No good deed goes unpunished in a willfully blind, technocratic society.
Elmington
by Renee Lehnen
Genre: Social Satirical Fiction
No good deed goes unpunished in a willfully blind, technocratic society.
Gordon Gray, a retired librarian, only wishes to chain smoke, read twentieth-century novels by dead white men, and at the time of his choosing, shuffle off his mortal coil. Everyone from his thanatophobic doctor to his New Age neighbour has an opinion on what Gordon should want and how he should be treated. When his daughter Martha arrives from the West Coast, she finds Gordon disheveled, wheezy, and cantankerous in his squalid bungalow. She remains in Elmington to negotiate with his meddlesome entourage and look after him. Seven months later, Gordon is dead, and Martha is in police custody for the crime of caring unconventionally.
Winner of the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence for Best Unpublished Manuscript in 2022
“Very engaging, great dialogue, great dark humour and social commentary.” – Crime Writers of Canada Judges
“The central characters in Elmington crackle with complexity and conflicted feelings as they navigate the minefield of end-of-life decision making. As Renee Lehnen’s pitch perfect prose animates the fictional town, the tensions simmering just below its gleaming surface emerge. This timely and unforgettable book confronts the most difficult choices a family can be asked to make – and the constraints within which those decisions are forced to unfold.” — Judith Harway, author of the memoir Sundown and three collections of poetry
Renee Lehnen is a registered nurse by profession and a writer by passion. Her short stories have been published in the anthologies “Dark Secrets” and “Murder! Mystery! Mayhem!” In addition, she was the 2019 winner and 2020 runner-up of Stratford Rotary’s short story contest. In 2023, her Victorian romance novel, “What Love Demands”, was released by The Wild Rose Press under her pen name, Renata North. Renee lives in Stratford, Ontario with her husband.
Winter is frigid, but fear is just as numbing, and death is the coldest of all.
Three Weeks in Winter
A Tony Harrington Novel #6
by Joseph LeValley
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Winter is frigid, but fear is just as numbing, and death is the coldest of all…
A rural deputy sheriff’s suspicious death in Chicago draws small-town reporter Tony Harrington to the Windy City to investigate. Within days he discovers facts the police either missed or chose to ignore – facts that lead him to a white supremacist militia that calls itself The Patriots of Victory One.
In a dangerous and foolhardy late-night incursion into the POVO camp, Tony finds evidence of an impending attack of incomprehensible scale and cruelty. To make matters worse, POVO and its plans may be funded by one of America’s greatest enemies.
Tony and his girlfriend, actress Darcy Gillson, face multiple threats in their efforts to expose and stop the POVO plot. What they learn grips their hearts in a fear as dark and as cold as a winter night in the Midwest. Though the FBI, the CIA, and the military mobilize to respond, the safety of thousands may rely on the courage and determination of a handful of civilians. The countdown has started as they race to prevent the deadly strike that could be fatal to everything we hold dear.
The Biggest Voices in Thriller Fiction Love the Latest Tony Harrinton Adventure!
James Rollins, # 1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Tides of Fire:
“Joseph LeValley’s THREE WEEKS IN WINTER is a tour-de-force of international thrillers, a brutal and twisty tale of arm’s dealers and terrorists both here and abroad. So many times, my jaw literally dropped at the surprising revelations and throat-clutching moments of suspense. More people need to be reading LeValley. Like right now.”
Max Allan Collins, bestselling author of Road to Perdition: “Joseph LeValley is one of the best writers of suspense around. Don’t miss his latest thriller!”
Entrada Books: With his fast-paced writing style and descriptive prose, author Joseph LeValley is once again capturing readers’ attention with his latest Tony Harrington thriller. From small towns to large cities, the author shows us how a few dangerous people can threaten everything we hold dear. Get ready for an exciting page-turning ride as you settle in with Three Weeks in Winter.
From an expert in the real world, Col. John M. Hinck (Ret.), PhD, Assistant Professor of Leadership, US Air Force Air University: GREAT book! Superb characters, believable conflict, intrigue, romance, suspense, and depth amid plots, twists, and turns — written in a Tom Clancy-style. This has all the elements of a great novel — a thrillful page-turner!
