Archive for July, 2018
The Pious Insurrection
Posted in General Information on July 30, 2018| Leave a Comment »
Rebellion Reborn
Posted in General Information on July 27, 2018| Leave a Comment »
The Invisible Mind
Posted in 4 Star Books, 5 Star Books on July 27, 2018| 4 Comments »
The Invisible Mind (Murder by Munchausen #3)
By M.T. Bass
Genre: Sci Fi, TechnoThriller, Police Procedural
A police procedural sci fi thriller ripped from future headlines!
Now unleashed, the “Baron” is resurrecting history’s notorious serial killers, giving them a second life in the bodies of hacked and reprogrammed Personal Assistant Androids, then turning them loose to terrorize the city. While detectives Jake and Maddie of the police department’s Artificial Crimes Unit scramble to stop the carnage with the Baron’s arrest, the cyberpunk head of the Counter IT Section, Q, struggles to de-encrypt his mad scheme to infect world data centers with a virus that represents a collective cyber unconsciousness of evil.
“…he intends only his own gain, and he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention.”
~Adam Smith, 1776
“When wireless is perfectly applied the whole earth will be converted into a huge brain, which in fact it is, all things being particles of a real and rhythmic whole.”
~Nikola Tesla, 1926
“…so, too, the psyche possesses a common substratum transcending all differences in culture and consciousness. I have called this substratum the collective unconscious.”
~Carl Jung, 1931
“It might not make sense, but the beloved Media tags it ‘Murder by Munchausen.’ For a price, there are hackers out there who will reprogram a synthoid to do your dirty work. The bad news: no fingerprints or DNA left at the crime scene. The good news—at least for us—is that they’re like missiles: once they hit their target, they’re usually as harmless as empty brass. The trick is to get them before they melt down their core OS data, so you can get the unit into forensics for analysis and, hopefully, an arrest.” [excerpt from Murder by Munchausen]
Artificial Intelligence? Fuhgeddaboudit!
Artificial Evil has a name…Munchausen.
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About the Author
M.T. Bass is a scribbler of fiction who holds fast to the notion that while victors may get to write history, novelists get to write/right reality. He lives, writes, flies and makes music in Mudcat Falls, USA.
Born in Athens, Ohio, M.T. Bass grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. He graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University, majoring in English and Philosophy, then worked in the private sector (where they expect “results”) mainly in the Aerospace & Defense manufacturing market. During those years, Bass continued to write fiction. He is the author of seven novels: My Brother’s Keeper, Crossroads, In the Black, Somethin’ for Nothin’, Murder by Munchausen, The Darknet (Murder by Munchausen Mystery #2) and The Invisible Mind (Murder by Munchausen Mystery #3). His writing spans various genres, including Mystery, Adventure, Romance, Black Comedy and TechnoThrillers. A Commercial Pilot and Certified Flight Instructor, airplanes and pilots are featured in many of his stories. Bass currently lives on the shores of Lake Erie near Lorain, Ohio.
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My Review
5 Stars
The Baron is out there and the Geek Squad needs to step it up to catch him. Jake is in a coma, Maddie is still having issues after her attack, and now there is a hostage, Amy that seems to have some relation to The Baron’s past. But the most shocking is an android showing emotions when watching a video. The real question would be how the emotion android and The Baron related and if that will help stop him.
After the ending of The Darknet I couldn’t grab The Invisible Mind fast enough. Jake starts out in a coma but as he recovers Maddie brings him case information to review. Of course you have famous serial kills being copied but The Baron changes the outcome of Richard Speck’s killing and it makes you wonder why.
But the thing that really got me about this story was The Baron. We learn more about him and find out he is not just some typical madman hacker or thinks of himself as god. This adds another dimension to this story and just amps it up that much more.
I love this series and see that a fourth book is expect to come out. I couldn’t read The Invisible Mind fast enough to see how Maddie, Jake, and Q are going to stop the virus. Now I am very curious at what challenge they are going to face next. Make sure to get your hands on a copy of this series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
Excerpt from The Invisible Mind
Chapter 2 – Richard Speck
It sat on a bench outside the dormitory of nursing students, waiting with its kind’s infinite patience. Originally acquired and programmed for landscaping at the Cleveland Clinic, the synthoid was one of a brigade of units which had been hacked and Munchausened, then returned to their menial daily services to mankind to await the Baron’s call.
