Joseph Demakis's Blog, page 9

Maine Author - G. A. Morgan - Five Stones Trilogy

Genevieve (G.A.) Morgan is a writer and editor living in Portland, Maine. She graduated with a BA in English from Bowdoin College and moved to California to pursue an acting career. When that didn't work out, she found more reliable work as the managing editor at Chronicle Books in San Francisco. She spent five years learning the trade and went on to cofound a book-packaging company that produced a variety of work, including Saints: A Visual Almanac of the Virtuous, Pure, Praiseworthy and Good and its (more dastardly) follow-up: The Devil.Morgan has written books for Smith & Hawken, Williams-Sonoma, Starbuck’s, the Nature Company, Harper Collins, Borders Books, and Hay House publishers. Her work on health topics has appeared in the Bangor Daily News, as well as Maine, Body and Soul, and Insight magazines. In addition to Undecided: Navigating Life and Learning after High School (Zest Publications/April 2014), she is the author of a YA fantasy-adventure trilogy called The Five Stones. Five Stones Trilogy There’s no turning back for the five children in The Fog of Forgetting when they are engulfed in a mysterious and impenetrable fog and washed ashore on an island in the North Atlantic. Their struggle to survive is the epic beginning of a new adventure-fantasy trilogy that will take you on a memorable journey from coastal Maine to worlds unknown, where friend and foe may be the same."The Fog of Forgetting," the first volume in The Five Stones Trilogy, begins at the best of all possible times: the start of summer vacation. For the three Thompson brothers, Chase (13), Knox (11),  and Teddy (6), this means a long drive to Summerledge, their beloved house in Maine, near the village of Fells Harbor. All is as it should be until the sudden appearance of two adopted neighbor girls from Haiti, Evelyn (13) and Frankie (9), a hasty departure of their parents, and a sunny day lead to an unexpected voyage. Before long, the children find themselves beyond familiar waters and engulfed by a curtain of dense fog, beyond which lies a land forgotten and besieged, an island of ancient secrets and terrible history: Ayda. As the children explore their surroundings and meet strange new friends, it becomes clear that they have landed somewhere far from home―and beyond rescue. Crackling with action and suspense, The Fog of Forgetting plumbs the rich territory between realism and fantasy by immersing the reader in an imaginative world that is also natural and recognizable. Funny, gripping and―above all―compelling, The Fog of Forgetting brings together captivating characters, integrated narrative, myth, romance, and mystery for the delight of all, be they a sophisticated ten-year-old boy or a fifty-year-old reader who still remembers what it’s like to be young with the long days of summer ahead.


The battle for Ayda heats up in the second book of The Five Stones Trilogy.Chase, determined to fulfill his promise to find the unifying Fifth Stone, finds the elusive Captain Nate and brings him back to the island of Ayda, where one of the realms is burning and two more are under siege from Dankar’s dark forces of Exor. Meanwhile, Knox and Evelyn must trust a mysterious guide to help them find a way back, though each has their own personal struggle to overcome. All three children must decide if they can put their own needs―and fears―aside to save their friends and family.G.A. Morgan, who "excels at world-building," (School Library Journal), introduced us to Ayda in "The Fog of Forgetting." Now, she raises the stakes with a deeper examination of the evil power at work in Dankar, the conflict between love and loyalty, and the pain of sacrifice.


In the dramatic conclusion of The Five Stones Trilogy, Chase, Evelyn, and Knox must gather together disparate forces to save not just Ayda, but their own world. The three young people have returned through the fog to fulfill their promise to the Keepers on the island of Ayda, whose four realms are in turmoil. But in Exor, Dankar's evil forces continue to grow as he corrupts and coerces all in his domain, with the final intent of gaining total control of Ayda so he may take his battle to the world beyond the fog the world of Chase, Evelyn, and Knox. The stones of power that fuel the other three realms and their people weaken as Dankar harnesses more energy. Chase, Evelyn, and Knox each one struggling in a different realm are on a desperate quest to learn more about their own powers and halt what seems to be the inevitable destruction of Ayda. The dramatic reappearance of Chanterelle and two mysterious guests bring answers long sought, but not before everyone on Ayda has been tested to the utmost of their abilities and reunited in the most unexpected of ways. Now, only the Fifth Stone can restore harmony to Ayda and the fate of the world hangs in the balance. G.A. Morgan, who "excels at world-building," (School Library Journal), introduced us to Ayda in The Fog of Forgetting and raised the stakes in Chantarelle. Now she brings the trilogy to a conclusion with a profound investigation of what it takes to continue believing in one another when almost every hope is gone.

