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Welcome to my place in the blogosphere!
feel free to explore the Flight Deck and check out my books and website.
Then fasten your seatbelts, sip a glass of something sparkling and let's chat awhile!
I hope you'll stop by again for guest authors and spotlights from time to time.

Beloved Enemy joined Starquest and Children of the Mist to continue the Destiny Trilogy and I'm thrilled to announce was shortlisted for the R.N.A. RoNA Awards 2017, awarded 2nd Runner up in the RONE Awards 2017 and was the winner in the SF/Fantasy category of the 'Best Banter Contest'.

Showing posts with label Virtual Book Tour Cafe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Virtual Book Tour Cafe. Show all posts

Wednesday, 15 February 2017

Drone World by Jim Kochanoff - virtual book tour



Book Genre: Science Fiction/ Young Adult
Publisher: Silver Leaf Books
Release Date: September 1, 2016
Buy Link(s): https://www.amazon.com/Drone-World-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01JDYUSQY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483838069&sr=8-1&keywords=drone+world+Jim+Kochanoff


Book Description:

The novel “Drone World” is set in a futuristic dystopian city like the books of Divergent or Maze Runner. The book’s content is similar to the movies ‘Minority Report’ (predicting crime) meets ‘Logan’s Run’ (authority determines when you die).

This book is topical – it looks at a city where drone technology is common place. Today drones are part of our lives from the military to enforcement to entertainment. Not just outside our windows – everywhere we live, eat, shop and the many forms they take.

Imagine a city with cameras on every corner, monitoring your every move. A world where no crime goes unpunished, no criminal can escape. No place you can hide.

I live in the safest city in the world . . . until I tried to leave it.
Excerpt:
Big mistake. Its circuits fired and it spiraled limply to the ground. Its legs kicked a few times and then its eye went dark. Two enemies down in as many seconds. There was hope for me yet. I looked over at the limp form of the officer.
“Why doesn’t your drone,” I pointed to the half man half machine floating silently, “pick up your partner? He could be dead if he doesn’t get any medical attention,” I said. The smaller officer glared at me but it took his attention away from the useless radio.
“Drones have to be given direction. They can’t think on their own,” he answered defensively.
“Well, your hawk just thought on its own.” I indicated the smoking circuits on the ground. One of its feet stirred slightly.
“They have some artificial intelligence, with an innate response to investigate questionable activities.”
“Curiosity got it killed,” I replied sarcastically.
“Looks like that is going around,” he answered. His intent was not lost on me. His radio sparked to life.
“All units to main level. Multiple explosions throughout city. All drones to staging area for assignment. Situation critical.” The remaining hawk drones flew out down the hall, having received their assignment. They went into a vent and must have flown up to the surface. The man-sized drone began to move off when the officer placed his hand on its shoulder.
“Stay with us,” he commanded. The drone remained in place. I wondered how it decided what commands to listen to and what commands to ignore. We turned to the left, away from the elevator and towards a set of stairs. The officer tried to pull open the door and immediately pulled back.
“It’s hot,” he said to no one in particular and motioned to the drone to go first. The machine reached with its metal hand and pulled the door handle forward. A great rush of heat burst towards us as the fresh air fed the flame. The drone expelled a white foam at the fire, extinguishing it in seconds. Blue smoke replaced the fire and my throat tightened. The officer opened up the side of the drone and pulled out two oxygen masks.
“Take it.” He motioned to me. I coughed and slipped it over my mouth. We climbed the stairs, where the sickly smoke made visibility difficult. There were several minutes of climbing before we reached the ground level, one floor higher than where I was held captive. We opened the door to a courtyard and I surveyed the city. I felt sick. There were fires, a huge crater in a street and people were streaming into the park. What happened while I was captured? How could the safest city in the world turn to this? 
Picture
Author Bio:
Jim Kochanoff’s specialty is action/adventure, putting the reader into adrenaline driven stories. His first novel “Men of Extreme Action” is based on the action movie industry and is signed with Toonz Animation of India to be produced as an animated television pilot.

