A.B. Shepherd's Blog, page 14

Have you heard of The Valentich Disappearance? #ufo #alienabduction #amwriting

While doing research about UFOs and alien abduction reports for Lifeboat, I came across an interesting real life story I had not before heard - The Valentich Disappearance.

On October 21, 1978, 20 year old pilot Frederick Valentich disappeared off the southern coast of Australia while flying over the Bass Straight. While it is not completely unheard of for a plane to disappear in flight - most are assumed crashed and usually some sort of wreckage is found. Sometimes no wreckage is found, especially if the disappearance occurred over water.

What makes the Valentich disappearance so unusual is what happened before the plane and pilot vanished.

In a conversation with Melbourne's air traffic control during the flight Valentich reported seeing a UFO. He described it doing all kinds of aeronautical acrobatics around his Cessna 182L.

During that conversation with Melbourne's air traffic control Valentich initially requested information on other aircraft flying in his vicinity. Air traffic control showed no other aircraft nearby.

During recordings made by Melbourne's air traffic control Valentich said:

"It seems to me that he's playing some sort of game. He's flying over me two, three times at a time at speeds I could not identify,"

"What I am doing right now is orbiting and the thing is just orbiting on top of me also it has a green light and sort of metallic, it's all shiny (on) the outside."

And his final words - "It is hovering and it's not an aircraft." 

These words were followed by a long metallic clanging sound. Those were the last known sounds ever made by Frederick Valentich and his plane.

There was some speculation that Valentich faked his own disappearance, or that he crashed, and then there was the wild speculation that he and his ship had been abducted by the very UFO he reported seeing. Others reported UFO sightings in that area around the same time, although those reports came after the announcement of the disappearance and have been primarily discounted by officials.

Want to know more about this case? Here are a few articles you can check out.

Geelong Advertiser article July 10, 2012

Wikipedia article

UFOCasebook.com article (contains full transcript of recorded conversation with Melbourne air traffic control)

Abites, what do you think happened to Frederick Valentich?

K.B. Hoyle is cruel! #amreading #bookreview @kbhoyle_author #theenchanted #thescroll

 

















Ya'll know that I just finished The White Thread by K.B. Hoyle. I immediately jumped into The Enchanted which I devoured in a day and then I dove into The Scroll, which I THOUGHT was the final book in  the series. It is not. The final book will be book six which is not scheduled for release until 2014!!! 

I can't wait that long! 

K.B. Hoyle you are a cruel woman to torture me so!

I loved this series so hard. I am seriously suffering withdrawals and I am morose now. Nothing I'm looking to read next can compare. K.B. has drawn me so far into the world of Darcy and friends that I must know how this story ends and I just feel tortured with pure impatience. K.B. if you read this, please - send me anything you've written to date on book six. I don't care if it's rough and unedited. I'm in pain! Please?

In The Enchanted and The Scroll the saga of The Six continues. Darcy's worry over her oracle has her questioning what is best for those around her, especially Tellius who she has grown to love in spite of her earliest aversion to the idea of being the King's intended. Her need to save the world of Alitheia, and her home world, from Tsellech is still her primary goal, yet her tender heart won't allow her to destroy Colin Mackaby - the one person she fears will be her downfall.

Seriously folks. If you haven't read The Gateway Chronicles you are missing out of some of the best books I've ever read. They have everything you could want in a book series and more. So much friendship, loyalty, indecision, heartache, doubt, danger, betrayal, and best of all fierce love.

Read them. You won't be sorry. 

Have you read any of the Gateway Chronicles books? What are your favorite fantasy series?

Book Blurb for The Enchanted (Book 4):
“Enchantments are powerful—the most powerful magic we have,” Rubidius said. “They can change the nature and composition of animate and inanimate things alike, and they can foil the plans of the most determined foes.”

“What do enchantments have to do with me?” Darcy whispered.

“Everything.”

Darcy Pennington’s course was plotted out for her long before she ever stepped foot in Alitheia, but Colin Mackaby seems determined to hamper and confuse the way as much as he can. Darcy begins to suspect that it is not Colin working against her, but a malevolent force working through him—a force seeking to hasten Darcy’s transformation into one of the very creatures she is supposed to fight. Darcy is finally willing to follow the prophesied path, even agreeing to her much-resisted marriage to Tellius, but soon after she returns to Alitheia, everything spirals out of her control. A painful rejection almost pushes her over the edge, and when she demands answers from Rubidius, he provides her only with more painful secrets she must keep from the others. In the meantime, Darcy and her friends finally set out to confront one of Tselloch’s gateways, fulfilling—so they think—the great prophecy of the Six. But when faced with practicing their magic against Tselloch’s evil power, nothing turns out as expected.

Enchantments protect them as sorcery attacks them, and Colin Mackaby dogs their every step along the way. In the minds of the Alitheians, if Darcy cannot repair the breach that has formed between herself and Tellius, nothing will turn out as it was foretold. Darcy wonders, in the end, if there is any hope at all for her, or for Alitheia

Book blurb for The Scroll (Book 5):
Darcy Pennington may once have been an average teenager, but not anymore. Living each year twice, once in her world and once in Alitheia, has made her into someone who cares little for normal teenage activities. She’s got more important things to do, like save the mythical, magical world of Alitheia. But this time, Darcy can’t save Alitheia until she saves Tellius, the love of her life.

