What Scares Me the Most by Nick Wilford – Guest Post and Giveaway

September 18, 2023 By 16 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Nick Wilford will be awarding a $10 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.

What Scares Me the Most

As an author, what scares me the most is running out of ideas. It probably won’t ever happen because I believe there’s an infinite variety of ideas out in the universe, so maybe what I’m more scared of is not doing justice to a great idea. Or, which is perhaps worse, repeating myself with similar themes. In this post I’d like to take the opportunity to share some tips on dealing with these issues for anyone who’s interested in writing, or perhaps you’ve already taken the plunge and have run into such challenges.

One of the hardest things to deal with for any writer is when what appears on the page doesn’t match up with the vision in your head. It’s probably true for any form of art – music, film, painting. You have that initial flash of inspiration and then must spend many months chipping away at the block of marble to try to get to the shape you had in mind. And sometimes, you hit something at the wrong angle and it seems like there’s no way it can be fixed.

One way of dealing with this problem is remembering that the reader is in pretty much every way a lot more important than the writer. Without a reader, your story is just a record to yourself of your own thoughts and inclinations. Is it a piece of art? Certainly, but it hasn’t embarked on its trajectory yet. Once it enters the mind of a reader, then it’s begun its journey. And crucially, the reader doesn’t have the burden of the vision you had before beginning writing. There are no preconceived expectations. The reader is free to take the story and appreciate it any way they like, and they will take their own vision from it. The original one that the author experienced is just space dust at this point. Trust in the story on the page becoming its own entity.

So, you’ve got to reconcile that idea of what comes out on the page not living up to the image in your head, but once you’ve accepted that it should become a lot easier to move forward. There are things that help you chase that vision, of course. It’s always said that a writer should carry pen and paper to capture any ideas that occur, but you should also do the same to write down any developments in your work in progress that come when you’re away from your desk. Or you can record them on your phone and take voice notes. Many writers have a plan that they stick to point by point, or a bulletin board with milestones they must hit in the story. Those are all fine. But the best approach for me is simply to follow where the characters want to go. They might have things in mind that you never thought about, and certainly for me I can’t know their desires, weaknesses and motivations in any depth until I start writing about them. Although you might have started with a grand vision in your head, what the writer wants out of the story ultimately isn’t really relevant. It’s what the characters want that counts. You are merely a conduit.

Harica is gifted with the ability to defuse conflicts using her mind. When she is recruited to assist in resolving a war via an arranged marriage, she discovers that the reluctant bride-to-be has similar powers. Princess Jasmila doesn’t use her powers for good and when Harica arrives to help with the marriage arrangements, she fights back and sends Harica into a coma.

It is through this comatose state that Harica discovers a mysterious liminal space populated by others who share her gift. In this new realm, she learns to do things she never believed possible, but soon things spiral out of control.

In the face of a terrifying and seemingly unstoppable adversary, Harica wrestles with the decision to come to terms with the dark side of her gift.

Will she take ownership of it or turn her back on it forever?

Enjoy an Excerpt

I tried to get a handle on the energy and interplay between the two minds. Jasmila’s was, as I’d expected, much stronger, practically drowning out Narbert’s signals by sheer force, but that didn’t put me off. There would be something I could latch onto, a vulnerable side, even if it was buried deep. Obviously, I would have to concentrate on Jasmila first.

The princess’s complacency was what I was counting on. If she already thought she had me beat, hopefully her guard would be down.

Subtlety wouldn’t be the watchword here. I didn’t want to give her time to sense her own plan hadn’t worked because then she would fight back all the more. I charged like a battering ram but quickly realized this wasn’t going to work. Pulling off something like this was a delicate operation that needed both parties to play along. The “bull in a china shop” approach wasn’t going to cut it. Although there was a bit of give from Jasmila at first, once she rumbled my attack, her mind turned into a brick wall that I bounced off like a tennis ball. I tried to come back for more, attempting a more measured approach, looking for a crack somewhere, even a hairline one, but it was hopeless. It was like trying to tunnel under a mountain with my bare hands. Somewhere in the vicinity I sensed Narbert, bobbing haplessly about, buffeted by the slipstream caused by the battle between me and Jasmila. I couldn’t help him. And we were both caught up in her orbit now, spinning helplessly.

About the Author:
Nick Wilford is originally from Brighton, England and now lives in a quiet town in Scotland with his wife, three daughters and six rescue dogs. Wanting to make a career from writing, he trained in journalism, but soon realized that the fictional realm was where his true passion lay. He enjoys writing speculative fiction, exploring the things that cannot be seen and “making the impossible reality.” Nick is the author of the Black & White YA dystopian series and has also published a collection of shorter fiction as well as curating, editing and publishing a fundraising anthology featuring a diverse array of talent. By day, he works as a freelance editor, and he also enjoys travelling to inspiring locations with his family, listening to music and helping unwanted dogs find loving homes.

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An Eye for the Highest and Best by Dr. Nancy-Angel Doetzel- Spotlight and Giveaway

September 12, 2023 By 2 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Dr. Nancy-Angel Doetzel will be awarding a $10 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.

Living in this world of such disruption and uncertainty can result in us facing despair. How can we attune to the rainbow after a storm, and create hope and happiness? How do we develop an eye for the Highest and Best, when faced with what appears to be the worst? What steps should we take to reconnect with our ability to be resilient?

In this book, Dr. Doetzel shares some important insights gained from her own experiences of teaching university, battling cancer, being a journalist, travelling worldwide, dealing with grief, and facing the global pandemic. Along the way, she introduces her readers to fresh ways of viewing their lives, by applying an Appreciative Inquiry lens that inspires the practice of a more conscious way of living, resulting in discovering serenity.

Readers may start to re-examine their own challenges, while discovering their own gems that warrant gratitude. The reflective questions and stories suggest ways of removing blocks to happiness and constructing healthier relationships.

The book is also an ideal tool for educators to apply to teaching Appreciative Inquiry as a qualitative research methodology.

Enjoy an Excerpt

While attending a church service in a Mexican Cathedral, Angel’s phone had fallen out of her purse. Reaching for it later, intending to make a call, she suddenly notices it was missing. Frantically, she rushed to the hotel front desk to inquire how she could contact the Cathedral. When she arrived, the hotel clerk was holding her golden cell phone, while still looking for an identification on it.

