This book promo is through Author Marketing Experts.
Rhythm Sword Warriors book amplifier tour includes a Q & A with the author, guest post, and an excerpt of the book. Check it out, comment, share, follow.
Book Details
Rhythm Sword Warriors by Lara J. Nance delivers a unique blend of high-octane sci-fi action
and emotional introspection—a futuristic odyssey where rhythm is both weapon and salvation.
Beneath the surface of a ravaged Earth, Calena has spent years trapped between guilt and
survival, her only release the neon-lit rhythms of a VR combat game. But when the alien globs
return, her digital battleground becomes humanity’s last hope. To win, Calena must transform
from player to leader, uniting a band of outcasts into an army. Along the way, she’ll discover that
true victory isn’t in defeating monsters—but in facing herself.
Excerpt
“We have a very unique situation that we want to speak to you about. I’ll just jump
right in. Dr. Harding has discovered an element that will destroy a Metavalent.” The
general gestured to Blake.
Calena sucked in a breath of surprise. “The hell? I thought that was impossible.”
Blake nodded. “We’ve been researching options ever since the invasion, and this is
the first breakthrough we’ve had. Given the structure of the aliens and the way they are
able to move, finding a way to attack them has been very difficult.”
“What’s that got to do with us?” Kelvin asked, an edge to his tone. This was his
domain, and he appeared increasingly angry with the interruption from outsiders.
A few gamers emerged from rooms and glanced at the newcomers uncertainly, as if
unsure whether they meant trouble. They edged to the periphery of the room, staring
while hugging backpacks to their chests.
Carla noticed them and held up a hand. “We’re looking for your help, guys. Okay?
We’re not here to cause trouble.”
Kelvin’s shoulders relaxed a notch, but his expression remained wary. “So, like I said,
what’s this got to do with us and the game?”
“If we’re right,” Blake said. “The game may be the secret to defeating the Metavalents.
That’s why we’re here.”
Calena exchanged a shocked glance with Katsu, while Kelvin and the Jammers shifted
uncomfortably and frowned in confusion.
“We’ve seen three of them around here in the past two weeks, and a person from one
of our collectives was killed,” Calena said. “We think they’re looking to expand into this
area, and that would destroy us. Can you help with that?”
Pablo held up a hand. “Dudes, this is bigger than just this area. Listen up.”
The cute guy, Blake, started talking about some shit called muon particles and how
they could slice through almost anything like butter, but were really fragile in a lot of
other ways, so not easy to use in a bomb or anything like that. Then the general
explained how they think they can manufacture a handheld device that would generate
the muon thingies and project them within some sort of shield, and that would be like a
sword that would slice through the Globs…you guessed it…like butter.
Her head was spinning with this information all while she tried to figure out how that
related to the game. However, as they went on and on, the vision of something like a
sword slicing through Globs created a dull, itchy sense of impending doom within her.
Before they had time to finish talking about needed response times, the aliens’ abilities,
and actually came to a conclusion, she had it.
The gamers. The game. It all fit. They needed the gamers to fight the Globs. The
gamers had years of training in the exact skills needed to use the muon swords with
response times that rivaled the Glob ability to pop in and out of existence or attack with
their expandable extensions. It all made sense, and fury erupted inside her.
“I get it,” she interrupted before the general finished. He slowly closed his lips
without continuing.
“What?” Blake asked, brow furrowed.
Damn, he was actually really handsome. It was distracting.
“You need gamers to kill the Globs.” She planted her hands on her hips, trying not to
look at Blake. “You want to use us.”
Blake and Carla shared surprised looks.
Pablo grinned. “That’s right. You in?”
“What are you talking about?” Katsu punched her shoulder.
“They need us to fight the Globs because we already know how to use the sword
weapons better than anyone else.” She turned to Blake finally. “Right?”
He slowly nodded.
“That’s exactly right.” The general raised his chin. “We have a crisis, and we don’t
have time to train people to the level to which you guys have already developed. And the,
uh, Jammers can help by programming simulations just like the game but with MVs
instead of cubes to hone your skills.”
“Ohhhh.” Katsu rocked back on his heels, mouth open, finally making the connection.
