From high-rise ledges to charming residential neighborhoods in Washington, DC, a team of superheroes saves people and battles villains…while struggling with bill collectors, day jobs, and complicated love lives.
Empath Daley Charm feels like the weakest member of the city’s superhero team—especially when someone targets them for destruction. Her insecurities also complicate her relationship with team leader Adam Tarantino, since she can’t “see” emotions that are about her.
When missions start going dramatically wrong, Adam pulls away even more, knowing his feelings would reveal an exploitable weakness that could mean the end of the team. As they struggle to discover who’s sabotaging their missions, Daley must confront her own self-worth and faith in her abilities. Does she step away to protect her friends, or stand with them and risk someone getting hurt…or worse?
Here it is, the 4th of July, again. Happens every year at this time. 🤣😂 In the old days, you know, when I was a kid, farmers used to say ‘corn should be knee-high by the 4th of July.” Now, with all the hybrid, terrible crops they grow, I think they’re shoulder-high by the 4th of July. At, at least waist-high.
When I had my little plot of land, the farmer who planted crops in part of my field switched from beans to corn every other year, but I can’t remember how high the corn was by the 4th. All I do remember is picking the corn for our chickens during the fall. What a hot, messy job. but, it helped us save on feed. Anyway, HAPPY 4TH OF JULY.
By now, most people have heard of the Mandela Effect. It refers to the fact that a whole lot of the population misremembers the exact same thing. It got the name Mandela Effect due to the reason that a lot of people, me included, remember Mandela dying in prison and never being released.
Here are some examples of what people believe and what we are told is reality. Some are older, some are more recent. So whatever is happening, is still going on.
Captain Crunch or Cap’n Crunch – I grew up with Captain Crunch, not Cap’n Crunch.
Kit Kat or Kit-Kat – I remember the hyphen.
“Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” quote – “Luke, I am your father” vs “No, I am your father” – Sorry, but It was the former and not the latter.
C-3PO – C-3PO is golden from head to toe vs C-3PO has a silver leg. I never heard of this one until I started doing this post. To me, C-3OP was golden from head to toe. Why a silver leg to begin with?
“The Matrix” quote – “What if I told you …” vs The line doesn’t exist. Again, one I didn’t know there was a controversial over as I KNOW that line was said.
“Shazaam” movie – Comedian Sinbad starred in “Shazaam” vs “Shazaam” doesn’t exist. Hmm, this one I gotta totally deny. What the hell is going on?
If you want more, this link will take you to 50 examples of the Mandela Effect. It will blow your mind.
Logically, there is NO WAY thousands of people remember the same thing that never happened. Just no way! So, what really is going on?
Some theorize that we’re living in a simulation and these ‘quirks’ happen when the code gets adjusted. While watching this episode of The Why Files, I remembered my own personal Mandela Effect.
Back in the mid 1980’s, one morning I woke up, went to the bathroom, sat on the toilet, and freaked out. Literally freaked out. It’s the first, and only, time in my life that I became somewhat hysterical. I’m not that type of person. I’m too logical for that. Boy, did I scare Bob. He didn’t know what to think.
So, what freaked me out so bad? It was the bathroom sink. Suddenly, there was a hole on the opposite side from the facet. Where the heck did it come from? Why was it there? Bob, very calm and rational, tried explaining that it was an overflow hole, and that ALL bathroom sinks had them. I’m sure he thought I was nuts. Well, maybe I was. Who knows.
All I know is when I was confronted with something that shouldn’t have been there, I felt the Universes shift, just a bit. It was quite disorienting. Anyway, there was nothing I could about the fact I KNEW, just KNEW that that hole wasn’t there the previous night. So, I had to accept it. But I’ve had plenty of years to think about that incident because I never forgot it.
Me, being the logical person I am, had a question. If that hole was there to prevent the overflow of water in a bathroom sink, why weren’t there overflow holes in the bathtub or kitchen sink? We all hear about bathtubs overflowing. I’ve seen it as I live under another apartment and that’s happened to me. So, why not? WHY NOT? Makes no sense to me.
As stated above, some people think we’re in a Simulation. Like the Matrix. I just don’t buy that. For me? I think someone has tampered with our timeline, our history.