He is the former production manager of the animated children series, “The Hippo Tub Co.” airing on the CBC and created by Canadian musician Anne Murray

He is the Chairman of the Nova Scotia SPCA and uses the proceeds from his children’s book towards this worthy charity. He is Chartered Professional Accountant (CMA) and works for the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness. He has a beautiful wife, Avai, an entertaining daughter named Jaya, and an extremely fast doberman named Lola

Author Links -
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Wednesday, 11 May 2016



Title: Interviewed by God - A Journey to Freedom

Author Name: Beth Banning

Author Bio:

Beth Banning is a best-selling author, inspirational speaker, and spiritual catalyst who lives in California with her husband, their cat, and their six pound poodle. She was born in New York City and from a very young age could sense the feelings of people around her, felt kundalini energy running through her body, and experienced other unusual events that she didn't understand. The well-meaning adults in her life told her she was depressed and that these experiences were just her imagination. Growing up in this cloud of ignorance and disbelief, these gifts were buried and unable to flourish and so she was left confused and lonely.

As a young adult she recognized the same sense of confusion and loneliness in others and became passionate about helping people better understand themselves and those around them. Later in life she took this passion into her work with her husband Neill and co-founded Focused Attention, Inc. She has written numerous books, co-created the Pathway to Personal Freedom, and the Art of Conscious Connection Seminar Series.

After many years of integrating this consciousness shifting work into her own life and teaching it to others, she experienced a profound reconnection with God that turned her life upside down. This radically changed the way she perceives the world and functions in it. Beth now lives her life guided by her inner source of divine wisdom. She is committed to helping others discover this for themselves and fully experience the essence of who they truly are.

Author Links - 





Book Genre: Spirituality
Publisher: PuddleDancer Press
Release Date: September 1, 2014

GUEST POST by Beth Banning

My 10 Favorite Authors and the Irony That Can and Can't Define Me#

I am sure most of us can relate to life’s little ironies.  Like how it seems that every time we spill something on our clothes we happen to be wearing white.  Or, the way the car battery is dead when you are in a particular rush. An irony of my life is that I'm a writer but not much of a reader I have dyslexia and reading has always been quite difficult for me. There were writers however that did interest me, and when I was interested and engaged in the writing I would read.  I was mostly drawn to those writers who wrote about universal truths, consciousness, and human evolution. 
Writers like Ram Dass, Eckhart Tolle, Gary Zukav, Neale Donald Walsch, Dan Millman, James Redfield, Benjamin Zander, Lynn twister, Malcolm Gladwell, David Hawkins and many others. The concepts, ideas, and quality of thinking presented by these authors held my attention well enough that I was willing to read even with my challenges. And when I did read what I loved is finding myself in what I was reading.
Just like Ram Dass rejected labels, I refused to let the label of ‘dyslexia’ define me.  We are all more than our labels. Labels are often a by-product of a society’s expectations…expectations that are trained into us from birth.  Just like the label of ‘beautiful’ is applied differently by different cultures; ideas, thoughts, wants, desires, are all a by-product of our society’s values.  The idea that a person with dyslexia could not become a successful author is just part of a label that I wasn’t going to apply to myself.
In his book, The New Earth, Tolle writes that “the primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it.”  But with all the expectations, both subtle and overt, that are put in our thoughts our entire life, how can we even know our true thoughts?
Each of the authors I mentioned above, as well as many others who explore these ideas of consciousness and self, have a common theme in their life.  Each has, at some point in their life, been inspired to look beyond their self-limiting boundaries.  For Zukav, it was perhaps the deaths in the south during the right-to-vote struggles.  Certainly Redfield was deeply influenced by the Human Potential Movement. 

