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Hi everyone and welcome to another monthly supporters showcase! This is where I share the books and blogs of my Ko-Fi members. Please check out their amazing work!
Rebecca Crunden
Rebecca Crunden is an indie author of fantasy and science fiction who lives in Cork, Ireland.
War followed. Humanity lost. And three hundred years later, humans are on the brink of extinction.
Orphans Thorn and Thistle live in hiding. They are the last of their families, the last of their friends. They scrape by, stealing to survive and living on the streets or hiding in sheds. But even under the brutal regime of the Suriias, there are places where humans can mingle in secret with magical sympathisers, and one night Thistle gets an unexpected offer of marriage from a Suriia with high standing and friends in all the right places. For Thistle, it’s a chance at safety and comfort; for Thorn, it’s a chance to find the ones who killed her parents.
And so the pair move into the capital city of Courtenz. An urban monstrosity of magic and might, false friends and flying cars, drones and death tolls, the new city promises a fresh start – and new love – for both.
But if there’s one thing Thorn knows for certain, it’s that dreams can swiftly turn into nightmares.
A Touch of Death (The Outlands Pentalogy Book 1)
A stark contrast, Catherine Taenia has spent her entire life comfortable and content. The daughter of the King’s Hangman and in love with Thom, Nate’s younger brother, her life has always been easy, ordered and comfortable. That is, where it doesn’t concern Nate. His actions sullied not only his future, but theirs. And unlike Thom, Catherine has never forgiven him.
Two years pass without a word, and then one night Nate returns. But things with Nate are never simple, and when one wrong move turns their lives upside down, the only thing left to do is run where the King’s guards cannot find them – the Outlands. Those wild, untamed lands which stretch around the great walls of the Kingdom, filled with mutants and rabids.
He tells her his name is Tamiel and he’s one of the Irin – the army of angels tasked with keeping demons from overwhelming humanity. But Tamiel broke a sacred law – he fell in love with a human – and now he’s being hunted by the same angels he once served.
With nowhere else to go, Octavia and Tamiel – along with Jack, the human in question, and her brother Caleb – appeal directly to Zev, the Demon of Games. A trickster of unparalleled power, Zev gives nothing for free, and the gift he offers Octavia to keep Tamiel alive comes with a confusing catch: He makes her the Healer of Raphael, archangel and Commander of the Irin.
Suddenly a target for both angels and demons, Octavia quickly learns that the only way to survive is to play the game better than they do.
The only problem is, she doesn’t know whose game she’s playing …
Unfortunately, not everything about the future is so advanced. The central planets, led by Earth, have risen high at the expense of cheap labour on distant worlds. Dissent is widespread and arrests are common. Sometimes prisoners are released; sometimes they disappear without a trace, sent to labour camps in other solar systems.
When Ames Emerys receives a letter telling him that his brother Callum has died en route to the remote planet of Kilnin, he takes the first ship he can off Earth, desperate for answers. But the secrets Ames uncovers prove far more dangerous than he could have imagined.
And trouble isn’t far behind.
The only problem? Paige has been dead for years.
Believing it to be a sick prank, Eliza tries to force it from her mind until Sam, Eliza’s older sister, tells her she met Paige only a few weeks before. And, according to Sam, Paige has nothing nice to say about Erik.
The fight which follows shatters the lives of everyone involved, and Erik disappears without a trace.
Five years later, Erik returns to town after his father’s death. Old wounds quickly resurface, and with them several burning questions. None the least of which is: Who spoke to Eliza and Sam if it wasn’t Paige? And why?
Links:
Josh de Lioncourt
Josh de Lioncourt is the author of The Dragon’s Brood Cycle, an epic fantasy series. He was born and raised in California and enjoys writing projects in a wide variety of fields, including fiction, music, software, tech articles, and more. He has written on Apple accessibility for Macworld and Maccessibility, hosts or participates regularly on several podcasts, and writes and records music with Molly, his wife. Josh enjoys the works of Stephen King, the music of George Michael, Masters of the Universe, home-roasted coffee, and Los Angeles Kings hockey. He also just happens to be blind.
Treasures and Trinkets: A Dragon's Brood Tale (The Dragon's Brood Cycle)
But Maddy's predictable world is turned upside down when an extraordinary servant girl challenges everything she's ever known; there's a wider world beyond the comfortable confines of her castle, full of wonder and magic, and Maddy finds that the one thing she doesn't have is the only thing she really needs.
Haven Lost (The Dragon's Brood Cycle Book 1)
Sixteen-year-old Emily Haven, heroine of the girls’ hockey team at Lindsey High, has spent her young life keeping two secrets: her rapidly deteriorating home life and the seemingly supernatural power that makes her a star on the ice. When she begins seeing visions of a ragged boy reflected in mirrors and shop windows, a series of events unfolds that tears her from twenty-first century Minneapolis and leaves her stranded in another world with horrors to rival those she has left behind. Lost amidst creatures of fantasy and legend, she is forced to confront the demons of both her past and future to unravel the riddle of the mysterious boy and embark upon a journey to uncover long forgotten histories and the dark, cloaked figure in the shadows behind them all. Caught between opposing forces of a war she does not understand, Emily must find new strength within herself and, above all, the will to remember her friends.
Emily Haven and her friends have been given the seemingly impossible task of uniting the worlds—a mission they failed once before, in another lifetime.
But Emily made a promise, and she intends to keep it. A small boy risked his life to save hers, and while Michael sets out to rejoin the Dragon’s Brood, she heads east with Celine and Corbbmacc to rescue Daniel from a band of desert slavers.