There was no adrenalin surge behind the extremely life-like facade of humanity when that call came. Data packets, sent scatter-shot through the Atlas Grid, coalesced at the location outside the Cole Eye Institute, where it methodically trimmed and shaped the immaculate shrubbery around the building. To avoid Q’s metadata sniffing algorithms from detecting a download spike in the grid, the information came in digital sprinkles over the course of its human handler’s work shift, slowly building a malevolent intent to be executed that night. In the middle of the afternoon, it left the topiary unfinished to melt into the hospital shift change and disappeared.
Personality modules were a Gen-3 feature upgrade, which is why the earlier models were initially preferred. Swapping out a few IC chips and uploading hacked firmware was a relatively easy way to turn a quick buck with an automated contract killing. But evil innovates, too, and the same features that made synthoids even more human-like in their behavior also helped create robotic assassins which could better camouflage their malicious intents and evade the reach of the Artificial Crimes Unit by melting into and moving undetected through the humanity that surrounded them. For the Baron, it allowed for a greater measure of artistic expression in programming the synthoid’s behavior to not only recreate infamous crimes of the past, but to mimic the behavior of their perpetrators, which intensified the thrill of watching the video feed through the eyes of Jack the Ripper, Ted Bundy or, this particular evening, Richard Speck. Jake wasn’t the only history buff and it amused Jamal that London police had photographed the eyes of Jack the Ripper’s victims, hoping to capture the last thing they ever saw: their killer’s face. If only Scotland Yard could have imagined the future.
The Gen-3 personality modules also supported the ANSI Adaptive Artificial Intelligence Protocol #9 to enhance the artificial human experience of real men and women who interacted with synthoids. The constant writing and rewriting of code in the personality/experience loop formed unique individual synthoid consciousnesses, which manufacturers uploaded to their servers for product improvement teams to study. In Munchausened units, that feed was hijacked and routed to another portal in the Darknet to build a collective id of evil.
Murder by Munchausen (Book 1)
A police procedural thriller ripped from future headlines…
Artificial Intelligence? Fuhgeddaboudit!
Artificial Evil has a name…Munchausen.
When androids are reprogrammed into hit men, detectives of the Artificial Crimes Unit repo the AnSub and track down the hackers. Partners Jake and EC’s case of an “extra-judicial” divorce settlement takes a nasty turn with DNA from a hundred-year-old murder in Boston and a signature that harkens back to the very first serial killer ever in London.
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My Review
4 Stars
Jake and EC are two detectives that work the Artificial Crimes Unit, the lowest division of the police that chases after androids that have been hacked, called Munchausened units. In this world androids are almost as realistic as humans and just like any machine can be reprogramed to do someone’s dirty work. But someone has picked a particular angle with his hack, one that mimics a murderer from one hundred years earlier. Then Jake’s girlfriend, Maddie has a murdered human that links to Jake’s own investigation. Jake has to balance his investigation and not step on Maddie’s toes. But Maddie is not any safer, she has caught the attention of the killer and is going to have to try to stay one step ahead of him.
This is a great, short read. There is the classic, noir detective that is stuck in a crummy department but you can tell that he really likes the job. I honestly never put much thought into using androids to kill people but this just made perfect sense. And you have a great mystery trying to figure out who the new, serial hacker/killer is.
This was a great story that blended a couple genera’s together beautifully. I easy fell into the story and didn’t want to quit until it abruptly ended. I’m really glad that I have the next book in the series. I can’t wait to see what Jake, EC, and Maddie get into next.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
The Dark Net (Book 2)
A police procedural thriller ripped from future headlines!
It was the case of a lifetime……but then it went sideways on her. The suspect Maddie put behind bars might have been crazy but it turns out he was innocent, and now she finds herself in the Artificial Crimes Unit hunting a serial killer from two hundred years ago and a madman breathing life back into him with modern technology. Worse yet, she’s partnered up with Jake, her former lover.
When androids are hacked and reprogrammed into hit men, Maddie and Jake investigate and track down the hackers. But now, an evil genius is using droids to recreate the infamous Jack the Ripper murders.
