Mark's Writer Bloc - Book Blog, Free Book Promotion, Indie Authors and Books

The Divided Man by John Sauer

2010-07-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

Book Description:

Wounded Knee was meant to be the end of the Sioux Nation. But it was only the beginning. The Divided Man is the saga of Luke Kimball, a warrior chosen to rise from the ashes of a cataclysmic war and fulfill the destiny of the Ghost Dance. Luke must awaken the Sacred Tree of Life and balance the harmony between human and spirit existence or life will cease to exist. Opposing him is the Manitou, an elk-headed god who has stolen Luke’s soul and requires death for its return. Luke’s quest takes him across a land sundered by war and on the verge of miraculous change, far into the realms of once-mythical gods and deep within him to face the demons that have haunted his life. He must find the six people who with him have the power to awaken the Tree. His journey is inward as well. Luke is guided into the Spirit World and backwards through time by Native American deities who help him discover his true destiny as not only as a savior, but as a god.

Author Bio:

Author John Sauer has always moved to the rhythm of different drums. He has been a video game script writer and producer, professional big game fisherman, copywriter, brand developer and a glass artist. He believes that wonderful things happen when you break convention and is a firm believer on Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism. Other published works by Sauer include books on how to beat video games from Prima Publishing and IDG Books. The Divided Man is his first work of fiction. When he is not getting stories on paper Sauer recycles glass into countertops with his studio GleenGlass LLC near Portland, Oregon.

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Gog - an End of Time Mystery by Dan Richardson

2010-07-24T20:22:00.000-07:00

Book Description:

After her husband Nick goes missing in Egypt, sheltered art curator Carina Wilde flies out to find him in a land devastated by a man-made flood two years earlier - a fulfilment of the Biblical prophecy of Ezekiel, many believe. Stumbling upon the secrets he uncovered, she becomes a fugitive pursued by despots, religious fanatics, looters and occupying powers. Her only allies are an orphan scavenging the ruins of Cairo, and a Suez bar-girl whose relationship with Nick is just one of the questions Carina is forced to confront...A dark satire for an age when the righteous and ruthless shape our world, Gog - an End Time Mystery is written with a rare insight into Egyptian life, Middle Eastern geopolitics, and disinformation.

The language is rich, humorous and vivid. The author has a good 'smell' for the anxieties/paranoia's/ ambitions, which exist amongst the Arab States, Israelis and all the rest of the Muslim/Christian brotherhood!

Author Bio:

Born in London, Dan Richardson grew up in a boarding-house that was a microcosm of 1960s’ counter-culture, whose lodgers included radical lesbians, Satanists, and students doctoring in nuclear deterrence. Losing an arm along the way, he sailed a yacht through the Suez Canal, hit the gringo trail in Peru, wrote about the cocaine trade for The Times, and joined the Rough Guides, authoring their travel guidebooks on Eastern Europe, Moscow, St Petersburg and Egypt, interrupted by a stint as a volunteer aid worker in Albania. Gog – an End Time Mystery is his first novel.

Excerpt:

‘The hold was dark now, muted bulbs outlining crates and spars. She heard a litany of Russian and a voice confirming their entry into Egyptian air space in broken English. Through the porthole, only darkness below; then a wavering line of ivory that must be the coastline, followed by more darkness, seemingly endless. Thirty minutes passed before she saw lights on the horizon, resolving into pulsars and corpuscles, towns and vehicles. Hydraulics engaged, turbines whined, her ears began aching and her stomach crept into her chest. She tightened the fraying seat-belt as the plane dipped towards the earth.

Somewhere down there, Nick had disappeared.

Somewhere she’d find him. Somehow…’

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Huaracan by Lance Oren

2010-07-20T00:10:00.000-07:00

Book Description:

Huracán is a suspenseful historical fiction of the Infamous 1733 Treasure Fleet sank off the Florida Keys during a major hurricane of the century. Twenty-two galleons were either beached, or sank with untold fortune in precious jewels, gems, gold and silver coins, and many souls. Huracán provides insight of the life aboard a 1733 Treasure Galleon, along with her crew and passengers. This suspenseful novel incorporates many little known facts in nautical history of the period, along with a cast of lovable characters that will become your friends.Follow the exciting journey of Captain Antonio Larzaro, as he commands the San Pedro and its crew. Antonio befriends a young alchemist, Cero, a valuable addition to the crew.The lovable, Padre, a banished priest by the Cardinal of Seville, and Hermando and Bernardo, the Vatican Guards who escort the Padre to Cartagena, South America. Seville, the ships cook, has a deep secret to hide from the captain and crew. Antonio is sacrificing everything for the glory of Spain.

