Fiona Ingram's Blog, page 10
September 8, 2023
Black Cats: Really Evil or Is it All a Myth? by Raven Howell
It’sthe night of Halloween. Spooks, spiders, and skeletons abound, the full moonglows – so who is cheering, “Ho, ho, ho!”? Apparently, Santa Claus has come totown, though it’s the wrong time of year! But what could be a bad situation, iswittily handled with humor, and there’s a new winner at this year’s Halloweenparade. For fans of Room on the Broomand The Little Old Lady Who Was NotAfraid of Anything. Purchase a copy of Santa’s Slip Up on Amazon,Bookshop.org,or Barnes and Noble.You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list.
BlackCats: Really Evil or Is it All a Myth?
Our family cat,Lilac, is practically smiling at me, lifting her fuzzy chin as I brush her longragamuffin black fur. Suddenly, out of the blue, with no prior indication, shebecomes a tiger, biting into my palm, green eyes shining, ears pulled back. Whathappened? I had not done anything out of the norm, there were no suddenmovements on my part, or outbursts of any kind to instigate the ravaging.Crazy? Yes. Evil? Well... no. After a decade with our furball, we’ve come torealize that on rare occasions, she just wants to burn off some of that wildanimal energy, especially since the days of having our little terrier in thehouse are over. She lost her pal/nemesis a few years back to cancer and oldage, and now it’s just her and the humans. BOOORING!
When I thinkabout it, that tends to be my own pattern as a book reader and literaturelover. Here’s what I mean: During spring, interesting non-fiction, andbiographies- new information sprouting that I didn’t know about, are on myto-read list. When sunny, warm summer months arrive, I have a whole string ofeasy-breezy books with gentle story lines that I sink into. Many are lightfamily dramas, some with a touch of romance and humor. In autumn, moremysteries are added to my bookshelf and the tension builds. By December, I usuallyend up randomly reading the new horror that everyone on Goodreads is talkingabout. And with that – there I am, deep in the story, ears back in suspense,eyes shining in “oh-my-gosh-what’s-going-to-happen-next”, and ready to pounceor jump in fright if someone (like my black cat) coincidentallybrushes my leg or something.
When I set outwriting my new children’s book, Santa’s Slip Up, I wanted that quick andsudden pounce to punctuate the end of the story. Hopefully, you’ll get that ifyou read the book. The text builds a mystery, depicting a sequence of those creepyghouls that go bump in the night during Halloween. But these creatures andcritters are innocent patrons, playing their proper spooky roles, so who’s eerilycheering “Ho-ho-ho!”?
Because of socialmedia connections over the years, a lot of internet peeps know that my familyhas a black cat. And now, seeing the cover of Santa’s Slip Up whichfeatures a black cat, always hastens the question, “Is that your cat on thebook cover?” And no matter how I put it (“No”), most of my friends still wantto believe my cat inspired the illustration on the cover. Ok, that’s cool withme, but she really didn’t. Illustrator Savannah Horton came up with the imageson her own without my suggestions. So, a little myth building begins (“That’sRaven’s cat on the cover of Santa’s Slip Up.”) I love myths. I loveblack cats. And, no, they are NOT evil.
About the Author
RavenHowell writes stories and poetry for children. Having published severalaward-winning picture books, she enjoys sharing her love of literature byvisiting classrooms and libraries. Raven is Creative & Publishing Advisorfor Red Clover Reader, PoetryDirector for Monster Magnificent, andwrites The Book Bug column for StoryMonsters Ink magazine. Her poems are found in children’s magazines such as Ladybug, Spider, Highlights forChildren, Humpty Dumpty, and Hello Magazine. She’s a CollaboratingAuthor for Reading is Fundamental SoCaland writes storybooks for Reading Gate.
Youcan find her online at:
https://twitter.com/atpearthkeeper
https://www.instagram.com/atpearthkeeper/
September 3, 2023
THE SIMPLE LAWS OF LOVE by author Brenda Shoshanna
The Unshakeable Roadto Love (Value Centered Relationships) is based upon Eternal Principles fromall world scriptures, including Zen. These tried-and-true Eternal Principles,the Pillars of Love, show how to build foundations for relationships wherehappiness and well-being are inevitable. And where pain and conflict candissolve on the spot. A radically different approach to love and psychology,the book offers a completely new perspective on fulfillment and what is trulyneeded to thrive. For example, one of the Pillars of Love upon which the bookis based is: To Be Happy, You Do Not Have to Be Loved, You Have to Learn WhatIt Means to Be Loving.
The book explores thedifference between Real and Counterfeit Love. We discover how all suffering inrelationships is due to being caught in the trap of Counterfeit Love. And howeasy it is to break free from bondage and leave that trap behind. This is abook of practice, filled with Turning Points, Pillars of Love, Interventions,and many enjoyable exercises so the reader can practice these principles in alltheir relationships and in their everyday lives. Written by a psychologist,Interfaith Counselor, and long-term Zen practitioner, the book combines thepractices and principles of both East and West, helping us to discover andcelebrate the best in ourselves and others. Purchase a copy of The Unshakeable Road to Love on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.You can also add this to your GoodReadsreading list.
