Tag Archives: action and adventure

New Release – Grady Whill and the Templeton Codex by Carole P Roman @caroleproman

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Grady Whill and the Templeton Codex: A Superhero High School Adventure by [Carole P. Roman]

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Grady is in middle school with his best friend Aarush, who is on the autistic spectrum.

Kids…autistic, asthmatic, overweight, bullies, insecurity…This coming of age fantasy has it all. I was captivated with the world and characters that Carole P Roman has created. I loved watching them learn and grow.

Grady, Aarush and many of their classmates want to go to Templeton Academy, a place to discover your ‘hidden talents and develop them into formidable powers.’ Sounds a bit Hatty Potterish, doesn’t it?

The kids who gravitated to Grady learned to work together for a common goal. I can see a moral to the story and I feel all who read Grady Whill will leave with a smile on their face.

It is hard to describe the story without spoiling it, but I will say it was…unputdownable.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Grady Whill and the Templeton Codex by Carole P Roman.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Templeton Academy- the superhero high school is finally open!
The prestigious academy is recruiting the best of the best to enroll in its student body.
The school is as mysterious as it is exclusive.
Grady Whill thinks there is nothing special about him to make the grade.
However, his best friend, Aarush Patel has been selected and thinks Grady has the right stuff.
Even school bully, Elwood Bledsoe is attending.
If Grady is fortunate enough to be picked, his guardian has forbidden him to attend.
Will a family secret prevent Grady from becoming the superhero he was destined to be?

ABOUT CAROLE P ROMAN

Carole P. Roman

Carole P. Roman is the award-winning author of over fifty children’s books. Whether it’s pirates, princesses, or discovering the world around us, her books have enchanted educators, parents, and her diverse audience of children. She hosts a blog radio program called Indie Authors Roundtable and is one of the founders of the magazine, Indie Author’s Monthly. She’s been interviewed twice by Forbes Magazine. Carole has co-authored two self-help books. Navigating Indieworld: A Beginners Guide to Self-Publishing and Marketing with Julie A. Gerber, and Marketing Indieworld with both Julie A. Gerber and Angela Hausman. She published Mindfulness for Kids with J. Robin Albertson-Wren and a new joke book called The Big Book of Silly Jokes for Kids: 800+ Jokes!
She writes adult fiction under the name Brit Lunden and is currently helping to create an anthology with her mythical town of Bulwark, Georgia with a group of indie authors. She lives on Long Island near her children and grandchildren.

Her series includes:
Captain No Beard
If You Were Me and Lived in- Cultural
If You Were Me and Lived in- Historical
Nursery series
Oh Susannah- Early Reader and coloring book
Mindfulness for Kids with co-author J. Robin Albertson-Wren
The Big Book of Silly Jokes for Kids; 800 plus Jokes!
Navigating Indieworld- with co-author Julie A. Gerber
Marketing Indieworld- with co-authors Angela Hausman and Julie A. Gerber
Adult Fiction under the pen name Brit Lunden
Bulwark
The Knowing- A Bulwark Anthology

Website / Twitter / Facebook

MY CAROLE P ROMAN/ BRIT LUNDEN REVIEWS

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Giveaway – The Wielder Diaries by Ashely Scheller @GoddessFish

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The Wielder Diaries: My Crystal by Ashley Scheller

GENRE:   Fantasy Adventure

BLURB

Please…Please come back… Those words ring in her ears as she awakens. A strange band of characters call her Kayla, a name she’s forgotten along her life filled with transforming animals, magic, and dragons. Anybody would want to remember such an exciting life, yet there seems to be a truth no one wants to share, WHY it’s important Kayla remembers. With a mystical book in hand, she races against time to recall her adventures she shared with her family and friends in this first installment of ‘The Wielder Diaries’ series, ‘My Crystal.’

EXCERPT

Left alone, before I could ask any more questions, I studied the item carefully. It was certainly odd for a diary, let alone a book. There was no title. The covers were made of this blue-tinted, crystal-like material. The covers themselves were a mystery as some inky black liquid that stained them oddly swirled around on its own just beneath the surface. The entire outside was rather warm to the touch and surprisingly growing hotter the longer I held it.

Come on…I need you. These people need you to help me out here!

Bearing through the pain, I pried it open.

It hurts! Knock it off! Work with me here!

A chill ran down my spine when I heard a whiny screech, but it wasn’t about to deter me from my task. Slapping both hands on the tan pages to prevent the covers from snapping shut, I next heard a ghostly sigh.

“Whew!” I leaned back. “All right, that was weird.”

I studied the reddish font while I sat back up, ignoring the slight burning sensation in my hands. Before I could start, the pages’ aged, tan color dissolved away while a gold font replaced the icky red. Although the pages I was looking at became pure white, the rest of them remained tan like they were waiting for me to turn to their spot.