When Nelson Mandela died in prison, he became a martyr. This spawned massive protests, riots, a lot of unrest. At least, that’s what I remember from the event. Of course, there’s no way to confirm that since our history has been changed. Letting Mandela live, changed the world. So just imagine if he HAD died. How would our world be different? Or maybe, a different timeline intersected with our current one at just that time in space. It’s enough to boggle the mind.
But, what about all the other instances of mass hallucinations since then? They seem trivial compared to Nelson Mandela’s death/non-death. I think someone is still tampering with our history and these are just consequences of that meddling. It’s hard enough believing anything on TV or the news these days. Now, you can’t even trust your own history.
So, there you have it. Am I crazy? 🤣😂 Have you had your own Mandela Effect incident? If so, I would love to hear about it.
Demarkus, a vampire lord, must take her blood, her body, then her life.
But can he?
Salvation By Blood
Parts 1 & 2
by Marisette Burgess
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Romance
Skylar by no means had the perfect life- but she was free. Until the night vampires broke into her apartment and snatched her. Now, she finds herself in a real life hell, the kind horror movies are made of. She’s gifted to a vampire lord to serve as his pet, but only for a week. Three certainties exist. He will take her blood, take her body, then take her life.
Demarkus Osei, Lord of his clan, is obliged to attend the 20th Vampiric Centennial Conclave. A task he loathes. For one week, he’s given a human to fulfill his duty to his family. But this year there is something different about his slave. Aside from the fact that he and every vampire at the Conclave find her blood mouthwatering, she’s unique. There’s an inescapable pull. He can’t quite put his finger on it, but the urge to protect her, to spare her from pain, is overwhelming. But he’s a vampire. His thirst and hunger must be sated.
As Skylar and Demarkus navigate through his basic vampiric cravings, they can’t ignore the cruel reality of their situation, their inner monsters, or the looming end of their time together. This once rational, put-together lord, now finds himself making rash illicit decisions, to spare her and himself from pain. Will he choose to follow what is demanded, resulting in her demise, or will he defy every vampiric decree?
Marisette Burgess’ new twist on vampiric folklore doesn’t disappoint as she seamlessly weaves a Beauty and the Beast trope into the rich tapestry of a vampire love story. Skylar and Demarkus’ slave/master relationship keeps the reader wanting more as she tries desperately to keep the vampire’s needs under control while he fights his urge to not fall in love.
Marisette loves writing about the fantastical and pushing her imagination to the limit. Her son asked her once why she writes and her response was because it allows her to cope with her crazy. She likes to explore themes like girl power, diversity, perseverance, and fighting against the odds. Stories with diverse backgrounds hold a special place in her heart. One reason mixed representation and diverse families are important to her is because her family is mixed. She lives in Florida with her husband, two children and two rescue Rat Terrier/Chihuahua mixes named Ivory and Ebony.
Other than writing, she enjoys traveling and relaxing in front of serene landscapes with her family. Things she cannot live without are flip-flops, coke zero, and yoga capris.
Marisette is author to the Symbol of Hope Trilogy on Amazon a YA Supernatural Adventure Romance.
Latest projects include a sultry vampiric Novella- Salvation by Blood
The allies are ready to sacrifice it all to save their once beautiful realm, their home, but not everyone will survive. Will the light of The Sol-lumieth be strong enough to stop the darkness or will this be the end of the magical realm of Alandria?
The Sol-Lumieth
The Age of Alandria Book 5
by Morgan Wylie
Genre: YA Fantasy Adventure
Alandria is fading.
The veil between realms has thinned.
War is inevitable.
She, the mistress of the mountain in Exhile, has absorbed an intense amount of power and is poised to unleash the next phase of her evil plan. Meanwhile, the Droch-Shúil spreads fear and darkness across Alandria. If salvation does not come for the Orchids, their souls will be lost forever. Will She escape her sentence in Exhile and take over Alandria? Or will the one surprise she isn’t expecting derail her?
Kaeleigh and Daegan rush back to Alandria after their tumultuous journey through the mortal realm, seeking the Book of Lenoria. Chel is in trouble. And the magical life force of the forests and territories of Alandria is being siphoned away, infiltrated by evil. The Dryads are doing all they can to keep the trees—and themselves—alive.
