ESCONDIDO, CALIFORNIA, January 25, 2022 Tanya Ross is announcing a brand new, stunning slate of awards for her Tranquility Series. The saga follows the story started in the futuristic dystopian Rising Up, book one of the series, where readers meet characters who must adhere to laws in their city requiring them to always be happy and positive. The stories are inspired by Ross’s experience with her son: “My son was born with Fragile X Syndrome, which is characterized by frequent mood swings,” explains Ross. “We have worked hard to minimize the emotional highs and lows, teaching and encouraging him to stay calm regardless of how he feels. The fictional city of Tranquility that I created also challenges its citizens to be positive and even-tempered, to the point of complete control of every emotion.”
Facing Off takes place after the three main characters from Rising Up, Ember, Will, and Xander, discover that their city is not so perfect and happy after all. In Facing Off, the Tranquility teens pledge to deliver a brewing revolution to the Magistrate, the city’s leader. But when Tranquility’s Magistrate goes on the hunt for them, it sends them scattering into the wind in a desperate attempt to survive. Left with impossible odds, they take enormous risks that change everything, especially for the main character, Ember, an Empath, who discovers secrets about her family she had never known.
In the world in which we live today, where technology controls much of what we do or say, parallels run deep to those more intense issues that Rising Up and Facing Off explore. These themes make the reader think about how much our lives are influenced by social media and by the pressure to be happy. The book’s characters are willing to put their lives on the line for freedom from the reach of “Big Brother.”
“The highs and lows of our emotions, which make us human, are often the very bane of our existence. And at what point do we determine what is acceptable and what is not, and how much we hide or share with others?” Ross questions. “I wanted to write books, particularly for young adults, that show how technology and human emotion can be corrupted and used to control people.”
Tanya Ross draws on her background of thirty-two years of teaching middle school students, where high emotion, peer pressure, and
the latest social media platforms influence vulnerable lives.
“Have you ever dreamed or thought about what it would be like to live in a world where the number one priority is to be happy, joyful and peaceful? Welcome to Tranquility. A place where you let all of your fears go. However, how would you feel if you were forced to be happy? What if your every emotion was being monitored? This is also Tranquility. A rebellion the likes of which one may recall from moments in history takes place to overturn the magistrate of Tranquility’s population. Who will ultimately win? Facing Off by Tanya Ross is the second book in her Tranquility series. Her characters Ember, Xander, Will, and Wee take us on an adventure of a lifetime through their eyes and emotions. We are immersed in their world. I found myself struggling for them and holding my breath at times. I wished and prayed for a positive outcome. The skill of the author, and her choice of words, goes way beyond painting an amazing picture. She takes the reader INTO the book. I left my body behind and was totally immersed in the world that she created. The ending left me speechless. Completely satisfying and amazing!”
– PJ Campbell, author of Booked to Death and 101 Author Tips
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