Tag Archives: Reading

CrowTower – A Mesmerizing #DarkFantasy of #Myth and #Reality

09 Friday Jul 2021

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SYNOPSIS

The priests of Vatu are locked in an endless cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Their constant reincarnations are defined by service to the dark spirit, hatred for each other, and ruling the world of eternal night in which they live, broken only by a single day each year when Vatu releases the Sun. They have suffered and enjoyed this existence for millennia, for an eternity… until now.

In the Tower of the Sun at the centre of the world, the reborn Utas returns to fulfill his destiny to become High Priest. He has scarcely completed his education, however, when a shocking secret of his resurrection emerges. Now questioning everything he knows, he takes a path never before followed in his long existence. Yet darkness and pain still shadow everything he does, and all his attempts at freedom seem only to lead back to Vatu.

Can Utas ever escape hatred and death, or will darkness forever rule his heart as it does the shadowed land?

 

My 5-Star Review

Darkness seeks like a questing marauder through the pages of this complex second installment of this unique trilogy. The story and its unforgettable characters is filled with lust, hatred and memory. Memory of past lives and new beginnings. Memory that drives our main character, Utas, to change everything he’s done before in his many past lives in order to escape.

Escape the Darkness. The Dark Lord, Vatu, but escape may or may not be possible. As Utas transforms himself, the realm into which he has been reborn is also transformed; yet some things are as immutable as the Darkness itself. The priests of Vatu, for example, are beyond change. They exist to consume darkness and dispel whatever flickers of light Utas attempts to ignite. They take twisted pleasure in betrayal and domination…and in this way they were a stark parallel of our own darkness.

This complex series comes to life through elaborate characterizations and timeless themes. It whisks readers away into the unfamiliar, then surrounds them with masterfully woven tangles of well-known concepts and mythological reinventions. Like it’s predecessor, CrowMan, the story is carried by dialog, but there are still times when I had to pause in wonder (and sometimes in revulsion!) Lush whispers of ethereal landscapes tease the reader into tranquility while hint of the grotesque taint the placid waters. Meals of warm milk and blood, for example, which our main character seems to relish, sent shivers down my spine!

Labyrinthine, magical, and engrossing, Dave Rae has once again filled each page with mesmerizing imagery, elegant beauty and chilling corruptions. If you long to lose yourself in a truly spell-binding read, look no further. The Sun Thief trilogy delivers!

Author David Rae lives in the West of Scotland. He lives in a world of his own; a world of wonder, a world where hoards of workers spill out of factories, a world were fog and smoke shroud all kinds of creatures, a world where ruined castles, factories and houses were haunted by ghosts, gangs and memories. He lives in world where witches have been burned at the cross and martyrs have been hung on the Gallowgreen. He writes poetry and short stories and reads every trashy novel, every children’s book and every comic that comes his way.

I hope you’re intrigued and will take a moment to look David up:

Find David on Amazon

Find David on GoodReads

Find David on WordPress

Subscribe to David’s Newsletter

Connect with David on Twitter: @DRDVDRAE

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~Morgan~

When Hope and Treachery Collide – A Glimpse into Celts and the Gladiator by P.C Darkcliff

19 Saturday Jun 2021

Posted by in Authors Books Reviews & Interviews

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Life is short and cheap in Nero’s arenas. A single stab might cause the death of humanity.  

Rome, 54 AD: In a dazzling twist of fate, Rawena becomes a gladiator, vanquishes an impossible opponent, and infuriates the emperor. Cursed to start a plague when steel pierces her heart, the Celtic woman fears that Nero’s wrath will force her to trigger a catastrophe.

As she fights against her destiny, arrogance, treacheries, and intrusions from magical realms hamper her at every turn.

Then a fellow gladiator, a young, love-struck Briton, promises the unimaginable. His oath and devotion fill Rawena with hope for the future.

But nothing will be clear until the ultimate combat.


A multi-award-winning author, P.C. has always had a vivid imagination.

When he was in kindergarten, he convinced his classmates that his grandma was a tribal shamaness. Then he learned his letters, and kidding his friends no longer seemed adequate—so he started writing fantasy.

P.C. has published two standalone novels and a series. His latest project, Celts and the Mad Goddess, is the first installment of The Deathless Chronicle. The sequel, Celts and the Gladiator, is coming out this summer.

His stories have been featured in various publications, and ‘A Poisoned Gift’ received an Honorable Mention in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest. He is Spillwords Author of the Year 2020.

CELTS AND THE GLADIATOR by P.C. DARKCLIFF
CHAPTER ONE – A FREE Snippet ……
As she paraded in front of the vicious crowd, Rawena wondered who of her
‘family’ would try to kill her today.
The spectators filled the amphitheater to the awnings, ready to see her fight.
Nobles, consuls, and priests sat in the first two rows, wrapped in togas against the cool
February air. Behind them, plebeians shouted and placed bets while they watched
Rawena and her familia—the fighters from her gladiatorial school—tread the sand of
the arena. Slaves stood in the back, chatting and enjoying their freedom until the end of
the games when they would carry their masters back home in litters.
Since her enslavement six months ago, Rawena had fought with blunted swords
and pointless spears in a practice arena near the amphitheater. Although she had often
won, bruises covered her body like a mosaic. Today would be her first combat with
sharp, deadly weapons.
None of her familia were aware that a curse hung above her, protecting her from
their weapons and exposing them to deadly peril. She could only be killed by fire or
beheading. If her heart was pierced, though, it wouldn’t be Rawena but everyone around
her who would face death.
Trumpets pealed and cymbals clashed as a horde of guards led the gladiators
past the orchestra and to a projecting podium reserved for the emperor, the senators, and
the veiled Vestal Virgins. A breastwork surrounded the podium to protect the emperor
from wild beasts—although most Romans thought the emperor was the wildest beast of
all.
Nero reclined on a couch inlaid with mother-of-pearl. He wore a purple tunic
and a cloak embroidered with gold. Although he was only twenty-six, he had been
emperor for ten years, and he looked much older. Rawena found him ugly, with a fleshy
neck that connected his spotty face to his narrow shoulders, and with weak, thin legs
that contrasted with his prominent belly.
At the guards’ order, the gladiators knelt in the sand. There were a hundred of
them, all barbarians, and mostly men. Rawena was one of five gladiatrices, or female
gladiators. They all wore breastplates over their tunics, but they wouldn’t get weapons
until the combat.
“Hail Caesar!” they said in unison, as they had practiced before every training
session. “I vow to endure to be burned, to be bound, to be beaten, and to be killed by the
sword.”
Scared of fire, Rawena winced as she murmured the word burned.
Nero yawned and popped a plump date into his mouth. Then he waved his thin
hand, and the gladiators stood. The guards marched them to a large waiting chamber
that had long benches and tables with cups of water and heads of garlic.
Rawena took a few sips from a wooden cup, but she was too tense to sit. So were
most of the others. They fidgeted and looked around as if they tried to guess who had
been chosen to fight against them. According to the veterans, nearly a quarter of the
gladiators lost their lives during each games. Rawena feared that a spear or a sword
would make her an immortal cripple…

Join P.C.’s VIP reader club to get his debut novels for free

Find him everywhere in one click

CELTS AND THE GLADIATOR is available for preorder for just $99! Click here to grab your copy!

