A Character Interview – Pelagia by Steve Holloway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Enjoy a Special Character Interview

“Marcia…Marcia! Five minutes to air!” the show’s host stood in the control booth of the radio station, looking over the shoulder of his producer.

The producer reluctantly pulled her gaze away from me, as I sat in front of the lights of the studio. I could see her hands resume their rapid adjustments of the control board.

“Focus, Marcia. Professionalism.”

She gave my host a sheepish grin. “Yep, got it. Sound check, transmission check.”

With one last glance at monitors, the host stepped into the studio, stretched out his hand. “Ready for the show, Lorenzo?”

“Yes,” I said, taking his hand, “Looking forward to this.”

He sat across from me and adjusted our mikes. Marcia caught the host’s gaze and gave a countdown with her fingers. 3…2…1, then pointed at him. On air.

“Good morning Pelagia! Steve Holloway here, your favourite marine biologist. Today we are broadcasting live from the heart of the Blue Frontier of our planet: Pelagia South Pacific. It’s a beautiful day here in the ocean territories. The show is beaming from Marcelli Ring, that seamount settlement you’ve heard so much about. And our special guest for this show is seamount citizen, Lorenzo Romero. Welcome Lorenzo.”

“Thanks, Steve. Glad to be here with you and the audience. My friends call me Renzo.”

“Renzo, then. You grew up here, right?”

“Yes, born and raised here in Marcelli Ring.”

“It is a delightful place, I especially love the marine protected area in the centre of the Ring.”

“My sister helps manage the marine reserve; I’ve spent my life exploring it.”

“Fascinating. Now, I hear you talk with dolphins. Can you tell me about that?”

“Yes, I work with a pair of dolphins – Lucca and Tazia. It is part of the Human-Dolphin project here in the Territory. I’ve been working with this pair for two years now; developing communication so we can function well as a team is quite the cross-cultural challenge.”

“You can actually talk with these dolphins?”

“Yes, I wear a communications interface which allows us to interact on a basic level. However, we’ve built such a rapport over the past two years that a lot of our communication is non-verbal. They generally treat me as a member of their pod.”

“Wow, part of their pod?”

“Yes – one of the family, if you will. If you think about it, dolphins live in a very different world than ours. They know only the sea and move in three dimensions, with predators and dangers unlike those we face above water. So, they have highly refined senses humans don’t have. This means their day-to-day reality is much different than ours. To communicate with them I have to experience the world from their point of view…as much as I can.”

“It seems like it’d be hard to find common ground…uh, water?”

“Yes, it has taken the first year and a half to understand them. It’s meant a lot of time in their world, remaining underwater long enough to experience what they face day after day. Of course, the almost one hundred years of research of dolphin communication helped jumpstart me; I stand on the shoulders of intrepid scientists of the past. The communications interface is one example of the fruit of that research.”

“So, what do you and your team of dolphins do?”

“Where should I start? Well for one thing, we work with the fish farmers out on the Rise – the mariculture or ocean farming part of our settlement. Dolphins are expert at herding fish, so the sea farmers work with them to bring in the fish harvest in the mariculture plots. The farmers give the dolphins part of the catch as a reward.”

They dolphins also help us monitor the health of the farms — oysters, seaweed, and other species that are being grown above the seamount. We’ve mounted cameras on dozens of dolphins, who then systematically inspect the mariculture plots.”

We also work with a team of the Pelagic Rangers. Dolphins are excellent sentinels with their keen senses. They also excel at reconnaissance.”

“But certainly they don’t bear weapons.”

“Of course not. Dolphins feel a kind of horror at harming, much less killing humans.”

“Unfortunately, we humans have not been as queasy about killing dolphins in the past. Glad those days are gone. In fact, your work has changed perceptions of dolphins worldwide.”

Marcia held up one finger. Steve glanced at her, “OK, one minute remaining. One last thought you want to leave with our audience?”

“The intelligence of the dolphin is an invaluable window to see and better understand our Pelagic world here in the territories. I feel privileged to do what I am doing. In my experience dolphins seem to enjoy working with people as much as people like working with them. It benefits both species.”

“Thank you Renzo for being with us, that’s all we have time for today. Can you return for another interview? I believe we’ve only scratched the surface here.”

“Sure, I’d be glad to. Thank you, Steve, and thank you to all those listening in.”

“And a big thanks to our producer, Marcia, giving our viewers another journey to the Blue Frontier.”

Marcia gave the ‘cut’ signal across her throat, then scribbled on a paper and waved it for me to see. It looked like it had her phone number.

Former special forces agent turned particle physicist Ben Holden is on the run.

The New Caliphate will stop at nothing to get their hands on his wife’s scientific research, which is believed to hold the key to unleashing chaos in the West and advancing their cause.

But in reality it’s Ben’s biometrics that have the potential to unlock the information they so desperately need. Within the oceanic world of Pelagia, in the year 2066, Ben finds sanctuary among the sea settlers of the South Pacific Pelagic Territory, but his respite is short-lived.

Enjoy an Excerpt

He lifted the hatch and placed it onto the deck, then pulled himself up and lay flat near the bow. The coolness of the storm awakened his senses. Rolling onto his back, he paused under the deluge and allowed the rain to stream into his mouth, gulping down the water.

Thirst barely slaked, he slithered to the edge of the boat. The wind now lashed his wet body. He shivered, staring into the night, allowing his eyes to adjust. He spotted the island, a dark fleeting promise glimpsed through a break in the squall.

Looking back, he saw a silhouette climb out onto the side of the boat. Adrenaline shot through him. The man was just a few metres away, clinging to a rail as the boat rolled under them, but still looking towards the stern. Ben inched closer to the edge of the bow, willing himself to be a shadow.

Holding the safety rail, Ben swung himself over the side with the roll of the boat. He hung for a moment, suspended above the sea. Large, deep breaths. Each time the boat tipped his feet dipped beneath the waves. On the third tip, he released his grip, slipping below the surface noiselessly.

