New world post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller The Third may think they're still chasing Avery DeTornada and her quirky, powerful crew, but Avery has other plans.
With the help of Degnan (The 28 United's unholy alliance), Pasha abandons Avery's leadership, creating massive cracks in Avery's strategy. Pasha infiltrates The Third with some unexpected followers. Together they plan to rip power from Dorsey the Commander of The Third. Chapman, Avery's macabre 10-year-old GEB son rises to work with Commander Dorsey, and Avery must fight on seemingly insurmountable fronts. Reviews:
"Concepts like Pepper, an unfinished GEB who's pregnant and unable to give birth, and a nightmarish cliffhanger prove Mansfield has boldness to spare. Radiant concepts, dialogue, and prose elevate this dystopian tale." -Kirkus Reviews "Once again Gwen has placed all the characters that will define a trilogy clearly in context and ... glued us to their futures and the development of the plot she has so carefully carved. The exceptional Young Adults trilogy continues not only the epic, but also underlies the importance of this fine author. "-Grady Harp
For five years, Avery DeTornada and The 28 United run from The Third, strengthening their following of loyal ones. Finally settling in Colony G, located in an abandoned zoo west of the Waters of Erie, Avery, Shaw, and McGinty build an air fleet of zooms and prepare to strike The Third, now relocated in the city of Ash. Pasha goes rogue, planting herself inside The Third, trying to take them down, promising her own brand of energy to fuel their ultimate weapon, the fishborns. She tries to manipulate her status inside The Third, but Commander Dorsey proves to be a formidable foe. Continuing to experiment with reverse-locasa, Pasha's discoveries challenge allegiances. With escalating danger between The 28 United's quest for justice and The Third's determination to hold governmental control, Avery discovers she is not yet done learning how to make the hard choices of command. As The 28 United's zooms fly out for the attack on Ash, and as The Third's fishborns ready for release, Avery must make an earthshaking choice, and she can't afford to make the wrong one. The face of the enemy is much more complicated within its borders.
About the Author: Gwen Mansfield: Hunting down the stories that will haunt you forever.
Gwen is the author of the dystopian, soft sci-fi, Roll Call Trilogy, book #1 Roll Call, book #2 Inside The Third, and book #3 Reluctant Warriors (out in spring of 2018)
Regarding writing, Gwen says, "Hunt: to pursue with intent to capture. It begins with the story hunting me. I ignore it. I don't like it. I resist it. I try to forget it. Then I relinquish. I peek around the corner to see if this story is legit or a figment trying to distract me. When I stare it in the face, I see the taunting eyes prompting me to follow-catch this story if I can. Then the roles reverse. I become the hunter"
With a BA degree from Seattle Pacific University in Theatre, MA from Central Washington University in Theatre Production, and MFA from University of New Orleans in Creative Writing, Gwen's writing is driven by a dramatic eye, quippy dialogue, and a passion for quirky, strong characters. She is also the author of the historical fiction Experiment Station Road, the musical Resistance! (based on the book Tales of the Resistance by David and Karen Mains), and the stage plays: Grace Diner, Experiment Station Road-Stories from the Journey, The Luggage of Ellis, and You've Got 90 Seconds.
Gwen loves words and weaving them into a compelling story of urgency and relevance, challenging her to release her passion on the page.
She is driven to write and says, "Haunt: to appear habitually, stay around, persist. To say I'm pursued by the story-understatement. I hear the whisper when I'm driving, when I'm running, when sleep calls and I can't come. The day I turn on my computer and write the first word-that is the day I join hands with the story. It no longer haunts me-rather a journey begins where together, we haunt you."
Gwen lives in the forests of the Northwest with her husband, and two daughters. She enjoys the unending running trails and teaching university classes in film appreciation, creative writing, speech, and theatre.