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Ashley Scheller has many hats. An educator by day and artist by night –  if she isn’t sketching new creations in her notebook, she loves to create stories. Residing with her family in Iowa, Scheller enjoys connecting with her community about art, books, and games. In 2021, Scheller published book two of The Wielder Diaries series, Shattered. She invites you to an exciting adventure and looks forward to publishing book three soon.

Click here to check out her books, social media, and more: https://aschellerbooks.carrd.co/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aschellerbooks/

TikTok / Amazon buy link

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Giveaway – The Berlin Device by Tammy Wunsch @GoddessFish

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The Berlin Device by Tammy Wunsch

GENRE: Action/Adventure

BLURB

Xander has led a life of luxury with a cushy job in the family business. After his father’s mysterious disappearance, Xander became CEO of the multi-million dollar, international enterprise and tries to prove himself to everyone, including himself.

Xander discovers encrypted files in his father’s hidden safe that detail his illicit activities. His father was more than disreputable—he was a member of a secret and diabolical organization whose sole objective is world domination. In the files are plans for the Berlin Device—a satellite weapons system that has the potential for unparalleled destruction.

Chloe has scrimped and saved for an amazing hiking vacation. When nothing goes right in her travels, fate intervenes and she and Xander are thrown together in a hopeless quest across Europe to recover the device before more innocent people die.

Dodging bullets, bombs, and barbaric henchmen, Xander and Chloe discover a mysterious facility that could become their final resting place…if their enemies have their way.

Can they escape with their lives?

More importantly, can they save the planet from The Berlin Device?

EXCERPT

“Damn it,” Chloe muttered to herself as she peered at her computer monitor. The night before her long-awaited, glorious two-week vacation to the Canary Islands, and she was still stuck at work. It always seemed as if she had to work twenty hours of overtime the week before every vacation and twice that amount when she returned.

She reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a colorful brochure. It was well-worn from the hundreds of times she had looked at it. The brochure promised two weeks of relaxing hiking and delicious, regional foods as well as incredible views and a friendly group atmosphere. She looked around the sea of cubicles and thought she could use a friendly group atmosphere. Not one of her co-workers had offered to stay and help her out with the report that her boss insisted he needed by tomorrow morning. She frowned and vowed to never again volunteer to help them when they were overworked or wanted to leave—especially because she hadn’t even packed yet! Chloe vowed that things would change when she returned.

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Tammy Wunsch is an International Writer of Mystery, Travel, and Wine – with a fierce entrepreneurial side. She spent most of her life in the Quiet Corner of Connecticut but currently resides in the Denver metropolitan area. Formally educated in business, she has worked in a variety of industries and is adventurous by nature. She is passionate about animals and loves to travel, cook, kayak, and read.

Links: Website / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok

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The First Two Books of the Symphony of Crowns and Gods by Brian A Mendonca #brianamendonca

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Wedding of the Torn Rose and Gravity of Obedience by Brian A Mendonca were fabulous surprise reads. I loved them and hope I get a chance to finish the series.

Available in Kindle Unlimited

Wedding of the Torn Rose (Symphony of Crowns and Gods)

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

A forest. A monster. A princess. And a new opportunity for Kaine.

The princess of the Dorian Kingdom is scheduled to marry the Throatian prince, thus creating a alliance between the two kingdoms. Safety in number, seeing royalty thrives on war and chaos.

Kaine is from the Leila Kingdom and Princess Lydia is the Rose of the Dorian Kingdom.

Her marriage allows Lydia an Everlasting With. When Kaine finds out what she wants and wants to stop the wedding, but she convinces him it’s the only way.

A quick read that packs a punch and I am so happy that I have Book II, Gravity of Obedience, waiting on my the top of my reading pile. Wedding of the Torn does not end in a cliffhanger. It wraps up the story of Kaine and Lydia, but what is to come of their world is still up for debate.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Wedding of the Torn Rose by Brian A Mendonca.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Saving the princess was only the start of events that would change his life forever…

Kaine was down on his luck. The former merchant struggled with losing his job and now must make ends meet. Too bad he doesn’t know how. Frustrated, he sets off into the nearby forest to gather mushrooms. The woman’s screams were the last thing he expected. Kaine must act quickly to rescue the young woman before a monster that should not exist kills her.

His life only gets crazier from there. Kaine returns with Lydia, the daughter of the king, to her father’s castle where he unexpectedly finds himself in the king’s good graces. Confused and leery, Kaine reluctantly agrees to remain and help with Lydia’s younger siblings. Life could not have thrown him more.

