Welcome to Realm Explorers! In this weekly series, we visit a variety of unique worlds created by talented science fiction and fantasy authors. Enjoy your travels! And don’t forget to read to the bottom of the post to find out more about each author and see how to purchase the featured book.
Author’s name: Inge Meldgaard
Title of book and/or series: The Seed Gatherers
Brief summary of the story:
Set in the year 2457, on the outskirts of Melbourne, Australia, a crime committed by two young Norwegians affects the entire community living at the base of the Dandenong Ranges. If caught, Yngwie and his friend Torleif, who are expert communication systems hackers, must answer to the Federation Special Investigation Unit. Others who use the event as inspiration plunge the forests and its people into chaos. The lives of scientists, forest guardians and seed gatherers are placed at risk, as are their cats – extraordinary creatures bred in special centres and with the power to influence human emotions.
In this third book of the series, that began with ‘The Cicada’, followed by ‘A Death In The Making’, the story gradually links back to earlier, unresolved questions. It also continues to explore the relationship between the cats and their human companions. When the geneticists at the breeding centre in Werribee realise the cats can perhaps no longer be controlled, they are faced with an ethical dilemma. Similarly, after a new and intriguing forest inhabitant is discovered, those who know of its existence must decide whether to reveal its secret.
Brief description of the world or location you created for this story:
By the year 2050, the world’s population had reached ten billion, and by 2090, had risen to twelve billion. Finally, by 2135, with a population of fifteen billion, Earth was in a state of crisis. Species extinctions increased exponentially and the planet’s ecosystems were at breaking point. The sick, the frail, the prematurely born and the disabled could no longer gain access to dwindling medical supplies and overextended facilities, so died in their hundreds of millions. Life expectancy dropped to a meagre fifty-six years in even the least affected countries.
As the world’s climate became increasingly unstable, and the wealthier nations began to feel the direst impacts, an awareness of the need for global government developed. The United Nations Assembly was transformed into the World Federation of Nations. Economic and technological aid, together with political incentives, were offered to those countries unable, or unwilling, to introduce population control or effective resource conservation measures. Some resisted what they perceived as interference and closed their borders, nationalising foreign-owned industries in a vain attempt to exclude the outside world. Others saw themselves as powerful enough to defy both the Federation and the inevitable consequences of their actions, so declared war – and solved their population problems by losing. Yet, by the middle of the twenty-third century, the world was finally at peace, although by this time had lost most of its natural forests and other wild places, while humans now numbered a mere three billion.
What types of vehicles, animals, technology, etc. are used for travel?
The ancient centres of inner London, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Amsterdam were now ghostly ruins, surrounded by water and inhabited by shadows, while the newer, and yet still relatively old, cities of Vancouver, Miami and New Orleans had been destroyed by the unleashed violence of tidal waves. The tidal waves followed a worldwide series of massive earthquakes, during which Japan and the American state of California were destroyed, together with countless other vulnerable regions and low-lying island states.
Melbourne was more fortunate than many other coastal cities, being sheltered from the worst storms by Port Phillip Bay. Some of the older buildings in the central area were lost, but those which had been well built, or were strategically placed on the summits of low hills, survived as islands in a shallow and gentle sea. The noise, smell and dirt of the city’s streets were, in time, replaced by the grace and silence of solar-electric powered watercraft. The walls of the buildings, once covered in grime from exhaust fumes, returned to their original colours, and after almost two hundred years, the sunlight now sparkled on clean waters.
What is the political or government structure in 25th century Earth?
The World Federation of Nations has member countries with democratic national governments and where relevant, State governments. Everyone is required to work a 25-hour week to the best of their ability, and in return are provided with all essential services, delivered by government organisations, receive a quota of scarce resources, and in addition, a number of credits with which to buy goods and services produced by private enterprises.
What types of weaponry or fighting styles are common in 25th century Earth?
Although the world is now finally at peace, realistic attitudes towards the occasional need for self-defence, together with a wish to promote self-confidence and physical fitness, means children usually begin martial arts training at a young age, with an emphasis on Wing Chun kung fu, due to its overall philosophy of non-aggression.
What role, if any, does magic or the supernatural play in the lives of people in 25thcentury Earth? If there is magic, please give some examples of what it involves or how it’s used.
To some extent answering this question gives a significant part of the story away, so let’s just say that cats are not the only creatures who have developed strange powers: so have certain people, and they have ancestors who are described in the epilogue to the second book of this series, A Death In The Making. Notably, only Australians have these powers at this point in time.
Has anything in your actual life inspired the locations, cultures, etc. in your book?
I was born in Denmark, which has a long history of social equality, a remarkably sensible approach to life, and from the 1920s to the early 1990s, a socialist government, whereby everyone could feel secure in the knowledge that they could contribute to the country and in return be well provided for. My parents imbued me with a strong sense of social responsibility and the need to care for what we have, as well as our environment. This in turn led me to question many of the social norms of the decades in which I grew up, i.e. the 1960s and 70s, and to join various organizations to fight for social change. My novels are a reflection of my need to explore options, challenge assumptions, and to put forward possibilities for discussion and change, where needed. I don’t pretend to say my scenarios are ‘correct’, but I do intend them to be thought provoking.
What, if any, “hot-button” or controversial topics do you touch on in your book?
The main issues I focus upon are concerned with climate change as it affects both people and the natural environment; our relationship with animals; and the problems faced by people who are ‘different’ from the majority, in particular those with disabilities.
Author Autobiography: My family migrated to Australia in 1957, where I grew up in the small country town of Yallourn. After finishing high school in 1970, I studied at Monash University, in Melbourne, for a Bachelor of Science in botany and genetics. From 1975 to 1984, I worked in a variety of professions, including youth work and teaching. Returning to study, I completed a Graduate Diploma in applied social research at Swinburne University, then worked in politics and community development until I once again returned to study in 1989, this time obtaining a Graduate Diploma in information technology. Since then, until retirement in 2006, I worked in this field, finally spending nine years as an IT Manager with Monash University.
I now live in the Dandenong Ranges on the outskirts of Melbourne, and since retiring have spent more time enjoying photography and art; writing poetry, short stories and novels; producing an illustrated children’s book, and publishing a personal memoir for another author. My other life-long interests include gardening, interior decoration and the appreciation of pre-WWII architecture.
Where, and in what formats, can we purchase your books?
All my books are available in paperback and eBook formats (epub, pdf and Kindle), and the children’s book is also available as a hardcover edition. They are available worldwide from all major retail websites, as well as from Australian library suppliers.
Where can readers connect with you online?
I have a personal Facebook page, which is easy enough to find because I’m the only person with my name living in Australia. I also have a Twitter account @ingemeldgaard, a large profile on the world’s most prolific art website (redmatilda.deviantart.com) and my email address is [email protected]
I hope you all enjoyed the trip to 25th century Earth. Questions about the world or the book? Ask them in the comments and the author will get back to you!
Click here to read other posts in the Realm Explorers series.
Please join us again next Monday for a trip to the fantasy land of Victory Valley, in Realm Explorers Part LVIII!
-Annie Douglass Lima
Welcome to Realm Explorers! In this weekly series, we visit a variety of unique worlds created by talented science fiction and fantasy authors. Enjoy your travels! And don’t forget to read to the bottom of the post to find out more about each author and see how to purchase the featured book.
Author’s name: Lia London
Title of book and/or series: The Gypsy Pearl Book 3: Tye
Brief summary of the story: This is part three in a science fiction trilogy wherein our heroine Caz Artemus is on a quest to “cycle” a Gypsy Pearl that is actually inside of her body. The result of her adventure will be, in theory, the freedom of a species of small humanoid creatures and her own eventual rise to supreme power in the Granbo System. Naturally, not everyone is in favor of a teen doing this, so she has assassins in hot pursuit. Despite some superhuman powers she has acquired recently, she suffers from a distinct handicap: adrenaline spikes lead to paralysis. That’s tough when her life is so action-packed!
Brief description of the world or location you created for this story: Tye is essentially an ocean planet. There are dozens of archipelagos scattered around the globe, but they are ultimately tiny land masses. Each island or island group represents a distinct colony whereon humans (originally from our own solar system) have made their homes. Marine life is abundant, and there are some indigenous bird species, too, but larger land mammals have mostly been imported from other planets (callabus, bovines and ovis – or, as we would call them, horses, cows and sheep).
If we were to visit Tye as tourists, what would you recommend that we see or do there? The most tourist-friendly places would be the atoll chains of Ikekane North and South. These are large groups of lagoons with phenomenal natural beauty, great surfing, and incredibly hospitable natives. Think of the more unspoiled Polynesian islands, but with all the modern conveniences of medical care and communications technology, etc. Another beautiful area is the island of Flinders which features some amazing spiral reefs not far off the shore. The accommodations are far from luxurious, and there is a minor crime problem there, but you’ll ultimately be able to find all the amenities you need, and Sleeping Bay has some spectacular sail boats to watch.
What dangers should we avoid in Tye? Besides the occasional extreme electrical storms, the only real danger out on the water is if a shoal of gouldings feels you are a dangerous predator. They will work together to capsize a boat and/or chew up any person they feel is a threat. The bigger your boat, the better off you’ll likely be.
Is there a distinct or unusual type of food or meal that we might be served in Tye? Obviously, you can expect a lot of seafood and sea-plant type foods, but there are also tropical regions—the Ikekanes in particular—that have to-die-for luscious fruits. Pina on a stick is a favorite snack that will melt in your mouth.
What types of weaponry or fighting styles are common in Tye? Most of the cultures are not particularly violent, but you can find everything from wooden spears to laser rifles and grenade launchers.
What types of vehicles, animals, technology, etc. are used to travel in or to Tye? Travel to Tye is done by express shuttles from other planets or space ferries from the Interplanetary City Stations. The shuttles will most often land up on the polar ice cap, the only place with enough uninhabited space for takeoff and landings, etc. The space ferries, however, just drop into the ocean nearest the desired location until a water ferry can come out and retrieve the passengers. Between colonies on the planet, the vast majority of people travel by solar-powered or wind-turbine sailboat because sea-runner planes require too much fuel (synthetic petrol). On the individual islands and atolls, wheeled vehicles are almost always either pulled by horses or people, but since the spaces are so small, people can just walk. If folks want to cut across a lagoon, many swim and use a “board” (like a surf board) to carry their goods.
What types of plants, animals, or sentient races might we encounter in Tye that we don’t see on Earth? The faneps are humanoids about the size of large cats. They have sharp teeth, retractable claws, big bald heads, enormous lung-capacity (good for swimming), the ability to “float” in the air, and telepathy.
What role, if any, does magic or the supernatural play in the lives of people in Tye? The world of the humans is all very normal and logical and tech-filled, but the faneps are a whole different matter. The very captivity which afflicts them is caused by the presence of humans; it limits their power of speech and some of their cognitive ability. The “Cycling Ceremony” that Caz is undertaking will somehow mystically change all of that. Caz is given three “gifts” which give her unusual powers: superhuman strength, insanely fast recuperative powers, a perfect memory, and the ability to assert mind over body in controlling certain body functions.