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Aisling's Woods by F.A. Ludwig

2010-07-12T23:37:00.000-07:00

Book Description:

When a government agent vanishes in the woods near her new home, Aisling finds herself involved in a mystery, one that began before she was born. Returned to the town of her birth for her last year of high school, Aisling is presented with one surprise after another. There’s a troll living beneath the river bridge, and there is a toll that must be paid to cross. An ancient wolf follows her through the woods, and a strange landlord, who seems to have been waiting for her return…for nearly seventeen years. Aisling finds herself in a struggle to discover her own unusual heritage, and deal with a problem the residents of the woods have given her…saving their world and hers. Now Aisling must plan an attack against an ancient evil as she leads her newfound friends through inter-dimensional portals to battle an enemy as old as time itself.

Excerpt:

"I thought you said Cerberus was a three headed dog,” Aisling whispered to Cindy as they peered around the arch at the huge scaled beast lying near the steps leading back up to the platform.“That’s not Cerberus,” Jon said quietly, “that’s bad news, that’s a Hydra. No wonder nothing came after us.”“What’s a Hydra?” Mike asked, shifting his hold on Peters as he strained to see what everyone was staring at.“It’s like a three headed dragon,” Cindy said, “and if it notices us, we’re all toast.”“We don’t need to get into a pitched battle with that,” Aisling said, keeping her eyes on the silent beast.“If it sees us, we’re going to need a decoy,” Jon said, looking over to Swan, “You up to it?”“On the job,” Swan said, working at the straps of her sword before taking it off her back and handing it to Aisling, “I won’t need this, nor anything else,” Swan said as she shed her suit, adding it to the sword in Aisling’s hands.“I’ll head towards the other end of the beast, and if it moves, I’ll draw its attention,” Swan said, looking over to Jon. “How come I’m seeing Miss May,” Peters gasped, as he caught sight of Swan, “Am I in heaven now?”“Because you look at too many pictures,” Cindy said, shaking her head, “You’re just seeing things, the result of an over active imagination.” “Then how come I can see you just fine then,” Peters asked, giving a little cough as he looked at Cindy.“You can discuss it all with your doctor, once we get you out of here,” Aisling said, “I’m sure he’ll explain it all somehow, but until that happens, just stay quiet.”“Aya,” Aisling whispered, “you, Cindy, and Gail go first. As soon as you reach the top, we’re following.”“Look over there,” Jon said quietly to Aisling as the girls made their way up the steps, “There’s another platform on the other side.”“So, the beast isn’t guarding our door to hell, it’s watching over his door, the door out into his worlds,” Aisling said, taking in what they were seeing.“That’s the way you’ll have to go,” Jon said, shifting his hold on Peters, “That must be another gate, it must lead to one that needs to be shutdown.”

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24 Hour Lottery Ticket by Gayle Tiller

2010-07-11T23:21:00.000-07:00

Book Description:

Dianne Canton is a lawyer whose life is in dire straits. She's lost her apartment and car. Dianne is living in her rundown office in downtown San Jose. When Emma Watkins knocks on her door, Dianne thinks she is a bill collector. Emma turns out to be a former judge who holds a $73 million lottery ticket that will expire in about 24 hours. Years ago, the media destroyed Emma and her family in a bitter recall election. Emma wants to stop the media from publicizing her name as the winner of the lottery. If Dianne wins Emma's case, her money troubles will be over. If Dianne loses, Emma will lose $73 million.

Author Bio:

Gayle Tiller is a community activist, a public relations professional and a former lawyer for senior citizens. She lives in San Jose where she is working on her next novel. To learn more about Gayle, visit her web site: http://www.24hourlotteryticket.com/.

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How Did I Get Here? by Ahmad Williams

2010-07-10T17:56:00.000-07:00

Book Description:

Preston Brown is one of the most elegant and upcoming stars in the African-American community; who has destiny written all over him. He has everything a twenty-five year old man could ever want in life: a miraculous looking wife (Delight), kids, dog, and a career lined up after seminary school to top it all off. Although, very intelligent and keen with words you will find out how Preston's strengths will ultimately turn into his center of weakness. Preston finds himself in a series of unfortunate events that makes it difficult for him to even believe in himself after some time. Preston's ambitious attributes meet the test when he finds himself caught up with a woman that attracts him in every way. Preston soon finds himself in a dilemma of whether to stay married or get a divorce. The first of a three part series will read to you a story about failure, struggle, and redemption at its greatest capacities. Find out how the consistent faith of his wife delivers him from evil and how Preston finds humility as the greatest spiritual relief he has ever felt.

Author Bio:

Ahmad Williams is a native of Vineland, New Jersey and is a graduate of both Trinity Lutheran Seminary (MTS, 2008) and The Ohio State University (BA, History, 2004). He is the proud owner of Uncle John’s Fish, LLC and the CEO and founder of Mortified Books. Ahmad is ordained by the World Council of Independent Christian Churches (WCICC) and currently serves as a commissioned officer in the United States Army. He is married to the former Crystal Childs and they currently reside in Reynoldsburg, Ohio with their four children.

He has always been a talented writer of short stories throughout elementary school and never received any grade less than an A in all English classes taken throughout his academic career. Some of his inspirations come from Richard Wright, W.E.B. DuBois, and James Baldwin.

