A Surprise in Class from THE REALITY MASTER (Vol.1) by @PMPillon #YA #SciFi #Excerpt

A SURPRISE IN CLASS

Joey kept the stone in his book bag, and now that he had it he was blasé about it, feeling none of the consternation that had preceded its acquisition; he didn’t get around to examining it and was starting to forget that he had it until several days later when he found himself in another spelling bee. Mr. Sheridan provided the words to spell and again Joey was one of just two students left in the competition when Mr. Sheridan again pronounced a word that made no sense to him, so he was forced to just guess, but guessed wrong. The other student spelled it correctly, and just like in the previous occasion, when Joey heard the word the second time he realized what it was and that he knew how to spell it. 

He liked Mr. Sheridan, but this was the second time that his imperfect pronunciation caused Joey to lose a spelling bee. It was a déjà vu all over again that he sure didn’t need. Because this time the winner was headed for the all-school bee, Joey was incredulous and more frustrated than ever; he wanted to scream and tear his hair out. It seemed like nothing could go right for him, but just then, he heard a buzzing in his book bag. This surprised him because he was sure he had left his cell phone at home. He put his left hand into the bag and felt the stone vibrating like a cell phone. He feared it might have hatched into something dangerous, so he let it go immediately, then shone his pen light at it to see if it had changed in some way, but it looked the same as when he found it. He pushed it over with a pencil and saw that it was the same all the way around, so he finally it out with his right hand and was astonished to see on its face a detailed scene depiction on a split screen in full color. Then a larger screen appeared, hovering in front of him, showing on its left side himself, misspelling the word. On the right side, he was both hearing and spelling it correctly. Joey could differentiate the voices simultaneously on both sides of the split screen. He gawked at this impossible scene, and eventually a question mark appeared straddling both sides, signaling that Joey was to choose between the two outcomes.

Joey sat and stared at this, speechless, in shock, as unable to react as he was when Frank’s rock came tumbling down the path straight at his head. At that very moment, a totally unexpected thought occurred to Joey: My mission starts now. This was too much for him. Not knowing what else to do, he shoved the stone back into his bag without responding to its apparent offer. When he looked up from the bag he expected to see the bewildered or even horrified faces of other students all staring at him, but instead he saw that the larger screen had disappeared and everyone, including teacher and students, was frozen in place, unmoving – like inanimate objects. Then they suddenly started to move again, but were seemingly unaware of what happened and were just sitting placidly, focused on the teacher. Only Frank, sitting right next to Joey, was staring at him – everyone else was clearly oblivious to this astounding event – and he whispered, “Jesus, Joey, you look spooked. Did you see a ghost, or what?”

His celestial companion was waiting for him

Precariously climbing a sea-side cliff near Big Sur, ten-year-old Joey Blake was as yet unaware that near his grasp was an object, so odd, mysterious and alien to earth that it would change his life forever and the lives of countless others in the next few astonishing days. Reaching up as far as he could for a handhold it was just there; it had subconsciously lured him, occupied his mind, and made him find it. It was like he was meant to see and discover this object of unimaginable power … the power to change reality.

Time travel and more

This young adult series of sci-fi fantasy novels begins with The Reality Master and continues through four other exciting and amazing stories about time travel and mysterious alien devices. Joey and the reader will face dangerous shadowy criminal organizations, agents of the NSA, bizarre travelers from other times and even renegade California bikers and scar-faced walking dead.

- Vol 1 The Reality Master
- Vol 2 Threat To The World
- Vol 3 Travel Beyond
- Vol 4 Missions Through Time
- Vol 5 The Return Home

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Genre – Science fiction, Fantasy, Young adult

Rating – G

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Scott Moon on Writing Intimate Scenes in #SciFi @ScottMoonWriter #AmWriting #WriteTip

The Best Advice

At the Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc., 2013, Patrick Rothfuss (bestselling author of The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear) suggested writing sex scenes can be difficult. Someone asked, “How do you know when a scene is too much.”

Rothfuss said when the reader can tell the author was touching himself or herself while creating the scene, it’s probably too much.