Kaine is plunged into a world of magical intrigue, unrest, and political maneuvering. Each new event leaves him feeling out of place and, worse, dangerously exposed to a growing threat. The Darian Kingdom stands at the crossroads. Lydia’s upcoming wedding to the prince of the Throatian Kingdom will soon become the defining moment in Kaine’s life.

With the threat of war looming on the horizon, it is going to take every ounce of guile, cunning, and willpower for Kaine to survive, and, if he is fortunate, prevent the fast approaching storm from burning his world to the ground.

Wedding of the Torn Rose is a fast-paced fantasy adventure with mystery, action, and magic. Journey with Kaine as he attempts to prevent a war and save a kingdom in the first volume of the Symphony of Crowns and Gods series.

Gravity of Obedience

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Breeding farms. Loyalty circles. Blood Sacrifices. The Sorceress. The Red Knight.

The Throatians Mayan like in their religion, which I find fascinating. It rules their lives with an iron fist. Brutal. Savage.

I feel there is something going on behind the scens, something other than their blood thirsty god.

The Throatian king wants the Tears of Asura, magical stones.

Gravity of Obedience had so much intrigue. I love when an author surprises me, taking me to a place I didn’t see coming, leaving me wanting more…and there is more to come, because the story isn’t done. I can hardly wait. Please write faster Brian. 🙂

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Gravity of Obedience by Brian A Mendonca.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Nobody serves kings and gods without paying the price.

Prince Thane never imagined his life would change so drastically after an unexpected encounter with his father atop an ancient religious mountain temple. Facing the wrath of his god, he is called upon for blood sacrifices and resisting the conspiracy of a powerful sorceress intent on invading his homeland. Torn between impossible demands and his duty, the young prince struggles to understand what looms on the horizon. A conflict between religious faith and common sense rage within the prince, forcing him to question his god’s true intentions.

Thane’s life continues to spiral as he stumbles upon a mysterious invulnerable knight and follows him through a portal into another land far from home. Tensions mount as the involved kingdoms brace for the inevitable Wedding of the Torn Rose. Gripped by a series of decisions they don’t want to make, Thane’s royal family becomes mired in unending controversy.

Destinies collide as the fate of multiple kingdoms is revealed. Father, mother, and son must at last come to understand one another if there is to be any hope of righting their wrongs. Pushed to the edges of his sanity, young Prince Thane will need to overcome his doubts and do the unthinkable.

Gravity of Obedience is the thrilling sequel to Wedding of the Torn Rose. While this book is Volume II in the series, it is enjoyable even without having read Volume I. Reading Volume I first enriches the story of Volume II, but is not required.

ABOUT BRIAN A MENDONCA

Brian Mendonça is a writer, reader, and tech geek at heart. He’s always looking for new ways to get better at his craft, and he has traveled the world to see how the world is a melting pot of stories and cultures around us. He feels most at home when sitting in front of his computer, with a cup of coffee, and writing stories. When he’s not writing, he’ll be relaxing at home with his video games or watching re-runs of Friends or the Big Bang Theory. He often takes long walks outside while listening to podcasts. Brian is laid back, easy-going, and he loves helping people out. Brian is a native resident of the greater San Francisco Bay Area and recipient of a Bachelor’s Degree in Biotechnology (Bioinformatics emphasis) from University of California, Davis.

You can connect with him on social media using the below links. For the latest information on upcoming releases, sign up for Brian’s newsletter.

Website / Facebook / Bookbub

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Giveaway – SHRED Gorgon Rising by Stu Jones @StuJonesFiction @XpressoTours

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S.H.R.E.D: Gorgon Rising
Stu Jones
(Espionage and Defense, Super Humanoids for Reconnaissance)
Publication date: May 10th 2022
Genres: Action, Adventure, New Adult

THE MOST POWERFUL WEAPON KNOWN TO MANKIND ISN’T A MAN.

High above earth in a low orbit facility, an experimental clean energy project known as Erebos—which taps into the vacuum structure of space—destabilizes and is jettisoned into the planet’s atmosphere.

Far below, unaware of the danger rocketing toward her, nineteen-year-old Sasha Kino goes night surfing to clear her head after a fight with her father. When Erebos crashes into the ocean the device fuses her DNA with that of an orca and Sasha is altered beyond recognition. She is stronger, can hold her breath longer, and can swim deeper and faster than any creature on the planet—but her newfound abilities may come at the cost of her humanity.

Captain Alric Jager, head of the U.S. Navy’s Special Projects Division, is sent to clean up the Erebos situation. But when Jager learns of what the device did to Sasha he decides to steal them both. Driven by a dark and twisted legacy, Jager is determined to create the ultimate super soldier – no matter the cost.