A window between the worlds allows Darcy to see Tellius from her home in Chicago. But, far from being reassured, she plunges into despair when she sees Tellius captured, imprisoned, and tortured. All her plans for her future life in Alitheia are put on hold as Darcy faces a singular goal: save Tellius, even if it means giving Tselloch something in return.

Intrigue is high upon her return to the castle, where old friends tell new lies, best friends hide crucial secrets, deceptive apparitions roam the halls, and betrayal lingers around every corner. The only way to unravel the mysteries and protect Alitheia is to bring Tellius home, but Darcy lacks the necessary magic for that.

As time runs low, Rubidius keeps to himself, and even Sam has her own secret this year. Darcy wonders if anyone else cares the way she does, and why it’s always a fight to get anything done. Still, she’ll do anything to rescue her future husband, including surrender herself to the fate she knows is coming anyway. Now, if only The Six could unveil the scroll, they might learn the greatest secret of all, before everything burns to ashes around them

About the author:
K. B. Hoyle is a wife to a wonderful husband, a mother to three rambunctious little boys, and has been a classical educator for five years. She always knew from a young age that she wanted to write stories that would inspire people. Her favorite genre to read and write is Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction, so that is where her journey began. K. B. Hoyle began writing her first fantasy novel at the age of eleven, which proved to be valuable experience and practice for the novels she would publish as an adult.

K. B. Hoyle is currently writing the Young Adult Fantasy series The Gateway Chronicles, but she never stops brainstorming and planning for all the stories she hopes to write in the future.
 

Celebrating womanhood - my Mom is my hero! #celebratingwomanhood #amwriting #mondayblogs

My mom is my hero. Not that she was a saint. She was no June Cleaver. But I always knew she loved me and I knew that no matter what she did, she did the best she could with the resources and knowledge she had at that time.

So why is she my hero? So many reasons.
When my parents first married it was one week after my mom's 17th birthday. She was third eldest of nine children and spent most of her time helping out with the smaller ones. She moved from her cash-poor shack of a home in rural BFE Michigan to an Army base in Colorado Springs. She was very immature and very naive. When the Army sent her a small bit of money to set up house, in her innocence she went out and spent it on clothes. She was so tickled with her new wardrobe! She'd never had money before and new clothes were a luxury she didn't get to enjoy often. Her new husband wasn't exactly thrilled with her new purchases though. It wasn't a great start to what would be a rocky marriage.
She enrolled in her senior year of high school in Colorado Springs but found as a married womanshe didn't fit in, so she dropped out. Her husband told her if she wasn't going to go to school she should get a job. She was so shy and insecure that she spent every day for a week walking around the block at the nearby Social Security Office before she could make herself go in to apply for a Social Security card so she could work.
After a few years, and a few cross country moves, she became pregnant and within four years she gave birth to four children. Boom, boom, boom, boom. Little stair steps. But unlike most women of her day she wasn't a stay-at-home wife and mother. And who could blame her? Four kids under the age of five? It drove her nuts. So even though she wasn't highly educated she found work and she worked hard.
What kind of work does an under-educated young woman do? Waitressing of course.
The entire time I was growing up my mom waitressed and my dad did factory work. My dad worked five days a week. My mom worked six. Six eight-hour days every single week. On her feet all day. Serving people. Her only day off was Saturday. To be fair, my dad did a lot to help out then. He did the cooking, the shopping and more.
And when my parents split when I was a preteen this work pattern continued. Six days a week, every week. She worked her ass off. My dad never paid one cent of child support. My mom busted her ass everyday, six days a week. She raised four kids on a waitress's tips. If she sent us to the store for a gallon of milk you can bet we paid for it with rolled change. (ALWAYS tip your waitresses well. Those tips ARE their wage - their hourly wage is a joke and doesn't even pay their income taxes.) She worked hard for the money (cue Donna Summer).
At a particularly bad point in her life when my parents were splitting up, she tried to end her life once. She drove her car into a tree. I believe that was when she really began to grow, because she later told me that while in the hospital under psychiatric care the psychiatrist told her something that stayed with her for the rest of her life.He asked her, "Who made you God?" When she didn't understand he explained to her that she was not God, she could not control anyone but herself. That little piece of insight that doctor gave her freed her and she blossomed in her independence.

She often told us when we were kids and complaining that a sibling was embarrassing, that no one could embarrass us but ourselves. I always remembered that and tried to ingrain it into my own kids. I believe that was a direct result of the control lesson she learned in hospital.

She was never afraid of hard work, or getting her hands dirty. She had an incredible sense of adventure. And she inspired my love of reading, again, by example.
My mom took a course in basic auto repair at the local community college when I was a teen and she learned how to change the oil in her car all by herself amongst other handy things. She did a little research and all by herself she replaced the wax ring under our toilet when it began to leak. She rolled up her sleeves and painted our bathroom blood red (I loved that!). She and a friend later painted our ugly dark grey house a lovely shade of buttercup yellow. She was a doer, not a talker.
She loved country music and with her ex-mother in law (they remained friends throughout their lives) and a few friends, she attended concerts of some of the big country entertainers at the time when they would play small venues near us, like high school auditoriums. The country scene was much more intimate back then. Some of her favorites were Mel Street, Loretta Lynn, Conway Twitty and Mickey Gilley. 
She loved nothing better than a road trip.