Time does not stand still, however, and the dark legends are true. They deal in blue fire; they deal in death; and they travel through the long nights on autumn winds.
Samhain has come, and this year, the harvest will be in blood, gold, and souls.
Links:
Treasures and Trinkets audiobook trailerCharles Edward Williams
Walking past the imposing Arch of Titus and down the large and uneven flagstones of the Via Sacra leading to the Forum, the author sensed the unheard voices and the untold tales of the soldiers that gave their lives in honour of the hallowed ground. An abiding interest in the first two centuries CE of the the early Roman Empire led the author to relate a soldier’s tale. Charles Edward Williams lives in Dunedin, a coastal University city in the South Island of New Zealand.
The Dacian Enigma (Vialegio Book 1)
The sly deceit and deception of the Dacian King unleashes an Emperor's revenge. A soldier learns the wily crafts of war and politics as he rises through the ranks of the legendary Legion of Gemina. Overreaching ambition lays the framework for fissures within the Roman Empire.
The Arc of Dacicus (Vialegio Book 2)
Years of provocation and deception have incited the Emperor Trajan to restore the honour of Rome on the eastern frontiers of the empire.
Shameful memories of past humiliations from broken treaties and the dishonourable losses of Roman legions compel the emperor to subdue the frontier territories and to impose Roman hegemony.
Senior Tribune Cletus, steadily elevated by battlefield actions of bravery and courage through the Legion Gemina ranks, finds his allegiances tested as he climbs the ladder of power during the arc of the expansionary campaign.
D. M. Wright
Shameful memories of past humiliations from broken treaties and the dishonourable losses of Roman legions compel the emperor to subdue the frontier territories and to impose Roman hegemony.
Senior Tribune Cletus, steadily elevated by battlefield actions of bravery and courage through the Legion Gemina ranks, finds his allegiances tested as he climbs the ladder of power during the arc of the expansionary campaign.
Links:
There are no limits to the depth and breadth of his stories, many of which are derived from the plots of some of the greatest literature in history, as well as from his own life experiences. From tales of a shipwreck where it’s every man for himself, to a date that leaves a woman running with $150 million she never asked for, he adds a distinctive Australian voice to a whole host of internationally renowned reads.
When Wright isn’t navigating the pits of his imagination, you’ll often find him working as a support worker for homeless teens and the elderly. When not working, he’s renovating his house or taking sunny rides on his motorcycle through the picturesque Adelaide Hills.
D. M. Wright is a recipient of the inaugural City of Charles Sturt Arts, Music and Dance Award for his contribution to literature, and was awarded third place for his captivating narrative, St. Patrick's Church - Series Two, in the national Young Australian Christian Writer Awards.
Books:
Beth Mac: Part One (GRIM Book 1)
Whether it's the battlefield or the football field, Beth Mac is relentless.
Adored as much as she's feared, Corporal Elizabeth Mackenzie is nothing short of a full-blown enigma. Once awarded the Medal of Honour for her bold and arguably reckless efforts as a soldier, she eventually finds herself inching toward a different type of pedestal — one at Saint Judah's College.
With her eyes on the prize, she's on a mission to take the captaincy, whatever the cost. And one by one her competition violently fall.
Luckily, for Beth Mac, a doting boyfriend and a band of followers are far too easily manipulated for her to have to get her hands dirty. The school has its bets on the Grim Reaper being responsible. After all, that's who carried out the murderous rampage at the school just the year before.
Full of all your classic sorority debauchery, Part One will take you on a journey of mysterious happenings with a down-under twist and a whole lot of slaughter. Bloody, witty and outrageously mad, it's Macbeth like you've never seen it before.
Who knew football could be this deadly?
As the newly crowned captain of the college football team, Elizabeth Mackenzie is hell-bent on holding power no matter who or what stands in her way. The biggest challenge of all is keeping her cards close to her chest as suspicions arise around her role in the carnage.
Adored as much as she's feared, Corporal Elizabeth Mackenzie is nothing short of a full-blown enigma. Once awarded the Medal of Honour for her bold and arguably reckless efforts as a soldier, she eventually finds herself inching toward a different type of pedestal — one at Saint Judah's College.
With her eyes on the prize, she's on a mission to take the captaincy, whatever the cost. And one by one her competition violently fall.
Luckily, for Beth Mac, a doting boyfriend and a band of followers are far too easily manipulated for her to have to get her hands dirty. The school has its bets on the Grim Reaper being responsible. After all, that's who carried out the murderous rampage at the school just the year before.
Full of all your classic sorority debauchery, Part One will take you on a journey of mysterious happenings with a down-under twist and a whole lot of slaughter. Bloody, witty and outrageously mad, it's Macbeth like you've never seen it before.
Who knew football could be this deadly?
Links:
Kenneth Lumpkin
Kenneth Lumpkin is an educator, writer, poet, musician, Freemason and activist. He has published four collections of poetry to date: “Gather the Ashes”, 1984, winner of the Louis Ginsberg Memorial Fellowship from the Chaucer Guild, “Song of Ramapough: A Poetics of Place”, 2016, “Love Lake”, 2017 and “God Has Many Names and other poems”, 2018 and "Slip of the Tongue", 2019 NS "Possum: Tales from the Hidden Wood", 2021. He teaches anthropology online through three New Jersey state universities and resides in London, Ontario with his wife, Kim and cat, Molly.