Is there any advanced or unusual technology in Tye? If you haven’t described it already, please give some examples. There are many, but the one Caz and her friends use the most often is the comlink. It’s an egg-shaped communication device that can access holographic archive vids (like our modern internet only 3D) or link people through space with live audio-visual feed in a blue inverted cone.
What is the political or government structure in Tye? Who is in charge there at the moment, and what kind of leader is he/she? Tye is part of the Granbo Charter that is a loose affiliation of colonies spread out over the three inhabited planets of the Granbo System and the Interplanetary City-Stations. There is no centralized government, but the colonies have elected governors, and the ICSs have stationmasters. Ambassadors also run liaison between the colonies, etc. to help negotiate trade or resource management, but generally each group is pretty autonomous. Gypsies, who do not usually lock themselves to one location, are not considered citizens of any colony or ICS, and as such are often denied rights or mistrusted by those who remain more stationary. One of the premises of the Cycling Ceremony is that Caz would become Queen of the unified Granbo System and, because of her gypsy ties, bring some dignity to their status.
Are there any other unique cultural practices that we should be aware of if we visit Tye? Each colony is so different that it is hard to generalize. In some, elderly people are revered as the leaders, yet in others, they are set adrift to die once they have ceased to be highly productive members of society. Some colonies welcome visitors and trade, while others want to be left completely alone. In the Ikekanes, people are very warm and friendly; they clap as a way of greeting and provide community “boards” for recreation and transportation. In Scilly, family relationships are very important, and people are expected to spend a great deal of time talking about how each member is doing prior to conducting any business. In Menorca, agricultural families are conglomerates of families that own large tracts of land and use it for the commercial benefit of the colony.
Has anything in your actual life inspired the locations, cultures, etc. in your book? I’ve had the opportunity to travel extensively in my life, and I’ve always been fascinated by different cultures and why they do things in different ways. Although these island colonies were not based on real places I’ve been, per se, I did try to think about what general lines of latitude each might represent. The colony names actually come from real geographic places (towns, islands, etc.) on our own planet that correspond. For example, Wandel Hav is a real place up in the Arctic Circle, and on Tye, it is the northernmost colony.
What, if any, “hot-button” or controversial topics do you touch on in your book? There are a few. One is the treatment of elderly or handicapped, and the other is the whole concept of centralized vs. local government autonomy. I’m not trying to solve the problems as much as open them up for consideration in a less threatening way.
Where, and in what formats, can we purchase your book?
Where can readers connect with you online?
Twitter
website
I hope you all enjoyed the trip to Tye. Questions about the world or the book? Ask them in the comments and the author will get back to you!
Click here to read other posts in the Realm Explorers series.
Please join us again next Monday for a trip to the fantasy world of Seilla, in Realm Explorers Part LV!
-Annie Douglass Lima
Welcome to Realm Explorers! In this weekly series, we visit a variety of unique worlds created by talented science fiction and fantasy authors. Enjoy your travels! And don’t forget to read to the bottom of the post to find out more about each author and see how to purchase the featured book.
Author’s name:
Laurel A. Rockefeller
Title of book and/or series:
The Peers of Beinan Series (in chronological order):
● Goodbye A672E92 Quintus
● The Poisoned Ground
● The Great Succession Crisis
● The Ghosts of the Past
● Princess Anyu Returns
Brief summary of the story:
Nobles and royals battle against each other for power, wealth, and prestige. Behind the scenes an alien race secretly pulls puppet strings in a quest for revenge against one of their own reborn as a Beinarian.
Brief description of the world or location you created for this story:
Located in a bar-spiral galaxy on the other side of M31 Andromeda, planet Beinan is properly known as B345A15 Quartus. Five times the size of Earth, Beinan orbits a blue-white star as its fourth planet. A thick upper atmosphere protects Beinan from the intense heat of its sun. On the ground, humans and animals breathe chlorine gas (called nirlar). Beinarian plants convert toxic oxygen (called bilast) into nirlar.
The planet itself has four continents: Dong-bei, Xi-bei, Dong-nan fang, and Xi-nan fang. The largest ocean is called “Amba Mederi.” The weather is generally stormy with upper atmosphere hurricanes common. From the ground stars can only be seen near the poles where the atmosphere is thin enough for starlight to penetrate.
If we were to visit Beinan as tourists, what would you recommend that we see or do there?
The capital city of Hejing is always delightful — or rather was before Lord Yelu began his reign of terror. The coastal city of Bira Hecen, home to house Miyoo, features many grand and ancient temples cut out from the cliffs that protect the city from the Amba Mederi Ocean. In addition, Bira Hecen is home to Our Lady Healing Centre which terrorists famously destroyed in BE 6777. The rebuilt healing centre is one of the top hospitals in all of Beinan. In honour of the many healers who perished in the attack, the healing centre built a beautiful memorial garden that is a must-see. A fountain sits at the heart of this, the names of each healer killed in the bombing lovingly inscribed into it, including that of Lady Healer Keelia of house Ten-Ar, Lord Knight Elendir’s late mother.
If you can gain permission, take a visit to the nearby Isle of Ben-Ar where you will be treated to the sights and sounds of protected wildlife. In particular look for the sacred falco albus, the divine messengers of the goddess Abka Gahun whose temple makes the island a popular pilgrimage site. You can recognize falco albus by their huge wingspans and snowy white feathers, though it can take a sharp eye to spot them when they are hunting. Along the beach, look for raks, a type of crustacean that looks like a cross between a lobster and a crab. Fishing for raks is perfectly legal and the meat is quite delicious.
If an old-world style pub is more your fare, head to the town of Luton in Dong-bei and go to the Luton Town Jiudian. You’ll get great food, friendly service, and the chance to gossip with the locals.
What dangers should we avoid in Beinan?
These are dangerous times. Terrorists have targeted healing centres planet-wide, especially those staffed by houses Ten-Ar and Gurun.
In addition, visitors to the southwestern continent of Xi-Nan Fang must be careful about the air quality. Xi-Nan Fang is home to most of the planet’s mining operations. As a result, toxic bilast pollutes the air. If that is not enough, radioactive argene dust and argun ore is everywhere, the inevitable product of the area’s many mining operations.
Rumour has it that Nan-li City in Xi-Nan Fang is home to the most dangerous of the terrorists. Watch your back if you dare tread there!
Is there a distinct or unusual type of food or meal that we might be served in Beinan?
The Luton Town Jiudian is an excellent pub for affordable and quality dining. The steamed rak tails and rak legs are especially well prepared. Complete your meal with seasoned buttered bread, an assortment of cheeses, minced fruit, and berries, including kelan, nanla, and nara berries.
What types of weaponry or fighting styles are common in Beinan?
Beinarian nobles use both heritage and modern weapons including laser épée, laser crossbows, and laser spears. Knights of Ten-Ar are known for their circling martial arts styles which resemble ba gua gongfu to Earth humans.
What types of vehicles, animals, technology, etc. are used to travel in or to Beinan?
Low altitude shuttles are the primary form of transportation planet-wide. Mid-range shuttles operate within the B345A15 solar system, readily moving within and across all Beinarian atmospheric, aquatic, land, and intrasolar environments. Star craft are largely small to medium sized vessels used to travel between worlds and between galaxies.
What types of plants, animals, or sentient races might we encounter in Beinan that we don’t see on Earth?
Beinan is full of many plants and animals, all of them silicon based. On planet Beinan plants breathe in toxic bilast (oxygen) and release nirlar (chlorine gas) which is breathed in by animals of all types, including Beinarian humans. Nanla, nara, and kelan trees grow in abundance, producing some of the tastiest fruits and berries. Animals include losos (a type of salmon), rak (a cross between a lobster and a crab), konyn (a long haired rodent whose fur is sheared for wool), falco albus (a massive white bird of prey), and songbirds fabuku and fafiku.
Human life is not native to planet Beinan. Beinarians arrived from their original homeworld of A672E92 Quintus nearly 7000 yen-ars ago.
What role, if any, does magic or the supernatural play in the lives of people in Beinan? If there is magic, please give some examples of what it involves or how it’s used
Beinarians are naturally psychic though to what degree largely depends on the individual. Members of houses Miyoo and Ten-Ar cultivate their psychic and precognitive abilities more than the other houses, particularly among the priestesses of Miyoo and the knights of Ten-Ar. The dominate religion on Beinan, headed by the High Priestess of Miyoo, teaches reincarnation, a belief abhorrent to its monotheistic rivals in house Shem. As a result the idea of past lives and past life memories are mainstream across Beinarian society.
Is there any advanced or unusual technology in Beinan? If you haven’t described it already, please give some examples.Modern weapons on planet Beinan use lasers and plasma bolts such as in laser spears, laser crossbows (laser beams firing plasma bolts), and laser épées. Low altitude and mid-range shuttles fly instead of moving on the ground. Trains run on a monorail in an advanced version of maglev technology. Star craft are able to travel to worlds in distant galaxies, often doing so with the help of advanced alien technology.
Tell us about any sports, games, or activities that are available for entertainment in Beinan.
Beinarian nobles and royals love fine food and dancing, particularly the Beinarian variant on English country dancing. In addition martial arts, fencing, and archery remain popular across many noble houses.
Are the days of the week and months of the year the same in Beinan as on Earth? What holidays or special events are celebrated regularly there?
There are 197.26 beinors (Beinarian days) per yen-ar (Beinarian years). Beinors (Beinarian days) are numbered 1 to 197 or 198 in the case of a yeap yen-ar. “Beinor 1” is the start of the Beinarian yen-ar and is typically celebrated with fireworks, feasting, and dancing.
Is there a particular religion practiced in Beinan? Please describe what it involves.
There are two major religions on planet Beinan. The primary religion worships a triple goddess similar to the Morrigan of ancient Britain. The three goddesses are: Abka Biya (goddess of the moon), Abka Gahun (goddess of birds of prey), and Banumu Hehe (goddess of Beinan the land). The high priestess of house Miyoo heads this dominant religion where both women and men serve as priestesses and priests as equals. In this tradition, belief is in reincarnation. Direct, mystical experiences are the main ways that worshippers discover and understand the goddesses. Science is regarded as a sacred form of religious expression. As you might expect, environmental stewardship is also key to belief and practice as the divine faces are manifest across nature. Followers of the triple goddesses uphold generally liberal values, allowing worshippers to follow their own conscience on matters of marriage, child rearing, divorce, and sexuality.
The other major religion is centred in house Shem where they worship the Shemai, a male creator god similar to the one worshipped in Abrahamic religions. People are believed to be born and die only once after which they go into an eternal afterlife. Like in the Abrahamic religions, worshippers have a written scripture they use to learn about and understand the Shemai’s commands. Religious leadership is restricted to men with priests called sacerdos and the high priest called sacerdos maximus. Psychic abilities are regarded as evil and perverse. Values are conservative with non-marital sex, contraception, abortion, and divorce all highly discouraged.
What is the political or government structure in Beinan? Who is in charge there at the moment, and what kind of leader is he/she?