“It might not make sense, but the beloved Media tags it ‘Murder by Munchausen.’ For a price, there are hackers out there who will reprogram a synthoid to do your dirty work. The bad news: no fingerprints or DNA left at the crime scene. The good news—at least for us—is that they’re like missiles: once they hit their target, they’re usually as harmless as empty brass. The trick is to get them before they melt down their core OS data, so you can get the unit into forensics for analysis and, hopefully, an arrest.” [excerpt from Murder by Munchausen]
Artificial Intelligence? Fuhgeddaboudit!
Artificial Evil has a name…Munchausen.
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My Review
4 Stars
After arresting the wrong person, Maddie has been demoted to the Geek Squad with Jake and EC. Of course she is not happy about the demotion but she also has issues working with her former partner Jake. Although she doesn’t want to believe him, she finds herself taking a second look at her own crime scene.
The Baron is on the loose and still copying other serial killers that has gotten away. But it seems that something is wrong with what they know about hacking into the androids. They thought you had to be close to them for the hack but it seems The Baron has discovered a way to do this from a long distance away.
I really enjoyed Murder by Munchausen and the fresh look at murder. This story was not as wrapped in scifi but had more to the mystery of who The Baron was and if they could stop him before someone else died. Of course the ending caught me off guard but all the best thrillers have this.
I like where this story went from the first book and I’m really excited to see how the series is going to progress in The Invisible Mind. This is a great thriller/scifi story and one series that you won’t be disappointed in.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
I would like to thank Sage’s Blog Tours for the opportunity to read and share this series.
Before I Met Him
Posted in 5 Star Books on July 26, 2018| 2 Comments »
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Before I Met Him (DI Gravel – 2) by John Nicholl
Looking for a serial killer thriller you won’t be able to put down? Then discover Before I Met Him, by #1 best-selling author John Nicholl, today.
*** This book was previously published as a Mind to Kill ***
Every once in a while the hunters become the hunted…
When Rebecca’s childhood abuser avoids prosecution, it sets her on a path to revenge and soon she is handing out retribution on any man who preys on the innocent.
The twenty-three-year-old poses as a child online and sets her trap, luring one predatory sex offender after another to their deaths.
When a severed head is found washed up on a windswept estuary beach, DI Gravel and his team are called in to investigate.
In what might be his toughest case yet, DI Gravel finds himself asking if vigilante justice is ever justified…
Read this chilling new psychological thriller and decide for yourself.
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Author’s Bio
John Nicholl, an ex police officer, child protection social worker and lecturer, has written six darkly psychological suspense thrillers, each of which has been an Amazon # 1 bestseller.
John has publishing deals with Bloodhound Books, W.F. Howes, and Hungarian publisher – Konyvmolykepzo. He is always happy to hear from readers, bloggers or the media and can be contacted via his author website.
Rights enquiries should be directed to Toby Mundy – Literary agent at TMA.
My Review
5 stars
When Rebecca Smith is six years old she is abused by her ballet instructor. He is never prosecuted but Rebecca is not about to let the abuse go. Detective Inspector Gareth Gravel, Grav feels like he let Rebecca down. Rebecca is now twenty three and taking out her justice on those that abuse kids. Grav is on a mandatory vacation when body parts are found on a beach. Then more start showing up. It is going to be up to Grav to find the killer.
This is a dark, dirty thriller. There are some well written scenes that could bother some people. Of course I ate this book up. I feel horrible for Rebecca yet I comment her on taking care of the child abusers. I understood why she goes on the hunt and although wrong, it’s hard to fault her.
Grav is a rough, hard detective that I think of as an upset porcupine. His is bristles and bark but he knows his job and is really good at it. But what is he up against with Rebecca working on the force and deleting crucial evidence. This is a gruesome game of cat and mouse that is hard to simply say Rebecca did it punish her. Sometime a vigilante is needed, the key is how far they take it.
I loved this story. It’s my kind of book, dark and gritty. This is my first book from John Nicholl but it will not be my last.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
I originally received A Mind to Kill from Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours to review. You can find my original post here.
I would like to thank Bloodhound Books for the opportunity to read and share the revised edition.