Song of Ramapough is a work that has some years behind it…38 as of this writing. It is a poetics of place. In this sense, it gets a lot of its direction and inspiration from Charles Olson’s Maximus Poems and William Carlos Williams’ Paterson. It was my intent when I started this project to write something that bespoke of the land, in this case, the Ramapo Mountain area of upper Bergen County, New Jersey and parts of Rockland and Orange Counties, New York. The idea was that it would be an environmental learning tool as well as a collection of poems. It is, in fact, one long poem to a particular place, the Ramapo Mountains. The personal hope was that if I got to know one distinct place on this planet intimately, I would also come to know the larger place, and therefore, the very Earth, itself.
Books:
Song of Ramapough: A Poetics of Place
A poetic celebration of land and life. This collection of poems, centered around a particular place, the Ramapo Mountains of New York and New Jersey, is inspired, in part, by the local geology, biology and human history. With such precedents as Charles Olson's "Maximus Poems" and William Carlos Williams' "Paterson", the poet seeks a deeper connection with the greater Earth processes for both himself and the reader.
Slip of the Tongue
A new collection of poems by Kenneth Lumpkin, whose works include "Song of Ramapough: A Poetics of Place", "Love Lake" and "God Has Many Names and Other Poems".
Possum : Tales from the Hidden Wood
Hidden Wood, a place ADULTS can go and have lots of fun...without anyone ever knowing! Meet Possum, Sofi, Clifford the Crow, Ricky Rabbit and all the others. They'll take you where you've never been before and you won't ever want to come back!
God Has Many Names: and other poems
A collection of poetry celebrating the search for spiritual meaning amidst life's joys, setbacks and resulting laughter and tears.
Jill Horton
Jill Horton loves creating magical worlds for children to learn in and explore. She and her husband have four kids who love the adventures found in good books. One dog, two cats, and four parakeets joined the family’s fun and literary travels. Now, Jill is inviting you to pick up one of her books and start your own family’s storytime traditions too!
The Fast Little Fox (The Fast Little Fox & Friends)
My review of The Fast Little Fox.
Jill's links:
Kimberly Greer
From narrating school plays to writing melodramatic short stories, Kim Greer has always enjoyed telling stories that entertain and enlighten. As a fiction writer, she imagines thoughtful but flawed characters who engage and enrage readers in her stories that celebrate love, mourn societal discord, examine relationships, and prompt us to take a closer look at ourselves.
Kim’s passion for connecting audiences with a good read has bled into all facets of her life. A journalist by training, she earned her BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Virginia and an MS in Journalism from Columbia University.
For nearly three decades, she’s helped corporations, nonprofits, and others tell their stories and build their brands. Kim lives in northern Virginia with her fabulous husband of 26 years, the youngest of their three sons, her 91-year-old father, and their Rottweiler, Oba.
Kimberly's book:
Masked Intent : A Modern-Day Morality Play (The Morality Plays series Book 1)
Very well-written, recommended for anyone who can't get enough details and likes a lengthy read...The plot is quite entertaining with twists at almost every angle that keep the reader on the edge. --Fatima Aladdin, ReedsyDiscovery
Kimberly Greer wrote a story that portrayed the relationship humans often have with the truth when interacting with other people. There was nothing to dislike about this book. I rate it 4 out of 4 stars and recommend it to people who love an unpolished love story. --Unique Ego, onlinebookclub.org
From being denied by her birth parents to marrying the wrong man, Alexa Winston has learned to cope with disappointment and heartache by masking her true self from the world. Divorced and finally living on her own terms, she shrouds herself in half-truths and bravado, content to live her quiet, predictable life – until she finds the job and the man of her dreams. As she falls deeper into both, and into a world ruled by powerful players jockeying for influence and dominance at all costs, she’s forced to weigh her truths against reality. Trouble is, though she’s a master at detecting self-deception in others, she’s slow to recognize it in herself.
Masked Intent takes a taut, complex look at how we hide behind inauthenticity to guide us through our interpersonal relationships. It’s a timely and relevant story that asks a key question: what does it matter how many followers, likes, and upvotes we have if we no longer recognize the person we see in the mirror?
Masked Intent is the first installment in The Morality Plays Series and ends in a cliffhanger. The story concludes in Intents + Purposes, which publishes in early 2022.
Kimberly Greer wrote a story that portrayed the relationship humans often have with the truth when interacting with other people. There was nothing to dislike about this book. I rate it 4 out of 4 stars and recommend it to people who love an unpolished love story. --Unique Ego, onlinebookclub.org
From being denied by her birth parents to marrying the wrong man, Alexa Winston has learned to cope with disappointment and heartache by masking her true self from the world. Divorced and finally living on her own terms, she shrouds herself in half-truths and bravado, content to live her quiet, predictable life – until she finds the job and the man of her dreams. As she falls deeper into both, and into a world ruled by powerful players jockeying for influence and dominance at all costs, she’s forced to weigh her truths against reality. Trouble is, though she’s a master at detecting self-deception in others, she’s slow to recognize it in herself.
Masked Intent takes a taut, complex look at how we hide behind inauthenticity to guide us through our interpersonal relationships. It’s a timely and relevant story that asks a key question: what does it matter how many followers, likes, and upvotes we have if we no longer recognize the person we see in the mirror?
Masked Intent is the first installment in The Morality Plays Series and ends in a cliffhanger. The story concludes in Intents + Purposes, which publishes in early 2022.
Links:
Monty Vern
Books:
Monty’s Almanac 202x is an autobiographical collection of short stories, poetic prose, and quirky cartoons about a young boy and his comic misadventures growing up on a commune in Vermont during the 80’s. Structurally and aesthetically inspired by The Old Farmer’s Almanac, this collection is arranged by the four seasons.
"366 Fully self-illustrated very short stories and poetic prose" (For best viewing use color-capable device!)