If I remember correctly, this was something he had heard before, so I don’t know if I can quote him, but the point remains valid. In science fiction, the expectations differ from that of a romance or erotic novel. Breaking the rules can alienate or even offend readers. Ultimately, each scene must do a job. If a dash of something beyond the genre-wall is needed, then it must go in.

A Humble Example

To date, I have not attempted to write erotica, but some of my stories have moments, ahem, that are more adult than others. To compound the risks I took in this novel, one of the genre-testers comes on page one. Here is the opening line from an early draft of Enemy of Man:

KIN ROLAND left Laura’s house hung-over, well sexed, and feeling dirty. He was bound by few rules on this planet, but the most important was to avoid drinking with Laura Keen.

An Editor Put on the Brakes

My editor thought this risked giving the reader the wrong idea. Unable to completely abandon the scene I envisioned, I rewrote page one many times. Here is the result:

HEROES weren’t sealed in space caskets and launched into the void—not while they were still breathing. Kin shuddered. Memories came at night; they came with regrets, fears, and nightmares only a man buried alive could understand. Heroes destroyed the enemy. Heroes saved the day and died before they could wear medals or explain what it was like to shed the blood of millions.

This room is too dark.

Kin needed to go outside and look at the sky, but the wormhole song, the distant groaning of a universe unraveling, reminded him of Hellsbreach—gunfire, plasma bolts, and nuclear explosions on the horizon. Better to dream of Becca, though she was the reason he volunteered for the campaign.

“Stop thinking of her,” Laura said.

Kin sat up in bed, dropped his feet to the floor, and watched her drift back to sleep. Her chest rose and fell, a silk sheet accentuating her curves. Her eyes began to move under her eyelids.

“You don’t even know who she is.” He ran a finger behind Laura’s ear and down her neck until she giggled in her sleep. He smiled. “I can share anything with you in moments like these.” He slowly pulled the sheet lower and she didn’t stir.

Laura would like the game—exposing her skin to the night air and staring until she sensed his attention and awoke, but he stopped, reaching to cup the side of her face instead. Lust didn’t mix well with the darkness still in his mind.

“I’d fail again, given the same choice. Could you commit genocide, Laura?” he asked.

“Hmm?” She struggled to open her eyes, it seemed, but pushed him clumsily away with one hand as she rolled onto her stomach, twisting the sheets as she moved.

“I still love her. You know that, right?” Kin said.

Motionless on the bed, Laura seemed not to breathe. The wormhole that dipped into the atmosphere quieted. Silence spread across the planet. Sea birds called to each other and waves gently touched the beach.

Let’s Talk about

This may not be a classic love scene, but is an example of something different from most science fiction I’ve read. The boundaries between genres seem to fade with each passing year. It’s a good thing. Like most writers, I read far and wide, and hope some of it finds its way into my stories.

I’d love to hear comments and discussion on breaking genre boundaries. Please recommend books I may not have considered, but might like to read. And, as always, I’m active on twitter at https://twitter.com/Scottmoonwriter.

Lost Hero

Changed by captivity and torture, hunted by the Reapers of Hellsbreach and wanted by Earth Fleet, Kin Roland hides on a lost planet near an unstable wormhole.

When a distant space battle propels a ravaged Earth Fleet Armada through the same wormhole, a Reaper follows, hunting for the man who burned his home world. Kin fights to save a mysterious native of Crashdown from the Reaper and learns there are worse things in the galaxy than the nightmare hunting him. The end is coming and he is about to pay for a sin that will change the galaxy forever. 

Books

Enemy of Man: Book One in the Chronicles of Kin Roland was written for fans of military science fiction and science fiction adventure. Readers who enjoyed Starship Troopers or Space Marines will appreciate this genre variation. Powered armor only gets a soldier so far. Battlefield experience, guts, and loyal friends make Armageddon fun. 

Movies

If you love movies like Aliens, Predator, The Chronicles of Riddick, or Serenity, then you might find the heroes and creatures in Enemy of Man dangerous, determined, and ready to risk it all. It’s all about action and suspense, with a dash of romance—or perhaps flash romance. 

