MaryAnn Bernal's Blog, page 14

Scribbler Tales Volumes One - Five - multi-genre anthology by Mary Ann Bernal

Scribbler TalesVolumes One - Five

Scribbler Tales Volume One
Desperate Measures: What happens when Audrey learns of Paul’s duplicity? Cloning experiments have gone awry.
 Forbidden Lore: Arianna and Ethan are locked inside a haunted cemetery. Will they survive the night?
Forever Lost: Rina and Adrian are star-crossed lovers. Will love prevail?
Sail with Me:  Aaron reflects upon his childhood. Confessions of a military brat.
The Hourglass:  A covenant with the Devil. How far will Flair go to keep Brice alive?
 Scribbler Tales Volume Two
Broken Promises: Madeline’s love for Nathan clouds her judgment as the Wall Street titan denies any wrongdoing.
Deception: Vigilante vengeance. The criminal justice system fails when the guilty walk free.  Endgame: It was a dream government job until Sandy learns the truth. Covert operations shrouded in secrecy.
 Malice: Proving innocence. Andrew’s life falls apart when he is falsely accused of rape.  The Portrait: Demonic possession. All Geoffrey wants is a family, but Holliday and Olivia have other plans.  Scribbler Tales Volume Three
Hidden Lies: When classified schematics are stolen, evidence points to an inside job. Industrial secrets compromised.
Nightmare:  Phantom Legacy. Melanie wants to sell her ancestral home, but the specter of her dreams has other plans
Payback: A psychopathic killer is on the loose. Detective Newport must stop an assassintargeting prosecuting attorneys.
The Night Stalker:  Deadly Obsession. Pamela must prove her suspicions before the police can protect her
Turning Point: Personal vendetta. Is a decorated firefighter an arsonist? A Fire Marshall wrestles with the truth.
Scribbler Tales Volume Four
Abducted:  Threatened with death. When Katrina Cooper is kidnapped, can the money be raised in time?
Cunning: Lethal folklore. Charlotte stumbles upon the truth behind Transylvanian vampires.
Enamored: Pursuing love. Aging Lady Margaret is besotted with a much younger man.
Reckless: Eluding capture. Peter’s latest victim survives, informing the authorities.
Safeguard: Self-defense or Murder? Sarah awakens covered in blood.
Scribbler Tales Volume Five
Bloodlust: Lilly considers a Satanic covenant on All Hallows’ Eve as she seeks immortality.
Illusion:  Felicity stumbles upon tomb robbers in the Valley of the Queens. Dream vacation has gone awry.
Manhunt: Perilous flight. Tami and Mick plan one final heist, but will it lead to their downfall?
Pandemic: Facing extinction. Dr. Lancaster must find a cure for a mutated virus strain.
Revenge:  Criminal behavior. Can Angela rid herself of her abusive husband? 

Purchase at:
Amazon
Smashwords
Apple Books
Barnes and Noble

Spotlight on author Bronwyn Elsmore

In tropical beach mode on a small island in Vanuatu a few months ago, with some other animal friends.

Some fun facts about author Bronwyn Elsmore

Born under the sign of Libra.

 While I have an amused view of such things, I am drawn to balance and harmony. And I like to think that while the Libran symbol is the balance/scales, the word is similar to that for book – libre/liber/libri. Together they seem to sum me up pretty well. 


For the past dozen years, I’ve kept a record of books I have read in the year.
[Long pause while I complete and review my list for 2019] For the past few years, the total has been between 70-80, with a high of 93.
As usual, they’re non-fiction and fiction in a variety of genres, with Literary Fiction being my first pick. I’m always looking for books that are ultimately uplifting, which doesn’t mean they can’t deal with negative subjects. 


As well as an author of a dozen books, and hundreds of shorter works, 
I am also a playwright.
Along with my reading record, there’s another of the stage-plays I’ve been to. The number of those is showing a decline, for several reasons – reluctance to find parking in the city, I don’t review plays as I used to, and for a similar reason to my views on books – so many are on depressing subjects. However, playwriting has given me much pleasure over the years, and there’s nothing like sitting in an audience seeing actors adding their skills to one’s words.