As he surfaced, he heard the man on deck shouting into the water in Arabic, “Cut the rope!” There was an answering shout from the water that was lost in the roar of rain.

Ben kept to the shadow of the bow rocking above him. After a minute, that seemed like an eternity, the man climbed back into the stern cockpit. Ben slipped below the water.

About the Author:Steve Holloway grew up on the beach cities of Los Angeles and has always loved the sea. This passion led him to gain a degree in Aquatic Biology from the University of California Santa Barbara; a background which opened many opportunities for him in researching, developing, and engaging with mariculture activities around the world.

Steve and his wife have lived and travelled in many countries over their forty years of marriage, successfully raising three kids in exotic locations in the process. They have always engaged with the people and cultures they live among.

Currently Steve lives in England and consults for a Christian charity in areas of research, leadership development, adapting to new cultures, social enterprises, and mariculture projects. Currently he is consulting for a Indo-Pacific mariculture project – a social enterprise – growing sea cucumbers, a delicacy for the Chinese market.

Steve has always loved books and writing. The story of Pelagia reflects three of his passions: science, the sea and the narratives of faith. The background, in his words:

“I have for many years believed that settling the open sea was within our grasp, and even more accessible than space as our ‘next frontier’. So through the last ten years or so I have been thinking just how this might happen, what would be needed, where people would settle, what kind of livelihoods they might have on the open sea, beyond the EEZs of terrestrial countries. My son Adam told me about what would become a key component of Pelagia, Biorock or seacrete, because of his experiments with it. Many discussions with other scientists, engineers and others helped to begin to fill in the gaps and the concept of the Pelagic Territories, similar to the unincorporated territories of the early US, and what geopolitical contexts they would find themselves in.”

Steve finds any excuse to get into the ocean: sailing, diving, swimming, or just poking around tide pools.

Website | Facebook

Buy the book at Amazon.


On Writing a Trilogy by Floor Kist – Guest Post and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotion. Floor Kist will be awarding a $30 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

*****

Hello reviewers at Long and Short Reviews, thank you for hosting my post on your site. You must really love books if you’ve been reviewing them for the past 14 years!

Hello everyone, thank you for joining me here. Long and Short Reviews asked me about writing a trilogy or a series.

Readers seem to like series a lot. They grow to like your characters, and they appreciate the world setting you created. This isn’t only true for television, but also for novels. In the science fiction genre, I prefer, I like the Vorkosigan saga by Lois McMaster Bujold, the Alex Benedict Novels and Priscilla Hutchins novels by Jack McDevitt and the Foundation novels by Isaac Asimov.

McDevitt and McMaster Bujold write their books as stand-alone novels with some of the same characters, but with the same protagonists. Asimov’s Foundation novels started out as a trilogy and are more sequential. McMaster Bujold also wrote two novels that happen in the Vorkosigan world, but without her main character.

The Thinking Machine Trilogy, I’m working on, is also a sequential series. It starts in part one and goes on until the end of part two. I would suggest that writing stand-alone books gives the author more room for a new story than having to write the next step in a longer story.

On television, some series manage to combine single episodes that also include longer storylines dealing with individual characters of use an overall story arch that pops up throughout each episode. I’m told that the television series Babylon 5 started this way of working. And especially in a world of streaming TV this seems a proven concept.

I didn’t explicitly choose to write three sequential novels. I just figured that science fiction has a history of trilogies. So, when you write sci-fi, you write a trilogy. I’m not sorry I did, but I did take the time to think on part two. Here’s why.

It’s not unusual to see sequels that don’t do what they should. And I’ve wondered about that. How come, if you like the characters, a story about those characters doesn’t captivate you like the first time? And I believe it has to do with the ‘freshness’ of the characters. In the first book, each character is introduced. It’s their new interaction that makes the story sparkle and move ahead the way it does. That freshness disappears in the next book. And it needs to be replaced with something else.

In “Can Machines Bring Peace?” protagonists Kazimir and Mizuki fall in love. This is something that wasn’t in my outline. And it really surprised me that they did. It surprised them too by the way! But how their relationship starts and grows should be new and fresh. And is it possible to keep this going in part two?

Would they get married and have kids? No, the premise of part one would never allow that. Would they break-up? Given the situation in part one, this would be a serious possibility. But that felt gimmicky to me. And I don’t think my readers would like that. Is there a way to make their relationship grow in an interesting but different way than in part one? In the outline I have ready for part two, I think I’ve found a way, but I’ll be sure when I’ve done the writing.

The same goes for Kazimir’s sister Kira. In part one, she’s been hiding in her room for six months because something bad happened to her. And we see her grow confident enough to leave her room. What happens to her in part two? Does something bad happen to her that makes her go back to her room? Naaah. Too gimmicky. There is a reasons Kira left her room, and her character developed into someone who wouldn’t go back. So, how does she grow?

I would say that writing part two of a trilogy is the hardest one to write. There is a lot that can go wrong. And I hope I got it right.

Can a machine bring peace? Or are humans built for war?

450 years after Earth was bombed back to the Stone Age, a young diplomat searches for lost human settlements. Kazimir Sakhalinsk narrowly escapes an exploration mission gone wrong and searches for ways to make future missions safer for his people. A festival introduces him to the Marvelous Thinking Machine.

A machine Kazimir believes can change everything

For his admiral it’s nothing more than a silly fairground gimmick. But Kazimir is convinced. Convinced enough to go against orders and build one of his own. Convinced enough to think he can bring peace. Convinced enough to think humanity is worth saving. What if he’s wrong?

He asks his hikikomori sister, a retired professor filling her empty days, the owner of the festival machine and the admiral’s daughter for help. Will that be enough?

Enjoy an Excerpt

Kazimir hears the beep-beep response to his beacon. The plane is overhead! His breath shortens as he peers through the night. Standard protocol states the plane will land at a safe landing zone within a kilometer radius of ground zero. If Kazimir can find the right direction, he may actually have a chance. There! The shape of the plane against a clouded moon is a beautiful sight. He is afraid to smile, but can’t help himself.

