Tag: other authors

Descent Into Darkness

On By Sherrie CroninIn features and reviews, science fiction14 Comments

Today it is my pleasure to welcome author Zanne Raby and her science fiction space opera Descent Into Darkness

Author’s description

Descent into Darkness: Mayhem follows the Mayflower in the second book of The Chronicles of Deneb series. Journey along with the crew of the Space Ark Mayflower as they adapt to their new home on the planet Deneb. But along with their struggle to integrate into an alien culture, a new battle sweeps across the planet with the arrival of the human-transmitted Chimera bactovirus, bringing war and fanning the flames of racial intolerance. With a bloody conflict raging across the planet, the crew of the Mayflower is split between the two factions and embroiled in the chaos and destruction. Descend with the crew into darkness, where the only survivors of a global war will be on the right side of the border.

About Zanne Raby

Since the days of the Napoleonic War, there has always been a member of Zanne’s family in uniform. Choosing to follow in the footsteps of her ancestors, Zanne joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1980, and was selected to attend the Royal Military College of Canada – the first year that women were accepted into that prestigious academy of learning. After graduation, she studied to become a Transportation and Movements Officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force.

During a career spanning 38 years, some of the most memorable experiences involved command of 8 Mission Support Squadron as part of Joint Task Force Afghanistan, leading a study on support to the Canadian Arctic involving several trips to Northern Canada, including Canadian Forces Station Alert (the most northern settlement in the world), a three–year tour with NATO at Joint Force Command Brunssum, a deployment as the NATO Liaison Officer to United States Central Command, and finally a nomination as the Deputy Commander for the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group.

After hanging up the uniform and putting away the combat boots, Zanne bought a small acreage in Central Ontario and designed her own house. With an office overlooking the picturesque shores of Georgian Bay, surrounded by maps and images of alien worlds, she is pursuing her life-long ambition to become an author. Enough of the reports and returns that littered her desk over her career, now she could turn her attention to unleashing the creativity that had taken a back seat to the analytical world of logistics. The time had come to shake the dust off and begin a new career. The winds of change had called.

Zanne is currently crafting The Chronicles of Deneb, a sci-fi series that will take the reader from a dystopian earth on a voyage across the galaxy in search of a safe haven. But the planets the team discover provide anything but the sanctuary they sought. In her spare time, Zanne enjoys travel, photography, hiking, and gardening. And always, a good story to pass the time.

Zanne Raby shares her thoughts

I like to ask other authors if they had a minor character in their book who insisted on playing a larger a role. Zanne Raby definitely did and she’s going to tell you about it in her own words.

I’m really excited at being featured as a guest author on the Seven Troublesome Sisters blog and I’d like to thank Sherrie Cronin for inviting me to write about my latest novel, Descent into Darkness, the second book in the sci-fi/ space opera series, “The Chronicles of Deneb”.

You remember back in high school that kid who sat in the back of the class and didn’t say too much? Kind of a mysterious, secretive type? When all the popular kids were hanging out, they were always in the shadows. A minor character who just blended in. Yup, you knew somebody like that, right? Well, when I began writing the first novel in the series, I created a character just like that. Except she just didn’t know her place. And that’s what I’m going to write about – a minor character who insisted on playing a larger role in the story.

First though, a bit of background. The thread that runs through the entire series revolves around a crew of humans who flee a dying Earth. Dr. Daniel Radu, a brilliant astronautical engineer teams up with a Nobel-prize winning astrophysicist named Dr. Tara Kóbor, and they start off as the main characters in the opening chapters of the first novel in the series (the Flight of the Mayflower, by the way). Add to that a small crew aboard a gargantuan Space Ark zipping across the galaxy on the look out for a new planet to call home. Well, they make it safely except that the world they thought was virgin territory is already taken and the welcome wagon is anything but welcoming.

Enter my bit player: General Ravenna. So my crew of plucky human space travellers get set to dock their spacecraft on Deneb7 and settle right in. Instead, they’re met by an armed Denebian war force, with the ruthless and powerful General Ravenna in charge of the nation’s army. Ravenna was just a minor character whose role was to throw everything the Denebian war host had at what they thought was an alien invasion. Then she was supposed to vanish into the cream-coloured pages of the novel.

But Ravenna wasn’t satisfied with staying in the wings, oh no! She blossoms, and like a vine begins to spread across the pages. After all, Ravenna’s a powerful woman and not one to be kept down. When the humans manage to convince President Meryx that they’re just peaceful intergalactic migrants with every intention of integrating into Denebian society, Ravenna smells a rat. It’s not like she got to where she was by being trusting, and this ferocious woman with a mysterious past suddenly rises to major character status. Finding herself doubting the nation’s leader, the loyal but mistrustful officer dutifully carries out the mission all the while doubt dances through her mind. And of course, she blames the humans for pulling the wool over the eyes of the nation. So my minor character now vaults into stardom by doing her utmost to unveil the truth, and she stops at absolutely nothing in her quest to be proven right. In the meantime, she thrusts reason aside when a sophisticated assassin crosses paths with her before coming to the conclusion that there’s no love left for a woman with a scarred history. Then there’s misguided loyalties that come back to haunt her when a blast from the past blows in General Diti Cavell, an old friend who takes no prisoners herself. When her own life hangs by a thread, can Ravenna tear the cords that bind her to the past? Will she learn to trust and let her guard down just enough to find a future where happiness awaits? I found myself exploring the notion of giving up control and allowing others in to your life through General Ravenna’s eyes. That’s not easy for a powerful, intelligent, and resourceful woman like Ravenna and let me tell you, she sure made it impossible for me to hold her down as a minor player once the planet of Deneb begins its Descent into Darkness.