Beinan is ruled by a feudal constitutional monarchy based on medieval, renaissance, and modern England and Scotland. The Great Council of Beinan serves as the lawmaking branch of government with delegates from all of the noble houses represented; excluding the non-noble houses of Plover, Skeinera, and Croften making these houses a form of under class. Executive and supreme judicial powers are vested in the monarchy. Kings and queens rule with the consent of the Great Council and, in theory, can be overthrown at any time if they abuse their power. In practice, government corruption runs rampant enabling absolute despots like King Gareth I (The Poisoned Ground) free rein to do as they please.
Dynastic change is achieved by votes of the Great Council. As dynastic change is usually contested (often by force of arms) by the outgoing noble house, the Great Council rarely votes in favour of it.
Most of the Peers of Beinan Series focuses on the Gurun dynasty which reigned the longest in the Beinarian Era. The Legacy of Princess Anlei begins with Queen Isabelle and her consort Prince Bevin, a knight of Ten-Ar. The last Gurun monarch in the trilogy is Queen Constance the Kind who is eventually overthrown by the murderous Lord Yelu in The Great Revolution. Queen Constance’s daughter Princess Anyu escapes at the end of “The Ghosts of the Past” with her exile, return to Beinan, and fight against Lord Yelu’s tyranny being told in the series’ final book, “Princess Anyu Returns.”
What, if any, “hot-button” or controversial topics do you touch on in your book?
The Peers of Beinan Series follows in the Star Trek tradition of offering thought provoking explorations of social issues.
In particular the Poisoned Ground was ripped from the headlines with its look at the effects of strip mining on local communities. In this novella government corruption and corporate greed come together to endanger the population of the southwestern city of Nan-li, consciously ignoring safety measures designed to protect the city. In part two of the Poisoned Ground I look at rape and domestic violence with a special message to women.
In the Legacy of Princess Anlei Trilogy I look at how in vitro fertilization (IVF) technology might be abused for political purposes if we are not careful to put in place strong ethical standards.
Finally I explore the question of terrorism and religion in the Ghosts of the Past, reflecting on my own 9/11 experiences living just five to ten miles from the World Trade Center at the time.
Author Autobiography:Born, raised, and educated in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA, author-historian Laurel A. Rockefeller has written over a dozen book titles since August 2012 including The Peers of Beinan science fiction series, American Stories, the Legendary Women of World History biography series, and her latest passion: the My First Cockatiel Series.
A literary author with a cosy fireside narrative style, Ms. Rockefeller’s books come to life in audio editions narrated by Mr. Richard Mann on Audible and UK Audible.
A devoted animal lover, Ms. Rockefeller is owned by her two beautiful cockatiels, both of whom will be moving with her to England following approval of her UK residency visa.
Where, and in what formats, can we purchase your books?
Find these and other Peers of Beinan Series books on Amazon:
Enjoy the Legendary Women of World History Series on Amazon:
Enjoy the entire Legendary Women of World History Series on Smashwordsin your choice of formats.
UK residents: come out to Southcart Books in Walsall and discover the Peers of Beinan and Legendary Women of World History Series from the comfort of their cosy reading room or head to their Amazon store.
Where can readers connect with you online?
Skype: peersofbeinan
I hope you all enjoyed the trip to Beinan. Questions about the world or the book? Ask them in the comments and the author will get back to you!
Click here to read other posts in the Realm Explorers series.
Please join us again next Monday for a trip to the fantasy world of Aerisia, in Realm Explorers Part LI!
-Annie Douglass Lima
Welcome to Realm Explorers! In this weekly series, we visit a variety of unique worlds created by talented science fiction and fantasy authors. Enjoy your travels! And don’t forget to read to the bottom of the post to find out more about each author and see how to purchase the featured book.
Michael M. Farnsworth
Title of book and/or series:
HALADRAS
Brief summary of the story:
When Skylar’s enigmatic uncle warns him to stay away from the mysterious winged insects that have been sighted on other planets, he thinks little of it; no one has seen the insects on their own planet of Haladras. His uncle knows more than he’s telling, though. The creatures are not insects, but machines. And they’re hunting for Skylar. Only after Skylar narrowly escapes capture and flees Haladras with his uncle does he learn the whole truth. What his uncle reveals will shatter Skylar’s world. Torn from the girl he loves and thrust into the center of a conflict that will consume the empire, Skylar must fight for all he cares for, even as he struggles to know who he can trust.
Brief description of the world or location you created for this story:
Haladras is the principle planet for this story—hence the name. It’s a small desert planet, whose entire economy is driven by teryleum mining. Though small, because of its vast production of teryleum, it plays an increasingly vital role in the empire of which it is a part.
If we were to visit Haladras as tourists, what would you recommend that we see or do there?
Haladras is a harsh place. Men do not go there to live long comfortable lives. There is little time for leisure. Its mining units are utilitarian. However, if given the chance to see it, the Gorge of Kaladra is a spectacular sight when it’s lit up at night.
What dangers should we avoid in Haladras?
The sun. The deep desert. Sand storms. Drake Blacksands. Most of all, the Trackers.
Is there a distinct or unusual type of food or meal that we might be served in Haladras?
Like their cities, the people’s food serves one purpose: to sustain life. Food which spoils easily is of little use. They mostly eat grains, legumes, and dried meats.
What types of weaponry or fighting styles are common in Haladras?
The blaster is the most common and efficient weapon. But there are some who still carry swords.
What types of vehicles, animals, technology, etc. are used to travel in or to Haladras?
Few people on Haladras are wealthy enough to own a spacecraft. Most buy passage on large spacecrafts to travel between planets. On Haladras itself, sand rovers and transports are commonly used to get about the desert. Among the younger citizenry, the personal flying devices called jetwings are popular. If you find yourself on one of the planets with a more habitable climate, you might end up riding on the back of a shaggy-haired paqua.
What types of plants, animals, or sentient races might we encounter in Haladras that we don’t see on Earth?
Though you won’t find them on Haladras, paquas do make several appearances in the story. Their most prominent feature is their long shaggy hair, which is often shorn and woven into a coarse fabric. Primarily used as beasts of burden, their gait is slow and lazy.
What role, if any, does magic or the supernatural play in the lives of people in Haladras?
None, practically. Though, the main character will have a few brushes with the supernatural during his adventures.
Is there any advanced or unusual technology in Haladras? If you haven’t described it already, please give some examples.
Yes. Early in the book, synthetic osteoclasts—nanomolecular agents—are used to rapidly mend a cracked skull.
The jetwing utilizes an invisible coupling link which acts as a sort of wing between the two hand-held jet thrusters. This enables an individual to fly with his arms outstretched, as if he were a plane or a soaring eagle.
Tell us about any sports, games, or activities that are available for entertainment in Haladras.
Teenage boys love to play Orb Scram, a game involving jetwings and a levitating sphere. There’s also sand sailing that can be done out on the dunes on a windy evening.
Are the days of the week and months of the year the same in Haladras as on Earth? What holidays or special events are celebrated regularly there?
The measure of years is reckoned by the length of the current monarch’s reign. Months are measured by the phases of its own moons.
Is there a particular religion practiced in Haladras? Please describe what it involves.
Under the current monarch’s reign, religion in the empire has withered. Some still believe in a Spirit King, who rules over the dead. Some believe he also has power in the mortal realm. But there is no active religion practiced on Haladras. The largest contingency of believers are the priests which live isolated on the frozen planet of Kyndoo Yavi.
What is the political or government structure in Haladras? Who is in charge there at the moment, and what kind of leader is he/she?
The Ahlderion empire is ruled by a king. Each official planet of the empire is governed directly by a lord. These lords pledge fidelity to the king, but are bestowed a significant amount of discretion when it comes to operating the affairs of their people. Haladras being a colonial planet, is overseen by a viceroy, who has significantly less power than a lord. The current viceroy of Haladras is Viceroy Aberforce. Generally, he is a prudent leader. Proud, but spineless.
Has anything in your actual life inspired the locations, cultures, etc. in your book?
On Quoryn, one of the nearest planets to Haladras, there are lush forests with towering moss-strewn trees. These were inspired by the magnificent forests of the Pacific Northwest, where I live.
Author Autobiography.Michael M. Farnsworth holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Texas A&M University. A degree that comes in handy if you’re a software engineer, which he is, but not so much if you’re a writer. As a native Texan, he should know lots about riding horses and herding cattle—but he doesn’t. He does, however, know a good deal about wrangling small children. He has four of them. When he’s not wrangling children, writing code or writing books, he’s probably building something. He lives with his wife and children in Seattle, WA.
Where, and in what formats, can we purchase your book?
Where can readers connect with you online?
I hope you all enjoyed the trip to Haladras. Questions about the world or the book? Ask them in the comments and the author will get back to you!
Click here to read other posts in the Realm Explorers series.
Please join us again next Monday for a trip to the Krillonian Empire (which is more of an alternate reality than a sci-fi or fantasy world), in Realm Explorers Part XXXXVI!
-Annie Douglass Lima
Welcome to Realm Explorers! In this weekly series, we visit a variety of unique worlds created by talented science fiction and fantasy authors. Enjoy your travels! And don’t forget to read to the bottom of the post to find out more about each author and see how to purchase the featured book.
Author’s name: Debbie Brown
Title of book and/or series:
Amethyst Eyes (trilogy) Books 1 and 2 available
Brief summary of the story:
15 yr old Tommy is forced to leave him home on Earth when his mother dies in a car accident. His estranged, alien father returns to collect Tommy, and the teen finds himself having to adapt to life on every level. He never knew of his father’s origins, and knows even less about the world he now calls his own. Tommy’s father is the commander of a Crisis Intervention Vessel that oversees the continuation of the human race throughout our galaxy.
Brief description of the world or location you created for this story:
Most of the story takes place on the Phoenix, or on in the Canadian Rockies on Earth.
The Phoenix is used to monitor, seek out suitable alternative planets and relocate populations in desperate situations. The ship is made up of 4 parts. The main saucer houses the entire crew, all of the main departments as well as crew quarters. Three smaller disks or saucer shaped pods, affixed to the underside of the Phoenix, serve in the ship’s duties. One is the arboretum, the other is for geology and xeno-biology, the third is used to for mass transport.
If we were to visit a Crisis Intervention Vessel as tourists, what would you recommend that we see or do there?
The arboretum is a must since it carries vegetation from all human inhabited worlds. For anyone who wants to know what their true calling in life is, trying out the Orientation Chamber will surely interest them and give them something to ponder. The Endurance Training room provides an endless obstacle course through every possible setting, climate and condition, starting at the top of a redwood forest.
What dangers should we avoid in Amethyst Eyes?
The main character has amethyst colored eyes, and that makes him the target of some unruly predators. But aside from that, most dangers are encountered planet side, during colony transfers. Or, in Tommy’s case, the occasional encounter with Jayden can prove dangerous.
Is there a distinct or unusual type of food or meal that we might be served in Amethyst Eyes?
Aside from the food Tommy grew up eating on Earth, he has been introduced to the food of his father’s people…and that can be anything from garagon porridge, shey pod fruit, or warm Durash pulp to help you sleep at night…but Tommy’s least favorite was his father’s attempt to feed his son something that resembled French toast…in flavor only, because the slimy green chunks were too much to ask anyone to overlook.
What types of weaponry or fighting styles are common in Amethyst Eyes?
The ship has a full weapon’s array, though they have never used it. There is no violence amongst the Sirians, per say, and because sports can be seen as an ‘organized form of war’ these people do not practice any sports other than endurance training.