The Gemini Connection
Posted in 5 Star Books on July 26, 2018| 18 Comments »
The Gemini Connection by Teri Polen
Publication Date: June 7, 2018
Genre: YA Dystopian
Teen twin brothers Evan and Simon Resnik are fiercely loyal to each other and share an unusual bond—they experience each other’s emotions as their own and can sense where the other is.
On their dying planet of Tage, scientists work tirelessly on its survival. Like the twins’ parents, Simon is a science prodigy, recruited at a young age to work with the brilliant creator of Scientific Innovations. To the bitter disappointment of their parents, Evan shows no aptitude or interest in science. As a Mindbender, he travels into the minds of scientists to locate buried memories, connect ideas and concepts, and battle recurring nightmares.
When Simon mysteriously disappears, Evan is plunged into a world of loss and unbearable guilt. For the first time, he can’t ‘feel’ Simon—it’s like he no longer exists. Evan blames himself. No one knows that he ignored his brother’s pleas for help on the night he went missing.
A year later, Simon is still gone. Evan lost his twin, but Tage might have lost its last hope of survival when it’s discovered that Simon’s unfinished project could be its salvation. Evan is determined to find him—somewhere—and bring Simon home. Their unusual connection might be more extraordinary than they know, and the key to locating Simon.
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About the Author
Teri Polen reads and watches horror, sci-fi, and fantasy. The Walking Dead, Harry Potter, and anything Marvel-related are likely to cause fangirl delirium. She lives in Bowling Green, KY with her husband, sons, and black cat. Her first novel, Sarah, a YA horror/thriller, was a horror finalist in the 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Visit her online at http://www.teripolen.com
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My Review
5 stars
Tage is a planet that has reached its end and is dying. Simon and Evan are teenage twins that have the ability to sense each other. Simon is a genius and part of the Scientific Innovations. Evan shows no aptitude for science which causes a riff between him and his parents. But Evan has his own abilities, Mindbending. He can reach into a scientists head and find lost information or even calm nightmares.
But one night Simon cries for help on night and disappears. Evan is heartbroken and guilty that he ignored his brother’s cry for help and is determined to find him. But one year later he has not made any progress. It bothers him that Simon has disappeared from a locked room. But then there are secrets that Simon kept from Evan that he is going to have to discover to find his brother.
This is an amazing story that will suck you in and not let you go until the end. I loved both brothers but I have to admit that my heart goes to Evan, especially with his parents essentially ignoring him. I was really curious about what happened to Simon and his secrets. It was hard to put this book down when I was so wrapped up in what happened to Simon, especially since he was so close to coming up with a solutions to Tage dying.
This is a great YA scifi story and I recommend checking it out. This was my first book from Teri Polen but it will not be my last.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
I would like to thank Reads and Reels for the opportunity to read and share this book.
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Moira Ashe: Enemy Within
Posted in 5 Star Books on July 24, 2018| 3 Comments »
Moira Ashe: Enemy Within by Brendon Bertram
A blood moon is rising above Abalon. Werewolves, once heard of only in whispers around the borderlands, have been spotted in villages and towns mere miles from the capital, and the king is worried – worried enough to send Lincoln Clarke to find help.
But hunters this far from Abalon aren’t exactly keen. Lincoln’s gone through half a dozen leads before he finds Moira Ashe lurking in the corner of a tavern, her dark eyes glinting in the candlelight. It takes a bag of gold for Moira to agree even to tell Lincoln what she knows, and more still for her to allow him along on a hunt.
But what should have been a simple job turns out to be anything but. With a suspect Moira can’t pin down and a string of bodies piling up in the beast’s wake, Lincoln finds himself doubting Moira’s skill. And with time running out and the full moon approaching, failure is not an option.
But Moira has her own secrets to protect, and the beast she and Lincoln are hunting may not be the biggest threat after all…
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Author’s Bio
Brendon Charles Bertram was born on May 28, 1994. Working on the family farm on PEI, it wasn’t until March 27, 2015, after the death of his father that he began pursuing writing. He continues to live on PEI, but now occupies his time with travelling the globe, reading texts on philosophy and psychology, and exploring a deep fascination and passion for storytelling.