From the Author

Thanks for your interest in my novel, Enemy of Man. I hope you chose to read the book and enjoy every page. 

If you have already read Enemy of Man, how was it? Reviews are appreciated! 

Have a great day and be safe.

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Genre – Science Fiction

Rating – R

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The Galatia Series by @CDVerhoff #AmReading #SciFi #Fantasy

In this excerpt from chapter two, in the middle of the night Josie has been shaken awake by a loud rumble. It’s happened before, so she’s only mildly concerned. Unable to get back to sleep, she shuffles has shuffled off to the kitchen for a snack:

As she sat at the kitchen counter, spooning pudding into her mouth, the bowl on the counter started to vibrate. Dishes rattled in the cupboard. Knickknacks fell off the shelf. Another tremor?

There had been dozens of them over the last two years. Sometimes the damage was a big deal, but most of the time everything was back to normal within a few hours. Last week, a tremor had caused the entire facility to go offline for two days. Nobody was allowed to shower. The temperature hovered around fifty degrees. No videos to watch, no computer games to play, no ebooks to read. Horrible. No way did she want to live through that again. The lights blinked on and off again, leaving her suspended in darkness with a chocolate pudding in her hand.

“This is not good.”

Alarm bells began to ring throughout the facility.

The sound of people running down the public corridor made her drop the spoon on the floor. She flung open the front door. The sound of chaos instantly increased tenfold. Dim emergency lights cast everything in an eerie blood red glow. Entire families were running down the hallway, dressed in heavy clothing, carrying their emergency backpacks, fear etched across their features.

“This can’t be for real,” she whispered. Her bladder wanted to faint. Her sister lived in the pod across the hall. Its door swung open and there was her brother-in-law, Dante Armstrong, standing there in his boxer shorts. Dante was of African descent—somewhere near Ghana was all he knew. Until just now, she had never seen him without his shirt. His impressive height and muscular build made him an imposing-looking man. His five-year-old son, Nicholas, stood behind him and peeked around his father’s hip, while Dante held three-year-old Shasta on his hip.

“Do you know what’s going on?” Josie yelled across the hall. “Where’s Jo?”

“She was called to an emergency meeting a few hours ago.”

“Mom was too.”

“Jo just called me,” Dante spoke rapidly. “She said this is the big one. The bunker has split in two and there are hundreds of secondary fissures. It’s total chaos below. The main control room is on fire and the entire city could crumble at any second.” His words were like ghostly punches to the gut, taking her breath away. “They’ve done everything they can, but it’s not going to be enough. She’s going to meet us at the main hatchway.”

The acid taste of bile coated her throat. She took a step back into the pod where things used to make sense.

“We have to evacuate,” Dante said.

“To where?”

“The surface.”

“We’ll die up there,” Josie said.

“We’ll die down here.”

Josie shook her head vigorously, retreating further into the pod.

“Jo made me promise to get you out of here.” Dante’s eyes were sympathetic, but his voice strained with impatience. “I’ll carry you over my shoulder if I have to.”

She’d debate the matter more, but Dante was the kind of man who meant what he said. If she refused to leave, he would stay, putting himself and his children in grave danger.

“Okay,” she said, feeling weak all over. “I’ll go, but let me grab a few things first.”

“I’ll give you three minutes,” he said. “I need to get a few things, too. We’ll go up to the Pringle exit together.”

The last survivors of the human race are riding out nuclear winter in an underground bunker when disaster strikes. Forced to the surface centuries ahead of schedule, what they find blows their minds. Who can explain it? Two social misfits work together to unravel the mystery.

After living in a posh underground shelter his entire life, Lars Steelsun is plunged headfirst into a mind-blowing adventure on the surface of the Earth. As Lars and his displaced bunker mates are led across the grasslands by Mayor Wakeland, a man of questionable sanity who claims to talk with God, they discover a primitive world where human beings are no longer welcome. Even more mystifying is the emergence of new senses and abilities from within. Learning to use them has become a priority, but his biggest challenge comes from the vivacious Josie Albright. Her lust for glory is going to get them both into trouble. Sparks fly when her gung ho ways clash with his cautious personality. Can they overcome their differences to find love and a homeland for their people?