The prequel, CELTS AND THE MAD GODDESS, is discounted on Amazon

.

~Morgan~

The Book and Volume of this Distracted Globe -#A #Blog’s Humble Beginning

06 Sunday Jun 2021

Posted by in About Me (since you Insist), Just Me Musing

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In Honor of BooknVolume’s Eight Blogoversary I am re-posting the very first post that brought us all together….

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The Book and Volume of This Distracted Globe

Or Book and Volume

Or BnV

Admittedly, I am an amateur.  Sure, I’ve heard about blogs for years, heard people talking about posts round the proverbial water cooler, but I’ve never actually read one.  Nope, not a single one, but I know how to spin a tale; I understand and appreciate the basics of English grammar (although I don’t always obey proper form and I do love a split infinitive) so I thought, why not?  Give it a go.  Have a bash, what’s to lose, really?  Bit of time.  After all, how hard could it be, sitting at my laptop listening to the sounds of the ocean, or a nice thundery rainstorm, or the ethereal music of Delirium all thanks to the wellspring we know as You Tube.  And even If the only person who finds said blog interesting, amusing or, if I’m lucky, entertaining, should be me than that’s just splendid; because if you can’t take a little time out of your day to amuse yourself, then perhaps you’re taking things a bit too seriously. (but I digress)

So here it is, entry one.  Or post number one.  Or what have you.  Now, for those of you who do not know me (yet) perhaps this would be an opportune moment to insert some sort of disclaimer, alert you to some of my comparatively annoying idiosyncrasies, and enlighten you to some of my peculiarities. (Most of these are one in the same by the way)  So here goes: first and foremost I’m a word enthusiast, aficionado, and devotee.  I love, admire, aspire to emulate and find myself positively piqued (by) Shakespeare, Dickens, Austin, Blake, Poe, or the like.  Odd, perchance, but I’m quite certain you’ve probably already ascertained this for yourself.  Yes, words….words….words.. (to quote the Master).  They fill me with inspiration, they bring me to tears or sometimes they make me LOL, ….they can often, also, bore me to bits (insert government or math related blather here).   So you may find yourself reading ten pages of paragraph long sentences brimming over with 6 syllable words just to find out that all I’ve really said is I don’t actually have anything to say.  Yeah, I’m good at that.

I should also probably warn you that, although I find a great many things interesting and will, most likely, remark on any number of them in a given post, I don’t have a particular objective in mind ( at this point anyway) for this blog.  Variety is the spice of life after all, so one never knows what I may sit down and prattle on about, at length, mayhap insipidly, but at the very least ( and dare I say, hopefully!) you won’t find yourself feeling preached at when you’ve reached the end.  That, you may be sure, is not my intention.

So there you are and here I am, two partners in time; one sharing, one gaining (little or nothing, but perhaps at least a smile…if I am successful) giving and receiving, for better or for worse….(yes, I see the direction this metaphorical segment is taking and I would break off, but where this is going illustrates so well another of my quirks, which is, though I hate to admit it, that I do tend to find meaning in even the simplest things)…so to get back to my metaphor… if you think about it, being a writer and a reader is rather like being in a relationship ( I was going to use the M word, but we barely know each other yet).  There’s good, there’s bad, there’s mutual intrigue, there are laughs and tears, arguments and betrayals of one form or another, but in the end, it’s generally worthwhile.  (there, that wasn’t too bad, was it?)

Ok, so you’ve read four paragraphs now and, although I’m only going on instinct, I’m thinking I should probably begin to wrap this up.  Not very educational, to be sure; not very interesting, conceivably, but maybe, just maybe, when you are at work tomorrow talking to your friends ( or if you haven’t any of those at your job ) your colleagues, or when you’re stuck in traffic on your way in or way home talking to one of the aforementioned on your cell, or when you’re chatting with some stranger you just met on the tube, you might just tell them about what you did last night.

How you were sitting at your computer/laptop/iPad/electronic devise of some sort, bored with the mundane, hum-drumness of Facebook and Twitter and you decided, (possibly against better judgment), to strike out on your own.  It was then that you happened upon the most… (insert adjective of your choice here) (yes, interactive blog….nifty, eh?)… blog you’ve ever read in your life and, although you’re not sure if it was about anything in particular, you did have a laugh once or twice, but it didn’t last long and, while it seemed inane at the time and, although you thought you’d never be interested in reading it again, you can’t stop thinking about it.  In fact, you can’t even say why.  What you can say is that the author might just possibly be off her hinges, one pie short of a picnic, not quite reaching warp speed; still, she had a way of writing that made you want to read more….maybe,…although you can’t be certain because there was only one entry.   And now you’re left with the most annoying set of circumstances imaginable because all you really want to know is, what the heck is she going to be nattering on about next?

~Morgan~

#Alien meets #TheArrival, with a Hint of #The xpanse- The #MilijunSeries Fires All Thrusters!

13 Saturday Feb 2021

Posted by in Authors Books Reviews & Interviews

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. Connect to the alien journey that will change your life… They have awoken as far away from home as it ever gets: Laura and Jason Sinclair did not want to be transported from Earth, but their alien hosts have plans to take them even further beyond their comfort zone. They are on a space station, orbiting a mysterious planet in a strange new galaxy. And they must battle for the future of a group of humans who are being used in a breathtaking scheme of cosmic survival—for both aliens and humans alike. In the process, they will determine the future of Earth. To succeed, they must solve the puzzle of extraterrestrial races in the throes of a perplexing and historic conflict. But who can they really trust as they struggle to understand the challenging and hostile environment that holds them in a grip of iron? And will humanity survive the trauma of First Contact? If you like Close Encounters, Contact, and Arrival, then you’ll love Amidst Alien Stars, the standalone second novel of a gripping new alien interaction series from Clayton Graham. “There is world building of such depth and lush detail that you could almost feel it.” Kay Mack TOP 1000 REVIEWER “Not only is this an exciting, action-packed page turner – I love the intelligence reflected, the witty dialogue, and the genuine depth in the characters’ emotions.” Meenaz Lodhi “Admirable world-building and the unsurpassable, indefatigable, drive of the human spirit to not just survive, but to thrive, power this engrossing sequel to the author’s debut science fiction novel, Milijun.” Mallory A Haws . . My 5-Star Review
Rjebnigerrsel
No, I didn’t sneeze…thats just one example of the creativity proffered in this expansive Sci-Fi Fantasy of aliens and humans. Names aren’t the only thing author Clayton Graham does so well; there’s detailed technologies to discover, foreign landscapes to explore, and of course, aliens to meet.
Although a fairly comprehensible stand-alone, I would recommend reading the first book first, as I lacked understanding of some of the nuances between characters and history. It wasn’t difficult to catch up though, as I came to realize the two lead characters, Laura and Jason, have been abducted by aliens. Not for the typical pre-conceived reasons however (no probes here!) The aliens are hoping to create a hybrid race that will be capable of space exploration on a scale that is beyond the ability of either species presently.
It’s a grand notion, (although it may have been less forced if the humans had been recruited willingly), yet it’s not without obstacles. As ever, mistrust, misperceptions, and misplaced loyalties stand in the way of true partnership on any scale, setting the stage for intense action and tangled mysteries. Great fodder for any reading enthusiast!
Alien meets The Arrival, with a hint of The Expanse, the Milijun Series holds as much promise as the coalition it characterizes. I could easily be drawn into a NetFlix Mini Series!
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Biography