“I get it. That’s…that’s…um, completely cool. I think…”
“See,” Pablo said, eyes gleaming and fists clenched. “We can save the world. We can
fight back and get rid of these bastards once and for all. We’ll be heroes.”
Cal shot him a glare. What did he know? He lived with his father in an ultra-secure
and amenity-rich army facility because of the general’s position. He didn’t know about
the hardships people like she and Katsu faced out in the real world, scavenging for food
and dodging Globs for every single necessity of life.
The general patted his son on the back, beaming. “I hope you all can see how critical
this is. We need help from as many gamers as possible. We need to set up training
programs and start training as soon as our engineering teams can manufacture the
hardware.”
“Hold on,” Calena said. “We have an immediate problem here in this town, with
Globs appearing again, and you want us to take off and leave people who depend on us
for some idea that might not even work?”
Blake frowned, lips parted to say something, but nothing came out.
“Look,” the general said, sternly. “This is important…”
“So is saving the people I live with. We already lost one to the Globs yesterday. This is
typical government bullshit.” She jabbed a finger at him. “I have people to protect right
here in this town, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
“We can’t force you to help, but I have to tell you this is the best chance we have of
stopping these invaders. Yes, this is experimental, but the science is solid, and I think we
can make it work,” Blake said.
She crossed her arms over her chest and avoided his gaze. What the hell? She couldn’t
leave Pavilion, Miss Mina, and the others. This was crazy.
Kelvin pulled off the headphones he’d hung around his neck. “We’ll help in any way
we can, but we’d need a lot of supplies.”
Blake walked over and shook Kelvin’s hand. “Thank you. That’s amazing. Yes, of
course, you’ll have anything you need. The president has made this a top priority.”
“The president?” one of the other Jammer’s named Bruce asked, eyes wide.
“Yes, the president,” Blake said. “This is about saving the country. Actually, it’s about
saving the world. We also think the Metavalents may be expanding, and that’s why this
is so critical.”
Calena studied him as he spoke. His blond hair hung past his collar, a little too long
for him to be much older than thirty. However, he was some sort of PhD and apparently
extremely smart to have come up with this solution. She had to admit he was pretty hot,
too. Well, maybe a little geeky and pasty white, but it looked like he worked out, and he
had nice eyes…soft brown and melty. She shook off that thought, and forced away her
stare. She’d given up hope on relationships years ago. It didn’t matter, she had other
things to worry about than hot guys. Like protecting Pavilion, not traipsing off on some
quest with an unproven weapon.
“I’ll go,” Katsu said with an apologetic look in her direction.
“What? No…” She grabbed his shoulders. A thrill of fear rushed through her. She
couldn’t lose him.
“We have to do something, Cal. Things are getting worse and just setting up patrols is
not going to make the problem go away. I want to help.” He wore his stubborn
expression she knew so well. When he dug his feet in there was no moving him.
“Thank you,” Blake said to him. “We need a lot more help, too.”
“The first thing is to get the word out to other gamers and find out how many of them
would be willing to train for combat,” the general said.
Kelvin tapped his computer screen. “We were getting ready to send out invitations all
over the world for a virtual tournament. We can send out this message instead.”
“You can send out international messages?” The general’s gray brows went up.
“Yes, we have a shortwave channel all the gamers use. It’s not consistent and takes a
while to make the rounds, but eventually we can reach them. We have an antenna on the
roof of this building. But how would they be able to travel here for training with the
Globs roaming everywhere again?””
“We may be able to set up training in other countries as long as you can share the
programming and we can send details on manufacturing the handheld units,” the
general replied. “That way we can coordinate an attack from every corner of the globe
when we’re ready.”
“All right. You write up what you want me to say, and I’ll send the message.”
“Do you think a few hundred people might be willing to take part?” Carla asked.
Nick let out a sharp laugh. “Hundreds? More like thousands. You have no idea how
many gamers there are. Everyone will want a piece of this action if it rids us of Globs.”
Blake’s face lit up, and the general looked like a kid someone just handed the world’s
biggest jar of candy.
She seized Katsu’s arm and pulled him away from the others. She had to talk some
sense into him before he ran off on this cursed quest. “What are you doing? You can’t
leave. This is dangerous. You could be killed.”