I’m located in the South Pacific, so when most of the globe’s population are enduring winter, I’m glorying in summer days.

Right now, I’m spending a lot of time caring for my annual crop of monarch butterflies.  I grow plants for the caterpillars, make sure they have enough to eat, keep predators at bay, and bring them inside to develop safely. It takes many hours of my time but it’s lovely to see them fly off. Each butterfly I let go with the words “have a happy life.”

Altogether I spend far too much time on them and each year tell myself next year I won’t do it. But here I am, back into it. So far this season I have liberated 63 butterflies, and there are plenty more to come!



Cats are another thing. I don’t go looking for them, they find me. 
At the moment, I have to accept I have three – not by choice but because they’ve all turned up having decided to live here rather than wherever they came from. Over past years others have come and gone at their will or when I’ve managed to find other homes for them. Then there’s the wild tomcat that turns up for food when he’s in the area.
 One of the present three, Teddybear, I have tried to give away to three different willing new owners. Give him a few days and he’s escaped and walked back. Teddybear has now returned here five times, so he’s made his will very clear – he’s staying!


Bronwyn with #1 cat, McCullum, named after the, then, captain of the New Zealand cricket team


You can find out more about author Bronwyn Elsmore here:

AmazonTwitterLinkedInGoodreadsAuthors.orgBook Council

You can purchase Bronwyn Elsmore's books here:


  Amazon link

Backwards Into the FutureEveryone knows you can’t go back. Everyone except Mary.  A plum tree has gone. A lemon tree thrives.  A mystery surrounding a boat with painted eyes remains. A novel with the feel of a memoir – I find the combination very appealing.”    

Amazon link    Every Five Minutes Gina, if that is her real name, sets out for work. Deliberately, she misses the bus and walks into the city, then turns and walks back again. This is not a day for work. Today she will spend with a white dog and a remarkable man. “I hated the story to end. Read it and you'll see. It's a lovely, lovely book.”


Amazon link
Seventeen Seas Stowaways in lifeboats? Germans claiming deckchairs? When passengers from many places cruise together, there must be fun. Fiction, non-fiction, humor – Seventeen Seas is all of these. For all who have taken a cruise, think they'd like to, or are certain they never would!


Amazon link

These Islands Here — Short Stories of the South PacificLiterary fiction, stories of life in the South Pacific – pleasure, pain, calamity, comedy, fun, misfortune, loss, triumph. Most have been published previously, several have won short story competitions. 

3rd Annual Smashwords End of Year Sale - December 25, 2019 through January 1, 2020

Author Mary Ann Bernal is participating in the 3rd Annual Smashwords End of Year Sale (December 25, 2019 - January 1, 2020). All her novels and short story collections are available at either a reduced price or are free. Why not stop by her profile page and have a look? Click here to find all of Mary Ann Bernal's works.


Happy Holidays

Book Launch - ONCE WERE BROTHERS by Lance Morcan

The Thomas family’s lives will never be the same again when seven-year-old Daniel Thomas is abducted from the family farm in New Zealand’s Far North by Maoris opposed to the presence of white settlers. Daniel’s father devotes his remaining years to searching for his missing blue-eyed, blond-haired son. Until his death a decade later, he’s assisted in his search by Daniel’s identical twin brother Benjamin. Like his late father, Benjamin believes Daniel is still alive.Twenty years later and now a family man himself with children of his own, Benjamin receives a tip-off that could confirm one way or another whether his brother is alive or dead. FREE Kindle book launch promo on Wednesday, December 25 and this weekend December. 28 and 29 PST. Amazon link

New Zealand novelist and screenwriter Lance Morcan is a prolific author with more than 20 published fiction and non-fiction books to his credit as well as several screenplay adaptations of his work. A former journalist and newspaper editor, he regularly writes in collaboration with his son James Morcan, and their books are published by Sterling Gate Books.