As a youngster growing up in the cobbled streets of Stockport, UK, Clayton Graham read a lot of science fiction. He loved the ‘old-school’ masters such as HG Wells, Jules Verne, Isaac Asimov and John Wyndham. As he left those formative years behind, he penned short stories when he could find a rare quiet moment amidst life’s usual distractions.   He settled in Victoria, Australia, in 1982. A retired aerospace engineer who worked in structural design and research, Clayton has always had an interest in science fiction and where it places humankind within a universe we are only just starting to understand. Clayton loves animals, including well behaved pets, and all the natural world, and is a member of Australian Geographic. Combining future science with the paranormal is his passion. Milijun, his first novel, was published in 2016. Second novel, Saving Paludis, was published in 2018. They are light years from each other, but share the future adventures of mankind in an expansive universe as a common theme. The sequel to Milijun, entitled Amidst Alien Stars was released on December 1 2019. In between novels Clayton has published short story collections ‘Silently in the Night’ and ‘Looking for Life’ where, among many other adventures, you can sympathize with a doomed husband, connect with an altruistic robot, explore an isolated Scottish isle and touch down on a far-flung asteroid. He hopes you can share the journeys. His web page is: https://claytongraham.com.au You can also follow Clayton on Twitter @CGrahamSciFi His Facebook author page is at: https://www.facebook.com/claytongrahamauthor
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~Morgan~
 

Crowman by David Rae – An #Interview with the #Author of #EpicFantasy, #Myths&Legends & #ConceptualFiction

21 Thursday Jan 2021

Posted by in Authors Books Reviews & Interviews

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Touch the light. Hold the light. The light burns. The light runs away. Hold the light. Lock the light away.

The great spirit Vatu keeps the Sun in a box, where no thief can steal it. Once a year, the box is opened and life springs across the dark lands. The whole world belongs to Vatu. He is darkness, he is master of all. There is no hiding from him.

But Utas must try, for his daughter’s sake. She is sick from darkness, and yet she glows with a mysterious light. If Vatu can find them, he will destroy them, or worse, drag them back into his mad, dark world. Torn between duty and mercy, between justice and freedom, Utas tries to escape, but it seems inevitable that the darkness will reclaim him.

For the greatest mercy and the greatest punishment Utas can suffer is to return to his true self.

Author David Rae lives in the West of Scotland. He lives in a world of his own; a world of wonder, a world where hoards of workers spill out of factories, a world were fog and smoke shroud all kinds of creatures, a world where ruined castles, factories and houses were haunted by ghosts, gangs and memories. He lives in world where witches have been burned at the cross and martyrs have been hung on the Gallowgreen. He writes poetry and short stories and reads every trashy novel, every children’s book and every comic that comes his way.

David recently chatted with me about his remarkable story:

Is there an Author you consider your inspiration? Just one? I was that geeky, spectacled boy that always had a book under his nose. I’ve read and read my whole life. As a boy I loved Tolkien. I also love the classics. My current favorite is Amin Maalouf. If you have not read SAMERKAND then get a copy now.

What Inspired you to write your book? CROWMAN is inspired by the Native American myths about the sun being kept in a box and freed by the crow. Once I started to think about what such a world would look like, the book began to form in my head. I lived near the arctic for a few years, and I got some insight into what a world with no sun is like. It’s a lot brighter than you’d think. The moon, the stars, the northern lights and the reflection of light from the snow, all become very important. I even learned to tell the time by the position of the moon.

Although it’s often hard to select just one, do you have a favourite or least favourite character? In CROWMAN, my favorite character is MUKITO. He’s a young bandit boy who once he meets up with UTAS and ERROI changes his outlook on life. He’s not always the smartest, but honest with himself and in the end shows a great deal of bravery and resilience. The story would have been very different without him

My least favorite is GUTUZO who is a greedy, cowardly bully. He abuses his power and the people around him. He is completely self-centered.

Which one of your characters would you like to meet and why? In my latest project, I have a character called Tito. He is a bit clueless and gets into all sorts of trouble, but his heart is in the right place. He’s usually the butt of someone’s joke or victim of someone’s scheme yet somehow always lands on his feet. He’s sweet and innocent and very kind. I wish I was like that.

What is the hardest part of editing- grammar checks, reducing content, or something else? I am terrible at editing. I use all sorts of soft-wear and text to speech but I always miss something. The hardest part is not to get discouraged. No one ever wrote a first draft that didn’t need work. Thank God for editors, I say.

If you could live in a book, which one would it be- why? Well, I would not want to live in CROWMAN. It’s an interesting world for sure, but it’s a harsh world and it’s ruled by an evil spirit. Life is cheap there, and did I mention no sun.

What’s exciting you about your next project? I’m finishing the Sun Thief trilogy, CROWMAN is book one and CROWTOWER comes out in June. I’ve started on CROWBAIT, the final book, and I am surprised and excited at the way things are heading in that book.

OH I cant wait for these follow-up! Thank you so much for sharing some of your insights with us. I truly wish you all the very best success with this unique and amazing series.

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My Recent 5-Star Review!

I was intrigued by this metaphysical dark fantasy from the moment I read the description. Uniquely named characters and concepts drew me in immediately and filled my mind with questions and lush imagery…a masterful book blurb to say the least!

Vatu, the great spirit of darkness. I could see him, an ethereal and all-consuming shadow intent upon absolute control. Utas, the hopeful apparition fleeing from himself, and his beautiful daughter who is delicate and mysterious. Their plight pulled me along. I was invested in their harrowing journey, their disappointments, their hopes. Symbolism and spirituality are illustrated like characters, filling the narrative with thought-provoking themes that made me pause and consider.

As father and daughter make their way, they are joined by a melange of artfully created characters: Erroi, the warrior, whose body and spirit are independent of each other and who travels in dreams. He is beautifully silent and deliciously mysterious. Mukito, a boy whose cruel stepfather has left him few alternatives other than thievery. The innocent Zintoa, and noble Eskanza. The characters are elaborate, simple, fully-developed, flawed and entirely captivating.

The narrative is rich with unfamiliar people and places, intriguing me page after page. Dialog forms much of the story, yet there are descriptions that whisk the reader away. Poetic tangles of dream-like reveries adorn the journey, some so intricate and imaginative I simply had to read them again….and again! There were times I wasn’t sure what was reality and what wasn’t and I was reminded of an episode of STNG, ‘Masks’, where the hunt of Masaka and Korgano parallels the birth of Athena at the Parthenon.