“I don’t care.” He pulled his arm from her grasp, his brows drawn together. “What do
I have to live for? Huh? Tony doesn’t love me anymore, and chances are pretty damn
good I won’t find anyone else. I don’t want to stay here just surviving with only the game
for a life.”
“But people here need us,” she pleaded. She didn’t want to say she needed him, that
was too cringy…but she did.
“If we can destroy the Globs, that will help everyone including our collectives. Come
on, Cal, you’re the best at this game, you could make a real difference.”
She threw up her hands in frustration.
“Cal, please go with me. I need you there.”
Damn his puppy dog eyes! He did need her. Who else would look after him? Maybe it
was true, and they could do something that would help everyone. That would be worth
it, right? It wouldn’t be like she was abandoning Pavilion if this worked.
“Okay, okay,” she muttered. “I’ll go. But you owe me.”
He let out a happy yelp of victory, and she shook her head. This was probably a big
mistake.
Author Details
Lara J. Nance’s storytelling carries the pulse of lived adventure. As a sailor and global
wanderer, she’s drawn inspiration from every horizon she’s crossed. Her fiction is rich with
detail, emotion, and imagination, pushing readers to think—and feel—beyond boundaries. Learn
more about her work on her website.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4hsqzKy
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/241919280-rhythm-sword-warriors
Writing Process & Creativity
How did you research your book?
The idea first sparked for me as an avid player of the virtual reality game, Beat Saber. I
envisioned the cube that I attacked in the game as alien blobs, and had the thought, hey, what if
a person was playing this game and then found that the skills used were very specialized and
needed to kill alien invaders that couldn’t be killed any other way. From there my creative brain
took over and imagined how this could play out in a dystopian world setting. I did a lot of
research on the science side which included data about muon particles to validate the way the
swords could work to kill aliens while taking into account the highly volatile nature of the
particles. It was an interesting exercise in staying true to the science.
What’s the hardest scene or character you wrote—and why?
Calena was a difficult character. She was a bit crusty and salty in the beginning due to her
trauma and chronic depression, so finding ways for readers to connect with her and pull for her
was a challenge. The hardest scene was the one where she attempts suicide. I also suffer from
chronic depression and felt that although this is a tough subject, writing about it in a way that
might make those without depression understand it a bit better, and those with depression find
common ground was a message I felt was extremely important.
Where do you get your ideas?
As far as the spark of the ideas and general plot, things just pop into my head based on random
thoughts, as in this case it was playing the game. From there, like most writers, I begin to dig
into the specifics in research and go down a bunch of rabbit holes that can spark additional
ideas. So, Yay, Google. LOL
Also, for some of my novels and this one in particular I took a lot of ideas from my work as a
nurse practitioner. I treat patients with depression, anxiety and PTSD with ketamine treatments
and have been very interested in the amazing promise of treatments with psychedelic medicine.
I drew on that for the issues with Calena and her use of mushrooms (psilocybin) as a healing
modality in this book. I wanted to get this message out there that there is hope for those who
haven’t had success with traditional psychiatric meds, that there may be other options that could
help them. It’s a timely topic for our times as many of these drugs are set to be approved for use
by the FDA in the future. In fact, there is hope that MDMA can be approved in 2026 for
treatment for PTSD as there are about 17 deaths by suicide among veterans every day due to
PTSD as reported by the VA in 2024.
What sets your book apart from others in your genre?
I don’t know of another book that incorporated elements of the Beat Saber game, so that is one
area. There are other uses of virtual reality out there, of course, but not directly related to Beat
Saber. Also, I think Calena is a unique character with her many flaws but yet maintaining that
core of goodness and courage that ends up saving the world.
What helps you overcome writer’s block?
Taking a break and playing Beat Saber. LOL. Also, just getting away from the intensity of the
writing for a while helps to kind of reset my brain and open up fresh ideas.
What’s your favorite compliment you’ve received as a writer?
Probably the one I valued the most was from my first professionally published book, Memories
of Murder. It’s a paranormal romance/mystery that won several awards and was reviewed in
Romantic Times magazine receiving the highest rating and the reviewer commented that a new
star in mystery writing had entered the publishing world. That gave me a lot of hope and
validation that I needed as a new author at that time.
Your Writing Life
Do you write every day? What’s your schedule?