After identifying her cell phone, the clerk told her the story of the person who had turned it in. The lady had picked up the phone in the Cathedral, under a bench. She then noticed a hotel key in the phone case slot, which matched her own hotel key. So, when she returned to the hotel after mass, she gave the cell phone to the front desk attendant.

Angel believed having her cell phone returned by someone staying at the same hotel and attending a common church service, was a miracle in action, and she was tempted to share the story with the police officer, after he checked for her phone.

About the Author:

Dr. Nancy-Angel Doetzel has been teaching in the Sociology Faculty of Mount Royal University since 2006, and as a seasonal sessional instructor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Calgary since 2005.

An award-winning scholar, journalist, and musician, she won a Distinguished Dissertation Award for her doctorate dissertation, leading to the publication of her two books: Cultivating Spirituality in Education: Synergizing Heart and Mind and Old Heart Child’s Eyes: A Diary of Miracles.

In 2017, her students at Mount Royal University honoured her with a Teaching Excellence Award. In 2018 her students also acknowledged her for promoting wellbeing and good health within the classroom, and for being a good mentor. She received her MA, HBA, HBSW, and BA degrees from Lakehead University.

She received her PhD from the University of Calgary in 2004. She studied Intuitive Medicine in Vancouver and received a professional certification (I.C.A.D.C) from the Canadian Council of Professional Certification. She also was awarded a Broadcasting Radio and Television diploma from Confederation College. She encourages her students to examine the world through different lenses, exercising altruism, promoting social justice, and learning to be a good sociologist.

Her Mount Royal University blog is titled, Debunking Deceptive Myths. In addition to her recently published books, she has also authored and published eight scholarly articles in her field.

In February 2020, the Calgary Herald, rated one of her books (a pre-amble to this one) as a local best seller. She is currently conducting research about complementary medicine and continuing to teach at Mount Royal University.

Aside from teaching and conducting research, Dr. Doetzel has hosted a radio show “From the Heart,” airing on AM 1140 High River, for the past 10 years. She has recorded four albums of her own original songs.

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Welcome to Wonderland by Bobbie Candas – Spotlight and Giveaway

September 11, 2023 By 4 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Bobbie Candas 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.

A recently fired biologist with mommy issues, a successful entrepreneur with a dead wife, and an immigrant hiding from gang violence…These three have only one thing in common.

They’re all screwed up

Biology researcher, Violet Hill, was just let go and is devastated. She found the solitary lab and long hours the ideal respite for her anxiety issues–doing meaningful work while avoiding people and conversation. Now unemployed, with diminishing finances, Violet is forced to face the enemy, her mother.

For years, Turner Cooper was consumed with building his company’s client roster, until the sudden death of his wife throws him totally off kilter. Now, instead of work, Turner’s guilt and alcohol issues consume him.

Living a reclusive life in Dallas, Rosario Guzman is hiding from a Mexican cartel while working in the shadows at three part-time jobs. Finally, the item she covets the most, a Green Card, arrives in her mailbox. But Rosario quickly realizes the paper card doesn’t solve all her problems.

While navigating social issues, private demons, and nightmare memories, these three lives collide as they find each other at a place none of them ever imagined they’d be working at. As their mutual relationship evolves, Violet, Turner and Rosario lean into each other and unexpectedly find their lives unfurling in remarkable and magical ways.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Violet is Blue
Violet Hill

Mother considers me awkward, graceless, and socially challenged, but always has hope for improvement. I disagree and think of myself as critically shy. Is there such a diagnosis? I’ve learned I do best when I can control limited social encounters. That’s why I’m better working alone, in a world I’m comfortable and familiar with, the study of soil, seeds, and grasses.

I’ve been working as a research assistant with Dr. William Hirshfield. After finishing my masters at UT in Austin, I gratefully found my hidey-hole at the UT School of Environmental Sciences. After being hired, I realized it was the perfect job for me. For a year, we’ve been running experiments and collecting data on soil absorption, attempting to come up with a microbial substance that will turn arid lands into potential blooming fields of agriculture. All well and good for keeping me in my cozy, solitary research lab, but with the added bonus of working toward saving a warm and crowded planet.

Then yesterday happened.

Dr. Hirshfield called me unexpectedly to meet in his office. We normally only met every two weeks for consultations on experiments. I sat down across from his desk, with my sweating palms gripping the arm rests of the chair. The meeting opened with congenial small-talk. I said, “Hello.”

As with most people I conversed with, I found it difficult looking at Hirshfield when he spoke. Today I found his floorboards especially interesting. Wide wood panels which had me wondering, were they deliberately distressed or actually marred from age? As he shuffled papers on his desk I reached down and touched the floor. Definitely faux distressed.

He nervously coughed and then continued, “Violet, I must say, your work has been exemplary, but…”

Oh shit… The proverbial but. I shuddered slightly.

As I pretended to be intrigued with the floor, Hirshfield said, “I’m afraid I have some bad news to share.” He coughed again. “I’ll just get right to it. I hate to tell you this, but our next year of NIH funding has been cut. They haven’t renewed the terms of our project at the previous level and claim our results are not going as quickly as we initially projected.”

He seemed to be talking to himself now, explaining his problems to the ceiling as my eyes nervously flitted up occasionally to watch. “Seems our study is on the low end of their priority scale regarding research grant money. But our idea has so much merit! It dovetails perfectly with climate change issues and food production for overpopulated areas. Anyway…it’s probably all politics. Therefore—” He coughed a third time. Nervous tick or avoidance? Either way, not a good sign. “I’m having to cut most of my research staff, including your position.”

Please no. Had I heard correctly? I was praying he’d single me out as too good to let go. But of course not. My eyes became moist and my body went cold. I had finally found my place in this chaotic world, my comfy, musty den. Where I could reach my fingers deep into sandy soil and disappear into another world within my microscope. I’d clock in for hours of uninterrupted work, eat a sandwich over my work station by myself, needing to only interact with others regarding information I was knowledgeable about.

Now apparently all that was gone.

And what remained? Going home to Mother? I was devastated. I felt like laying down on those faux floorboards and curling up in a ball.

“Dr. Hirshfield, p-perhaps p-part-time. Tw-Twenty-five hours a week?”

In case you missed that, I have a noticeable stutter, which seems to come into full bloom during times of stress.