My Review
5 stars
Werewolves were only stories at the borderlands until now. Abalon is seeing the werewolves in the villages and cities. The king is starting to get worries and sends Lincoln Clarke to stop them. He tries to recruit help but no one is willing to step up. Then he finds Moira Ashe, werewolf hunter extraordinaire. After a lot of bribing she finally agrees but Moira has her own secrets about why she is such a great werewolf hunter.
Lincoln is not the brightest pea in the pod but he is charming and oblivious at times. Following his internal dialog was hilarious even though his actions were painfully oblivious at times. Moira is a strong female character that doesn’t take crap off anyone.
This is a short but great read. It is a short read and you jump right into it. Plus the cover is just beautiful. Of course because it is a short story/novella I found that it ends rather abruptly. But I do see a second book, Moira Ashe: Kindred Spirits is coming out in August. This is a wonderful read and I think you should check it out.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
I would like to thank Author Marketing Experts for the opportunity to read and share this book.
Puzzle of Death
Posted in 5 Star Books on July 20, 2018| 3 Comments »
Puzzle Of Death: Detective Mystery Thriller by Donahue B. Silvis
Publisher: D. B. Silvis (December 2, 2013)
Category: Mystery Thriller, Detective, Crime
Tour dates: May/July, 2018
ASIN:B00CCRJS7K
Available in ebook only, 339 pages
Private Detective Jake Wayde doesn’t know why he received a letter containing a piece of a puzzle. However, he soon realizes that he’s in the middle of a deadly search for ten million dollars in cash and a world changing chemical formula. It’s now kill or be killed. “People are dropping like flies,” says Wayde, “who the hell is killing them?”
It now becomes his task to stop the killing spree caused by the late, vengeful chemist, Dr. Fredrick Rhineman. The renowned chemist had instructed his secretary, that upon his death, to mail prewritten letters containing a pieces of a handmade puzzle, to the twelve people he hated and the ambassadors of China, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia. As the letters are received and opened, they instruct that when assembled, the puzzle pieces will reveal the whereabouts of a deadly world-changing chemical formula and ten million dollars in cash.
Buy Puzzle Of Death: Detective Mystery Thriller by Donahue B. Silvis
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Praise Puzzle Of Death: Detective Mystery Thriller by Donahue B. Silvis
“There is occasional cursing and sexual situations plus extreme violence. If you are adverse to those don’t read it. If you choose to read it, don’t give it a low review rating for the reasons cautioned here. You were clearly warned. Puzzle of Death has a large, interesting cast of support characters; there is a U.S. Senator an ambassador, FBI agents, Detroit mobsters, multiple torturers/killers, and Iranian secret agents. I enjoyed the story and recommend it to readers who can stand the stench of violent death. The plot is excellent, and sentence structure and character development are okay.”- Vigilant Reader
“Wow! What a fantastic book! I could not put it down. There were so many twists and turns. It was a very different and unique book!”-Musiclover, Amazon Review
“I f you don’t mind the blood and guts, the story line was different and definitely a page turner. 5 Stars”-Janet, Amazon Review
“The “who dunnit” in “Puzzle of Death” did keep you guessing. Clever outcome.”-Hummingbird, Amazon Review
About Donahue B. Silvis
Donahue B. Silvis is an alumnus of the renowned Pasadena Playhouse. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University majoring in film study and creative writing.
As a member of Screen Actors Guild (SAG), he has worked in movies as an actor and screenwriter. Donahue has written six novels, three screenplays and one illustrated children’s book. Now retired, he continues writing and promoting his novels and screenplays, while residing in Naples, Florida with his wife, Katie.
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My Review
5 stars
Dr. Frederick Rhineman is a brilliant chemist, racist to Jews, and loves puzzles. He develops a chemical formula that has to potential to kill numerous people. But he also hates twelve people immensely. Upon his death he sends out twelve letters with a puzzle piece in them to some of the worst people in our world. In it the people learn that when all twelve pieces are put together the person will be able to find the chemical formula.
Private detective Jake Wayde finds himself in the middle of this race to gather all the pieces. Numerous people think he has a piece and will stop at nothing to gather all the parts to the puzzle, including murder. But will the “winner” really get the formula and will the formula be used to help better or destroy the world.