In exploring myself, as I describe in Interviewed by God, I too looked to find my own human potential.  I was inspired by writers who challenged me to seek my own truth. My irony turned out to be my asset.  Because reading was such a struggle, the scope of my reading was fairly limited to writers who wrote about things that touched my soul.  I was being enriched by the words, so the struggle was worth the payoff.  The freedom of really, really knowing yourself is the same:  a struggle worth the payoff.

Book Description:



Interviewed by God is an account of Beth Banning’s journey of spiritual awakening—her conscious connection with God and the lessons she’s learned along the way. From a very young age, Banning experienced phenomena that could only be called extraordinary: she’s received messages from spirit animals, felt kundalini energy awaken in her, and experienced dimensional shifts in her awareness that have allowed her to witness what only a few have seen. She was visited by totem animals, took ritualistic baths, and visited shamans and healers; she experienced ecstatic states and received messages; her ego mind began to battle against her higher mind. As she experienced her spiritual journey, a small voice within guided her. With doubt as her constant companion she continued to follow her inner promptings, which led her to higher levels of truth about her connection to herself and the world and reality as we know it. Written in a format in which the author is “interviewed by God,” the book is meant to be a mirror for the reader to reflect their own experiences back to them, and a gentle guide for those who are at the precipice of an extraordinary adventure and are either scared to jump or who hunger for answers and understanding.

EXCERPT:

Interviewed by God
Chapter 2, What is REALLY Real?
Pg. 11

God: Are you ready to get going?
Beth: I'm not sure why I'm writing about any of this. Who's going to care?
God: There are many people who are having experiences similar to yours and they're embarrassed or think it's all their imagination and are not allowing these experiences to blossom. There are others who are right at the precipice of these extraordinary, life-changing experiences, but they are pushing them away. These people need to know they're not alone and what they're experiencing is actually more real than what they thought was true.
Beth: They need to know that there is more to life than they are told about, is that it? They need to know that the world is much richer and more wonderful than they ever imagined.
God: Yes, it's time for people to know just how much more there is to life. You've already begun the process of transformation, and your experiences can help to guide them. I've heard you say you have had many unusual experiences. What do you mean by this?
Beth: Over the last four years, many things have happened to me that are outside the realm of ordinary human life. They come in different forms. I may feel them, hear them, or see them, but they are nothing like my previous day-to-day existence. Research has showed me that these types of experiences are not completely uncommon. On one hand, knowing that others have had similar experiences helped me at times when I thought I was going crazy. On the other hand, I mostly found that saints, eccentric geniuses or gurus in India were the ones having these experiences. There were only a few stories involving ordinary people like me.
God: So what has changed in your life over the last few years?
Beth: In short, I have gone from wanting to know everything, understand everything and control everything in my life, to a place of peacefulness and acceptance to a degree that I've never known. I don't mind now when plans change, or someone else thinks they have a better idea about how to do things. And I don't have to agree with or understand exactly what someone is talking about in order to hear what they're saying and be able to empathize with them. My whole being has shifted. As I continue to have these unique experiences, they change me and how I perceive the world in incredible ways. I've gone from an almost compulsive need to "know" everything to an acceptance of just what's going on in the moment, and a sense of calm trusting about the future.








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Tuesday, 2 June 2015

Future's Edge - Book Tour, Guest Post and Giveaway


I'm delighted to welcome Mort Herman to the Flight Deck today, for my stop on his blog tour.  Enjoy hearing more about him and 'Futures Edge' below, and don't forget to enter the Giveaway and follow the other stops on his tour.


Author Bio:

Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Mort Herman has a Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering. Holder of six patents, he worked at several companies including IBM, Texas Instruments, AT&T and Lucent Technologies where his specialty was semiconductor electronics, systems design, and marketing.

Mort lives on the Jersey shore with his mate Mary Ann. When he’s not writing, Mort is an avid sailor, a wood sculptor, and a charter member of the Arts Society of Keyport. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, he added his technical, artistic, and project management skills to the design and implementation of three, free form concrete sculptures that replaced destroyed public art in the town of Keyport, NJ.