He follows it, stumbling over the thick roots of the trees. Quickly, he looks up.

There she is again. No. ‘That’s… that’s… black flag.’ That means the others are dead.

Standing against the tree, he retches. Cold sweat forms on his forehead and his back. He shouldn’t have left the settlement. He could have saved them. No. He would be dead too. Kazimir gags and coughs. He spits out the sour taste, and wipes his chin. ‘Yuck.’

He looks up, trying to control his breath. The twin rudders and the nose turret machine gun nozzle give the Ki-2 light bomber away. Kazimir has only seen it in the hangar of the Ryūjō. He remembers the pilot telling him about the 500-kilogram maximum bomb load. All headed towards the settlement.

The ground trembles with the explosion. Kazimir sees the red and yellow clouds grow against the dark sky. Seconds later, he hears the wheezing sound of the dropping bombs, followed by the roar of a thousand dragons. Sound travels at three hundred meters per second, so he must be about 300 meters away.

The hot blast wave that follows knocks him down. He hits his head on the root of the tree. ‘Stupid tree.’ He feels a sharp pain. Warm blood dribbles into his hair. Its metallic scent reaches his nose.

Sounds of the explosion die down.

About the Author: Floor Kist lives in a Dutch town called Voorburg with his wife, two sons, two cats and their dog Monty. He is currently deputy-mayor for the Green Party and an AI researcher. He’s concerned about current divisive public and political debates. But he’s also interested in how AI can be used to resolve society’s big issues.

This is his first novel. He’s been carrying the idea about a story about AI bringing peace for a long time. The Covid-19 lockdown in the Netherlands suddenly gave him time to actually write it.

Website | Blog

Buy the book at Amazon.

Winter Blogfest: S.M. McCoy

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win Blood Crescent Book one is available immediate for those that sign up for the Newsletter. Book two Blood Rebirth and Blood Crescent will be given to runners ups, and grand prize winner will be given the whole series, including the recently released Blood Queen, book three. Available in PDF/MOBI/and EPUB. .

Going PROS with your New Year’s Resolutions

With a new year approaching, we prepare our many doubts and insecurities to come out from their not so hidden dark places in our mind to flog us for what we haven’t accomplished, or wayward goals left dusty in the wake of 2021. Is it that our goals are so out of reach? Is it that I am incapable of following through on my New Year’s resolutions?

To that I answer a resounding, no!

Stand up my fellow writers, grab the author next to you, and help pick them up from the dirt they’ve found themselves in, along with yourself. It’s common to let the doubt monsters reign free this time of year, recounting everything we “haven’t” done, but this year will be different. You are going to take a moment to count what you HAVE done, and then re-evaluate how you frame your goals for next year.

Is my goal out of reach? It’s more likely that you created a goal that takes time to reach, and the fact that it might not be condensed into a single year makes the goal daunting, and more difficult to maintain your momentum.

Follow the PROS!

PLAN, REFRAME, ORGANIZE, SPECIFICS

Yup, I just made that up, but it works.

What is your goal? PLAN for it. I want to finish my book.

REFRAME: It’s okay if it takes me longer than one year to do that, I’ll take one step at a time.

ORGANIZE: Create a spreadsheet, and then tell EVERYONE your goal so that you feel obligated not to be  a liar to yourself or others, you’d be surprised how motivating that is to not want to let others down. We think so little of ourselves sometimes that it takes that extra outside force to get us going. That’s okay.

SPECIFICS: Goals are hard to reach if your goal is too broad. Narrow it down to steps. I want to finish my book becomes I need to write 70,000 words, then edit those words before December 2022, by creating 30 minutes once a day at 9pm after the kids are asleep, or 5am before the kids wake up to work on my goals. No kids? Adjust that insert to whatever may distract you.

You’d be amazed how much you can get done in a focused 30 minutes a day. Create that habit.

Be graceful with yourself, but also remind yourself why you’re doing it! This should be something you enjoy, not a chore.

Trust me when I say you’ll definitely finish your goal sooner than you thought possible, and all it took was consistency, and allowing yourself to breath. Goals are hard to accomplish when there is too much pressure, and when you aren’t specific enough about how to accomplish your goal.

Take this time to write down your goal on a sticky note, and get as specific as possible. Need multiple sticky notes? Do it!

Broad to specific goals. Give yourself the time to accomplish that goal. Stick to your plan.

I will write 70,000 words to finish my story. How? Everyday at 9pm, after the kids go to bed, I will spend at least 30 minutes sitting at my keyboard ready and prepare to write.

Remind yourself, it’s okay if all I wrote was 30 words. Do not go back and edit until you’ve reached your goal marker. THEN, create a new goal.

Before you know it, you’ve finished your goal and making new ones.

Happy Holidays! Share your specific goals for 2022!

If you like fresh new takes on vampire lore, auras, witches, and heart felt journeys of self discovery then you’ll enjoy the completed Divine Series.
This isn’t your typical vampire paranormal fantasy. The BookLife Prize said, “The writing is descriptive and enjoyable… echoes of the Twilight series and Harry Potter, (though) the characters and scenario are wholly original…the author provides enough mystery and suspense to keep readers turning pages.”
A slow burn romance wrapped in a darkly enjoyable dive into the supernatural realms. A missing mother. A dangerous predator. A mysterious magical legacy. Can Chrystal uncover the secrets of the council before the bloodline runs dry?
Another reviewer said: “This book frustrated me on so many levels, mainly because I was making my own scenarios and started liking some of the characters, only to realize nothing is as it seems, or at least how I thought it would be. That’s mostly why I liked it so much!”— Lilly’s Book World
If you hate insta-love but enjoy world building and the gray zone of who’s good and evil then the Divine Series is for you.t

Stevie Marie is the author of young adult paranormal fantasy and the Divine Series. Born within the apex of another universe, where magic flows like leaky faucets, and forged from the fires of the Underrealm she dug her way to Earth and reluctantly participates in human society, secretly returning to her home world to relay the stories of her monsters, and the troubled love of her characters. When she isn’t writing she’s crafting clothing in her sewing room, cuddling her tiny humans, or pretending to adult by managing a different kind of book called accounting in the rainy city of Seattle, Washington.