This book starts out with a bang that will either draw in readers or run them off. There are a lot of characters that seem to come from all corners of the world. You will be kept on your toes to see how they wind around and finally show how they are tied together with more than just Rhineman’s hatred for them.
Of course this book is bloody and gruesome, which I loved of course, but you really have to pay attention or you are going to miss the clues spread throughout. This is a great thriller and one that I strongly recommend checking out.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
Giveaway Puzzle Of Death: Detective Mystery Thriller by Donahue B. Silvis
This giveaway is open worldwide and is for one ebook copy. It ends on July 27, 2018 at midnight Pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.
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I would like to thank Virtual Author Book Tours for the opportunity to read and share this book.
The Fear of Being Eatten
Posted in General Information on July 19, 2018| Leave a Comment »
Book Details:
Book Title: The Fear of Being Eaten: A Biography of the Heart
Author: Ronald J. Wichers
Category: Adult Fiction, 264 pages
Genre: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction, Biographical
Publisher: Mindstir Media
Release date: April 26, 2017
Tour dates: June 25 to July 20, 2018
Content Rating: PG-13 + M
Book Description:
What if you married a man who didn’t care about you? What if there was a child in the neighborhood for whom you developed a special fondness but was nine when you were nineteen and twenty when you were thirty with two children and a husband who still didn’t care? And what if you were a boy whose only happy memories were a few soft words uttered now and again by a beautiful neighbor ten years your senior and whose voice and face and figure, back-lighted by the golden light of the setting sun, were all that would sustain you when your life was threatened every minute of every day in the mire of a squalid war nobody wanted?
This is the story of Jacqueline and Tommy, their lives stubbornly paralleling with no convergence in sight until one cold night she sees him starving to death on a crowded street filled with happy tourists.
What would you do if you saw him there almost unrecognizable, just another mass of neglected, invisible wreckage? Turn the pages of The Fear of Being Eaten: A Biography of the Heart and find out what happened to Jacqueline Rhondda and Tommy Middleton.
To follow the tour, please visit Ronald J. Wicher’s page on iRead Book Tours.
Ronald J. Wichers was born in Lake Ronkonkoma New York in 1947. He attended Catholic School until 1965, studied History and literature at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas until being drafted into the United States Army in 1970. He was assigned to a rifle company in the 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam and, after sustaining severe wounds in a gun battle, including the loss of his left arm, was awarded the Purple Heart Medal, the Army Commendation Medal for Heroism and the Bronze Star Medal. He later studied theology full time at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley California. He has published several short stories about the Vietnam war. The Fear of Being Eaten: A Biography of the Heart is his fifth novel.
Guest Post
Growing up and Becoming a Writer
I was born in Lake Ronkonkoma, New York. I had encephalitis at age 3. We moved to a ranch midway between Reno and Carson City, Nevada when I was 4. I contracted poliomyelitis at age 6 and other diseases that kept me hospitalized quite a lot. We moved to Los Angeles when I was 10. I missed the snow and the simpler environment of the smaller town – Reno, Nevada. We moved to Las Vegas, Nevada when I was 15. Except for the desert environment I did not like that town. My mother had worked in a casino in Reno and I had developed a deep contempt for rivers of money and drunks.
I didn’t read any books until I was in high school and then only with difficulty. I had a lot of high fevers and life-threatening diseases that left me wanting, in terms of reading. It was the bane of my existence until I was about 19 years old.
I took a lot of literature courses in college (History major). Whenever I read a short story I used to think, “I can do this. I can do this.” After my return from duty in Vietnam, I took a creative writing course. The prof encouraged me to keep writing. A big factor in learning how to write was to read the work of people I respected like Flannery O’Connor, Katherine Mansfield, James Joyce, DH Lawrence; not to imitate them but to read for style – see how they pull it off; then write every day.
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I would like to thank iRead Book Tours for the opportunity to share this book.
Tower of the Arkein
Posted in General Information on July 18, 2018| Leave a Comment »
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Welcome to Chase Blackwood’s author bio, where he’ll try to write something interesting about his life that captures your attention.