Torn between the land and the sea, and ruthlessly hunted by Jager, Sasha must rediscover who she is and for what she is willing to fight.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

—

EXCERPT:

With one last yank, Sasha tore the restraint collar, popping and fizzing in a shower of sparks from around her neck. In a single stride, she vaulted forward. Her body crashed through the dark glass of the observation room, slamming one of the two men inside against the far wall. In a bumbling fit of terror, the other fell to the floor, scrambled to all fours, then ran screaming for the hallway. As he did, he slapped a large red button on the wall labeled containment breach.

The screaming high-pitched wail of an emergency beacon filled the air, the walls around Sasha flickering with intermittent flashes of red. Instinct, strong and powerful, told her to run, but her higher brain held her fast: what they’d done here was illegal, and she needed evidence. She scanned the various consoles. There, a flash drive. No time to waste. Jager’s men must be on their way. Any data she could grab was no good if she couldn’t get it off the ship.

Snatching the data stick from the console and looping the lanyard around her neck, Sasha gave one last look to the unconscious man slumped against the floor and turned for the door. She stepped into the strobe-lit flash of the corridor and hovered there, her heart beating fierce in her breast.

On either side of the corridor, two pairs of Strykers squared up, the dark brown tones of their flesh offset by midnight black BDUs. They tensed, the banded muscles of their arms taut. No one moved.

“I don’t want to fight,” Sasha said over the wail of the alarm, her heart still thrumming. “But I’m not staying locked up here anymore.”

“You don’t have a choice.” The one named Alvarez said through clenched teeth. “Get back in, or we’ll put you back in.”

Sasha knew she should be afraid of these men, but then she remembered about how easily, accidentally even, she’d killed the whalers. How moments ago, she’d torn a titanium collar from her neck and crashed through a seemingly impenetrable two-inch-thick layered sheet of armored glass.

Sasha steeled herself as the four Strykers advanced on her from either side, their fists raised. “I don’t want to hurt you,” she said.

The Strykers stopped, exchanging amused glances. One of them closest to her, a man with a cropped mohawk, let out a chuckle. “We’re not the ones who are about to get hurt, darlin’.”

Sasha’s skin flushed hot. Her eyes narrowed to slits as she flexed her clawed fingers. “That’s what you think.”

Author Bio:

SWAT Sniper. Adventurer. Multi-Award-Winning Author of Epic Genre-Bending Thrillers.

A veteran law enforcement officer, Stu has served in patrol, narcotics, criminal investigations, as an instructor of firearms and police defensive tactics and as a team leader of a multi-jurisdictional SWAT team. He is trained and qualified as a law enforcement SWAT sniper, as well as in hostage rescue and high-risk entry tactics. Recently, Stu served for three years with a U.S. Marshal’s Regional Fugitive Task Force – hunting the worst of the worst.

He is the author of multiple sci-fi/action/thriller novels, including the multi-award-winning It Takes Death To Reach A Star duology, written with co-author Gareth Worthington(Children of the Fifth Sun).

Known for his character-driven stories and blistering action sequences, Stu strives to create thought-provoking reading experiences that challenge the status quo. When he’s not chasing bad guys or writing epic stories, he can be found planning his next adventure to some remote or exotic place.

Stu is represented by Italia Gandolfo of Gandolfo-Helin-Fountain literary.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Youtube


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Giveaway – Friends To The End by C L Colyer @CherieColyer @GoddessFish

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Friends to the End by Cherie Colyer

GENRE: Middle Grade Action Adventure

Hi, and thanks for having me on your blog!

I’m not sure if it’s common knowledge, but traditionally published authors have limited control over the cover of their books. The Wild Rose Press has a Cover Sheet with basic questions like genre, tone, elements an author would like to see on the cover, and hero/heroine descriptions. Once the form is submitted, their talented cover artists take over.

For Friends to the End, I felt the tone of the cover should be suspenseful, mysterious, and just a little spooky. It’s a ghost adventure, after all. And since Zach and his new friends are looking for a mysterious vanishing house, I suggested that the cover might include a spooky house or a room in a spooky house. And maybe even Zach’s silhouette or the silhouette of four kids. From there, it was a waiting game. I had no idea what the cover artist would do.

I was thrilled when I saw what cover artist Diane Carlile put together. I really couldn’t ask for a better cover for this book, and she included elements I hadn’t thought to ask for. The moon is full on the night Zach and his friends find the house, and their first glimpse of the old Victorian home is through the trees. Before they reach the house, they visited a graveyard. And I like that on the cover we only see the backs of the kids. This allows the reader to use their imaginations. The dark purple and yellows give an ominous feel. The cover is better than anything I had imagined. There isn’t anything I hate. I feel lucky about that, but then The Wild Rose Press does a wonderful job on their covers.

