Godeena - Book Tour and Giveaway

Godeena
by Stjepan Varesevac-Cobets
Genre: SciFi Adventure

Major Henry Broncon miraculously survives a battle with Ansker soldiers on the planet Morad. He is found under a pile of corpses, the only survivor; his best friend and the whole of his brigade remain in the field of death. Broncon is fully acquitted, receives a medal for bravery and is promoted to the rank of Brigadier, but he cannot forgive himself and he feels responsible for falling into the Ansker trap.

Shortly after, the Anskers are beaten and the war ends. The winning terrestrial colonies receive ownership of a system called Naude, comprised of various planets including Godeena. On the surface of Godeena, there is a huge, completely preserved but uninhabited city that scientists have named the Absolute. Analysis of the city reveals no signs of life. A team of scientists is sent to investigate what has happened to the people and animals of Absolute. A few days later the team is attacked and contact with the scientists is lost. The General Staff sends two teams of Special Forces to find out what has happened to the expedition but they also disappear, leaving no trace.

The Commander of the General Staff, General Hensell, is personally involved with the mystery. He requests Brigadier Henry Broncon to gather a unit, composed of the worst inmates from the inescapable prison, Hades, to investigate what is happening on Godeena. Henry accepts this task and collects 17 prisoners, each with unique skills. Among them is Maria, who possesses enormous psychic powers and has a wicked second personality called Kir.

The unusual team of criminals, led by Broncon, travels to Godeena to discover what terrors await them there.


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​Only a miracle had saved her and the four members of the exploring team. They wore the latest, state-of-the-art military space suits when they entered the tunnels under the town of Absolute. The suits protected them from all sorts of radiation and poisonous gasses. Although the suits could withstand temperatures over 100˚C, they couldn’t stay in such extreme conditions for more than an hour. The helmets were plated with solar cells that charged the storage cell pack. The cell packs, in turn, energized a system capable of purifying and cooling the air in the suit. With the energy stored in the storage pack, Diana and her friends could work all day before they were used up. Despite the innovative system, the cell pack was easy to use and could be customized for each of its users.
            With the other four members of the team, Diana explored underground for hours. They surveyed only a small part of the complex. When they lost communication with the camp, they came back to check on whether all was well. They were shocked to see that the camp was completely destroyed and all their friends were dead. A bluish haze appeared to settle over everything, making parts of the butchered bodies even more grotesque. Diana’s deputy, Aron Coller, took off his helmet and ran anxiously to his wife’s tent at the other end of the camp, but he couldn’t find her. Diana and the rest of the team watched him with pity. He was behaving like a madman, turning over the dead that lay around the tents. While they watched, they noticed a boy appear from the haze like an apparition. Aron ran up to him, knelt, and gently stroked the boy’s head, watching his large, terrified grey-black eyes.
            “Where were you? Did you see what happened?”
            The boy remained speechless, shaking his head left to right. Suddenly, he uttered a word in an icy voice that made them all tremble. “Naughty!”
            That’s when they saw behind Aron, a sight that frightened them out of their wits and froze them on the spot. From the dense indigo haze, monsters from their worst nightmares materialized. Filled with horror, they watched the black armored torsos that spurted forth sharp thorns dripping greenish liquid. The monsters towered over Aron by more than two feet. Their heads were long, big-boned, almost-predator like, with huge teeth. Like wings, they spread their armored, jointed limbs that ended with long, sharp black edges and on which blazed greenish slime.
            In what looked like the last moments of his life, Aron felt a presentiment of danger and hoped someone could help him. The monster nearest to him swung and with a single stroke cut off his head. Blood gushed out of his neck like a geyser. The head rolled on the ground towards Diana and her team. She trembled to see his eyes, which showed the final moments of writhing pain.
            The monsters jumped on the remnants of his body and started to butcher it. The little boy was completely sprinkled with blood, but he didn’t move. He was looking at her team fixedly, muttering something they couldn’t comprehend. Fear had gripped them, and not one moved despite the horrible sight. The silence that followed seemed to last for an eternity.
Suddenly the boy waved his hand. The monsters disappeared and he was again wholly clean. Once more, he looked towards Aron’s chopped-up body and in his voice, which was more like the hoarse grating and raging growl of a prehistoric animal, he retorted angrily, “Very, very naughty,” then disappeared in the haze just as he had appeared.
            They couldn’t surmise up until then that they had been lucky because they hadn’t taken off their helmets; otherwise, they’d have experienced a fate like Aron’s. Diana and rest of the team lingered for some time, afraid to make any sudden moves.
            After giving the incident sufficient time, Diana made a sign with her hand for the others to move. “You saw what happened to Aron. Don’t take off your helmets, for there’s a good chance the boy can’t see us while we’re in these space suits. Let me check what’s left of our transporter ships and see if they’re in good shape. You’ll wait for me here.”
            Nobody contradicted her decision, so Diana set off to the runway, knowing very well that the team was as shaken as she was.
            Walking through the haze, she thought about the boy a couple of times. He was floating like a ghost above the butchered bodies. All her friends and colleagues were dead. Nobody had been spared. What horrified her most was his satisfied smile and his rapture as he bowed and gently touched some of the butchered bodies with his fingers. Above all, the craziest thing was that he was singing a bizarre song the whole time:
            “You’re very, very, very bad,
            Now not worth what you wept,
            It’s time to be refunded,
            Let life come back to death.
            You’re very, very, very bad...”