Author Links - 




Book Genre: Science Fiction / Fantasy
Publisher: Amazon
Release Date: September 25, 2014


Book Description:
Most people do not carry the fate of the world on their shoulders. Sam Greenhut does. 
 
By the year 2230, the world is no longer dependent on fossil fuels. All power is harnessed directly from the Earth’s core. A clever integration of neural technology and wireless energy gives rise to the Global Network (GNET), revolutionizing society. Diverse industries operate efficiently under the umbrella of a neurally connected world economy, powered by an unlimited geothermal fuel supply controlled not by Presidents, Sheikhs nor Monarchs, but by a Corporate Federation run by seven individuals.
This is the state of the world when the Corporate Federation charges Sam Greenhut with ensuring GNET’s unquestioned reliability and integrity. 
 
Sam sees a world whose population is totally dependent on GNET, as if the previously admired trait of self-reliance was weaned from the gene pool. Inevitably, the insatiable demand for energy prompts a reckless decision by Corporate Federation board members to expand the geothermal energy lattices. Despite Sam’s protest, the choice to exceed the cautionary “Greenhut Limits” precipitate a string of earthquakes that destroy GNET and plunges the planet into the chaos known as “The Upheaval.”
What happens next fundamentally alters the destiny of the planet and catapults Sam into the center of The Seed – book one in my science fiction trilogy, Future’s Edge.


Excerpt:

… With the village stabilized and work preparations for the upcoming season proceeding smoothly, it was finally time for Kappi and Elizabeth to depart – a little later than usual, but still in time to be comfortably cradled between winter and spring. They left Tyber in the capable hands of the core group of people who had been with Kappi since the beginning of their enterprise. As agreed, Frank stayed behind to carry out his primary job of caring for the puppies. This was to be Kappi’s and Elizabeth’s alone time.
Their preparations were simple and swift. They chose to take their three favorite dogs led by Jupiter, the oldest, strongest, and most even-keeled of the lot. He had the experience to tame any wild or unsafe actions of the other dogs and could administer discipline when needed. Tassi (Tassiorpok, the guide) was the youngest and she possessed the keenest of senses. When there was uncertainty concerning the weather, a sound, or what path was the safest, Tassi was the one all looked at for guidance. Lastly, there was Angus (Angusuktok, the good hunter). Angus could smell prey for several kilometers and understood by verbal command what animal Kappi and Elizabeth wanted him to seek. This proud team was considered a vital, integral part of their family.
Off they went on their adventure with their dogs carrying food, supplies, clothing, hunting weapons and tools. They were finally able to leave behind the realities of the real world. There was no need to discuss their destination. Each knew instinctively where they would go.
With Tassi in the lead, Kappi provided the verbal commands that guided them toward a special hidden river valley. In the summer months, the river would flow freely, but now it was completely iced over. Tassi understood where Kappi wanted to go, and he let Tassi guide them with little intervention.
Elizabeth and Kappi were struck by the sheer majesty of this place even though they had been there before. Their place, which they called Uyaraut (meaning “precious stone” in the Inuit language), was bounded on three sides by cliffs providing a magnificent vista of the frozen river valley as it stretched for kilometers between the Arctic Ocean on the north end and the cloud-topped mountains to the south. Their camp was about halfway down the steep slope on a relatively flat area with a deep cave at the most easterly point. Uyaraut presented a perfect view of the sunset at this time of year. The setting provided shelter from the strong winds relentlessly funneling across the treeless, snow-encapsulated tundra.
Throughout their stay, Kappi and Elizabeth hardly uttered ten words to each other. In Uyaraut, they let in the solitude, the silence, their heartbeats, their individual breaths and all that surrounded them. It was an empathic event for Kappi and Elizabeth and it bridged the barrier of mental separateness intrinsic to humans. Uyaraut acted as an amplifier…










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Wednesday, 16 July 2014

Unleashed - Book Blast and Giveaway

Untitled Document



Choose the Intro to Unleashed

Sydney Rye is coming to Audio and we need your help picking the narrator!
Emily Kimelman's "Sydney Rye" series features a strong female protagonist and her rescue dog, Blue. It is recommended for the 18+ who enjoy some violence, don't mind dirty language, and are up for a dash of sex. Not to mention an awesome, rollicking good mystery!