What do you think about the cover? Is it spooky, yet not too spooky to scare you away? I hope so because the adventure is worth braving ghosts.

Thanks for having me on your blog!

BLURB

Twelve-year-old Zach is convinced he’ll never be happy without his best friend Jeremy by his side. But both of their lives changed with a bang five months ago, and as far as Zach’s concerned, it’s his fault Jeremy will never see his twelfth birthday.

When Zach moves with his family to a Chicago suburb, he quickly becomes friends with a group of thrill-seeking kids trying to find a disappearing haunted house. But Zach’s not worried. He doesn’t believe in ghosts, so he follows them into a wild, dangerous encounter that becomes a battle to decide what’s real and what’s not.

Excerpt

We stopped a few yards from the cemetery, our mouths hanging open and our eyes wide.

“Please tell me you see that,” I whispered.

“If you mean the white lights floating above the ground,” Josh said, “we see it.”

“They’re orbs,” Morgan corrected, as if knowing the proper name for the glowing spheres made it okay to see them.

“Orbs?” Josh asked.

“Spirits of the dead,” I replied, remembering what Morgan had told me.

Dom scooted his bike closer. “Maybe we should ask them if they’ve seen the house.”

“Seriously?” Morgan asked.

“Yeah.”

Morgan shook her head, causing her ponytail to swing from side to side. “Oh, no! I learned my lesson the last time we were here. I’m not stepping one foot off the shoulder of the road.”

“Your right foot is in the grass,” Dom said, shining his flashlight on her sneaker.

Morgan scowled and repositioned herself to have both feet on concrete.

Three iridescent orbs floated over headstones. I thought about the movies that warned people to stay away from the light. Maybe they weren’t warning us about a bright beam of light, but instead small glowing balls. Maybe if one of them touched you, the spirit would take over your body. Maybe they were waiting for someone to be stupid enough to come closer. I suddenly wondered if I’d met anyone who’d been possessed by a spirit and immediately thought of Olivia and her strange habits.

Then I told myself I was being ridiculous.

Or was I? Think about it. How would anyone know if a ghost hitched a ride with the person in front of him or her?

AUTHOR Bio and Links

C.L. Colyer found her love for writing in first grade when her class was sent to the library and asked to find a book for their first book report. While she doesn’t still have this book report, she’s very proud to say she got an A on it. Her favorite thing about the book was that it had no words. That’s right, not one! That gave her the freedom to interpret the pictures in any way she wanted and write her own story.

This sparked her love for writing essays. It wasn’t until she was an adult that she sat down and penned her first novel. This story has a special place in her heart because it’s the story that helped her discover her passion for writing. She has since written several books, many of which may never see the light of day, but all of which helped her learn to combine her passion for writing with her fascination with all things mythical.  You’ll find examples of this in her novels.

She lives in Illinois with her family.

Keep in Touch:

  • Website: https://cheriecolyer.com/children/
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cherie-Colyer-author-250631921629169
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/CherieColyer
  • Instagram: www.instagram.com/cherie_colyer/
  • Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21748654.C_L_Colyer
  • Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/C-L-Colyer/e/B09C6JPT3X/
  • Bookbub author page: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/cherie-colyer

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Giveaway – The Royal Fifth by James Peyton @GoddessFish

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The Royal Fifth by James Peyton

GENRE: Adventure Thriller

NOTE: The book is on sale for $0.99

BLURB

The Royal Fifth: The amount of stolen treasure Conquistadors were supposed to give to the Spanish Crown.

In a world corrupted by its past, what could turn a sensitive artist into a killer?

Young Santa Fe artist, Martín Cortés, is devastated by the deaths of family members and the loss of a huge emerald that once belonged to Hernán Cortés.

Colin Glendaring, a disgraced archeologist with an insatiable passion for pre-Columbian artifacts, is responsible. Martín learns that another family descended from the Spanish Conqueror lives in Oaxaca. Rather than kill Glendaring, he heads south. He discovers an unconventional household that includes Ilhui, a beautiful young woman with a dangerous political agenda.

Martín is stunned when he learns how the family manages to live so well…then alarmed when he discovers that Glendaring is on his way to Oaxaca. Martín and Ilhui are soon accused of murder. On the run, they are betrayed, and Ilhui is kidnapped by a guerilla leader known for recreating grisly Aztec rituals.

With time running out, Martín makes a pact with a ruthless army officer and a crooked federal policeman. Will it be a deal with the devil, or can he do what has to be done to save his new family and love?