May not be suitable for younger readers. Contains mild profanity, sexual situations (infrequent), and violence. 

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Genre - Epic Fantasy

Rating – R

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Blog http://cdverhoff.blogspot.com/

10 Things You Didn't Know About The Order of the Seers Trilogy @CereceRMurphy #Fantasy #TBR

10 Things You Didn’t Know About the Order of the Seers Trilogy

10. The Order of the Seers Trilogy is about a group of people who can see the future and are enslaved for that ability.  The first book is about how the Seers escape the organization that is trying to exploit their gift, reclaim their power and start fighting back.  Without giving too much away, the second book in the trilogy picks up right where the first one leaves off, has even more action than the first and is a bit darker because you get to know your villains a LOT better. J

9. The biggest influences for the Trilogy are The Star Wars Saga by George Lucas, Dune by Frank Herbert, Wild Seed by Octavia Butler and Chronicles of Riddick for philosophy and mythology, and The Bourne Series by Robert Ludlum for pacing and action.

8. I am a HUGE fan of the FRINGE TV series.  Lilli and Liam Knights last name is a tribute to Peter and Walter Bishop from the series.  I wanted to name Lilli and Liam’s father Walter, but I thought that would have been too much.  In the 2nd book in the trilogy, Liam wears a peacoat in honor of Peter Bishop’s now legendary and beloved peacoat on the series.

7. Order of the Seers and its sequel, The Red Order, take place in San Francisco, Chicago, rural Tanzania, Iowa and Salem, Oregon, London, Prague, Geneva, Berlin and Cuba.  I have been to all of these places except, Iowa and Salem, Oregon.  Having a personal connection to the locations really helped me visualize the mood and feel for each book.

6.My perfect Alessandra Pino is a younger Monica Bellucci.  My perfect Liam Knight is Wes Bentley. And my perfect Marcus Akida, is Lance Reddick from FRINGE.

5. The my playlist for Order of the Seers includes Crawl by Linkin Park, Scratch Your Name by The Noisettes, Closer by Kings of Leon and Breathe Me by Sia.

4. I love languages and accents so I tried to use as many of them as I could cram into both books in the series.  In the first book alone, you will find Chinese, Portuguese, Swahili, Italian and Japanese.  The second book adds some Russian, Spanish and French to the mix. I am hoping to get Farsi and Hindi, and maybe some Hebrew into the 3rdbook.

3. The idea for Order of the Seers came to me about 3 years ago, while I was washing the dishes.

2.  If you asked me to describe Order of the Seers in three words, I would say Intense.Action.Suspense

1.  I am working on the final book in the Trilogy now, which I hope to release by Summer 2014.    The working title for the 3rd book is The Last Seer.

What would you do if you held infinite power in the palm of your hand? Part One of the thrilling Order of the Seers trilogy poses this question within a story that fuses action, mystery, romance, and adventure in a science fiction novel that keeps you at the edge of your seat. Captured and enslaved for their extraordinary gift, a group of individuals, known as Seers, are forced to serve a ruthless world organization that uses the power of the Seers to exploit the ultimate advantage: knowing the future. While a brother and his Seer sister fight to evade the group that hunts them, an unlikely captured Seer, plots his escape from within the organization and sets off a chain of events that will change the world.

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Genre – Science Fiction

Rating – NC-17

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Website http://www.crmurphybooks.com

The Angel & The Brown-Eyed Boy by Sandy Nathan @sandyonathan #AmReading #SciFi #Fiction

When the girl appeared on the sidewalk, the edges of her body and clothing were fuzzy, as though all of her hadn’t arrived. She looked up and down the street, the way a person would if she’d forgotten an address or lost her way.

Her hair was frizzed and matted, sticking out akimbo. She was thin, had a dirty face, and wore a scratchy coat that was far too big. Its sleeves were rounded little capes; her arms stuck out of them like chopsticks protruding from a napkin. The coat slipped off her shoulders, first to one side, then the other. She hitched it up and kept walking. When she walked, the coat opened to reveal her feet and lower legs.

