I am so excited and honored to be part of the launch blog tour for Lauren Salisbury's newest science fiction book, Discernment!
I'll give you all the details you need about the book (including a giveaway and scavenger hunt!), but first: I got a chance to ask Discernment's leading lady some questions. Meet Jiya Aboran! Come get as excited as me to learn more about her story!
Q 1. What is your dream job?
Easy, a mechanic! I’ve wanted to work in the maintenance shed with Gamalek for as long as I can remember, and I’d love to build an engine for a race slider one day. Imagine being part of a winning team!
But that’ll never happen. Women aren't allowed to be mechanics on Terabu, so I'll never be able to fix anything outside the family estate, let alone a race slider.
Q 2.What is it like having so many siblings? Do you like being one of the middle children?
It can be pretty annoying at times, especially when they’re teasing you or messing with your stuff. Most of them have no idea why I don’t want to learn how to cook and sew, and they’re always trying to convince me to be more like everyone else.
I think Eseda, my second oldest sister, is most like me—she never wanted a normal Teraburan life either. She moved to one of the outer planets with her husband last year, and I miss her like crazy. She got out, though. I’m happy for her. And we still talk whenever she has time.
I don’t know about being a middle child, but I’d like being a twin a whole lot better if Sitali wasn’t so frustrating. The only special bond we have is the ability to get on each other’s nerves. We’d probably kill each other if it weren’t for Vrin and Keevi keeping the peace.
I’ll admit she’s talented, though. She can create tapestries that look almost real.
I guess there are upsides to having so many sisters too. There’s always someone around to help out or to talk to when you need it. Plus, whatever they say, they nearly always cover for me when I need to get away or I’ve got engine grease on my clothes.
I’d hate to be an only child.
Q 3.What is your clan? What is different about them than other clans?
I’m part of the Aboran clan. My doda’s the Nalac-dar*, so we live in the ancestral estate, but the clan’s spread all across the plains. There are even some Aborans on the outer system planets, like my sister.
We’re known for our livestock. Our burrons have the best meat this side of the Esarelian Empire, and our vevom produce eggs every day. We also train duntratha to take riders. Some of the animals Doda’s worked with have won at the races, but we mainly use them for rounding up the burrons and getting to parts of the estate where we can’t take a land slider.
Our closest neighbours are the Tallomeths, but we don’t see them very often. They live up in the mountains where they mine metals and stones. We see more of the Ekamels, who live mainly in the city and some of the smaller towns where we go to trade.
The other clans are spread out across the continent, except for the Zimagars, who live on the ocean in their boats for most of the year.
*clan leader
Q 4: Do you like to travel?
I love to travel. The tijaals in Teratec are my favourite festivals of the year, though the city’s only a few hours away, so I’m not sure that counts as real travel.
Doda took me with him on an extended trading trip once, and that was amazing. We rode over to Finawan and all the way down the coast to Ulundec. I’ve never seen anything like it. The whole citadel’s built insi—oh! I’m not supposed to talk about that with off-worlders. Please forget I mentioned it.
Q 5.What do you do in your free time?
I spend most of it in the maintenance shed with Gamalek, learning what I can about being a mechanic and avoiding my sisters and Nima.
Since Mahsan arrived at the estate, I’ve been spending a bit of time with him too. He needs to be shown how to do everything. It makes me wonder how he survived before he came to stay with us.
I know you're dying to know more, so here's the scoop!
Discernment is live and available for you!
A misfit, a fugitive, and a sacred destiny. Everything changes when all three collide.
In Jiya’s world, the only choice a woman has is who she will marry. When she meets a mysterious off-worlder, she must decide how far she is willing to push the boundaries of Teraburan culture to gain her freedom, and whether that is truly what she wants.
Mahsan has never been accepted for who he is. The sole human raised on an Esarelian cruiser, his attempts to belong led only to disaster and him becoming a fugitive. When he is invited into the home of a Teraburan clan leader, he finds a place where he could finally put down roots. But his past haunts him, and he will need to make peace with it if he wants any kind of future in his new home.
Not everyone approves of Jiya and Mahsan’s friendship, and some will stop at nothing to keep them apart. As the unlikely pair discover their true calling, they will have to confront everything they thought they knew and learn to see themselves as they never have before.
Book Links:
Meet The Author
Lauren H Salisbury is a lover of all things science fiction/fantasy, creative, and edible, but not always in that order. An English teacher for sixteen years, she now tutors part-time while trying to figure out how to use an MA in Education as an author. She lives in Yorkshire with her husband and a room full of books but likes to winter abroad, following the sunshine. Her favourite stories include faith, hope, and courage.
Find out more on her website!
Enter the Giveaway Raffle for a chance at a gorgeous necklace, special character art, and more!
Scavenger Hunt Word: we