She was beautiful, and vibrant and not afraid of anything anymore.
She read herself to sleep every night for as long as I can remember (and slept with the light on - if you turned it off she would wake). She and my grandmother and some others had a book exchange going for years. My grandmother would come over with a paper bag full of books. My mom would read them and load the bag back up to pass on to the next in line.
We were really poor. There were times our phone got shut off and every month the mortgage was late, but we never went without food or shelter or basic necessities. It took all she had to do it, but she swallowed her pride and applied for food stamps and the school's free hot lunch program, and Medicaid. We may not have had everything we wanted growing up, but we had what we needed. She made sure of that. And if there was something that was really important to us, she always found a way for that too.
My mom taught me that racism was wrong and she stood up for what she believed in. She taught me that sex was not a crime and women have to right to their own bodies. She offered to take both my sister and I to the doctor to get birth control pills whenever we decided we were ready to be sexually active. All we had to do was ask.

She took in strays - people, not animals. If you needed help, Bernie had a huge heart - you could always count on her. Her youngest sister lived with us for several years. When a woman she worked with needed to leave her abusive husband, Vicky and her two year old daughter moved in with us. The same with another aunt of mine when she was homeless and needed a place to go. When my brother's friend had a falling out with his parents, he also lived with us (with his parents knowledge). Luckily they weren't all there at the same time, but our house was never empty.  It was a haven and a refuge.
When the last of my siblings had flown the nest my mom decided it was time for her dreams to come true. To live her life. She moved to a new state. She went back to school and got her GED. And she went to nursing school.
My mom, in her forties, worked forty hours a week - an eight hour shift five nights a week ON HER FEET at a convenience store - AND simultaneously attended nursing school FULL time (with all the studying that entailed) for two years to fulfill her dream of being a nurse - another job where she would be on her feet all day and serving people. She loved nursing.
From watching her example I learned that if you want something bad enough, and are willing to work hard enough to get it, you CAN achieve it.
She even raised my sister's son for many years when my sister was unable to, despite the fact that it did, in the end, cost her that long term relationship she'd had for many years.
When I decided to move to Australia my mom had been disabled for over ten years with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease from having smoked for forty years (See? I told you she wasn't a saint.) She was living in a nursing home near my brother and sister in Texas. I visited her there on my journey to my new home. We spent some lovely time together and as I left the nursing home I began to cry. I knew it would be a long time before I got back to the States and there was a big possibility that I would never be in the same room with her again.
What I didn't know was that her doctors had told her a few months before that her condition was terminal and it was time for hospice care. She didn't tell me that because she wanted me to move ahead with my plans to move here and marry my husband. Because she didn't want me to delay or reconsider my plans. Because she saw her own life in mine. I'd raised my kids on my own and they were grown now. It was my time to live for myself. Because she wanted me to be happy.
Two weeks after I arrived in my new home I got a phone call from my mom. My wedding was still six weeks away. She said "I have to tell you something. You sister says you'll be mad at me for not telling you before." And she told me then, what her doctors had told her. And she told me everything I said in the paragraph above - her reasons why she hadn't told me then. She had only just told my sister, because my sister was her medical power of attorney.
I wasn't mad at her. How could I be mad at her for doing what she had always done? Putting my needs before her own? I reassured her that I could never be mad at her and I loved her so, so much. I told her it must have been so hard on her keeping it secret for so long. I thanked her for loving me so much. And we cried together on the phone.
A week later she was gone.
My mother is my hero because she grew so much in her lifetime. She taught me by example the love of reading, how to survive adversity, how important education is, how to be an independent woman, how to give, and how to love.
I admire her more than any other woman I've ever known. And I still miss her every single day.

The White Thread by K.B. Hoyle #bookreview #amreading

Abites, some time ago I read the first two books (The Six and The Oracle) in this fabulous YA fantasy series - The Gateway Chronicles by K.B. Hoyle. I've recently gotten my hands on the last three books in the series. The White Thread is book three, and you will soon see reviews for books four and five, because they are just so darn good I can't put them down.


If you click on the books named above you can see my reviews of the past books in this series. In The White Thread we pick up where The Oracle left off. Darcy and friends return to Alithea with more puzzles to unravel, danger to confront, and life-threatening adventure to live. These books are strongly character driven and I've become so attached to Darcy and Tellius and Sam - watching them all grow up and mature in each book - that when I get to the last page in this series I know I'm going to be devastated. 

This time Darcy must return to the Oracle in an attempt to free Yahto Veli, her friend, but the rules have changed. Add to that the normal teenaged confusion regarding feelings of "liking" a boy, and trying to be loyal to your friends and you've got such a great book. A great series. This is one series author who does series really well and you ALL know how strongly I feel about that. I have nothing bad to say about these books. At all. I'm so wrapped up in this series!

I know this isn't really much of a review - more of a rave, but I'm really struggling to write anything that isn't a spoiler and I'm already deep into reading The Enchanted, book four. 

So all I have to say is, if you like YA fantasy these books are some of the absolute best I've ever read, and that includes the Harry Potter series.

Be sure to add these to your to-read list. What are your must read YA fantasies? 

Book blurb:
For the duration of her freshman year, Darcy Pennington agonized over the fate of her dear friend, the nark Yahto Veli, who sacrificed himself to the Oracle to set her free. As her third trip to camp, and to the magical land, approaches, Darcy wonders if she’s capable of the daring rescue she wants to embark upon, but soon realizes there’s much more at stake.