“I only wish that were possible, Violet. The grant has been downgraded to include lab equipment, supplies, and compensation for only a few key personnel. I’m so sorry. This has all come as quite a surprise. So, we’re making adjustments immediately; I can keep you for another two weeks. I wanted you to hear it from me, personally.”

I mumbled, “Th-Thank you,” then stood up, wrapped my arms across my chest, and meekly asked about a possible reference letter. He went back to shuffling papers and nodded, agreeing to my simple request. I quickly walked out with my head down, making my exit before he had the chance to shake my perspiring palm.

I spent the next few weeks desperately attempting to find a position with another research team within the department. There were several available for volunteer and credit work, but all paid positions were fully staffed. Although my educational credentials were excellent, my interviewing skills were a little shaky. I considered customer service positions, but they never seemed a good match, and I truly wanted to continue within my field of study.

At the end of the two-week period, I decided to call in for financial reinforcement. Via email, I sent my mother news of the change in job status, then requested funds to keep me in Austin while I continued to look for work, but instead of an electronic deposit, she offered this:

Dear Violet,
So sorry to hear about your job loss. I know you’ve been happy with your little research position. Sometimes these minor hiccups work out for the best. I think you need more stimulation and interaction in your work. When I visited, your lab job seemed so sterile and lonely. I’m sure I can line something up for you through my contacts in Dallas. Come home, darling. The guest house was recently redone and you’re welcome to use it. It’ll be fun hanging out together again. I believe I’ll call Lexy and see if she can revise her schedule and set aside sessions for you. What day should I expect you? Can’t wait to catch up! –Mother

She was not going to be sympathetic to my cause. I made a second stab at job hunting, knowing it was only a delay tactic. Was I being an ungrateful little bitch? Sort of. But I knew I’d have to deal with my mother’s incessant smiling face, popping in without warning, spewing false cheer, urging me to conform to her standards, and always sending out subliminal messages regarding her underlying sense of disappointment in me.

It had been five years since I’d lived at home. My first year in the dorms had been a disaster. I was happier on my own, renting an apartment for three years while earning my bachelor’s and another two for my masters, comfortably surviving in my small, quiet efficiency.

In contrast, Mother’s home was palatial, but for me it was a luxurious prison sitting on a green oak-studded hill overlooking White Rock Lake in Dallas.

I dragged out my move. I felt no incentive to rush home knowing what lay ahead; struggling through painful interviews, going through clothing issues and social events with Mother. Yes, still a tender issue at age twenty-four. Then, once again, I’d start sessions with my speech therapist, Lexy.

Unfortunately, research assistant’s pay was low, Austin rents were high, and the guest house at Mother’s was free. Economically, it made sense. Emotionally, I was an unhappy wreck.

And who could I complain to? Call 911 — My mother is inviting me to move into her newly renovated guest quarters. Put her on trial? — She insists on buying me new clothing suggested by her personal shopper at Neiman’s. Lock her up? — She’s offering me therapy for an affliction which admittedly has recently become worse.

I was a pathetic whiner. Time to get up, pack it in, and get moving.

About the Author:

Bobbie Candas lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband, Mehmet Candas, a stray gray cat, and a jealous tabby who does not enjoy sharing affection with the interloper. Bobbie attended The University of Texas in Austin, earning her degree in journalism. She took a detour with a career in retail management, and found her happy place when she returned to writing fiction about nine years ago.

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Mind Expressions by Alysha Potente – Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway

September 8, 2023 By 5 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Alysha Potente will be awarding a $15 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.

This poetry book has a total of over 130 poems, and most feature alongside: beautiful photography art. All of the poems are different from the next, in meaning and technique.

Analytical in nature, each poem dives into various topics. With this are also syllable counts, where the number of syllables per line are counted and arranged. This brings forward a technical side to poetry writing, where it is precise and balanced.

It is a skill that requires practice, where you hear the word for what it is, using mathematics while rhyming words together. All of the poetry features different rhyming forms.

Enjoy an Exclusive Excerpt

THESE MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURES..

In your mind you visualise..
Something you can’t see with your eyes..
Something that’s found in fable pages..
Something that is known throughout the ages..
All are in folklore features..
Named ‘Mythological creatures’..
What do we analyse for a start?..
Maybe their quite unusual body parts..

A half horse and a half man..
Named a ‘Centaur’ that’s in Roman..
He’s also in Greek mythology..
The ‘piercing bull’ in etymology..

With flying wings that breathes fire..
Named a ‘Dragon’ as an entire..
Making a mention in Fairy tales..
Usually with castle’s as the details..

A lion and an eagle..
Named a ‘Griffin’ that looks regal..
In myths of Roman and Egyptian..
Guarding treasures is in description..

With hooves and a single horn..
Named a ‘Unicorn’ since it’s born..
In European literature and art..
It’s a symbol of pure grace and of heart..

Just a few creatures mentioned..
Next time I’ll make the list lengthened..
For there are many popular that’s known..
All of which we have heard of since we’ve grown..

Syllables: 7, 8, 9, 10, 7, 8, 9, 10, 7, 8, 9, 10, 7, 8, 9, 10, 7, 8, 9, 10, 7, 8, 9, 10, 7, 8, 9, 10= patterns.. (7, 8, 9, 10 repeated).
Every two lines rhyme together.

About the Author: Alysha has been a self- taught creative writer, since the age of 16, in her hometown of Perth, Australia. Her passion for it developed on its own, the need to express herself in a different way other than verbally, was what motivated her to keep up this passion. The use of words was captivating for expression and the love of rhymes was also heard by ear.

Alysha’s first poetry book that she read was actually in Primary School and it was called ‘Revolting rhymes’, which was a retake on nursery rhymes but in a humorous way. This book started this creative side in her at a young age, that, and also her love for art in general.

In 2015 she studied a short course at Berklee, where she was introduced to the notion of syllable counts. In fact, though she had actually been doing syllable counts unconsciously with her poetry in general. By using the same measurement of lines going off of sight, had in turn created similar syllable counts/patterns in her work.

Her book ‘Mind Expressions’ is a technical side of poetry writing that’s come to life. It’s the use of mathematics, along with creative writing. She wanted to give the reader a breakdown of each poem within, in order for them to delve into each poem further and analyse it using a different set of eyes. The poems are analytical in nature, along with syllable counts (some perfect) and perfect rhymes. This really showcases poetry at the highest skill.