When I am working on a novel, I write every day, but I do take breaks after finishing because I
am usually mentally exhausted at that point. I deeply immerse myself in the world and events of
a story, so I need time to detach from that before I can start on anything new.
Where do you write—home, coffee shop, train?
Mostly at home but I have been known to meet up with other writers for extended writing
sessions at a Starbucks now and then.
Any quirky writing rituals or must-have snacks?
Maybe not too quirky, but if I am writing a sexy love scene I need to listen to some sexy music
like “Red-light Special” by TLC. I put on some noise canceling headphones and listen as I write,
sort of like a soundtrack for the scene. It really helps put me in that frame of mind to describe
the love-making properly.
Must-have snacks – Dry Crispix cereal – not too fattening and satisfying crunch!
Behind the Book
Why did you choose this setting/topic?
An idea popped in my head while playing Beat Saber that it would be a cool weapon in a Sci-fi
story and then it took off from there. I dearly love a dystopian world also. The idea of people
thinking out-of-the-box to survive and using whatever they have on hand in different ways out of
necessity is intriguing to me. I also am drawn to the idea of having the nobler traits of humans
emerge in a crisis to overcome evil or to survive when they could have gone the other direction
and become more violent, a la Mad Max.
If your book became a movie, who would star in it?
Oh, I love this question. It’s so nice to dream about your book becoming a movie! I think all
writers do this. I’d pick, Daisy Ridley because she proved her action chops in Star Wars and I
see her doing well in Sci-fi type roles, also, she can carry vulnerability with strength as a fighter.
Which author(s) most inspired you?
Probably two. First of all, my favorite book of all time is Dune, by Frank Herbert. He was really
epic in world building. He didn’t just create a desert planet and set a story there, he built an
entire ecosystem along with its religions, politics, economic, ecology and made it believable. His
characters were complex with flaws and moral ambiguity that made you think. He also dealt with
themes that resonated beyond a mere sci-fi story, which I think is amazing because it is still
relevant today even though he published that book in 1965.
Second is Anne McCaffrey. Her Dragon Riders series is one that I read over and over. She was
able to make Sci-fi more accessible, I think as she wove in so many character plots and I also
loved how she always managed to sneak in detail about food. LOL. Her books about the Crystal
Singers had one of my favorite female heroines who had her flaws but also strength and
determination.
Fun & Lighthearted Qs
What’s your go-to comfort food?
Pizza
What are you binge-watching right now?
I am actually re-watching the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series in anticipation of the new series
coming out. It’s one of my favorites!
If you could time-travel, where would you go?
I’d love to live in the Regency period of England. I loved Georgette Heyer’s books and it seemed
like a time when the focus was more on parties and clothes than war and violence. That would
be refreshing right now. But only if I could be invited to Almack’s and fall in love with the duke
who is flawed but sexy and strong.
What 3 books would you bring to a desert island?
Dune, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Bible.
What’s something that made you laugh this week?
Finding out I was pronouncing October wrong in Korean and it came out as the Korean word for
“f-ck”. My Korean teacher pointed that out to me and we both had a good laugh. I’m really
hoping I didn’t say that in public anywhere. LOL.
Tour Schedule
October 28th
Mel the Book Fairy
http://instagram.com/mel_thebookfairy
October 30th
Country Mamas With Kids
https://countrymamaswithkids.com
November 1st
I Smell Sheep
http://www.ismellsheep.com
November 3rd
@therearenobadbooks
http://instagram.com/therearenobadbooks
Anytime between 10/27-11/5
Chapter Break
https://chapterbreak.net
https://instagram.com/chapterbreaknet
PhyllisJonesPisanelliReviews
http://pjp-reviews.com
@aibibyreads
http://instagram.com/aibibyreads
Riley’s Hobbies & Books
https://www.instagram.com/rileyshobbiesandbooks
Ilovebooksandstuffblog
https://ilovebooksandstuffblog.wordpress.com
Sarandipity’s
https://sarandipitys.com
@whatnolareads
https://www.instagram.com/whatnolareads
A Wonderful World of Words
https://awonderfulworldofwordsa.blogspot.com
@sudeshnalovesreading
https://www.instagram.com/sudeshnalovesreading
Amy’s Booket List
http://amysbooketlist.com