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Buy the book at Amazon.

Winter Blogfest: Tegon Maus

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win .

Christmas the Way I Remember It

I remember every Christmas was the same… dozens of people at my parents house standing around talking… just talking.

The table was always festive and beyond gorgous, set with a prestine stack of plates and a mound of siverware. My mom always had it covered with a mountain of food… glazed ham, roast beef, turkey… all the cookies, pies, cakes you could ever hope to eat and no one touched a thing… not a single potato chip. No music, no alcohol, no one even sat down… they just stood around and just talked.

By 2:00 in the afternoon, my grandfather closed the store and made his way to my parent’s house.

When he came in… no one spoke, no one moved. Grandpa always sat in the same chair… no other when he came to the house. At the moment he sat down my mother would hand him a beer.

Every year was the same… he took it… took a sip and said ‘Merry Christmas’ raising the bottle.  At that moment the room exploded into music, dancing, laughter and cheerful voices, food and drink… all at the same instant… a gala that would last well into night.

Now it was Christmas… Grandpa said so.

After 27 years as a newspaper man, Peter Anderson’s career is slipping away, at least it was, until he stumbled upon the story of a lifetime. Sent to do a fluff piece about lights in the night sky over Arizona, he discovers far more than he ever expected when he comes upon a mysterious young woman held prisoner in a basement. After helping her to escape, she disappears before he can learn the truth about who she is or where she came from. His search for her leads him back to the lights in the sky and leaves him with more questions than answers. The only thing he knows for certain . . . the only thing he can count on are the two words offered repeatedly by his friend and guide . . . “IS BELT.”

 

About the Author:

I was raised pretty much the same as everyone else… devoted mother, strict father and all the imaginary friends I could conjure. Not that I wasn’t friendly, I just wasn’t “people orientated”. Maybe I lived in my head way more than I should have, maybe not. I liked machines more than people at least I did until I met my wife.

The first thing I can remember writing was for her. For the life of me I can’t remember what it was about… something about dust bunnies under the bed and monsters in my closet. It must have been pretty good because she married me shortly after that. I spent a good number of years after inventing games and prototypes for a variety of ideas before I got back to writing.

It wasn’t a deliberate conscious thought it was more of a stepping-stone. My wife and I had joined a dream interpret group and we were encouraged to write down our dreams as they occurred. “Be as detailed as you can,” we were told.

I was thrilled. If there is one thing I enjoy it’s making people believe me and I like to exaggerate. Not a big exaggeration or an out-right lie mine you, just a little step out of sync, just enough so you couldn’t be sure if it were true or not. If I can make people think “it could happen,” even for a moment, then I have them and nothing makes me happier. When I write, I always write with the effort of “it could happen” very much in mind and nothing, I guarantee you, nothing, makes me happier.

Buy the book at Amazon.

The Abandoned by Jake Cavanah – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jake Cavanah will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Once an uninhabited island off the California coast, the government used Morple to quarantine minorities during the sonoravirus pandemic from 2030 to 2045. At its conclusion, Morple became the country’s fifty-first state. This is where sisters Robin Karros’ and Ariana Jackson’s tragic journey began. As two of the first children officials checked into and raised in a state-run program responsible for inflicting severe abuse on Morple’s youth, they shared hardships that strengthened their bond. After a social revolution put an end to the program and freed them, Robin and Ariana went their separate ways. Now that it is 2089 and each has achieved prosperity, their paths intersect after spending the latter portion of their lives apart. Even though it goes against protocol, Ariana reestablishes a relationship with her older sister and integrates with her family. In doing so, she risks her marriage and husband’s business interests, but it causes her to realize she must make up for her life’s biggest mistake. It soon becomes apparent the fate of Robin, Ariana, and others has been more intertwined than they ever could have imagined.

Enjoy an Excerpt

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I chose this because it reveals Robin has experienced hardship in her life without giving too much detail, and because it ends with her saying “persistence prevails,” one of Robin’s best attributes and a theme.

Robin wiped her hands on her apron before reaching out to hold Jimmy. As she situated him in her arms, his eyes widened as far as they could and gazed up at the beautiful mystery woman. When they locked eyes, Robin became nostalgic. Memories of Jonathan around this age were some of her fondest. Robin had just been released from the state’s custody and was on her way towards winning her fortune that served as her escape from a bleak future Morple designated to certain members of society. Bobby Karros had just entered her life and embraced her and all the baggage she warned him about, the first sign of his admirable character she fell so hard for.

“He is such a good baby, but I feel like his daddy’s absence is already affecting him,” Taylor said.

Despite their current differences in class, Robin and Taylor seemed very alike.

“Well Taylor, you’re doing a great job,” Robin said, unsure if she should pry on what happened to Jimmy’s father, “The fact you’re here shows you are seeking the necessary help for the benefit of not only him, but for you, as well. Be proud of yourself.”

“His daddy was so excited when he was born, just ecstatic. Then when Jimmy was about six months he was just gone. I haven’t seen him since, and that was six months ago. Life wasn’t always kind to us, but I thought Jimmy and our relationship outweighed the bad. I guess I was wrong.”

Taylor’s tears fled down her face, drying up on her mask. It was clear she needed someone to talk to, and Robin made herself available to her. She didn’t expect to come across someone who on the surface appeared to live in a different reality than Robin, but really, their paths seemed to be quite similar.

“Jonathan, my son who Jimmy reminds me of, was four when his stepfather went missing. Sixteen years ago. One day I came home, and he was just gone. Nowhere to be found. Jonathan and my youngest son Moe were both crying in their rooms, petrified, but the authorities and I couldn’t get any information out of them. Moe was just a baby, and Jonathan’s brain development is behind for his age, so they couldn’t help us out, but it was obvious something horrific happened. It’s hard for him to process things, but by looking in his eyes I could tell he saw what happened. Whatever occurred that day was clearly a traumatic experience for them.