Find Zanne Raby

WEBSITE zanneraby.com
FACEBOOK Zanne Raby
INSTAGRAM @zanne_raby
GOODREADS Zanne Raby
AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL Zanne Raby

Buy Descent Into Darkness

Buy at AMAZON.COM
Buy at AMAZON.CA
Buy at  BARNES & NOBLE
Buy at KOBO
Buy at  SMASHWORDS

Yes, there is a giveaway

The author will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Enter here to win.

This post is part of a tour sponsored by Goddess Fish. Check out all the other tour stops. If you drop by each of these and comment, you will greatly increase your chances of winning.

My Favorite Excerpt

Nagib looked overhead at the sun and shook his head. “I’m starting to think that Brynn’s right, Charra. Maybe they’re not coming after all.” His wife threw her hands to her hips and swivelled to face her husband.

“We wait, husband. And you’d do better to wipe that dirt smudge from your tunic.”

With her chin pointing at him defiantly, Nagib knew he was beaten and lowered his head timidly. “She’s only nine Charra, and she’s so full of life. Can’t this wait a few more years?”

“What are you, stupid or something?” his wife fumed. “It’s for this very reason, wasn’t it, that we made the match in the first place. This daughter of yours has too much spirit, and I blame you for encouraging her. If we wait any longer, her behaviour will shame us and then no family will want this girl who doesn’t know her place in the world.”

Frowning partly in frustration and mostly in impotent anger at his wife, Nagib turned his back on Charra. My fault? As if this wife of mine knows her place, he fumed, tucking his hands into the sleeves of his billowing tunic. But still, he knew that Charra was a good woman, one who bore him strong children and had nursed him through the illness with no complaints. And she looked the other way when he stayed high in the hills with his flocks, long past the hot days of summer after the other shepherds had driven their animals back to the valleys and winter villages where the Geiten congregated during the short months of the Cooling. Truth be told, he knew Charra did not love him, nor did he care much for her. But theirs was a partnership built for survival and in that they had succeeded in their match. Only he held hope in his heart for more than this for his daughter, the sprite who touched his heart with her dear ways.

Around them, the circle of villagers started to rustle impatiently like the tall grasses in the wind, everyone wondering if sickness had carried away the young bridegroom and his mother, or if they had fallen prey to the bloodwolves that had recently learned to appreciate the taste of Geiten flesh. And mingling amongst the Geiten of Urkyn was a cluster of beings who from a distance could pass for foreigners from any one of the planets that made up the Interstellar Collective for Peace and Security.

Thank you!

Zanne Raby — we appreciate your sharing your book Descent Into Darkness with us! Best of luck with sales, and with all of your future writing.

The Gingerbread Curse

On By Sherrie CroninIn fantasy, features and reviews12 Comments

Today it is my pleasure to welcome author April Marcom and her fantasy fairy tale novel, The Gingerbread Curse.

Author’s description

All her life, Falon’s grandfather told her the age-old tale of ‘The Gingerbread Man’. Even as a teenager, she’d fallen asleep to his favorite bedtime story, a special tradition she knew she’d never outgrow.  However, when he makes a dying wish, asking her to visit a secret underground world of magic to rescue the best friend he left behind fifty years ago, the tale begins to come to life.

Setting out with her self-obsessed cousin and a cure for the magicked man with skin like gingerbread, she finds herself tangled within an adventure nothing like the story her grandfather always told.

Once having found the long lost man of her grandfather’s youth, her only hope of ever returning home, or even surviving his world, lies in the talons of a deadly hybrid she scarcely trusts. Together they must face the animals taken from the children’s tale and magicked into monsters, a man who can move mountains who is bent on killing them all, and a labyrinth rumored to have never allowed a survivor.

About April Marcom

April Marcom works as a Pre-K teacher’s assistant, but her true passion is writing. When she’s not teaching or creating stories, she’s enjoying the country life with her car-obsessed husband and three fabulous children.

She also enjoys rainy days, traveling, and her very rowdy dogs. April grew up a southern bell in Mississippi, but is now a proud Oklahoman.

Find April Marcom

Website: http://www.5princebooks.com/aprilmarcom.html
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AprilMarcom

Buy The Gingerbread Curse

The book will be $0.99 at
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Gingerbread-Curse-April-Marcom-ebook/dp/B07M7Q4PQY
Apple – https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-gingerbread-curse/id1449194526
Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-gingerbread-curse
B&N – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-gingerbread-curse-april-marcom/1130194688?ean=2940161412503

Yes, there is a giveaway

The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Enter here to win.

This post is part of a tour sponsored by Goddess Fish. Check out all the other tour stops. If you drop by each of these and comment, you will greatly increase your chances of winning.