Stjepan Varesevac-Cobets was born on 12 September 1965 in Split, Croatia. He lives and works in Kastel Sucurac, where he finished his elementary and secondary schooling.

At a very young age, he started reading and loved it because, through books, he traveled to places he could never visit in person. As a child, he loved fairy tales and adventure but later discovered other genres. When he found a Jules Verne book in the library, he became fascinated by science fiction. He has been writing poetry for fifteen years and has started writing science fiction. Lately, he has also written children's fairy tales and fables.

He has published, in Croatia, "An Opened Heart" in 2002, "The Sleepy Way" in 2005, and "Love" in 2006. On Amazon he has published the poetry collections "The Child of Happiness" in 2015, science fiction novel "Godeena" in 2015, the science fiction short story "Butterfly" in 2016, the poetry collection "When the moon takes over the dream: Love Poetry" in 2016, and in 2017 the poetry collection "The Flaming Horses: Collection of poetry". He also translated his new Sci-Fi novel "The Dream of the Forest".


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 What is something unique/quirky about you? 
I'm making stories, I guess it's a kind of uniqueness.

Tell us something really interesting that's happened to you!
I became a father in forty and it makes me happy.

What are some of your pet peeves?
I have a cat, Leo, dog Čupko and goldfish who does not fulfill the wishes.

Where were you born/grew up at?
Split, Croatia.

If you knew you'd die tomorrow, how would you spend your last day?
With my family and friends.

Who is your hero and why?
Ordinary people who survive every day.

What kind of world ruler would you be?
Honest and fair. Definitely everyone would get awards on merit, but all those who would do evil would certainly be punished. In the end we all have to respond to our actions whether they are good or evil.

What are you passionate about these days?
This is now the holiday season and everything is in that spirit.

What do you do to unwind and relax?
Read a book or if I'm very tired to play a game on my computer.

How to find time to write as a parent?
I do not even know how to do that.

Describe yourself in 5 words or less!
Dreamer, Adventurer, Questioner, Husband and Father

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I still do not consider myself a complete writer. This is my hobby.

Do you have a favorite movie?
I'm a movie lover and there are too many movies to list.

Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie?
I would love if they were both my novels were made into a movie, but that's just my dreams.

What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
At the fairs book in my neighborhood, I love books.

As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
Dragon 

What inspired you to write this book?
Let's say that's the movie The Dirty Dozen, but I wanted to write a book with lots of action.

What can we expect from you in the future?
I'm just writing the sequel to this book and you can expect more action.

Do you have any “side stories” about the characters?
Most of the characters in the book have them. They are prisoners and they need to have some not very nice pasts.

Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Godeena?
The main character in the book is Commander Henry, who is suffering post-traumatic stress. From a prisoner I would point out Maria (Kir) a person with powers she actually has two personalities. But other characters in the book have their personalities with which Henry and his Sergeant Colburn will have to face.