"My words are as varied as the experiences life has thrown at me. Always personal and emotionally honest. Mostly autobiographical, observational, and free of fake news. Periodically humorous, sometimes intentionally but often not.
"This work contains 366 illustrated very short stories, one for each day of the year 2020 based on the #vss365 prompt on Twitter. This is the first collection of such stories that are fully illustrated. I never intended it, but this daily short story practice became my daily diary for this crazy year. This is the result. A bit messy, but isn't that how life works?
I started writing during the extended spring festival in January 2020, just as the epidemic (later pandemic) set in and we went into quarantine. I had no specific plan at the time, but I had done some expressive writing about a year previously as part of a mental health/chronic pain treatment program and found it difficult but productive. The difficulty came from it raising many painful memories and emotions. The productivity came from being able to reframe those past experiences in a new healthier context and process the emotions.
Not taking himself too seriously, in the first of 72 fully illustrated poems the author promises:
"If your looking for meaning behind these words, you'll find a blank page."
Personal and revealing, in one poem the author explains that:
"Secrecy is too tiring so I tell everyone everything; especially the most embarrassing."
A couple pages later he confesses:
"Twisted and tortured in mind, body, and soul, I heroically begin another day."
An adult poetry and picture book.
Volumes 2 and 3:
Links:
Dorian J. Sinnott
Dorian J. Sinnott was born and raised in Saugerties, New York. After graduating high school in 2009, Dorian moved to Boston, MA to attend Emerson College, where he received his Bachelor’s in Arts in Writing, Literature, and Publishing. During his time there, he also spent a semester abroad, living in London, where he studied marketing and literature.
Dorian’s love for writing came far prior to his education, however. He was first published at the age of 12 in Creative Communications (a national journal of student creative writing) with his poem “Brotherly Love”. Since then, Dorian has had a total of over 160 poems and short stories published in literary magazines and journals around the globe. His work has been nominated for numerous awards, including the Eric Hoffer Book Award and Best of the Net.
Aside from writing, Dorian loves English horseback riding, playing violin, and traveling with his loved ones. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Crow’s Feet Journal and an editor at Paramour Ink. He’s also an active member of the Horror Writers Association and Horror Authors Guild. Dorian currently lives in Kansas City, MO with his two cats, Binx and Hope.
Some of Dorian's books:
Into the Uncanny: 12 Tales of Terror
Watercolors: A Selection of Poetry
Links:
Emma Jordan
Emma Jordan is a UK-based writer, living in Plymouth, Devon. Originally from Lancashire, she lived in London and China before settling in the West Country with her family. An avid reader of books, films and music, Emma is often found at gigs, listening to three minute stories.
Her inspiration is her creation station/home office - a source of confusion for the uninitiated, however Emma can lay her hand to any writing resource, knitting needle, yarn, gorgeous note book, brush pen or embroidery thread that she needs, and can always rustle up chocolate.
Emma published Everything, Except You in September 2019, which is the first book in the trilogy, Love is Everything.
Everything and Nothing was written, edited and published during July 2020. The Christmas novella, Everything This Christmas, was published in December 2020.
Her first standalone fiction, Nashville Bites, is (currently) the only vampire rom-com on Amazon, and was published in October 2021.
Emma is currently working on the final book in the Love is Everything trilogy, due Summer 2022.
When not writing (or editing) Emma can be found at the other end of a Kindle, adding books to her TBR list.
Catch up with Emma, AKA dgtlwriter, over on the Twitters or the Instagram.
Books include:
A bar, run by two female songwriters on Nashville's Broadway, offers a unique weekend house band: they’re vampires.
Their prey? Well, the Salvatore brothers nailed the whiskey drinking to dull feed ache, but there’s no shortage of junk food in Nashville, from label executives who don’t play fair, to the folks who prey on tourists; heaven help the talentless musician who gets too big for their boots.
Erica and Pia Harker died sixty years ago, and now the bar they play in is closing down in just 12 weeks. Perfect time to hire non-vampire bassist Jay Darke, right?
If you've spent a lifetime watching ALL the vampire shows, love a rom-com and like your reads quirky, then you'll love Nashville Bites, a standalone romcom.
Adam Gaffen
Sorry about the mess.
So, I suppose I should start with some basics, eh?
I was born in Maine, didn't live there for long before my parents figured out that it was too bloody cold and moved south, all the way to Massachusetts. Grew up there and in Connecticut, lived in Maryland and Indiana for a while before moving back to Maine. Lived there for twenty years before I, too, decided the winters were too long. Of course, where do you to get away from long winters? COLORADO! Naturally. Married to a wonderful, inspirational, supportive woman; between us we have five kids, five dogs, and five cats.
Every author starts as a reader, and the same is true for me. Some of first 'real' books I remember are the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov, the Hornblower books by C.S.Forester, and Lad by Albert Payson Terhune. The, ah, let's just say 'eclectic' nature of these first few began a trend that continues today, as I read just about anything. You want a list? Okay. In no order (except as they occur to me):
Robert Heinlein. Dave Barry. Lisa Mantchev. John Ringo. David Weber. Isaac Asimov (yes, still). David R. Palmer. Spider Robinson. Randall Garrett. Richelle Mead. F.M. Busby. Frank Herbert. Kevin J. Anderson. W.E.B. Griffin. Clive Cussler. Gemma Halliday.
Is the picture coming into focus? No? Exactly. There's way too many authors out there to limit myself to a single one, or even a single genre, though I do tend to return to science fiction.