Her thin socks, trimmed with grayed lace, were pulled up to make a ruffle below her knees. Pink satin laces held up the socks, their Xs snaking up her shins from her shoes. She looked pretty much like everyone she saw, except for her shoes. Long pink ballet slippers stuck out from beneath her coat, as improbable as roses sprouting from the cement.

Eliana made her way along the sidewalk, knowing that she was dirty, feeling the grit in her hair and on her skin. When she had reached the planet’s atmosphere, clothes and all sorts of things had rushed at her with great force, tossing her over and over. Dirt had come, too. She’d found the clothes she needed and put them on the way her teachers had shown her. Then her people had put her where she was.

Humans passed, but no one stopped or said anything to her. A paper blew against her leg. More dirty papers blew and piled up everywhere. Streaked and grimy buildings rose near her. Writing in different colors covered their walls. She looked carefully, but couldn’t make out the words. She’d learned to read and write English, but those words mystified her.

“Hey, you!” a person said loudly.

“Yes?” She spoke to a human for the first time, politely bowing. The human was dirty like Eliana, with torn clothes and matted hair. She couldn’t tell if it was a he or a she.

“Get out of here!” the ragged person shouted. “You don’t belong here.” Eliana cowered, but the stranger rushed past her, clawing at something Eliana couldn’t see. “Stay away,” the human said, and then stood with feet braced, shouting, “Get out of here, all of you. Stay away!” The creature hadn’t seen Eliana at all.

The girl realized that her people were right; they had put her where no one would notice her. Now she needed to tell them that she had arrived. She raised one foot, turning it gracefully and resting it easily on the other knee. She flicked the shoe with her finger, listening. A trill of clear notes deep within her brought the hint of a smile. She held the coat closed and stood still. She was where she was supposed to be. It had begun.

She fingered the piece of paper in her pocket. Her map. Beneath it, in the pocket’s depths, was the notebook. What was written on it would get her where she needed to go. She had all she needed.
She walked a long way along the hard path. More humans passed her. To her left, gray, inert structures rose high in the sky, blocking the sun. She touched the see-through parts of their lower levels, looking at the humans inside. They looked at each other with darting eyes, speaking rapidly. Everyone outside rushed frantically, noticing nothing. They didn’t see her, just as her people had said.

Eliana choked when a very large carrier passed, spewing a foul odor. The carrier floated above the hard surface where the vehicles moved. Her teachers had told her about the floating. Though she couldn’t see it, a force lived under the machines that made them go. It would kill her if it touched her.

She didn’t know what kill meant; kill did not exist in her world. Her mother had explained that she would be like a dead pet. She had seen dead pets before they whisked them away. Motionless husks. She moved away quickly. Better get on with her purpose. She didn’t have much time.

A man with a round stomach and a gray hat walked out of an opening in the ground with many others. He walked like he had a mission. His coat was the same scratchy stuff as hers, but it was buttoned up and looked new. He looked new; his face was ruddy and clean. His shoes reflected the pale sunlight. The trill of notes resounded in her mind once again.
He was the one! She stood in front of him to make him stop. She hoped he could comprehend her speech.
“Will you help me?” she said, working to form the strange words.

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Genre – Metaphysical Science Fiction

Rating – R

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Once Humans by Massimo Marino @Massim0Marin0 #SciFi #AmReading #GoodReads

Memories

From Dan Amenta’s Journal

We had the perfect life in the French-Swiss countryside until that mysterious windstorm in February. No one realized anything unusual has happened, but the next morning, while driving Annah, my daughter, to school, I discovered that vehicles littered the highway, with their dead occupants still inside.

Returning home, no one answered the phone at any of the emergency departments nor could I or my wife, Mary, reach our relatives and friends. Checking on the neighbors, I found them dead.

We soon realized we might be the only survivors of a global catastrophe. We stock up on emergency supplies, turn the house into a stronghold, and collected food and medicines. The Internet still worked so I launched a large, online campaign to find other survivors with the hope of learning more about what we were facing. While waiting for any response at all, I managed to befriend some neighborhood dogs and we armed ourselves with survival gear.