Book Launch - A GLADIATOR'S LOVE by Lance Morcan

The year is 83 AD and it’s nine years since Roman soldiers killed a young Leonidas’s family in their farmhouse outside Athens and consigned him to the life of a gladiator at Ludus Magnus, one of the biggest and best ludi gladiatori, or gladiator schools, in Rome. Since then, he remains undefeated after twenty-five fights and has risen to the top of the gladiator rankings.The Greek gladiator craves freedom. The one good thing in his life is Fatuma, an Ethiopian beauty who is a gladiatrix, or female gladiator, and who has stolen his heart. They share fleeting but precious hours together after dark in Leonidas’s cell – a concession occasionally granted to the gladiators by their Roman masters.The outcome of Leonidas’s next fight will decide both their futures for he’ll be fighting Gaius, another undefeated gladiator who held the Greek to a bloody draw when they met in the arena previously. At stake will be the rudis, the small wooden sword given to gladiators who are granted their freedom.
FREE Kindle book launch promos on Wednesday, Dec. 18 and again over the coming weekend Dec. 21/22 PST.

Amazon link
New Zealand novelist and screenwriter Lance Morcan is a prolific author with more than 20 published fiction and non-fiction books to his credit as well as several screenplay adaptations of his work. A former journalist and newspaper editor, he regularly writes in collaboration with his son James Morcan, and their books are published by Sterling Gate Books.

Book Launch - THE LAST TASMANIAN TIGER - a Morcan short story

Charlie Truganini can’t believe his eyes when on a trip into Tasmania’s wilderness he sees a Tasmanian tiger – a carnivorous marsupial considered by most Australians to be extinct.Charlie has a number of claims to fame – one of those being he’s a direct descendant of one Truganini, the woman considered to be the last full-blooded Aboriginal Tasmanian and whose name he inherited. A close second to that is he’s the great-grandson of one Dingo Truganini, the tracker who helped capture the last known Thylacine cynocephalus – an animal better known as the Tasmanian tiger.It’s his admiration for his great-grandfather’s exploits that explains why Charlie has devoted his life to searching for the Tassie tiger, as he refers to it, or the thylacine, as scientific types insist on calling it, to determine one way or the other whether it still exists. He has always suspected it does despite having never sighted it nor even stumbled across its spoor in all his travels.When Charlie sees a Tasmanian tiger with his own eyes, he realises he doesn’t want his tiger meeting the same fate as the last one. And so he makes a decision. A decision that will have life-and-death consequences.
FREE Kindle book launch promos on Wednesday, December 11, 2019, and Saturday/Sunday, December 14-15, 2019Kindle Link

New Zealand novelist and screenwriter Lance Morcan is a prolific author with more than 20 published fiction and non-fiction books to his credit as well as several screenplay adaptations of his work. A former journalist and newspaper editor, he regularly writes in collaboration with his son James Morcan, and their books are published by Sterling Gate Books.

Affordable gifts for book lovers on your Holiday shopping list!

Scratching your head, wondering what to get your favorite bookworm this holiday season? Well, a book, of course. Not sure of the genre? No problem. From historical fiction to contemporary short stories and science fiction, author Mary Ann Bernal’s books fit the bill. Whether holding a print edition or digital reader or wearing headphones, there is a story that’s perfect for your device. Something for everyone with a click of the mouse. Affordable gifts for people who love to read.


Purchase Links          Amazon US   Amazon UK   Smashwords   Barnes and Noble   iTunes   Audible
Author Web Page   Whispering Legends Press
author.to/MaryAnnBernal

Science Fiction/Fantasy

Planetary Wars: Rise of an Empire An innocent romance tainted by deception. A universe enslaved by a tyrant. A crisis of conscience to admit the truth. A choice to be made, but which path to follow?
Historical Fiction

The Briton and the DaneAlfred the Great has successfully defeated the Danish King Guthrum, but warriors from the Viking homeland threaten to undermine the fragile peace. Wounded in a skirmish, a feared Northman is given succor by a young Saxon woman as King Alfred’s soldiers prepare to defend the kingdom from a new Viking threat. Yet deception and treachery festers in the soul of men who would swear their fealty while plotting to usurp the rightful ruler of the kingdom. One woman would be the catalyst for discovering the truth, but who would prevent the ultimate betrayal?


