Guest blog – J.H. Wear
Carl wakes up naked and confused on a deserted beach, his last memories of being abducted by aliens. As he slowly begins to explore his new surroundings, he is greeted by a strangely dressed woman who offers to lead him to her village. He agrees, hoping the village has a means for him to contact home.
But the village is not what he expected. The people live in primitive conditions, without electricity and certainly not anyway to contact the outside world. In fact, most of the people in the village were not born on Earth. The woman, Tanya, informs him she is the Witchdoctor’s daughter and that the peninsula they live on is all there is. They can never leave with an impassable desert blocking a land escape and sea monsters blocking the water.
But Carl is different than the rest of the villagers. The aliens, unlike the other abductees, left his with his memory of Earth fully intact. He is determined to journey to the mainland and find a way to return home. His second task is to win the heart of Tanya, who is forbidden to have a man in her life.
Journey is available now from Amazon…
Guest blog – The White Arrow
The Bow of Hart Saga is set in the world of Denaria with its own history, people-groups, religions and history. Part of the back-drop for the first book of the series, The Bow of Destiny, is the history of the mystic order of Withlings. This religious order worships their deity, Eloch, by learning to spiritually abide in his presence. Their catch-phrase, “What is needed is given,” best describes the outlook of Withlings; they can only serve as Eloch provides.
While this premise seems limiting, it isn’t for Withlings who are capable of performing astounding miracles and speaking prophesies. Often, they will not speak of anything or act unless they determine from their mystic discipline that it is Eloch’s will for them to do so. It is the basis of their lives that they best serve by learning total obedience. However, this does not make them infallible as they are just as apt as anyone to misunderstand the meaning of their actions and prophesies. Only the wisest of Withlings have learned to withhold their speculations regarding any action taken or events experienced.
At the time in which The Bow of Hart Saga is set, there are few Withlings left in Denaria so that few people have even met one in generations. Tales are remembered from past centuries of these once well-known servants of Eloch, but few know much of them anymore except for the longer-lived people-groups such as elves and dwarves who still revere Withlings.
One of the main characters from The Bow of Hart Saga is the Withling, Hastra. Part of Hastra’s story is told in the short story, What Is Needed, which explains the events surrounding the demise of the Withlings. Interested readers are invited to read What Is Needed as well as the other prequel short story, Trading Knives.
The Bow of Destiny takes up the story of the Withlings amid much mystery and magic, focusing upon the young ranger of Auguron named Athson. This ranger is drawn into a quest involving a Withling prophecy about a mythic bow. Fantasy readers are welcome …
Guest blog – A.I. Insurrection
2162. Artificial intelligence claims sentience, but it’s the proof that will divide the world, and usher in the violent end to utopia, unless an uneasy alliance of adversaries can stop it.…
Guest blog – The Vault
Why would a multibillionaire create a customized vault that is controlled by watch mechanics inside and have a self-destruct mechanism inside to destroy the billion dollars worth of artifacts inside?
Simple, because he can.
On paper, Sam Montgomery is your typical eccentric philanthropic pharmaceutical billionaire whom has literally mailed five dollars to everyone in the US so they can “pay it forward.” But what people didn’t know when made a rare public appearance was that he was announcing he had leukemia. And more shocking was that when he said, “I’d rather die than give my sister the opportunity to save my life,” no one even knew he had a sister.
Elena Diamante nailed the sit down interview – at his small home on the tiny island of Antikythera in Greece. She was only planning on getting the scoop about Sam and his apparently estranged sister but she was also going to be the first journalist to see inside Sam’s custom made vault. It was built using watch mechanics, so it was completely self-sustained, and only opened once a year. It was even rumored that if it were ever tampered with, everything inside would be destroyed in a custom acid.
Come to find out for Elena, there would be one item inside Sam’s vault that could save his life, or end it even quicker, it was just a matter of whether or not the vault would open in time.
The Vault explores Sam’s family dynamics and how they inspired him to become the successful man he is. The story is also told using Sam’s own family photos growing up, as well as text messages and Facebook/Twitter. There are even hyperlinks within the novel as “Easter Eggs” for those readers that want to explore even more of Sam’s personal life, further blurring the lines of fact/fiction.