At first, it felt weird and disturbing to go into stores and take things without paying but, of course, there was no one to pay. The whole world had become a ghost town.

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Genre – Science Fiction

Rating – PG-13

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Website http://massimomarinoauthor.com

Things You Didn’t Know About Ramz Artso @RamzArtso #YA #SciFi #ComingofAge

Things You Didn’t Know About Ramz Artso

I was raised in a small, fairytale-like village in the Swiss Alps, which is why I love camping and skiing, both mountain and cross-country. I’ve always wanted to try snowboarding, but somehow never got around to doing it. Snowblades look very promising, too. The sheer speed gets my blood moving. I love hot chocolate and sliced bread with Nutella scraped all over it for breakfast. Also, I cannot live without pain au chocolat, cup noodles, sushi and Chinese cuisine. I think Red Bull is the best drink on Earth, followed by Powerade.  Inferno chips – best snack known to humanity, and Haribo gummies, particularly the bears, Smurfs and frogs, are to die for. I used to work out and lift weights a lot, but I don’t anymore. 

My favorite movies are Inception, all of the Jurassic Parks, Back to the Future films, 1998 Godzilla, Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy and many, many others. I think the best books I’ve read so far are the Harry Potter, Twilight, Millennium Trilogy and The Lord of the Rings books. I also really like reading classics, like Dostoyevsky, Bulgakov and Charles Dickens, as well as Jane Austen. I prefer dogs over cats, and want to get myself a Norfolk Terrier sometime in the future. If I could be anyone, I’d become a genius inventor and put together a flying broomstick, then fly around racing against sports cars. I imagine broomsticks aren’t exactly comfortable, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re awesome. 

I love all types of music, but Lana Del Rey, Pink and Mozart, as well as many other classical composers, have a special place in my heart.  Fall is probably the most beautiful time of year, what with all the multicolored leaves. I love writing most during autumn and winter, of course spring and summer are just as great. But the former two carry some sort of magic in the air that the other seasons lack. 

I’ve watched a lot of series in my life. Family Guy, Southpark, Futurama, American Dad, The Simpsons, Friends, How I Met Your Mother and The Sopranos are by far the best ones I’ve seen so far. People often recommend Rome, so I think I’ll give it a try when my schedule allows it. 

In my opinion, Batman and Ironman are the two best superheroes. My favorite villains are of course Bane and the Joker. 

My favorite games of all time are all the Elder Scrolls, Sims and Uncharted.  I play my games on PS3, Nintendo Wii and on an Alienware laptop – if you can call it that, ‘cause it’s so huge, it’s crazy.
I really enjoy anything with vampires, werewolves, fairies, wizards, dragons, giants, elves, dwarves and trolls. Norse mythology is my most favorite. The reason being I like Thor and other creatures mentioned in their myths. I’m also very fond of the Viking attire. 

Tigers and bears, as well as monkeys, wolves and lions, are the most interesting animals. I could watch their lives on TV for hours on end. 

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Genre – Young-adult, Action and Adventure, Coming of Age, Sci-fi

Rating – PG-13

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Website http://ramzartso.blogspot.com/

Joshua Silverman on What Success in Writing Looks Like @jg_silverman #Fantasy #SciFi #TBR

Every writer has their own idea of what a successful career in writing is, what does success in writing look like to you?

Wait, you mean not every author dreams of having their books made into movies and being shuttled around by private jet? Honestly, sometimes, as cliché as it sounds, I love being able to talk to my fans about our shared passion of this world I’ve created.

It is vital to get exposure and target the right readers for your writing, tell us about your marketing campaign?

We do a fair amount of social media. I’ve done TV and radio interviews. But, because we’re in science-fiction and fantasy genre, I go to a lot of comic book conventions (even though a lot of them don’t read non-illustrated books by definition).

Tell us about your new book? What’s it about and why did you write it?

The Soul of the World is the second book of the Legends of Amun Ra universe. It continues where book one, The Emerald Tablet, left off. Soul is about Leoros’ struggling to deal with his emotions after the end of The Emerald Tablet. It’s also about the other survivors, who must face the consequences of their actions.