The Briton and the Dane: BirthrightIt has been two years since King Guthrum was defeated by King Alfred of Wessex, but there is one man who would wear the Danish King’s crown. Two former adversaries would unite to quench the latest threat, as the Viking King’s illegitimate son raises an army to usurp his father’s throne. Would the son defeat the father in the battle for sovereignty or would the unlawful son suffer the ultimate betrayal when loyalties are proven in the heat of battle?

The Briton and the Dane: LegacyFour years have passed since King Alfred thwarted the Viking conquest of Wessex, but the feared Northman continues to batter Britannia’s shores. During this time of unrest, a visionary King institutes a cultural renaissance not seen since the days of Charlemagne. But hatred festers, and the need for vengeance overshadows allegiance as a plot to depose of the rightful ruler is discovered. Would this latest threat be repelled or would the truth destroy the dynastic heritage?

The Briton and the Dane: The Complete TrilogyThree novels in one collection .  Intrigue, treachery, betrayal in ninth-century Britain.

The Briton and the Dane: ConcordiaIn Anglo-Saxon Britain, amidst the Viking threat, a woman comes of age. Captured by Saracen pirates and taken to Muslim Hispania, enslavement or death is her fate. Fearing for her life,she plans her escape, but will she succeed?

The Briton and the Dane: TimelineObsessed with a haunting portrait of a Saxon nobleman, an archeologist searches for the truth. Alone in the castle ruins during a fierce storm, Gwyneth is swept into eleventh century England. Amidst the political unrest, she is enmeshed in the intrigue as foreign contenders vie for the throne. Will she be caught up in a conspiracy for which there is no escape?
Contemporary Short Stories GenresCrime, Fantasy,  Historical, Horror, Mystery, Occult,  Romance, Spies & Espionage, Thriller & Suspense

Scribbler Tales Presents: Escape from BerlinFeaturing Betrayal, Deadly Secrets, Murder in the First, The Ritual
Escape from Berlin Mark Dresdner’s cover is blown.  Fleeing East Germany, he finds the border crossing closed.  With the enemy closing in, his fate is sealed, or is it?
BetrayalAelia shares a confidence with her husband, putting her life at risk.  Her trust is misplaced, and she faces execution in the arena. Will Gallus have a change of heart before it’s too late?
Deadly SecretsLysandra finds a new life in America by marrying an unsuspecting college professor, unless her past catches up with her at the altar.
Murder in the FirstBethel takes matters into her own hands, seeking vengeance on the man who ruined her life.  But something goes seriously wrong and the predator becomes the prey.
The RitualPagan worshippers embrace All Hallows’ Eve, initiating new members with a blood covenant.  Fearing for her soul, Devona runs away, but will she survive the raging tempest?