Quotation of the Day

Trust in dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity
- Khalil Gibran -

A YEAR IN THE MAKING 44,000 BOOKS SOLD - 2016

Over the past year of 2016 my Facebook fan page has grown to over 3,300 Likes; my Twitter account now has close to 17,000 followers and the author's web page has had over 70,000 visits. But most of all my books have continued to sell well and I'm proud to say that I have solds over 45,000 books.  I continue to hint the bestsellers list on Amazon.com and it brings me great joy to be an Amazon bestselling author.  
I want to say thank you to all that bought a book and supported my dream of becoming a published author.......Thank you, without you and your support none of this would have been possible.
In 2017, I plan of releasing  five new books!

Maine Author - Paul Doiron - Mike Bowditch Mysteries

Paul Doiron is the author of the Mike Bowditch series of crime novels, including The Poacher’s Son, which won the Barry Award and the Strand Critics Award for Best First Novel and was nominated for an Edgar Award, an Anthony Award, a Macavity Award, and a Thriller Award for Best First Novel, and the Maine Literary Award for Fiction. PopMatters named it to its Best Fiction of 2010 list.His second book in the Mike Bowditch series, Trespasser, won the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction, was an American Booksellers Association Indie Bestseller, and has been called a “masterpiece of high-octane narrative” by Booklist.The third novel in the series, Bad Little Falls, was a Bookscan Bestseller and a finalist for the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction and the RT Reviewers Choice Award.Paul’s fourth book, Massacre Pond, received starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly which called it “the best yet in the series.”The Mike Bowditch novels have been translated into ten languages: German, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Polish, Romanian, Slovenian, Hungarian, and Czech. The UK editions of all three books are being published in 2013 by Constable & Robinson.Paul is the former editor of Down East: The Magazine of Maine. A native of Maine, he attended Yale University, where he graduated with a degree in English, and he holds an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College. He is a former member of the Maine Arts Commission and a current member of the Maine Humanities Council. The Bangor Daily News named Paul one of its 12 Mainers to Watch in 2012. He is also a Registered Maine Guide specializing in fly fishing and lives on a trout stream in coastal Maine.
Mike Bowditch Mysteries

Quotation of the Day

Our entire life - consists ultimately in accepting ourselves as we are. 
- Jean Anouilh -

Author Spotlight - Sarah Northwood - The Volunteer

         Author BioSarah Northwood is an Amazon and Goodreads author. She enjoys writing in different genres and currently has three published works. All three of her works have achieved high rankings (top 20) on Amazon. Her latest work “The Volunteer” was her first bestseller, reaching number one in the category, Metaphysical and Visionary on Amazon. It remained in the number one/two position for a week and is still currently in the top 300. It also reached number one on a readers list on Goodreads, Best Indie Books, 2016/2017.In addition to stories/novels, Sarah enjoys writing Poetry and composing music, she enjoys sharing these on the website Allpoetry.