Alysha is multi-talented in Art itself and is also a perfectionist. For where her passion lies in different artforms, is where she crafts her skills to a perfection standpoint.

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Theo and Sprout by Joseph Gergen – Q&A and Giveaway

September 7, 2023 By 5 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

If you could go back in time, who would you have dinner with?

At first I was think some deep thinking philosopher like Sarte or Voltaire, but I think that would just be too serious. So I’m thinking Dorothy Parker at the Algonquin. Get a few drinks in her and then let her excoriate everyone else in the room. Then we’d invite the others over later and laugh about how she had made such fun of them.

If you could keep a mythical/ paranormal creature as a pet, what would you have?

Maybe a gorgon who I could send to answer the door when unwanted persons rang the doorbell and turn them to stone. Just kidding. That would be terrible. Maybe a winged fairy instead. I imagine it being like a cat that can fly and verbalizing all the witty and sardonic things you know a cat would say.

How do you keep your writing different from all the others that write in this particular genre?

“Theo and Sprout” is somewhat of a magical realism story since the reader is asked to accept the existence of Sprout. What I tend to do is tell the story as straight as possible even when the most fabulous or surreal events are occurring. I think of it like a channeling a deadpan standup comedian. So the writing turns out very not flowery. In fact, while it’s not quite terse, Earnest Hemmingway would be proud of the economical prose.

What are the best and worst pieces of writing advice you ever received?

Worst advice was about word counts and trying to write a certain number of words every day. While that might work for some people and practice makes perfect I suppose, I was never going to do that. I could have tried but it would have been tortuous and ruined writing for me. Best advice was to read. To read a variety of genres, old and new. Read and let yourself be inspired by the story to want to be able to create the world the author created. Read and admire the craft and the style and the wonderful words.

Are the experiences in this book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

Many of the normal aspects of story are based on my family life as a child and some events stolen from other families. Those helped shape the main character and who he is, and made it personal for me and hopefully made it personal for those who could relate to those experiences. Then with that personal touch on the main character, we threw him into the more surreal parts of the story and we watch those worlds collide.

While Theo longs for some guidance through the perils of adolescence, the guidance he knew his family wouldn’t give him, he isn’t prepared for Sprout, his inner Divine Feminine, to present herself and offer it to him. In fact, he doesn’t appear to have a choice since Sprout, sassy and confident about her presence, won’t go away.

Enjoy an Excerpt

SPROUT. My brother had no idea the impact the nickname he derisively gave me would have. Neither of us knew how unwittingly appropriate it would become. Was it destiny or self-fulfilling prophecy? I don’t know. Memories and dreams and possibilities like to mix together. As far as my past is concerned and the makeup of who I am and what shaped me, I can make no distinction between memory and reality and dream. I usually don’t try.

While I certainly don’t remember all of my childhood, and many aspects are densely foggy, I remember with clarity the day my life changed. I was preparing for school in the basement bathroom—the small, cramped bathroom that seemed more like a large porta-potty with a shower than an actual bathroom. Wet towels covered the floor and almost all available surfaces. Countless toiletries jumbled themselves wherever space allowed them to balance or stack. Most of these did not belong to me. They belonged to my collection of brothers and sisters. I had a toothbrush. I knew that. Usually, I found toothpaste. If I absolutely needed a less common toiletry, I picked through a baffling array of products, many of which I had no understanding, until I found something useful.

About the Author: Author of “Theo and Sprout”. Born and raised on the plains of North Dakota. Moved to Twin Cities because it’s actually warmer. Enjoy creating in whatever form it takes, including writing, painting, and furniture making. The enjoyment is in the doing. Looking to add a little magic to the world through art.

Other books include “Without a Pang” and “Methane Wars.”

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Book Reviews:

https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/theo-and-sprout-a-journey-of-growth-joe-gergen#review

https://chicklitcafe.com/?s=theo+and+sprout

https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/2022/08/theo-and-sprout-a-journey-of-growth-dedicated-review

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Happiness Mountain by Amal Indi – Spotlight and Giveaway

September 7, 2023 By 1 Comment

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Amal Indi 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.

Happiness is the most important experience that we as human beings seek throughout our entire lives. Yet there is no one clear definition of happiness in the world today.

How, then, can we expect to be happy to our fullest if we do not know what happiness is?

Everyone has happy moments in life. Suppose you are awake sixteen hours a day after eight hours of sleep—how much time are you truly happy in these sixteen hours?
If you are happy only 20 percent of your day, you will not feel truly happy in life.
If you are happy 50 percent of your day, you will feel like you have an OK life.
If you are happy 60 percent or above, you are living a happy life.
If you are happy 80 percent and above, you’re living a phenomenally happy life.
What if you could change the times that you are not happy to happy moments?

If you want to get better at something, you must study and become proficient in that subject. You do not know what you are missing if you do not learn. The same principle applies to happiness. If you want to be happier, study what happiness is. If happiness is important to you, master it.

By knowing happiness, you can consciously live a happier life. You can minimize the external factors impacting your happiness. You can get happiness under your control.

Irrespective of where you are in life today, by reading this book and following the happiness definition, philosophy, and methodology, you or anyone can live a happier life.

Enjoy an Excerpt

The Happiness Philosophy

We as human beings find happiness in different ways: money, family, travel, meditation, exercise, material things, alcohol, pets, work, etc. We look for happiness from various activities while living busy lives with work, family, and other responsibilities. We all have times when we are unhappy and suffering while doing daily activities. We tend to look at happiness and daily activities as distinct moments of life.

Daily life is a collection of experiences from when you wake up to when you go to bed. By changing the philosophy of happiness to make every experience a happy experience, you can genuinely live a happier life. If you make every experience happy, naturally your whole day will be happy. If you focus on happiness daily, your entire life will be happy. You do not need to wait for something to happen or some future activity to be happy. You set the intention to be happy in the present moment, in every experience.

To live in this new happiness philosophy, you need a good understanding of happiness. Happiness Mountain’s happiness definition, philosophy, and methodology will help you with that. Why is a methodology critical? A methodology can be followed by anyone, and they will gain results. You do not have to reinvent a methodology for happiness. Instead, follow the Happiness Mountain methodology with ease. Irrespective of where you are in life today, by reading this book and following the happiness methodology, you or anyone can live a happier life.