THE SIMPLE LAWS OF LOVE
There are simple laws of love, which are infallible.Like the laws of gravity these laws cannot fail. They are natural, enjoyable,and easy to follow. These laws dissolveupset and confusion and bring everything back on track. If you are confused orupset in your relationship, just turn to one of these laws. See what you may bedoing in opposition to them. Even if we’re not aware of it, when we live inopposition to these laws, backlash is inevitable, one way off the next. If wejump off a building and ignore gravity, no matter how good our intentions are,we cannot help but be hurt. The same is true of the law of love. It is a pillarof strength to hold onto, to keep us happy, safe, and well. And to cause ourrelationships to flourish. If you’re having trouble in your relationship, or livingin opposition to one of these laws, it’s an easy matter to make a correction.Just realign yourself. Review the law oflove pertaining to your problem. Digest the law, make friends with it, make itthe basis of your actions. It is inevitable then that harmony and newfoundclarity will prevail. We’ll go over a few of the basic laws here. There aremany others waiting. The more you include these laws in your day, the moredelighted you will be. Try it and see.
1) Thereis never a lack of love. Love is available every moment, everywhere. When thereseems to be a lack of love, it is only that you are keeping it away.
This is a beautiful law. Stop and realize you need neverbe lonely. There is so much love waiting all around you. And it’s also possibleto keep it away. Our hearts may be closed. We may be fearful, angry, lost inthe past. Or we may see the worst in everyone. Take a few minutes to dwell uponthis. Are you attracting love, welcoming it? Are you seeing the value ineveryone? Or are you filled with resentment and blame?
Love is a choice. Choose to let love into your life.If so, turnthat around. Give up the blame, open to the beauty and uniqueness of everyoneyou meet. Love is a choice. Choose to let love into your life.
Perception is fatal. As you perceive, so shall you live. Are you a love finder or fault finder?This law of love is powerful. Choose to seethrough the eyes of love. When people say there is something wrong witheveryone they meet, it is simply because that is the way They are perceivingothers. They are looking for what’s wrong. And inevitably, they will then seewhat is wrong in themselves, as well. When we start looking for what isvaluable in others, beauty, warmth, kindness and love are a natural outcome.Not only towards others, but towards yourself as well.
Brenda Shoshanna offers talks and workshopsbased upon The Simple Laws of Love. Contact her at topspeaker@yahoo.com. www.totalrelationshipsnow.com, www.brendashoshanna.com
About the Author
Brenda Shoshanna isan award-winning author, psychologist, Interfaith counselor, and long-term Zenpractitioner and speaker. Her work is dedicated to integrating the teachings ofEast and West and making them real in our everyday lives. Brenda has offeredover five hundred talks and workshops on all aspects of personal and spiritualdevelopment, relationships, and living an authentic, meaningful life.
You can find heronline at:
Author Website: http://www.brendashoshanna.com
Book Website: https://www.totalrelationshipsnow.com/
Her Plays: https://www.allmyplays.com/
Her Podcast: https://www.zenwisdomtoday.com/
August 30, 2023
The Inspiration Behind Home Rule: Book III of The Tribal Wars by Stella Atrium
A compelling planet story of adventure and life lessons in the struggle for tribal home rule where Brianna Miller gains a needed public voice…
Title: Home Rule: Book 3 of The Tribal Wars
Author: Stella Atrium
Publisher: Stella Atrium Writes LLC
Pages: 458
Genre: Science Fiction
In book 3 of the award-winning series, photojournalistHershel Henry witnesses the loss by self-torching of tribal women. TheMadquii and Gora tribes have laid siege to the city of Urbyd, andBrianna Miller must seek a peace treaty. Kelly Osborn travels to Stargate Junction to set the wedding of ambassadorOtieno. Hershel Henry opens a gazette to report on pending elections for home rule, but then shocking events upset their plans.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C44QT91N
TheInspiration Behind Home Rule
HOME RULE is book3 in the first trilogy of a (mostly completed) series. As the writer, I’m sofar ahead with characters and plots that I have to think about what the readerknows so far. Hershel Henrycarries our narrative while he reports about tribal conflicts. We learn aboutdeath-by-fire that individual tribal women undertake. The offworld pressclaims the women are losing hope rather than engaging in a righteous means ofprotest. Henry hates thenarrative on the Company news outlets. He opens a Cylay Gazette tohonestly report about the march toward home rule.
My stories arereally about the women. Originally, I wanted to see lead characters concernedwith more than finding a husband or getting a divorce. Science fiction seemedlike a natural place for more integrated roles for women. As I began toexplore migration flows and culture shock, I realized that women carry oldinfluences into the future, language and cooking habits. They tell the childrenabout past heroes, about cautionary tales, and about how to stand up totyranny. Without a sense of the past, how will the next generation have freshideas for leading the community?
So the femalecharacters are placed in the foreground of each sequence. My principle (that Isort of stuck to) was that the plot cannot go forward except for what the womendo. Some interesting scenes were needed to show the world from the point ofview of female fighters who set aside pregnancies to join the battle.
About the Author
Stella Atrium is writing The Tribal Wars series. The first trilogy is available as ebooks and in print. BookLife has awarded the Editor’s Pick designation for each book upon itsrelease. Home Rulerounds out the first trilogy and received first place in the 2023Artisan Book Review Awards for Science Fiction and Fantasy. Book 4 titled Tribal Logic is scheduled for release in early 2024. Also be certain to pick up Atrium’s standalone novel Seven Beyond that won a 2014 Reader’s Favorites award in science fiction.
Website: https://stellaatrium.com
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/SAtriumWrites
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SAtriumWrites
August 22, 2023
Book Spotlight: Precious Burdens by Avery Sterling
When passion and revenge clash, love could unravel a deadly feud in which no one is left standing…
Title: Precious Burdens
Author: Avery Sterling
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Pages: 324
Genre: Historical Romance
Sarafina di Ramonicci sets sail for America as the promised bride in an arranged political marriage. Taken prisoner at sea, she clashes with her captor and demands freedom, onlyto discover he is planning her future husband’s demise, with her as apawn in their deadly feud. The challenge of escape tests her loyalty tofamily, human decency, and love.