“But unfortunately, we’ll never know what happened. All I could do was to keep being the best possible mother I could be. That’s what my boys needed, so that’s what I did.”

Robin gathered from Taylor’s facial expression she was not expecting them to have much in common. Ever since getting her life together, Robin was regularly met with skepticism and surprise by those she shared her life experiences with. She didn’t boast or even acknowledge it, but she knew her impressive physique and natural beauty were the reasons others assumed her life had always been a breeze. One of Robin’s primary goals was to serve as a symbol of hope for women like Taylor, which is one of the reasons Robin dedicated so much of her time to helping the likes of Taylor out. If a little girl who suffered unimaginable amounts of trauma could grow up to be what Robin was, then anyone could.

Including Taylor.

“Doesn’t it anger you why he left?” Taylor asked.

“It angers me he isn’t here, yes, but I’m not sure if he left. Coming home to find my boys crying the way they were tells me something worse happened, but I will probably never know for certain. All I can do is focus on the now and keep pushing forward. If there’s one thing Morple has taught me, it’s persistence prevails.”

About the Author:

Jake Cavanah is passionate about writing imaginative stories that include messages he wants readers to apply to their own lives, utilize to better understand others, or both. If after reading his work people find themselves more capable of seeing particular situations they encounter from another perspective, he accomplished his goal.

When Jake is not writing he is reading, golfing, playing tennis, cooking, or enjoying the company of his dogs Murphy and Sophie with his girlfriend Scout. Aside from becoming a full-time author, one of Jake’s main aspirations is to move to Oregon and start a family.

Website | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Goodreads


Cosmic Horror and Fantasy by Russell Archey – Guest Blog and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Russell Archey will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Cosmic Horror and Fantasy

One of the biggest appeals of cosmic horror is humanity facing the fact that, in the face of the universe and the eons-old things that are out there, our existence is less than inconsequential. Either impossible, mind-numbing, deity-like beings roam between space and time and don’t even know we exist until we beckon to them too much and they destroy our world, or similar beings have more sinister agendas that will eventually come to pass and they destroy our world. The most a protagonist(s) can hope for is to delay this somehow.

In fantasy, our hero(es) often evil humans or humanoids, monsters of all sizes, or even very powerful beings bent on domination and destruction. Seeing strange things or ugly gribblies is common-place in a fantasy setting. Seeing something like Cthulhu or the King in Yellow may seem like old hat to a human wearing armor made by a dwarf and sword that lights on fire and telepathically communicates with them.

In Ashes of Aldyr and its subsequent books, I want to make the elements of cosmic horror still affect the residents of a fantasy world in the same way it would affect us. This led me to the idea of having these fantasy-dwelling peoples be invaded by unimaginable, madness-inducing being and creatures after an apocalyptic event. This trauma would increase the impact of the eldritch creatures’ arrival and make the humans, elves, and dwarves of Alda long for the simple monsters of past ages.

By putting the cosmic horror beings surrounding The Obscured Throne on a different level, I hope to make them seem like they are truly beyond nightmarish. If someone who’s used to dealing with goblins, dragons, and trolls is freaking out over the hunchbacked, blood-spewing toddler-monster with too many joints in its spine, then surely you should be, too, right?

The world of Alda is broken, destroyed by an event the survivors call “The Rupture.” The aldyrs, magical trees connected to the soul of the world and once grew in breathtaking groves, are dead. Elf-kind, who shared a close bond with these trees, are dying off due to shortened life-spans as a result. The dwarves have retreated into their mountain homes. Humans gather in crumbling settlements. Sinister, god-like beings, each uniquely horrific, exert their influences over the world. Each story is a different thread forming a larger tapestry that shows the scope of the horror and insanity brought by the elusive and mind-numbing entity known as the Obscured Throne. The world was once saved from this threat and Alda was hidden and sealed away. Now, an ancient and shadowy cult called the Black Gnarl have broken enough seals to expose Alda to the Obscured Throne…and It’s coming.

Enjoy an Excerpt

He looked over his shoulder, and his mouth fell agape in a silent scream. A face, a dark-as-midnight face with soulless, shark-black eyes and no mouth stared back at him. The smooth skin had a wet gleam; the limbs were too long for the shoulders they were attached to. The fingers ended in sharp, vicious claws and Edwin began to feel their sting as they flexed against his skin. The creature gripped effortlessly onto his ankle. Another one of them appeared from the roiling edge of the tear in reality and grabbed him with its hooked, elongated fingers. Edwin howled in pain and terror as they dragged him up into the inky blackness with the strange, out-of-sight glow.

About the Author: Fantasy and horror have always been Russell’s preferred genres. Some of his favorite stories often combine them–and the grittier the better. His eclectic tastes in this genre originated when he discovered Lovecraft’s stories of beings so vast and incomprehensible that just thinking about them will melt your brain. Later, he would discover the more sinister but equally unfathomable creations of Laird Barron and, combined, these two influences would create Russell’s desire to fashion his own story of cosmic horrors, but with a fantasy flair. Fantasy often holds many horrific aspects of its own, but Russell enjoys finding ways to take those facets and run with them.

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website

A Dead End Job by Justin Alcala – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Justin Alcala will be awarding a $50 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Fans of Terry Pratchett and Shane Kuhn’s THE INTERN’S HANDBOOK will love this noir supernatural thriller.

Death needs a vacation. Badly. But there’s a catch: There are people who cheat the system, always falling through the cracks and not dying like they’re supposed to. Who’s going to take care of them while Death’s sipping on sangria?

The answer is simple: Death needs an intern, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that one prospect, Buck Palasinski,-a bankrupt hitman with a roleplaying addiction-might have what it takes. While scoping out his next target, Buck gets drilled in the forehead by a bullet and falls right into Death’s lap.

If they shove him back into his body, he’ll have a few weeks to prove that he has what it takes to be Death’s right-hand.

All he has to do is take out Public Enemy No. 1, John Dillinger, and quit smoking.