About the Author:

With over 20 years of experience working for financial institutions as a Solutions Architect, Amal set out on a mission to find true happiness. After researching happiness for many years, he is ready to share a definition, philosophy, and methodology for happiness so that anyone can follow and find true happiness with inner peace, joy, and fulfillment. He has written an incredible book called “Happiness Mountain – Make every experience a happy experience”. Amal is also a father of two kids and lives in beautiful Vancouver, Canada. Amal’s mission is to heal the world and allow everyone to enjoy true happiness.

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How to Handle Negative Criticism by Melanie Bell – Guest Blog and Giveaway

September 6, 2023 By 5 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotion. Melanie Bell will award a $20 Barnes and Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

How to Handle Negative Criticism

If I took every critique of my writing personally, I’d curl up in bed sobbing and stop writing forever.

Fortunately, I’ve worked on tempering my response to criticism. But it’s been a process!

Critique is important for a writer. It helps us see what aspects of our writing others connect with and what we can improve. It’s useful to get input from readers who can pinpoint what’s confusing, boring, or enthralling.
Keep in mind, though, that while people offering critique can offer insight on things that aren’t working, they usually won’t have the answer for how to fix them.

Yes, they might have an idea of what they think would work better. But they’re not the one writing the story – you are. It’s helpful to take their suggestions for “what to change” with a grain of salt. Spend some time doing your own reflection on how to solve the problem in a way that works for your story, intention, and style.

Keep in mind, too, that tastes are different. Maybe you’ve written a lyrical novel full of digressions because you love reading books like that. You might want to seek out readers that also enjoy these stories. If your readers prefer a fast-paced plot, they might not like your book at all, no matter how well-written it is. And they might suggest that you change your story into the story they want.

It’s important to separate yourself from your work. Your story isn’t you. It’s something you’ve created – only one of many tales you might craft. No matter how much of yourself you put into writing it, your readers don’t have direct access to your soul, only to the words you wrote. So, people offering critique aren’t criticizing you at all. They’re simply critiquing your story.

Know yourself and how you handle criticism in general. If you’re very impressionable, be mindful of that and don’t let yourself be pushed around when it comes to the integrity of your writing. If, on the other hand, you tend to react defensively, work on being open and willing to listen. Take feedback for the sometimes dubious, sometimes helpful gift that it is.

A refreshing YA debut from Canadian author Melanie Bell, perfect for fans of Rainbow Rowell, Becky Albertalli, and Nina LaCour.

Melanie Bell has created a compelling coming-of-age story, featuring a bisexual protagonist, for those that can relate to the search for untapped potential. Told in alternating timelines on Prince Edward Island and Vancouver, Chasing Harmony reminds us of the exhilarating feeling that comes with hearing your heart’s song.

Piano prodigy Anna Stern is used to having all eyes on her. As she becomes a teenager, Anna struggles to find her identity without the soundtrack of sonatas and concertos. There’s also the worry that comes with the crushing expectations of her musical gift and her parents’ imploding marriage.

Anna finds refuge in her best friend, Liss, who is full of magic and escape plans. However, now their relationship is changing and Anna is starting to fall for her. Adding to the complicated status is new kid Darien, who is always vying for Anna’s attention.

As the haunting spectre of burnout lurks close by, an upcoming performance with Liss will determine both of their futures. With everything building to a crescendo, what follows is an authentic life in the making.

Enjoy an Excerpt

She blows out the flame, crushes the poster into a ball as bits of ash flake off. She can’t let them catch this.

Another voice: “I swear I didn’t burn anything!”

She grabs the stack of old band posters from the file shelf and stuffs them in her bag. No one else working at The Green Staircase cares about these posters. It was Anna’s idea to keep them.

“Maybe it’s the radiator.”

All those bands, her pride and joy. Who was she kidding?

“I think it’s coming from over there—”

Quick! Into the alley, garbage bins reeking. What bin should burnt paper go in—recycling? Compost? She tosses and runs wildly down the street. Her shift is over. She’s done her job.

Out of habit, she stops at the community center on the corner. It’s late Friday evening, still open, no floor hockey games or beading club for underprivileged youth. No one at the pool tables or arcade.

She rushes to the piano.

No one is there to clap as she launches into the band’s last number, a tender little piece sung by Mustache Man whose burnt face now graces a compost bin. She hasn’t played it before, but that isn’t a problem. Her fingers relish the slick feel of keys, the quick acrobatics of motion. She riffs on the melody, improvises, and adds a solo section. For those lyrics she remembers, she sings along, not powerfully but perfectly in key.

About the Author:Melanie Bell is a Canadian multi-genre writer living in the UK. Her books include a short story collection, Dream Signs, a nonfiction title, The Modern Enneagram, and the YA novel Chasing Harmony. She has written for several publications including Contrary, Cicada, The Fiddlehead, and Huffington Post. She loves music, art, and nature, and aspires to see as much of the world as she can.

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Ten Favorite Romantic Screen Couples by Gayle Feyrer – Guest Post and Giveaway

September 5, 2023 By 6 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will award a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn host. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Ten Favorite Romantic Screen Couples

Phaedra: On my favorite movies ever. Most gorgeous love scene ever. Movie that’s influenced my writing the most. Gorgeous score. Great acting. A love to burn the world down.

Blast From the Past: Adam, the hero (who’s lived in a bomb shelter all his life) is adorable, so innocent, so honest, and so open to the beauty of the world. Brendan Fraser, a superb actor in both comedy and drama, captures this charm and whimsy to perfection. And he can dance! Alicia Silverstone but she makes a good Eve, a bit shallow and jaded when she meets Adam, but essentially honest and loving like him, so I do love them as a couple.

Here’s the spectacular dance scene—Eve is helping Adam find a girlfriend. She tells him to be funny but expects him to be hopeless.

Romeo and Juliet: Zefferelli’s, not Baz Lurhman’s slight lunatic version. Except that Zefferelli cut too much of the actual text, it’s perfection. Beautiful and heartbreaking.

The meeting, set to the beautiful prophetic song.

Sense and Sensibility: What a pile of fantastic relationships. Elinor and Edward so adorable and the proposal scene makes me cry every time. I love that Alan Rickman wipes out the two handsomer actors with the intensity and tenderness of his love for Marianne. And even though Willoughby gets his just desserts, he’s still a delightfully sexy presence before he deserts. I think this is a perfect film, beautifully written, cast, directed.