My Favorite Excerpt

A thrill shot through me as I approached the spectacular tree. Something wonderful was about to happen, or something I might very well regret for the rest of my life. Either way, I was simply too hungry, and there was too much time ahead of me with no food, to have a choice in eating it or not…

I stared at all the tear drops. None stood out especially. The ones closer to the trunk of the tree were the biggest. My appetite was pushing me in their direction. I followed one of the branches inward, wondering if a larger crystal meant a stronger ability. No amount of time trying to decide which one would make any difference. And part of me was terribly excited to discover which of Sierra’s ‘gifts’ I was about to inherit.

The leaves twinkled and sparkled against one another. I reached out for the largest one in sight, wondering if it might give me fearlessness or musical ability or wisdom beyond my years, but stopped at the last moment when I noticed the one hanging just above it. Frost-like patterns etched over the higher crystal created a perfect calligraphy F. It was as if my name was written on it. This was the one.

I reached out with both hands and cupped them around the leaf, catching nearly every purple petal. They had a chill to them, and felt damp as if they’d been painted with fresh morning dew. The rest liquefied, one by one, as they hit the ground.

Cautiously, I ate one petal. The sweet burst that erupted like grape juice inside my mouth was so delightful, I ate the rest without restraint.

April Marcom answers a question

just for us!

In my books I’ve always had one minor character who insisted on playing a larger role in the story. So I asked April Marcom if there was there such a character in her novel.  It looks like there was.  I’ll let her tell you about it …

I guess I’d say Aurora’s kind of like that. She starts out as a minor character (Falon’s new cousin by marriage), but has become rather good at bullying her way into the spotlight throughout her perfect Barbie doll-style life. Once she and Falon are trapped underground and immortality’s at their fingertips, Aurora’s number one reason for wanting to escape and return to normal life is that everyone down there seems to like Falon better than her. That’s not something she’s used to, nor is it something she’s willing to put up with. 

Spoiler Alert: When she and Falon reach Sierra’s magical island and each are offered a special, surprise ability, Aurora receives the gift of seeing people based on their inner beauty. She realizes she’s hideous and accuses Sierra of ruining her life, but knows she’s got to make some changes.

Thank you!

April Marcom — we appreciate your sharing your thoughts and your book The Gingerbread Curse with us! Best of luck with sales, and with all of your future writing.

Secrets of a River Swimmer

On By Sherrie CroninIn courage, features and reviews, into a butterfly, joy6 Comments

Today it is my pleasure to welcome author S.S. Turner and his literary fiction novel, Secrets of a River Swimmer.

Author’s description

As Freddy gazes at the majestic river gushing past him in the depths of a Scottish winter, he’s ready to jump in and end his life. But what happens next is not what Freddy expects. From the moment he enters the river, Freddy starts a journey which is more beautiful, funny, and mysterious than he could have imagined. And through this journey Freddy’s story becomes interweaved with a cast of unforgettable characters who are equally lost and in search of answers. Eventually they all unite in their quest for an answer to the biggest question of them all: will the river take them where they want to go?

 

In the tradition of inspirational works of fiction like The Alchemist and Life of Pi, Secrets of a River Swimmer is at once a profound exploration into living with meaning and an affecting story of people on the cusp of change.

About S.S. Turner

S.S. Turner has been an avid reader, writer, and explorer of the natural world throughout his life which has been spent in England, Scotland and Australia. Just like Freddy in his first novel, Secrets of a River Swimmer, he worked in the global fund management sector for many years but realized it didn’t align with his values. In recent years, he’s been focused on inspiring positive change through his writing as well as trying not to laugh in unfortunate situations. He now lives in Australia with his wife, daughter, two dogs, two cats, and ten chickens.

Find S.S. Turner

On his website: https://www.thestoryplant.com/secrets-of-a-river-swimmer

Buy Secrets of a River Swimmer

Amazon- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JWTK3WN
B&N- https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secrets-of-a-river-swimmer-s-s-turner/1139673873
AppleBooks- https://books.apple.com/us/book/secrets-of-a-river-swimmer/id1591209788
Indigo- https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/secrets-of-a-river-swimmer/9781611883213-item.html
Kobo- https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/secrets-of-a-river-swimmer

Yes, there is a giveaway

The author will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Enter here to win.

This post is part of a tour sponsored by Goddess Fish. Check out all the other tour stops. If you drop by each of these and comment, you will greatly increase your chances of winning.

My Favorite Excerpt

I dip my toe in.

It’s fucking freezing.

I sit and watch the majestically sinister Scottish river hurtle along below me. I’m not sure whether to be in awe or terrified, but that was always going to be the case today, my last day. The idea of jumping into the river reminds me of the feeling you experience when you arrive at the beach, and you’re thinking about jumping into the sea, but you know it’s going to cause you grievous bodily harm from your nether regions up. For some reason, your legs are the one part of your body which can handle intense cold without too much stress. But all body parts above your legs are a whole different story. My voice just rose an octave, and I’m not even talking.

So you sit and watch the sea while contemplating your next move, as if this thinking time will give you the required mental strength to leap into the cold blue water. However, this thinking time just gives the water an opportunity to look you in the eye with laughing menace, because the water knows the questions you are grappling with deep in your soul. The water understands it is strong and you are weak—the eternal power imbalance at play.

