mo’s gaze cut left, then right. Quick and nervous. “Um. Actually, if we could talk in private, that would be great.” He widened his eyes at Ashlyn and Neil. “No offense to you guys.”

“None taken.” Ashlyn pushed back her chair, stood, and picked up her tray, still half-smiling as though she found Mo entertaining. “I think I’m going to go back to my room and read for a while. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

“Wait up, I’ll walk with you.” Neil jumped up, grabbed his own tray, and hurried after her.

Mo watched them for a moment, then shook his head, blinked, and focused on Armin’s face with an intensity that bordered on frightening. “Look, this might seem kind of weird, but . . .” He cast a sharp, hunted glance over his shoulder, as if he’d heard someone sneaking up on him. His pupils were wide and black, his body tense. “I know a place we can talk where no one’ll overhear us. Would that be okay? I don’t . . .” He chewed his thumbnail, something Armin hadn’t seen him do before. “I don’t feel comfortable talking here.”

What was there to say? Armin stood. “Of course. Let’s go.”

He took his tray to the recycler, then followed Mo out of the cafeteria and down the hallway to a juncture he’d noticed before, but never paid much attention to. Mo turned left off the main corridor down the narrower side passage. It was deserted. They walked along for a few minutes, past closed doors and secondary halls with lights dimmed for the “night” shift.

He was beginning to wonder just where they were going when Mo finally pushed open a doorway on the right, marked simply: Aquarium. The obvious question died on his lips when he trailed Mo inside and saw what BathyTech 3’s idea of an aquarium was.

“My God.” Armin paced to the center of the circular room, staring in awe at the GlasSteel dome that arched over the whole space. A strip of low lights running around the baseboard provided the only illumination, bathing the floor in a soft golden glow and leaving the endless blackness of the deep as the room’s focus. A jellyfish drifted past overhead like a lost star, and Armin laughed. “This is incredible. Why did I not know about it before now?”

“I guess we’ve both been a little busy.” Mo tilted his head back and peered upward with a smile full of memories. “Not many people come here just to hang out, I guess. Poole’s biology staff use it to study the wildlife, of course. Most of the other miners aren’t really interested after the novelty wears off. But it’s my favorite spot in the pod.” His gaze dropped to meet Armin’s. “You never know what you’ll see out there.”

Something haunted had crept into Mo’s eyes, and Armin knew they’d moved beyond talking about the weird, wonderful creatures one normally encountered in the deep ocean trenches.

He stepped close, reached up, and ran his fingertips along the line of Mo’s jaw. “What have you seen?”

For several heartbeats, Mo didn’t answer. Armin stayed silent and watched the struggle over what to say and not say play out across his features.

Finally, Mo shook his head and turned away to face the ocean, shoulders tight and arms crossed. “What’s happening down here, Armin?”

An invisible hand wrapped around Armin’s ribs and squeezed. “What do you mean?”

Mo stepped closer. The aquarium’s shadows cast an artificial grimness over his features. “I know it’s none of my business. But I really want to know what you’ve found out about that rock.”

Armin studied Mo’s carefully expressionless face. Determination glittered in his eyes, shot through with a bright thread of fear.

Worried now, he laid a hand on Mo’s arm. “Mo, has something happened?”

“No. Well . . .” Mo turned his head to stare out the transparent wall at the endless ocean beyond. “No, not exactly. We saw a mermaid fish today. It was pretty cool, but . . .” He trailed off again, forehead furrowed. “This one looked different.”

The way he spoke, quiet and puzzled, made the back of Armin’s neck prickle with unease. “Different how?”

“Like its teeth were too long, or something.” Mo let out a short laugh. “I don’t know. It’s stupid. Yvie—my walking partner—says my imagination runs away with me sometimes. I probably imagined it.”

His frown said he didn’t really believe that. Armin had no idea where this new development fit into the picture, or if it did at all. But he knew it made him worry about Mo more, not less.

He turned Mo to face him and slid both arms around his waist. Mo tensed, but didn’t pull away. Instead, he touched Armin’s face with his fingertips, a gentle caress that made Armin shake inside.

“We still don’t know precisely what we’re dealing with.” Armin hated the faint tremor in his voice, but he couldn’t stop it. Not when Mo kept touching him like that, like he was something rare and precious. “So far the tests we’ve run have confirmed my theories, but that hasn’t gotten us any further in how to define this thing.”

Mo’s gaze searched his. “This is going to sound really strange. But humor me. Do you think it can cause any . . . you know, problems?”

Armin shook his head, confused. “What sort of problems?”

Mo studied him in silence for several long seconds. The whole time, his fingers mapped the contours of Armin’s face. The touch was profoundly intimate, and Armin thought he ought to have found it disturbing. Instead, it soothed him. Eased away some of the apprehension that had been gathering like a storm inside him lately. He spread his palms flat on Mo’s back, the better to feel his warmth and the rise and fall of his ribs with his breathing.

“I’ve seen things,” Mo admitted finally. “Nothing spectacular. I thought I saw bugs in the go-cart bay the other day. And today I thought I saw antennae on the mining array, then I kept seeing this squiggly thing at the corner of my eye all day long.” He quirked a wry smile at Armin. “Probably I just need to get my eyes checked. I’m coming up on the big four-oh soon. Maybe that perfect vision I used to have is going away.”

“I see no reason to believe the object would cause hallucinations, or any other physical problems.” Armin pulled Mo’s body flush against his, mapping the contours of his muscles through his shirt. “You should definitely get your eyes checked.”

“I’ll do that.” Mo buried his fingers in Armin’s hair, then bent and kissed him, light and quick. “And if there’s nothing wrong with my eyes?”

The disquiet that followed Armin everywhere now gave his insides a sharp tug. Maybe what Mo had seen meant nothing, even if his vision tested normal.

“Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.” Armin stole a kiss of his own, then another. It would be so easy to lose track of time and simply stay here all day and all night, kissing Mo. But he couldn’t. He made himself pull back. “Well. I should get back to the lab. I have a few odds and ends I’d like to wrap up before I call it a night.”

“Okay.” Mo took both Armin’s hands in his and squeezed. His dark eyes peered deep into Armin’s. “My place or yours tonight? Because I can’t not have you.”

Oh. Armin’s knees wobbled. “I’ll come to your room. I’m not sure what time I’ll be done in the lab.”

“Cool. I’ll be waiting for you, Doc.” Mo dropped his hands and strode away with a wicked smile.

Armin stood there, cheeks hot and heart hammering, until his legs regained the strength to walk, then he left the aquarium. Just one more look at the strange rock, and he could go to Mo’s bed without the mental image of the thing beating against the insides of his eyelids.

Find more excerpt here: http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/down (Just click the excerpt tab)

About Ally

Ally Blue is acknowledged by the world at large (or at least by her heroes, who tend to suffer a lot) as the Popess of Gay Angst.

She has a great big suggestively-shaped hat and rides in a bullet-proof Plexiglas bubble in Christmas parades. Her harem of manwhores does double duty as bodyguards and inspirational entertainment. Her favorite band is Radiohead, her favorite color is lime green and her favorite way to waste a perfectly good Saturday is to watch all three extended version LOTR movies in a row.

Her ultimate dream is to one day ditch the evil day job and support the family on manlove alone. She is not a hippie or a brain surgeon, no matter what her kids’ friends say.

Connect with Ally:

• Website: allyblue.com
• Twitter: @PopessAllyBlue
• Tumblr: therealallyblue.tumblr.com
• Facebook fan page: facebook.com/pages/Ally-Blue/98548113963
• Facebook profile page: facebook.com/AllyBlue.author
• Group blog: fictionwithfriction.com
• Goodreads: goodreads.com/PopessAllyBlue

Giveaway!

Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing a $15 Riptide store credit.

Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Don’t forget to add your email so we can contact you if you win!

Review

Title: Down

Author: Ally Blue

Genre: Science Fiction, Horror, Suspense

Length: Novel (375pgs)

ISBN: 978-1-62649-258-5

Publisher: Riptide Publishing (20^th April 2015)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: Seven thousand meters below the ocean’s surface, the crew of the BathyTech 3 mineral mining facility has found something remarkable: a rock-like sphere of unknown material and origin.

For Mo Rees, the discovery calls to his inner explorer and adds color to his dull miner’s life. Even better than the promise of new knowledge is the unexpected connection he forges with Dr. Armin Savage-Hall, leader of the team brought down to study the thing.

For Armin, the object is the find of a lifetime. It could prove his controversial theories and secure his scientific reputation. And Mo is a fascinating bonus.

Then crew members start behaving strangely. Worse, they start to change: their eyes glow purple, their teeth sharpen. Then the violence begins, the brutal deaths. As BathyTech descends deeper into chaos, the surviving crew works desperately to find the cause of the horrors around them. What they uncover could annihilate the human race. And they can’t stop it.

Purchase Link: http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/down

Review: The crew of BathyTech 3 mineral mining facility have found a rock like sphere; its discovery has a scientific research team racing to examine it. Mo is a miner whose curiosity is sparked by the sphere of unknown material and origin; he volunteers to guide the scientists so he can learn more and he forges an intimate connection with a cute scientist he’s attracted to. Armin is the leader of the team who are to research the sphere; it’s a find of a lifetime for him and may help to prove his controversial theories, but even as his relationship with Mo deepens he’s keeping secrets about the sphere. As the team examines the sphere odd things begin to happen, crew members begin to act strangely, and others see things from the corner of their eyes. Eyes glow and teeth sharpen and the violence begins, as the remaining crew of BathyTech struggles to find the cause the horror continues and seven thousand meters below sea level there’s nowhere to run.

Holy hell, my poor son will be deprived of the beach this year because there’s no way in hell that I’m going near open water for the foreseeable future! Ally Blue has created a suspenseful scientific horror story that has chills running down spines and creates an aversion to open water. Mo is a fantastic character, he’s inquisitive and eager to learn more, and his attraction to Armin sparks immediately. Armin is great as a scientist, who yearns to prove his controversial theories true, his relationship with Mo is a bonus he never expected. While there is a great relationship building between Mo and Armin the focus of the story is that sphere and the odd happenings.

This is a story that grips you from the start, Ally Blue has created a setting that at times has you shiver in horror, her descriptions pulls you in so that you can easily imagine being there trapped under water with nowhere to run as a unknown horror worms its way into your colleagues and changes them into violent horrific strangers. We are introduced to many chills as the descriptions of the underwater world refuses to let you go, the dawning horror as the connections are made and the shock ending that will leave you open-mouthed torn between the romance of giving up everything for love and the pure horror of giving up everything for love. I know it seems confusing but I swear to god it’s true!

I have to admit to falling in love with this story, the way it’s written is exquisite, it’s simple yet complicated, and it’s a romance yet a horror, love blossoms but will it be enough? Each character make this story blossom, each interaction adds to the build-up, the secondary characters are just as important as the main characters and this story keeps you in its snare till the very last page. This is a horror story deep at its core and it’s a horror story right to the end, the ending will surprise because although Mo and Armin do get a happy ending there is no way AT ALL that you could have envisioned what it will entail.

I recommend this to those who love scientific horrific suspenseful romance stories, who love characters with grit, who adore love stories that turn out a bit different, who love fantastic descriptions and a well woven plot, and an ending that will blow you away.  

Check out the other blogs on the blog tour