Mythological and magical, Rae’s Crowman is a masterpiece of epic fantasy, conceptual and allegorical fiction in which I would willingly immerse myself book after book after book.

I hope you’re intrigued and will take a moment to look David up:

Find David on Amazon

Find David on GoodReads

Find David on WordPress

Subscribe to David’s Newsletter

Connect with David on Twitter: @DRDVDRAE

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~Morgan~

#StayTuned #Podcast – A Chat about #Books, #CharacterDevelopment, #TheWall, & More

29 Sunday Nov 2020

Posted by in Authors Books Reviews & Interviews

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“Some years ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would” …work at The Wall Music Store (Sorry, but it has been Far Far too long since I dropped some classic lit on ya!) (Moby Dick, if you were wondering).

At The Wall, I met and hired a young man by the name of Troy.  Nice Guy.  Reliable, diligent, and lots of fun to work with.  He knew his stuff when it came to music….so it’s no surprise that now…um, several years later (wink wink), he should be the creator of his own (well, his and his friend Howie’s,, actually) podcast.

“Stay Tuned is 2 dudes with dreams of entertaining you. If you have any questions or suggestions please email us at staytunedtnh@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter @staytunedtnh Stay Tuned is a podcast about everything happening locally and beyond. We have experts in sports, news, health and just about anything beyond your imagination. Sit back and hear some voices from the past, present and future.”

To make a short story long- I was recently invited to chat with them about my books, my writing journey, things I’ve learned along the way, and how I come up with the crazy languages I put in all my books. (and a few more things, too!)

Listen to the Podcast here

It was great fun and I hope you’ll sit down with a cuppa and have a listen 🙂

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~Morgan~

Nobody Eats Parsley – and Other Things I Learned from my Family with David Oakley

06 Friday Nov 2020

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Nobody Eats Parsley. Sit down, grab a beer and let me tell you some stories about my family. They’re so ridiculous you may think they’re fiction. Like the time I went to a drive-in X-rated movie without realizing my parents were in the next car. Or how I let my kid throw a rock through the living room window. There’s the time I bought a camouflage thong in a bait shop, and the time I ruined a kid’s birthday party. And the other time I ruined a kid’s birthday party. There’s no way I could have just made these stories up. I can’t guarantee that they will make you laugh, but I can guarantee that I didn’t make them up.

DAVID OAKLEY has been telling brand stories at BooneOakley for years. He has won many prestigious honors, including the Kaopectate Award in the eighth grade for having diarrhea of the mouth. His first book, Why Is Your Name Upside Down?, is full of stories from his life in advertising. Despite this, he was recently inducted into the North Carolina Advertising Hall of Fame. He lives with his wife Claire and their dog Walter in Charlotte, where they raised Sydney and Lucas. He loves his family very much and hopes they still love him after reading Nobody Eats Parsley.

Hi David! Let’s dive right in, huh? What do you love most about Writing?

I’ve got an ego, and sure, I enjoy the attention that authors get. (Like being asked to be on Morgan’s blog! I’m very excited about this, by the way.) But when it comes down to it, I write because of the way it makes me feel. And because of the way it makes you feel when you read it. I like surprising people and making them chuckle. It thrills me, it excites me, it invigorates me. Writing, and making people laugh, gives me meaning and purpose in life.

How did you get your start writing?

Storytelling is such a big deal in the South. I grew up listening to my grandma tell stories of growing up as a tobacco sharecropper during the Great Depression. I was fascinated at how much humor there was during such hard times. She always made me laugh and I really like laughing. So, I decided that that was what I wanted to do. The only difference is that I write my stories down. And her stories were better. LOL

Is there an Author you consider your inspiration?

I read my first David Sedaris book in 2007, and he instantly became my favorite author. His story “Big Boy” about an unfortunate incident in a bathroom at a dinner party made me howl with laughter. Not only because it was so absurdly ridiculous, but because it was so relatable to me. I thought to myself, stuff like that happens to me a lot.

What Inspired you to write your book?

Laughter inspires me. When something happens in everyday life that makes me really laugh or someone around me laugh, I write about what made them laugh. At lot of funny things, (at least they’re funny to me) have happened in my life. I found myself telling these stories and laughing about them with my friends over dinner or beers, and one day I decided that I’d better write them down before I forgot them.

That’s probably every authors nightmare – having a great idea and then forgetting to write it down! Do you have a preferred POV that you write from and why?

My stories are about stuff that happens to me and my family, so I write from my POV. I see things through the eyes of a father, a husband and a son, who probably has smoked one too many joints in his life.

Do your characters dictate what or how your write in any way?

I’ve written two books now, and the characters in them are real life people that I hang out with every day. The first book is about my life in advertising, my work family. And my new book is about life with my real family. So, they do dictate how I write. Because they say funny things. Like my daughter Sydney, who told a friend that my new book, “might not be the best book my dad has ever written, but it’s definitely in the Top 2.”

Although it’s often hard to select just one, do you have a favourite or least favourite character?

My Aunt Hallie, without a doubt, is my favorite character in Nobody Eats Parsley. She’s an 83-year-old church going, sweet tea drinking Southerner who can strike up a conversation with a signpost. She’s sweet, humble, kind and the best natural born trash-talker in the history of North Carolina. Imagine if Aunt Bea from The Andy Griffith Show and Eddie Haskell from Leave it to Beaver had a love child. That would be my Aunt Hallie.

What’s your number one tip for an aspiring Author?

The first thing for an aspiring writer is to keep writing. Just keep writing. Then after you have written for about 10 years, suddenly you’re not an aspiring writer anymore. You’re a writer.

Is there a book you consider a must-read- why?

No, I don’t consider Nobody Eats Parsley a must-read. That’s because I just recorded an audiobook. So, I consider it a must-listen. LOL (Even though I can’t stand the sound of my own voice.)

Do you have a Mantra- a Quote you try to live by?

“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” This is a quote from Steve Prefontaine, a runner from the 1970’s.


<p><a href=”https://vimeo.com/468177255″>Nobody Eats Parsley</a> from <a href=”https://vimeo.com/user11098752″>Kara McCoy</a> on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

I want to thank David for taking time out of his busy schedule to stop by and talk about his book. Please look for David on his social media network:

Author Website

Twitter: @oakleydavid

Instagram @oakleydavid16

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Crowman by David Rae – A Masterpiece of #EpicFantasy, #Myths&Legends & #ConceptualFiction

27 Tuesday Oct 2020

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Touch the light. Hold the light. The light burns. The light runs away. Hold the light. Lock the light away.

The great spirit Vatu keeps the Sun in a box, where no thief can steal it. Once a year, the box is opened and life springs across the dark lands. The whole world belongs to Vatu. He is darkness, he is master of all. There is no hiding from him.

But Utas must try, for his daughter’s sake. She is sick from darkness, and yet she glows with a mysterious light. If Vatu can find them, he will destroy them, or worse, drag them back into his mad, dark world. Torn between duty and mercy, between justice and freedom, Utas tries to escape, but it seems inevitable that the darkness will reclaim him.

For the greatest mercy and the greatest punishment Utas can suffer is to return to his true self.