Enjoy an Excerpt

CHICAGO’S CHIEF PUBLIC HEALTH INSPECTOR FOUND DEAD IN HOME

“Damn it,” Death spat, scratching another name onto his legal pad. The list was growing longer. Death picked up his steaming mug that read “I drink coffee for your safety” and sipped it before clicking the “next story” tab. He’d only been in his apartment’s kitchen turned home office for ten minutes and already he was at wits’ end, the top of his stylus pen half-chewed. Death, The Grim Reaper, Charon, whatever you wanted to call him, the title demanded respect. Afterall, he had held his position before men wore pants. Yet never in his career had someone been so tenacious as to start killing mortals before their expiration date. Death doesn’t even know how it could happen. He picked up his smart phone, using his stylus to dial the numbers on the touch interface.

“Yeah, Jumbo, it’s Death. How long until you get into the office?” Death leaned back in his chair and took another sip from his cup. “Well, I can assure you that you’ll get here safely.” Death sighed. “I’m sorry. It’s just been a tough morning already. Whoever this person is, they’re still getting past our system. None of these names from last night were in the program.” Death slung his boney feet on an empty duct taped kitchen chair. “Alright,” he groaned into the receiver. “I’ll reboot while I wait. See you soon.”

About the Author:

Justin Alcala is a novelist, nerdologist and Speculative Literature Foundation Award Finalist. He’s author of the novels Consumed, (BLK Dog Publishing) The Devil in the Wide City (Solstice Publishing) and Dim Fairytales (AllThingsThatMatterPress). His dozens of short stories have been featured in magazines and anthologies, including It Dances Now (Crimson Street Magazine),The Offering (Rogue Planet Press) and The Lantern Quietly Screams (Castabout Literature). When he’s not burning out his retinas in front of a computer, Justin is an adventuresome tabletop gamer. He’s also a blogger, folklore enthusiast and time traveler. He is an avid quester of anything righteous, from fighting dragons to acquiring magical breakfast eggs from the impregnable grocery fortress.

Most of Justin’s tales and characters take place in The Plenty Dreadful universe, a deranged supernatural version of the modern world. When writing, Justin immerses himself in whatever subject he’s working on, from research to overseas travel. Much to the dismay of his family, he often locks himself away in his office-dungeon while playing themed videos and music over, and over, and over again. Justin currently resides with his dark queen, Mallory, their malevolent daughter, Lily, and their hellcat, Misery. Where his mind might be though is anyone’s guess.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Buy the book at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.


Truth and Reconciliation by Anand Purohit – Guest Blog and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Anand Purohit will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Truth and Reconciliation

Two very controversial and emotional words in Canada today: Truth and Reconciliation.

Canadians have not suffered the same trauma over the word ‘racist’ as our southern friends, possibly because systemic racism never took hold as deeply in our past. However, reconciliation with Native Canadians has endured with the same emotional charge and unresolved issues as slavery. Pursuit of truth, likewise, is fraught with unending differences of opinion; lots of opinions and fewer agreed upon facts.

Like most people, I have tried over many years to follow the media accounts and positions put forward on complex land rights and obligation issues. I’m also fortunate to have personal experiences to juxtaposition against the cacophony of shouting. One experience from 54 years ago stands out. My father grew up in backwoods Manitoba. A Polish immigrant at a young age, his closest friends were Native children. His family were second class ‘bohunks’, poor immigrants not welcomed by the children from more established, ‘proper English speaking’, families.

My dad liked to fish, a lot! It brought out the child in him. We would drive from homes in suburban Ontario to the North Country at least two times a year. It was heaven for him.

On one trip, as we were driving through a Native Reserve on Manitoulin Island, I was appalled as an innocent teen at the level of poverty, mile after mile. Finally, I ask my dad, “how could this situation exist?” It was one of the few times I saw my hardened, WWII veteran father tear up. He replied, ‘son, it was like this when I was a child and it’ll be like this long after you’re my age.”

He was right. Not much has changed for many Native people despite many billions of dollars being spent by our government. Dad opened up more during that trip and told me of different times the government during his years tried to advance the state of Native housing and infrastructure and how it always ended in misused resources and unmaintained structures.

Part of the reason I wrote my first book, XNOR, was to explore some of the roots for the seemingly unending legal challenges by Native tribes and our Quebecois brothers and sisters. Neither group has fully embraced being equal Canadians with the same legal rights and privileges and only the same ones as other Canadians. How did this start? Was there a certain historical period where legal precedents were set, and each challenge and ‘settlement’ thereafter only complicated the problem without any reconciliation being achieved?

My research led me to the period of 1759 to 1763. I was astounded by the brutality of that era. All parties exercised a meanness and viciousness that is hard to appreciate 260 years later. There were few good actors. Another discovery in my quest was the large turnover of land usage and claims between various Native tribes beginning long before Europeans arrived. Their culture lacked the complex legal structure of the Europeans. The winning tribes did not ‘compensate’ the former occupants of a conquered area. There was no idea of land ownership in the sense that we understand it.

Slavery amongst Natives was as blatant and common as any seen throughout the world. Eighteen-century Native stories of one particularly grotesque takeover had the victors eating parts of their captured men while they were still alive, a fear inducing tactic meant to end any hopes of retaliation from the vanquished tribe. Scalping and torture were ubiquitous.

In this setting, British people claimed ownership of the land we call Canada. They were less than civilized by our standards and certainly made a lot of mistakes, many due to greed and arrogance. Yet, I’m in awe of how they managed to cobble together an increasingly prosperous and egalitarian society from a ragtag set of infighting groups.

These early governors and entrepreneurs are often portrayed as having a large, superior force capability and using it to bring the other groups to heel. My research indicates they were much less powerful and constantly prone to losing their governing control. I imagine it must have been very frustrating, constantly trying to bring disparate people together with limited resources available to appease their needs and demands. Canada was still a poor land compared to Europe and even the States until only three generations ago.

Today, we find the same conflicted groups demanding special treatment. Truth and reconciliation demand past sins be absolved, somehow. Truth must be brought forward!