Willoughby looks like the winner at first:

Pride and Prejudice: I’m fond of several! Sorry, I do not like Colin Firth as Darcy, though I appreciate the production as a whole and love Jennifer Ehle’s Elizabeth. My favorite Darcy is Laurence Olivier because, well, pride. Greer Garson is marvelous in the banter scenes, but fails to deliver a real depth of emotion. It’s got a great script but the production is too silly overall. But it has enough good points I return to it often.

But my favorite Lizzy is Lily James in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I really love Lizzy best, but Darcy’s transformation is wonderful.

Here’s the hilarious proposal scene:

Best version overall for me is the Keira Knightly film. I do love the Bröntesque feel, even if Austin would probably not approve. This version plays the physical attraction between Elizabeth and Darcy more than any other. I certainly responded to the sexual tension but I did miss the verbal banter and meeting of minds that other versions do better.

Bound: Corky and Violet, Woo! Pretty hard to find a scene that isn’t too steamy to post. It’s a great thriller and I love both women.

Who Am I This Time: I’ve watched this endless times. Christopher Walken and Susan Sarandon are fabulous as two lonely souls who find each other through acting. It’s a pity Walken didn’t get more romantic comedy when he was young and beautiful.

Full movie:

Luther (and Alice): This wasn’t on my list at first. It’s TV, so that’s one reason why. But then I added my beloved Who Am I This Time, which was an hour drama for American Comedy Theatre. And for what I watch over and over – and over and over – for sexual tension and a fascinating emotional relationship, Luther and Alice are way up at the top of the list. Do I believe a psychopath can fall in love? Probably not. Do I believe that Alice falls in love with Luther and Luther comes to love her? Yes. I do have to wonder if one of them would have ended up killing the other though. I couldn’t find their first scene, the interview, but this one is good at showing the game playing though you’ll have to watch the show to really get it.

La Femme Nikita (and Michael): So, doing TV and yes, another all time favorite couple. A wonderful attraction of opposites. They are both forced to serve Section One or be killed. Nikita constantly fights to keep her soul. Michael is convinced he doesn’t have one anymore but holds on to Nickita because she will be his soul, his conscience for him. I was going to write an Elizabethan historical romance that was basically a La Femme Nikita story. Instead, after many mutations, Michael and Nikita transformed into Michel and Theo in Floats the Dark Shadow. Without being captives of Section One, they had to change greatly, no longer captive spies but independent cop and artist at odds, detecting a murder.

The Last of the Mohicans: I wavered a lot on a final movie pick—really too many to chose from. Casablanca and its reverse, The English Patient. Notting Hill. Something New. But I love both Cora and Hawkeye, and even if action dominates the movie their love story is still at the center. Daniel Day Lewis is truly extraordinary in it.

The trailer:

Love scene at the fort:

Warrior. Spy. Marian Montrose dons silk or chain mail with equal aplomb. Sent by Queen Eleanor on a mission to Nottingham, Marian is waylaid in Sherwood Forest by the infamous Robin Hood. Her companions are stripped of their riches, but from her, Robin steals only one brazen kiss.

Seething with anger at the thief’s presumption and the haunting memory of his searing embrace, Marian arrives at the castle to find the sophisticated and seductive Sir Guy of Guisbourne a welcome distraction. Guisbourne would be the perfect ally against the Sheriff and Prince John but he believes he’s already picked the winning side. Deft at games of intrigue, Marian discovers Guisbourne’s involved in plans to steal the ransom meant to free King Richard the Lionheart.

Conquering her misgivings, Marian returns to Sherwood and recruits Robin with the promise of a pardon for him and his men. Now they are allies in the fight to return the king, but Robin wants far more from Marian. First she resists his almost magical allure, then succumbs, then resists again, distrusting the elemental power he has over her. Guisbourne may be lethally dangerous, but Robin threatens to consume both her body and her soul.

Danger surrounds them. Betrayal separates them. But desire—and fate—will not be denied.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Simon of Vitry was a dead man. His rush was telling on him. In his eagerness for the kill, Vitry had expended too much energy. As he thrust at her again, he stumbled over a root. He recouped before she could counterattack, but Marian regained her balance and her surety. She saw that the great sword had grown heavy for him, showing its weight in his faltering backhand. Deliberately she edged around him, letting him follow with his strongest cuts, then quickly reversed direction, playing to his weakest maneuver. The backslash came at her, aiming to open her chest. She brought her own sword under his blade and turned it, then instantly drove her point home, taking him deep in the belly. Vitry screamed, surprise and outrage rising to a shrilling agony as she pulled her weapon free. With a surge of cold triumph she saw him fall to the ground. He lay at her feet, clutching the wound and thrashing. She did not answer when he begged her for his death.

Implacable as fate, Marian sat by the edge of the pool and watched Vitry die, wondering if her father had taken as long. After an hour it was over. Rising, she went to stand over his corpse. Though all around the bright May greenery fluttered in the breeze, looking down on him she felt encompassed by winter.

About the Author:Gayle Feyrer began drawing as soon as she could hold a crayon and writing when she was twelve. She holds a Bachelor’s in Pictorial Arts from UCLA, and MFA from the University of Oregon in Creative Writing. In her varied career, she has been a tie dye artist, go-go dancer, baker, creator of ceramic beasties, illustrator, fiction teacher, and finally, novelist. A Libra with Scorpio Rising, Gayle’s romantic nature takes on a darker edge. She hopes these shadows bring depth to her romances.

A world traveler, Gayle has visited Paris, England and Italy numerous times. She lived for two years in Jakarta, Indonesia, with many trips around Asia. She currently resides across the bridge from San Francisco, with her husband and their two rescue cats, Charlotte and Emily, the Flying Bronte sisters, half Siamese and half tabby.

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Moccasin Trace by Hawk MacKinney – Spotlight and Giveaway

August 28, 2023 By 8 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Hawk MacKinney will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on he tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

It is July of 1859, a month of sweltering dog days and feverish emotional bombast. Life is good for widower Rundell Ingram and his hazel-eyed, roan-haired son, Hamilton. Between the two of them, they take care of Moccasin Hollow, their rustic dogtrot ancestral home, a sprawling non-slave plantation in the rolling farming country outside Queensborough Towne in east Georgia. Adjoining Ingram lands is Wisteria Bend, the vast slave-holding plantation of Andrew and Corinthia Greer, their daughter Sarah and son Benjamin.