From Dave Elbert, Author of The Elbert Files: LeValley’s sixth novel about Iowa newspaper reporter Tony Harrington is another page-turner that kept me reading long after my bedtime.
Joseph “Joe” LeValley was fortunate to find success in three careers prior to becoming an author: journalism, health care, and music. He was a reporter-photographer for Iowa newspapers for seven years. During that time, Joe wrote articles ranging from breaking news to feature stories to personal columns. Subsequently, he served for more than 30 years as an executive in Iowa hospitals and its largest statewide health care network. During that time, he and his team won four national awards for communications excellence.
As a musician, Joe plays drums and guitar. He has performed with a number of groups and has written more than 40 songs. In 2016, he was inducted with the Mourning Glory Rock Band into the Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame.
A lifelong Iowan, Joe has a degree in journalism from Drake University in Des Moines and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Iowa. He and his wife Jane have six children and live in Dallas County, Iowa.
The thrilling and suspenseful story of CRAPS that the Oil Companies want to kill, and the Chinese want to steal…
Reversal!
Not For Sale! Trilogy Book 2
by Raj Agrawal
Genre: Suspense Thriller
In a world plagued by climate change, where the future of our planet hangs by a thread, “Reversal!” takes you on an electrifying journey into the heart of a groundbreaking scientific innovation that could save humanity. Enter the world of carbon dioxide recapture and processing systems (CRAPS) through the eyes of Dr. Ravi Kumar, a brilliant scientist as he uncovers the potential to reverse the damage done to our environment while fighting deadly attacks from powerful foes…
Aviation engineer Dr. Ravi Kumar and his AI expert wife, Dr. Caitlyn Mariko are on a world-wide run for their lives from two of Americas most powerful chief executives and a rogue nation. And all this for refusing to sell their aero-engine invention that will revolutionize the aircraft industry and help save the planet from the ravages of climate change. Their invention is Not For Sale! The two scientists have other plans for it…
If you like Crichton, Brown, Baldacci, Koontz, Grisham and others like them – you are going to like this fast-paced thriller. And even though you may not have heard of me, give it a read, it is an interesting story – worth your time and money.
Raj Agrawal is a retired aerospace engineer and a first-generation immigrant from India. After completing his bachelor’s in engineering from the Institute of Technology located in his hometown of Varanasi, he came to Ottawa, Canada where he got his master’s in aerospace engineering and met his future wife, Mire Kimura, a fellow international student from Japan. They moved to Montreal where they made their home for almost a quarter century and became the proud parents of three daughters, all born in one year. The family immigrated to United States, the land of ground-breaking research and revolutionary inventions, just before the turn of the new century.
He has worked for more than forty years at some of the leading US and British aero engine companies. He has many technical publications and over 30 patents in aviation engineering and has been a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and American Helicopter Society. He was also an adjunct professor teaching a graduate level course on aero-engine design.
He now splits his time between his residences in Florida and Colorado with Mire, travelling around the world, spending as much time as possible with his four grandchildren and writing.
Reversal! is his second novel in the Not for Sale! trilogy and is once again loosely based on his own life experiences, hope and expectations.
Three undertaker brothers fight the monsters who killed their family—and uncover a plot larger and far more dangerous than they ever imagined.
Scourge
A Darkhurst Novel Book 1
by Gail Z. Martin
Genre: Dark Epic Fantasy Adventure
Three undertaker brothers fight the monsters who killed their family—and uncover a plot larger and far more dangerous than they ever imagined.
In a city beset by monsters, three brothers must find out who is controlling the abominations. The city-state of Ravenwood is wealthy, powerful, and corrupt. Merchant princes and guild masters wager fortunes to outmaneuver League rivals for the king’s favor and advantageous trading terms. Lord Mayor Ellor Machison wields assassins, blood witches, and forbidden magic to ensure that his powerful patrons get what they want, no matter the cost.