When you are not writing, how do you like to relax?

With a guitar, scotch, and cigar on my porch.

Do you have any tips on how writers can relax?

Alcohol. If you don’t drink, I’d say some kind of classical or soothing music. I often meditate.

How often do you write? And when do you write?

I aim for 1,000 words per day. But sometimes, with a busy schedule and lots of traveling, I don’t always hit that quota. So I have a 1,000 words per day or 7,000 words per week rule. If I miss a day (or four), I have to make up those words on the weekend.

Have you met any people in the industry who have really helped you?

Yes, tons of people. Networking is very important. Sometimes, the best information is a closely guarded secret and you have to know the right people to find the right deals.

How do you feel about social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter? Are they a good thing?

Personally I don’t think Twitter is all it’s cracked up to be. It’s become a ‘follow me and I’ll follow you’ platform where authors spam their books more than convey meaningful information.

How do you think people perceive writers?

Probably that we lounge around all day in our pajamas when really we’re stressing over not having a clever enough idea, writer’s block, or even finding time to write in the first place.

The ancient powers lost to Potara have returned. The Brotherhood of the Black Rose rises to bring Thoth into disorder. And, while the Brotherhood reclaims their power, chaos reigns among the survivors. Six individuals have emerged from the aftermath struggling for control over their lives and a divided land. Kem and Shirin, who abolished the five thousand year reign of the Amun Priests, rule from the golden throne of the Oracle’s Chair in the Hall of the Nine. Dio and Axios struggle to piece together a resistance worthy to challenge the ancient magic which resides in the Great Temple of Amun, and Leoros and Atlantia try to remain true to their hearts and their cause despite tragedy.

But when the Book of Breathings is discovered, the path to immortality is revealed. Leoros and Kem race to capture the Soul of the World unaware of the challenges awaiting them. This time, the gods themselves will intervene.

In a tale where boys become men and girls become women, where treachery and deception are around every corner, and where primeval mysticism finds its way back from the grave, victory is reserved for neither the good nor the evil, but the powerful.

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Genre – Science fiction, Fantasy

Rating – PG-13+

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Website www.legendsofamunra.com; www.joshuagsilverman.com

Superhuman Nature by Brandon Overall #scifi #bookclub #mustread

Neil and Bryan spent a couple hours playing games together, gloating when they won, and calling the other a cheap bastard when they lost.  It was about 8 o’clock by the time Alex came home and joined in on the beer drinking.  It was only a Thursday evening, but no one had any classes until at least noon the next day, so Thursdays were officially changed to Thirsty Thursday. The rule was, if you didn’t go to bed without proving that you were drunk, you had to do the dishes for the whole weekend.  No one had broken the rule in about two months.

The three enjoyed several beers and they each partially enjoyed a glass of cheap, pre-made Long Island Iced-tea out of a jug they bought at the store.  As he drank, Neil’s tongue began to loosen. He told Bryan and Alex about the dream and about the weird things that happened to him that day.

“Holy shit Hitchenator, you’re turning into Spider-man!” Neil hated the name Hitchenator, but was too drunk to care.

“No, you idiot.  Spider-man got bit by a radioactive spider.” Exclaimed Alex, as if Bryan’s comment was meant to be taken seriously, “I think Neil would have told us if that happened.  Maybe you’re starting to get schizophrenia and you’re just imagining shit.  You should get yourself checked out.”

“I’m not crazy, seriously.  The shampoo bottle and the water fountain I was alone for, but the clock thing everyone saw.  There’s no way that part was a coincidence.  I almost felt like…like I made it happen.” Even as he said it, Neil realized how ridiculous it sounded.  How could he possibly make something like that happen?

“Haven’t you seen A Beautiful Mind?  It can seem perfectly real and still be a hallucination.  Seriously man, that’s not a good sign.  You should really talk to a doctor if you really think you somehow made all that stuff happen with your mind or something.” Alex said, and Bryan nodded in agreement.