Unfortunately, there will not be any truth agreed upon. My dad was right, this will go on for possibly a few more generations. I believe this is mostly because we lack the ability or interest to put ourselves into the shoes of those who came before us. They were flawed but probably did the best they could with the hand they were dealt. Could we have done better in the same situation?

I don’t have a solution. Instead, I imagined an historical fantasy where a group of scientists, engineers, teachers and medical people suddenly found themselves transported to Atlantic Canada in 1759. I tried to make the story as real as possible. It undoubtedly has many flaws, but the intent is to generate ideas and discussion that might shed some light on our current problems and how to improve them.

I hope you will join the discussion.

1759 was a defining year for the colonies that became Canada. It was also the year the British Empire rose to preeminence over other European nations and empires. All that changes when technology deployed in 2047 to shield Canadians from an escalating world conflict inadvertently teleports a group of scientists, engineers, teachers and medical people back to Nova Scotia, 1759. Despite their technological superiority, they, like many new settlers, struggle to establish a homestead, feed their community and deal with the constant threat from a violent world. Established empires with their large populations are not about to let a small group of upstarts interfere in their lucrative slave trade and subjugation of whomever they please.

Enjoy an Excerpt

May 15, 2046
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Chan Wei is skeptical anything important will happen. I’ve been here before. Scientists and engineers are always excited about their latest project or idea. I’m willing to take risks. Sometimes it pays off immensely, but I must avoid the duds no matter how enthusiastic the supporters are.

Peggy Doyle meets him as he walks to the AI & Physics lab. “Hi, Peggy. I hear we’re in for a really big show.”

“So says Neil!” she laughs. “In all my years, I’ve never met a more erratic yet brilliant individual. You’ve given him a long leash. I hope he hasn’t strangled himself with it.”

“Thanks to your sales team, we’re having our best year. We can afford a misstep. What will our revenue be this quarter?”

Peggy smiles broadly. “I predict we’ll pass the billion mark for the first time! Our laser and AI divisions are steady thanks to our military sales. Graphene power storage has really taken off. We’re the world leaders.”

“Fantastic! When we go public, we’ll all be very rich,” Chan boasts.

“I’m thankful for the share options. The salary and bonuses go down well too,” she replies as they enter the lab.

Neil Gargano is bouncing around in his usual style. His project partner, Dr. Wu, is seated, smiling, and displaying more emotion than usual.

Chan asserts a challenge as only a company owner can: “Gentlemen, I’m prepared to be amazed or issue a pink slip. What will you be showing us today?”

Neil can’t contain himself. “Space is alive! We’ll show you proof. Space is alive!”

Chan is amused. “Peggy, is this something you can sell?”

Peggy takes the cue. “Let me see. I don’t see a fit with our laser division. Maybe we can sell the military some Alive Space. They buy some of the darndest stuff and pay well for it.”

Dr. Wu surprisingly backs Neil up, somewhat. “if this demo goes as planned, I think you’ll be recalibrating your expectations.”

“Great!” Chan enthuses. “Blow us away!”

About the Author ANAND PUROHIT was born and raised in a Caucasian, Christian family. After several years of inexplicable experiences, he travelled as young man to India for insight. The shocking immersion, alone in a chaotic and foreign culture, forever changed him. Wandering among the slums, always on the edge of death and disease, his perception was shattered. He returned to Canada with a new name and legalized it to cement his commitment to a life of mindfulness.

While enlightenment proved elusive, the quest for greater understanding remained strong. Forty years of software design and business ownership did not quell the thirst. Constant study of history, logistics, physics and metaphysics watered the desire to weld a nexus between analyst and mystic.

The days of designing complex software systems have passed. A new door has opened.

Website | Goodreads

Buy the book at Amazon, Bookshop, Indigo, Barnes and Noble, Book Depository, Kobo, Smashwords, or iBooks.


Day Unto Night by TammyJo Eckhart – Q&A and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. TammyJo Eckhart will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

What inspired you to write this book?

I’ve always loved vampires, ever since I was a child. At the same time, I’m a very picky fan of vampires. While I give it all a try, I don’t love the angst or the whininess of some vampires that have become popular over the decades. An outright monster, though, is also unappealing. I wanted to do something unique, so I looked farther and farther back in time and discovered a potential vampire-like entity that the ancient Sumerians mentioned, though not much information is given. That allowed me freedom to expand and develop a new mythos while meeting some current expectations for what vampires are and can do.

What exciting story are you working on next?

My next book is due at my publisher at the end of this month. It will be the first in a science fiction series that is a mixture of social science fiction and reverse harem, think old fashion feminist science fiction that’s been updated with dark romance edginess. It is a series I’ve been working on for most of my life. I’m thrilled that the world will finally get to see some of it, I hope all of it eventually.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

That’s a good question because it comes down to do I consider from a paid professional angle or a driven to write angle. I’ve always been driven to tell stories. My fifth-grade teacher sent a story I’d written to the University of Iowa Writer’s workshop back in the 1970s. They sent it back saying that it was good but not a short story (that is what turned into the series I mentioned above). I don’t think they knew how old I was because they didn’t speak down to me in any way in their response. I would say that was when I knew others considered me a writer so I should consider myself one, too.

Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I have a quarter-time job that I’ve only had for four years. Primarily I’m a full-time author who balances that with taking care of her family, her house, and doing social and educational outreach programs. I schedule every morning, Monday through Friday, from 9am to Noon to focus on writing for publication in some way, whether it is editing, social promotion, or writing something new.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I write in my dreams. I will dream of the same scene or sequence of scenes from whatever project I’m working on (or which my muses think I should be working on) over and over again. When I sit down to write, I write fast, usually 1500 to 2500 words in 90 minutes or so. I have a word limit per day that I can type because of an army injury, so typing fast is important for me to be able to do.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I always wanted to be a writer, because my mother wrote stories though she was never traditionally published. I also wanted to be a historian and professor or a psychologist. I would say that I use history, psychology, and sociology in my fiction and non-fiction, so it all works out.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I don’t pull my punches in terms of sex or violence. Both are part of human life. However, I also don’t put sex or violence into my work merely to turn on or shock someone. It can be jarring to read some of what I write because I want to make you think, I want to make you uncomfortable at times, but there is always a reason. I hope if you get that uncomfortable feel when you read my work, you pause to go back and reread or sit for a moment with that feeling. Then continue. It will be worth it.