My 5-Star Review!

I was intrigued by this metaphysical dark fantasy from the moment I read the description. Uniquely named characters and concepts drew me in immediately and filled my mind with questions and lush imagery…a masterful book blurb to say the least!

Vatu, the great spirit of darkness. I could see him, an ethereal and all-consuming shadow intent upon absolute control. Utas, the hopeful apparition fleeing from himself, and his beautiful daughter who is delicate and mysterious. Their plight pulled me along. I was invested in their harrowing journey, their disappointments, their hopes. Symbolism and spirituality are illustrated like characters, filling the narrative with thought-provoking themes that made me pause and consider.

As father and daughter make their way, they are joined by a melange of artfully created characters: Erroi, the warrior, whose body and spirit are independent of each other and who travels in dreams. He is beautifully silent and deliciously mysterious. Mukito, a boy whose cruel stepfather has left him few alternatives other than thievery. The innocent Zintoa, and noble Eskanza. The characters are elaborate, simple, fully-developed, flawed and entirely captivating.

The narrative is rich with unfamiliar people and places, intriguing me page after page. Dialog forms much of the story, yet there are descriptions that whisk the reader away. Poetic tangles of dream-like reveries adorn the journey, some so intricate and imaginative I simply had to read them again….and again! There were times I wasn’t sure what was reality and what wasn’t and I was reminded of an episode of STNG, ‘Masks’, where the hunt of Masaka and Korgano parallels the birth of Athena at the Parthenon.

Mythological and magical, Rae’s Crowman is a masterpiece of epic fantasy, conceptual and allegorical fiction in which I would willingly immerse myself book after book after book.

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David Rae lives in the West of Scotland. He lives in a world of his own; a world of wonder, a world where hoards of workers spill out of factories, a world were fog and smoke shroud all kinds of creatures, a world where ruined castles, factories and houses were haunted by ghosts, gangs and memories. He lives in world where witches have been burned at the cross and martyrs have been hung on the Gallowgreen. He writes poetry and short stories and reads every trashy novel, every children’s book and every comic that comes his way.

He studied Botany, Architecture, Mathematics, Computers, Geography, and Ecology. He worked in a sweetie factory, as a scaffolder and ditch digger. He worked as draftsman and as an ecologist, as a statistician and as a policy maker. H is married and has four children, lovely children and now lovely grandchildren. And He continues to read and to write and marvel at the world He live in.

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Find David on Amazon

Find David on GoodReads

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~Morgan~

An Unusual Boy- #Interview with #BestSelling #Author #FionaHiggins

22 Thursday Oct 2020

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Meet Jackson. A very unusual boy in world that prefers ‘normal’.

Julia Curtis is a busy mother of three, with a husband often away for work, an ever-present mother-in-law, a career, and a house that needs doing up. Her only son, Jackson, is different. Different to his sisters. Different to his classmates. In fact, Jackson is different from everyone around him – and bringing up a child who is different isn’t always easy. Then, one Monday morning, an incident at school changes everything; not only for Jackson, but for every member of his family. Julia faces the fight of her life to save her unusual boy from a world set up for ‘normal’.

Bestselling novelist Fiona Higgins returns with a heart-stopping, devastating, but ultimately uplifting story about loyalty, love and forgiveness.

An extraordinary boy. The mother who loves him. The fight of their lives.

Fiona Higgins is the author of four fiction titles and a memoir. She works in the not-for-profit sector and lives in Sydney, Australia, with her stoic husband, three rambunctious children and two aloof goldfish.

Hello Fiona, Thanks ever so much for stopping by to chat with BnV about your new book.  Lets dive right in!  What do you love most about Writing?

I love that writing is an almost magical form of ‘primary production’; writers produce something out of nothing, using only their internal resources.

How did you get your start writing?

Young! As a child, I always loved words – and I still remember, aged nine, the heady rush of winning a poetry competition.  My slightly quirky entry, entitled ‘Ya Local Truckie’, explored the stigma endured by overnight truck drivers. My poem evidently caught the judges’ eye – even though I wasn’t from a trucking family!

What Inspired you to write your book?

I’ve known many children – and adults, for that matter – who are ‘different’ in some way (some with a diagnosis, many without), and witnessed their joys and struggles. An Unusual Boy explores the great strength and beauty that lies in difference, and the healing power of empathy.

I love that.  I believe Empathy, Forgiveness and Kindness are great healers.  Because you have a spiritual perspective, do you have a preferred POV that you write from and why?

In An Unusual Boy, I write from two POVs – that of Julia (Jackson’s mother), as well as Jackson himself. It was quite a thrilling experience, tapping into the stream of consciousness of an eleven-year-old boy! (Two of my three children are boys, which helped me channel the pre-teen male.) Despite understanding Julia’s perspective better, I preferred the colourful, imaginative world of Jackson.

Do your characters dictate what or how your write in any way?

Yes, that’s quite normal for me. They often surprise me. In An Unusual Boy, one of the characters delivered a twist that even I didn’t see coming.

That’s happened to me too.  Although it’s often hard to select just one, do you have a favourite or least favourite character?

Definitely Jackson. He’s a composite of all the wonderful, vulnerable, interesting and quirky children I’ve ever known. Jackson reminds me of a friend of mine from school, Michael, to whom An Unusual Boy is dedicated.

What sets them apart from the others?

Jackson has a strong moral compass – of which the rest of the world is mostly unaware – that governs his choices, as well as some incredible hidden strengths unlockable with a little patience and empathy.

As a successful author, do you have any tips for an aspiring Author?

Write what consumes you.

I so agree.  Outside of writing, what type of book do you like to read and does this differ from the genre that you prefer to write?

 I am a huge fan of fantasy and sci-fi genres, which are wildly different to my genre of contemporary fiction.

Is there a book you consider a must-read- why?

As a writer, one book I always return to is Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott. She has some very solid, practical (and humorous) advice for writers.

I’ll have to look for that one!  I’m always looking for my next new thing to learn 🙂 

Thank you so much for sharing your time and talent with BnV.

You can find Fiona across these social media networks

Author links

Website

Facebook

Instagram:  @fionahigginsauthor

Book link

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~Morgan~

Serpent Rising – An #Exploration of #Truth through #’WritingtoRaiseConsciousness’ by #Dr.VictorAcquista

18 Sunday Oct 2020

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Serpent Rising sparked my interest with its promise of ancient mysteries and overlays of spirituality.  What is Truth?  How do we recognize it?  Where does it lead us?  Do we truly want what it will reveal, or do we only think we do?

For Serena, our heroine, the quest for Truth leads her across the globe in a high-octane, gripping tale brimming with legends, symbolism, and the yearning for healing. Healing from a trauma she suffered in her childhood.  Healing from the inescapable identity-contorting effects of repressed memories.  Her story is compelling and relatable.  Her struggles are familiar and, sometimes, haunting. They draw the reader in and along with her as theories and tensions intensify.

I enjoy reading intelligent stories.  Ones that prompt me to consider diverse concepts, beliefs, and perspectives.  Serpent Rising was as much a Tomb Raider action-packed fantasy as it was a philosophical exploration of harmony,  yin and yang duality and the complexities of metaphysical science.