What types of vehicles, animals, technology, etc. are used in Amethyst Eyes?Molecular transport can send an individual from point A to point B (ie from the ship to a planet), small shuttles for 3 people or larger ones for an entire group are at their disposition. The main ship holds the entire crew of several hundred people, as well as housing 3 detachable pods along the underside of the disk like vessel. One disk is the arboretum, the other holds geology and the xeno-biology, the third is used to transport entire populations from one planet to another.
Replicators are used to grab a quick meal. Holographic technology is used for medical, educational and recreational purposes. Computer displays are found on many glass-like surfaces, such as desktops and wall-panels. They are all tactile, as well as being voice inter-active or chip interface activated.
Their medical technology is something to strive for. Diagnostic tables, made a soft glass-like surface that adapts to the body’s contour, offering support and comfort while the body is scanned. Crystal disks, placed on the patient provoke an electromagnet response in the body, causing the patient to relax or even slip off into sleep. Most procedures are painless, even when they are invasive. It is possible to regenerate bone and tissue. A holographic image of the patient can be called up, showing every detail of the body, down to cellular health, old scars or injuries, as well as bodily functions.
What types of plants, animals, or sentient races might we encounter in Amethyst Eyes that we don’t see on Earth?
The Sirians, Tommy’s father’s people, are from the planet Sirius, orbiting the Dog Star Sirius. They were the first planet seeded by the Forefathers, and tasked with the role of watching over all human colonies in our galaxy. Mostly, the people are the same as the humans we encounter here on earth…with a few exceptions. Some have milk-chocolate skin and electric blue eyes, without any whites. Others have pale skin, bright green eyes and white hair. The Binari (bi (like bit) Nar ee) are bald, grey skinned people who hunt those with amethyst eyes.
The Kettra, found on one planet, are extremely dangerous. They are cute, furry animals with short, teddy bear snouts and large, paper thin ears. They hunt in groups at night and drag their prey back to the colony to be devoured fresh.
Another minute animal, living in rocky outcroppings, sting their unsuspecting victim and leave a dart that boroughs deep inside the body to release a burst of poison hours later.
Plant life goes beyond all you see on Earth. One example, found on a sister world, includes a short tree with a wide, green trunk and palm like leaves that grows one grey nut at a time. The nut can easily be mistaken for a rock, but like some form of cacti, it has very short, fine spines covering its entire surface that imbed themselves into the flesh of those who dare touch it.
What role, if any, does magic or the supernatural play in the lives of people in Amethyst Eyes? If there is magic, please give some examples of what it involves or how it’s used.
The Binari, those who hunt people with Amethyst Eyes, believe that the eyes hold some magical power. All those who have amethyst eyes have shown a particular gift or ability.
Is there any advanced or unusual technology in Amethyst Eyes? If you haven’t described it already, please give some examples.
All Sirians have two implants imbedded in their necks. One is a tracking chip, and the other a learning interface that allows them to communicate directly with the onboard computer.
Sirians are thought using people, and much of their technology reacts to their brain impulses. Children use learning orbs, balls that emit holographic images in response to their thoughts. Sirians do not sing, but their thoughts create music, and the more that gather, the more complex the music.
Tell us about any sports, games, or activities that are available for entertainment in Amethyst Eyes.
No sports are played since they are a form of organized warfare. People keep in shape through Endurance Training…you can think of it as an endless ‘tree-top adventure center’.
Are the days of the week and months of the year the same in Amethyst Eyes as on Earth? What holidays or special events are celebrated regularly there?I did not change the time/days/calendar in Amethyst Eyes. They do not celebrate the holidays as we do on Earth, but there is mention of the Feast of Gratitude every year. (They celebrate the renewal of the seasons, the coming of life after the death of winter, and give thanks for all they have reaped from the previous year that has carried them through to the new season).
Is there a particular religion practiced in Amethyst Eyes?
There is no mention of religion, though they refer to the Gods, having a male and female version of God.
What is the political or government structure in Amethyst Eyes? Who is in charge there at the moment, and what kind of leader is he/she?
The leader of the people is a Sovereign, chosen not through voting, nor lineage, but through the same evaluation system as the orientation chamber, targeting the best candidate to lead their people.
Are there any other unique cultural practices that we should be aware of if we visit the Sirians?
The Sirians share a special bond between close family members, giving an outsider the impression that they can read minds. A bonded, or married couple, shares the most intimate forms of this link. Thoughts, and feelings, as well as images and memories can be shared. Memories can be called up and relived as though they were once again real.
Has anything in your actual life inspired the locations, cultures, etc. in your book?
The only thing that inspired me to write was the loss of my daughter. I needed to create a place where people cared about one another, where family mattered and held together.
I spent my summers with my grandmother in the Laurentian mountains, right on the lake, and every week she would take a class on bead working and such, given by the Native Americans (back then Indians) living nearby, and I would attend…usually to thread the needles of all the older women, lol.
Nature, Native Americans, traditions, cooking, love of animals, and respect for one another all stemmed from time spent with my beloved grandmother. I miss her dearly.
What, if any, “hot-button” or controversial topics do you touch on in your book?
In the book, the adults are responsible for the kids. And they are considered to be children until the age of 18, much to Tommy’s dismay.
The culture prides itself on its methods of career selection and that 98% of the population is satisfied with the role they play in their society. Random knowledge, such as first-aid for all is not common practice, because the best people for the job (medical professionals or first respondents) are on duty and THEY will handle the situation.
Author AutobiographyAll her life, Debbie has spun stories in her mind, watching characters come to life seemingly by themselves. After working as a nurse, a teacher, a martial arts instructor, an artist, and CIC officer in the Canadian military – not to mention her many hobbies from woodworking to auto mechanics and holistic medicine, her life reads like a story itself. And yet, her favorite thing is still a cozy fire, a good book, and country living with her husband JP and her youngest of five children. After graduating from the Institute of Children’s Literature’s advanced writing course, she is finally devoting herself to writing these stories down, taking us all on a ride we won’t quickly forget.
Where, and in what formats, can we purchase your books? Please include links.
All books are available in both paperback and ebook formats.
Amethyst Eyes (book 1)
Amethyst Eyes, the Legend Comes to Life (book 2)
Where can readers connect with you online?
I hope you all enjoyed the trip to the Phoenix and the Realm of the Guardians. Questions about the world or the book? Ask them in the comments and the author will get back to you!
Click here to read other posts in the Realm Explorers series.
Please join us again next Monday for a trip to the science fiction world of Haladras in Realm Explorers Part XXXXV!
-Annie Douglass Lima
Welcome to Realm Explorers! In this weekly series, we visit a variety of unique worlds created by talented science fiction and fantasy authors. Enjoy your travels! And don’t forget to read to the bottom of the post to find out more about each author and see how to purchase the featured book.
Geralyn Wichers
Title of book and/or series:
Brief summary of the story:
“A manufactured person is no person at all.” Human cloning technology has advanced to the degree that clones are mass manufactured and used as a customizable workforce. Dominic is a clone who escaped from the cloning facility and made a life for himself. Now he returns to Caspian Genetics, the factory that birthed him, with revenge on his mind. Though he tries to steel himself from the plight of the other clones, when he sees a clone about to be killed for being out of specifications, he cannot turn away. Dominic’s plot begins to unravel, complicated by an unlikely alliance, a secret romance, and the creeping doubt that he’s been lied to. Is he human after all?
Brief description of the world or location you created for this story:
The story takes place in a near-future version of our own world, and I designed it to be generic. ‘The City,’ where the characters live, is never named.
The City is a grey, impersonal megalopolis. It is a bit like a fussy eater’s plate: everything has its own section, and nothing touches. The people are separated from each other based upon their strata of society. The working poor live in a ghetto. The professional class lives in modest houses and condos around planned neighborhoods. The rich avoid the city entirely, sequestering themselves in estates in the countryside. It’s also cold. The story starts in the winter, and the winter never seems to come to an end. I wanted the story and the locale to have a dark grey pallet.
What dangers should we avoid in The City?
The city is a fairly safe place if you’re in your own neighborhood. The city government keeps very close tabs on its citizens, particularly the middle/professional class. They make it difficult to get away with anything.
Is there a distinct or unusual type of food or meal that we might be served in The City?
The food the characters eat blends into the sparse city rather well. Dominic lives on a regimented diet of chicken breast, vegetables, almond milk, and other health foods. Food isn’t a priority to him. It’s more like filling his vehicle with fuel, and the best fuel at that. Working class characters Justine and Casey live on wild game, rice and other staples. Yet, you get the idea that they do very well with what they have. Most of the meals in the story take place at their house–they’re hospitable people who’d share their last bit of food.
What types of vehicles, animals, technology, etc. are used to travel in or to The City?
Public transport, such as buses and a network of monorail trains, is important in the city. Wealthier characters, such as Dominic, use self-guided cars. He speaks his destination into the navigation system, and the car takes him to that place.
What types of plants, animals, or sentient races might we encounter in The City that we don’t see on Earth?
The key difference here is the entire race of clones, or as they’re called in the story, Manufactured Persons, MP’s or ‘Empties’. The MP’s are perfectly human, but the common belief is that they are not. They are considered soulless, unable to form real relationships or survive in the world.
There are several types of MP’s. The story centers on Caspian Genetics, which produces Manufactured Fighting Personnel for military use. Other types include domestic MP’s, manufactured by Homeland, which fill ordinary labor roles, and High Performance Manufactured Personnel (HPMPs), manufactured by Symbiosis Genetic Labs, who are custom designed for special roles.
Is there any advanced or unusual technology in The City? If you haven’t described it already, please give some examples.
One bit of technology that will play a key part is tracking technology. The Manufactured Persons are all tracked by a chip embedded under the skin. Employees at Caspian Genetics are tracked by a bracelet they wear, and in the City at large, anyone with a cell phone is tracked constantly.
Is there a particular religion practiced in The City? Please describe what it involves.
On the whole, religion is not encouraged in the city. There is a state-sanctioned Christian church. Some characters are involved in a clandestine Christian church.
What is the political or government structure in The City? Who is in charge there at the moment, and what kind of leader is he/she?
The City is governed more by giant bureaucracy than by a figurehead. Its departments are famously bad at communicating with each other, which is exploited by one more nefarious character in the story.
Has anything in your actual life inspired the locations, cultures, etc. in your book?
Oh, definitely! The idea came from the pharmaceutical manufacturing plant that I work in. Caspian Genetics isn’t modeled on my workplace but many small details are borrowed–the gowning procedures, the documentation, the general feel of the production area.
What, if any, “hot-button” or controversial topics do you touch on in your book?
I would call it a very ‘pro-life’ book. Humanity, and the value of human life, is a reoccurring theme. Dominic has lived his life convinced he isn’t human, but Casey, an important character he meets along the way, is determined to convince him that he is just as human, just as valuable, as any citizen of the city.
Author Autobiography:I live in Manitoba, Canada. When not writing, or working in the factory, I can be found running down the sidewalks and trails of my hometown, singing in the church choir, or staring into space–possibly all while carrying a massive book.
Where, and in what formats, can we purchase your book?