Neil started to feel frustrated.  Of course he wasn’t crazy.  Why wouldn’t they agree with him?  His temper started to rise at the thought of his best friends not believing what he was saying.  If they wouldn’t believe him, who would?  All of that talk, and perhaps all of the alcohol, was starting to give him a headache.  He thought back to that dream again, the one that felt so real…

“I said I’m NOT CRAZY!”  Neil slammed his beer bottle down on the coffee table, and as he did, he was startled by a deafening sound in front of him.  He looked up, and saw the source of the noise.  The screen on the TV in front of him was completely shattered, and smoke rose from the back of the set.

Superhuman Nature is Brandon Overall's first novel. It was written and published during his first deployment to Afghanistan as a 2nd Lieutenant in late 2013.

Neil Hitchens was a senior ROTC Cadet in college. He was just weeks away from graduating and becoming an Officer in the United States Army, until a strange dream set off a chain of events that would twist his life into something he could have never prepared for.

In the days following his dream, several strange happenings occurred that he began to suspect were the result of his own actions. Before long, he discovered that he had the ability to control the world around him with his mind.

What started out as an unpredictable ability quickly evolved into an extraordinary power that had the capacity to change the world. It didn't take long for the government to find out what Neil could do.

They knew having such limitless potential on the side of the US Military could give them limitless political influence, and they would stop at nothing to get Neil to do their bidding. They would find out what happens when you back a dangerous animal into a corner.

Neil spent his whole life believing he would amount to greatness, but he never expected how greatness could corrupt even the most innocent of minds.

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Genre – Science Fiction

Rating – PG-13

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The Alpha Choice (The Te'an Trilogy) by MD Hall #SciFi #Free

Three thousand years ago, the Vespoid Khitine are about to learn they must live with the disappointment of trade negotiations collapsing - or at least most of them will have to live with it - Chindara has other things to occupy her mind.

Their erstwhile partners to be, the Te, have their own plans. This is merely one more conquest, hardly different to scores that have gone before, Well, that isn't quite right; it's the first time they have had their actions halted by the appearance of a tiny electric blue light, a Custodian. Never have they watched, helplessly, as two of their battle cruisers blinked out of existence, before receiving a polite, but firm warning: attempts to circumvent the, hitherto unheard of, Accords will result in their complete destruction.

Twenty-one years ago, in the Gallsor system, the warning all but forgotten, Commander Jaron makes a choice that will have unimaginable consequences, the least of which follows his return to Te'ath, when the Supreme Council are prompted - on the urging of the most dangerous of the three heads of the covert Agency, Garnoth - to sanction a plan circumventing the Accords. The target? Telluria (Earth).

Garnoth's most able protégé, Tala, is tasked with leading the expedition, the success of which is dependent upon the Tellurian, Hugo Black (a Boston corporate attorney) heading up a multinational corporation, TeCorp.

Only two people can disrupt Garnoth's plan: Gorn, a twenty-one year old Te'an prodigy, whose brilliance is matched by his self-doubt and social ineptitude. He is recruited, when particularly vulnerable, to the cause of the Te'an rebellion by the single minded Narol. Gorn will betray his best, his only friend and, if he succeeds in his 'mission,' condemn his people to almost certain destruction. While taxing his mind over the choices to be made, he is completely unaware he has been marked for assassination.

The second potential fly in the Te'an ointment is history lecturer, Jonathon (Jon) Tyler and his recently acquired, rebellious young companion, Emily. Spirited from his bed, in the dead of night, he meets the physical embodiment of the electric blue light; a woman, whose beauty reminds him of a classical statue, an impression heightened by a cold and humourless aspect enhanced, in turn, by her inhuman electric blue eyes, completely electric blue eyes. Jon is told that an Artefact exists - a sentient, artificial life form, which may, or may not choose to help - and his job is to bring it to the attention of those who speak for Earth. How difficult could that be?

He is allowed to glimpse the consequences of converging forces, far beyond the danger posed by the Te'an threat, and guesses this to be the real reason for Custodian interest in his planet. For now, he has no choice but to act as a Custodian pawn in an opening gambit, on a board only just beginning to take shape, and where all the pieces have yet to arrive.

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Rating – PG13

Genre – Sci-Fi

5.0 (8 reviews)

Free until 16 January 2014