Her return to Cedar Cove Family Camp is marked by a mysterious disappearance, and in Alitheia a new message from the Oracle adds to the riddles that must be deciphered if they are to expel the dark evil that hovers over the land. The six friends and the alchemist Rubidius plan a sea journey that will take them beyond the borders of Alitheia, and into the realm of a legendary archipelago. Tellius winds up joining them as well and the foes they meet along the way are both deceptive and charming, while the Oracle’s riddles seem to dog them at every turn. Darcy is also hiding a secret from her best friend Sam that could test their friendship beyond the breaking point, and there’s an unexpected development in her relationship with Tellius that changes everything and makes her understand that the deepest scars sometimes cannot be seen.

Darcy isn’t sure if she’s prepared for another meeting with the Oracle, but if she wants to have any chance of saving her friend, she must try. To complicate matters, the evil they left behind in Alitheia has not remained dormant.

About the author:
K. B. Hoyle is a wife to a wonderful husband, a mother to three rambunctious little boys, and has been a classical educator for five years. She always knew from a young age that she wanted to write stories that would inspire people. Her favorite genre to read and write is Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction, so that is where her journey began. K. B. Hoyle began writing her first fantasy novel at the age of eleven, which proved to be valuable experience and practice for the novels she would publish as an adult.

K. B. Hoyle is currently writing the Young Adult Fantasy series The Gateway Chronicles, but she never stops brainstorming and planning for all the stories she hopes to write in the future.

Nine Steps to Sara by Lisa Olsen #bookreview #amreading

Abites, this one has been on my Kindle for a little while. I'm guessing I picked it up as a Kindle freebie. It's a paranormal romance. The paranormal being ghosts in this case.

This is pretty much a modern take on the classic gothic novel. So the premise of the story is that Sara and her eight year old son Jack inherit a huge estate and Royal title from some long lost relative in England. She ups stakes and moves there to collect dragging her BFF Joanie along for the ride.

She arrives to find that the estate is quite delapidated, but there is plenty of dough to fix it up and to live high on the hog while doing it. Only proviso is that she has to make the estate her primary residence in order to get any of the inheritance. Which would be all well and good, except of course that is where things start to get creepy.

Sara's friend Joanie is annoying as heck and not much of a friend. She certainly doesn't show us anywhere in the book that she deserves Sara's loyalty.

The romance in this one moves WAY too fast for a woman who is supposedly taking it slow because of her nasty divorce.

But if you look past those two things, while a bit predictable, Nine Steps to Sara has just enough creepiness to make the ghost story enjoyable without making it a true horror story.

What are your favorite ghost stories Abites? Do you like them to scare the pants off you or just a bit creepy?


Book Blurb:
When single mom Sara Darling inherits an estate in the remote English countryside, she jumps at the chance to become Lady of the Manor. With 8 year old son Jack and best friend Joanie in tow, they explore the nearly deserted mansion, isolated from the rest of the world except for the nearby village where everybody seems to know her business. Distracted by the charming chauffeur, Will, soon Sara never wants to leave her newfound home.

But the eerie manor house is hiding more than a ruined garden and plumbing issues, and it's up to Sara to find out what the loyal staff isn't telling. When Sara finds Jack talking to an empty room, she begins to wonder if she made the right decision uprooting her tiny family as the spooky surroundings fuel her imagination.

Especially when she starts to hear the voice talk back.

Is her ancestor's unnatural attachment to Jack borne of concern or something more sinister? When she discovers the truth, will Sara accept the legacy she's inherited, or run for her life?

About the author:
Lisa Olsen is a writer, wife and mother of two, currently living in the Pacific Northwest. A complete TV addict, she also enjoys online RPG's, singing, reading, and cooking.

Learn more about Lisa at her website: http:///www.lisaolsen.net
Or connect with her on Twitter: @mystewitch  

Inteview with Aaron Speca and Patricia Laffoon, authors of The Realmwalker Prophecy #interview #amwriting #amreading

Abites, today on the blog we have two up and coming authors - Aaron Speca and Patricia Laffoon. 

They are contributors to the Evernight anthologies and are about to launch their own new series - The Realmwalker Prophecy. 

The first book is "Heart of the Mermaid". It is an adventure/romance set in what we know as the 18th century Caribbean. The two main characters are an ex-pirate (now conscripted into the Royal Navy) and a mermaid. There are also elements of fantasy and even a dash of sci fi as Atlantis plays a role in the second half of the book.

The series takes the idea of each book being about a different couple in the same world and flips it around. In this case, each book is about the same pair of souls that find each other in a different parallel realm with each volume. The overarching thread in the series is about a prophecy involving these two souls, a prophecy held by a race of "Realmwalkers" that live in a Realm above all the others and have the ability to move back and forth among them - some who want the prophecy to be fulfilled and some who don't. (In actuality, the Realmwalkers themselves do not even make an appearance in the first book, although they are alluded to.)

 
So without further ado - Hi Aaron and Patricia. Glad to have you both here today. Let's jump in.

What is The Realmwalker Prophecy? 