Like I said, thanks for dropping in! You can find me on Allauthor.com, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and on my website www.cassidychronicles.com. I love interacting with fans, but be warned: I often add my fans into my books!
Books include:
Welcome to the Cassidyverse, the wider world of the Cassidy Chronicles, where life will take you in unexpected directions.
Kendra Cassidy’s dream was to drag humanity to the stars. Along the way she invested her fortune, her sweat, and her blood to make the Terran Federation real. But she wasn’t the only one; her crew struggled alongside her to bring it to life. These are their stories:
In “Recruiting Kendra, “ a younger Kendra learns first-hand what it takes to turn an actress into an assassin.
In “A Dream Made Flesh,” Diana, an AI and a leader of the Federation, wonders what it might be like to be human.
In “When ‘cats Fly,” Daniela is challenged to solve the problem of making a space fighter suitable for cat-sized sentients.
In “Murder on the Missouri,” a cadet is murdered, Alyssa calls in the only human who can solve the case.
In “Hell Hath No Fury,” A jealous, vengeful Admiral discovers that Ashley is the wrong Captain to exile to the frontier.
In “The Martian Gambit,” Mikall and the crew of the TFS Nike face a last-gasp attempt to overthrow the Terran Federation.
And in “Thrown For A Loop,” a story that spans centuries, Kendra and her wife, Aiyana, confront a threat to all of space and time.
In all, eleven tales of bravery, love, creativity, and…staplers?
Come see for yourself!
The year 2113 is a post-modern America, after decades of warfare and the near collapse of civilisation, America is shattered into a dozen nations. Aiyana Cassidy is a genius physicist who has stumbled upon a technology that will revolutionize the world. She makes contact with her old high school friend Kendra Foster-Briggs, who is an employee of a shadowy organization called OutLook. Cassidy's experiments at Heavy Lift Corporation (HLC) into teleportation cause many different players to begin tracking her down. Kendra and Cassidy set of on a cross-continental journey to find some answers.
In this steampunk novel, their travels take them on a continent spanning adventure as we are introduced to a world of advanced technology, strange and unfamiliar landscapes and new discoveries.
Links:
Thomas Hansen
Book:
After fourteen-year-old Billie Albatross discovers her mother is a runaway time traveler from the far future, her once ordinary small-town life immediately becomes a thing of the past. Chased by chronofficers – temporal agents tasked with righting the balance of time and space – Billie and her mother escape into the future and set out on a thrilling adventure full of laughs, mysteries, action, lots of heart, and a colorful cast of human, alien and virtual characters.
With the chronofficers hot on their trail, Billie and her mother Pandora arrive at a future colony on the Moon. As if it wasn't enough that she's in a new and unfamiliar world, Billie also finds herself investigating the sudden and mysterious murder of their one and only ally in the future. Fighting against her mother's desire to keep Billie away from any danger, the headstrong Billie insists they must do the right thing and find their friend's killer. What follows is a fast-paced time-hopping adventure story that is always kept grounded by the deep and loving relationship between its two unlikely protagonists, even if that relationship can't help but strain under the fact that Billie realizes she's been lied to about her mother's past – and the identity of Billie's father – for her entire life.
Fans of such TV shows as Gilmore Girls and Doctor Who might especially enjoy this Young Adult novel.
Tim Ruel
TIM RUEL is the author of SHINY METAL BOXES and works as a senior copy editor. While serving as a journalist in the U.S. for more than a decade, Tim took an interest in cooking up science fiction as loony as life on our planet. He lives outside of Washington, D.C., and enjoys traveling, Miles Davis, Ladytron, Radiohead, Aphex Twin and all sorts of beer from local breweries.
Book:
Emma Castle, an eye implant techie, gets dumped into dealing with a corporate nightmare.
People depend on AI, including eyeGo, a visual implant installed from the age of nine. When an erratic illness known as Jobs Disease incapacitates millions, Emma, an eyeGo health technician, gets reassigned to investigate a possible link between the implant and the affliction. As the disease continues to spread on Earth at an alarming rate, Emma uncovers a potential conspiracy that could rock humankind and technology forever. Teaming up with a private investigator, a hacking guru, a senior member of The Milky Way Library, and a million-dollar AI assistant, Emma races to stop the devastation before it’s too late.
SHINY METAL BOXES, the first installment in The Wormholescope Chronicles, is a science fiction novel that falls into the abyss of technology addiction.
Links:
Amazon author pageRachael DK
Books:
The Truth About Change and Awakening: A Memoir
In 1930s New York, David Tarniss leads a quiet life as a cab driver—too quiet—In reality he is hiding a dark secret, his homosexuality, something for which he will pay dearly due to the unique circumstances of the time.
With wisdom and humor, Rachael DK invites us into her world as a writer and survivor, examining the truths and fictions we tell ourselves and others as we teeter on the tightrope between meaning and mortality, guilt and redemption, fear and courage, hope and change. The emotional and physical pains she journaled throughout her life are ultimately revealed to the reader. Her memoir offers a deeply personal yet universal tour of our hearts and minds and providing the rarest of gifts: a boldly revealing portrait of what it means to be human. So many of the author's struggles as a two time suicide attempt survivor, breast cancer survivor, chronic illness sufferer—though rare when combined, are a reflection that helps readers see things in a new light, and rediscover simple pleasures and everyday joy. It is the story of how any of us can begin to trust ourselves enough to set boundaries, make peace with our bodies, honor our heartbreak, and unleash our truest dreams so that we finally look at ourselves and say: There I am, the real me.
Links:
Erik S. Meyers
Originally from Connecticut, I am an American abroad who has lived or worked in six countries on three continents, currently living in Germany.