Scribbler TalesVolumes One - Five
Scribbler Tales Volume One
Desperate Measures: What happens when Audrey learns of Paul’s duplicity? Cloning experiments have gone awry.
 Forbidden Lore: Arianna and Ethan are locked inside a haunted cemetery. Will they survive the night?
Forever Lost: Rina and Adrian are star-crossed lovers. Will love prevail?
Sail with Me:  Aaron reflects upon his childhood. Confessions of a military brat.
The Hourglass:  A covenant with the Devil. How far will Flair go to keep Brice alive?
 Scribbler Tales Volume Two
Broken Promises: Madeline’s love for Nathan clouds her judgment as the Wall Street titan denies any wrongdoing.
Deception: Vigilante vengeance. The criminal justice system fails when the guilty walk free.  Endgame: It was a dream government job until Sandy learns the truth. Covert operations shrouded in secrecy.
 Malice: Proving innocence. Andrew’s life falls apart when he is falsely accused of rape.  The Portrait: Demonic possession. All Geoffrey wants is a family, but Holliday and Olivia have other plans.  Scribbler Tales Volume Three
Hidden Lies: When classified schematics are stolen, evidence points to an inside job. Industrial secrets compromised.
Nightmare:  Phantom Legacy. Melanie wants to sell her ancestral home, but the specter of her dreams has other plans
Payback: A psychopathic killer is on the loose. Detective Newport must stop an assassintargeting prosecuting attorneys.
The Night Stalker:  Deadly Obsession. Pamela must prove her suspicions before the police can protect her
Turning Point: Personal vendetta. Is a decorated firefighter an arsonist? A Fire Marshall wrestles with the truth.
Scribbler Tales Volume Four
Abducted:  Threatened with death. When Katrina Cooper is kidnapped, can the money be raised in time?
Cunning: Lethal folklore. Charlotte stumbles upon the truth behind Transylvanian vampires.
Enamored: Pursuing love. Aging Lady Margaret is besotted with a much younger man.
Reckless: Eluding capture. Peter’s latest victim survives, informing the authorities.
Safeguard: Self-defense or Murder? Sarah awakens covered in blood.
Scribbler Tales Volume Five
Bloodlust: Lilly considers a Satanic covenant on All Hallows’ Eve as she seeks immortality.
Illusion:  Felicity stumbles upon tomb robbers in the Valley of the Queens. Dream vacation has gone awry.
Manhunt: Perilous flight. Tami and Mick plan one final heist, but will it lead to their downfall?
Pandemic: Facing extinction. Dr. Lancaster must find a cure for a mutated virus strain.
Revenge:  Criminal behavior. Can Angela rid herself of her abusive husband? 

Thank you for visiting. Happy Holidays

The Briton and the Dane: Concordia - Coffee Pot Book Club Book of the Year Honorable Mention - Early Medieval

Honorable MentionThe Coffee Pot Book Club Book of the YearThe Historical Fiction Book of the Year Early Medieval
Travel back in time to late Ninth Century Anglo-Saxon Britain where Alfred the Great rules with a benevolent hand while the Danish King rules peacefully within the boundaries of the Danelaw. Trade flourishes, and scholars from throughout the civilized world flock to Britannia’s shores to study at the King’s Court School at Winchester.
Enter Concordia, a beautiful noble woman whose family is favored by the king. Vain, willful, and admired, but ambitious and cunning, Concordia is not willing to accept her fate. She is betrothed to the valiant warrior, Brantson, but sees herself as far too young to lay in the bedchamber of an older suitor. She wants to see the wonders of the world, embracing everything in it; preferably, but dangerously, at the side of Thayer, the exotic Saracen who charms King Alfred’s court and ignites her yearning passions.
Concordia manipulates her besotted husband into taking her to Rome, but her ship is captured by bloodthirsty pirates, and the seafarers protecting her are ruthlessly slain to a man. As she awaits her fate in the Moorish captain’s bed, by sheer chance, she discovers that salvation is at hand in the gilded court of a Saracen nobleman.

While awaiting rescue, Concordia finds herself at the center of intrigue, plots, blackmail, betrayal and the vain desires of two egotistical brothers, each willing to die for her favor. Using only feminine cunning, Concordia must defend her honor while plotting her escape as she awaits deliverance, somewhere inside steamy, unconquered Muslim Hispania.
Author webpage
Purchase at:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

The Briton and the Dane: Concordia - Coffee Pot Book Club Book of the Year Finalist - Early Medieval

Finalist The Coffee Pot Book Club Book of the YearThe Historical Fiction Book of the Year Early Medieval
Travel back in time to late Ninth Century Anglo-Saxon Britain where Alfred the Great rules with a benevolent hand while the Danish King rules peacefully within the boundaries of the Danelaw. Trade flourishes, and scholars from throughout the civilized world flock to Britannia’s shores to study at the King’s Court School at Winchester.
Enter Concordia, a beautiful noble woman whose family is favored by the king. Vain, willful, and admired, but ambitious and cunning, Concordia is not willing to accept her fate. She is betrothed to the valiant warrior, Brantson, but sees herself as far too young to lay in the bedchamber of an older suitor. She wants to see the wonders of the world, embracing everything in it; preferably, but dangerously, at the side of Thayer, the exotic Saracen who charms King Alfred’s court and ignites her yearning passions.
Concordia manipulates her besotted husband into taking her to Rome, but her ship is captured by bloodthirsty pirates, and the seafarers protecting her are ruthlessly slain to a man. As she awaits her fate in the Moorish captain’s bed, by sheer chance, she discovers that salvation is at hand in the gilded court of a Saracen nobleman.