Unexpected friends have been found. The allies are ready to sacrifice it all to save their once beautiful realm, their home, but not everyone will survive.
Will the light of The Sol-lumieth be strong enough to stop the darkness or will this be the end of the magical realm of Alandria?
Morgan Wylie is an award-winning and USA Today Bestselling author with several genres published from YA fantasy to adult paranormal romance and other things in between. Morgan published her first novel, Silent Orchids, one year after moving across the country with her family on a journey of new discovery. After an amazing three years in Nashville, TN and the release of two more books, Morgan and her family found their way back to the Northwest where they now reside. Still working everyday with great optimism, Morgan continues to embrace all things: “Mama”, wife, teacher, and mediator to the many voices and muses constantly chattering in her head… where it gets pretty loud!
What would you do if you could travel through Time?
As a medium, Erica is used to keeping a low profile. Stay hidden. Stay quiet. Stay safe. That was the mantra her mother had taught her to live by. Running and lying in the name of self-preservation weren’t new to her. But her mother mentioned nothing about demons and Time travel.
Being attacked by a demonic Lost Soul and then saved by a hot Time traveller is one thing, but opening up a Temporal Gateway to Victorian London is something entirely different. She’s on a mission to find answers and this time, she won’t run away.
But an army of Lost Souls is coming. No longer content to lurk in the shadows, they’re readying themselves to battle for dominion over humankind. And, when they do, their vengeance will be brutal.
As a group of unexpected heroes band together to make a stand, it soon becomes clear that Erica’s abilities as a medium may give them the crucial advantage they so desperately require. The fate of the world rests in her hands.
To celebrate the 16th release anniversary, Chronicles of the Necromancer has been re-issued with new hardcovers, and two commemorative special-editions!
The Summoner
Chronicles of the Necromancer Book 1
by Gail Z. Martin
Genre: Dark Epic Fantasy Action Adventure
Prince. Fugitive. Exile. Necromancer.
Martris Drayke, second son of King Bricen of Margolan, never coveted the crown. But when his older half-brother Jared and Jared’s dark mage kill the king and the rest of the royal family, seizing the throne, Tris’s comfortable world shatters and he finds himself running for his life.
Tris flees with three friends: Soterius, captain of the guard; Carroway, the court’s master bard; and Harrtuck, a member of the royal guard. They seek sanctuary and the chance to plot the overthrow of the usurper, gaining unexpected helpers along the way.
Tris has a secret—one that might well determine the fate of Margolan and the Winter Kingdoms. In a land where spirits walk openly and influence the affairs of the living, he is the mage heir to the power of his grandmother, Bava K’aa, once the greatest sorceress of her age. That magic makes Tris a Summoner, arbiter between the living and the dead.
Can a half-trained mage-prince and his unlikely allies take back his kingdom and avenge his family—or will his wild power destroy him before he has the chance to set things right?
The Summoner is an action-packed epic fantasy adventure filled with magic, occult lore, honorable ghosts, loyal friends, found family, immortal creatures, secrets, curses, forbidden love—and a necromancer hero!
Prince Martris Drayke of Margolan escaped the bloody coup that murdered his family and put his half-brother, Jared, on the throne. He fled with three close friends, found allies along the way, and gained the backing of loyal deserters, the undead vayash moru, and the vengeful ghosts of Jared’s many victims.
In just one year under the Usurper’s thumb, Margolan has gone from prosperity to chaos and starvation. Jared’s troops hunt down any who oppose him, filling the gibbets and scaffolds and carrying out a reign of terror.
Tris has risked destruction to gain control of his spirit magic, and harness his power. But when he and his allies return to Margolan, Tris must confront Foor Arontala, Jared’s blood mage, and stop him from freeing the soul of the Obsidian King from its crystal prison. If Tris fails, Arontala will set the Obsidian King free and take on his power, becoming unstoppable and destroying the last chance to free Margolan from Jared’s rule.
Can Tris stand against the blood magic of the Obsidian King to take back the throne and save his kingdom—or will his half-mastered magic bring about an even greater destruction?