Where can readers connect with you online?
You can come by my
blog. I write about adventures in running, relationships, personal development, and humor. You can also
read samplesof
Sons of Earth and my other book,
We are the Living.
Or, if you’re on Twitter, I tweet from @GeralynWichers. I’d love to chat with you!
Welcome to the biggest book promotion event I’ve ever seen, let alone held! To celebrate the release of four new books in the Trifecta catalog on March 31st, we’re putting everything on sale. We’ve also asked several of our friends to join with us, making this an amazing event. Please scroll down through the entire post so you don’t miss anything!!
Then, on March 31st, head on back to www.trifectabooks.com and check out the four new releases – their purchase links will be live. They are:
Captain Schnozzlebeard and the Singing Clam of Minnie Skewel Island
by Rebecca Blevins
Fire Gate (Shinehah Saga #1) and Crystal Gate (Shinehah Saga #2)
by Pendragon Inman
Nemesis: Knight (the Chess Quest series #2)
by Michael D. Young
Let’s start with some Trifecta books!
When ten-year-old Andy moves from California to his new house in Colorado, the last thing he expects is to meet a ghost named Annie.
Annie has been living in that house for eighty years. Will Annie spook Andy away? Or will the two find out that sometimes, the best of friends might not be who you first expected?
The Andy & Annie series by author Jenni James and illustrator BC Sterrett is like Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets Junie B. Jones with a paranormal twist. Your young reader will love getting to know these characters and going with them on amazing adventures!
You can purchase A Ghost Story for Kindle here and print here. Special event price: .99!
Andy and Annie are back at it again. This time, they’ve decided to conquer the bullies who like to tease Andy for wearing green shirts.
Annie uses her magical ghostly powers for good in this funny early reader story. She decides it’s time the school learns that wearing green isn’t mean—it’s cool! Join Annie and Andy on an adventure that will change even the toughest of hearts, and maybe even make the principal happy, too.
You can purchase Greeny Meany for Kindle here. Special event price: .99!
When nerdy eighth-grader Rich Witz unwittingly becomes a paladin, a white knight in training, he is thrust into a world where flunking a test can change the course of history, and a mysterious bully is playing for keeps with his life.
Rich’s grandmother leaves him one thing before disappearing for good—a white chess pawn with his initials engraved on it. The pawn marks him as the next in an ancient line of white knights. He must prove himself in a life-or-death contest against his nemesis, a dark knight in training. With the ghost of an ancestor for his guide, he has seven days to complete four tasks of valor before his nemesis does, or join his guide in the realm of the dead.
You can purchase Paladin: Pawn for Kindle here or for Nook here. Special event price: .99!
Young Adult Contemporary Fiction
Dancing is Cami’s escape from her dark home life. It’s the only thing that gives her hope – until she meets Adam Black. A talented dancer in his own right, he asks Cami to be his partner, and she gains strength and confidence as he unlocks whole new possibilities for her.
When Cami’s abusive mother overdoses and her already-broken family falls to pieces around her, dancing with Adam helps Cami pull through. But he has secrets of his own, and someone wants him found at any price. Cami gets dragged into a web of danger and deceit. Now she must make a choice between familiar darkness and uncertain light.
You can purchase Dancing with Black for Kindle here and in print here. Special event price: .99!
Mattie’s smart and she’s in line for a college scholarship, but she’s not exactly the most popular person in school. When the hot and hunky guys at the women’s convention bread booth give out free samples to all the cutest, trendiest girls in the room, they overlook her. It’s just proof that she’s not worth their attention—she’s not a free bread girl.
What she really wants is to date Travis Banks, her high school’s soccer king. But he just can’t see past her clumsiness and frizzy hair to the real Mattie underneath, and sometimes, she can’t either. What’s it going to take for Mattie to find the free bread girl within?
You can purchase Free Bread Girl for Kindle, Nook, and print. Special event price: .99!
Does true love really prevail?
All Lilly Price has ever known is living in the shadow of her widely successful foster family. But when a twist of fate deals Lilly the hand of Harrison Crawford, the most popular guy in Bloomfield, NM, everything flips upside down.
Sean Benally is a hard worker, he’s funny, he’s generous, and he’s kind. He’s also the most amazing guy Lilly has ever known. And she’s totally fallen in love with him. But he’s her foster brother…
Now she must choose between the unavailable love of her life—or the guy who promises to be available forever.
You can purchase Mansfield Ranch for Kindle here and print here. Special event price: .99!
A black dragon hovered outside of Newtimber. Sianna rubbed her eyes, but the dragon was still there, clutching a round object that looked like a spotted egg. And then the egg fell, hitting the ground like an atomic bomb, sending out waves of a slow-moving fog that distorted everything it touched.
The citizens of Newtimber change. Griffins. Vampires. Zombies. Creatures from the myths of every culture come to life through the people. Even Sianna changes, her skin becoming stone hard, and she gains the ability to travel from the human realm into the dimension of the fae to battle the evil bent on taking over the world.
One person to heal a family, a town, and save the world. It seems an impossible task, but with the help of her new friends, it could happen. Right?
You can purchase Newtimber: Fractured for Kindle here, Nook here, and print here. Special event price: .99!
Sydney lives her nightmares every night. While other teenagers are dreaming of boys or traveling to exotic places, she must run a staircase with no beginning or no end, or a terrible debt will never be paid. Just before her seventeenth birthday, the dreams change. She is no longer alone.
But her nightmares don’t end when she wakes up. Her stepmother and stepsisters threaten to ruin everything she holds dear. She must protect the secret that both she and her father have magic or they will use it to their advantage.
As Sydney learns to control her magic, what seemed impossible before—escaping her stepmother and those ever-present stairs—is now at her fingertips. When she learns the ultimate plan of her evil captor, Sydney must stop her at all costs, or she will forever be trapped inside her nightmares.
You can purchase Endless for Kindle here and for print here. Special event price: $3.99 – going to .99 on the 31st!
Jenny’s had it with her life. Six siblings in an overstuffed house are enough to drive anyone crazy, and sometimes she dreams of escaping to some fantasy world. When she suddenly wakes up to find herself being kissed by a strange—but very handsome—prince, Jenny knows her life just got a lot more exciting. Now stuck in a medieval land of castles and royalty, when Jenny learns that the queen has agreed to marry her off to the prince, it’s time to take matters into her own hands. She goes on a quest to find out who dragged her to this time while trying to keep from falling in love with either of the boys vying for her attention.
Princess Genevieve has only known life under her mother’s rule. She wants to do more than go to battle or deal with suitors. She wakes to find herself in a new world filled with gadgets, electricity, and moving carriages. She finally has the freedom to be who she wants to be with a family who cares deeply for her and a boy worth any sacrifice. It’s more than everything she always wanted.
As Jenny and Genevieve settle into their new lives, they face an unknown evil which threatens everything they care about and makes them face tough questions—like who they are and what they really want their lives to become.
You can now purchase The Princess and the Prom Queen for Kindle here and print here. Special event price: $2.99 – going to .99 on the 31st!
Realistic Women’s Fiction
It’s only been a year since her divorce, so why would Jane Adamson do something as stupid as attempt to date again? Wasn’t her marriage scarring enough? The answer was simple—her kids. They worried about her and wanted to see her happy again.
She needed to be happy . She needed to learn to trust again and feel pretty again and human again.
As a mom of five, it was too easy to hide herself away and focus just on her kids. Who needs men, anyway?
Join Jane in part one of a six-part journey of self-discovery, conquering the past, understanding love, and most importantly … healing, as she finds the woman she once was.
You can purchase Drowning for Kindle here. Special event price: .99!
Sweet and Clean Romance Collection
Love Notes#1. Elahna Nezario gave up her musical dreams to help run the Queen of Hearts, her mother’s chocolate shop, after her sister’s sudden death. After an unfortunate run-in with Elahna’s childhood crush, owner of the Dolce Theater, not only do her dreams surge back to life, but so does her heart.
You can purchase Hearts in Harmony for Kindle here. Special event price: .99!
Love Notes #2. Meredith Aaron lost all hope for love after a car accident put her in a wheelchair. Who would want her, broken as she is? After her brother tells her to save a dance for him at his wedding, she decides to somehow learn how to dance on the only legs she has left—her wheels.
You can purchase Waltzing on Wheels for Kindle here and Nook here. Special event price: .99!
Love Notes#3. Camille Clark spends her time bringing light to the memorable moments of Dolce—playing her harp at weddings, anniversaries, and even funerals. She can’t help but wonder if someone will ever play for her. Will the dark secrets of her past come to Dolce and ruin her future? Or will she find her soul mate and finally walk down that aisle?
You can purchase Healing a Broken Harp for Kindle here and Nook here. Special event price: .99!
Main Street Merchants #1. Bridal consultant Laurie Fletcher spends all her time helping others prepare for the most special day of their lives. Logan Reese is easily the most irritating man on the planet, and for some reason, he’s made annoying Laurie his mission in life. Will true love ever come Laurie’s way, or is she doomed to watch others get their happily ever after while she sits on the sidelines?
You can purchase And Something Blue for Kindle here. Special event price: .99!
Main Street Merchants #2. Cynical Morgan learned at an early age that life is just plain hard. She’s decided that no one could possibly fall in love with her – all the good guys want perfect girls, and with her messed-up family, she’s anything but perfect. But then along comes the guy who falls head-over-heels in love with her just as she is and helps her find the bright side of life – and a second chance for perfection.
You can purchase For Love or Money for Kindle here and Nook here. Special event price: .99!
Main Street Merchants #3. Even though Cara has lost her childhood weight and is now composing her own music, she can’t see her own beauty and she has no confidence in her talent. A bumpy relationship with her mother certainly hasn’t helped. Only the right guy can help her see inside herself to the amazing person who has always been there, and to mend her frayed family ties in the face of her greatest sorrow.
You can purchase Five Golden Rings for Kindle here and Nook here. Special event price: .99!
Main Street Merchants #4. Quinn spends all her time managing D’Angelo’s Bakery – so much time, in fact, that she rarely does anything else. When things get tough for the bakery’s owner and she’s needed more than ever, dreams of romance and a family of her own fly out the window – but then along comes someone who shows her just how sweet life can be.
You can purchase Just Desserts for Kindle here and Nook here. Special event price: .99!
Main Street Merchants #5. Regan spends her days working in a bookstore and her nights reading. She goes on grand romantic adventures in her head . . . but not in real life. That all changes when someone sweeps her off her feet and carries her up a mountain.
You can purchase Between the Lines for Kindle here and Nook here. Special event price: .99!
And now for some books from our friends! Authors are listed alphabetically by last name.
Big dreams take strength and determination.
Cami Lockhart’s dream is on the verge of becoming a reality. Lockhart Sanctuary, a refuge for abused and confiscated cats, is what Cami has worked for her entire life. But a dream that big requires a daily commitment. Cami yearns for someone to share the dream with, and knows everyone in town thinks Alex is the perfect man for the job. There’s one problem. She wants fireworks with every kiss, not just friendship with a hint of something more.
Sometimes what you wish for is closer than you think.