Haven't read Sydney Rye yet? Download the first book, UNLEASHED, for free on Amazon, iTunes, B&N, or Kobo and see how she sounds in your head then vote for the best narrator!

Voting enters you to win all sorts of great prizes including Amazon gift cards, signed books, and the finished Audio book! Add to your chances of winning by joining Emily's email list, liking her Facebook page, or telling your friends about the contest.

Here are your choices: (Please vote via Rafflecopter Below)

 https://soundcloud.com/emily-kimelman-gilvey/sets/sydney-rye-audiobook-intro

Prize Details

Every vote, like, share, or sign up is an entry for the "grand prizes" 
$20 Amazon or BN Gift Card
Copy of the Finished Audiobook

More about UNLEASHED:

UNLEASHED is the first book in Emily Kimelman's best selling Sydney Rye series of mysteries.

When the series begins Sydney Rye is named Joy Humbolt. She does not like people telling her what to do, so it comes as no surprise that she was just fired from her last job. When she buys Charlene Miller's dog-walking business on Manhattan's exclusive upper east side, it seems like the perfect fit: Quiet environment, minimal contact with people.



But then one of her clients turns up dead, and Charlene disappears. Rumors say Charlene was having an affair with the victim--and of course, everyone assumes Joy must know where she is. Joy begins to look into the crime, first out of curiosity then out of anger when there is another murder and threats start to come her way.



When police detective Mulberry is assigned to the case, Joy finds a kindred spirit--cynical and none-too-fond of the human race. As they dig deep into the secrets of Manhattan's elite, they not only get closer to the killer but also to a point of no return. One last murder sends Joy Humbolt hurtling over the edge. Her only chance of survival is to become Sydney Rye.


The Rest of The Sydney Rye Series:

DEATH IN THE DARK (A Sydney Rye Novella, #2) 
INSATIABLE (A Sydney Rye Novel, #3)
STRINGS OF GLASS (A Sydney Rye Novel, #4)
THE DEVIL'S BREATH (A Sydney Rye Novel, #5) Coming April 2014


Emily Kimelman Biography

Emily Kimelman is the author of the best selling "Sydney Rye" series of mystery novels including UNLEASHED, DEATH IN THE DARK, INSATIABLE, STRINGS OF GLASS and the forthcoming THE DEVIL'S BREATH. Emily lives with her husband, Sean Gilvey, and their dog, Kinsey Millhone "Pup Detective", on a trawler docked in the Hudson Valley during the summer. She spends her winters traveling to where ever the next Sydney Rye Novel takes place. Right now she is in Costa Rica working on Sydney Rye #6.

If you've read Emily's work and liked it please contact her. She loves hearing from readers. You can reach Emily via email ejkimelman@gmail.com or on twitter @ejkimelman. Follow her on Instagram to see pictures from Emily's latest adventures. Visit www.emilykimelman.com to learn more about Emily and the Sydney Rye series.

Links:

UNLEASHED

Amazon

Goodreads

Kobo

Smashwords

iTunes

Barnes and Noble

Social Media




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Wednesday, 9 April 2014

Renegades - Review, Giveaway and Guest Post


 Renegades
Sara Mason


Author Bio:

Sara Atherton Mason was raised in Somerville, Massachusetts, with an amazing immediate and extended family. She attended Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, graduating with highest honors in Chemistry. She then graduated from the Florida State University College of Law with high honors. She lives in the Florida with her toy poodle, Melvin, and clerks for a United States District Court Judge. She enjoys coffee, wine, sports, and science fiction television shows. 