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Swimmers in the Sea by John Cravens

2010-07-10T17:10:00.000-07:00

Book Description:

Late in the fall of 1967, Thomas Dawes--nearing his twenty-first birthday--is in Hawaii on R and R from Vietnam. The freedom he finds in sailing a small boat offshore alone leads him beyond the bounds of O‘ahu. He extends the days he has been allotted there as he sails through the island group, meeting various people who are living largely undisturbed by the war he has left behind. Dawes finds that intertwined with what he has experienced in the past months, now there is a reawakening of hope for the future, released by his chanced meeting with a girl whose strongest impulse is the joy she finds in living.

This is a story told as a voyage along the rhumb line--a straight-line path derived from a defined initial bearing--of causal events that lead to a result that is both unexpected and inevitable.

Author Bio:

John Kemuel Cravens is an architect, licensed to practice in Hawaii. In 1967 he was a US Marine serving in Vietnam. He is a graduate of The University of Oklahoma and lives with his wife in Tulsa. Swimmers in the Sea is his first published novel.

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Keeper of Secrets by Lance Oren

2010-07-05T21:02:00.000-07:00

Book Description:

Keeper of Secrets is another spellbinding novel by Lance Oren. The intense plot surrounds the Vatican in Rome, a Religious Order with centuries of dark secrets hidden within their archives and vaults that are hidden from many inquiring minds searching for answers and truth. The Vatican's iron rule to preserve Christianity at all cost with alliances with questionable governments, political leaders, and hidden agendas is suddenly exposed with the accidental death of an important member of their clergy.

Father Raymie is killed in a tragic accident, but manages to whisper a secret from his dying lips to an American official in Rome. Rusty Miller is a detective on loan to the Rome Homeland Security against terrorism, and is now tragically responsible for the death of Father Raymie. The secret begins to blossom as an autopsy on Father Raymie exposes startling and disturbing questions transpiring within Vatican City.

As Rusty explores new leads outside of the Vatican Walls, the plot twists and turns in new directions, each twist leading to another mystery. The Vatican will use all its resources to keep the secret from the detective and the public, and forces Rusty to create his own alliances with colorful characters. Lorenzo Nicolo, a very resourceful, young medical student with an inquisitive mind and a lust for adventure. And Anita, an extremely beautiful woman who has inside connections to the Vatican Archives with its secrets concealed within. Together they uncover a Vatican secret that changes history as we know it. A dark secret is revealed that will open our eyes to blind ignorance, a different perspective on Christianity, and an insight to the Keepers of Secrets worldwide.

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Rain by Kieryn Nicolas

2010-07-05T20:22:00.000-07:00

Book Description:

ASSIGNMENT DETAILS

LOCATION: Rochester, New York to Brisbane, Australia

ISSUED TO:

MEL: tough 15-year-old female spy

ASSETS AND PERSONNEL:

THOMAS SYME [AKA: SHADOW]: principal of Watson Institute and Mel’s guardian

RAY: meteorology prodigy and Mel’s best friend

CAIDY: jealous student who may know more than she’s letting on

BONNIE ROBAR: Ray’s mom, also a meteorologist, whose whereabouts are unknown and who may have left behind a project with dangerous potential.

MISSION: follow the trail of stolen birth certificates (including Ray’s) which uncovers a plot that involves more than anyone had anticipated.

Author Bio:

Kieryn Nicolas resides in central Pennsylvania with her parents, younger sister, their lovable yellow lab, black cat and ten hens. Kieryn was a competitive figure skater for nine years and is currently working hard to advance in Taekwondo. She is considering a career as a forensic scientist or crime scene investigator, and has eleven novels in the works. Kieryn enjoys spending time with her close friends, and also loves to read, write, eat chocolate and travel with hopes of someday seeing Brisbane, Australia for herself.

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Deadly Gamble: The First Charlie Parker Mystery by Connie Shelton

2010-06-29T23:49:00.000-07:00

Book Description:

Albuquerque CPA Charlie Parker (female, despite the name) handles the business side of RJP Investigations while her brother, Ron, does the detecting. When Ron is out of town, however, Stacy North, who eloped with Charlie's fiance, Brad, 10 years earlier, comes calling, hoping to hire someone to find her missing Rolex watch. Charlie reluctantly takes the case and soon finds the watch in a pawn shop, where the thief, a man with whom Stacy had been having an affair, sold it. Soon the lover is dead, and Stacy is an obvious suspect. Charlie sticks with the case and finds herself involved with still more murder. This is a well-plotted debut mystery with a nice surprise ending and some excellent characterizations. Charlie, in particular, is slick, appealing, and nobody's fool--just what readers want in an amateur sleuth. Look forward to the next installment in what shapes up to be a promising series.