"Growing up in a picturesque small town, I was surrounded by animals and a loving family.  I never quite knew what I wanted to be when I was older and I’ve spent most of my working life enjoying a career in science until a new life beckoned. Now I believe in never growing up! I am a Wife and Mum to two wonderful girls, who rock my world, they inspire me every day. I enjoy writing for children and adults. I especially enjoy, romance, horror, rhyme, poetry and composing songs. Quite a mix I know and i1        Social Media             Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/SarahNorthwoodAuthor             Twitter: https://twitter.com/northwood_sarah             Webpage:  http://www.sarahnorthwood-author.com/             Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northwoodsarah/
The Volunteer
About the bookThe Volunteer is a Novella and combines mixtures of thriller/suspense/fantasy and horror!
Sam, is a student, who unfortunately lost her parents, Robert and Isabella at the tender age of fifteen. The remaining members of her family, specifically her Aunt, Imelda, are pretty dreadful to her and she ends up alone. Her College debts mount up, she is isolated, alone and desperate to find a way out. That’s when an advert for a clinical trial peaks her interest. They pay you to let them test new potential therapies on you and reimburse you for the inconvenience. Sam is at the point in her life where she has nothing to lose. Things move quickly and Sam finds herself waking up a few weeks later trapped inside a hospital with no memory of what has happened to her. Survival instincts kick in quickly and she discovers that she is more intelligent, or she has a case of the ‘Smart’s’ as Sam would put it. She meets others in the hospital, people she thinks she can trust. Besides the Volunteers in the hospital, there are also other patients. Along the way Sam discovers she has been gifted with more than just increased intelligence and the hospital contains more than one kind of ‘monster.’
ExcerptThis is a moment in the story, just before Sam (the main character) has lost her parents.

The car containing Sam, Isabella and Robert, was filled with electricity. Buzzing with anticipation, the all too familiar drive into town seemed like a trip somewhere far more exotic. The sting of sparks flying around the car could go out in any direction. Leaving its occupants either exalted and stimulated or stung and weary. Perhaps both? The emanating source of electricity was 14-year-old Sam. 14 years and 364 days old to be exact.  Sam was eager to reach the sports shop, which was their intended destination. Her bottom dancing out a birthday beat in its seat. The dual carriageway seemed hampered with bulky lorries and slow driving trucks purposely intent on slowing their journey . “How much further is it Mom, how many more minutes now?”Even Isabella the calm and patient one of the family was fast losing her cool, “We’ll be there soon. I can’t very well make the cars move out of our way.”
The fast road, as it had become known through Sam’s childhood, seemed entirely opposite to its long standing name.  Impenetrably slow as if the world knew that these hours were special. That they should be clung too and not frittered away through teenage eagerness. This was a moment that would be etched into memory. The time to live was here in this moment. For a girl about to turn fifteen, life seems to be unending, unchanging and immortal, the very idea that it could end was preposterous.
Reviews4.9/5 stars
I read this book so fast (which is a first for me). It's a real page turner, easy to read and gets into the story very quickly. There are only a few characters in the story, the author spends just the right amount of time introducing back stories. You feel connected to the individuals without taking anything away from the pace of the book.
Without giving too much away, "The Volunteer" is a dive into the sinister side of clinical trials.
A great read from a new author can't wait to read more!After reading this book, I went straight back to the beginning and read it again. The author has given the characters so much depth and strength, so much so they feel everything they do, very seldom have I read a book and felt fear and excitement. If you read no other book this year read this you will not be disappointed and you too like me will be impatiently waiting for the follow up book/s.After evaluating the review copy of Sarah's book, I was immediately transported to a time and place other than my current space. In some ways, Sam reminds me of Isabella Swan in "Twilight;" her sassy demeanor, yet alluring personality makes her a multidimensional character trying to navigate her way through an otherworldly experience. At times, I had to remind myself that this was a work of fiction; elements in the story kept up a steady pace that was given meaning by Sarah's sensational storytelling ability. I rooted for Sam the entire way, but somehow, I knew she'd...well, you be the judge. I'm comfortable awarding this work of fiction (thank goodness) 5-stars! 

Sam is a young and broke girl determined to make it on her own. She applys to become a volunteer for a clinical trial. Where she can make a few easy bucks. We have all had that time in our life's were we have thought I could do that. Thing is things don't go to plan she has no memory of how she got there or who she is. Three weeks have passed and there's a doctor who is a monster in the making. Can she escape or will someone help her. I read this and had to finish it as quickly as I could. The storyline blew me away I only hope there's more books to come by the talented writer Sarah Northwood thumbs up

Quotation of the Day

I think in terms of the day's resolutions, not the years'. 
- Henry Moore -

Quotation of the Day

The world is not comprehensible, but it is embraceable: through the embracing of one of its beings.- Martin Buber -

Quotation of the Day

Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.- Benjamin Franklin -

Quotation of the Day

Reach for the stars- Christa McAuliffe -