The waiting period only makes it worse, of course. All it does is allow you to hand more mental power over to the cold water than a short and simple jumping-in maneuver would have done. Why do we employ such counter-productive strategies in our lives?

Why would you write literary fiction?

Why wouldn’t you?

A big thank you to S.S. Turner for providing this blog with an exclusive post about the pros and cons of writing in his genre! I like to end on a positive note, so I’ve taken the liberty of listing the cons first.  What do you think about writing literary fiction? Do the pros outweigh the cons?

10 cons of writing literary fiction:

  • The mass market is sometimes slow to embrace literary fiction novels.
  • Some readers believe literary fiction books are too challenging to read.
  • Marketing a literary fiction novel can be more challenging because the market doesn’t know what they’re getting from the title alone. It’s the exact opposite of the murder mystery market for example.
  • Literary fiction novels take longer to craft into great books because the different layers of the story need to interact with one another effectively for the novel to work.
  • In a dumbed down world focused on social media, there’s a natural headwind against literary fiction writing which may challenge some readers in ways they aren’t used to.
  • Most large publishing houses are more focused on the easy-to-market genres of murder mysteries, romance, and thrillers.
  • It’s often harder to describe a literary fiction novel in a short elevator pitch compared to mass market genres.
  • On average, the commercial appeal of literary fiction novels may not be as attractive as mass market genres such as murder mystery, romance, and thrillers.
  • Literary fiction novels generally require more editing than other genres due to the additional complexity of the multi-layered stories.
  • As it’s a smaller niche in the market, there may be less editors and writing coaches who can help literary fiction writers on their journey to publication.

10 pros of writing literary fiction:

  • Literary fiction is a genre without limits – anything goes!
  • Literary fiction is generally multi-layered so writers are able to create particularly creative stories which interweave at different levels.
  • Literary fiction novels such as The Catcher in the Rye have paved the way for huge success in this genre.
  • Writing literary fiction requires a writer to delve particularly deep into their creative reserves, so it’s a genre which inspires growth as a writer.
  • A number of independent publishers recognize the literary fiction market opportunity as compelling for the simple reason most publishers are focused on other genres.
  • There’s less competition from other writers in literary fiction.
  • Writing literary fiction can be a particularly enriching personal experience for writers.
  • In a market which is calling out for unique and different, literary fiction is one of the few genres which can consistently deliver unique and different.
  • Writers of literary fiction have a unique freedom to write truly different stories as there’s no standard formula to follow.
  • Literary fiction novels are better matched to winning book awards than any other genre.

Thank you!

S.S. Turner — we appreciate your sharing your thoughts and your book Secrets of a River Swimmer with us! Best of luck with sales, with those future awards, and with all of your future writing.

Honorable Profession

On By Sherrie CroninIn features and reviews5 Comments

Today it is my pleasure to welcome Andy Kutler and his political fiction novel, Honorable Profession.

Author’s description

Honorable Profession: A Novel of American Politics is a compelling, hopeful story of a cynical former Secret Service agent and his idealistic daughter as they follow a long-shot candidate into the perilous arena of presidential politics.

After resigning from his agency under an ethical cloud, 46-year-old Dan Cahill commits himself to rebuilding his relationship with Megan, the college-aged daughter in Las Vegas he has long neglected. She persuades a reluctant Cahill to join the student-led campaign of a popular professor competing in the Nevada presidential primary against impossible odds. As they face powerful forces conspiring to clear the field, Cahill’s deep-seated disdain for electoral politics collides with Megan’s higher ideals. Each of their faiths are tested by political allies and adversaries, all desperate for victory, no matter the costs.

Crafted by award-winning author Andy Kutler, Honorable Profession is an absorbing, modern-day political drama filled with authentic and indelible characters, each struggling with their own loyalties and principles as they duel with unscrupulous rivals and the meaning of public service.

Not in the blurb!

I got the chance to ask for something about this book that wasn’t in the blurb. Here’s Andy Kutler’s answer:

I see our country at a political crossroads. Not Democratic or Republican, but what kind of model of governance we want to have in this country. This story is really about the path I’d like to see us take, and that path begins with the choices of young people. They truly are the future.

About the Author

Andy Kutler is a writer and author of two award-winning novels, The Batter’s Box and The Other Side of Life. Andy has also written extensively for The Huffington Post and The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Over a 28-year professional career, he has worked in the United States Senate, the U.S. Secret Service, and the national security community. A Wisconsin native, Andy lives with his wife and two children in Arlington, Virginia.

 

He must have been an interesting child

Outside of Andy Kutler’s official biography, I’ve learned that he wanted to be the administrator of a philanthropic trust when he grew up, “so he could give away someone else’s millions to an assortment of worthy causes.”

Not sure if that is totally true, or an at least partially tongue-in-cheek answer to an interview question, but either way he must have been an interesting child.

Find the Author

Website:  https://www.andykutler.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andykutlerfanpage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndyKutler

Buy the Book

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Honorable-Profession-Novel-American-Politics/dp/1684338891
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/honorable-profession-andy-kutler/1140042789

Yes, there is a giveaway

The author will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Enter to win.