Author Links -


Book Genre: Science fiction
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: October 31, 2013

Buy Link(s):




Book Description:


 Elora Pertin spent her life trying to please her father, an esteemed General for the Empire. 

 When he convinced her to leave her quiet life as a scientist to advance a secret project for the Emperor, she had no idea what she was getting into. The seemingly innocent projects she engineered were actually being used to develop a genocidal weapon. After uncovering the Emperor’s plot, Elora had no choice but to act. 
Elora finds herself fighting for her life against the Empire she once served, abandoning everything with only a handful of friends and an unlikely ally—the Emperor’s deadliest assassin. Will he prove himself true as her protector, a loyal servant of the Empire, or a romantic distraction? With the law and assassins searching the star system for them, Elora and her team are determined to accomplish their mission . . . or die trying.

My REVIEW

If you enjoy a good adventure SF 'space opera' style story, with good, strong characters and a page turning plot 'Renegades' is for you.  I found S A Mason's debut novel a quick, easy read and the characters were well drawn, varied and likeable. Oh apart from the Emperor Unyasa, of course.  It's difficult to find anything very likeable about him, but then, he is the villain in this story, even if he does believe he is acting to protect the planet. 

 Mordecai, on the other hand is something else! At first he seems nothing more than a cold blooded assassin, although the first description of him: "He was tall with shaggy dark hair, slightly curly on the ends. He had a strong jaw, and as she moved up his face, she saw he was looking at her in the mirror. His eyes were dark—almost as black as his clothes." had me intrigued from the start. There is more to Mordecai than is initially apparant and he has reason to be the way he is.

Elora is devoted to her father, and agrees to leave the well paid job she enjoys, on the planet she has grown to love, to participate in a secret project for the Emperor, but she soon realises that if she proceeds with the work it will mean the annihilation of a whole planet. She might be anxious to please her father, but she is far too strong willed to meekly obey without regard to the consequences.

The supporting characters are likeable too.  Nigel her bumbling and slightly gauche colleague is a brilliant computer geek and finds it hard to hide his love for Elora and hopes his affection will eventually be returned. Bylis and Zovani, who own a starship and unintentionally become involved in the plot to thwart the emperor's plans, are brothers who are very different, but also interesting in their own right.

There were a few editing errors here and there,  'crumbled clothes' :) and the odd shift into present tense, but not enough to mar my enjoyment of the story. The story is fast-paced, moving swiftly toward a nail biting climax, and there are a few surprises before the last page is reached; I now anxiously await the author's second book Redemption.

 Excerpt :

 Back in her room, Elora tried to come up with another plan. If her father couldn’t—or wouldn’t—help, she had to find someone else. Just finishing and going home was not an option. She tried to focus on the weapon, but was preoccupied with thoughts of her father. What was he involved with? How could he involve her in the development of an illegal weapon? He had been her rock and best friend since her mom died when she was so young. If she couldn’t trust her dad, whom could she trust?

 She had just closed her eyes to practice the meditative techniques she learned on Naruta when she was suddenly pulled out of bed to her feet. She felt the strong arms of a man on either side of her head. Instinctively, she tried to jerk his arms away because she was sure he was about to break her neck. Her head was pulled so far to one side she could feel the muscles in her neck tearing apart. Then he stopped.

 Elora could barely see the mirror in her peripheral. The man’s black monochromatic attire made him hard to see in the dark room, but she could make him out against her body. He was tall with shaggy dark hair, slightly curly on the ends. He had a strong jaw, and as she moved up his face, she saw he was looking at her in the mirror. His eyes were dark—almost as black as his clothes. Just as suddenly as he pulled her out of bed, he released her.




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