While awaiting rescue, Concordia finds herself at the center of intrigue, plots, blackmail, betrayal and the vain desires of two egotistical brothers, each willing to die for her favor. Using only feminine cunning, Concordia must defend her honor while plotting her escape as she awaits deliverance, somewhere inside steamy, unconquered Muslim Hispania.
Author webpage
Purchase at:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

New Release: THE ME TOO GIRL by Lance & James Morcan - Free Kindle download November 9 and 10, 2019

Young Los Angeles public relations exec Suzie Fox is being blackmailed for sex by a bad cop, a senior officer of the LAPD no less. Suzie fights back the only way she knows how, and, in the process, unwittingly becomes a beacon, a shining light, for America's Me Too movement and for abused women everywhere. But will justice be served?

FREE Kindle book launch promo this weekend - November 9 & 10  2019. 

 Download your copy at:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

About Lance Morcan
New Zealand novelist and screenwriter Lance Morcan is a prolific author with more than 20 published fiction and non-fiction books to his credit as well as several screenplay adaptations of his work. A former journalist and newspaper editor, he regularly writes in collaboration with his son James Morcan, and their books are published by Sterling Gate Books.
The father-and-son team's published books include the new release horror Silent Fear (A novel inspired by true crimes) and the bestselling historical adventures White Spirit and Into the Americas. They also have several series on the market including The Orphan Trilogy, an international thriller series, the globetrotting action-romance series The World Duology, and the controversial non-fiction franchise The Underground Knowledge Series. An additional non-fiction title, Debunking Holocaust Denial Theories was written in collaboration with Holocaust survivors to document the genocide.
The Morcans' production company Morcan Motion Pictures has a number of feature films in early development, including adaptations of Silent Fear, Into the Americas and White Spirit. It is also developing Underground Knowledge into a TV series.
Lance is currently revising his solo-written novel New Zealand, an epic historical adventure spanning 500 years of South Pacific and Polynesian history. Including research, writing and life's distractions, this novel has been over a decade in the making.
About James Morcan
New Zealand-born actor/writer/producer James Morcan resides in Sydney, Australia. He has written two bestselling novels, performed in various international film productions and is a podcast host. His books have been translated into eight languages (Arabic, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Norwegian, French, Afrikaans, German).
Morcan's published titles include the new release horror Silent Fear (A novel inspired by true crimes) and the bestselling historical adventures White Spirit and Into the Americas. He also has several series on the market including The Orphan Trilogy, an international thriller series, the swashbuckling action-romance series The World Duology, and the controversial non-fiction franchise The Underground Knowledge Series. An additional non-fiction title, Debunking Holocaust Denial Theories, was written in collaboration with Holocaust survivors to document the genocide. These titles were all co-authored with his father Lance Morcan and published by Sterling Gate Books. Their production company, Morcan Motion Pictures, is developing Silent Fear into a feature film and Underground Knowledge into a TV series.
James' most recent acting performance was a leading role in the post-Apocalyptic feature film After Armageddon which he also wrote. The dystopian adventure film was shot in rural Australia and Morcan co-starred with Berynn Schwerdt (Wyrmwood). Other leading roles include the OZ-Bollywood productions My Cornerstone and Love You Krishna. Morcan also wrote the screenplays for both features which were filmed in Sydney and Mumbai and incorporated English and Hindi languages.
Additional productions he has performed in include a BBC TV series, several indie features and a live stadium production of Ben Hur headlined by Academy Award winner Russell Crowe. To date, his feature films have screened at cinemas in New Zealand, India, Australia, Italy, and Cannes.

James is a podcast host on the YouTube channel Underground Knowledge and founded one of the most popular discussion groups on Goodreads, also called Underground Knowledge.