Aaron: Well that is the million dollar question, and you jumped right to it! The Realmwalker Prophecy is the title of our book series in progress. We just completed the first book, Heart of the Mermaid, and it is in submission now. So what is the prophecy and who are the Realmwalkers? Those are spoilers, but the series involves parallel realms, and the souls and beings that move between them. The intent is that each book is a story within itself, but the nature of the Multiverse and the story of the prophecy binds the whole series together.


Tell us a little bit about how you two started working together. Is it true you met in a role playing game?
 

Patricia: Well it's not so much a game, as it is a group of like minded writers who enjoy the writings of Sherrilyn Kenyon and her series of Dark Hunter books. We stay close to the premise of her ideas of this world we live in with, shall we say, some creative license. Long story short, yes we met through this group. We chatted here and there and before you know it just as a lark we decided to have Rudy and Trish married in a future apocalyptic story line. We found we worked well together and when that SL was over we decided to give those characters a go as a very unusual couple....So far so good :D


Aaron: I'll be honest, I had no idea what I was getting into. We are very lucky to be a part of a large group of incredibly talented and creative people. Writing in this group sort of woke up a part of my brain that must have always been in there somewhere.


Did you set out to write a love story, or did it just turn out that way? 


Aaron: As far as the book goes, yes. There are many versions of the two main characters (Rudy and Trish) in various settings, which is sort of where the idea for the series came from. But at first, the two characters were just friends. I know it may seem strange to talk about them as if they are real people, but that's sort of what they became.


Patricia: This was a no brainer Rudy and Trish were meant for each other from the start.


Why mermaids and pirates? (Cool concept by the way.) 


Patricia: Well Trish was a mermaid to start off with and we had a member of our group Drake Kattakakis who was inspired to start a few group pages that would give us all a chance to break from writing our normal storylines in the Dark Hunter world and give us some room to grow as writers. One of the groups he made was Otherworlds: Pirates. Now as far as I was concerened this was custom made for Trish being a mermaid and all and before you know it Rudy and Trish were off on this grand adventure, which spawned two published short stories and evolved into the novel Heart of the Mermaid.


Aaron: We owe Drake for coming up with the idea of writing in that setting. I can reveal that it's not just mermaids and pirates, but sea monsters, gods, and even Atlantis!


Taking a page from James Lipton of In the Actor's Studio, just because I like his questions, would each of you please answer the following:

What is your favorite word? 

Aaron: Ubiquitous ... because it's just a fun word to say

Patricia: Free


What is your least favorite word? 

Aaron: Can't

Patricia: Aluminum I can't say it or spell it with out help... (Aaron's note: It's true! I had to fix her spelling LOL)

Come to Australia where they change aluminum to aluminium. That extra i will throw you everytime! But I digress.


What turns you on? 

Aaron: Humor

Patricia: A good book


What turns you off? 

Aaron: Self-righteousness

Patricia: Agressive authority


What sound or noise do you love?
 
Aaron: "Let's go out!"

Patricia: My cats deep purr


What sound or noise do you hate? 

Aaron: Whining

Patricia: The Alarm


What is your favorite curse word? 

Aaron: Bollocks (love the Brits!)

Patricia: Crap


What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? 

Aaron: Sportscaster

Patricia: I would love to have my own antique shop


What profession would you not like to do?

Aaron: Therapist (remember the "whining" comment?)

Patricia: Waitress


If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? 

Aaron: I know you aren't perfect, but come in anyway.

Patricia: Hope you brought your appetite, your granny's been waiting for you.


Last but not least, when and where can readers get their hands on Realmwalker Prophecy? 


Aaron: Well, as we were answering these questions actually, we received an e-mail that our manuscript has been accepted for publication! We don't have a release date yet ... but, if readers want a preview, the anthologies with our two short stories, along with twenty-three others, are available on Amazon from XoXo Publishing. The easiest way to get to them is here on my Amazon page:


http://www.amazon.com/Aaron-Speca/e/B...


And please come follow us on Facebook and Twitter so you can here the breaking news about the release of The Realmwalker Prophecy: Heart of the Mermaid!


https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aaron-...

http://www.twitter.com/aaronspeca


Finally, you can visit my blog ... every Friday I host Finding Fiction Friday, where I interview an author every week, much like A.B. does!


http://aaronspeca.blogspot.com


Anything else you'd like to add? 


Patricia: I can't begin to tell you what an experience this has been. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would have had two stories E-book published, and now a novel sent forward and it's all thanks to this wonderful man here, Aaron who had the courage to sneak a short story past me to enter a contest.


Aaron: *blushes* Well if it weren't for Patricia and her character, there would be no story to tell.

Rudy and Trish are the main characters in our two published short stories in the "Evernight: Romance in a World of Darkness" anthologies. You can get to know them as well as get 23 other great stories! Here's where you can find them:

Evernight Volume 1
Evernight Volume 2


About Aaron Speca:
I'm just a husband and father who has discovered, quite by accident, that he likes to write and isn't too bad at it. I started writing fan fiction in the paranormal romance area, and have written two published short stories with my partner Patricia Laffoon through XoXo Publishing. Now, I have a few works in progress and a bunch of ideas bouncing around in my head. If only life would slow down enough for me to get them down on paper!

Well Abites, what do you think? Are you intriqued by the Realwalker Prophecy?