With over 20 years of award-winning experience as a communications expert, I value the importance of a good story that can easily be understood, digested, and enjoyed.
The author of a self-published business book "The Accidental Change Agent" and an award-winning adult LGBTQ Jewish historical fiction novel "Caged Time," I also have written several short stories and am currently reworking a thriller/horror script.
Books:
A fascinating, if disturbing, story about the challenges that confronted gays (and Jews) in 1930s New York.
Links:
Jon Herrera
Born in El Salvador during the civil war, Jon Herrera immigrated with his family to Ontario, Canada at the age of eleven. Settling in the Niagara Region, Jon attended university, graduating with a degree in Physics and Mathematics. He has always had a keen interest in creativity in its many forms. His writing is the result of a love for fantasy and science fiction. A long time sufferer of anxiety and depression, Jon uses his perspective and experiences to ground his work. He now lives in Western Ontario with his partner and two loving cats.
Hi, I’m Melissa Stone and I write adult fantasy and YA urban fantasy. Presently, I have 9 books out spread across two series. My AF series is Children of An’katerr (3 books, one short story collection). For YA I have Stars of Destiny (5 books).
The first book in his series:
Emma and the Minotaur (World of Light Book 1)
Emma Wilkins must face the monster in the woods for the fate of the world.
An invasion is coming.
Deep in the shadows of Glenridge Forest, creatures of myth and legend are returning. They gather and wait for a day soon to come. A day when they will be unleashed upon the planet.
Daydreamer Emma Wilkins is eleven years old and lives on Belle Street in the city of Saint Martin. All Emma wants is a friend. She finds one in Jake Milligan, a new boy in town whose father has gone missing. Together, they embark on a mission to find him.
During her adventure, Emma discovers that all stories are true. All legends are real. The monsters of nightmare exist. She learns about a power greater still, one who watches and waits, preparing for the day when the world is ready for his return.
On her way to an impossible confrontation, Emma must conquer her fears and learn how to defeat the monster in the woods. At stake are the fates of those she cares about most and that of the entire world.
An invasion is coming.
Deep in the shadows of Glenridge Forest, creatures of myth and legend are returning. They gather and wait for a day soon to come. A day when they will be unleashed upon the planet.
Daydreamer Emma Wilkins is eleven years old and lives on Belle Street in the city of Saint Martin. All Emma wants is a friend. She finds one in Jake Milligan, a new boy in town whose father has gone missing. Together, they embark on a mission to find him.
During her adventure, Emma discovers that all stories are true. All legends are real. The monsters of nightmare exist. She learns about a power greater still, one who watches and waits, preparing for the day when the world is ready for his return.
On her way to an impossible confrontation, Emma must conquer her fears and learn how to defeat the monster in the woods. At stake are the fates of those she cares about most and that of the entire world.
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Melissa Stone
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Orphaned at a young age and taken in by Telvan’s most notorious bandit gang, Kinrou had no real expectations in life. He knew nothing of his past, nor did he care to. Then, one day, with the death of a Dragon Warrior, everything changed.
After a trip to Karath, the capital city of Telvan, he was told about a threat to the peace and that he had been hand picked by the Sky Lords themselves to stop it if only he could discoverwhat this threat was in time.
Dionne Archer is a regular high school girl. For her sixteenth birthday, though, she was gifted a strange mirror and a family secret that would change her life.
Faced with new magical powers, Dionne must now team up with other slike her to fight the organization known as the Lords of Chaos and keep them from achieving their goals.
All while dealing with homework.
As if being a teenager wasn’t hard enough already.
R. G. Roberts
You can find her on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/rgrobertswriter
You can find the fan group for War of the Submarine here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/184262746995116. Join this group for a link to get a free short story prequel for War of the Submarine (which is currently posting on Kindle Vella).
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First 3 episodes free!
First 3 episodes free!
First 3 episodes free!
2037: Underwater exploitation has changed the world. Every nation wants territory, and the race for resources on the ocean floor is on.
Commander Alex Coleman thought his career was over when he got sent to Armistice Station, an underwater megastation where you can buy everything except success in the U.S. Navy. Here, he waits for retirement, doling out sodas and supplies while keeping an eye out for and unruly sailors—hardly the things the Navy sends you to do when you’re a submariner on the fast track.
But things aren’t quiet in this underwater amusement park. French marines arrive with Indian Navy support. Both nations want the United States out of the Indian Ocean, and Alex, along with his eclectic band of castoff sailors, is the only one standing in their way.
Alex sure as hell doesn’t want to be a hero—because heroes don't explode coffee creamer fireballs or hijack cruise ships—but the shooting’s started, and he’s got a job to do.
Meanwhile, an American carrier strike group steams though the Straits of Malacca. Commander Nancy Coleman’s USS Fletcher (DDG 155) is on point, keeping an eye out for Chinese submarines that might stop her ships from arriving in time to aide Taiwan. But when a trigger-happy admiral shoots at the wrong nation’s submarine, she finds herself in the middle of a shootout that might be the first act of World War III.
Cardinal Virtues is first book in the series War of the Submarine, also published as Season 1 of the War of the Submarine serial on Kindle Vella.
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MJ Hutto
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So, I'm about to turn thirty and suddenly the whole universe seems bent on stirring my potion pot. My mother is planning a birthday party, my dead best friend is popping up, my cousin is playing matchmaker, and, oh yeah, someone is trying to kill me. My life is pretty full at the moment and I have to figure out who is going to kill me and when I'm going to die; preferably before, I, ya know, die.