Corran, Rigan, and Kell Valmonde are guild undertakers left to run their family’s business when guards murdered their father and monsters killed their mother. Their grave magic enables them to help souls pass to the After and banish vengeful spirits. Rigan’s magic is unusually strong and enables him to hear the confessions of the dead, the secrets that would otherwise be taken to the grave.
When the toll exacted by monsters and brutal guards hits close to home, and ghosts expose the hidden sins of powerful men, Corran, Rigan, and Kell become targets in a deadly game and face a choice: obey the guild or fight back and risk everything.
Scourge is a fast-paced, action-packed, monster-filled fantasy adventure with non-stop twists and turns, loyal brothers, found family, forbidden magic, vengeful ghosts, high-stakes intrigue, and dangerous secrets set in a vibrantly visualized world.
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.
This hero of legend will encounter a challenge he has never faced before . . .
present-day New York City.
Tempus Unbound
Sacred Band Series Book 6
by Janet & Chris Morris
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Is this the Lemuria of antiquity, or of times to come? Once you’ve ridden the storm clouds of heaven from the edge of time, anything is possible. Demonic hordes threaten to destroy the very fabric of time itself. The fate of all humanity rests on the shoulders of Tempus the Black, Favorite of the Storm God. But even this hero of legend will encounter a challenge he has never faced before . . . present-day New York City.
**Tempus Unbound is Perseid Press’ featured title of November **
Best selling author Janet Morris began writing in 1976 and has since published more than 30 novels, many co-authored with her husband Chris Morris or others. Most of her fiction work has been in the fantasy and science fiction genres, although she has also written historical and other novels. Morris has written, contributed to, or edited several book-length works of non-fiction, as well as papers and articles on nonlethal weapons, developmental military technology and other defense and national security topics.
Christopher Crosby Morris (born 1946) is an American author of fiction and non-fiction, as well as a lyricist, musical composer, and singer-songwriter. He is married to author Janet Morris. He is a defense policy and strategy analyst and a principal in M2 Technologies, Inc. He writes primarily as Chris Morris, but occasionally uses pseudonyms.
Does the past really matter when you hold humanity’s future in your hands?
Forever Human
Humanity’s Last Chance
by Ian E. Slatter
Genre: Science Fiction
Does the past really matter when you hold humanity’s future in your hands?
With just days of its thousand year journey remaining, the starship Renaissance 3 is on course to deliver its precious cargo – the last living humans – to its new planetary home. But a message from beyond the grave challenges everything that pilot Maya has been taught about her kind, and threatens the future of the entire mission.
As life aboard the Renaissance descends into chaos, Maya soon finds herself facing the decision of a lifetime.
I started writing for satirical news website Newsbiscuit before going on to help edit the site. I also wrote some comedy sketches for BBC radio and ITV, then published my first two books – non-fiction works about sport.
My first fiction books were three humorous middle-grade novels, one of which won a Purple Dragonfly award, and I am now focusing on writing science-fiction.
I live in Somerset in the UK with my wife, two children and two black cats.
Check out my website (ianeslatter.com) to see some of the sci-fi works that inspired me.”
Hard to believe its almost Thanksgiving and we’ve been in the 60’s & 70’s for temperatures. It’s also been very dry. If we don’t get any moisture, our drought is going to be even worse next year. Yikes!
Since we are approaching the Holidays, I tried finding some Holiday themed fantasy free eBooks. Seems a lot of them are short stories. Quick reads which are perfect for hectic seasonal pace. Check them out.
A NYC Big Book Award “Distinguished Favorite” Thriller!
A woman. A ghostly summons. In a coma, no one can hear you scream.
Detective Kurt Farin, shot in the line of duty, is haunted by a woman he sees in a coma. Come, she says. I’ll show you things. Like the missing piece of your soul.
Kurt’s unshakable quest to find her leads him to northern Canada, where he discovers a shipwreck and a shocking family secret that can’t possibly be true. As he digs deeper, he realizes his fate is inextricably tied to the enigmatic woman…and a long-lost treasure that’s been submerged for centuries.His shooter, his nemesis, knows what he found and is coming to finish the job he started. Alone and exposed, Kurt’s the only one who can bring down this notorious killer and expose an international scandal. But is the cost of justice – to him and everyone he loves, too high?