Not for Profit by Glenn Shepard MD #bookreview #amreading

I was given a copy of this ebook in exchange for a fair and honest review.
My dear Abites I have a confession to make. I am guilty of a grievous sin. When Glenn Shepard approached me and asked me to read this fiction novel, I did not investigate it fully. 
He told me it was "a new medical thriller about a surgeon who gets framed for murder, and who has to vindicate himself in order to halt a deadly terrorist plot. If you like compelling, action-filled thrillers, then I think you will love this book" and I accepted it solely based on that description. I really should have gone a step further and read the blurb.
Not for Profit is everything that Glenn said it would be, but it is also more. 
The blurb does better justice to this very complicated and action-packed story. There is terrorism, many murders, lots of bad guys and you are never quite sure who to trust. It is very well written and the plot is complex, yet believable. (There is some pretty graphic violence and a bit of graphic sex - just a disclaimer in case that kind of thing bothers you.)
The problem is, I don't really like stories about covert military ops, terrorist cells, espionage and the whole shabang. I do love murder mysteries and there was certainly a lot of murder and quite a bit of mystery. If this type of story were my thing I would be screaming this book's praise, because it really is good. 
But this book is not really my thing, and while I can appreciate the book's potential for greatness I can't say I loved it. If you love action packed stories of terrorism, espionage, AND you kind of like orchids (did I not mention the orchids?), you really WILL love Not for Profit. I liked it. I just didn't love it.
If you'd like to pick up Not for Profit you can find it on Amazon.
Do you ever feel that way? Like you've read a really good book, but it just wasn't quite your thing? If you do, tell me about it.
Book Blurb:A prominent surgeon accused of murder and terrorism . . .

A corrupt healthcare administrator hell-bent on bloody revenge . . .

A mysterious seductress whose secrets could free the doctor and kill thousands . . .

A terrorist cell with missiles aimed at a leading hospital in America’s Bible Belt . . .

NOT FOR PROFIT takes you on an action-packed thrill ride that will have you questioning suspects, motives, and outcomes until the very last page.

Renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Scott James is charged with murder after two bodies are found at his surgery center. Just weeks before the start of his capital murder trial, Dr. James is approached by a beautiful woman claiming she can help him gain information that would prove his innocence.

As James hunts down the evidence that might free him, he faces a barrage of threats to his life and liberty—and makes one chilling discovery after another: Corporate corruption. A conspiracy to frame him for murder and for terrorist acts. A secret drone-control operation that takes out targets in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The true identity and intent of his beautiful ally. And a plot to blow up the local hospital and surrounding community.
About the author: Dr. Glenn Shepard was raised on a farm in eastern Virginia. He attended the University of Virginia on an academic scholarship and majored in psychology. As an undergraduate, he lettered in wrestling for three years in a row. Then, he went on to become the only person in UVA history to letter in wrestling again in his sophomore year in medical school.

After completion of med school at UVA, he went to Vanderbilt where he completed his residency in general and cardiovascular surgery. He
spent two years in the Army at the Ft. Gordon Army Hospital in Augusta, Georgia and The Second Surgical Hospital in An Khe, Vietnam. While in Vietnam, he wrote his first work of fiction, Surge, which is on his back burner of works to dig out of the attic and publish, with major revisions, in the future.

For 28 years, he founded and directed The Peninsula Cranio-Facial deformities clinic that was staffed by volunteer medical, dental, social services, psychology, and speech pathology experts. The group treated over five hundred patients with cleft lips and palates, as well as a variety of deformities of the face and hand.

After the massive earthquake in Haiti in January, 2010, Dr. Shepard emerged from retirement and joined the Notre Dame Hospital unit in Leogane, Haiti for a 10 day rotation. His empathy for the people and their problems as well as his admiration for the contributions of time and talent from medical personnel from all over the world greatly inspired his second novel, Relief Aid, Haiti.

Not For Profit, Dr. Shepard's first thriller, follows plastic surgeon Dr. Scott James as he tries to clear his name of two murders of which he's been falsely accused. As James hunts down the evidence that might free him, he faces a barrage of threats to his life and liberty—and makes one chilling discovery after another.

The old bait and switch OR deliberately mislabeling a book's genre #amreading #amwriting

I truly mean no disrespect to Christians. We are all entitled to our beliefs and I respect yours. In fact if you've been reading my blog for awhile you will know that I recently interviewed Christian author Taylor Hohulin about his novel, Alpha, and the conflicts between religious beliefs and writing fiction. I really respect his take on the situation.
That said, however, there is something wrong when you mislabel a book in hopes of converting nonbelievers to your religion.
There is a book (I shall not name the book or author in this post) that has been discussed quite a bit lately by some of my blogger friends. This book has been marketed as a paranormal/fantasy novel.
In reality it is Christian fiction - heavy on the "come to Jesus" indoctrination.
I have not read this book, and doubt the author would ever ask me to because my review policy clearly states I don't like Christian fiction. But two of my friends were asked to read it. They scored it relatively highly because it is apparently pretty well written, yet they were taken aback by the message and the misidentified genre.
They asked the author about it - about why she hadn't labeled it as Christian fiction. Her response was that if she had labeled it Christian fiction, it would be read by Christians.
Instead, by labeling it paranormal/fantasy she would reach the unconverted and hopefully convert them to Christianity.
What? Seriously - what?
My friends told her that what she was doing was wrong  - that readers of paranormal/fantasy books weren't looking for conversion.
She laughed at them. She cackled all the way to the church (and the bank).
Now, had I been the reader of her book, I would have scored it low and blasted it for the bait and switch move that it is, but my friends are nicer than I am, and they didn't.
Abites, how do you feel about reading a book that has it's genre deliberately mislabeled? Have you had any similar experiences? Would you rate it based on the writing? Or the deception?