EXCERPT

EL PASO, PRESENT TIME

Martín Cortés stood on the pedestrian approach to the international bridge that would take him into Mexico. Through the pollution that daily turned the high-desert air of Ciudad Juárez into a toxic haze, he focused on the nearby vehicle traffic. The U.S.-bound lanes were choked with line after line of barely moving cars and trucks. Turning to the southbound lanes, he watched the sparse traffic moving fast and free.

He looked back at the new-old skyline of downtown El Paso and dwelled for a moment on the tragic events of the last few months. He knew what had happened. Why they’d happened still eluded him. The inner voice that brought him to this place told him all would soon be revealed. And then he wondered: Is that destiny or some karmic trickster? He shook his head. Only time would tell.

Turning again, he raised his eyes to the smog-shrouded sprawl beyond the border where his trip would begin. He had no idea where it would end. He took a deep breath, fished in his pocket for the bridge toll, and resumed his southbound journey.

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Award-winning Author James Peyton infuses his novels with stranger-than-fiction encounters and true-to-life characters based on his extensive travel and research. Realism in his plots and action comes from that background and his experience in martial arts and tactical firearms.

The Royal Fifth is based loosely on historical events surrounding the Conqueror, Hernán Cortés, brought into the present time. It will be followed by a mystery-thriller series featuring federal policeman, Artemas Salcido. Artemas is the illegitimate son of a Mexican governor and his Yaqui servant. Following his mother’s suspicious death, he was sent to be raised by the village priest. He attended Harvard on a scholarship and returned to Mexico vowing to fight corruption—only to receive his real education, where the grade is often life or death.

  • Website: jameswpeyton.com 
  • Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/216986.James_W_Peyton
  • Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/James-W.-Peyton/e/B001K7XKJA

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Giveaway – People of the Sun by Ben Gartner @BGartnerWriting @GoddessFish

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Amazon

PEOPLE OF THE SUN by Ben Gartner

GENRE:  Middle Grade, Action Adventure, Time Travel, Historical Fiction

BLURB

The explosive reveal about who John and Sarah really are and why they’re traveling through time, with their most gut-wrenching challenge yet.

In the time of the Aztec, a scoundrel named Cortés arrives and the kids are forced to make an extremely difficult decision: If you could change history, should you? For more twists, more danger, and more fun, read the third book in The Eye of Ra series, People of the Sun!

EXCERPT

JOHN

The ground shook like the end of the world.

At least, that was how it felt to John, who had never experienced an earthquake while growing up in Colorado. And they’d only lived in Maryland for a month before taking this trip to California to visit their aunt. On their second day in the steep mountains of Santa Cruz, while hiking through an old-growth redwood forest that reminded John of a fairy tale, he suddenly felt woozy. But he wasn’t sick. His legs swayed like he was dancing the hula, as if the ground beneath his feet were the roiling sea. Birds took to the sky. Their aunt’s dog, Nickel, barked and snapped at the air, her ears tucked back and tail between her legs.

“Sarah?” John looked over to his sister and held out a hand to steady himself.

She wore the same expression of bewilderment for a moment, then realization dawned across her face. “Is this an earthquake? Cool!”

Her voice rose and fell with the waves just like her knees riding the shifting earth as if it were a skateboard or a pair of skis. Dander like fireflies floated down from the trees and sparkled in the sun’s rays.

“Earthquake,” Aunt Lorraine confirmed. “Just a little one. Hold on, it’ll end in—”

The earth eased to a halt.

“There ya go, all done.” Aunt Lorraine heaved a breath. “For now.”

“For now?!” John hunched over, ready to fall flat on the ground if it got any worse.

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Ben Gartner is the award-winning author of The Eye of Ra time travel adventure series for middle graders. His books take readers for a thrilling ride, maybe even teaching them something in the meantime. Ben can be found living and writing near the mountains with his wife and two boys. https://BenGartner.com

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Review – Beyond Atlantis by Lucius Beauchamp @RoxanneRhoads

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Beyond Atlantis: An Epic of The Ancient Americas
Lucius Beauchamp

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure
ISBN: Paperback 978-0-6488929-0-8  
ISBN: E-book 978-0-6488929-1-5
ASIN: 0648892905 
ASIN: B01I4OMBVY
Number of pages: 448
Word Count: 158,240 
Cover Artist: Flametree Creative

Tagline: Greater Atlantis, where The Guardian Tribe roam

MY REVIEW

First off, Beyond Atlantis by Lucius Beauchamp has an amazing cover and I love anything to do with Atlantis. Add in some magic and angels, what more can I ask for?

The world I entered holds many things that our world does…love, desire, betrayal, greed, power, lust, good and evil, light and dark.

Priests are people too, with all the foibles the rest of us have.

Galen and Zithia are soulmates, but there is much to be risked for them to be together. I’m not so sure about Galen, but have no doubts about Zithia.