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Cameron dives into the world of secret shows & a spontaneous summer tour to face his biggest rival: himself.
One night, Cameron and his best friends, Benji and Eric, fellow musicians themselves, stumble upon a series of underground live music shows called The Hush Society. There they find a community of new musicians who inspire each other and help one another succeed—in music and life. Cameron is instantly drawn to the community—and its founder, Cassie, an enigmatic, artistic wild spirit.
When Cassie invites Cameron and his mates to join The Hush Society's summer tour, he decides to give his passion a go one last time. But Cameron sees this as his last shot and feels he must commit fully—sans safety net—if he wants to make it in music. So he does the unthinkable: he drops out of University. Even if his bean-counting father already put in the down payment. Even if it dents his parents' fragmented relationship further. Even if his Dad’s ultimatum (go to Uni or don't ever come home) scares the hell out of him. Will Cameron finally be able to overcome the part of him ruled by fear? Or will he destroy his chances of success, his friendship with his best mates, and ultimately return his doomed life in Beverley?
SOMETIMES IT FEELS LIKE LIFE TOOK A WRONG TURN … WHAT IF IT DID?
This isn’t your life.
This isn’t your timeline.
And there’s a way out.
An emotional, mindbending page-turner in the tradition of Dark Matter and The Midnight Library, this surprise Amazon bestseller will make you question everything you know.
“A powerful piece of inventive and topical science fiction [that] will undoubtedly resonate with readers in a way that many stories reach for, but few achieve.” –The BookLife Prize
For one man, the past few years have delivered one shock after another. The election of an authoritarian president. The sudden loss of his mother. A series of debilitating seizures. Now, as America descends into a nightmare, he’s shocked to discover the explanation for his seizures: He’s in the wrong universe.
A drug trial promises to return him to the timeline where he belongs. With his family life strained, his job gone and tanks in the streets, he jumps at the opportunity. But what will he find on the other side?
Take a reality-bending trip filled with surprises and second chances. Visit alternate timelines where life played out very differently, yet one man keeps dying in every one. Explore the roads not taken. Question the nature of fate. And find an answer to the biggest question of all: in a world that feels like it’s spinning out of control, what would it take for one person to make a difference?
Now an international Amazon bestseller, Branches is at once a twisty cerebral drama and a deeply personal journey through fear, grief and redemption.
First in a series.
A Red Planet.
A catalyst to change the course of human history.
Commander James Fowler is an astronaut and the first officer of the Magnum Opus, the largest spacecraft ever built, on the first crewed expedition to Mars. The mission: to investigate the mysterious extrasolar object that went down on the Red Planet five years ago. James is living the dream: he gets to go to space and be one of the first to set foot on another world, with his girlfriend, Angela, cheering him on at home. Maybe after the mission, when he's returned a hero, he'll find the perfect moment to finally propose.
But his dreams shatter as the mission ends in disaster.
Returning to a world reeling from the revelation of what they found out there, James works to piece his life back together and come to terms with what happened. But the mission left him changed, and now he must fight to protect everything he holds dear from those who seek advancement at any cost; a process that makes him question his identity, his place in the world, and what it means to be human.
A strange probe from a long-forgotten satellite network appears in the P’hori star system. Its message: a dire warning signalling the return of an ancient mythological evil. Imperator Da’kora Corasar and the crew of the Qesh’kal are sent to determine the probe’s origin, and find that the satellite is not as they had expected. Corasar trusts the satellite’s data, but not everyone aboard agrees. Tensions rise and loyalties are tested as they track down the source of the signal. Thrust into conflict, the crew of the Qesh’kal must chase their foe across the galactic arm and save their home from certain destruction.
A secret society of Druids. An ancient Reptilian foe. Earth teeters in the balance.
Bankrupt and broken, Emily Hester is in dire need of a safe place to hide. But when her long-lost Druid family tracks Emily down and offers her haven, she balks at the "Must Save Earth" clause.
Thinking life couldn’t possibly get any worse, Emily smacks into her witchy stalker. She flees the scene but now has only one option. Emily must accept the Druids' proposition—despite its blatantly outrageous terms.
At their headquarters in Atlanta, Emily learns several shocking secrets. She was kidnapped by the mother who raised her on the run. Her real father and his Druid followers believe Emily is Earth's only hope. And a dark, forgotten foe lurks beneath Humanity's feet.
As these Reptilians engineer a plan to breach Earth's unsuspecting borders, Emily desperately seeks to unleash the powers the Druids swear she possesses. But, can a sexy druid priest, his teenage nephew, and their animal Elders tilt the odds in Emily's favor?
Find out in Awen Rising, the first book in the Awen Trilogy. If you like compelling stories with a strong but believable female lead, quirky sidekicks, and worthy adversaries, read Barré's breakout urban fantasy. Or better yet, grab the whole series!
Before Awen, there was Druantia.
After nine thousand years of peace and prosperity, the Milky Way Galaxy is about to get a rude awakening. Druantia, queen of the Druid world of Marduk, is the only celestial who stands between the galaxy and a race of bloodthirsty Reptilians. Worse, Bé Chuille, her witch-goddess guardian and nemesis, is conspiring against Druantia.
Can Queen Druantia convince the Alliance of Worlds to close its borders to the warring race? Or will the other gods’ ignorance bring disaster upon them all?
To find out, read The Druids of Marduk, Part I, today.
Author's Note: This 47-page short read (Part I) takes place thousands of years before the Awen Trilogy and details the harrowing events of the Druid-Reptilian exodus to Earth. Part II relates their first days in UnderEarth, while Part III chronicles their eventual migration to AboveEarth.