Captain Nye Tarquin is a dangerous man. Left to die on the streets of NewOrleans, he swears retribution on the man responsible. When he makesSarafina part of his plan, he isn’t prepared for the fiery vixen aboardhis ship, nor his desire to claim her as his own. When passion overtakes honor, he’s torn between his heart and his need for justice.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Precious-Burdens-Avery-Sterling-ebook/dp/B0C8VHNH3V
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/precious-burdens-avery-sterling/1143685468?ean=2940160809335
Book Excerpt
A grin formed on his lips. “She belongs to me now,” he said, his voice was as cool as his expression. “And when Cornell comes for her, I’ll be waiting to return the favor… only I’ll succeed, where he did not.”
Sarafina’s fingers curled around her goblet. “What makes you think he’ll come for her?”
“He has several reasons to take the bait. Cornell will demand satisfaction for his humiliation.”
“His humiliation?” She sat up straighter. “What about hers? Do you understand what people will think when they find out she was held hostage here? If her intended is murdered and she’s left stranded, this will leave her utterly alone. What will become of her, then?”
“She’ll marry someone better than the likes of Cornell, I hope,” he replied dryly.
She slammed her goblet down and flew to her feet. “And who would want her?”
He remained seated. “I’m doing her a great service,” he said calmly, leaning on the arm of his chair. “You have no idea the kind of life she would’ve been subjected to.”
“So, you're her savior now?”
The captain pushed off his chair and straightened to his full height. She kept her glare locked with his but keeping it steady was becoming as difficult as her breathing. “Maybe,” he said.
“That’s an absurd notion,” she replied.
“Is it?” he asked. He stepped towards her, and she stepped back in unison, until the back of her legs hit the chair.
About the Author
Avery Sterling’s lovefor the romance genre began in her teen years when she picked up herfirst novel. She was captivated by the sweeping scale of emotionsbrought about by the words. The experience catapulted her towardslearning the art of having a breathtaking adventure, with a love thatfelt authentic. Wanting to inspire people with her own thoughts andwords, she finished her first novel at sixteen. It was a step towardsunderstanding the essence of what she wished to create.
Most of her youth wasspent traveling, searching for the romance and beauty in herever-changing world. From the waves that crashed against the rocky shores of Downeast, Maine, to the warm breezes of the Caribbean, shediscovered that love was universal, apparent in its grandest andsimplest of forms. Her goal is to write novels an audience can relateto, one that conveys the truth and nature of love…with all the steamyromance.
Website: http://www.avery-sterling.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/averysterling17
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/Avery.Sterling17
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19674760.Avery_Sterling
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/avery-sterlingDear Reader,
Thank you for choosing Precious Burdens as one of your reads. Nyeand Sarafina are dear to me. They face many obstacles, such as passion, danger,duty, and family. The stakes are high, and death is promised, but love isinevitable.
I was so nervous about publishingthis story, it’s one of my first historical romances. I’ve held onto it for along time. My passion for writing romances started when I was young, but it wassomething I kept to myself. However, over the years, a strong desire to publishmy stories ensued. I wanted to share it with the world. With you.
Nye is a man torn between thevalues he was raised with, and the life he was forced into. His survival cameat a high price… the price of his soul. Or so he believes. Thinking that heisn’t worthy of love and family, he keeps the world at bay. Until allowingSarafina into his heart becomes inescapable.
Sarafina is a young womanraised by doting parents, who encouraged her to think and speak freely.However, when duty calls upon her family, she's left ill-prepared for the harshreality of her time, and her station. Sarafina thought she’d choose her husbandand marry for love. She believed she’d find a man that appreciated her as aperson and respected her ideas. Instead, she became a bargaining chip in a treatybetween Malta and Britain.
When Nye intercepts the shipbringing her to New Orleans, these two fiery souls come together with a clashthat shatters all their beliefs, all their expectations. Nye and Sarafina’sjourney is an emotional one for me to tell, but worth every moment spent. Ihope you’ll find their story just as gripping and enjoy reading it as much as Ienjoyed writing it.
August 14, 2023
10 Things You May Not Know About Author Randy Dockens
See the excitement behind the scenes of how Lucifer became the Adversary and the part he has played in the affairs of man since the creation of Adam and Eve, including the creation of the Nephilim causing the implementation of the worldwide flood, his influence on the construction of the Tower of Babel, his involvement in the curse of king Jehoiachin, and even how he interferes in modern times in our day-to-day activities...
Title: The Adversary Chronicles
Author: Randy C. Dockens
Publisher: Carpenter’s Son Publishing
Genre: Christian / Scifi
He has many names: Lucifer, Satan, Devil, Adversary. Through the eyes ofMikael, the Captain of the Lord’s hosts, understand the conflict thatstarts in Heaven and how it extends to Earth. Get a differentperspective on earthly events that will help you rediscover the awe ofage-old Bible stories and give you a new perspective for you to ponder.
Read how Lucifer prepares for his rise to power on Earth through his deceitcausing the fall of Adam and Eve, his engineering the Nephilim which God ended with the worldwide flood, how he attempted to use the Tower ofBabel to prepare a superhuman off world using a time dilation field tospeed up his work for world dominance, how he utilizes a curse theprophet Jeremiah gives to king Jehoiachin to try and change mankind’shistory by preventing the prophecy of the coming Messiah, to how heattempts to hijack new technology today to create a plague that willtarget those of Jewish descent and thereby change biblical prophecy andattempt to turn it into a mere fairytale.