Terror Bay is filled with intrigue and action, with surprises at every turn. Fans of John Sandford and Christine Kling will love Lisa Towles’ new psychological thriller. With a heart- pounding plot, complex characters, and a shocking twist, “Terror Bay” is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and crime fiction.
“Terror Bay, by Lisa Towles, beckons readers into a world saturated with suspense, propelling them through a captivating odyssey of action, intrigue, and enigma” – Literary Titan
“A nail-biting mystery, a pure joy to read” – The Book Commentary
Lisa Towles is an award-winning, Amazon bestselling crime novelist and a passionate speaker on the topics of fiction writing, creativity, and Strategic Self Care. Lisa has ten crime novels in print with a new title, Terror Bay, forthcoming in November of 2023. The first two books of her E&A Investigations Series (Hot House and Salt Island) were both #1 Amazon Kindle Bestsellers with book three (Switch) due for release in Summer 2024. Lisa also writes standalone thrillers, such as her 2022 political thriller, The Ridders, which won an American Fiction Award. Lisa is an active member and frequent panelist/speaker of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She has an MBA in IT Management and works full-time in the tech industry.
When I started my crystal journey, I posted my love for them on my Facebook page along with some pictures. One of my friends commented that they threw away all their crystals because they were told they were evil and praying to them meant you were praying to false idols.
😲😲😲😲😲😲😲
WTH?! You know praying to the virgin Mary or any saint is praying to false idols. Right? The ignorance of the masses just floors me sometimes.
Anyway, reciting affirmations or mantras is not praying. They can be part of meditation and are used to reinforce positivity in your life. Instead of repeating negative thoughts, or self-doubt, you recite positive statements and create new neural pathways in your brain. Which leads to fulfilling your life goals.
I have to admit, I really didn’t get into the whole affirmation thing with crystals until recently. Even though I don’t believe in a god, I do believe in the power of prayer as our brains have powerful, unknown psyche abilities. So why wouldn’t affirmations wok as well?
As I posted previously, you do need to cleanse and activate your crystals before using them for any type of purpose. And you will need to clean and recharge them if you use them. Some crystals, depending on what you use them for, will accumulate the negativity from either inside or around you, so you need to clean them to expel it.
The first stone I felt a true connection with was Carnelian. It was a palm stone I got from a lucky scoop, I think. It made me think of butterscotch. All warm and soft. It sits next to my chair in the living room. I’ve never said any affirmations for it, but maybe I should. 😁
If you’re looking for Money and Success or need shielding from the negativity around you, Pyrite should be in your crystal collection. According to Feng Shui, Pyrite has to be placed in the southeast corner of your office to attract abundance, or the left corner of your home for protection.
Clear Quartz is one of the most powerful crystals on the planet, and the most plentiful. It’s the quality of the crystal that matters with Clear Quartz. Though, when saying your affirmations, the quality really doesn’t matter. However, the better the quality, the stronger the vibrations that emanate from it.
Clear Quartz if great to help with mental clarity and is used in combination with other crystals to help boost their powers. But be careful about using Clear Quartz with Citrine. I’ve heard that a Citrine crystal was broken when used in conjunction with Clear Quartz.
Amethyst is what most people think about when it comes to crystals. A lot of collectors love them. Me? I can take or leave them. They just don’t connect to me at all. However, they are gorgeous to look at. 😍
A lot of crystals will help you achieve the same goals. So, you want to use the crystal that calls to you. Amethyst is also from the quartz family and the affirmations for it will help the same issues as Clear Quartz.
Citrine is my all time favorite crystal. How can you not love it when it’s so full of rainbows and it just glows with an inner sun. It’s called the Merchant Stone as it will help with prosperity and abundance.
It’s the second most powerful crystal in the world and very sought after. Especially the higher quality ones, so you need to know the difference between the real and fake ones.
I’d started doing my mantra’s with my citrine but then stopped. While I was doing it, I started getting sales on my Esty store: PJsCrystalBliss. Then they all dried up during most of October. I started reciting them again towards the end of October and now I’m getting sales again. Coincidence?