The 7th Day by Nika Lubitsch #bookreview #amreading

I was provided an ebook copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Abites, this book has quite a few five star reviews and those reviews are quite effusive in their praise. Looks like I'm in a minority here.

This was a strange book for me. I'm not sure if it is just because I am not used to reading books written by German authors, or if the book truly is strange.

Bille is a woman charged with the murder of her husband. The book starts as she recounts the seven days of her trial in journal type entries directed toward her old lover/defense attorney. There is a very bizarre vulgar sexual paragraph thrown in there which does not seem to fit with the rest of the book. I'm guessing it was intended to show us the nature of Bille's past relationship with Ulli but it just feels completely out of place.

Then we move on to Book 2, which is Bille telling her story of the past and how things led up to the trial. Most of it is a repeat of her musings from the trial, with a few odd bits of new information thrown in.

Then she recounts the story a third time calling it The True Story, again mostly repeated from earlier tellings with only a few extra bits of information thrown in here and there.

She later recounts what happened to her husband during the two years he was missing and there are a couple of twists and turns in the end.

This is far from the worst book I've ever read, but it isn't the best either. The story was good, if mostly formulaic. I figured out the murderer before the ending, which isn't unusual. I really did like the twisted ending, but hated the continuous repetition and kept thinking, just get on with it already!

What books have you read where your opinion differed greatly from most other reviews? Did you hate something everyone else loved? Or love something everyone else hated?

Want to read it and see if you disagree with me? You can get it at Amazon.


 Book Blurb:
"The Seventh Day" has been on the top of the German Kindle´s best-selling list for many months.

Sybille and Michael are a happy couple, finally expecting their first baby. But then Michael disappears without a trace. Sybille finds herself in the middle of a living nightmare. When her husband is found, stabbed to death, there is one suspect only: his wife who is charged with murder. While listening to the witnesses´ testimonies in court, Sybille in her mind revisits her life with Michael. On day seven of the trial, suddenly the truth dawns on her. Now, she only has to find a way to prove it.

This devious mystery is set in Berlin and at a secret place, which is so secret that some readers recognized it.

About the author:
Nika Lubitsch lives in Berlin, while her soul lives in Florida. Having been rejected by all German publishers, „The 7th day“ was at the top of the bestselling list only one week after its publication at Kindle, surpassing even „Shades of Grey“. The novel stayed number one in Germany for 100 days, making Nika Lubitsch the most successful KDP author of the year in 2012. The „Queen of E-Books“, as a major German magazine dubbed her, again landed a number one hit in the Kindle charts with her second mystery „Das 5. Gebot“ (The Fifth Commandment). A major production company has already bought the film rights. „The 7th day“ is currently translated by publishers throughout the world. The manuscript also has been reviewed by Amazon crossing, but didn´t correspond with their „idea of what a best seller in English should be like“. However, a thumbs-down is the biggest motivation an author can get: Just you wait ...