This post is part of a tour sponsored by Goddess Fish. Check out all the other tour stops. If you drop by each of these and comment, you will greatly increase your chances of winning.

My Favorite Excerpt

Her eyes were pleading. “You have to win next week. Let me help you.”

“You are helping me, Hope. And I appreciate your good intentions. Your passion to fix what ails your brother, desperate for any solution, I’ve been there. I know what that pain in your heart feels like. But I didn’t get into this race to destroy others. I never wanted to be in a competition among rivals and enemies. I wanted to be in a competition of ideas. Ours are better, that I am certain of. And if this election proves I’m the wrong messenger, I want to see an army of others, like you, who will carry our movement forward. And make the Cure Initiative a reality.”

Hope stood, unenthusiastic, but at least offering a grudging nod as she lifted her tripod again.

Walter smiled at her. “Your integrity, my dear, and my conscience, will remain intact. But fear not, the Vice President will one day learn the same inescapable lesson I am now experiencing.”

“What’s that?”

“As the Buddhists say, there are three things that cannot long stay hidden. The sun, the moon, and the truth.”

Thank you!

Andy Kutler — we appreciate your sharing your book Honorable Profession with us! Best of luck with sales, and with all of your future writing.

Chandelier

On By Sherrie CroninIn fantasy, features and reviews, science fiction9 Comments

Today it is my pleasure to welcome author Michael Leon and his Sci-fi/ Fantasy Romance novel, Chandelier.

Author’s description

Chandelier is the genre-bending sci-fi/fantasy-romance novel follow up of Michael Leon’s 2019 fantasy-romance book, Phantoms. A century has passed since the fabled Phantom ruled the Garnier Opera House. Technology has advanced, and AI has evolved beyond human knowledge. They reside in a virtual Earth, free from the ravages of an environmentally damaged Earth where humans and post-humans live under AI’s qualified governance. Chandelier follows one AI sentient’s journey, Benny, whose loyalty for a famous opera singer, Madame D’Arenberg, sets him on a dangerous course, entangling him in The Phantom of the Opera’s deadly web.

About Michael Leon

Michael Leon is an explorer, writer and author of the new novel, Sentient. Professionally trained in international trade, Michael has spent the last decade reading and writing SFF novels about new worlds to be explored in the future. His latest work, Sentient, imagines Earth in the year 2120. His next novel, Chandelier, will be released in 2022. Michael has traveled extensively around Europe, walking the paths of his characters, from the famous European opera houses in Phantoms to the mountain tops of Switzerland in Emissary.

Find Michael Leon

Website: https://www.michaelleon.com.au
Twitter: https://twitter.com/michaelleon0433
Blogger: https://michaelleoncommentspage.blogspot.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5369984.Michael_Leon
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Michael-Leon/e/B01LNQALBW%3F

Yes, there is a giveaway

The author will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Enter here to win.

This post is part of a tour sponsored by Goddess Fish. Check out all the other tour stops. If you drop by each of these and comment, you will greatly increase your chances of winning.

My Favorite Excerpt

The twilight between tired revellers and early morning risers had become Erik’s refuge, a place where the pains of past and present could coalesce in his ritual of the macabre. He’d dreamt of his tormentors again, beasts controlled by masters who understood their canine’s savagery as intimately as a mother knew her child and recurring nightly, taunting his mind.

Chilly breezes flowed down from the Lepontine Alps, carving patterns across Lake Como, so he drew his coat closer, protecting all but his face, but he wouldn’t feel an arctic breeze there. He touched his pale cheeks, not to warm them for they were permanently cold, an immovable party mask. Instead, he felt the rough texture of the implanted skin, grafted to his face. Habitually, he reached into his coat pocket for a medicated ointment that soothed and camouflaged his face in equal measure.

A single boat predictably made its way toward the Bellagio port, the first for the day, in wait for the steady procession of commuters and tourists that would navigate the Lombardy region, Italy’s foothills to the Swiss alps. The light from the slow-moving boat cast a darker than usual spotlight on the famous U-shaped lake, lit by its twin light, a crescent moon. It took Erik back to a dark past when he ruled the Garnier from the recesses of its famous lake chamber. His rule was cut short through carelessness, a mistake he would not repeat. He’d return to the jewel of the opera crown and rule that grand world again, but this time he’d lead it from the stage rather than Garnier’s hidden lake.

Were similar dark secrets contained in the black depths of Lake Como? The thought made him grimace, drawing pain. He held his mouth and cheeks, soothing the scar lines camouflaged beneath a thick beard. The scars, like his name, Erik, were all that remained of his past life, contingencies needed to protect him from those who’d seek to destroy him.

Thank you!

Michael Leon — we appreciate your sharing your book Chandelier with us! Best of luck with sales, and with all of your future writing.

Mars Wars Series

On By Sherrie CroninIn features and reviews, science fiction5 Comments

Today it is my pleasure to welcome author John Andrew Karr and his three book science fiction series Mars Wars.

Author’s description

Mars Wars

For decades the Space Consortium of America has searched for new ways to harvest resources beyond an increasingly depleted Earth. The ultimate plan is about to be ignited. So is the ultimate threat to humankind . . .