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The Dragon Twins by F.A. Ludwig

2010-06-29T22:12:00.000-07:00

Book Description:

The world is no longer a safe place when Kasumi, a Japanese teen, meets up with Sara, a girl from America. Bonded together by birth and battle, the two girls must fight against an unknown adversary in order to save their lives. Kasumi is bushi, with a thousand years of proud Samurai heritage. Sara is a politician’s daughter, always underfoot, often ignored, with ten years practice as a spoiled brat. When terrorists attack Sara, she awakens in a hidden village somewhere in the mountains of Japan. A place still guarded by Samurai for the last 700 years. There, she begins to find out who she is, and adopts the ancient ways that will bring her back home. A return that forces her to once again face the possibility of death, while hunting down the one responsible for the attack against her. Together, the two prepare for battle on the ground and in the skies over Washington, D.C. as their enemy shows his hand and the samurai of ancient Japan are once again called forth to fight a modern day battle, with Sara leading her troops in a fight to the death.

Author Bio:

Coming from a family with five sisters, the author has retired from Navy life in Virginia Beach, Virginia; after spending 23 years in the military. He now cares for his wife and their three large dogs while working as a security officer. He is the author of Aisling’s Woods and The Voyages of Sara, the sequel to The Dragon Twins.

Excerpt:

"Taking a moment, Kasumi sat down beside Sara. Leaning forward, she reached behind her and pulled out a large cell phone-like device from her pouch and flipped open its cover. “Aren’t you supposed to have two swords?” Sara gasped, trying to keep her mind off the pain. “Traditionally, however, I decided that if I’m to give my life, it’ll be in battle against my enemy or home on my futon as a very old woman,” Kasumi said, her attention still focused on the device in her hands, “Some traditions can slow you down. All my samurai now carry only the katana as I do. Most will have a smaller blade somewhere on them, just in case we need to get close up and personal with someone.” “What’s that?” Sara asked, looking at what Kasumi held in her hands. “It’s my comm link,” Kasumi explained as she touched several buttons in sequence. “How’s it work?” Sara asked. “Why do you need to know that for?” Kasumi asked, looking back at her. “I’d like to use it to call the cavalry if you don’t mind.” Sara said with weak exasperation. “I’m trying to contact one the teams, the seventh. I think they are closest,” Kasumi said, her fingers still working on the device. “Wait a minute,” Sara said, leaning her head back against the wall with a small weak laugh, “I want to call the cavalry and all you can do is offer up is the Seventh?” “Don’t you know who that is?” Sara asked with a grimace of pain and a cough. “No” Kasumi told her, looking slightly confused and thinking Sara’s loss of blood was beginning to affect her thinking. “Ever heard of Custer?” Sara said, gasping a little as more pain shot through her leg and thigh. “That’s like a dessert, yes?” Kasumi asked, “We don’t have time for lunch right now Sara, we’re kind of busy here.” “Ahhh No! George Armstrong Custer! He led the 7th Cavalry,” Sara said laying her head back against the wall and closing her eyes. “Ok. So what?” Kasumi asked, still trying to see where this conversation was going. “It means they won’t be much help here,” Sara weakly ended with. “Won’t matter Sara-sama,” Kasumi said, still looking at her device, “To much concrete over our heads. It’s not getting a signal out,” Kasumi said, looking up at the ceiling.“Oh, that’s just great,” Sara uttered as she leaned forward to rest her head in her hands, her “What now?” coming out a little muffled."

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Point Deception by Jim Gilliam

2010-06-27T22:19:00.000-07:00

Book Description:

Tim Kelly lies about his age and joins the Coast Guard at 14. Almost a decade later, Tim's tour of duty leads him to Galveston, where he's reunited with his estranged father, James. Before the two can make amends, James is beaten to death by a union-busting criminal. Devastated by his loss, Tim transfers to San Francisco where he butts heads with his commanding officer. Facing a court martial, Tim elects to go to Vietnam for combat duty, and joins up with three friends. When his buddies are killed by friendly fire and Tim is awarded the Silver Star, he releases his rage in the officer's club, earning himself a less than honorable discharge. Back in the United States, Tim starts a new career as an undercover DEA agent and enters the shadowy world of drug trafficking. Linking up with one of the largest kingpins in the drug cartel, Tim is privy to some of the most dangerous criminals in the world. When Tim's cover is blown, he is captured and brutally tortured by his lifelong nemesis and infamous cartel enforcer, Rucho Martinez. Will Tim escape and at what cost will he finally be able to calm the rage that has consumed him since childhood? Jim Gilliam's novel moves like a freight train through a tight, spellbinding storyline. An engaging and fast-paced suspense thriller, Point Deception is a riveting page-turner, based on true events.

Author Bio:

Jim Gilliam is a writer and civilian mariner/physician assistant for the Navy. Mr. Gilliam is writing the sequel to his novel and lives with his wife, Laura, in New York.

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My Sister's Keeper by Mary H. Collins

2010-06-24T23:29:00.000-07:00

Book Synopsis:

When Cathey loses her husband in a tragic plane crash, her younger sister Cassie doesn't think twice about leaving her glamorous job in New York City to be there for her sister and her three young daughters. Having lost her own father at an early age, she knows what her nieces are going through.

