FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

In what appears to be a fit of jealous rage, Hermes (a.k.a Mercury, herald of the gods and protector of travelers, thieves, and orators) attempted to hijack today’s release of C.J. Hall’s new book, Aeturnum: Evolving Elizah Book 2. The much-anticipated sequel to Evolving Elizah: Initiatum was set to launch today in both electronic and print format, until Hermes’ attack on the workflow database of publisher, IngramSpark, relegated the files for the printed books to the lowest circle of electronic hell.

Readers have been eager for the next installment of the trilogy, and editorial reviews suggest that they won’t be disappointed. BookLife said, “Hall proves adept at action, tension, and suggestion, offering enticing alien mysteries that suggest there may something more terrifying in the cosmos than human betrayal and terrorism … The suspense (and the answers) prove so engaging that they may appeal even to readers outside the science fiction fold.” BlueInk Review added, “The story is well-told … The characters are well-developed, and the plot has more twists than a John Le Carré novel.”

Aeturnum continues the story of Elizah “Liz” Goeff, a fierce young woman raised in the aftermath of extinction-level natural disasters on Earth. The story takes place on the Green Grow 3, a space farm that isn’t just Liz’s home but also a refuge from the terrorist organization known as the New Generation, an organization led by Liz’s brother, Jackson.

The Green Grow 3 is hurtling toward deep space, catapulted out of Earth’s orbit by a malfunctioning propulsion drive, and Jackson claims he knows how to get the ship back to Earth. But can Liz trust him? When he mysteriously arrives on the ship, claiming to know how to fold the space-time continuum, Liz realizes she is out of time to discover what Jackson really wants. Why did he come, and what did he unleash when he opened the wormhole that brought him to the ship?

Apparently, Hermes does not want readers to find out. Although his reasons for undermining the release remain unclear, it’s no secret that he has trouble sharing the spotlight. Pundits speculate that he may have felt threatened by the release, which coincides with the god’s own iconic journey. A source close to Mount Olympus commented, “It should be no surprise that Mercury’s retrograde is undermining human attempts to spread joy and excitement.”

The book launch might have been lost altogether, except the Moon Maiden caught wind of Hermes’ plan and secreted the ebook files for Kindle and Nook under her veil of darkness until it was time for them to go live on the World Wide Web. When asked what message she has for the god, the Moon Maiden offered this statement, “I will shine my light tonight as scheduled, with full force and perfect feeling. There is no hiding place I cannot illuminate. The print files will be recovered, and Hermes will be dealt with.” The Moon Maiden declined further comment when asked about her plans for Hermes, stating only that “a lady never tells.”

Indie author C.J. Hall had little to add, saying only that she is disappointed that the release isn’t going as planned but hopes readers find the story to be worth the wait. And the publishing house, IngramSpark, had this to say: “Thank you for contacting IngramSpark. Your request has been received and is being reviewed by our support staff. We look forward to helping you and, in the meantime, we recommend checking out our help center for the answer to your question.”

Track the story as it develops on CJ-Hall.com

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