Title of Series: The Adversary Chronicles
Book 1: Rebellion in the Stones of Fire
Book 2: The Holy Grail of Babylon
Book 3: The Defining Curse
Book 4: The Luciferian Plague
Publication Date:
Rebellion in the Stones of Fire: 01-Feb-2022
The Holy Grail of Babylon: 06-Jul-2022
The Defining Curse: 04-Oct-2022
The Luciferian Plague: 01-Feb-2003
# of Pages:
Rebellion in the Stones of Fire: 320
The Holy Grail of Babylon: 300
The Defining Curse: 300
The Luciferian Plague: 368
Amazon:
Rebellion in the Stones of Fire: Rebellion in the Stones of Fire (The Adversary Chronicles, 1): Dockens, Randy C: 9781952025662: Amazon.com: Books
The Holy Grail of Babylon: The Holy Grail of Babylon (The Adversary Chronicles, 2): Dockens, Randy C: 9781952025679: Amazon.com: Books
The Defining Curse: The Defining Curse (The Adversary Chronicles, 3): Dockens, Randy C: 9781952025686: Amazon.com: Books
The Luciferian Plague: The Luciferian Plague (The Adversary Chronicles, 4): Dockens, Randy C: 9781954437739: Amazon.com: Books
Also available for sale at https://www.randydockens.com/bookstore
10 Things You May Not KnowAbout Randy Dockens
About the Author
Dr. Randy C. Dockenshas a fascination with science and with the Bible, holds Ph.D. degreesin both areas, and is a man not only of faith and science, but also ofcreativity. He believes that faith and science go hand in hand withoutbeing enemies of each other.
After completing hisbachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Auburn University he went on tograduate school at Auburn and completed his first doctorate degree inPharmaceutics. He began his scientific career as a pharmacokineticreviewer for the Food and Drug Administration and later joined a leading pharmaceutical company as a pharmacokineticist, which is a scientistwho analyzes how the human body affects drugs after they have beenadministered (i.e., absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted).
Through the years, hehas worked on potential medicines within several disease areas,including cardiovascular, fibrosis, and immunoscience to see and develop new and novel medicines in these therapy areas. He has also had hisattention on the academic study of the Bible. He earned a seconddoctorate in Biblical Prophecy from Louisiana Baptist University afterreceiving a master’s degree in Jewish Studies from the Internet BibleInstitute under the tutelage of Dr. Robert Congdon.
Randy has recentlyretired from his pharmaceutical career and is spending even more time on his writing efforts. He has written several books that span dystopian,end-time prophecy, science fiction, and uniquely told Bible stories. All his books, while fun to read, are futuristic, filled with science togive them an authentic feel, have a science fiction feel to them, andallows one to learn some aspect of Biblical truth one may not havethought about before. This is all done in a fast-paced action formatthat is both entertaining and provides a fun read for its readers.
Website: https://www.randydockens.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/RandyCDockens
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Randy.C.Dockens
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16453941
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/randydockens/
August 8, 2023
The Inspiration Behind A Divisive Storm by David E. Feldman
Someone is murdering a group of friends at the John Farmer Club, whose membership harbors a barely hidden racist agenda and a white supremacist past. It's up to Dora and Missy to find and stop the killer before becoming victims themselves…
Title: A Divisive Storm: Dora Ellison Mystery Book 6
Author: David E. Feldman
Publisher: Eface Media
Pages: 233
Genre: Thriller Noir
Ray Drucker is shot in the face while sitting in his car in the parking lot of a drug store. His wife, Katie, hires Dora Ellison and Missy Wintersof Geller Investigations to find his killer. Soon, another murderoccurs, and these are linked to a third murder, five years earlier. Dora and Missy learn that these men were all members of a club with a barely hidden racist agenda and a white supremacist past. As the bodies pileup, Dora and Missy are faced with their most daunting, dangerous caseyet!
Fans and lovers of Noir, Hard-Boiled and LGBT Detective Mysteries will love the Dora Ellison Mystery Series.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Divisive-Storm-Gripping-Mystery-Thriller-ebook/dp/BoBF1FKNVV/The Inspiration Behind A Divisive Storm by DavidE. Feldman
The idea for the Dora EllisonMystery Series came to me after reading many mystery thrillers writtenby others. I very much appreciate it when cruel people, whether they are themurderers in a book or not, get what's coming to them. The Jack Reacherseries by Lee Child are great examples. Reacher encounters characters who arecruel, and they nearly always get what's coming to them. Wouldn't it be nice iflife were like that?
Several of my Dorabooks include story elements that are drawn from current news headlines, andbook 6, A Divisive Storm, which is to be the finale of the series, is one ofthese. When I read about some of the ideas people have - about other people,social or religious groups, or about those who might be different in any numberof ways from themselves - I am often compelled to write about these issues.
Like mostAmericans, I believe in the equality of our citizens, and so when I read aboutbigotry and the sort of hatred we so often see in our headlines, and when I seethat such hatred is aimed at people with whom the haters are not evenacquainted but at strangers, at whole groups of people, I feel compelled towrite about the issue, as I feel compelled to write about many issues. Of course, I am a mystery-thriller author, and so I craftmystery-thrillers, which are for me puzzles where I first figure out who waskilled and by whom, and then I craft the maze of red herrings and misdirectionsthat will make reading the book fun for readers of my genres. At least that ismy hope! My Dora books have as their main character Dora Ellison, whois the product of a violent childhood - a woman with a deep well of rage thatis forever seeking an outlet. And she generally finds one - usually someone ora few people in need of her rage - who will benefit from being taught a lesson.My hope is that my readers find some satisfaction in these conflicts. Dora hasa strong moral center and a strong sense of justice.
