Terry Tibke's UPGRADER blog tour!

My fellow writing ninja Terry Tibke is kicking off a blog tour for his new book UPGRADER: RE-ENGINEERED right here at the Jovian Frontier! You can follow along on his blog tour from the Ninja Dojo.

A dimensional rift has opened, and now a headstrong young man must learn to use an ancient power before the Earth is enslaved.

Dylan Kent is exposed to a mysterious energy from another dimension! Transformed into an ever-changing warrior, Dylan must harness these new powers in order to keep our world free from intradimensional invaders. These invaders have come to our world in search of the power Dylan now possesses. If Dylan is unsuccessful in repelling them, not only will he die but our world will die with him!

Since I'm obsessed with worldbuilding, I interviewed Terry about some of the details of the world in UPGRADER. Don't worry -- no spoilers! 

Your book blurb tells us that Dylan was "Transformed into an ever-changing warrior." Could you explain a little more?

Dylan is your average comic reading, game playing, party going, zombie-movie-loving teenager in his senior year of highschool. He's dating a girl named Annika, and she's pretty awesome too. But all that changes when Dylan goes out at night and encounters a "mysterious energy." I can't really give away the full potential he gains when he acquires this energy, but I can say it's not without a price. Headaches and barfing from nausea pop up whenever he's about to use the powers he gains. He'll just have to get used to that.

Another quote from the book blurb: "These invaders have come to our world in search of the power Dylan now possesses." Why?

For time out of count, Earth has remained safe from interdimensional conflict. But wars and conquests have raged on in worlds beyond our own. The mysterious energy we keep talking about has traveled to Earth now, and Icarion and his seekers are right behind, trying to capture and use the mysterious energy -- a power that allows a tear in the Seam of reality to be opened that will let through Icarion's army. What's he want? Enslavement of all mankind. And Dylan's the only thing standing in the way.

Can you tell us about the "mysterious energy" without spoiling anything?

I can tell you that the energy is as ancient and powerful as the universe itself, and that it's known as the Sunsoul. The power is a sentient being that is capable of deciphering any genetic, molecular, and mathematical code, plus so much more. And our Dylan becomes its guardian. It's a buttload to handle.

What are you working on now?

If you've read the epilogue to Upgrader: Re-Engineered, you can probably guess that I'm now working on the second book in what Actionopolis has decided to make into a trilogy. I should be done very, very soon -- like, days from now really. I'm also seeking an agent for a middle grade pirate adventure book I finished, have the second book of my fantasy series to illustrate, Armageddon: The White Steel Peaks, and have a couple of other books on my plate I can't talk about yet. Did I mention I'm also an illustrator? I've also been doing design work for Social Titans, a Facebook game company, and recently started working with their creative team on story development as well. I go to sleep around 8:00pm and get up around 2:00am and write for a few hours, then go back to bed. I squeeze drawing in between everything else. Am I busy? Eh, yeah.

Upgrader: Re-Engineered is a fun read with a break-neck pace. The book, like all of Actionopolis' books, is designed for the reader who craves action, adventure, and a quick read. Their reading levels range from Middle Grade to Young Adult, and I know tons of adults who love the pace, and the short time it takes to whip through these books. I really recommend them.

Thanks, Terry and have a great blog tour!