Both families share generations of long-accepted traditions, and childhood playmates are no longer children. Against this rustic idyll of hard work and gracious living comes inflexible discord and divided loyalties that mutilate ties of blood and bond, tearing at their lives as smoke and battle no longer so faraway crashes and maims ever closer. Ahead of the on-coming ranks of Blue, foragers and bumlers burn, loot, scavenge and kill. Hamilton faces agonizing sacrifices with dreadful consequences. With little else than his wits, he tries anything to protect Sarah, their unborn child, his sickly father, and Sarah’s family.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Rundell liked munching raw potatoes. He favored the smaller fresh-dug ones he called new potatoes. He’d use the bent kitchen knife that’d lost its handle on the withered moldy ones that hadn’t been taken. Sometimes he didn’t peel them, just rubbed off the dirt and gnawed away.

The Hollows had been spared, but damn little else had. Growing up a gangly towhead on the sprawling acres of Moccasin Hollows, Hamilton never gave much notice to outside goings-on. On his seventeenth birthday near four years ago, he got his first notion of the world beyond.

Rundell usually kept his feelings close to home, seldom using strong language, but that day his disgusted papa’d remarked, “Damn few prudent heads among the lot of them,” as he flung down the Augusta newspaper. “Constitutionalist editors and those pigheaded politicians. They couldn’t get off a water moccasin if it was chewin’ on their big toe. Fools got no idea what they’re stirrin’. Most likely don’t care neither.”

“What happened?” Hamilton had never seen a turmoil fret his papa so.

“I suppose it’s gettin’ to me more’n I thought. Benson Crouder stopped by, that’s what. All gussied up in his top hat and new attire like some up-town Beau Brummell, that fancy rig of his hitched with his matched bays, their mane and tails all curried. Cain’t figure some folks. Let them get money in their pockets, they act like their sweat don’t stink. All fired up, heading into Queensborough for the big meet, asked if I was going. I told him I didn’t see no point to another meetin’. Far as I could tell too many done decided they were finished with talk.”

Not many days went by before Rundell swallowed his distaste for politics and got knee-deep in the middle of the commotion at the capital in Milledgeville. Hamilton harnessed and hitched the buggy for him.

Reins in hands, Rundell looked at his son. “Don’t figure my bein’ there’ll make much difference. Suppose it cain’t do no harm neither.”

“I’ll handle things. Things’ll be fine here however long you need to be gone.”

Hamilton would remember that day, watching Papa drive off, and how at the time the day hadn’t seemed different. When he thought back, he could think of no one thing which seemed to’ve change, except he recalled the yellowish-orange morning light seemed sharper with a change to the air.

For way too many folks stench and fear rode the breezes, carrying the smell of char and ashes. Each day had become a hunt for food and shelter. Tending the meager gardens at the Hollows barely managed enough food, but it was food. The lawless churning mayhem, moving far and near, sometimes too close to the Hollows for Hamilton’s liking–his wife and son, their unborn, Papa, Mother Greer and Sarah’s brother, Benjamin. Gaunt chimneys haunted the ashes of Wisteria Bends, Hamilton’s second home, the grand plantation manor where Sarah and Ben had grown up. Without money there was no point going into town. Except for land speculators, gold jingling in their pockets, there wadn’t that much food to be had in Queensborough nohow.

A blizzard of thunder and hell-hot hate had smashed most homes in the countryside around Queensborough Towne. With Sherman and his army gone, worse than carpetbaggers and a lot more dangerous were the lawless bands of white trash infesting the countryside. No questions asked, easier to kill anyone that happened in their way, and get on with the stealin’. Human locust pillaging what they could get their hands on, torching homes, farms, what was left of the Queensborough courthouse. With parish land records in ashes a fair number of low-lifes claimed land which was never theirs.

About the Author:

In addition to professional articles and texts on chordate neuroembryology, Hawk MacKinney has authored several works of fiction—historical love stories, science fiction and mystery-thrillers. Moccasin Trace, a historical novel nominated for the prestigious Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Writers Notes Book Award, details the family bloodlines of his protagonist in the Moccasin Hollow Mystery Series: Hidden Chamber of Death, Westobou Gold, Dead Gold, Curse of the Ancients, and Blood of the Dragonfly.

Hawk’s science fiction novels include The Bleikovat Event, Vol I in The Cairns of Sainctuarie Science Fiction Series, followed by Vol II, The Missing Planets, and Vol III, Inanna Phantom.

Hawk MacKinney served in the US Navy for over 20 years. While serving as a Navy Commander, he also had a career as a full-time faculty member at several major state medical facilities. He earned two postgraduate degrees with studies in languages and history. He has taught postgraduate courses in both the United States and Jerusalem, Israel. He now makes his home in Augusta, Georgia, where he writes full-time.

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Balancing Life and Writing by Heidi Skarie – Guest Blog and Giveaway

August 28, 2023 By 9 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will award a $20 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Balancing Life and Writing

Balancing life and writing has always been a challenge for me because I started writing when I had three young children and was working part-time. It’s a long journey to learn the basics of writing a novel and then there is the actual writing. Most writers have an early novel or two they never publish.

I used to write whenever I had a free moment. I’d write while my daughter had flute lessons or while my children had soccer practice. I’d write early in the morning or in the evening after the children went to bed.

I’d develop scenes in the story in my head as I drove and discuss ideas with my husband on walks. I attended writer’s groups and writer’s seminars to learn from other authors.

I typed my first manuscript on a typewriter. Later, I purchased a Macintosh personal computer. That made writing much easier and faster. Though I still write my first draft by hand. As an artist, I like the connection between the hand and paper for working with the creative right side of the brain.

Now my children are grown and I have my own writing space and more free time. However, I’m still working part-time and I am a caregiver for my 101-year-old mother and help with my three grandsons. During covid, my husband and I watched all three of our grandchildren and I did very little writing.

I’ve tried lots of different things to make sure I make time for writing. I have a calendar where I write down what I wrote each day and set up deadlines for finishing chapters. I’ve also been in critique groups where you exchange work regularly, which serves to keep you motivated and on a schedule.

