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 Mistto continue the DestinyTrilogy and I'm thrilled to announce was shortlisted for the R.N.A. RoNAAwards 2017, awarded 2nd Runner up in the RONE Awards 2017 and was the winner in the SF/Fantasy category of the 'Best Banter Contest'.
Novus by Crystal Marcos
Ideal for Hunger Games and Divergent fans, Crystal Marcos delivers Novus, a riveting novel set in a dystopian future of action-adventure, suspense, and romance. Intriguing characters and a gripping storyline keep the reader turning page after page.
Being a teenager is hard enough. And what if your life's path is pre
determined? On top of that, you aren't even Human?
Cayden was given life as a Cresecren. He expected to live out his days with the dysfunctional Human family he was assigned to serve. One fateful night, however, landed him in Gavaron, the home of maimed, elderly, or defiant Cresecren.
Beyond its borders is the Den, an area much more dangerous than he ever imagined. Now seventeen, Cayden unwittingly becomes involved in a conspiracy and is one of a handful of survivors fleeing a deadly attack. They set off on a perilous journey in search of refuge and the truth. Along the way, Cayden begins to comprehend the difference between fully living and merely surviving, while trying to balance his emotions and a forbidden love.
Awards:~"Official Selection" Winner in the Young Adult category, 2015 New Apple Book Awards!~ ~Winner Best Books in the Young Adult category, 2016 Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards!~NOVUS (The Cresecren Chronicles, Book 1) has recently received two book awards! To celebrate the eBook will be on SALE for $1.99 until 5/15/2016Praise for the Book:“Novus by Crystal Marcos is one of those gems that make you care about the characters within the story, and while you definitely want to know what happens to them, you can't help but also not want to get to the end of the book. It's the kind of book whose characters you miss when you finish the book.”
~Kim Anisi for Readers' Favorite- 5 STARS
Excerpt
Famous and Alecander had just reached the trees when another man jumped from the vehicle to the ground. He reached overhead to grab the rifle from the marksman as another gideon approached at top speed. I turned and joined Alecander and Famous as they rode through the woods dodging trees, bushes, and branches.
Gunshots whizzed through the woods. A sizzling sound zipped by my left ear and gouged a hole the size of my fist in a nearby tree. I had heard of the “Bleeding Heart” but never witnessed it in action. It was designed to take out an enemy’s heart. I quickly decided to run in a zig-zag pattern through the forest to make it more of a challenge to hit me. This was not easy to do as I had to avoid trees and foliage. I knew they would pursue us until they killed us. My only concern was how long I could elude them. Why did they want us dead?
Author Crystal Marcos
Award-winning author Crystal Marcos has been a storyteller her entire life. As the oldest of five children, she had to do a lot of entertaining. She lives on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington State with her husband, daughter Kaylee, and infant son Jaxon. Crystal is the author of BELLYACHE: A Delicious Tale and HEADACHE: The Hair-Raising Sequel to BELLYACHE. Novus, her third book and first Young Adult novel, is Book One of The Cresecren Chronicles.
Blast Giveaway – $100 Amazon Gift Card or $100 in Paypal Cash
Ends 5/19/16
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the participating authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
I write futuristic and fantasy - but I also love historical westerns so it's great to be able to feature one of these today. I hope you enjoy reading about this wonderrful new release as much as I did.
Corsets and Cuffs
by Shanna Hatfield
Series: Baker City Brides, #3
Genre: Sweet Historical Western Romance
Release Date: May 12, 2016
Sheriff Tully Barrett never knew trouble had such a pretty face. Brianna Dumont never knew the law could be so handsome and hardheaded.
Pampered and privileged, Brianna Dumont escapes the life she’s always known in an effort to clear her father’s good name. She arrives in Baker City, Oregon, intent on selling her father’s shares in a mine. Only the mine is a bust, her father’s partner is a crusty ol’ coot who hates women, and the sheriff in town is determined to keep her behind bars.
With good friends around him, a small ranch of his own, and a fulfilling job as sheriff, Tully Barrett loves his life. Then an exasperating woman shows up, making demands and driving him crazy. No matter how hard he tries to ignore her brains and beauty, she works her way under his skin.
