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A story of friendship and forgiveness in a world that knows neither.
by Jordan S. Keller
Genre: Dystopian Cyberpunk Science Fiction
Roman Koa knows that to survive, he must be ruthless.
The Slums beneath the floating city of Icaria were never meant to thrive—but they did. A gritty junkyard city of thieves and robot fighters, it’s everything Icaria isn’t. Roman has grown greedy after clawing his way to the top of the robot fighting hierarchy with his powerful electromagnet robot, taking from anyone who crosses his path. When Icarians come to the Slums for a night of risky entertainment, Roman takes twice as much.
But when he’s offered the chance to steal advanced tech from Icaria, the job is too tempting to resist—even with Oliver Flint offering it, his former best friend who sold their robotics code for a new life in Icaria. Without Roman.
The job is simple: Roman helps Oliver save Icaria’s failing gravity beams, and Roman gains access to technology to build powerful robots to secure his position as King of Ring and King of the Slums. Roman’s hatred for Icaria is hard to ignore, though and he is tempted to let the city Oliver betrayed him for crash back to Earth, but dooming Icaria means dooming everyone.
As Icaria’s gravity—and Roman’s fragile bond with Oliver—fails, Roman must choose: will he let Icaria crash, or is there a chance for forgiveness, for both his friend and the city?
Failing Gravity is a high-octane, cyberpunk-inspired adventure about friendship, betrayal, and the fight for forgiveness.
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Jordan S. Keller is the author of the Ashes Over Avalon superhero trilogy and Failing Gravity. She is a type-one diabetic, a serial dog walker, and is impatiently waiting for her favorite bands to visit. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband and their critters. You can visit her online at JordanSKellerAuthor.com
Jordan is one of the hosts for the Everyday Writing podcast and founder of the Queen City Fiction Writers Workshop.
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Would you like a chance to win a Signed copy of Failing Gravity or a $10 Amazon giftcard – 1 winner each! Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
What inspired you to write this book?
Failing Gravity was inspired by the Bad Omens’ album THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND. I became obsessed with the album, and every time I listened to it I could picture Roman, the main character, in the world of Icaria. I couldn’t get it out of my head so I started writing it all down. It felt like a fever dream, the writing happened so fast.
What can we expect from you in the future?
I can’t share too much, but there is another book coming soon. It’s a story of friendship and bravery and set in one of my favorite places. I’m really excited to share this upcoming book with the world.
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Failing Gravity?
Roman Koa is the main character of Failing Gravity and he’s a bit of a mean guy. His world has shaped him into this rough-around-the-edges fighter who refuses to get close to anyone. He’s the meanest character I’ve ever written and it wasn’t until the book released that I realized why. While writing this book, my father passed away in a car accident and I shut down. Writing Failing Gravity I, through Roman, learned how to love and get close to people again.
Oliver Flint is the ex-best friend to Roman and he is everything that Roman isn’t: kind, compassionate, and willing to see the good in everyone. There’s a seen in the book where Roman looks at Oliver the same way he looks at the sun. I won’t spoil the ending, but these moments became some of my favorites in Failing Gravity.
Anything specific you want to tell your readers?
Writing Failing Gravity let me find hope. It let me remember the goodness of the world, and that loving your friends and family is worth it even if they could be taken from you. I hope readers can find that light in Failing Gravity and if they are struggling with their own darkness then they can recapture hope.
Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?
I had a pretty strong grip on the story while writing it. It felt like my characters and I were on the same page throughout the plot with the same end goal…. All except for a certain girl who had a crush on a certain boy. She highjacked a chapter so fast I didn’t realize what was happening until they both ended up at a cyberpunk coffee shop for a terrible awkward first date. The scene remained in the final draft. It became a pivotal moment so I’m greatful for the detour.
Convince us why you feel your book is a must read.
Failing Gravity is a high-octane, cyberpunk adventure that will leave you breathless.
Have you written any other books that are not published?
I have written so many books that will never see the light of day. Some are full manuscripts and others are half drafts that feel like more ideas than actual books. Every book has taught me something though so I am glad I wrote them all. I follow my writing muse wherever it wants to go—it’s always a good time.
If your book had a candle, what scent would it be?
I feel like the easy answer is trash since part of the world is a junk town, but that would make a terrible candle. One of the characters is related to daffodils so I would like to say that. Daffodils and motor oil.
What did you edit out of this book?
I’m an underwriter so I never have to worry about cutting things, only expanding. Failing Gravity is a short book, probably too short, but it told the story that needed to be told and I didn’t want to jeopardize the story for added fluff.
Nina Soden 