A Sumerian child named Ningai survives the murder of her entire family and cries out to her people’s gods, who answer her prayer in an unexpected way. Now, as the first of the Akhkharu, the living dead, Ningai embarks on a journey across the millennia to rebuild what she lost. The best of her offspring must maintain some shred of goodness to prove worthy to their Child-Mother while fighting the deadly impulses of their kind. Join their journeys across time in a series of interconnected stories from the earliest cities to a brutal future where humans are mere pawns in the hands of near gods. Like all of us, Ningai and the best of her children will stop at nothing to protect her family. Can they succeed before they lose what’s left of their humanity, or will all of humanity become enslaved to the Akhkharu forever?

Enjoy an Excerpt

I remember running.

I remember their screams.

Father’s, as they came to the farm. Father’s, as they pushed him aside. Father’s, as they stabbed him while I watched in horror from the window.

I remember their screams.

Brother’s, telling them to get off our land, then crying out for father, then crying for us all to run, but then was nothing but a gurgle.

I remember their screams.

Mother’s, ordering them out, then silence until she yelled for us to hide, then her cries to the goddesses to protect her until there was only a slapping sound, their laughter, and a gurgle.

I remember their screams.

Sister’s, as she was pulled by her hair from beneath the bed, the sound of cloth being ripped, and her cries of anguish and pleas for mercy, then her command to me: “Run!”

I remember running.

I ran between their bodies as they did things to her that I didn’t even have words for. I ran over the cold stone floor, slipping on the cooling sticky substance that dripped from my mother’s still body. I ran over the door and my brother’s cold mass trying to block it. I ran over the earth and grass, matted from my father’s slaughter.

I remember running.

I ran until I fell into the Great Water, what you call the Euphrates but we only called Puranum, and was carried until I could grasp a branch with my hands, tearing it until my blood also covered the ground as I pulled myself up.

I remember my pain.

My stomach gave up the wonderful dinner Mother and Sister had made for us that night, as all I could see was blood and bodies in my mind. I retched until I was as hollow in my stomach as I was in my heart.

I remember my pain.

My hands were torn; my blood was dripping down my arms to soak my nightshirt. My feet were pitted by rocks and twigs that I had dashed through in my haste to obey. My legs were aching from the run, my lungs were still gasping from the water, and my fingers felt like they were turning to ice in the black night.

I remember my pain.

My mouth opening and letting out a scream that was primal and raw, that tore itself from my very depths. My throat burning until only a squeak came forth and I collapsed on the ground, shivering.

I remember them coming.

About the Author: TammyJo Eckhart, PhD, is the published author of science fiction, fantasy, contemporary, horror, and historical fiction. Her non-fiction works covering subjects ranging from history to alternative sexuality to relationship advice and the challenges of trauma recovery. She holds a PhD in Ancient History with doctoral minors in Gender & Sexuality and Folklore. Her blog, The Chocolate Cult, has been the go-to guide for chocolate lovers since 2009. She loves visiting conventions as well as organizations to read, sell books, or share her experiences and insights on various topics in the form of lectures or workshops.

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Twitter
Buy the book at Amazon.


If the Light Escapes by Brenda Marie Smith – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Brenda Marie Smith will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

A solar electromagnetic pulse fried the U.S. grid. Now northern lights are in Texas—3,000 miles farther south than where they belong. The universe won’t stop screwing with 18-year-old Keno Simms. All that’s left for him and his broken family is farming their Austin subdivision, trying to eke out a living on poor soil in the scorching heat.

Keno’s one solace is his love for Alma, who has her own secret sorrows. When he gets her pregnant, he vows to keep her alive no matter what. Yet armed marauders and nature itself collude against him, forcing him to make choices that rip at his conscience. IF THE LIGHT ESCAPES is post-apocalyptic science fiction set in a near-future reality, a coming-of-age story told in the voice of a heroic teen who’s forced into manhood too soon.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Bright green lights stream and pulse across the northern sky all night now, growing from thin and wispy to bold and fat, expanding, contracting, sending out bands of yellow streamers like they’re partying on ecstasy at some cosmic rave. The lights are pretty, and they’re hypnotic, and they creep me out to the core.

Northern lights every night for two solid weeks in Texas. Halfway to the equator from where they belong. They’re supposed to be a phenomenon tied to the magnetic poles—it’s a scientific fact.

Nothing is right about this. The only explanation I can think of is that the north and south poles are shifting. I don’t know what that means for the planet and the future of its creatures. We don’t have TVs or talking-head scientists to tell us…

The universe just won’t stop f**king with us.

Today, I’m hoeing corn in our front yard, sweat stinging my eyes. It’s blistering hot out here—early December in what used to be high-tech Austin, until the … sun zapped us with an electromagnetic pulse and took our power, our cars, the damned running water. It stopped pretty much everything—everything modern, that is.

It’s been fourteen months, and all the front yards in our subdivision are mini-cornfields now. We grow beans and veggies in the backyards. It’s a desperate attempt to keep us alive when our food stockpiles run out. Don’t know if it will work, but I’m doing my damnedest to make sure it does.

About the Author:

2018-10-18_Brenda Marie Smith

Brenda Marie Smith lived off the grid for many years in a farming collective where her sons were delivered by midwives. She’s been a community activist, managed student housing co-ops, produced concerts to raise money for causes, done massive quantities of bookkeeping, and raised a small herd of teenage boys.

Brenda is attracted to stories where everyday characters transcend their limitations to find their inner heroism. She and her husband reside in a grid-connected, solar-powered home in South Austin, Texas. They have more grown kids and grandkids than they can count.

Website | Tumblr | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Goodreads

Buy the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or BookPeople.