After four years Cathey finally realizes she is going to have to pull herself out of her depression, not only for her children's sake, but for her own sanity; she has to face the fact that her husband is gone and she will have to raise her daughters without a father. Imagine the shock she experiences when while on a family vacation to Disney World, she walks out of the restroom to run face to face into Daniel, the man she thought was dead and finds out that he's been living with another woman and has two sons by her.

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Livid by Greta Stone

2010-06-21T23:14:00.000-07:00

Author Bio:

Greta Stone has always had a love for all things art - writing, photography, drawing and dance. She wrote her first poem at age six. Throughout her teens and early twenties, she immersed herself in poetry - falling in love with free verse.

Sample Poem:

Six Was Innocent

Greasy pizza at the flea market

That we lived for

Learning how to write our names

Ice-cream melting on my shirt

And not caring

It was innocent

Until pizza made me sick

And my name was being

Written on the bathroom walls

And my shirt was soaked

With tears because I cared

And I wish I could go back

to six because six

was innocent.

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The Sun, The Glass, and The Leaning Rock by Mark S. Taylor

2010-06-19T14:06:00.000-07:00

Book Description:

The Sun, The Glass, and The Leaning Rock is a daring tale of high adventure, of friendships, of romance, of loyalties and betrayals, and of great personal danger in the lives of ordinary people. This tale combines a tricolor of excitement, yielding the grand adventure of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' the enchantment and humor of 'Romancing the Stone,' and the suspenseful who-done-it of Sherlock Holmes--hang on tight! The story opens in the year 1984, but centers on the 1924 discovery of the 'Lost Dutchman's Mine' in Arizona, the inevitable misfortune of it's discoverer, and the strange fate of the loot itself. A treasure map, an unusual necklace, and a simple nursery rhyme set the stage for double murder, betrayal, kidnapping, and unrelenting drama in this tale of the high desert. An unemployed ex-cop and his two friends become entwined in this adventure-mystery, which takes the reader from Boston to Arizona, from Ohio to California, and finally into the harsh, Nevada desert, where the good guys meet the bad guys in a final, head-on confrontation. Both want to unlock the treasure's secret--'the sun, the glass, and the leaning rock, tell you when it's four o' clock.' If you're ready to jump out of an airplane on a foggy night, hopefully land unscathed in rugged terrain, repel from a high cliff on a short rope, take an eerie night stroll across miles of barren desert, find your way through an unyielding sandstorm, escape a deadly confrontation with rattlesnakes, pass through the turbulent waters of a flash flood, leap from a high-rolling flatcar on a train ride to terror, and in the meantime solve all the 'who-done-it' before the astonishing climax--then you are more than welcome to the millions in gold that lay hidden within a dark, abandoned void, somewhere near Ely, Nevada.

Author Bio:

Mark Stephen Taylor, author of the award-winning autobiography, 'Hiking the Trail of Truth,' now adds a daring tale of mystery and high adventure to his resume. He has also authored 'Life's Difficult Trails,' a treatise on mind, body and spirit, and 'A High Sierra Christmas' (fiction), an untold tale of Jeremiah Johnson. This newest edition, The Sun, The Glass, and The Leaning Rock, (also published as 'A Second Chance') was actually the first book written by Mr. Taylor, from 1984-86, when he was experiencing the difficulties of unemployment from the harsh closings of many Ohio factories in the early 80's. Mr. Taylor is a former California police officer, educated in criminal psychology and geology. He is currently a Biblical teacher and counselor. He has spent many years exploring the wonders of the American southwest, spending time also among the Native Americans. His lifetime experiences and knowledge have produced a unique style of writing that is appreciated by both the educated and common among us. Mr. Taylor is still an avid hiker at age 64, and still visits many wilderness areas. He lives in California, last we heard, and is one of those few authors who enjoy being contacted by those who read his work and have questions regarding any of it. He was headed up into the High Sierra a while back--not sure of his whereabouts, but his trail phone is 909-549-0068.

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The Island by P.J. Risley

2010-06-15T23:31:00.000-07:00

Book Description:

Samantha slid over the edge of the boat and into the warm blue water; she just wanted to get to a safe place and away from this boat. She didn't know what had happened. She had awakened with a gash on her head aboard this small sailboat, and it was stuck in the sand, on what looks like a tropical Island. But she didn't know where, she couldn't remember anything not even her own name. Although, she had a terrible feeling that she wasn't alone and that she needed to run and hide.

Author Bio:

I was born the second child of seven in Madera Ca. However, I was only two weeks old and we were on the road to Texas. So needless to say I grew up moving a lot, we followed the fruit in California or we picked cotton in Oklahoma and Texas. I didn't start to write until after the death of my mother in 2008. Because of my bad spelling and dyslexia, I never got into writing early in my life. But I did make up stories in my head and tell them to my siblings. My husband encouraged me to try to write down one of my stories. I thought about it for a few days then I started to write. It came so easy, the story was there just waiting for me to write it. I have other hobbies besides writing; I raise a garden of flowers and vegetables. I quilt, do oil painting and I sometime sing with my husband who plays guitar.