Detonation Event (book one)

Battle-hardened Captain Ry Devans and his crew of the Mars Orbiter Station One (MOS-1) are part of a bold plan: resurrect the active molten cores of the Red Planet with synchronized thermonuclear explosions, and terraform the hell out of that iron-oxide rock for future generations. It’ll change history. So will the strands of carbon-based Martian cells that have hitched a ride on the ship.

Dr. Karen Wagner knows the microbes’ resistance to virus is incredible. It’s the unknowable that’s dicey. Her orders: blow them into space. But orders can be undermined. Two vials have been stolen and sent hurtling toward the biosphere. For Devans and Wagner, ferreting out the saboteurs on board is only the beginning. Because there are more of them back on Earth—an army of radical eco-terrorists anxious to create a New World Order with a catastrophic gift from Mars.

Now, one-hundred-and-forty-million miles away from home, Devans is feeling expendable, betrayed, a little adrift, and a lot wild-eyed. But space madness could be his salvation—and Earth’s. He has a plan. And he’ll have to be crazy to make it work.

Annihilation Plan (book three)

Mars, in the throes of resurrection.

If you happened to have an illegal telescope, or proxied your galaxynet address well enough to pirate your way to satellite images of Mars, you might glimpse a damaged but operational Mars Orbiter 1, alive with ‘rebels.’

You could see clusters of superheated propellant burning beyond Earth space, as the EFF (Earth First Faction) sends armed planetary shuttles on an attack route to relieve the rebels of their existence.

If so, you’d be witnessing Mars Wars.

About the author

From his home in Wilmington, North Carolina, John Andrew Karr (also John A. Karr) writes of the strange and spectacular. He is the author of a handful of independent and small press novels and novellas, and also leaves in his wake a trail of short stories.

Find the author

Blog: http://www.johnandrewkarr.com
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/John-A-Karr/e/B003DVNQ8G
Twitter: @johnandrewkarr1
Instagram/Tumblr: johnandrewkarr
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgMXLJ0MK2Q

Buy the books

Detonation Event: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D6BDQBC

Rogue Planet: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XFMCD21

Annihilation Plan: https://www.amazon.com/Annihilation-Plan-Mars-Wars-Book-ebook/dp/B09NKPN3Z5/

Yes, there is a giveaway

The author will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Enter here to win.

This post is part of a tour sponsored by Goddess Fish. Check out all the other tour stops. If you drop by each of these and comment, you will greatly increase your chances of winning.

An excerpt from book three

The debris would be recovered by the drones for re-purposing.

No one on MOS-1 wanted human bodies to be stripped of their space suits by drones.

The machines would take them to Mars entry, however, for incineration.

Devans flew just past the next drifting form. He twisted into a one eighty to allow the ion jets to act as space brakes, then angled the small funnels to keep himself at the same rate and direction as the deceased.

He held an arm out and touched the suit.

The helmet had been atomized on a diagonal. He could not determine the gender of the victim inside. The identification chip was either gone or damaged.

This one’s even worse than the last one, he thought.

A glow spot grew in the corner of Devans’ eye. At first he thought it was notification of a mindtext, as they came with tiny dots in the periphery. But this was on the wrong side of his mindtext queue.

“Ry, duck and move! NOW!”

He knew Burroughs’ tones well enough to react first, ask later.

His hand blurred to hit a double max jet burst downward and sideways.

A concentrated cluster of laser beams lit up the inside of his helmet and hummed through his suit speakers.

He didn’t stop there.

He arced up and he drew the spatz pistol holstered at his side.

Where, where?

Another flash and he hit a jet burst upward this time. The beam went low, anticipating a maneuver similar to his first.

“Crew, back to ship!” Devans said. “Gwen, fire a volley at the origin.”

PS-17 shifted and fired, the beams trailing out into darkness.

“Shannon, where the hell is it?”

“I can’t see it!” her voice was frantic. “INCOMING, RY! Go, Go, Go!”

He zipped away on a spin, returned fire though he had yet to make visual, even with the face shield’s enhanced zoom.

“They must be cloaked,” he said, dodging two more beams.

PS-17 lit up the originating area with a barrage of streaking plasma rounds. He saw a single splatter that had appeared as nothing.

He aimed and fired at it, shouting coordinates.

“Get in the ship, Ry! They’re after you!”

If true, then PS-17’s shields were as about as impervious as human flesh to a spatz beam, and he’d be putting the crew at greater risk. However, his little suit jets were micro thrusters compared to the fusion engine of a shuttle, and the crew and all the ‘rebels’ of MOS-1 had already been hurled into the risk vortex that accompanies war.

The space crazy had an answer.

“Nah, I’m good out here.”

Thank you!

John Andrew Karr  — we appreciate your sharing your Mars Wars series with us! Best of luck with sales, and with all of your future writing.

Undoing Time

On By Sherrie CroninIn fantasy, features and reviews, history1 Comment

Today it is my pleasure to welcome author Rachel Dacus and her Sci-fi Time Travel Romance novel, Undoing Time. 

Author’s description

Liv Pomeroy’s high hopes and lavish lifestyle come horribly undone when her fiancé runs off with her maid of honor. Swearing off love forever, she goes on a summer escape to Florence, Italy. Agreeing to help her cousin May raise funds for an art restoration project, Liv is astonished to find they share a genetic gift for undoing time. Soon she’s joining a team of time travelers who rescue history from those who would change it. And fighting her attraction to a sexy time traveling colleague, who just might turn out to be working for the wrong side in the American Revolution. A thrilling tale of time travel, romance, and espionage.

