Michelle L. Levigne's Blog, page 138

Off the Bookshelf: A STAR CURIOUSLY SINGING, Kerry Nietz

The next book in my quest to read all the books by fellow Realmies in my to-be-read queue  before this year's Realm Makers conference.

This first book in the Dark Trench Saga is mind-blowing -- which, in the case of the culture imagined here could be actual, literal, and pretty painful.

The hero, Sand, is a debugger -- one of a group of people who have brain implants that let them touch the Stream -- essentially, the Cloud, the worldwide Internet -- touch data, manipulate and service machines, do research, all in the comfort and iffy safety of their own heads. For the Abduls (a slang term used by debuggers to refer to the repressive culture that rules the world), control of everyone's lives, their attitudes, their bodies, their very thoughts, is a top priority. Debuggers are considered property, and are controlled by pain, tweaks" that punish them whenever their free-roaming thoughts (necessary in their line of work) stray too far in the wrong direction.

And you thought Big Brother was bad.

Dark Trench is also a revolutionary, super-advanced starship. Sand is sent up to an orbital station to deal with problems relating to the first voyage of the ship, and the strange behavior of one of the advanced 'bots that service the ship and crew. What he discovers as he investigates leads to encounters with the song of the title -- am I giving too much away when I call it the song of creation, the song of truth -- essentially "the heavens are telling the glories." Whose glories? Well, the deity everyone is required to worship is called simply A. But the defective 'bot speaks of "A not A cubed." To speak of, even to think of, this particular being, reaching out through song and changing the very implant in Sand's head is considered so heretical as to deserve death.

What happens when Sand understands the 'bot's strange words and dares to think freely -- essentially, to become a freehead? What's a freehead? Read this and find out. Guaranteed not to hurt one bit when your mind is blown.

In the Spotlight: Excerpt, SOPHIE, Quarry Hall Book 9

"It suddenly strikes me, Sophie, that I don't say often enough how thankful I am that you're part of our family. If it weren't for you, your influence..." Carter shrugged. "Joan might still not be home, here, if you hadn't been working on her all those years when all I could do was pray. Even the Oracle has his limits."

"Yeah, well, Joan certainly stretched my limits sometimes. We kept each other alive and sane and fought each other's battles. There were a couple times I thought my nasty past was going to get both of us killed, just as sure as hers." She shuddered, flashing back to that moment when she fell, numb with the shock of that bullet in her back, men shouting and guns barking. Joan had come out of the darkness and threw her body across her, shielding her. Sophie never wanted to relive that moment, when her friend risked her life to shield her, and all she could think was that if Joan died, she was doomed for all eternity.

"Are you still..." Carter shrugged. "Searching? Not exactly looking over your shoulder, but watching for signs of anyone coming close to your trail?"

"Which trail?" She managed to smile, shaking off that brief trip into the moment that changed her life so drastically. "The real trail to the real me, or all the false trails with poisoned breadcrumbs Joan and I had so much fun creating?"

"The Oligarch can never be fully defeated by poisoned breadcrumbs, as you so poetically put it."

"No." She tipped her head to one side and fluttered her eyelashes. "But we can sure as shootin' give him some massive indigestion."

Book Trailer: TABOR HEIGHTS, YEAR 1

The covers and titles for Year One of the Tabor Heights series, from Desert Breeze Publishing.

Off the Bookshelf: SPACE DRIFTERS, The Emerald Enigma, by Paul Regnier

I know I said the next book would be A STAR CURIOUSLY SINGING, by Kerry Neitz, but I've been working on this one for a while -- it's my book for reading on my iPhone in line or waiting somewhere.

To be honest, I don't know if Paul Regnier is a Realmie, and/or if he's coming to this year's Realm Makers conference. However, this one qualifies because I heard about it at last year's conference. When the publisher himself takes the time during your pitch session to tell you about the book, that's a good recommendation. So officially this is another book in my trying-to-read-before-Realm-Makers queue.

Wanna snicker? Wanna catch a lot of SF geek/fandom/series inside jokes? Wanna laugh at cliches and stereotypes? This is the book. I mean, you gotta love a book where the 1st person hero's name is Glint Starcrost, and after a really close call with death, he talks about something being "severely ouchy."

It's your classic quest SF adventure, with evil nemeses and menacing cyborgs and over-the-top space weapons and stations and a beautiful, deadly space princess (who happens to be a lot smarter and a lot tougher than the captain) and weird creatures and great names for things, like the captain's beloved gun is called a DEMOTER -- yeah, all caps.

What's the Emerald Enigma? Well, it's a green stone that everybody wants, supposed to give lots of luck -- and fortune, and revenge, and healing, and protection and whatever you want -- and grant wishes. There's a major problem with the kind of  luck given and the wishes granted, and I'm going to leave you to discover what that is.

It's guaranteed snarky, snickery, groaning, I-can't-believe-how-stupid-he-is-and-that-I'm-still-reading-this! fun. Whether it's your reading-while-waiting-in-line book or sitting on your nightstand or for reading between innings, (Go, Tribe!) Read It! You'll be glad you did. Next up -- I promise! -- is Kerry Neitz's book. Followed by a book by Tosca Lee.