The Blood King is an action-packed epic fantasy adventure filled with magic, occult lore, honorable ghosts, loyal friends, found family, bloody battles, immortal creatures, secrets, treachery, forbidden love—and a necromancer hero!
Martris Drayke fought the Usurper and defeated both the blood mage Arontala and the spirit of the Obsidian King.
As the newly-crowned King of Margolan, Tris must rebuild a kingdom shattered by betrayal and bloodshed. Some of the usurper’s loyalists evaded capture and remain a danger. Famine and hardship threaten to bring more chaos and divisions. And in his Court of Spirits, the necromancer-king is overwhelmed by the ghosts seeking retribution and release.
With their royal wedding just weeks away, Tris and Kiara Sharsequin, heir to the throne of Isencroft, will unite the rule and succession of two allied kingdoms. Not everyone is pleased to see that happen. As threats multiply, Tris and Kiara must guard against traitors and enemies both inside and outside the castle, determined to destroy them and everything they fought to gain.
Meanwhile, former smuggler and mercenary Jonmarc Vahanian, the new Lord of Dark Haven, finds himself at the center of a power struggle among the undead vayash moru. As he untangles a web of deception, Jonmarc realizes that the conflict in Dark Haven threatens not only the future of the Winter Kingdoms but also the fate of the living, dead and undead.
Dark Haven is an action-packed epic fantasy adventure filled with magic, occult lore, honorable ghosts, vampire politics, loyal friends, found family, bloody battles, immortal creatures, secrets, treachery, and star-crossed love!
Treachery & blood magic threaten King Martris Drayke’s hold on the throne he risked everything to win. As the battle against a traitor lord comes to its final days, war, plague & betrayal bring Margolan to the brink of destruction.
Civil war looms in Isencroft, forcing Kiara to make hard choices between her duty to her kingdom-by-blood and her commitments to her kingdom-by-marriage. Thrones and successions are at stake, and a wrong choice could change the history of the Winter Kingdoms forever.
In Dark Haven, Lord Jonmarc Vahanian has bargained his soul for vengeance, plunging into a conflict among ancient immortals based on grudges centuries in the making. If he succeeds, Jonmarc preserves the truce, stops the bloodshed, and saves what matters most. Failure brings destruction—and dooms his soul for eternity.
Dark Lady’s Chosen is an action-packed epic fantasy adventure filled with magic, occult lore, honorable ghosts, vampire politics, loyal friends, found family, bloody battles, immortal creatures, secrets, hard choices, and star-crossed love!
The Shadowed Path is back in print and ebook with an updated cover! Explore the first of two books revealing Jonmarc Vahanian’s backstory years before his heroic role in the Chronicles of the Necromancer.
**Celebrate the 16th anniversary of the release of the Chronicles of the Necromancer series with two different commemorative special limited-edition collections! **
Get a limited lettered and signed special edition with an all-new color artwork/dust jacket!
Includes books 1 & 2 in the first volume, and books 3 & 4 in the second volume—signed and lettered so there will never be more than 26 sets!
Or grab a numbered special edition with completely different black-and-white laminated covers – two volumes containing all four books, signed and numbered and limited to only 250 copies!
Gail Z. Martin writes urban fantasy, epic fantasy, steampunk and more for Solaris Books, Orbit Books, Falstaff Books, SOL Publishing and Darkwind Press. Urban fantasy series include Deadly Curiosities and the Night Vigil (Sons of Darkness). Epic fantasy series include Darkhurst, the Chronicles Of The Necromancer, the Fallen Kings Cycle, the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga, and the Assassins of Landria.
Together with Larry N. Martin, she is the co-author of Iron & Blood, Storm & Fury (both Steampunk/alternate history), the Spells Salt and Steel comedic horror series, the Roaring Twenties monster hunter Joe Mack Shadow Council series, and the Wasteland Marshals near-future post-apocalyptic series. As Morgan Brice, she writes urban fantasy MM paranormal romance, with the Witchbane, Badlands, Treasure Trail, Kings of the Mountain and Fox Hollow series. Gail is also a con-runner for ConTinual, the online, ongoing multi-genre convention that never ends.