About the Author

 

RACHEL DACUS writes about history, love, romance, and art – usually with a touch of the supernatural. If time travel were possible, she’d hop over to Renaissance Rome, and then check out how the American Revolutionary War is going, and maybe visit an 18th century London artist’s studio. A poet and novelist, Dacus has published four novels and four poetry collections. When not writing, she listens to music, new and old, from indie and progressive rock to classical and jazz. Once a dancer, she’s now an avid walker, often twice a day — once for the Muse and once for the world’s liveliest Silky Terrier. She blogs about the writing life and has collected a wealth of writing and publishing resources.

Find the Author

Website
Twitter
Facebook

Buy the Book

 Amazon

Yes, there is a giveaway

Rachel Dacus will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Enter here to win.

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Check out all the other tour stops. If you drop by each of these and comment, you will greatly increase your chances of winning.

My Favorite Excerpt

The announcement of another flight jolted her back into the present. It wasn’t her flight. She relaxed again into her seat and put her feet up on her carry-on.

In her pocket, her phone buzzed and Liv pulled it out. Seeing the name, she hesitated, but with a sigh swiped it open. The familiar voice that was synonymous with nagging trilled in her ear.

Her mom’s insistent soprano told her, “You don’t have to do this, Olivia.“

“But I do, Mother. You know Dad agrees with my going to Italy. He even set it up.”

“Flying off to another country isn’t going to bring Joel back to you.“

She tried not to shout at her phone. “Why would I want that asshole back!”

“Language, Olivia.”

But Liv was beyond parsing words. “If Joel comes back, they’ll arrest me for murder. Because I’ll kill him.”

“It’s a good thing you work in an art museum, around all those temperamental artists, where no one will notice your emotionalism.”

“I’m emotional because my almost-husband treated me like a piece of furniture. And my best friend helped him.”

“Olivia, you’re being impulsive.”

Liv realized she was again in danger of murder. Double or triple murder. First Joel, then her mother. Maybe Rita too. Good thing they were on the phone.

“Mom, I need to do something that matters.”

“Your life matters to us.”

It was Liv’s turn to pause. Because it echoed what Joel had said after she threw the ring. “You’ll never have the guts to make your life matter, Liv.”

She was done. “OK, Mom. They’re boarding. Gotta go.“ They weren’t, but this conversation had to end.

“Just remember Liv. Family is everything.”

Liv pretended to have already hung up before hearing that. She sank back into her chair and closed her eyes, letting the airport noise wash over her.

A few minutes later, an amplified voice rose over the hubbub. ”Flight 564 for Florence, Italy, boarding in fifteen minutes through Gate 17.”

Liv had just enough time to pop into the future and see this flight land safely. Florence Airport, 2:30 pm, she whispered. A familiar feeling tingled in her cells as time’s curtains parted. Heat rose from the concrete as Liv stood on the runway watching the plane—the plane she would soon board—as it bounced down and skidded to a stop, then taxied to its gate in the Florence airport.

Reassured, she jumped back, ready to board. Liv called her little trick undoing time.

Thank you!

Rachel Dacus  — we appreciate your sharing your book Undoing Time with us! Best of luck with sales, and with all of your future writing.

Motley Ne’er-Do-Wells Who Save the Universe

On By Sherrie CroninIn science fiction, writing

Here is how this post ends.

Look at this beautiful bundle of books! It’s available for only $20 at StoryBundle. If you enjoy sci-fi at all, check this out.

 

Here is the middle part.

The con artists, thieves, and space pirates of tomorrow fascinate us, all the more because these motley ne’er-do-wells so often end up saving the universe, or at least improving it, despite their incorrigibility! Pick up the SFWA Scoundrels in Space StoryBundle by February 24 and get to know twelve such spacefarers who live on the fringes of a dozen wildly worlds. Join them as circumstances force each one into hard choices and more adventure than they expected.

And here is how this post starts.

I’ve had the good fortune to get to coordinate SFWA (the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers) last few StoryBundles and have thoroughly enjoyed getting to look at fantastic books, work with dedicated independent and small press authors, and see a little piece of the insides of the eBook publishing world.

Some of the most fun for me came from getting to write the description for the overall StoryBundle based my knowledge of the twelve books that I and fifteen other screeners worked together to select. My result appears in the middle of this post.  What do you think? Is it good enough to tempt you to click here and look further into this bundle?

 

 

Feature me? I’ll feature you.

On By Sherrie CroninIn fantasy, features and reviews, writing

Today I want to offer a big thanks to author Deb Bailey for featuring my new release “She’s the One Who Can’t Keep Quiet” on her lovely blog!

More than that, I want to thank her for noticing that she and I write the sorts of stories likely to appeal to overlapping readers and for suggesting we try to promote each other’s new releases. It’s a great arrangement!

Do you write fantasy? Any kind of speculative fiction? Drop me a note in the comments section if you want to look into whether we have enough overlap to enter into a similar situation.