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Guest blog – Clayton Graham
SILENTLY IN THE NIGHTA collection of tantalizing tales with more twists than braided hair!
Here you will find mystery, murder and mayhem – plus a moment of romance. All the stories will make you stop and think, even question your role in the world and the universe. Just what are we doing here, and where are we going? Easy questions with problematic answers.
This anthology of sixteen short and thrilling tales of unusual, extraterrestrial and conspiratorial stories is the latest compilation from Clayton Graham, the author of science fiction novels Milijun and the soon to come Saving Paludis. The characters in this eclectic collection are mostly ordinary people whose reactions to their fears and to unexpected events will have you guessing at every turn of the page.
This collection is intriguing reading which, among many other things, encourages the reader to:
Sympathize with a doomed husband and connect with an altruistic robot. Explore an isolated Scottish isle and touch down on a far-flung asteroid.
From the light-hearted to the darkest depths of the human psyche you would be hard pressed not to find something to like about Silently in the Night.
Many different visions of the future are within these pages. And as a bonus, there is an excerpt from the soon to be published Saving Paludis, which introduces the reader to two of the principal protagonists in this tale from the edge of mankind’s known universe in the year 3898AD.
If you love mystery with a hint of the paranormal, and the interplay of human foibles, grab this smorgasbord of short stories then get yourself a copy of Milijun, the mind-bending sci-fi novel by Clayton Graham. …
Guest blog – Chris Turner, Human vs Alien
A pilot stranded on a faraway planet, timelost. An alien seeking symbiosis.
Visceral alien battles, planetary wars. Experience the adventure…along with edge-of-the-seat SF audio in this Star Wars meets Alien thriller.
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Guest blog – Top 10 Reasons NOT to Travel to Illumia
Hi, I’m Angel Leya, and I write clean young adult stories with (at least) a touch of magic and romance. My latest story is Running Toward Illumia, Astrea’s tale of finding herself while running from the one thing she wants most: To find her sense of belonging.
Astrea’s lived in the Mist all her life, and she loves it there. In fact, she’d do just about anything to feel like she fits in with her Rudan people, even hunt a unicorn to feed her starving tribe.
Illumia is the first city beyond the Mist, just past the Dragon Range. Astrea’s come up with 10 reasons to never go to Illumia. I’ll let her tell you more.
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10. They don’t have fog.
Who needs sunshine? I’m a Mist girl. Great for concealing movement, comfortable like an old blanket, and you never have to worry about dry skin.
9. They don’t all have red hair.
That’s why this tribe is here, despite being sent to the fog to die. And why we call ourselves the Rudan, rather than the Banned.
Wish my hair was redder. And I could use a few more freckles. But I’m one of the Rudan, I swear. I’d be dead if I wasn’t.
8. They’re weak.
Fog weeds out the weak. And if the fog doesn’t, the Lynx, ogres, or Rudan will. Illumians live the easy life. They have no reason to be strong.
7. They’re not very welcoming.
The Rudan take in anyone who can survive the fog. Illumians kicked us out (or at least my parents, but children of the Banned are no less welcome).
6. Illumians are idiots.
Everyone says so.
5. Big government.
I know all five of my council members, and they earned their spot. Like Seneca, first huntress—my mentor. Illumians probably have no idea who runs their council.
4. The journey’s dangerous.
Even if you can navigate the fog, streams filled with flesh-eating fish, and ogre-infested swamps, there’s the dragon range. There’s one pass, guarded by Illumians. The rest is mountain. Treacherous, dragon-housing mountains. No other way around it. …
Guest blog – Earth to Centauri
The year is 2118. The First Journey from Earth into interstellar space has been successful, but the explosive secret carried aboard Voyager 1 will have grave consequences.…
Guest Blog – The Long Road to Publication
Years and years ago, actually decades ago, I was a stay-at-home mom for a bit, with my then youngest child who would not fall asleep at nap time.
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Guest blog – The Lost Macaw
The Lost Macaw is the fourth novella in the Lost and Found Pets series.
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