Dora's sidekickin books two through six is Missy Winters, a librarian who is of South Asiandescent. To say that Missy is the brains and Dora the brawn would besimplistic. Dora is a gifted, natural martial arts savant, but she is alsosmart and has a great nose for solving crimes. Missy is more book smart. Whenanyone marvels that she has deduced some aspect of a crime, she is quick topoint out, "Hey, I'm a librarian!" I, too, am a librarian, though Ido not work at a library. My master's degree is in library and informationscience, so I have a soft spot for librarians. I am also sad to see thatlibrarians and libraries are becoming things of the past, not least because ofthe current politically driven penchant for banning books, something I amvehemently against. If one does not want one's child reading a book - one candeal with that within the family, not by banning the book.
My hope is thatreaders will find the murder of Ray Drucker and the events that follow, alongwith Dora, Missy and their supporting cast fun and engaging. My hope is thatthey will read the previous Dora Ellison books and keep an eye out for futuremysteries and my other novels!
About the Author
David E. Feldman haswritten 8 books of his own and ghost-written many others. He has madeseveral films, won 2 film awards and won a playwriting contest in 2022.His first in series Not Today: Dora Ellison Mystery Book 1 was a Best Mystery 2022 Killer Nashville Claymore finalist and was followedby four, soon to be five, more Dora books. His novel The Neighborhood was a 2023 finalist for The Book Excellence Awards.
He plays piano andsings professionally and loves to paint, which he does both for fun andcommission. He adores his wife, two sons and their Yorkie. He has an MLS degree in Library & Information Science.
His books include: The Dora Ellison Mystery Series
Not Today, Dora Ellison Mystery Series Book 1
A Gathering Storm, Dora Ellison Mystery Series Book 2
A Sickening Storm, Dora Ellison Mystery Books Book 3
A Biological Storm, Dora Ellison Mystery Series Book 4
A Special Storm, Dora Ellison Mystery Series Book 5
Pilgrimage from Darkness Nuremberg to Jerusalem
Bad Blood, a Long Island Mystery
Born of War: Based on a Story of American Chinese Friendship
How to Be Happy in Your Marriage
The Neighborhood
His work can be found at https://www.davidfeldman.com/books.shtml.
He works extensively as a ghostwriter, via his ghostwriting website at https://longislandnyghostwriter.com. His film, Everyone Deserves a Decent Life (directed, produced) won the Alfred Fortunoff Humanitarian Film Award at the Long Island Film Expo, 2014. His film, Let Me Out! (Written, directed, produced) won Best Psychological Thriller at the2009 New York International Film Festival. His play, Love Lives On, was a winner of the inaugural Artists in Partnership Inaugural PlaywritingContest and was performed in Sept. – Oct. 2022 in Long Beach, NewYork.
Website: https://www.davidefeldman.com/books.shtml
Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidefeldmanw1
Facebook: https://facebook.com/DavidEFeldmanAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidefeldmanwriterAugust 3, 2023
10 Things You Might Not Know About Crimson Scimitar, Attack on America 2001-2027 by S.P. Grogan
Action-adventure-romance-political-terrorist-thriller of American television culture versus the War on Terrorism—the Awakening Epic of Our Times…
Title: Crimson Scimitar: Attack on America 2001-2027
Author: S.P. Grogan
Publisher: Addison & Highsmith Publishers
Publication Date: September 5, 2023
Pages: 680
Genre: Current Historical Fiction/Action/Adventure/Thriller
Crimson Scimitar by S.P. Grogan is an expansive action-adventure terrorist thriller that tells the ‘what if’ story of the al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden. What if, in 2011, instead of being killed bin Laden is captured and put ontrial, what would American justice look like, and would the outcome beas expected? What if prior to his capture he and al Qaeda were planningto launch on America worse than 9/11? Who could stop it? In Crimson Scimitar is the chase to capture bin Laden, the ‘Trial of the Century’, the diabolical Crimson Scimitar plot in action, and climactic ‘gun battle at the bridge.’ Author S.P.Grogan’s writing seamlessly blends the political War on Terrorism events of 2011 into a realistic landscape that features strong womencharacters, an eccentric multi-millionaire, reality television stars,SEAL members on the attack, battling defense and prosecution lawyers,CIA agents, the President of the United States, and an ambitiousjihadist who will begin a violent transformative journey. Moreintriguing is how the terrorist plot was crated that will lead to stockmarket manipulation, attacks on amusement parks, and nuclear wastepoisoning. And amid it all there are romantic challenges that must befaced to create strong bonds to fight against evil. Crimson Scimitar is labeled as the ‘Awakening Epic of Our Times’, reminding readers that a 9/11 could happen again and that we must be vigilant.
Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/6v9s8n9k
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-crimson-scimitar-sp-grogan/1142693076
Histria Books: https://histriabooks.com/product/crimson-scimitar
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/149851203-crimson-scimitar10 Things You Might Not Know About Crimson Scimitar, Attack onAmerica 2001-2027
1. At 600 pages (hardback), 270,000 words, Crimson Scimitar is morethan 209,000 words as long as Moby Dick by Herman Melville,and less than A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin (298,000words). Crimson Scimitar is being called by one reviewer 'AnAwakening Epic of Our Times'.
2. Author S.P. Grogan creates main characters in three strong willed women whoseonly flaws are frustrations at not achieving their goals. Samantha, NYC fashioncelebrity, tires of the social life and seeks extraordinary thrills. Callie, a reality television actress who knows she has more talent for biggerroles. And Sabz, the child-betrothed pawn in tribal politics seeks to escape from her marital fate and go to college. And in the midst of takingthe right path they are also willing to take chances for and against theirromantic choices.