In the Spotlight: SOPHIE, Quarry Hall Book 9

Now available at Desert Breeze Publishing: SOPHIE, Quarry Hall Book 9: 
Women's fiction, adventure, danger, mystery.
When her magazine suffers cyber-invasion, possibly related to an encounter with Quarry Hall and its enemies, reporter Jenni Doran and Sophie team up. They dig through the network, uncovering plots and traitors, and Sophie recognizes a program she designed when she was young and naive.
The man who possesses the program wants to possess Sophie, and is willing to destroy everyone she loves to accomplish that. Sophie and Joan have worked for years to dismantle his empire. The emotional shock and paralysis are as bad as the bullets that put Sophie in her wheelchair. 
Where is her faith? Where is the security she has fought so long to win? As Sophie unravels the coding attacking the magazine, she faces the pain and fear of her past and the unpleasant fact that healing and freedom might mean facing her tormenter one more time. 
Buy Link: http://www.desertbreezepublishing.com/quarry-hall-book-nine-sophie-epub/

Book Trailer: The SUNSINGER series

My YA series set in the Commonwealth Universe

Off the Bookshelf: FINDING ANGEL, by Kat Heckenbach

My next book in my quest to read all the books in my to-be-read pile by fellow Realm Maker alumni is the first book in the Toch Island series,

FINDING ANGEL
by Kat Heckenbach

The slugline says "Where magic and science collide."

How? Well, they've got a university, and there are scientists, and the threat to the welfare of this hidden magical island comes from man-made things, from applying scientific principles to overcome some very necessary rules of magic -- such as those who kill lose their magic ...

Angel is a foster child, found seven years ago, injured and lost, with no identification and no memory of her life before waking in the forest. Odd things happen to her, such as something always interferes when her foster parents try to adopt her, and whenever one of her foster brothers torments her by stealing things from her, she's always able to find it.

Then an odd boy, too warmly dressed for Florida, shows up in her life at the start of summer vacation. Gregor talks of magical creatures and magical things as if they were real -- ordinary parts of his life. Then when he saves Angel's life, things really get strange. She's willing to risk anything, though, when Gregor admits that he knows who she is and how she got lost in the forest, and who her parents are. He takes her to the island, and prophecy starts to unfold.

Do I need to say it? I gotta read the rest of the books in the series! Angel is too real not to wonder what's going to happen to her next.

Next up: A Star Curiously Singing, by Kerry Nietz

In the Spotlight: RESURRECTION OF HOPE, Excerpt, by Tamera Kraft

Vivian tried to hide how startled she was at Henry's proposal. Of course she remembered the quiet boy who she and James had been best friends with since childhood. He was always tall and skinny, but with all the weight he'd lost, he looked like a scarecrow. She wasn't sure she liked his short army haircut. It didn't seem like Henry for him not to have an unruly mop of dark, curly hair falling in his eyes.

"You're talking crazy. Why would you want to do a foolish thing like marry me?"

Henry's hazel gaze became intense as he started to reach out to touch her then drew back. "I was with James when he died. His last words to me were, 'Take care of Vivian.' I've always been fond of you." He bit his lip and looked away.

Vivian touched his arm. "It's not fair to saddle you with a wife because of this promise you made."

"I don't have anyone left. I want a wife and a family. I promised James. Say yes."

He made it sound so easy, and his pleading eyes compelled her to agree, but they didn't love each other. "I can't, Henry. It wouldn't be right."

"I don't know how you could say that." Henry tipped back on his heels and gave her a slight grin. "People have been getting married for centuries without love entering into it. We are friends. Isn't that a good start?"

"I don't know what to say. I'm not ready to even think about caring for anyone else. I'm still grieving James."

"If you give me a chance, we can make this work." This time Henry did hold her hand. "We'll marry, and you can move into my place. I'll provide for you, but we'll have separate bedrooms. I'll give you the time you need. When you're ready to be my wife…" He blushed. "I'll give you the time you need."

Vivian touched her chest. Her breathing shallowed until she'd become lightheaded. "Can you give me time to think on it?"

Henry grinned. "I'll be back tomorrow." He descended the stairs and turned down the hallway until he ebbed out of her sight.

His footsteps clacked against the wooden floor, the sound of hope shuffling back into her life. She wiped the tears from her face. She didn't even know why she was considering this. He didn't love her, and she didn't love him. Henry was always in the background, not the kind of man you considered marrying. Maybe she could learn to care for him that way.

When he came back tomorrow, she would say yes.
Resurrection of Hope is not available until July 11th but will be available in the following stores:Desert Breeze PublishingAmazonBarnes & NobleChristianbook.comSonyKoboiTunesAll Romance eBooksKoorong.com (Australia)

Tamera Lynn KraftFaith Filled Historicals For the Adventurous HeartComing Soon: Resurrection of Hope A Christmas Promise http://tameralynnkraft.net http://tameralynnkraft.com http://facebook.com/tameralynnkraft

Book Trailer: STAR BLUE FIRE

For the SF romance novels, BLUE FIRE, and STARBLUE.

Off the Bookshelf: BELLANOK: Reluctant Savior, by Ralene Burke

The second book in my quest to read all my fellow-Realmies' books (the ones already in my library) before going to Realm Makers in July is BELLANOK, a fantasy by Ralene Burke.

This is a really a novella, the beginning of a series of stories about the adventures of Brian, a pastor in a Chicago church who is ready to throw in the towel. What good is he doing there? Is this church where God really wants him?

Then Fauna and Roman walk into his church, and they need his help. He thinks they're crazy, until strange, scary things start happening and his life is threatened. They voyage to the island of Bellanok, a separate kingdom, a piece of Eden -- right off the Georgia coast ...

And doggone it, that's where the story ends! So what happens after Brian and his two recruiters wash up on the shores of Bellanok? You gotta read the next installment.

Next up: FINDING ANGEL, by Kat Heckenbach