How did you come up with the concept and characters for the book?
I tried to incorporate into the story characters which for no reason could not meet in a normal situation.

Where did you come up with the names in the story?
I invented a name because it is not a problem for me, and for some names I've been looking for in books, especially for the name "Kir" she is drawing roots from Greek mythology.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
When I wrote The End. I'm kidding, I enjoyed inventing worlds.

Tell us about your main characters- what makes them tick?
The main character, Henry, is quite dangerous and accordingly, he chooses a rather deadly task to justify his existence, especially that he blames himself for events that have happened in the past.

How did you come up with the title of your first novel?
For novels I invent, and for poetry I choose the title of one of my poems.

Who designed your book covers?
My friend.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
Many times I have already revised the book, but I think that is still able to retouch and polish. Unfortunately, financially I can not give a book to a top editor who could do it to perfection.

Did you learn anything during the writing of your recent book?
I realized I still have to learn to write.

If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?
Clive Owen or Denzel Washington

Anything specific you want to tell your readers?
I want you to enjoy the story as I enjoyed writing the story.

How did you come up with name of this book?
This is the third book title before it gets this name. I used to combine the letters a bit and that is the title I liked.

What is your favorite part of this book and why?
When Henry goes to jail to gather the prisoners and when he starts training to go to the planet, because most of the characters in the book appear.

If you could spend time with a character from your book whom would it be? And what would you do during that day?
Definitely Maria-Kir, I would love her to show me the power she knows.

Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
They all come entirely from my imagination.

Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?
Characters have led me through the story. I had an idea, but a lot of the ways was to end.

Convince us why you feel your book is a must read.
If you love action, a variety of planets and an endless universe, then this is the book for you.

Have you written any other books that are not published?
Yes. But I'm still writing maybe I can publish them.

If your book had a candle, what scent would it be?
Lavender

What did you edit out of this book?
I would not edit anything, maybe write something if the book should be corrected. But the tastes are different, maybe somebody is throwing something out.

What are your top 10 favorite books/authors?
Pablo Neruda, Tin Ujević, Sergei Yesenin, Jules Verne, George RR Martin, Isaac Asimov, Carl Sagan, Mark Twain, Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo, Frank Herbert, Lois McMaster Bujold and much more.

What book do you think everyone should read?
It all depends on the genre, but there are a lot of good books that should be read.

How long have you been writing?
Forty years, and I'm still learning to write.

Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?
A lot of characters appear during the writing, but the main character appears first, because the story begins with the main figure.

What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?
At the beginning I have a basic idea that leads me, but sometimes I research some things while writing, so I use the internet or books.

Do you see writing as a career?
I wish I could live off my writing but for now I'm still working in the factory.

What do you think about the current publishing market?
It's huge, it has a lot of good and bad books.

Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?
I read all genres, but I love SF.

Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?
I do not mind the noise because I completely shut down as I write.

Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?
I have at least ten books started, because I write down the ideas that comes to my mind.

If you could have been the author of any book ever written, which book would you choose?
Les Miserables by Viktor Hugo

Pen or type writer or computer?
Pen and type writer on computer.

Tell us about a favorite character from a book.
It must be the one who survives and when the most difficult times are.

What made you want to become an author and do you feel it was the right decision?
I like to write and I have stories in my head, I just need to transfer them to paper.

A day in the life of the author?
Little garden, little writing, family and daily work at the factory.

Advice they would give new authors?
Do not give up when all doors are closed. There will always be something on the horizon.

Describe your writing style.
It's not perfect, it should be even better.

What makes a good story?
When you get to read the book to the very end.

What are they currently reading?
The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny and a few more books

What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first?
I have the basic idea, and then start writing. Honestly I never know where it will take me a story.

What are common traps for aspiring writers?
Not very good surprises that hide after writing.

What is your writing Kryptonite?
Time.

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
I try to be original and my own. The readers themselves choose whether they like what I write.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
I would make him learn English to perfection.

What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
I honestly do not know, every character in the book has a part of me, whether it is a female or male character.

How long on average does it take you to write a book?
Depends on how much time I have. But more than anything, I lose more time translating.

Do you believe in writer’s block?
There is a period of time when these other life things are more important than writing. If it's a block, then that's it.

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