3.The idea for Crimson Scimitar began in 2009, when the authorbegan writing out the plot premise. The manuscript was half-way completed whenone night he was told, "Listen to the TV, they've killed binLaden." The original idea was to be written as a courtroomdrama, with bin Laden found innocent!! The unfinished manuscript wasshelved for nearly 20 years until it was rewritten in its entirety!
4.SEAL member Shawn Pacheco was named after a friend at a previous job, Hugh Fox,the games maker, named after a neighbor. Hugh's company, Skilleo GamesTechnology, is named after an actual company that the author, as a businessman,incorporated, to work on various video business projects. The authorworked 15 years for a company that designed and invented casino games. Healso worked as an economic development advisor for several Native Americantribes, thus the Indian inferences appearing in and around the plot of 'TheTrial of the Century'.
5. True events are woven into the story fabric. Examples are the missilestrike in Sudan in 1998, and 9/11, of course. The 2011 earthquake in Virginia, and nuclear power plants being impacted by high river flooding.
6. At the story's attack climax, 'the battle at the bridge', the author tookseveral trips to the site to study bridge structure, to determine if such anattack could be successful, and how to accomplish it.
7. The female police officer who appears at the bridge during the battle actuallymade her debut as a main starring character as a Las Vegas Metro PoliceHomicide Detective in the author's first published novel, "VegasDie", that contained a special 'Quest Mystery' of a treasure huntfor a $25,000 valued dagger hidden somewhere in Vegas, the clues within thebook's writing. A Quest Mystery for a hidden war club appears in the nextnovel, "Captain Cooked, Hawaiian Mystery of Romance, Revenge, andRecipes" but, for Questor fans, no treasure hunt in CrimsonScimitar.
8. This novel suggests the question: Could there be a Crimson Scimitar attack onAmerica? Famous best-selling authors think so in plotting their ownthriller books. In 2023, Federal statistics stated 100 known, registeredterrorists were apprehended at the border, but no statistics of course on howmany made it undetected into the heartland of the U.S. or are hiding in our cities. Crimson Scimitar does not purport any political agenda in our current divisivecountry, but only asks readers if they believe this country is vulnerableto a larger terrorist attack than 9/11?
9. Much of the public dialogue of bin Laden in the story is taken from his ownwritings/speeches. He did think, by 2011, that his power was waning, andhe was becoming irrelevant against the Arab Spring movement. The planned attackon oil tankers was an actual viable plot in 2010-2011. And yes, hewas having employee problems with his security guards being tooprotective. The timeline of the attack on the bin Laden compound isaccurate. The tweets published during the attack were from a real listener tothe events unfolding.
10.The publisher of Crimson Scimitar, Histria Books, up to 2019 onlypublished academic history books. In reading S. P. Grogan's works, thepublisher thought the fictional writing outstanding and the stories interestingand compelling, and made a deal to purchase all rights of the author'scatalogue of four novels, and re-publish them, which they have done so between2020 and this year. Outside the scope of the agreement, CrimsonScimitar is the first newly written novel written by Grogan, publishedby Histria Books, to be released for the holiday season, 2023.
About the Author
S.P. Grogan in 2008 gained recognition with his first novel, Vegas Die, a Quest Mystery, in which were clues that led the 'Questor' to seek out adagger hidden somewhere in the Vegas Valley to be redeemed for $25,000cash. Launching a fan-based treasure hunt Vegas Die became abest-seller, and an award for 'Best Regional' fiction. S.P. Grogan calls himself an eclectic storyteller in that he seeks out blending historyand romance into various genres to create unusual plotting. AuthorS.P. Grogan lives in Henderson, Nevada, and is working on his nextnovel.
Website: www.spgrogan.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grogan.sp
July 25, 2023
TV Series review: The Sister Boniface Mysteries
If you are a cosy murder mysteryfan, The Sister Boniface Mysteries is right up your alley. Set in a small fictionalvillage in the Cotswolds, one that rejoices in the dramatic name of Great Slaughter(one wonders of what?), this is the place for plenty of murders—as one can see,small villages are hotbeds of intrigue, mystery, and death. Sister Boniface (brilliantlyplayed by Lorna Watson) is a Catholic nun at St. Vincent’s convent who spendsmuch of her time solving murders, using new-fangled scientific techniques, andmaking undrinkable wine, using old-fangled techniques. Although the ReverendMother of the convent frowns upon Sister Boniface’s propensity for solving crimes,she does allow the good sister some leeway. After all, someone must solve themurders!
Bolstering the crime solvingsquad are Max Brown as Detective Inspector Sam Gillespie; Jerry Iwu as FelixLivingstone, a Detective Sergeant on secondment from Bermuda, whose dream is tobe assigned to Scotland Yard; Miranda Raison as Ruth Penny, the up-and-coming newspaperreporter; and Ami Metcalf as Constable Peggy Button. Belinda Lang stars as MrsClam, Sam and Felix’s landlady. Robert Daws is Chief Constable Hector Lowsley,who seems very confused that society is actually considering incorporating thefairer (aka weaker) sex into jobs such as police work and science. For such asmall village, there are murders a-plenty, and one might even say Great Slaughter’scrime fighting squad gives Father Brown a run for his money!
Some questions hesitant viewersmight ask: will I enjoy it? Of course you will; what’s not to like about amurder mystery? Is it funny? You will scream with laughter. Will I enjoy the characters?If you loved Fawlty Towers, ‘All ‘Allo, and the like, this is the series foryou. Is it racist? Everyone keeps mixing up Felix’s home country of Bermuda with Barbados,but I don’t think that counts. Are the stories good? Absolutely! Is it sociallyand politically correct? Not at all so if that’s what bothers you, don’t watch.Are the characters stereotypes? Definitely, and they are just adorable. Mrs Clamis a real scene-stealer and is so funny that I am sure she must have everyonefalling about laughing behind the scenes.