Hew had always dreamt of being a knight. Take that, villain! Yes, princess, of course I'll rescue you. Thank you, your Majesty, yes I am great with a sword. Unfortunately, being a farmer's son made that dream impossible. Real life was more about cleaning animal mess and checking for weeds.
Until he met the dragon.
It opened up a hidden world of magic around him. Faeries. Hobgoblins. Monsters, shape changers, brownies; you name them, he met them.
But there was a problem.
A blight to the north was making magic fade from the Earth. If it disappeared completely, then everyone would freeze to death.
Yes, that included Hew's annoying little sister, but even she didn’t deserve to be frozen. He would have to be brave and defeat this blight. The question was…
What could a nearly eleven-year-old do?
But there was a problem.
A blight to the north was making magic fade from the Earth. If it disappeared completely, then everyone would freeze to death.
Yes, that included Hew's annoying little sister, but even she didn’t deserve to be frozen. He would have to be brave and defeat this blight. The question was…
What could a nearly eleven-year-old do?
Her book blog was created in June 2017, and she migrated to a self-hosting platform in July 2021.
Hi, I’m your favorite mid-level manager from San Francisco. Join me every Thursday as I gracefully navigate workplace scenarios such as employee insurrections, gas leaks, and leadership conferences. Let’s get back to work together!
When Harriet Howard becomes Louis Napoleon’s mistress and financial backer and appears at his side in Paris in 1848, it is as if she has emerged from nowhere. How did the English daughter of a Norfolk boot-maker meet the future Emperor? Who is the mysterious Nicholas Sly and what is his hold over Harriet?
Can Harriet meet her obligations and return to her former life and the man she left behind? What is her involvement with British Government secret services? Can Harriet’s friend, jockey Tom Olliver, help her son Martin solve his own mystery: the identity of his father?
The central character is Harriet Howard and the action takes place between 1836 and 1873. The plot centres on Harriet’s relationships with Louis Napoleon and famous Grand National winning jockey, Jem Mason. The backdrop to the action includes significant characters from the age, including Lord Palmerston, Queen Victoria and the Duke of Grafton, as well as Emperor Napoleon III. The worlds of horse racing, hunting and government provide the scope for rural settings to contrast with the city scenes of London and Paris and for racing skulduggery to vie with political chicanery.
The Merest Loss is historical fiction with a twist. It’s pacy and exciting with captivating characters and a distinctive narrative voice.
While vacationing on Gambler’s Folly with her husband, Trae, Karianna O’Brien’s life is ripped apart when he loses her to Damiano Leone in a game of chance. Within two days, she is divorced, widowed, and married to Damiano, the darkly desirable, powerful, and dangerous lord of the underworld.Irresistibly drawn to Damiano, Karianna enters a world of wealth and glamour in his casinos, while he teaches her the meaning of pleasure and sensuality in his bed. Though married to Trae for four years, she’s never experienced true seduction, or sex so exquisite it could become an addiction. Is he really human, or something else?As Damiano’s enemies threaten Karianna to leverage his vote in the syndicate, he gambles all he’s worth in a dangerous game of skill. Will his plans pay off in time to save Karianna? Or will he lose both his business and his soul mate?
With his clan’s welfare threatened by raiding parties during a harsh winter, Jareth rides to demand restitution from the neighboring first lord, not knowing he will meet the woman of his dreams. Taking her as part of the spoils, he hopes to make her his first lady, not realizing she is the daughter of the first lord. Tensions escalate between the two clans over this beautiful and fiery woman he must make his own.
Viviane, a young widow, is praying for an answer as she struggles to survive on her own after her husband’s death. The other option is to move back home, with her father, First Lord Herrick, of Clan Brannach. She is desperate for another option, for as the youngest daughter of the house, she can never be her own person there. Her prayers are answered when Jareth comes seeking justice for crimes against her clan. Hiding her true identity, she hopes to make a break with her past when she is chosen as part of the spoils.
Imagine her dismay when she discovers Jareth hopes to make her first lady of his clan.
When an unexpected enemy uses Stefan’s secrets against them, Penelope’s magic and courage are put to the test. Can she rescue the man she loves? Or will she fall Saving the Dragon?
The girl with the golden hair…
Siphons are rare creatures, supposedly born of the union of human and fae blood. How she got her ability doesn’t much matter to Wynne; all she knows is it’s a death sentence or worse if the wrong people find out about her gift. It’s too bad she was never very good at minding her own business.
… and the bear who stole her heart
An old curse grows stronger, leaving Callum Bertram sleepless and desperate. He thinks he’s found a temporary solution until a pretty young woman accidentally uses up his sleeping charm. Now, this werebear suddenly finds himself craving something more than a good night’s sleep.
A year has passed since nosferatu crime lord Gyorgy Thurzó attempted to disrupt the long-standing truce between vampyr and humans in what has come to be known as the Crisis.
Things have changed - greater numbers of undead roam the streets of London making it necessary for a team of Enforcers to patrol the capital where one used to be sufficient, while Whitehall now retains a unit of soldiers trained to fight the undead if required.
Against this background the former Blood Countess, Elisabeth Bathory, looks back over her long tenure on the planet while reflecting on lost love and the events leading to her present unhappy situation - in a new adventure that sees a threat to the existence of the vampyr race itself!
Judith, a bubbly yet mysterious young woman, is eager to accept. Chit remains withdrawn and cautious, a remnant of being raised by the Order that presides over their land. Soon, both discover their meeting with the wizard carried dire consequences. Can they accomplish what has been asked of them and save Arigale by exploring the land below, no matter the lengths they must go to?
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