Corsets and Cuffs captures the fun-loving banter of two strong-willed characters determined not to fall in love in this sweet historical romance.
Her jaw dropped open as she gaped at him. “This is ridiculous. Remove these cuffs and release me, this instant.”
“Not happening, your highness.” He swung open the door to the jail and escorted her through the office back to the cells. No one else was in the building, something for which Brianna was grateful. Mortified to be manhandled on the way to the jail, she certainly didn’t need any spectators to her unexpected imprisonment.
Tully marched her into a cell then removed the cuffs. A smile played around the corners of his mouth as he slammed the door and turned a key in the lock. “You’re under arrest.”
Furious, she spluttered in protest. “For what? I have done nothing more than demand you carry out the responsibilities of the job the good citizens of this town entrusted into your care. You have no right…”
Tully took a step back as she grabbed hold of the cell bars and rattled them.
He smirked. “You are under arrest for assaulting an officer of the law.”
Defiant and insulted, she lifted her chin. “You deserved the slap after that impudent comment.”
Tully ignored her and continued. “You’re under arrest for assaulting an officer, being a public nuisance, harassment, and disorderly conduct.”
Incensed, she rattled the bars again. “I did no such thing, and you know it. This is an outrage. You, sir, are a bully and a beast! I demand an immediate release. Wait until your superiors hear about this. I’ll have you removed from your position. In fact, I won’t stop until the governor of this state has you tossed in prison!”
“Good luck with that, sweetheart.” Tully stalked over to the door, leading to the jail’s office, his gaze hard and penetrating. “Your time might be better spent reflecting on how you ended up in here, Miss Smarty Pants.”
USA Today bestselling author Shanna Hatfield writes character-driven romances with relatable heroes and heroines. Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”
Convinced everyone deserves a happy ending, this hopeless romantic is out to make it happen, one story at a time. When she isn’t writing or indulging in chocolate (dark and decadent, please), Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller.
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.
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.
Well it looks like my Monday rambings are not as regular a I would like - but sometimes if I have agreed to schedule a writer on my blog and it happens to be on a Monday, then I will happily make way - after all, we authors are here to help each other, right? And I hope the readers enjoy the variety of genres and hearing about authors they may not have come across before. Anyway today the sun is shining and as a country lover and a Brit, I thought I'd talk about the weather!
Spring seems to have come to the UK!
Hubby and me and the faithful Choccy took a walk in a nearby 'bluebell wood' and I have to say the bluebells this year are magnificent!
Myriad paths meander between the trees and luxurious drifts of bluebells
Stop for a rest
And everywhere, bluebells...like a sea of blue and green - I know a lot of people love the noise and bustle of the city, but me, I'm so glad I live in the country. Outdoors is where I get my inspiration to write!
Twenty-six-year-old painter Conthan Cowan takes art to a shocking frontier…
His debut exhibit features the transformation of his high school friend, Sarah, as she went from a shy, soft-spoken girl to a Child of Nostradamus—an individual gifted with extraordinary abilities. Living in a society where the Children of Nostradamus are captured by the government, Conthan’s exhibit draws attention from officials and protesters alike.
A government psychic may be dead, but that doesn’t stop her from manipulating the future…
The deceased White House aide is only remembered for her failed assassination attempt on the president decades before Conthan was born. Foreseeing her own death, she scribed letters to bring together specific Children of Nostradamus on a mission that will change the world.
On the night of the gallery exhibition, Conthan receives one of those letters…
Whispers from the past direct him to visit Sarah, the subject of his paintings, who like many Children of Nostradamus, is being detained in a government research facility. It’s there he finds himself aligned with a rogue group of Children on a mission to prevent a dark future.
As a dark future unfolds, there's only one hope to stop the destruction of the world...
The Children of Nostradamus.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
“Class I identified,” said the Corps soldier. “Immediate termination.”
Conthan looked up, confused, and realized that the gun was pointing directly at his face. He watched as the soldier pulled the trigger and the pain surged through his brain.