I’m an indie author so I have to make time for publishing and marketing as well as writing. When I’m nearing a launch, I have to put aside the writing to focus my efforts on getting the book into the world.

It seems like the world has speeded up and the balance between life and writing is always there. Things come up like my mother getting sick and one of the grandchildren needing a ride. And fun things like birthday parties and holidays, getting together with friends, or reading a book by an author I know.

There are many things that can keep me from writing. I find I need to come back to the important question of why I write. What is the message I want to share? What is the story I want to tell? Writing is one of my creative outlets and I know I need to make time for it in my busy schedule and just keep moving forward on my author’s journey.

Can a small band of heroes save their world from a ruthless interplanetary conqueror?

The Star Rider series is an exciting space opera series that takes place in a distant galaxy during an intergalactic war. The first three books are about two undercover operatives, Toemeka and Erling, and their friends, lovers, and enemies as they fight for the freedom of their world.

The next three books are about Toemeka and Erling’s young adult children as the war continues and a new generation is pulled into the struggle for peace.

You’ll love this thrilling series if you like stories that take place in other worlds with feisty heroines, brave heroes, space battles, and starships.

Star Rider on the Razor’s Edge

He wanted to rule the stars. He shouldn’t have murdered her family…

Toemeka Ganti won’t rest until the universe is rid of the sinister sorcerer-deity who killed her parents. Working undercover to liberate a peaceful people from his ruthless usurper, she attempts to develop a weapon that can break through the tyrant’s shields. But she’s barely begun her work when she’s captured by the despot’s dark agents.

Rescued by a mysterious and handsome warrior-priest, Toemeka and her team join forces with the planetary resistance. But without her device to knock out the enemy defenses, their budding rebellion could swiftly be crushed. And her time to complete it has almost run out…

Can Toemeka free an oppressed planet and light a spark of hope throughout the galaxy?

Star Rider on the Razor’s Edge is the electrifying first book in the Star Rider space opera series. If you like feisty heroines, high-tech weapons, and courageous crews, then you’ll love Heidi Skarie’s thrilling saga.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Toemeka raced through the dense, ominous forest, pursued by Talon soldiers and their vicious hounds. More hounds rushed out from behind trees. Saliva and blood dripped from their fangs as they growled and stalked her from all directions.

Toemeka jerked awake, her heart pounding and body shaking. Only a nightmare, she reassured herself, drawing a deep breath to control the anxiety. She felt awful – hung over and thickheaded. Not knowing where she was, Toemeka shoved a damp lock of hair off her aching forehead and sat up. In a nearby berth less than five feet away lay Michio, sleeping soundly.

Distorted memories of the previous evening sprung to mind. Hammering music. A snake slithering around a man’s neck. Rochambeau shot. The smell of a ship burning. She wasn’t sure what was real and what was an illusion caused by the drug.

Monitors along one wall dimly lit the room. The low drone of engines and a distinct vibration suggested she was on a starship or perhaps a space station. Stars and planets shone as dots of light in the blackness of space when she looked out the porthole. Most likely a space station with simulated gravity, she decided.

She pushed the silver space blanket off her clammy body and slid off the berth. Her bare feet hit the cool floor. She took a soft step, swayed unsteadily and threw out a hand, pressing it against the wall to regain her balance. Michio’s brown leather jacket hung from a hook on the wall. She crept quietly towards it in hopes of finding his energy gun.

Michio rolled over; she froze. once his breathing became regular again, she thrust her hand into the jacket pocket. empty, but something heavy clunked against the wall. Underneath the jacket hung his gun belt. Her hand closed around the solid handle of a Juggernaut 50, a powerful energy gun; she pulled it from its holster.

The berth creaked. She swung around and aimed the Jug 50 at Michio as he leaped out of the berth. He coiled before her like a huka panther ready to spring, radiating self-confidence. He had the muscular body of a warrior and seemed taller and more dangerous than he’d appeared when asleep. He wore nothing but loose-fitting silk sleeping pants that hugged his taut stomach.

Blast it! Why did she feel vulnerable when she was the one holding the Jug 50? Then it hit her. The weapon was of little use because she would never shoot someone who might be an ally. “Stay where you are!” she exclaimed.

He studied her with piercing eyes. “I see you’re finally awake.”

She held out her free hand. “Give me the Viper’s keyless remote.”

He scowled. “Are you crazy? Do you think I’m just going to let you steal my ship and leave me stranded in space?”

“I’m sure you know someone who will come get you. Now give me the remote or I’ll blast a hole in your thigh.” Feeling weak and nauseated, she locked her knees, afraid her strength would give out.

“So this is what I get for risking my life to rescue you.” His stance remained guarded.

“If you were rescuing me, you won’t mind taking me back to my apartment.”

He shook his head. “It’s no longer safe for you there.”

“I’ll decide what’s safe and what isn’t.”

“Fine,” he snapped, “but I need to get dressed before we go anywhere.” He reached for his clothes hanging on the hook behind her.

“Stay back. I’ll hand them to you.”

“Don’t push me. And put the Jug 50 away before one of us gets hurt.”

“Not likely.” She kept the gun trained on him, then turned to snatch his clothes off the hook.

He sprang, knocking her backwards, slamming her right arm against the wall. The gun discharged with a flare of light as it flew out of her hand and onto a berth. She pushed against his unyielding chest.

He pinned her against the wall. “Now will you listen to reason?” His eyes flared with fury.

About the Author: Heidi Skarie is the author of the Sci-Fi, Space Opera series The Star Rider Universe. The sixth book in the series, Golden Cord of Light is a new release and the seventh is coming out in 2024. She was inspired to write Star Rider on the Razor’s Edge after having a series of six dreams that was like watching a movie.

Heidi Skarie loves writing and creating stories. She especially enjoys writing science fiction and fantasy because it allows for creativity, imagination, and freedom of ideas. All inventions come from a feeling or dream of possibilities that can later manifest like computers, cell phones, zoom calls, and self-driving cars. She vividly remembers the amazing day when Neil Armstrong took his first step on the moon and the possibility of space travel became a reality.

Skarie teaches classes on writing and has spoken on podcasts, radio, and television.

She lives in Minnetonka, MN with her husband, Jim, and their cat, Lucky. To find out more about her journey as a writer visit her website and blog.

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