Alex Reynolds shares Cami’s passion for the sanctuary, and as the head ranchhand, spends every day helping her dream come true. He longs to tell Cami she’s held his heart since childhood, but losing a lifetime of friendship is a big risk to take. Being by Cami’s side at the sanctuary is better than letting go, but Alex knows someday he’ll want more.
Risk losing everything or fight for the dreams to come true.
The sanctuary is put in jeopardy when ignored threats take a deadly turn. Cami and Alex must each choose to stand and fight, or lose everything they dream of. Purchase here. Special promotional price: .99!
A Secret to Save Them All . . .
It was whispered years ago that when a pirate cursed a Philippine village with langbuan, or flying undead, a boy received a secret that would protect him from certain death. But even armed with a secret, can anyone survive the undead for long?
Seventeen-year-old Antonio Pulido has never known a time when the langbuan didn’t roam the streets every Ghost Moon Night, killing anyone in their path. He works hard to protect his family and the girl he loves from the deadly attacks, but he wants them stopped once and for all. Can Antonio uncover the decades-old secret and will it help him defeat the langbuan? Or will Ghost Moon Night come again and take someone he truly cares about? It falls on Antonio to save his village, but time is running out. The next Ghost Moon Night is nearly here and Antonio knows this is his last chance to destroy the undead and end their reign of terror — or die trying.
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When she was nine years old, Katie knew she wanted Chris to give her her first kiss. It wasn’t because she was in love with him (no way, he was her best friend! Besides, she was in love with his fourteen-year-old big brother), it was because she could make him do anything she wanted.
Besides, it didn’t really mean anything. After all, it was only a kiss.
But things started to change. They grew up. They parted ways and went to different high schools. Then other girls and other boys—well, just one particular boy—came into the picture, throwing their lives upside down.
Told from the alternating points of view of Katie and Chris, this love story between two best friends will tug at your heartstrings and leave you thinking about how the simplest things mean so much.
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Parkview Manor has a secret, and eighteen-year-old Cynthia is curious!
When Cynthia Holt takes a job at a former sanitarium, now operating as an assisted living center, she instantly discovers something more is occurring than simply providing the elderly with housing and care. Something very strange is going on behind the locked door of Room 913!
After she is warned to stay away from the room and to not discuss it or the occupant with her co-workers, she is even more intrigued – and suspicious! Letting her curious nature guide her, she immediately begins asking questions. When she finds that Room 913 has been closed off; locked and sealed for many years, her curiosity turns to concern. Though rumors abound, no one seems inclined to talk about it.Not giving up so easily, Cynthia persists in her pursuit until she finds out the truth – or does she?
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Twelve-year-old BFFs are matchmaking geniuses. They schemed to get Ginnie’s widowed dad to fall in love with Tillie’s divorced mom. Then Ginnie stumbled upon her late mom’s journals, making life totally awesome sauce … until her dad confiscated the journals.
Ginnie is counting on Tillie’s help to make Dad change his mind, but Tillie’s not sure the ghost of Ginnie’s mom will make a good addition to their new family tree. When a blast from the past shows up and makes Tillie go nutburgers, Ginnie is torn between helping her BFF and having her questions answered.
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In The Darkest Hours of Addiction, A Light Shines
When one LDS woman’s husband flies off to Mexico to meet another woman, she sells his stuff and starts a new life. To support her three children, she guts part of her home to start a preschool and rents out another two rooms.
Her life is soon filled with new friends and activities, but the new friends bring problems of their own. Is hope and healing possible as they strengthen one another and rely on the Lord? And will romance blossom again for Jessica?
Intercession is a story of love and friendship loaded with drama, inspiration, romance, and the tenacity of three young women who find their strength in the Lord.
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The only thing she stands to lose are her shoes.
Cinderella is an ordinary teenage girl, with an extraordinary name. But because of that name, she and her cousins, Belle, Aurora, Ariel, and Snow White suffer years of torment from their peers. Then as the girls enter high school and the enticing world of dating, a life-altering decision must be made. Is it finally time to stop fighting, and surrender to the fairy tale clichés that have been holding them back? By embracing their names, the girls discover an inner strength they never knew existed. And by putting everything they have on the line, maybe, just maybe they will discover there really is such a thing as ‘happily ever after’.
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Bracken is a typical teenage boy, more interested in the angles of the girl’s exposed back teasing him from the seat ahead of him than in anything the geometry teacher could present. His life is filled with school, video games, and thoughts of girls, not necessarily in that order. Life just flows along uneventfully and unacknowledged, like the electricity that courses through the power lines — until PF (Power Failure) Day. On PF Day, the sun strikes Bracken’s world with an unseen surge of electromagnetic fury, which cripples power stations and burns transformers to crispy nuggets of regret.
No one in Bracken’s world had ever thought about how much they depended on electrical power, but now, without it, they are plunged into survival mode. Bracken soon realizes how lucky he is to live on a farm in the Midwest. What seemed like a dull and backwards life before is now the greatest chance for survival in what seems like a powerless world. Food, water, and heat are readily available, although hard work is required to make use of them. Bracken and his family must learn to survive like their ancestors, who settled their land.
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When eight parade floats explode during the annual Fourth of July celebrations, Agent Chris Harmer must find who planted the bombs before the terrorists strike again. His troubles aren’t isolated to terrorism. Chris falls in love with the FBI’s feisty psychiatrist, Alexis Osborne. She won’t commit to someone who doesn’t share her religious values, and Chris has no desire to convert.
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At forty years of age, I was impoverished and severely addicted to tobacco cigarettes. I could not even afford a decent birthday gift for my dear friend Cathy I had met online years earlier. In this book, I tell the story of how my friend turned my makeshift present for her into a gift of life for me. I tell how I overcame my addiction gradually. I share tips, photos, and more! If you have ever said, “I wish I could quit smoking,” or “I wish I could cut back,” I hope you will read this book.
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Professor Miri Keeler’s life is perfect, and she knows just the sort of man she wants to share it with. When she meets a genie who’s willing to grant her a favor, she uses her wish to get the attention of her crush, poet Jamison Arbor. But has the genie’s magic missed its target? Miri suddenly has the attention of both Jamison and Alex, an attractive maintenance man. How will she know which is the right match for her, or what’s real and what’s magic?
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At twelve years of age, Maddy Richards has everything she needs in life – good friends, a loving mother, and a home she loves. When her mother announces that she’s getting married, Maddy’s seemingly perfect world is rocked to the core, but when she discovers that not only that her mother is getting married and she’ll have a new dad, but there’s another, even more world rocking change planned, Maddy, thinking there’s no way out of her predicament, forges a plan that she’s sure will put a stop to at least one of these sudden changes in her life.
With her best friend Hannah in tow, Maddy embarks on a journey, hoping that will prompt her mother and new husband-to-be to change their minds, but a horrific storm is about to complicate matters further. What looked like a solution suddenly becomes more of a problem.
Maddy will have to gather her resolve and determine if she’s ready to trust God, regardless of what is happening, and let life unfold as it should, even if that means her life will never be the same again.
Book One of The Madeleine Richards Series, “Rebellion in Riversleigh”, a Tween Christian fiction book, is a must read for girls aged ten to thirteen, who are looking for a heart-warming story, full of adventure, personal struggle, and Christian values.
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Freedom to Choose is Paramount for any human.
An arrangement made when Elizabeth was just a babe ties her to someone she has never met, never spoken to, never loved. Now she desires freedom—a way to choose her own path—her own husband. The moment Elizabeth meets Patrick she knows he is her soul mate. But when you are bound to a crown how is any choice your own?
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Seventeen-year-old Abigail Johnson is Gifted.
Blessed—or cursed—with Sight and Healing, Abby lives an unsettled life, moving from place to place and staying one step ahead of the darkness that hunts her. When she arrives in Jackson, Wyoming, she is desperate to maintain the illusion of normalcy, but she is plagued with visions of past lives mixed with frightening glimpses of her future. Then she meets Kye, a mysterious boy who seems so achingly familiar that Abby is drawn to him like he’s a missing piece of her own soul.
Before Abby can discover the reason for her feelings toward Kye, the darkness catches up to her and she is forced to flee again. But this time she’s not just running. She is fighting back with Kye at her side, and it’s not just Abby’s life at stake.
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Three magical romances in one collection Pete & Tink: Pete Pancerella loves two things in life: Video games and Spongy Cremes. He’s happy, content, and he’s also a geek. All that is about to change when his mother wishes upon a star and Tink answers the call. But will it take more than a five-and-a-half inch faery to whip this manga-loving goofball into shape? Loving Marigold Young Marigold Yarrow has a secret. She’s also in love with Jack Mahoney. In the middle of her ninth grade year, Jack’s family up and moves to Port Fare, New York, leaving the small town of Sugar Maple, West Virginia – and Marigold – far behind. Nine years later Jack and Marigold meet again. They join forces to weed out the shady Abbott boys. The unscrupulous brothers are illegally selling moonshine near her home on Sugar Maple Ridge. And they’ll do anything to get Marigold to leave the ridge. Anything. But this time it could be magic that tears Jack and Marigold apart. Angel in a Black Fedora Ciel Björk died a tragic death…but she got over it.Now she works as an undercover angel, answering people’s prayers. Chloe is obsessed with achieving perfection to please her unpleaseable father. Chloe’s BFF Austin Powers will do anything to support her in achieving her goal, including helping her win the heart of Bridger Reed. Ciel is sent to the sleepy little town of Port Fare, New York to help turn Chloe’s dreams into reality. Ciel soon learns that things are not as simple as they seem as secrets are revealed. Angel in a Black Fedora is the newest book by best selling author Sherry Gammon. A funny and touching tale of life and its challenges.
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Alissia Roswell had worked hard to overcome her past, and she took immense pride in her independence. Just when she thought she was truly satisfied with her life, she wakes up to find herself in another reality. As she searches for answers, her body begins to change in mysterious ways, and for the first time in her life, she is forced to rely upon others. As everything spins out of her control and danger lurks around every corner, her heart begins to betray her, and her mind haunts her with memories of her past.
Join Alissia on her perilous quest full of adventure, magic, and romance as she travels the challenging road of finding one self, maybe even love along the way.
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There’s no way I’m taking Blake’s place as president of the student body. As soon as the memorial for him and six of our friends is over, I’m resigning as VP. Really.
Except people say the fire was no accident.
(I say it’s way too easy to blame someone who’s dead.)
When I read the writing on the wall, literally, the bathroom wall, I know what it means. To get to the truth I have to come out from under my paisley comforter.
But, seriously, what stage of grief says I have to be the one to fix what’s wrong at Ideal High? Maybe I’m the one who’s broken.
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Lydia Colburn is a young physician dedicated to serving her village in the Land, a landmass in the South Atlantic Ocean undetectable to the outside world. When injured fighter pilot Connor Bradshaw’s parachute carries him from the war engulfing the 2025 world to her hidden land, his presence threatens her plans, her family, and the survival of her preindustrial society. As Connor searches for a way to return to his squadron, his fascination with life in the Land makes him protective of Lydia and her peaceful homeland, and Lydia’s attraction to Connor stirs desires she never anticipated. Written like a historical, set like a scifi, and filled with romance, The Land Uncharted weaves adventure and love in this suspenseful story of a hidden land.