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Test Pilot's Daughter: Revenge by Steve Ward

2010-06-09T22:54:00.000-07:00

Book Description:

Test Pilot’s Daughter: Revenge is the first title in a series featuring a gutsy female genius who fights injustice in a fast paced thriller. Molesters and pedophiles be warned, don’t mess with Christina Matthews! Review from the Editor’s Desk of Harper Collins: Test Pilot’s Daughter is exciting, original and a real page-turner. It is extremely well plotted. The author’s familiarity with flying lends his action real veracity and texture. Ranked number 1 out of 8,000 books on Harper Collins’ Authonomy website November, 2009. Romance, adventure, murder and revenge, Christina Matthews does it all. An obsessed fly-girl with the Right Stuff and True Grit finds love in the oddest place, the cockpit. A beautiful and brainy college girl born with jet-fuel in her blood is haunted by a gripping family tragedy and the violent murder of her best friend. The only thing she truly fears is sleep. Tortured by nightmares, this test pilot’s daughter has to find a way to save her sanity or die. Mike Clark, call-name Lazer and a real Top Gun, looks to be the best kind of therapy.With dreams of becoming an Astronaut-Commander, Christina struggles through heart-stopping perils in the cockpit and crash-lands on a deserted island. Without hope for rescue, she concocts an oddball plan to return survivors to civilization. Risking her future at NASA, Christina delivers on a promise to a dying friend and faces her evil nemesis in the sky. Only by overcoming deep-seated fears can she exorcise her ghosts and pursue a lifelong dream of flying in space. Will true love conquer Christina’s curse, or will she auger in?Note from the Author: If you enjoy this novel, make sure to check out the sequel, Test Pilot’s Daughter: Dead Reckoning and follow Christina Matthews into space.

About the Author:

After a career in laser science and spacecraft research, Steve Ward spent the last decade writing, editing and flying. He teaches Creative Writing at Brenau University and edits novels freelance. With one book published, Holy Enigma, University Press, he won writing awards from Writer’s Digest and NASA Innovations. Amid many articles published in technical journals, both of his fiction books are adventures in aviation. He lives on Lake Lanier at the foothills of the Smoky Mountains in Gainesville, Georgia, USA.

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Kite by Bill Shears

2010-06-05T17:19:00.000-07:00

Book Synopsis:

Mason Dash, operator of Earth orbit street sweeper Kite, spots movement in a derelict space station where there should be none. Heading Earthward in his shuttle the last day of his three-month shift he detours, closing with the dark station. Something moving in there spooks him. Dash, with the help of beautiful virtual personality Sheila, creates a plan to expose suspected hijackers. He believes Sheila is his secret but Janet, his brilliant AI expert spouse, informs him that she and Sheila are chums, and she's even added some experimental "adaptive" modules. While preparing a simulation "scenario" to carry into orbit next shift, Dash dozes off and Sheila stows away in the code, her new adaptive behaviors kicking in. No way she'll be left behind this trip. Back in orbit Dash confirms the presence of intruders on the station, while inside the Kite computer systems there's turmoil. Emerging from deep in the data depths He_Ra has assembled a powerful force to seize control from the old Main Process. Sheila splits attention between Dash outside and her own adventure inside Kite, getting a taste of romance and revolution. The tyrant He_Ra has taken a fancy to her and wants to expand to other orbital structures, like the nearby space casino, then perhaps to Earth. Dash sends Sheila to the space station to scout. She finds not hijackers but a team of inept diplomats, preparing to receive humankind's first unearthly visitor. Dash, doubtful they'll survive the encounter, would leave them to their fate when the alien, name of Troy, turns up. Troy's a working stiff too but is authorized to defend himself. His sensors detect a threat and he's armed with some powerful planet-busting weapons. Earth's fate is in the balance and only Dash, Sheila, Janet, and Kite, can prevent disaster.

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Bobo the Race Car by Concetta M Payne

2010-06-05T16:59:00.000-07:00

About the Book:

Bobo is an awesome race car. His dream is to win a big race and be in the winner's circle. So you can just imagine how excited he was when he read that the Poco Race Track was having their first big racing event. He eagerly picked up the phone and called all his friends. He was thrilled when his friends Gator, Big Foot and Saber wanted to join him in the race. During their practice laps, Bobo noticed that his friend Big Foot was having serious problems on the track. Bobo and all his friends knew that Big Foot needed their help, but trying to convince Big Foot was not going to be easy. Just imagine these competing race cars jeopardizing their chances to be in the winner's circle in order to help their friend! Their confidence, determination and unselfish efforts to help their friend compete in the race are inspirational.