The Midsummer Wife
Posted in 5 Star Books on July 18, 2018| 3 Comments »
The Midsummer Wife by Jacqueline Church Simonds
It’s The Time Foretold, and Ava Cerdwen, the twenty-one-year-old High Priestess of the Sisterhood, knows she must go and assist the heirs of King Arthur and Merlin to return and heal Britain devastated by a nuclear blast that took out London and decimated the country. But the constant panic attacks and agoraphobia she suffers make it an even more daunting task than it seems.
Nothing goes as planned: she falls for the wrong heir, the panic attacks are getting worse, and then the Goddess tells her Morgaine will probably defeat her when she attempts to make come to fruition the Plan set out 1500 years ago.
Somehow, some way, she has to make it happen. Or Britain is finished.
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Praise for The Midsummer Wife
“Sex, magic, and power collide in this [Urban] Fantasy that begins when a devastating terrorist attack on modern London sparks the long-foretold return of King Arthur to heal Britain. Simonds boldly continues the Arthurian saga into the present day, as heirs to Arthur, Merlin, and the woman both men once loved struggle to understand and fulfill their destinies and outwit the sinister agenda of the sorceress Morgaine.” ~ Lisa Jensen, author Alias Hook and Beast: A Love Story
“Imaginative, mesmerizing, and emotionally complex, Simonds’ unique story boldly expands the Arthurian legend into exciting new territory. The fantastical elements—rituals from old Celtic religions, dark magic, forces of fate—are well drawn and skillfully integrated into a contemporary setting. And then there’s the romance… the palpable chemistry between Ava and Ron (the Arthur heir), complicated by their respective destinies, makes their relationship a riveting read.” ~ Mary Fan, author of Starswept, Artificial Absolutes
Author’s Bio
I am an author and publishing consultant living in Reno, Nevada. I love (in no particular order) books, writing, reading, beagles, coffee, good bourbon, publishing, and politics. I have always loved the King Arthur saga and am a big fan of such books as THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING, THE MISTS OF AVALON, and the Mary Stewart Merlin books.
In 2018, my Contemporary Fantasy THE MIDSUMMER WIFE about a woman who assists the heirs of King Arthur and Merlin to save Britain, which has been devastated by a nuclear attack on London, will be published. It is Book 1 of a series, of which I have drafted two further books.
I have a novella series that is a prequel to the forthcoming book: THE BOOK OF ANYA. It is basically a mouse-eye view of the doings of Camelot, King Arthur, Merlin and Morgaine. They novellas are titled, ANYA: THE HEALER OF CAMELOT (Book 1), ANYA: KING ARTHUR’S MISTRESS (Book 2), ANYA: MERLIN’S WOMAN (Book 3), and ANYA: MISTRESS OF DRUNEMETON (Book Four). These titles are available on Amazon and the Apple store.
You can follow more about my writing and what I am reading by visiting http://jcsimonds.com.
My previous novel is CAPTAIN MARY, BUCCANEER, a historical adventure novel loosely based on the real pirate women Ann Bonney and Mary Reade. Because who doesn’t love pirates, especially women pirates?
My day job is as a publishing consultant/book shepherd and editor. I wrote THE SELF PUBLISHER’S FAQ that is available as a paperback or ebook.
My Review
5 stars
A nuclear attack on London has devastated everything but it has also triggered the decedent’s of King Arthur and Merlin to return to fulfill the prophecy. Ava Cerdwin is the high priestess that is in charge of helping find and assist the heirs to reclaim their place in this new world. But Ava has her own issues to fight with. But just as Arthur and Merlin arise, so too does Morgaine. Morgaine is not just going to sit back and let the prophecy run, she is going to do everything to keep the three from succeeding.
I admit that I don’t know much about the Arthurian legend except snippets from television and movies. So I easily got into this story and thought it was a great retelling of what I knew. Of course you have a great modern twist and how can you not like Ava. She is a relatable character and even though she tries her hardest it seems what can go wrong will.
I think this was a great start to the series and I’m really curious to see what it is going from here. I am also curious to read the original telling of King Arthur to see what I am missing. Oh, I do have to say that I am absolutely in love with this cover. So beautiful and eye catching.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
I would like to thank the Author for the opportunity to read and share this book.