“Not today.” It was his voice, but he wasn’t speaking.
He realized he wasn’t in control of his actions as he held up his hand and pushed the pain through his body to his palms. The black spot returned and he watched as the laser emerged from the gun and vanished into another dark hole. He could see a similar spot appear just to the side of the soldier. The laser projected outward from the darkness, searing through the soldier’s head.
Conthan felt the pain release his body. He fell to the ground. He lay next to a gasping Jed Zappens. Conthan turned his head to see the man. “I’m sorry,” he muttered.
Jed sucked in a ragged breath and blinked several times, tears beginning to stream down his face. He reached into his breast pocket and dragged out an old folded envelope. “For you,” he said through clenched teeth.
Conthan voice had left him. He wanted to scream for a medic but he couldn’t find air enough to fill his lungs. He started to reach for the envelope but hesitated before snatching it from the dead man’s hands. He crushed it in his grasp as he watched the light vanish from the artist’s eyes.
“Run,” said a voice.
Conthan rolled his head to see that there was nobody left standing in the alley. He sucked in air and tried to sit upright. “Hello?”
“Run!”
He had killed a Corps soldier. He was now marked for death. As he ran, he could hear the echo of the soldier’s words. “Class I,” he had said. Conthan couldn’t shake the feeling that life as he knew it was over.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AUTHOR Bio and Links:
I’m high school graphic design and marketing teacher, at a large suburban high school in Massachusetts. Working as a high school educator and observing the outlandish world of adolescence was the inspiration for my first young adult novel, “Suburban Zombie High.”
My inspiration for writing stems from being a youth who struggled with reading in school. While I found school assigned novels incredibly difficult to digest, I devoured comics and later fantasy novels. Their influences can be seen in the tall tales I spin.
I took the long route to becoming a writer. For a brief time, I majored in Creative Writing but exchanged one passion for another as I switched to Art and Design. My passion for reading about superheroes, fantastical worlds, and panic-stricken situations would become the foundation of my writing career.
I participated in my first NaNoWriMo in 2006 and continue to write an entire novel every November. Now I am the NaNoWriMo Municipal Liaison to the Massachusetts Metrowest Region. I also belong the New England Horror Writer’s Association and to a weekly writing group, the Metrowest Writers.
Genre: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Young Adult, Teen, Genetic Engineering Science Fiction, Military Science Fiction, Dystopian Science Fiction Publisher: Romance Lives Forever Books Cover Designer: The Author's Secret
Release Date: May 1, 2016
Two enemy warriors: one human, one immortal. Different in belief, alike in spirit, marooned together on an alien world.
Imprisoned and in isolation over a year without food or water, the immortal Pietas survives. Though broken in body, his intellect and will are intact, thanks to Six, the special ops warrior who captured him, but kept him sane. The warrior had no hand in his deprivation and, like Pietas, was betrayed by his own kind. When Pietas is abandoned on an alien world with nothing but his honor--and Six--he must find and rejoin other immortal exiles. After centuries of war, Pietas detests humans and kills them on sight, but he is too damaged to continue on his own. Though he despises needing help, he allows Six to nurture and restore him to full strength, and then accompany him. As they cross the planet together on foot, the immortal begins to wonder if he has found his first human friend, or if Six is loyal only because Pietas could keep the others from tearing him to shreds. This human will either be his closest living friend, or the one whose betrayal will trigger all-out vengeance by the most powerful immortal ever born.
Immortal. Warrior. Outcasts. Traitors took everything. Except their honor.
In this scene from Bringer of Chaos, Pietas, leader of a group of immortals called Ultras, addresses the reader directly, and promises to tell his story, if the person dares to know the truth.
You are human. Unworthy. A foreword from Pietas
This book you hold is being presented as fiction, but it did happen. It is as real as the air you breathe. It is not a first-person story, but it does follow my point of view.
I would never have allowed a human to know these things, but a friend persuaded me there can be no vengeance unless those in the wrong know what they did. When one has wronged another, one must face the consequences.