I love the idea of promoting other authors, and of course we all are happy to get a little more publicity, especially when it is free.

Meanwhile, check out Deborah and her stories — she has written some fascinating ones!

The Defender

On By Sherrie CroninIn fantasy, features and reviews7 Comments

Today it is my pleasure to welcome author Larissa Soehn and her Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel, The Defender.

Author’s description

A woman battling depression and anxiety finds herself trapped in her own life, but when an alien device rips her away from Earth, she is forced to fulfill an impossible role and save the galaxies from destruction.

On Earth, Alexia Harmon is a mother and wife, but in a foreign galaxy, she is so much more. Torn away from her family, Alex is in an epic battle to escape from Gatlin and return to Earth. But little does Alex know, Gatlin is on the verge of destruction. The galaxy faces annihilation; a prophetic doom that was set in motion thousands of years ago.

Alex struggles to stay alive as she fights against an alien government that is trying to kill her, a species of genetically engineered creatures that are hell bent on her destruction, and the demons of her own mind that threaten to overthrow her. Join Alexia Harmon as she works to fulfill her role as THE DEFENDER.

About the Author

Larissa Soehn is a budding new author from the cozy city of Red Deer, Alberta, where she lives with her husband, daughter, two cats and a dog. She started this journey as a recovery method for severe depression. She found that creative writing helped her process her emotions and work through the struggles of depression. As a child, Larissa enjoyed writing and telling stories, a passion that has recently reignited inside of her. Currently she is working to finalize the Gatlin Series, as well as publish a series of children’s books to help families discuss the importance of mental health, amongst other social issues facing children today. Larissa is an advocate for mental health and uses her personal experiences to help others work through their struggles. She uses social media platforms to help spread her message and give people permission to speak up and speak out.

Find the Author

WEBSITE – Larissa Soehn – Author Website
FACEBOOK – Larissa Soehn | Facebook
INSTAGRAM – Larissa Soehn (@larissa_soehn) • Instagram photos and videos

Buy the Book

AMAZON.COM – https://www.amazon.com/dp/0228866030
AMAZON.CA – https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0228866030
BARNES & NOBLE – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-defender-larissa-soehn/1140523152?ean=2940165085475
SMASHWORDS – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1115119
APPLE IBOOKS – https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-defender/id1595487361
The book will be free.

Yes, there is a giveaway

The author will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Enter here to win.

This post is part of a tour sponsored by Goddess Fish. Check out all the other tour stops. If you drop by each of these and comment, you will greatly increase your chances of winning.

 

My Favorite Excerpt

With Stellie’s last words still hanging in the air, the lights go out and Alex is slammed into darkness. Immediately, her mind begins to race, and she can feel the panic rising in her stomach, starting to choke her throat. Darkness has always been a weak point for her. It’s the moment where she is left alone with only her thoughts to keep her company. With a strangled feeling in her chest, she manages a breath, and then another.

The darkness stretches on for longer than Alex thought possible. There is no noise from the aliens in the crowd; there is only black. The darkness begins to press in on her as if she is being compressed, her breathing becomes more rapid, and she begins to feel sweat bead on her forehead. She can feel a panic attack coming on, something she frequently experiences, but they still have the ability to leave her paralyzed, unable to make decisions or do anything to help herself.

Breathe, Alex, just breathe, she says to herself. She crouches down to place her hands on the ground and puts her head between her knees. She can feel the ground beneath her vibrate lightly, but she knows enough not to trust her senses right now. Panic attacks allow her mind to play tricks on her, altering the way her surroundings look and feel, taking everything that is real and skewing it into something negative, something scary. Her steady breathing starts to return, and the panic attack is narrowly avoided. What is going on? Has something gone wrong with the test? Alex thinks to herself.

Just as the thought enters her mind, a very faint light starts to appear in the far corner of the room. She stares at the light, unsure if her mind is playing tricks on her. As she stares, the light grows brighter, illuminating one of the tables she saw when she first entered the room. With a curiosity that she cannot control, she moves to a standing position and starts to take a tentative step forward.

Some thoughts from the author

I got the chance to ask Larissa Soehn a question, so I asked her which character in The Defender most turns from a caterpillar into a butterfly and what makes their transformation special? Here is her answer …

Alexia Harmon is a troubled young woman. Her mind, riddled with anxiety and depression, plays against her, twisting and darkening her everyday thoughts and actions. Alex faces challenges that extend far beyond the typical housewife repertoire throughout her story. 

As the Galaxy of Gatlin continues to push against her, Alex finds herself forced to grow and change. Her challenges extend beyond the necessity to adapt; she must also remember who she is and where she came from. For Alex, family is everything. Forced to move through the paces of a foreign galaxy, she struggles to find herself as thoughts and memories of her family dance through her head.

Alex has a mantra, “You are strong, you are independent, and you are worthy.” Repeating her mantra, Alex steps through the trials of Gatlin and, with a bit of help, becomes a stronger person, both mentally and physically. With the help of sixth sense mental training from her newest alien friend, she learns to control her thoughts and still her busy mind. Watch Alex as she goes from a naive and mentally plagued into a true hero.

Thank you!

Larissa Soehn — we appreciate your sharing your book The Defender with us! Best of luck with sales, and with all of your future writing.