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Madison Nichols, aspiring actress, is floundering. Her rent is due and she needs a job. Desperately. After getting a tip about an open position, she rushes to Jameson Technologies and meets CEO Jared Jameson.
Unfortunately, due to a misunderstanding, she is put in the awkward position of pretending to be his girlfriend. Not the job she was applying for. And when she finds out Jared lied to her to get what he wanted, she decides to get back at him. In front of his family.
Jared is stunned when Madison announces they are getting married. She pushed her revenge too far. How can he tell them it’s all a lie? And when his sick aunt asks them to be married before she dies, Madison comes up with a hair-brained plan to hire an actor and stage a fake wedding.
What they both don’t know is Jared’s father has found out about the fake wedding. And he’s got his own hair-brained plan.
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Enslaved when invaders take over Alasia, ten-year-old Anya discovers ways to spy on the enemy and slip information to the resistance. But then Anya uncovers a disturbing reference to her own family and is confronted by a stranger who seems to know her secrets. Holding her life in his hands, he claims to have proof that her father was involved in the betrayal that led to the Invasion itself.
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2014 Whitney Award Finalist in RomanceAfter watching her parents’ marriage crash and burn, CIA operative Talia Reynolds doesn’t believe in “happily ever afters.” Besides, her job entails eighty-hour weeks, juggling a dozen covers and disguises, and tracking down a dangerous Russian spy ring. She hardly has time for romantic entanglements, even if she could let her guard down enough to get close to anyone. But all the rules she lives by could be broken when she meets aerospace engineer Danny Fluker.
Talia has to find a Russian spymaster before he figures out she’s not who she claims, and failing to keep her two lives separate in the process could mean the death of more than just her budding relationship. Danny has to decide if a future with Talia — and facing the past — is worth the risk of getting hurt again. If they can break through the barriers keeping them apart (and avoid a major international catastrophe), they just might have a chance at being happy together.
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She had never been loved before. He thought he would never love again.
Zeke never imagined he wouldn’t marry the pretty girl from his village. It was as good as done—until she fell in love with someone else during the war. Captain Helaman’s estate in the city is the perfect refuge, far from pitying eyes and nosy village women. But though time has healed his battle wounds, it hasn’t bound up his broken heart.
Abandoned and alone in the world, Eliza asked Uncle Helaman to take her in. She has everything she could want at her new home on the grand estate—everything but the attention of Helaman’s handsome guard. When Helaman sends her on a journey with the brooding Ezekiel, she’s determined to find out what makes him so sad, but in her search for the girl who broke Zeke’s heart, Eliza has to find a way to guard her own.
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Starting at a new high school is hard, especially as a senior. At age 17, Derek moves with his family from North Carolina to Utah. Derek learns about the unwritten laws of dating in Utah, and that his mom and dad have a history at his new school—a history that threatens his future.
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The housing market is crashing, and Sophie’s life is crashing with it. At twenty-four, her successful real estate career evaporates. She’s broke, can’t find a job or pay her bills, leaving Sophie wondering how her successful lifestyle became so fragile.
At the urging of her roommate, Sophie accepts a job in her fallback career—teaching six-year-olds. She hopes it’s temporary. After all, how long can a tanking economy last anyway? The best part of the new job is Liam, another employee at Rio Grande Elementary. The worst part of the new job is, well, teaching.
Sophie has a surprise real estate closing from a contract she wrote months ago, leading her to a niche in the real estate market and to a new partner, Kevin. Sophie must choose between Liam or Kevin and between a lucrative career or recess duty.
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Sixteen-year-old Macy is not your average teenager–she’s a member of the Chosen, an elite group of gifted and magically talented children responsible for protecting humans from the monsters of the Hidden race. But when the Shard of the Ninth Chosen arrives at her Watcher’s door with the deadly Shadow Wraiths in hot pursuit, her world is shaken. The Ninth is to lead the Final Battle against the evil forces of the Dark. And when that Ninth turns out to be Tolen Parks, a clueless seventeen-year-old who has no idea he’s anything other than a freak, she figures the world is a gonner. The two of them are swept down a dangerous path that tests everything that Macy is . . . and brings out everything that Tolen can be. Amidst monsters and Radia Warriors, the pair must discover who they really are and face the heart of darkness in order to find victory . . . and their destinies.
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Though Angela Donovan is out of work and needs money for rent, she yearns for her eight-year-old daughter to have a carefree holiday. The last thing she wants is the pressure of her daughter expecting a miracle. But when they pick out a Christmas tree at a cozy Massachusetts tree farm that’s exactly what happens when they learn the trees might be miracle trees.
Mark Shafer is soon to be the new keeper of the Christmas trees when he inherits the family farm. He’d like to run it with a family of his own, but his girlfriend wants nothing to do with farm life. He makes plans to sell so he can propose to his girlfriend and pursue a career in music. Then he meets an unforgettable customer and her daughter, and an anonymous gift compels them to learn the truth about the trees.
With a buyer willing to pay top dollar for the land, Mark has the fate of the trees in his hand. Will he be able to see what and who is most important? And will Angela give the miracle of love a chance?
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Midian has lived in Gevkan Castle for almost all of her twenty-five years, growing up alongside Princess Arien. Though timid, she’s content in her life and comfortable with the people who surround her. It’s not until she meets Kelson, best friend of Prince Dmitri, that she realizes how deep her shyness runs. Kelson is outgoing and wildly flirtatious, pushing Midian away when all he wants is to draw her closer.
Midian’s life is put in danger when she’s kidnapped by the neighboring king who thinks she’s the princess and wants to leverage her life for power and money.
Will Kelson be able to stop the king fast enough, proving his affections for Midian, or will the king’s scheming keep them forever separated?
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Treena is nervous for Rating Day. A single number will brand her forever—a valuable citizen, or a pathetic waste of space. Her top-Rated boyfriend is confident their scores will coincide so they can attend the academy together. But when the big day arrives, her true number shocks everyone.
To get her life and boyfriend back, she must go undercover and expose a military spy. Doesn’t sound too hard, except that someone wants her dead. And then there’s Vance, the mysterious soldier with a haunted past and beautiful brown eyes. Together, they discover a dark numbers conspiracy, one that shatters the nation’s future. Treena must join up with Vance if she is to survive the dangerous game of numbers—and the terrible war that rages within her heart.
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Readers will be delighted with nine sweet, contemporary romance novelettes in Sweet & Sassy: Hidden Identities. In this charming anthology, you will fall in love again and again.
THE BEST OF ME by Paige Timothy, SECOND-HAND HEARTS by Jo Noelle, FIRST LOVE, SECOND CHOICE by Lindzee Armstrong, HACKED by Stephanie Connelley Worlton, TO LOVE AND PROTECT by Ruth Roberts, CLOSING TIME by Candice N. Toone, SINK OR SWIM by Laura D. Bastian, WRITE AND WRONG by Kaye P. Clark, UNDERCOVER LOVER by James C. Duckett.
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What happened in Vegas should stay there, not follow Amanda home, newly wedded to the man who broke her heart.
After celebrating college graduation with her friends in Las Vegas, Amanda St. Claire wakes up with a terrible hangover and a ring on her finger. Her day gets worse when she finds out she’s married to rich playboy Blake Worthington—the guy she has loathed the past four years. Amanda convinces Blake to legally terminate the marriage and they both return home like nothing ever happened. That is, until Blake shows up on her doorstep and Amanda has to come clean with her family.
Together for better or worse while the legalities are cleared, Amanda reluctantly plays along, but then the unthinkable happens—she finds herself falling in love with Blake.
Can they overcome the past? Or will it end their future before it even starts?
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Brynn Sawyer is a successful project manager in Houston. When her best friend from high school convinces Brynn to attend their ten-year reunion, Brynn hopes she’ll have the chance to reconnect with Troy Richards, the guy who stole her heart back in middle school.
Craig Dawson, an attorney in San Diego, is in a relationship that’s going nowhere and wonders why he can’t seem to commit. When he sees Brynn at their reunion, he thinks he might finally understand why. The only problem—she’s still infatuated with Troy what’s-his-name.
Will Brynn find the love she seeks with Troy, or will she realize the best kind of love has always been right in front of her?
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Alexa Fulbright doesn’t expect the man she’s been trying to forget for the past 7 years to show up on assignment from the FBI…and she really doesn’t expect him to kiss her.
Sam Dubois doesn’t want to be on this assignment, even though he requested it. He doesn’t want to see Alexa and he definitely doesn’t want to put away the thug she calls her boyfriend…but most things in life aren’t fair when it comes to her.
After Sam shows Alexa proof that her boyfriend is a drug dealer with connections to the Columbian cartel, she refuses to believe it. Until a gun is pointed at her head and ‘said boyfriend’ puts a bullet in Sam’s shoulder.
Now Sam has to get her out of dodge and Alexa has to make a choice—face the past or live a lie that could destroy her and everyone she’s ever loved.
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For the last six years, Siri has sought a way to fulfill a vow made during the last hours of her beloved mother’s life. Faced with an unwanted betrothal, she knows any chance to honor her mother’s request is dwindling.
Risking her life to escape the arranged marriage, she unwittingly triggers an ancient elven curse. Death and destruction will begin with the rise of the next full moon. The only recourse is restoring an ancient talisman to the elves. But pleas to return it go unanswered.
Siri’s journey plunges her into a land of mystical creatures, some terrifying, some fascinating. As she begins to lose her heart to one very handsome Master Archer, his valley spirals toward irreversible ruin. Siri begins to wonder if she holds the key and how one lowly human could ever make a difference in a strange land of myth and magic.
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Stranded 225 million kilometers from home on Mars Station, cousins Jake O’Brien and Lorina Murphy are drawn into a fledgling effort to help the hundreds of abandoned street children who call the station home. Jake becomes a medical apprentice in an outreach clinic, while Lorina volunteers at a juvenile shelter. They soon discover that their efforts may be in vain because something much more serious than poverty plagues Mars Station.
Also stranded on Mars Station, ship’s captain Danae Shepherd faces the difficult task of hiring replacement crew after an alien virus claims the lives of four in her employ, including her husband. She stumbles upon the same problem that has Jake and Lorina stumped: why are homeless children disappearing without a trace?
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Twenty-one-year-old Emma Matthews lost the song in her heart the same night she lost her dad. With an unfulfilled promise and an ultimatum shadowing her junior year of college, maybe it’s better that way. You can’t hurt if you can’t feel.
But when the reflection she sees in musician Riley Preston’s eyes borders dangerously close to the one she’s spent the last five years searching for, Emma discovers her walls can’t guard her heart from its fiercest desire. Terrified of what she’s experiencing, and even more afraid of what she might lose, Emma grapples for the courage to hold on to one dream without abandoning the promise of another.
Contemporary New Adult Romance novel Eyes Unveiled lets you relive those heartfelt moments when you don’t know how you’d survive a day without your best friend, when you’re trying to figure out who you are and what you’re supposed to do with your life, and when falling in love changes everything.