No, seriously, this is one of thebest and funniest series I have ever watched. It is set in the 1960s and the period detail is superb. The not-a-romance between theattractive, career-driven Ruth and the handsome (if a bit thick in the women department)Sam, who love to hate each other and accuse each other of ruining the investigation,police and reportage, is also very sweet, especially since everyone else cansee the sparks flying and feel the sizzle between them. There is no wokeryalthough a couple of episodes veered that way, saved only by historical truths.The themes addressed also include the aftermath of World War 2, social issuesof a changing Britain, and the development of women’s roles in a new society.But these are all handled within the ambit of the murder mystery and the fun andhigh jinks that abound, so fear not, you won’t be getting a lesson in anything.Just a darn good murder investigation! Well worth watching. I can’t wait forseries two!
July 20, 2023
The Story Behind Mom's Search for Meaning: Grief and Growth After Child Loss by Melissa M. Monroe
California Author Pens Powerfully Poignant New Book Recovering From Losing Her Child
Title: Mom's Search for Meaning: Grief and Growth After Child Loss
Author: Melissa M. Monroe
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 276
Genre: Memoir
Paralyzed by guilt,grief, and PTSD after her 2-year-old daughter Alice died in her sleep of unknown causes, acupuncturist Melissa Monroe determined not to become a victim in the story of her life. While taking the advice she had givento many grief and trauma patients throughout the years, hoping she could create a meaningful life without closure, she took notes throughout her healing process.
Struggling to advanceher timeline beyond that of her daughter’s – and still eager to be thekeeper of Alice’s stories – Melissa began to write about Alice’s lifeand the impact of her death. She became her own lab rat, trying variousapproaches to healing with the hope that her experience might be helpful to others stuck in a trauma time loop.
As much a study of trauma’s effect on time perception as it is an intimate view into the heart and mind of a bereaved mother, Mom’s Search for Meaning shows us that meaning resides in the search itself…with a spoonful of gallows humor to help the medicine go down.
Praise:
“Melissa doesn’t just say the way out is through, she very much takes us through what that looks like. And in being so specific, I think it’s universally relatable. The final chapter is “To be, or not to be”-level work. This is mom-loss Shakespeare.” Teresa Strasser, author of Exploiting My Baby, the upcoming Making It Home, and co-host of the syndicated TV show The List
“Melissa’s book provides powerful testimony to the strength of thehuman spirit and our vulnerable, complicated, and yet inspirationalability to heal.” Kim Cookson, Psy.D., founder of the Trauma andResiliency Training and Services Program at the Southern CaliforniaCounseling Center
“It is the story of how one person found her way – with grief andwith pain, but also with humor and grace – back to a life that would beforever different, but which couldn’t be, and wouldn’t be, anything less than purposeful and honest.” Dan Koeppel, author of To See Every Bird on Earth, Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World, and Every Minute is a Day
“The explorations of compassion are deep, Melissa’s march toward love is inspiring, and the writing is beautiful. It is a book about childloss that – at times – made me laugh out loud. I will never stopthinking about this book. And I am so glad.” Liz Friedlander, film andtelevision director
Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/yrmuumc6
Barnes & Noble: https://tinyurl.com/mryd9z7s
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/123189454
"When everything we love turns to ash, all we have is love. I began to realize that if I marched toward the love — even on a day when I felt like shit — I would always be guided and surrounded by love. If I cursed the path, I wouldn’t see the love that was all around me and would find a cursed path.
When Alice died, it became crystal clear to me that nothing matters but love. That clarity was notable because not one other thing was clear. But more importantly, I began to see that love doesn’t die. My love for Alice went nowhere; I just didn’t know what to do with all that love when her body was no longer here, when I could not interact with her personality or hug her chubby belly. It was clear to me my love for her survived though her body did not. I could still feel her, though I couldn’t see or touch her. Grief is love in the absence of the recipient of the love.
Grief is the phantom limb of love.
This meant I had to learn how to love someone no longer here ... and to do that, I had to focus on the love that was here. And there was so much love around me, thank God.”
After my two-year-old daughter Alice died in hersleep of unknown causes just eleven days after her second birthday, her deathwas classified as Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC). Obviously, Iwas, and am, devastated, but initially I was absolutely paralyzed with grief,guilt, and PTSD. I began my blog Mothering in Memoriam about a monthafter Alice died because I could barely speak, and folks wanted to know how Iwas doing. They also wanted to know what happened. So, I began documenting myhealing journey.
I thought some friends and family would read theblog, and I'd save my breath and sanity because re-telling the story over andover was traumatizing. But the blog took on a life of its own, something Ididn't expect. I received hundreds of notes from people telling me my wordshelped them. I figured if I helped even one other person while saving myself,this book was a mission worth undertaking. Eventually, my friend TeresaStrasser (author of Exploiting My Baby and Making It Home) ordered me tosend her chapters, and this book was born.
The title came from an editing note Teresa used todescribe the book. And then I remembered that grief guru David Kessler saysthat "finding meaning" is the sixth stage of grief. While discussingpotential titles with another friend, Mom's Search for Meaning was theclear winner. After Alice died, I found myself searching for meaning longbefore I knew it was advisable to do so. In cases like Alice's, where no causeof death can be determined, one's need for "closure" becomesunattainable, and therefore, finding meaning can become a driving force. It wasfor me, at least.
