Young Adult SciFi Novel Series Debuts From BooksEndependent

Los Angeles, CA

Independent micro-publisher BooksEndependent, founded by author and screenwriter Valerie C. Woods, has announced the release on Amazon.com of the YA science fiction novel, "Under the Shadow, Children of the First Star Volume 1" by J. M. Kay. (http://www.jmkaywriting.com)

The first installment of a three-part series, Under the Shadow "gives the reader a 360? view of a complex plot that takes us on an unexpected adventure out of our comfort zone and further into ourselves, asking us to test our notions of what we think life should be and what value we place on lives other than our own." - Beth Holian, Tween Book Blog (http://tweenbookblog.wordpress.com/2014/09/30/under-the-shadow-review/)

Two thirteen-year-old boys, Jason Swann and Daniel Elliot, are forced into friendship as they are accidentally abducted by the Archivist, a robotic being created by an ancient alien race, known as the Shantar Anar, for the purpose of studying the universe. But of course, things that seem like coincidence reek of deeper mystery as the boys and the Archivist find themselves lost in an adventure on a foreign world, Ranis Anjiran.

While the boys are in far-off worlds, their respective families in the small town of Ashton, in the American Midwest, desperately seek to find them, thinking the worst. Their search uncovers a hidden history with ties to the events surrounding Jason and Daniel's abduction.

Author J. M. Kay, born and raised in Los Angeles, now a resident of Pasadena, CA, grew up on a steady diet of science fiction and fantasy. He is an author, poet and cartoonist. His inspiration for his novel is "The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot.

Kay writes: "For all of The Waste Land's complexities and cryptic nature, there is a clear, emotional component of the awareness the poet has for the world he inhabits. My recognition of this awareness is the basis for the trilogy I'm writing: 'Children of the First Star,' Volumes I-III: 'Under the Shadow,' 'A Moment in the Glass,' and 'What the Thunder Said.' All three titles are taken from 'The Waste Land.' And each book can be defined, in essence, by the three words of Sanskrit Eliot borrows from the Upanishads ancient works of Indian wisdom - used in the concluding piece of his poem: Datta, Dayadhvam, Damyata - give, compassion, control."

"Come in under the shadow ... I will show you fear in a handful of dust." - T.S. Eliot

"Under the Shadow" is the fourth release from BooksEndependent LLC (BE), founded in 2012. BE publishes, via e-books and print, a maximum of 2-3 titles from new and established writers annually. As a small press, BE is able to give its author one-on-one, focused attention in the creation of their manuscript. Our titles cover a variety of genres for young readers and adults.

Under the Shadow, Children of the First Star, Volume 1
Release Date: October 1, 2014 - List Price $10.99 - Amazon.com
Press Kit: http://www.BooksEndependent.com
Distribution: Ingram, Amazon.com, Createspace Direct