She struggles to build a life for herself. She is bright, determined, giving, an asset to any community. Her struggles and are richly detailed, brought to life through Lucius Beauchamp’s words. I had no idea what was coming, I was just along for the ride.

Sometimes things are so simple…right or wrong. It’s the people that make it complicated.

Will Galen learn in this lifetime, or, will he be doomed to return and try again?

Epic love story…Lucius Beauchmap pulled my heartstrings, drawing me in on this wild adventure.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Beyond Atlantis by Lucius Beauchamp.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars
Book Description: 

10,000 years ago, ancient Atlantian Tribes of magicians flourished in the lower Americas and along the Mississippi. 

Galen, an Atlantian magician priest is locked in a relentless power struggle with an envious sorceress who blackmails, lies, and manipulates. A prince of the blood, Galen is determined that nothing will stop his becoming an Archpriest.

Eten, blackest witch and high priestess sees angels and seeks a forbidden treasure. She finds Galen’s curse of having a soulmate particularly helpful. 

Half a millennia ago the Island of Atlantis sank off the Biminis, the 13th Tribe was held responsible for the demise of Atlantis. The surviving Atlantians stripped the 13th of all technology and exiled them. 

Vengeful, the 13th Tribe wishes to return but the 13th’s warlocks fear crossing into Greater Older Atlantis. They do not dare set foot on the Guardian-protected land. The great Guardian Tribe possess a formidable circle of psychics who roam North America keeping constant vigil to keep Greater Older Atlantis safe for all Atlantians. 


Excerpt:

    With lightning rushing to greet the barbarians, not only sulphur made their guts wrench. That most feared God, the God of lightning, was among them. Sheets of power forked across the ground, felling dozens of the pure race. Repeatedly, the riverbed exploded and sprayed molten sand. Dripping glass sculptures remained and pressure waves threw barbarians into the glowing glass pools. Where some lay stuck, in death or dying.
     The false day reached the refugees, the sky pulsing green. From the Safety of the hillside they saw it all, with deafening thunder rocking them. Dodging lightning bolts, the barbarians ran when they could to slid into super-hot streams of glass where their flesh seared so completely that bare-bones were exposed among living tissue. There was screaming at newly blackened limbs and sizzling holes within a shoulder or thigh, created by actual lightning strikes. And then more astral screams as the black shadows of the underworld chased and fell upon the freshly dead. Only a handful survived. It was another mist-night.

                                                               *

Tancah. Ten ships comprising another fleet had landed. Gold. Mounds of gold was being turned into ingots for shipment to the Far World.
     The gangplanks were sunk into the pink sand by the tread of disembarking
warriors.
     The scarred pyramids were towers with large stone tablets standing
on top. Not very wide, with ladder-like stairs, each had an almost sheer
drop at the back. Saplings burst forth in unexpected places among the ruins.
     The seventh ship to dock was grander than the others. Its occupants always liked to be seventh, from superstition. Rhaim, the commander-in-chief hurried to meet these new arrivals. They were the main reason he’d come back to Tancah. After all, he didn’t want their leader to take offense. In black clothing with wide purple edging, the thirteen glided down the gangplank. Weary soldiers made hasty signs in the group’s direction while dropping their eyes. Even with a close trimmed mustache, the outlines of the first face were a death mask. Udo, the leader. Tall, white-haired and eyes robin’s-egg blue. The whole group was from similar molds.
     Not on land yet, Udo glanced at Tancah. A connoisseur, he breathed
deeply of the destruction. Then he put a foot hard on the sand and dogs began to howl. A flock of monarch butterflies, resting on their way to their wintering ground, filled the air. Raising his hand to the sky, Udo cut a swath through the gossamer wings. The lovelies rained down among the pyramids, while the coven roared with laughter.
     Invisible to everyone, a watcher hovered over the beach within sight of the ships. As one, the black-garbed group turned to look at him, eyes burning. Languidly, Udo said, ‘Kill.’
     Two men vacated their flesh so utterly that their bodies fell to the ground. Their spirits were shadow hounds. Instantly the temple flyer telepathed the sight to his temple, then spirit claws were on him. Dying, screams filled the heads of other flyers.
     The murdered watcher’s body, seated in the temple chamber, spasmed and went limp. A high priest wiped the corpse’s brow, ‘Where is the other?’
     Simultaneously, Udo’s face was in the room, hanging in mid-space.
Gloating, he disappeared. Then he was back at the beachfront. ‘Find the other watched.’
     The two dark hounds pounced forward, but Udo’s snarl sent them scurrying into their bodies. He believed in sharing and signaled a fresh pair.  