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When Lyn sets off on her supposedly uncomplicated and unromantic cruise, she never dreams it will include pirates. All the 25-year-old Colorado high school teacher wants is to forget that her dead fiancé was a cheating scumbag. What she plans is a vacation diversion; what fate provides is Braedon, an intriguing surgeon. She finds herself drawn to him: his gentle humor, his love of music, and even his willingness to let her take him down during morning karate practices. Against the backdrop of the ship’s make-believe world and its temporary friendships, her emotions come alive.
However, fear is an emotion, too. Unaware of the sensitive waters he navigates, Braedon moves to take their relationship beyond friendship–on the very anniversary Lyn came on the cruise to forget. But Lyn’s painful memories are too powerful, and she runs off in a panic.
Things are bad enough when the pair finds themselves on one of the cruise’s snorkeling excursions in American Samoa. However, paradise turns to piracy when their party is kidnapped. Lyn’s fear of a fairytale turns grim. Now she must fight alongside the man she rejected, first for their freedom and then against storms, sharks, and shipwreck.
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Young cavalryman Carl Owen returns from the Civil War to find the family farm destroyed, his favorite brother dead, food scarce, and his father determined to leave the Shenandoah Valley to build a cattle empire in Colorado Territory. Crossing the continent, Carl falls in love with his brother’s fiancée while set to wed another girl, but he might lose everything if the murderous thug Berto Acosta has his way. Carl battles a band of outlaws, a prairie fire, blizzards, a trackless waterless desert, and his own brother—all for the hand of feisty Ellen Bates.
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Infertility stinks. No one knows that better than Megan. After six years of insanity-inducing hormone drugs and desperate prayers, all she has to show for her efforts are enough negative pregnancy tests to fill a bassinet. All around her women are accidentally getting pregnant—like her star piano student—while Megan remains hopelessly barren. Megan’s never felt so alone. But she’s not the only one struggling.
Christina has just entered the world of infertility, made worse by the fact her husband isn’t ready to be a father. Their marriage, already hanging in the balance, is being torn apart.
Then there’s Kyra, the mother of a precocious three-year-old. She’s shocked to be struggling with secondary infertility. A baby is priceless, but sometimes Kyra feels like she’s being forced to choose which commandment to keep: stay out of debt, or multiply and replenish the earth.
When Megan and Christina are assigned as Kyra’s visiting teachers, they all realize that what you see isn’t necessarily what’s beneath the surface. Some secrets aren’t worth the cost of keeping them.
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Sixteen-year-old Megan Crenshaw has everything going for her, until a leprechaun shows up on her doorstep and steals all her luck. If that weren’t enough, he follows her around, making sure nothing goes right.
What Louie didn’t count on was Megan’s friends standing by her. No matter what he throws at her, they’re by her side to pick her back up again.
When Megan learns about Louie’s ultimate plan for her family, it’s a race against time to stop him before he destroys everything she cares about.
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“Isn’t that what you planned to do all along? Stop them from trampling on that human soul?” -Casey, Sons of Earth.
It began on the manufacturing floor of the factory I work in. I was a brand new operator in a pharmaceutical plant, adjusting to the new regimen and rules. There were so many rules! Any product that didn’t meet the strictest of parameters was ‘reject’–garbage. One day I got this funny idea. What if we were manufacturing clones? What would the factory do with clones that didn’t meet their specifications?
With the idea of human ‘reject’–garbage clones–Sons of Earth was born.
A manufactured person is no person at all. Designed to fight and die, Dominic escaped from the metallic womb of Caspian Genetics. He knows that if he is found out he’s as good as dead, but he cannot forget that his brothers are enslaved.
He matches his wits against Caspian’s might. But how can Dominic stand against an industry that denies his personhood when he doubts his own humanity? As his plans unravel, Dominic is forced to face the question: Was he lied to? Is he human after all?
Can you just ‘throw out’ a human being? I suspect a normal, rational person would say no. But what if we believed they weren’t really human? Some might think this is a giant leap, but I would contend that dehumanization is easier and more common than you’d think. Case in point: the YouTube comment section.
Have you heard the adage “Do unto others as you would have them do for you?” This golden rule is nowhere to be found in comment section debates, where the slightest difference of opinion is grounds for ridiculous name-calling. Unfortunately, I cannot exempt myself from this tendency, in the interest of full disclosure. Why do we do this? On a subconscious level we don’t believe they’re as human, or as valuable as we are.
Let’s move down a layer. One of the main arguments in the prolife/prochoice abortion debate is ‘When does the fetus become a human being?’ By the grounds of ‘it isn’t a person,’ thousands of babies are aborted. The motto, “To keep you is no benefit. To destroy you is no loss” could be aptly applied.
So it doesn’t take a big stretch in my overactive imagination to picture clones that didn’t quite make spec being fatally injected and incinerated. Rights? They have no rights. Those who are good enough are sold, and their owners do what they please with them.
Dominic, Casey and Justine do not call them worthless. Dominic calls them his brothers. Caspian Genetics treated him like scum, and he’d like to serve it back to them. Casey and Justine are devout Christians and see the clones as God’s creation, just as they are. But they are just blue-collar workers, nobodies themselves.
A penniless son of a drunk struggles to make a good life for his family. A clone’s search for revenge lands him in a relationship that will break the heart he didn’t know he had. An unlikely alliance challenges an industry.
What is a life worth? Explore this with me in Sons of Earth.
Geralyn Wichers writes from Manitoba, Canada. When not writing, or working in the factory, she can be found running down the sidewalks and trails of her hometown, singing in the church choir, or staring into space–possibly all while carrying a massive book.
The Science in Science Fiction
by Deborah Heal
One of the things I like most about being a writer is all the new things I learn along the way. Because my books are primarily historical fiction, the topic of my research is usually history. But I am not a historian. (I don’t think it counts that my main character Merrideth Randall is a college history professor.) And I certainly am not a scientist, even though the books contain computer techno jargon and discussions about such things as time warp, virtual reality, and other sci-fi topics. And beginning with Once Again: an inspirational novel of history, mystery & romance (book 1 in my Rewinding Time Series) the books also include bits of real science, too.They have to because Merrideth’s romantic interest is her colleague Brett Garrison, a dashing young college physics professor. I knew I had to learn a lot more about physics if I were to have any hope of making him sound like he knows what he’s talking about. I think it’s working, because Brett is always going on about such things as cell memory, time perception, the Arrow of Time, quantum indeterminancy, Schrodinger’s cat, and the like.
Who would have thought quantum physics would ever show up in a romantic historical novel? But it does, and Brett makes it sound almost sexy. Oh, he has all the requisite good looks and character traits of a romantic hero, but Merrideth thinks his brain is the most attractive thing about him.
A lot of his physics talk goes over her head, because like me, Merrideth’s degree is in the humanities not science. But when Brett starts talking about time travel, she is all ears. He does not know about Merrideth’s curious software that rewinds time on her computer, allowing her to make virtual trips to the past. Merrideth would love to tell him what she has been up to and get his professional opinion about how the program works. But she knows she must keep it secret from the world, and so she just smiles and says nothing when Brett explains that time travel is impossible because of the laws of physics.
Before I did my physics research, I assumed like Brett does that time travel was solely the purview of sci-fi writers. But I was surprised (and happy) to learn that some scientists actually believe it is possible, and the subject is being investigated quite seriously. Stephen Hawking said in a lecture he gave:
I think this is an important subject for research, but one has to be careful not to be labeled a crank … [But] It might seem possible, that as we advance in science and technology, we might be able to construct a wormhole, or warp space and time in some other way, so as to be able to travel into our past.
To be honest, Hawking does not think time travel is likely, because if so, why hasn’t someone come back from the future (a la Marty McFly) and taught us how to do it? And for conspiracy theorists who believe that aliens from the future have arrived and the government is keeping that information from us, Hawking says, “All I can say is, that if governments were hiding something, they are doing a pretty poor job of extracting useful information from the aliens.”
Hawking’s dry humor is evident throughout the speech. I was surprised that he was so funny. But I was more surprised to find that he believes in God. In discussing the conditions necessary for time travel he says, “God might have created such a warped universe, but we have no reason to think that He did.”
And I was surprised to learn that everyone’s favorite scientist, Albert Einstein, also believed in God. According to Stephen Barr on his website “Big Questions Online:”
Einstein is probably the best known and most highly revered scientist of the twentieth century, and … although never coming to belief in a personal God, he recognized the impossibility of a non-created universe.
Barr quotes Einstein:“I want to know how God created this world, I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts, the rest are details.”
“Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.”
But it’s no wonder that so many physicists believe in God. According to Barr, quantum physics gives a strong argument for his existence and argues against the prevailing atheist philosophy of “materialism”:
It has gained ground because many people think that it’s supported by science … Quantum mechanics, however, throws a monkey wrench into this simple mechanical view of things. [It] is not ‘logically consistent with present quantum mechanics.’
Once Again: an inspirational novel of history, mystery & romance (AND science, too!)
Naturally, my fictional physics professor Brett Garrison believes in God, too. Merrideth is surprised to discover he is a man of faith, because she assumes all scientists are agnostics or even atheists. Here is the passage in Once Again where they discuss it:
“Sounds like you really enjoy your classes.” [Merrideth said]
“I do. I love it when students get revved about my favorite topic, especially when they start thinking outside the box. Today I threw in the concept of Intelligent Design. You should have seen Alyssa Holderman’s face,” he said, chuckling at the memory. “You know how she gets that superior smirk right before she says something sarcastic?”
“You get that, too? I figured it was just me.”
“Oh, no. Alyssa is an equal-opportunity know-it-all smart aleck.”
When they reached the sidewalk she expected their paths to diverge. He’d go to the faculty parking lot, and she’d walk home in peace, free of his unsettling presence. But he continued walking with her, talking about quantum objects, wave function, and other things she had no real understanding of. He was certainly passionate about his subject. His first piece of advice for her had been to be enthusiastic in the classroom. She wondered if his intent now was to model that for her.
Suddenly he stopped walking and said, “Sorry. I must be boring you.”
“Not at all. But I’m still thinking about something you said. Could you rewind to the part about Intelligent Design? You don’t believe that, right? You were just getting the kids to think.”
“Don’t you believe in a Creator?”
“Yes, but you’re a physicist. I figured you didn’t.”
He laughed. “That’s what Alyssa said, only with a disparaging sneer. As I told her, there are plenty of scientists and mathematicians who believe in Intelligent Design. Albert Einstein and Erwin Schrodinger, two of the most famous physicists ever, believed in God. Actually, quantum physics provides a strong logical argument against the atheist philosophy of Materialism, the idea that the universe is a closed system of cause and effect and we are mere ‘machines made of meat.’ In my opinion, the evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of creation. As Psalm 19:1 says, ‘The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.’”
I don’t mean to give the impression that Once Again is all about science. That’s only a minor part of the whole. But I always try to do my homework, no matter where it leads me, so I can get the details right.
CLICK TO READ CHAPTER ONE OF ONCE AGAIN.
Then check out Only One Way Home, book 2 in the Rewinding Time Series. All my books are available on Amazon dot com. And you can find more about the real people and historical events depicted in them on my website.
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What types of weaponry or fighting styles are common in Tye? Most of the cultures are not particularly violent, but you can find everything from wooden spears to laser rifles and grenade launchers.
Is there any advanced or unusual technology in Beinan? If you haven’t described it already, please give some examples.
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