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The Final Dragonkeeper by Jose J. Amador

2010-05-31T14:14:00.000-07:00

Book Description:

The novel was written with Middle Grade to Young-adult groups in mind, although I really think adults will find it a fun read as well. The premise is straightforward enough: Fifteen-year-old Drake Wallace is your typical, geeky, teenage boy who enjoys video games, has a fascination with science, and has a love for all things medieval – especially dragons. Drake’s older sister, Madison, is the independent, tomboy type. She’s the first to notice her parents acting weird after the arrival of a mysterious man. Much to their parent’s protest, Drake surprisingly discovers he’s the Final Dragonkeeper while Madison learns she’s her brother’s ‘Protector’. Thus begins a thrilling experience that leads them on a path of self-discovery, coming to terms with what they have become, and all the while searching for a mythical relic. But an ancient horror lurks in the shadows, poised to destroy them before their quest even begins.

Author Bio:

Jose J. Amador is a engineer by trade having a doctoral degree in computer engineer from the Florida Institute of Technology. He has published several research articles in five different peer-reviewed journals when he decided to return to his first love of writing science fiction and fantasy. Mostly an author of science fiction, he has also tried his hand at fantasy with the above described novel being his first full-length work. Writing at first for his children's enjoyment, he was encouraged by these same kids to try his hand at publishing his work, finding it indeed more challenging (and exciting) than publishing boring engineering (although still cool) research. Raised in a Cuban family, Jose has a "thick" skin to go along with his easy going personality - this makes him perfect for accepting good *constructive* criticism from anyone willing to pass it along.

Excerpt:

He took a deep breath – held it for a moment with pursed lips – then let out a long, tired sigh. With a slight feeling of foreboding he realized time was becoming short. The Dragonkeeper was dying.
Suddenly the doors to his chambers flew open, a palace servant entered quickly and said, “Grand advisor, forgive me, but it’s the Tighearn. He’s calling for you, please hurry!”
The grand advisor and servant made their way to the Tighearn’s bed chamber. Hastily they walked down the long, darkened hallways of the palace, imposingly high walls ending in forcefully sculpted, stucco ceilings added to the ever increasing sense of dread spreading throughout. A hush had fallen and he could see as they passed the look of worry on the faces of other servants.
Upon entering the bed chamber the grand advisor noticed the Dragonkeeper lying – he hoped – asleep on his king-sized bed. He was underneath pristine white sheets, a withered figure of the great man he once was his head looking strangely small on huge, overstuffed, white pillows. Besides numerous servants and palace guards standing watch, towering next to the bed was the Head Dragon of the Council, a Eura Dragon named Burrax, up on his hind legs resting back on the thick base of his tail. The head dragon waited patiently with hands and arms resting on his thickly scaled, gold-colored stomach. He turned his head with big bat-like ears and sharp green eyes toward the grand advisor, flicking his tongue in greeting. The grand advisor gave him a respectful nod of acknowledgment and placed himself opposite the large dragon. He looked at the Dragonkeeper relieved to see him still breathing.

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Declination (Right Ascension) by David Derrico

2010-05-30T20:44:00.000-07:00

Book Description:

A continuation of the saga begun in Right Ascension, Declination finds us in the year 3050, ten years after the dreadful Lucani Ibron have been driven from Earth. Now, the Confederation's crises are spawned from within, and one brave woman struggles against all odds to keep mankind united amidst a hailstorm of rebellion, war, and moral declination.

The Lucani Ibron have yet to return, but all is not well within the Alpha Sector. Internal strife, terrorism, and ever-escalating conflicts with several neighboring species have spread the Confederation's resources dangerously thin. Captain Anastasia Mason, together with an eclectic group of humanity's most decorated heroes, struggles to hold the Confederation together against powerful forces that threaten to rip it apart at its very core. Then, at what appears to be mankind’s most desperate hour, an old enemy returns from a ten-year hiatus, casting humanity to the brink of civil war... and outright annihilation.

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The Garbage Pickers by Neil Shanker

2010-05-26T22:58:00.000-07:00

Book Description:

The Garbage Pickers is a coming-of-age story about Nikki, a nineteen-year-old who lives with his mother in the affluent suburb of Golf Links, New Delhi. Nikki has a sweet tooth, has been expelled from his boarding school, is fond of boys as well as girls, and is something of a philosopher. An evening with Sweety, a girl from a call-center, sparks a love affair. Her subsequent murder and his hunt for her killer brings his world into the orbit of Bhaskar -- a vagrant who arrives from Madras after being driven insane by a horrific crime -- as well as a community of rag-pickers fighting a losing battle with toxic waste imported by an international consortium run by drug smugglers and government officials. The secret of Sweety's death emerges as a result of a series of adventures that include an extended sojourn in Tihar Jail, Asia's largest prison. Set amid the conflicts of globalization and a rapidly changing urban society, this is a story about sensuality in the midst of opulence and squalor, and about love, between boy and girl, son and mother, brother and sister, man and fellow-man.

Author Bio:

Neil Shanker was born in India into an Anglo-Indian family and educated in the UK and USA as a computer scientist.