While I was setting up this post yesterday and right after I had said my affirmations, I got a sale. And had two more since then. Could just be people shopping for Christmas. Or it could be that my Citrine is moving the Universal Law of Attractions my way. After saying your mantras, always thank your crystals.
Here are the affirmations that I say every morning:
Citrine is the Merchant Stone and I call upon it’s energy to attract success in the workplace.
A society where the only good citizen is a dead citizen
No wonder humanity balances on the brink of extinction…
Event Horizon
Singularian Grimoire Anthology Vol 1
by Sandy Butchers
Genre: Illustrated Dystopian SciFi
PART OF THE 2022 NEBULA AWARD READING LIST
“Once, I may have walked the earth a man, but today I am no more than a machine.”
In a fallen world where Hunters and Hoarders fight over the last scraps of old-world technology, Sovren awakens in a cave with no memory of what happened the day of the cataclysm. Hunted down by what remains of humanity, he finds himself at the start of a war where humans, monsters, and computers fight for dominance.
In a world torn between becoming machines or becoming monsters, whose side are you on?
The Singularian Grimoire Anthologies are a complex tapestry of post-apocalyptic tales told across time. With over 150 illustrations and stories spread across 4 action-packed, dystopian books with a cyberpunk edge to them, these are not your average novels…these are adventures.
New knowledge leads to old answers when Sovren discovers his existence is no longer a secret…
Following the events of Vol. 1 – Event Horizon, Sovren meets a mysterious woman who knows more about him than she should. Blinded by his yearning for answers about his past, he follows her cryptic clues to an old Sixsmith Facility. Amidst the ruins of an old H.E.L.A. module, Sovren finds what he is looking for… along with half an army ready to claim the bounty on his head.
The Singularian Grimoire Anthologies are a complex tapestry of post-apocalyptic tales told across time. With over 150 illustrations spread across 4 action-packed, dystopian books with a cyberpunk edge to them, these are not your average novels…these are adventures.
An assassin and a living weapon must join forces for the imminent war. Neither thought forging allies with the enemy included a deal with Death.
Following the Battle of the Bunker in Vol. 2 – Darkness Rising, Crow finds himself cut off from everyone and everything he thought could help him keep the Singularian out of Griswold’s hands. But while Crow finds himself worlds apart from what he set out to do, Sovren is forced to ally himself with the enemy to fulfill his purpose. Now, the unlikely alliance is all that prevents the Datcheries and Griswold from forging a new generation of hybrid monsters.
The Singularian Grimoire Anthologies are a complex tapestry of post-apocalyptic tales told across time. With over 150 illustrations and stories spread across 4 action-packed, dystopian books with a cyberpunk edge to them, these are not your average novels…these are adventures.
Divided and ready to be conquered, Sovren and his allies find themselves facing their demons, ghosts, and worst nightmares.
Following the events of Vol. 3 – Drifting Shadows, Sovren finds himself drifting between data and reality. Here, an old protocol re-enters the core database of Sovren’s network, allowing the old H.E.L.A. module in the Sixsmith facility to finally fight back. But while Sovren and Hela forge a permanent connection to counter Griswold’s advances, Crow is presented a choice by Death: team up with the Prime Movers to help rid the world of evil or face the darkness.
In this thrilling finale of The Singularian Grimoire Anthologies, the last pieces to the puzzle are put in place to answer the eternal question… What is it that makes us human?
The Singularian Grimoire Anthologies are a complex tapestry of post-apocalyptic tales told across time. With over 150 illustrations and stories spread over these 4 action-packed, dystopian books with a cyberpunk edge to them, these are not your average novels…these are adventures.
Sandy Butchers is an author and an artist, known for her elaborate dystopian sci-fi worlds and creature designs. After living in Scandinavia for a year and traveling throughout the world, she now settled in the countryside along with a variety of pets and maps on which ‘X’ marks the spot.
With the launch of The Singularian Grimoire Anthologies, she’s set a new bar for illustrated science fiction, breaking the boundaries of interactive reading, art, and thrilling adventures. Today, she is represented by Global Lion MGT, with a multitude of novels and art pieces in the works.