 

About the Author:

Like Plato, Lucius believed Atlantis existed. Interpreting Plato’s description of location, backed up by Edgar Cayce’s readings, the Island of Atlantis was off the Biminis. Therefore, for him, the Continent of Atlantis (Greater Older Atlantis) was North America.





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Tis The Season – Toymaker by Tony Bertauski @tonybertauski

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.

HAPPY HOLIDAZE AND A NEW RELEASE

Toymaker: Return of the Lost Toys (A Science Fiction Adventure) (Claus Universe Book 9)

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Is there a Santa Claus? Elves? Reindeer? Do they live at the North Pole? Why haven’t humans ever found them? If you have been following the series, you may have some of the answers already.

Avery Neva (Snow) Tannenbaum was born on her Nana Rai’s birthday and they celebrated it together every year. This year is different. Her Nana has passed away and left a last request.

Toymaker is all about him, and the Hunt for him. But there is so much more going on the just a game and there is more to the Hunt than win or lose.

I love the unique characters and the world they live in. Dangerous and magical, good and bad…and TOYS. Thank you Santa.

Tony Bertauski has a way with words and has written of a fantastical, magical fantasy world, filled with imagination and creativity, weaving the real world, the future, the past, and the present into a present (?).

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Toymaker by Tony Bertauski.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

AMAZON SYNOPSIS

The 9th standalone novel in the Claus Universe.

One Christmas morning, a mystery gift appeared under trees around the world. It was the exact same gift, inscribed with the maker’s initials in tiny letters: BT and Company. It was months before anyone knew exactly what the gift did.

Avery Tannenbaum’s brother was one of the lucky few to receive one. It was on her birthday when the mysterious gifts came to life. A contest was announced. It was also on that very same day Avery’s grandmother passed away.

An eccentric, wealthy woman, Nana Rai left detailed instructions on how to commemorate her passing, a celebration to be held on Christmas morning, which just so happened to be the same day the contest was set to end. Avery’s family travels to a cold and snowy land to honor her grandmother’s wishes. And it’s here she uncovers the true purpose of the mystery gift, and why the makers launched a global contest.

As Nana Rai’s celebration nears, Avery follows clues her grandmother left behind. BT and Company are searching for the Toymaker. And Avery knows what they’ll do when they find him. She becomes part of her grandmother’s plan to stop them. The real mystery isn’t where the Toymaker is hiding.

It’s why he’s hiding in the first place.

REVIEWS FOR THE CLAUS UNIVERSE

  • “Amazing rewrites that will astound you!” –Ruth Jackson, Amazon Reviewer
  • “Best Santa Story Ever!” – Bob, Amazon Reviewer
  • “Simply lovely.” –jl, Amazon Reviewer
  • “MY HEART GREW THREE SIZES…” – Amazon Reviewer
  • “Couldn’t Put It Down.” – Amazon Reviewer
  • “Fantasy at it’s [sic] finest.” –Carol, Amazon Reviewer
  • “Absolutely phenomenal!” –JayFly, Amazon Reviewer
  • “A++” –TKJ 131, Amazon Reviewer
  • “Absolutely Awesome.” –Dee greusel, Amazon Reviewer
  • “I absolutely love this series…” –Kara McCabe, Amazon Reviewer
  • “Tony is an excellent story teller!” jjjlake, Amazon Reviewer
  • “I want MORE!” –J. Bunch, Amazon Reviewer
  • “Awesomely engaging!” –Janice Everett, Amazon Reviewer

ABOUT TONY BERTAUSKI

Tony Bertauski

Get my books FREE. Tell me where to send them at http://bertauski.com

My grandpa never graduated high school. He retired from a steel mill in the mid-70s. He was uneducated, but he was a voracious reader. I remember going through his bookshelves of paperback sci-fi novels, smelling musty old paper, pulling Piers Anthony and Isaac Asimov off shelf and promising to bring them back. I was fascinated by robots that could think and act like people. What happened when they died?

I’ve written textbooks on landscape design, but that was straightforward, informational writing; the kind of stuff that helps most people get to sleep. I’ve also been writing a gardening column with a humorous slant. That takes a little more finesse, but still informational for the most part.

I’m a cynical reader. I demand the writer sweep me into his/her story and carry me to the end. I’d rather sail a boat than climb a mountain. That’s the sort of stuff I wanted to write, not the assigned reading we used to get in high school. I wanted to create stories that kept you up late.

Fiction, GOOD fiction, is hard to write. Having a story unfold inside your head is an experience different than reading. You connect with characters in a deeper, more meaningful way. You feel them, empathize with them, cheer for them and even mourn. The challenge is to get the reader to experience the same thing, even if it’s only a fraction of what the writer feels. Not so easy.

MY TONY BERTAUSKI REVIEWS

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