If you’re looking for a unique tale that engages, compels, and questions, look no further!

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There are many mystical and metaphysical aspects to the story told in this two-volume novel, The Saga of Venom and Flame. You can join Serena on her Circle training, a journey of transformation, and absorb some ancient wisdom teachings along the way. Here are some noteworthy backstory elements:

The book’s cover features two joined symbols: an ouroboros and a yin-yang. The ouroboros is an ancient symbol of cosmic harmony. Its inclusion is meant to evoke the notion of harmony and balance, and also to represent the polarities of masculine-feminine, light-dark, truth-falsehood–all elements of the War of the Two Serpents.

The snake biting its tail is cross cultural inclusive of Egyptian, Greek, Hindu, Norse , and other cultures. It has been used by Gnostic philosophers to denote the dual nature of both our earthly and divine nature, matter and spirit. All of these symbolic aspects are woven into a story rich in myth and mysticism.

Serpent mythology pre-dates all modern religion. and is cross cultural worldwide. This fact and my fictionalized “War of the Two Serpents” represent one of the three layers of meaning in the title, Serpent Rising.

Chakras, the energy vortexes that interface the subtle energy body, with a more expansive energy dimension, are an essential plot element in Serpent Rising. Specifically, Kundalini rising through the chakras as they are activated is the purpose of Serena’s Circle training.

From Wikipedia:

According to Hindu tradition, in order to be able to integrate this spiritual energy, a period of careful purification and strengthening of the body and nervous system is usually required beforehand.
Kundalini is considered to occur in the chakra and nadis of the subtle body. Each chakra is said to contain special characteristics and with proper training, moving Kundalini through these chakras can help express or open these characteristics.
Kundalini is described as a sleeping, dormant potential force in the human organism. It is one of the components of an esoteric description of the “subtle body”, which consists of nadis (energy channels), chakras (psychic centres), prana (subtle energy), and bindu (drops of essence). Kundalini is described as being coiled up at the base of the spine.

Kundalini is the second of the three serpent elements that comprise the layers of meaning in the title of this novel.

This picture depicts the Virgin of Candelaria appearing to the Guanches. Careful observation reveals lettering in the hem of the Virgin’s garments. These represent 7 mysterious words and phrases that have NEVER been deciphered. These are important story elements in both book one and in book two, Revelation, that tell the story of The Saga of Venom and Flame. Research suggests the Guanches have roots in Atlantis. More info about this picture and the strange lettering can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_of_Candelaria

I had wanted to write a novel where the central theme had to do with truth and mankind’s difficulty distinguishing truth from falsehood. In this time of fake news, media manipulation, and propaganda, it’s a timely topic.

During lunch with a close friend, we discussed his mother who was gravely ill. He told me she was a nurse and had been quite a force of healing stating, “…and she is a Candelaria.” I didn’t realize this was his mother’s maiden name and took it to be a title denoting a great healer, a light bearer, a force for good. This notion of a Lightbringer who carries the Flame of Truth to dispel darkness is central to the story and the social theme I wanted to address. My unfamiliarity with this surname led to a very rich storyline with the Candelarians acting to address and heal a great social ill–humanity shackled by ignorance and manipulated by lies. The truth shall set us free…

The cover image of  The Cosmic Serpent is rather intriguing. The double-helix coil of the DNA molecule evokes a serpentine analogy, but there is much more going on here. DNA as a carrier of information, an encoded source of both knowledge and a coded blueprint for spiritual enlightenment are what DNA is designed to do. DNA is the third of the three serpent elements that comprise the layers of meaning in the title Serpent Rising.

What amazes me is that I had already outlined the snake/serpent aspects of DNA as a carrier of genetic code to guide spiritual growth. I only learned about Narby’s excellent work as confirmation of the hypothesis I had already outlined. There is truly something cosmic about that and it points to some aspect of universal consciousness. Narby’s book did have additional information about Peruvian shamanism and the use of ayahuasca that was helpful.

DNA is an extraordinary molecule. The statements made by Serena’s friend Bryson about DNA emitting and receiving both light and sound energy are just some of the remarkable features about DNA. As an information storage molecule, it is unparalleled. And this is important not only to understand Serena’s genetic destiny, but for us to appreciate as well.

Victor Acquista has become an international author and speaker following his careers as a primary-care physician and medical executive. He is known for “writing to raise consciousness.” His multi-genre works include fiction and nonfiction and often incorporate social messaging to engage readers in thought-provoking themes.

He is a member of the Authors Guild, the Mystery Writers of America, the Florida Writers Association, Writers Co-op, and is a Knight of the Sci-Fi Roundtable.

When not pondering the big questions in life and what’s for dinner, he enjoys gardening and cooking. He lives with his wife in Ave Maria, Florida.

Find Victor through these Links:

BHC Press detail page

Author website

Facebook author page

Twitter

Amazon Order page

Book Club Discussion Questions

Podcast with opening scene narration

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I would like to thank Dr. Acquista for the privilege of reviewing and learning more about his work.  Thank you for the generous gift of your valuable time and talent.

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~Morgan~

My #Books For #FREE

15 Thursday Oct 2020

Posted by in About Me (since you Insist)

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Grab your free copy TODAY!

. I confess, this is a blatant, no holds barred Invitation to Readers/Reviewers who find themselves interested in my books to provide a review in return for a FREE Ebook. BooknVolume now has a new dedicated page (At the top of the homepage) to REVIEW MY BOOKS that I am sharing with all of you today. Thank You for your Kind Support, For Any Shares/Reblogs you choose to Offer, and, if nothing else, for humouring me 🙂

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This page is information about Dark Fey and The Mercy Series for those who may be interested in providing a review of my books. A FREE Ebook is available in return for an honest review. My only proviso being, please post your review on your Amazon marketplace, Goodreads and your blog or website.

After looking through the provided information, if you find yourself interested, please contact me via the contact info at the end of this page.

Additional Links for Information about my books: Cynthia A. Morgan Author Website

Creativia Author Page

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Ayla was discovered at a very young age to have an especially rare combination of gifts: empathic telepathy, discernment, and the gift of healing. She was dedicated by her parents to become a Guardian of Childfey and spent her young years in the seclusion of the Temple where she studied magic and the ancient rites; where she was taught about the mortal enemy of all Fey of the Light, The Reviled; and where she attempted to learn how to protect herself from the emotions and thoughts of others, although never successfully.

Gairynzvl is a Fey of the Light who was abducted by The Reviled at the age of seven and suffered the intentionally cruel process of neglect, abuse and deprivation is designed to turn childfey from the Light and twist them into monsters. Now fifteen years later, he is a Dark One. He comes in shadows and silence; lingering near Ayla and trying to communicate with her. After many months and while she is alone guarding a childfey, Gairynzvl crosses into her home, but he is also unlike anything she ever imagined a Dark One could be. Rather than opening a portal for his Legion so they may enter and take what they want; he commits an act of treason against his own kind and closes it; protecting her as well as the youngling in her care from their cruelty, but what he wants from her is just as terrifying and equally as dangerous as a full Legion of Reviled. Through her extraordinary gifts she listens to him when no others will; she touches his pain and discovers she cannot turn aside from helping him, but the conflict that unfolds is vicious and exceedingly costly, pushing them to their limits and forcing them to grow beyond them.