Now living in LosAngeles with her daughter Grace, Melissa M. Monroe was born in Yuma, AZ. She attended Loyola University in Chicago. After finishing at Loyola,she studied modern dance at the University of Chicago. In 1995, she moved to California to train in Pilates, yoga, and acupuncture, which shepractices as a professional.
Website: http://www.melissamariemonroe.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tripleMMeaning
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelissaMarieMonroeAuthor
Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@triplemmeaning
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissammonroe/
Guest Post: Is Time Travel Real? by author John York
What might happen if a handful of people living in different eras became entangled in time?
Title: The Five Watches
Author: John R. York
Publisher: DocUmeantPublishing
Pages: 316
Genre: Time Travel
What might happen if a handful of people living in different eras became entangled in time,some intentionally and some accidentally? The nineteenth-centuryscientist, Dr. Wilhelm Gussen, is passionate about improving the welfare of mankind, and so he begins a journey through time in a quest to learn about future advances in epidemiology. Physicist Emory Lynch, from thetwenty-seventh century, studies an old pocket watch, said to be a timetravel device, and accidently stumbles into the twenty-first century. In 2019, Jim Zimmerman, the de facto neighborhood go-to guy, finds himself caught in the middle of a clandestine, future conspiracy. True to hischaracter, he becomes inextricably involved in future affairs thatinvolve saving humanity from itself—dragging his wife and a fewneighbors along for the ride. Thus, begins a time travel adventure thatexamines the stubborn predictability of human behavior and how somethings, even over time, never seem to change.
Praise:
“The Five Watches is filled with interesting characters and enchanting tapestries woveninto the fabric of time itself. John explores not only the ravages oftime but more importantly the impact of individual kindness, caring, and selflessness towards others that is heartwarming. I enjoyed thissuspenseful page turner, the connection to everyday people and toimaginable heroes that we can all strive to become. Uplifting! – JimRichards, Beta Reader
Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/46fjjp6f
Is Time Travel Real?
The concept of time travel is ageless, captured in myths andtraditional stories as far back as the first century BC. It’s not difficult toimagine primitive humans sitting around an open fire contemplating what wondersthe future might bring, or the ability to repeat the past so as to correct abad decision. The earliest mention of using a machine to facilitate time travelis thought to have occurred in Edward Page Mitchell’s short story, The Clockthat Went Backward, although some scholars and critics question whether aclock really counts as a time machine. Of course, H. G. Wells’ The TimeMachine is generally considered by most to be the first modern time-travel story,though he actually wrote one seven years earlier called The ChronicArgonauts. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, time travel becamea common plot element in science fiction, yielding multitudes of books, shortstories, comics, movies, and TV series. The prevalence of time travel fictionhas nurtured the development of several literary categories or types oftemporal travel, ranging from “anything goes” to the real possibility oftime travel derived from quantum mechanics and theoretical physics. In fact,time is both a concept and a dimension. As a concept, time is a measure of theflow of events, a straight line on which we can plot the past, measure thepresent, plan and hope for the future. As a dimension, time becomes a fourthdimension of space with a physical property and a mathematical structure.
There are a few brilliant people who study time in ways most of uswould find impossible to understand. They consider how traveling through timecould be possible, at least mathematically, and they labor over definitions oftemporal models that support or contradict various time travel paradoxes. Formany, these scientific theories of relativity, the mathematical models, and theparadoxes they create lend a modicum of credence to certain types of timetravel tales. When science is cleverly woven into a story, compelling sciencefiction often results. Stories about time and time travel are abundant. Theyappeal to a broad spectrum of readers because they’re a compelling mechanismfor allowing one’s mind to wander into situations past, present, and future inways that other genres cannot—at least not without incorporating time travel.It also provides the author with a very broad palette of “what if”possibilities. Fortunately, time travel works in just about every genre, likeromance comedy, fantasy, action, and others.
In my novel, The Five Watches: An Accident of Time, I use awatch (five of them actually) as a time machine, and I use an obscure conceptof ‘the future of the future’ to dodge those scientifically pesky paradoxesregarding the inability to change the future. I use the current tensions in ourcountry and the world as a backdrop for the plot line. Time travel offers anauthor and the reader a unique way of considering the state of humanity fromhistorical and philosophical perspectives. Time forces the story’s charactersto confront the consequences of their actions as well as those of others,regardless of what time they find themselves in. So, is time travel for real?When considered as a concept, we all travel through time at exactly the samerate: 60 seconds per minute. However, there really are people out there whoconduct experiments to prove the reality of time travel. As an example,there is the delayed choice quantum eraser experiment, performed by MarianScully, which involves pairs of entangled photons. If you’re interested, youcan Google it and read the detailed description of the experiment and theresults. I’m pretty sure you won’t understand it, but (spoiler alert) I cantell you the results of the experiment were inconclusive. To date, there is no quantifiable proof thatwe can travel through time, either forward or backward. Nevertheless, time,each minute of each day, is the most valuable thing we possess. Since time isprecious, we should all use it wisely. Fortunately, we have troves of timetravel stories to stimulate our imaginations.And here’s some food for thought — as Albert Einstein once said, “Theonly reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.”
About the Author
John R. York has beenwriting and publishing his stories since 2016, but he’s always been astoryteller, even as a kid in Central Ohio where he grew up. His lifeexperiences provided him with a wealth of tales to share with others and resulted in his debut work, Wolf’s Tale. He has since published fivemore novels, including the award-winning Journey to Eden. A retired high-tech executive, he currently lives with his wife, Paula, in New Port Richey, Florida.
Website: www.johnryork.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.york.9277
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnryork and www.tiktok.com/@dreamwriter
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/John-York/author/B0771RCZJ2?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
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