Having been persuaded to tell the story, I now allow it to be placed into your hands. I want you to know the truth. Why? Because other Ultras have hidden the truth. Buried it beneath fables and false retellings, as if you were a child unable to bear harsh reality. Unwilling to face the consequences of what your kind has done.
Above all, I will not lie to you.
When I come for you, I want the satisfaction of seeing your regret for what your ancestors did to my kind. I want to see your fear, and taste your terror.
This is no horror story. It's merely science fiction. Tell yourself it is only fable, if that will help you sleep. By all means, human, do sleep.
Read this, if you dare to know the truth.
~ Pietas
Prologue
In the twenty-seventh century on Earth, genslaves were supreme among all humanity's genetic creations. They fulfilled man's every desire. They recuperated from disease and injury so fast they were all but immortal. Their strength far exceeded man's. Specific, ingrained abilities limited upward and lateral movement among the servant classes, keeping genslaves in jobs with no chance of advancement.
Bred to require little rest, labor-genslaves performed menial and repetitive tasks, with enough intelligence to work, but not enough to aspire beyond their station. Warriors possessed unmeasured strength and massive size. They fought humanity's wars, died so man didn't have to suffer, and were reborn to fight again. The physically weaker classes had more intelligence. Healer-genslaves obtained vast amounts of skill in medicine and designed cures for disease. Artists created beauty. Nurturers and teachers cared for humanity's children. Scientist-genslaves designed additional genslaves, to make man's life even more pleasant. All classes were created with genetic shackles of obedience, making them content to remain subservient.
While humanity relaxed, secure in a position of power, genslave-scientists created a new order of beings with free will. It will be argued through the ages whether the creation arose from faulty programming, or a desire for freedom, but the new creatures were not hampered by genetic restraints.
They took the name Ultra, and did as they pleased. Ultras were brains and brawn. No matter how difficult the problem, Ultras solved it. No matter how horrific or grisly their wounds, Ultras survived. Disease did not touch them. Starvation did not stop them. Even death did not hold them long.
The creation of Ultras changed everything.
When Ultras demanded freedom, humans claimed them soulless, inferior, unworthy, and undeserving of equality. Humans tried to silence them, and when that failed, punished them. The Ultras seized their liberty by force. Emboldened by the Ultras' success, other genslaves rebelled, and began calling themselves Ultras as well. The First Cycle of Wars devastated half the galaxy. In the Terran Crescent and the Colonies of Man, power tilted toward Ultras. They ruled the starways. Ultras tightened restrictions and limited trade, allowing mankind meager freedoms, and no more mercy than man had shown them. Humans served, subservient to their former slaves.
Not all genslaves wanted war. Some concealed their genetic differences and abilities, and lived among humans--as human. The rumor that genslaves hid among them spawned the Human Pure movement. Purges wiped out non-human traits and enhanced sensory perceptions. Humanity weakened itself by outlawing genetic healing or correction. They identified anything and anyone considered unnatural. Anyone different hid it or faced death by fire, from which Ultras could not revive. For the human underground, the weapon of choice became a flamethrower.
Among Ultras, leadership arose that considered humans redeemable. They sought to allow humans more freedom, and give them a voice in their own government. They hoped a kinder relationship would bring an end to galaxy-wide conflict. They hoped peace would halt senseless death and destruction, foster growth, and increase trade.
In 4536 AD, after centuries of war, Ultras and humans met to discuss a truce.
But that is according to legend. Here, you will learn the truth.
Kayelle Allen is a best selling American author. Her unstoppable heroes and heroines include contemporary every day folk, role-playing immortal gamers, futuristic covert agents, and warriors who purr. She writes Science Fiction, Science Fiction Romance, Mainstream Fantasy, Contemporary Romance, Gay Romance, and non-fiction. She likes to attend Science Fiction conventions, and has been a speaker at DragonCon, and Gaylaxicon. She holds an honorary lifetime membership to OutlantaCon, an Atlanta Scifi convention for the gay geek. Kayelle is the founder of the author-mentoring group Marketing for Romance Writers, and manages the successful Romance Lives Forever blog. Kayelle is married, has three grown children, and five grandchildren. She is a US Navy Veteran.