These students aren’t just bad, they’re dangerous. And then there’s the principal…
Teacher
by James Eric Riley
Genre: Fictional Biography
These students aren’t just bad, they’re dangerous. And then there’s the principal…
For Los Angeles teacher Eric Riley, summers off, holidays, and health benefits are all that matters. Why else get into teaching in your forties? With a wife and two young daughters, and a mountain of debt after suffering a broken leg, teaching represents a steady paycheck and time off he’s never experienced.
Riley surviveshis rookie year as a teacher, only to be assigned a class with a special designation: Emotionally Disturbed. He starts the new position, after taking a mandatory training session on the latest approved methods of physical restraint – the delicate name for self-defense when dealing with violent students.
One day, a student attacks Riley – and Riley puts him down hard on the floor. The school principal orders Riley to be placed on administrative leave. During a series of preliminary hearings regarding his status, he realizes that the official version of the incident is changing. When his union and legal representatives appear to be incompetent, he secretly contacts staff members at his school. They break into an administrator’s office and uncover statements and records regarding his suspension that implicate the principal, the district, and even the teachers’ union.
From classic teaching moments to administrator run-ins to a district boardroom showdown, one teacher finds out what he’s good at.
James Eric Riley grew up near the rust belt town of Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania. He attended Eastern Kentucky University and graduated with a degree in Theater Arts. After years of summer stock and regional theater, he and his wife Jeneva moved to Southern California where they discovered a love of snow skiing and – for Riley – ice skating. But after breaking a leg competing in a short track speed skating event, suddenly teaching seemed like a better idea. His best years were teaching high school, where he finally put his theater background to good use teaching public speaking and writing. Now retired, he and Jeneva live in Independence, Kentucky.
All the forces of sentient kind cannot stop what the gods have ordained.
A Cure For Fate
Season of the Runer Book V
by Abigail Linhardt
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Sybal and Tzarik set out on a quest to find a way to break the fate-binding tying Sharar and Tzarik’s fate together. Their journey takes them across the map as they try to bargain with the gods themselves, but nothing seems to give them the answer they seek.
Weakened by the malignant wound, Sharar cannot steep himself in the magic of the Mahit’Onomicon, afraid the power might overcome him. But he has a more immediate battle to fight. He seeks to strike out against Tarkan, manipulating the sultana into doing his bidding.
Tarkan sits upon the ruby throne in Alika with an army of undead and risen alike. But now it is time for the final step. Sure of himself and his power, Tarkan travels to Xia to break open the Crypt and finish his long overdue plan once and for all.
In this thrilling conclusion, Sybal must rise to face her greatest challenge yet. For in a world balanced on the edge of oblivion, even immortality may not be enough to protect those she holds dear. The fate of the living rests in the hands of the dead, and the price of victory may be more than any of them can bear to pay.
Abi works part-time as a freelance ghostwriter, editor, audiobook narrator, and is one half of the partnership that owns Altered Reality Magazine. She hopes to one day make these passions her full-time job while she hunts for the next bohemian adventure.
She has published works of fiction, poetry, academia, and even won awards for her short stories in science fiction and horror. Her novel, The Trial of Two, was named an Honorable Mention in the Writer’s Digest 2021 self-publishing awards and won first place in the dark fantasy category in The BookFest Awards. Abi is also a proud mom of ferrets. She currently resides in Kansas.
She is one of nine children–all of whom share the creative spark.
A murder has occurred. The body of a werewolf is found on the beach of Ballybunion, a town just outside the magical sanctuary of Misty Vale.
Abbey, a normal woman, one of the few allowed to enter Misty Vale, discovers the body, and feels compelled to investigate the mysterious death. She sets out to unravel the secrets that surround the murder.
As she delves deeper into the investigation, she uncovers the secrets which threaten to unravel the very fabric of Misty Vale. With the help of her supernatural allies, she must navigate through werewolf politics to solve the case.
As the investigation progresses, the stakes become higher, and she realises that the killer may be closer than she thinks. Can she uncover the truth before it’s too late? Or will the killer strike again, plunging Misty Vale into chaos and darkness?