Dark Fey The Reviled is an epic fantasy filled with suspense, mystery, action, magic and romance. It shares the inspiration of positive hope; the resilience of love, and the power of forgiveness through a tale that is rich with beauty and horror alike.

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Gairynzvl risked everything to escape his captivity in the darkness, including committing an act of treason against the Reviled. Yet, in spite of the dangers involved and the very great risk of sparking full-scale war with the Reviled, Gairynzvl has an irrepressible need to go back into the darkness to rescue as many of the childfey trapped there as he can find. The success of his plan will hinge upon more than courage and military strategy; it will call upon the unique skills and magic of each individual who chooses to join his band of Liberators, and it will require a level of dependence upon each other for which few of them are prepared. Their actions will test all of their limits, could easily divide loyalties, and will shake the foundations of everything The Fey of The Light have accepted as truth for thousands of years.

Slipping into the darkness through darkness is easy. Escaping out again with terrified childfey is another matter, but if they are captured by the Reviled, the band of Liberators will pray for death long before it comes. The risks are enormous and the possibility for success is doubtful, but the compulsion to do what is right and what is necessary is too great to ignore.

Inspired in part by the true-life events of the Lord’s Resistance Army or LRA, a rebel militant group in Uganda that commonly abducts children and forces them to commit horrifying acts of violence against each other and their own people in combat, Standing in Shadows reaches deeper into the darkness, but never strays entirely out of the Light. Relating a tale of both fear and hope, the story allows readers to share Gairynzvl’s journey into a restored life; his challenges in making new friends and forging alliances, and the struggle to trust, rather than fear, those around him.

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Breaking into the Light relates the inspiration of Hope and the power of forgiveness through a tale that is brutally beautiful.

The Reviled are the enemy; merciless, untrustworthy. They embody brutality and devastation. The Fey of the Light have lived with these truths for millennia. Daring to think otherwise invites tragedy.

Gairynzvl was a Reviled Fey and lived the riotous life of all Dark Ones; yet now he is rescuing younglings from the darkness. The actions taken by him and his band of Liberators are fulfilling Ancient Prophecies and proving long-accepted beliefs to be inaccurate. Those who have lived in the Light all their lives, who enjoyed the luxuries of abundance, are suddenly faced with unavoidable questions.

How is Peace achieved? Can Light unite with Darkness?

Will the Fey of the Light sacrifice everything to achieve that which seems impossible or will they turn their heads and ignore the shadows weeping all around them?

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It’s the year 2446, and the first three Horsemen of Revelation’s Apocalypse have ridden. Pestilence, War and Famine have changed the world into a dictatorship ruled with an iron fist. Commoners have few rights, and liberty is a distant memory. Before the final Horseman is released, the Archangel of Mercy – Tzadkiel – makes a bold plea, asking for permission to find even one human who remembers the meaning of mercy and compassion. He is given 100 years, until Death will sweep across the land. Taking human form and coming to Earth, he finds a place ruled by greed, hatred and fear. With time running out and Death growing impatient, can Tzadkiel find what he’s looking for… and how much will he need to sacrifice?

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It’s the year 2446, and the final horseman of apocalypse – Death – is preparing to ride. The Archangel of Mercy, Tzadkiel, has come to Earth and found the last merciful person among the callous human throng. Together, Tzadkiel and Lourdes escape to the French countryside, but are relentlessly tracked by a sadistic officer determined to control the Archangel and claim Lourdes for himself. Forced to make choices neither ever anticipated, they discover more than simply how to survive. Yet while love blossoms, Death grows impatient. Unable to ride until released by the Archangel, he unleashes a calamity that will push them to their very limits. To succeed they will need more than hope and love. They will need a place of mercy. .

Review Request

If you find yourself interested in reviewing Dark Fey, please complete the following and I’ll reach out to you about delivering your free eBook 🙂

Note: Please only apply if you have time to read this FREE EBOOK within 30 days from date of receipt.

IMPORTANT: You will NOT be paid to write a review. Amazon does not permit reviews that are posted in exchange for compensation of any kind, including payment. Amazon accepts authors giving a free or discounted copy of their book up front in exchange for a review, whether it be positive and negative feedback. If you receive a free book in exchange for your review, you are welcome to say it was for a honest review.

Thank You Ever So for your interest in my books. I shall contact you soon.

~Morgan~

The Other Magic – A Reverse Interview into an #AwardWinning #Fantasy

24 Friday Jul 2020

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Winner – Pinnacle Book Achievement Award.

Runner-up – Independent Publisher Book Awards.

Finalist – Foreward INDIES Book of the Year Awards.

Finalist – National Indie Excellence Awards.

Darkness stirs in a world that is ill-equipped to confront it.

A prophesied king is born, but not all will benefit from his foretold conquests. In a realm where only clerics are permitted to practice magic, Kibure, a mere slave, draws the attention of much more than just his master after wielding an unknown force in a moment of desperation. In a twist of fate, Sindri, the priestess hired to strip Kibure of his power, defies the law, revealing designs of her own. But trust is in short supply in a land ripe with deceit. This wayward pair will have to work together if they hope to evade capture at the hands of the Empire’s most potent wielders.

Halfway around the known world, Aynward’s knack for discovering trouble drives him deep into conspiracies within which he does not belong. Too arrogant to accept counsel, he will have to learn the hard way that some actions have consequences that cannot be undone…

This epic fantasy series will be especially enjoyed by fans of Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan, Michael J. Sullivan, Patrick Rothfuss, and Michael Wisehart. .

In a unique Reverse Interview, Author Derrick Smythe interviewed on of his readers for more insights into the book:

What sparked your interest in this story that made you want to read it? First, it has a great cover, and that drew me in right away. Then I read the blurb for the book and knew I wanted to give it a try.
Who is your favorite/least favorite character and why? My favorite is Aynward and my least favorite is Grobennar. Anyward because he is the most fun and Grobennar because he’s such a jerk. He is fun to dislike, though, so I guess he’s not all bad.
If the story was made into a movie, can you see any specific actors portraying certain roles? No, I’m awful at that.
What surprised you about the story that you didn’t expect. There were more points of view than I expected, although it was not an unpleasant surprise. Quite the opposite, I thought it added additional complexity to the story. The fact that the author did a fantastic job of making these characters very distinctive and believable meant each new point of view brought an additional set of characters to life for me to discover and get to know.
What are you hoping to see happen as the story moves forward? All of the characters from the different points of view coming together and interacting. I know it’s going to happen and I can hardly wait.
Which scene has lingered with you the most? Why? I don’t want to give anything away but there is a scene near the end where Aynward loses some things that were more valuable to him than he realized and as he processes the losses he grows. It was moving and memorable.
Did you disagree with any of the characters’ decisions and why? Of course! Aynward makes tons of bad decisions and the things that happen to him because of it don’t seem to stop him the next time. It is a part of his charm.
If you could ask the author anything about the book, what would it be? When does the next book, the Other Way, come out? I read the sneak peek at the end of book one and I am ready for more.
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The Other Magic audiobook was recently release by Podium Audio, and is performed by Audie Award-winning narrator Greg Patmore. “Greg did such an amazing job. Listening to his voices for each of characters has given me new insight into the very characters I created. I’m finding myself hearing his version of each now as I continue working through the second book in the series. It’s absolutely incredible!” – Derrick Smythe
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Derrick Smythe has been fascinated with all things elvish, dwarfish, and magical since his days of running through the woods with sharpened sticks in defense of whatever fortification he and his brothers had built that summer. After consuming nearly every fantasy book he could find, he was driven to begin work on one of his own. When he isn’t dreaming up new stories, he can be spotted hiking the Adirondack Mountains or traveling the world. He currently resides near his hometown in Upstate New York with his enchanting wife, ethereal daughters, and his faithful-if-neurotic Australian Shepherd, Magnus.
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Find Derrick:

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~Morgan~

A Reverse ‘View – #Book #Interviews Backwards

01 Wednesday Jul 2020

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Book reviews are a marvelous thing.  For an author, each one is the Holy Grail; an invaluable treasure we are ever searching to acquire.  Yet, I have found very often after reading a review that I want to know more.  Whether the review is for one of my own books or a tale I want to learn more about, I am always left wondering what else the reader thought.

Limited in most cases to under 300 words, reviewers typically choose and use their lexicon wisely, but how do you adequately summarize a daring adventure, sweeping romance, or beguiling mystery of over 100K words with so few?

Being a creative problem solver, I have thought about this repeatedly, wondering how to free the reviewer of the constraints of social media attention spans and give them the opportunity to pontificate pleasingly and profusely.

Here enters the Reverse ‘View.  Note the apostrophe, please.  It’s placement is intentional. Not only does this title indicate what you are about to see or read is not what you might anticipate, but it denotes, in this case, the omission of the letters INTER.

How often have you read an author interview? Come on now, be honest; how often have you actually read the entire thing?  I confess, I’m as guilty as most, but what if I interviewed YOU?  We do it all the time.  We ask each other what we thought about the movie we saw over the weekend, how the restaurant we went to compared to others; we even ask each other about books we’ve read.

We interview each other.  So why not interview READERS about the books they’ve read?  This is what you want to know…not what the author wants to tell you to make you buy it, but what the reader thought.  Was it good or an epic failure?  Did you read it all in one weekend because you couldn’t put it down? Why? What made it so good?

Now, imagine if YOU could read the reader’s interview and then ask them whatever it is YOU want to know.  It a nifty notion, not? (Ok, I love alliterations, but ‘lest I digress..) Enter the Reverse ‘View.  An interview of a reader.  An interactive interview! Interested? (sorry, it was right there!)

Before I lose you…In the coming weeks (and months, depending on how much YOU like them) I will be posting a series of Reverse ‘Views.  Interviewing readers about books you may or may not have ever heard of… and giving YOU the opportunity to ask them questions too (in the comments, of course!)

I hope you will enjoy them.  I hope you will join them.  And, of course, ultimately, I hope you will read them 🙂

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~Morgan~

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Beautiful photograph found on Pinterest.  Credit Gratefully Acknowledged to the Original Photographer and Artist.  Thank You.

“The Most Engaging Book I’ve #Read in Years!” – #Free!

23 Tuesday Jun 2020

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Misericorde, Book One of The Mercy Series is currently FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME

It’s the year 2446, and the first three Horsemen of Revelation’s Apocalypse have ridden.

Pestilence, War and Famine have changed the world into a dictatorship ruled with an iron fist. Commoners have few rights, and liberty is a distant memory.

Before the final Horseman is released, the Archangel of Mercy – Tzadkiel – makes a bold plea, asking for permission to find even one human who remembers the meaning of mercy and compassion. He is given 100 years, until Death will sweep across the land.

Taking human form and coming to Earth, he finds a place ruled by greed, hatred and fear. With time running out and Death growing impatient, can Tzadkiel find what he’s looking for… and how much will he need to sacrifice?

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5 STARS – Reviewed By K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite
Misericorde is the first installment in the Mercy series. It is a work of fiction in the epic fantasy genre and was penned by author Cynthia A. Morgan. Set after the first three horsemen of the apocalypse have been let loose upon Earth and shifted humanity into a feudalistic series of dictatorships, the Archangel of Mercy begs for a reprieve for humanity before the final horseman is unleashed. Given a hundred years to find a human capable of mercy and compassion, the Archangel is dangerously close to the deadline when they meet one person on a planet filled with hatred who may meet their criteria. The novel contains some moderate content that may not be suitable for readers below a mature teen level.

Author Cynthia A. Morgan has crafted a lavish and detailed read which audiences are sure to devour from cover to cover thanks to its quick pacing and highly engaging plot. I particularly adored Tzadkiel as a central character, whose determined belief that humanity may have hope yet is a central theme that endears him and his quest to us. There is a great atmosphere in the writing and lexical choices made by the author, painting the pseudo-medieval world with a bleak and desolate brush. This makes the juxtaposition of hope all the more important and prominent when the search reaches its potential conclusion. I found the plot structure to be well-timed and with plenty of ups and downs to keep the story interesting. Overall, I would certainly recommend Misericorde for fantasy fans everywhere.”

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Grab your FREE COPY Today!

Immortality- A State of Mind or Body? – #BookReviews

06 Saturday Jun 2020

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What if the Fountain of Youth was real?

Humans have always been obsessed with aging and death. Throughout history, the quest for a way to remain forever young has consumed mankind. What if two men stumbled upon a way to ensure eternal youth? What if it changes their lives, not only for the better, but in ways they never could have imagined?

Immortal is a story filled with adventure, mystery, and thrilling twists. Follow these men as they stumble upon not only their greatest discovery, but possibly their ultimate undoing.

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My Review-  5-Stars!

Through the shifting tides of time, humans have yearned for eternal youth. How does one achieve the seemingly impossible? Is youth a physical or mental condition? Immortal unlocks the mind to explore these questions and more. It challenges the reader to step beyond the box of contemporary thinking and reach beyond accepted limitations. Each page invites the reader to not only enjoy the tale unfolding around two compelling and relatable characters, but to question deeper and seek further along with the characters.

A thoroughly unexpected and satisfying page-turner, Immortal will tempt you to unlock the Fountain of Youth waiting in your own life. A highly recommended read, particularly for these challenging times.

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Immortal by David Boiani

David Boiani is an American author living in Coventry, RI. He writes Psychological thrillers mixed with a touch of horror. He has two short story collections available, Dark Musings and Darker Musings. His debut novel, A Thin Line and its sequel, The Redemption are also now available. He is currently working on two more novels: Immortal, which will be released in the fall of 2019 and Azreal’s Ledge, which will be released in the spring of 2020.

You can visit his website here

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~Morgan~