Excerpt:

Sweety and her friend took an hour to get there, due to a traffic jam on Janpath. There was always a traffic jam on Janpath, but the girls seemed genuinely apologetic as they all walked to Nikki’s bedroom. Nikki could feel his heart thumping, as he always did just before an encounter. Rajni was tall with long, wavy hair and an impeccable American twang; Bunty seemed very taken up with her. Nikki had never met Sweety before, though they had corresponded over the internet after he had found her on the Delhi singles website. She was petite, a Bengali girl with a hearty laugh that revealed sparkling white teeth.

Nikki paid them two thousand rupees and then, after putting the money away carefully into their handbags, the girls started to strip, right there in the bedroom with its oak bookshelves and the white dresser with Nikki’s cologne bottles and his mother’s pink peonies. Sweety had a small powdered belly and a round rump, and a scar above her navel. As she lay on the bed, her short hair trim above her neck, her dark legs slightly parted, Nikki found her irresistible. He threw off his clothes and they began to have sex right away, as it was already half-past six. Bunty and Rajni retreated to the adjoining room that served as Nikki’s mother’s study, where they made do on a sheet on the floor.

“Ever considered Bollywood?” Nikki asked Sweety, as he squeezed her dark buttocks.

“In my dreams, ya,” she replied, with a smile. Her eyes were lightly rimmed with kohl, and her skin had a faint smell of sweat and jasmine blossoms.

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The Only Way Is Up: The Journey of an Immigrant by Folake Taylor

2010-05-25T23:44:00.000-07:00

Book Description:

This book features the author’s experiences and views on pertinent life issues as an immigrant to the United States of America. The objective is to empower women. However, the greater part of the message is of relevance to a general audience. Some of the issues that are the focus of this book are: Identity Health & Preventive medicine, Finding a mate, Relationships & Family, Single parenthood, Teenage pregnancies, Gender roles, Diet & Nutrition, Global exposure, Positivity & Loving yourself, Spirituality Life outside the United States, and much more…

Author Bio:

Folake Taylor is a debut author and a board certified outpatient Internal Medicine MD in the suburbs of Atlanta GA. She is married with a toddler. She was born in the UK to Nigerian born parents before relocating to the United States. This gives her a global view and a sligtly different approach to some of the issues that are dear to her heart that she writes about. Her residency training was at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta GA. Though this is her first book, she has published work and conference abstract presentations in the field of Medicine to her credit. In her spare time, she loves to spend time with her husband and little girl, her favorite people. She enjoys travelling, movies, white water rafting and vacationing around large bodies of water (though a non-swimmer)! Please check her out on her facebook fan page as F. Taylor or twitter as folaketaylor. Her website is http://www.theonlywayisup.net/

Excerpt:

I CAME TO this country with three hundred dollars to my name! Even though I had graduated from medical school...

Incidentally, earlier that same day in San Juan, I had taken many pictures of my husband and our little girl. And even as I was taking those pictures and watching the dynamics of their interaction, I had given a lot of thought to confidence and self worth with regard to our little girl and how happy and content she was most of the time. I thought about how to maintain that contentment as well as her father's role as her protector. I had pictured in my mind how he would be the one to primarily teach her how to hold her own in dealing with any man–how to hold her head up high and command respect from a man, from anybody. He would show her as my father did me, how it feels to be treated like a lady, thus raising the bar so that she will never settle for less.

All the while, I was trying to envision his role in her future success through the confidence he can instill in her, which helps to buttress what I teach her about being a woman. This is because it all begins with believing in herself. The sense of self worth we help instill will breed confidence which then translates to success. When others see that confidence, they will believe in her. I have never lacked confidence or believed there was something I couldn’t do if I put my heart to it. I was raised that way.

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Right Ascension by David Derrico

2010-05-23T22:22:00.000-07:00

Book Description:

Set in the year 3040, Right Ascension explores mankind's place in the Universe, how we ascended to that lofty position, and the horrifying price of that ascension.

Humanity's struggle to assume a place of dominance within the galaxy is suddenly called into question when a sleek alien vessel arrives unexpectedly at Earth. Admiral Daniel Atgard and the crew of the Apocalypse embark on a mission to find these enigmatic aliens, but the focus of the mission quickly turns from finding answers to exacting revenge. Meanwhile, a belligerent species of reptilian warriors, seeking to avenge a previous defeat at the hands of the human-controlled United Confederation of Planets, takes this opportunity to plan an all-out assault on Earth. Faced with overwhelming odds and the terrible knowledge of humanity's most horrifying secret, Daniel must choose between honor... and humanity's very survival.

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A Plane Proposal by Emjae Edwards

2010-05-22T23:12:00.000-07:00

Book Description:

Garnet grew up believing in heroes. Her parents were her first heroes; strong, independent and loving. When they were ripped from her life she began a desperate search for a new hero but the one she found had feet of clay and a heart of brass. So, she became her own hero, and accepted no assistance, rejected every hand. When her gilded champion came back into her life, a bit battered and very tarnished, did she have enough strength to save him?

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