Interview with Taylor Hohulin author of Alpha #interview #amreading #amwriting

My darling Abites, you just read my review of Alpha. Now come get to know Alpha's fabulously interesting creator and author Taylor Hohulin!
Taylor Hohulin
Taylor, it is so wonderful of you to join us today and answer some fairly in depth questions. Welcome! I have a lot of questions for you after reading Alpha so if it is all right with you, we'll jump right in.
1. What inspired Alpha? I couldn't tell you exactly. I know I was watching a movie with my family. I even know I was somewhat bored with the movie, but for the life of me, I can't remember what the movie actually was. Whatever the case, the plot ended up going a direction I didn't expect, and I asked myself what might happen if it went the way I expected. I ended up taking that thought and running with it the next few weeks. From there, I ended up with a kernel of a story that slowly but surely started to look like the book I finally published a couple months ago. 
2. In Alpha, Mars and Venus are at war. Does that mean you believe aliens exist?That's not really something I think about. I haven't ruled them out, because it's a little hard to believe in a universe this big, we're the only living things out there. At the same time, I haven't seen anything that completely convinces me they exist, either. Who knows?
3. Meat is disgruntled with some pretty serious mental health issues. Is he inspired by anyone you know?He really isn't. I drew on some of my own feelings of bitterness toward different things in my life and magnified those feelings quite a bit. I never thought of him as someone with mental health issues, but I can definitely see that in him. As I started thinking about what I wanted my antagonist needed to be like, I thought someone like Meat had potential to be a really effective villain. I truly felt bad for him through most of it, because he was dealt a pretty crappy hand. But at the same time, his personality and obsession with warfare make him a scary guy when he's got a vendetta.
4. How does a Christian radio DJ decide to write somewhat violent science fiction? Does it feel like a conflict of interest?It didn't to me, though I can see how it would for other Christians. The place of sex, violence, and language in art is a big point of contention for a lot of Christians. Everyone has their own "limit" on what they can handle in art, and I think that's okay. A lot of Christians disagree with me on that one. A lot of guys think that everything has to be "safe and fun for the whole family," but when I look through the Bible, I see authors who tell it like it is. I see stuff that isn't totally family-friendly. These guys weren't afraid to use sex, violence, and language when the point they were making merited it. I felt like the story I was writing needed some violence. I tried to be as tasteful about it as I could, but I didn't want it to lose any of its punch. This is a bit of a spoiler, but one of the themes toward the end of the book is sacrifice. I wanted the sacrifice to feel like, well, a sacrifice. No one cares if you're willing to stub your toe for someone you love.
5. Other than the violence Alpha is a pretty clean book. I'm surprised, although pleased, that you left out any religious messages. Was that a difficult choice to make?It was at times. I think a lot of Christian artists feel like they have to validate their art by coming out and making some really obvious spiritual points. You see that in a lot of Christian fiction, whether it's with a priest who's totally cool and wise and says all the right things, or if the protagonist falls to his knees and prays the sinner's prayer in the climax. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's not my thing, but it's not a bad thing. There are people who are genuinely touched by that kind of art. 
With Alpha, I realized if I was going to throw in an obvious spiritual message for the sake of being "more Christian," I'd end up writing a book that I wouldn't want to read. I've always been more a fan of books where you have to dig a bit to find something that'll benefit your faith. CS Lewis has a great quote that goes something like "The world doesn't need more Christian writers. The world needs more great writers who are Christians." I think he makes a great point. I don't think he's necessarily saying "Christian fiction" is somehow an inferior genre, but a lot of times, Christians feel like the only way we can do something that Jesus will value is by writing about heaven, and worship, and miracles. But that's only the most spiritual two percent of life. I believe Jesus is the God of everything, and I can honor him by writing a fun science fiction story that addresses themes like love and sacrifice in a way that coincides with his teaching.
6. Since you are a DJ I just have to ask - do you still love music when you are at home, or are you oversaturated by it?Oh, I love music. Sometimes, while I'm driving home from work I have to turn off the radio to take a quick break, but that's less because I'm tired of the music and more because I'm tired of the sound. Silence is undervalued these days, if you ask me. Anyway, my love for music is the whole reason I got into radio. I try to listen to as much new music as I can, especially if it's a band who could potentially appear on my station's playlist. There's so much great stuff out there, and sometimes I feel like I don't have the time to listen to it all!
7. Who are your favorite musical performers or bands?Of the guys we play on my station, House of Heroes are probably my favorite...and I'd put them in my top five bands, period. They just write solid, blue-collar rock and roll. Future of Forestry does some great atmospheric, ambient rock. And so far, my album of the year as been The Almost's Fear Inside Our Bones. Nice and gritty southern rock. I'm trying not to gush and list dozens of bands here, so I'll cut off there.
8. I have family in Arlington. What are you favorite things to do there?That's so cool! Small world. Arlington is a fun town if you're in the right places. I like to do the usual things, like going to movies and walking in parks (though not right now that it doesn't get cooler than 90 until long after dark), but for things unique to Arlington, I'm all about the little local restaurants. Mr. B's Burger pub is a family-owned burger place with some of the best burgers I've ever had, and some really nice and personable servers. Old School Pizza and Suds has a cool environment and really tasty pizza. And then Bethany's is a great place for boba tea and way more Chinese food than you can eat in one sitting.No mention of Six Flags? Shocking! 
AND - I love James Lipton's questions from Inside the Actors Studio, so...What is your favorite word?I've always been a fan of city names that combine a bunch of locations - Texarkana, Texoma, Arkadelphia...those are just fun to me.
What is your least favorite word?Secular. It carries so much baggage, and it's usually used in such a derogatory fashion - at least in the circles I run in.
What sound or noise do you love?Ghost notes on a snare drum - that's when the drummer just barely taps the snare and you get this nice, soft whisper of a beat. Love it.
What sound or noise do you hate?The sound of people scratching their own fingernails. Especially when someone is chipping nail polish off their nails. Just writing that sentence, I'm cringing.
What is your favorite curse word?I know this is totally dodging the question, but I try keep curse words out of my vocabulary as much as possible. If I got into the habit and one slipped out while I was on air, our station could be in for a hefty fine from the FCC, and I'd rather not be the source of that!
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?I've always thought it would be interesting to be a studio drummer. I play a little right now, mostly in live settings. The idea of coming in every day to play for different musicians with different styles sounds like a really fun creative challenge. I'd have to get a lot better, though, and I'd have to learn different styles than pop and rock.
What profession would you not like to do?President. I don't think I could handle that much pressure and criticism.
If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?Every time I read Jesus' parable of the talents and the master says "Well done, my good and faithful servant," I can't help but think that would just be perfect. To have the most powerful being in existence tell me "well done" would be pretty incredible.
Taylor you have been an absolutely delightful guest on the blog today.  Thank you.
Don't you think so Abites?  What are your feelings on Christian Fiction? Do you like Christian writers who don't put religious messages in their books or do you think Christian writers should always put their religious beliefs into their stories?
Be sure to read my review of Alpha. You can get Alpha at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.

About the author:
Taylor Hohulin is a DJ at a Christian rock radio station in Dallas, Texas. He lives in Arlington with his wife, two cats, and a dog. He wrote Alpha as a novel after realizing that it wasn't such a good idea for a Ke$ha/Depeche Mode-influenced concept album after all.

Want to connect with Taylor? You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, or his website.