The Man Who Dealt in Death

 Deep beneath the desert town of Peridot, something evil lurks.

 

 The Man Who Dealt in Death

The Colton Fen Series Book 1

by Marlena Frank

Genre: Paranormal Weird Western

Deep beneath the desert town of Peridot, something evil lurks.

Werewolf detective Colton Fen is used to strange mysteries, but when he arrives in Peridot on his latest assignment, he’s less than pleased to be assigned a partner. Rennick Dalton is a blood-drinking, illusion-wielding card shark who doesn’t have the best reputation. The two unlikely partners will have to put aside their differences if they hope to stop the horrible acts taking place beneath the streets of Peridot.

Together with the help of sharp-shooting actress Mary Silva, they’ll track the demonic creature that slithers beneath the desert. But the demon is waiting for them. It wants to turn them into one of its many disturbing minions — or add them to its grotesque collection.

Step into a dangerous and fantastic world set in the old west of 1893, where supernatural creatures and unexplainables live alongside cowboys and gunslingers. THE MAN WHO DEALT IN DEATH is Book One of the COLTON FEN series.

 EXCERPT

 The Man Who Dealt in Death

Excerpt #1

The train whistle shrieked steam into the purple evening sky. When Colton stepped off the train, his boots crunched on the gravel. He was one of only three people who disembarked at Peridot. Clearly, it wasn’t a favored destination for travelers.

Judging by the gaps he could see between the boards that made up the walls of the train station, it was built quickly by people who probably didn’t know what they were doing. That was a common story out west. The goal was to expand as quickly and efficiently as possible, not necessarily build a structure to last.

Colton walked past the building through the gravel and came to the dirt road that signified Peridot’s main street. A little sign with handwritten letters confirmed it. Every little town out west had a Main Street, all looking like they had popped up overnight. A town always began with a road. Colton started down it, eyeing the surrounding shops.

Mr. Tep hadn’t been joking when he called Peridot a little spit of a town, either. But Peridot looked older than most of the towns he had visited out west. Despite the newness of the train station, shanties lay in the distance, looking at least twenty or thirty years old. It was a strange place, the mixture of new and old slammed together, all in the middle of nowhere.

As night advanced, the general stores were closed and most of Main Street was empty, save for the inn with its candles burning for weary, late-night travelers. The theater, though, glowed so brightly from all the lanterns that it lit up the street. It was clearly the biggest attraction in town.

Colton stepped up to the front of the place, eyeballing the stained bat-wing doors and the

large sign above painted in shiny black and red paint with fancy lettering: The Crimson Theater. Colton shook his head. When Mr. Tep gave him the name of the theater that his new partner, Rennick Dalton, owned, he had thought it would be hard to find. He hadn’t expected this.

The fancy sign up top didn’t fit the faded wood of the neighboring shops. In fact, it didn’t fit most of Peridot. It was too garish and rich for a place so embedded in the sand and grit of its surroundings. A trio of men stepped out of the theater, laughing loudly into the cool night air. One of them nearly tripped down the steps in a drunken haze. They dragged themselves down the street toward the shanties.

Music and more laughter came from inside the theater. There were probably a ton of people inside. His skin crawled at the thought. He tried to stay away from crowds on most days. It was too risky for a werewolf like him. But Mr. Tep had told him he needed to be more social. He needed to get used to collaborating. Apparently it started here at The Crimson Theater.

He took a deep breath and steeled himself before stepping inside.

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About the Author

Marlena Frank is the author of young adult fantasy and horror novels, short stories, novellas, and book series. Many of her books have hit the bestseller charts, including her debut novel, Stolen. Readers’ Favorite has praised several of her books with 5-star reviews. Reader’s House awarded her book, The Seeking, with the Editor’s Choice Award of Literary Excellence in May 2024. De Mode of Literature Magazine featured her in November 2021. Her stories have appeared in anthologies such as The Darkest Lullaby, Emporium of Superstition, Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, Georgia Gothic, and The Librarian Reshelved.

Although born in Tennessee, Marlena has spent most of her life in Georgia. She has various professional memberships, including the Atlanta chapter of the Horror Writers Association and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association. She enjoys cosplaying, gaming, and spoiling her adopted cats. Her drink of choice is a dairy-free chai latte. As a wildlife enthusiast, she can share a plethora of weird animal facts and talk about her favorite cryptids.

 

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Mindfall Inception

Conley just wanted revenge. The price could be the end of the Holy Empire.

 

 Mindfall Inception

Empire of the Mind Book 1

by Bruce W. Paulik

Genre: Science Fiction, Epic Space Opera

Conley just wanted revenge.

The price could be the end of the Holy Empire.

Across a thousand-world empire, a new force emerges that threatens to shake the foundations of Emperor Cyraxian's reign. Telepathy, once a whisper, now resounds across the empire, and is branded heretical, inciting a deadly pogrom led by the relentless Blackshirts, the Emperor’s armed clergy.

Amidst upheaval in this dystopian empire, Conley Duin, an outstanding young Knight of the Empire, grapples with his newfound telepathic powers, a relationship deepened by mutual telepathy, and a lifetime of shattering personal losses. When his quest for retribution unveils treachery that reaches to the heart of the empire, loyalty, love, and power become entwined.

Mindfall Inception is an interstellar space opera of rebellion and revenge. As Conley and his telepathic friends battle tyranny, their journey through darkness and telepathic connections across the galaxy challenges them to envision a new empire—one where understanding minds is key to the future.

Dive into a saga of intrigue, rebellion, space battles, and awakening in a galaxy where the echoes of the mind cannot be silenced. Join Conley and the rising telepaths as they raise a space fleet, challenge an empire and irrevocably alter humanity’s destiny.

 EXCERPT

Chapter 2: The Thunderbolt

—Riann—

One year earlier…

The largest space warship ever built, the ISD Ulysses, floated in orbit above Luxor. Riann Jameson stood motionless at an entrance to a flight hangar, imagining the quarter million ton vessel around her and its four immense fusion drives. She could sense the six thousand people on board—Imperial Sentinel Force crew and marines, VIP guests, and graduating Knight Cadets. All gathered here on this day, the Tenth Day of January in the 634th Year of the One True God, for the annual graduation of the newest Knights of the Empire.

She had never felt so nervous prior to a parade. No, not nervous. That was a gross understatement. Anxious. So anxious she felt nauseated—she couldn’t take a deep breath because of the tightness in her chest. She stood there as the movement of people ebbed and flowed around her, waiting for her moment to walk out into the vast hangar and mount the stage.

As the Cadet Knight Colonel, she would take the salute from the graduating cadets in her brigade. Almost three thousand graduating cadets, two battalions making up her brigade, gathered to salute her as their leader. Three thousand young men and women who had survived the rigors of twelve years of study and intensive, grueling, and dangerous training. Ten times that number didn’t make it. The lucky ones simply sent home, the less fortunate faced varying periods of rehabilitation from injuries, and many returned home in coffins, draped with the imperial flag.

Her anxiety did not stem from taking the salute.

She didn’t know if she could shut out all the voices, and that terrified her.

For over a year, she had been imagining she could hear everyone’s thoughts. At first, she self-diagnosed a psychotic episode—that’s what all the psychiatric information she found

suggested. But she approached the problem with the trained logical analysis of a knight and carried out multiple small experiments before she realized she could indeed hear other people’s thoughts.

It wasn’t long before it was common knowledge among her fellow cadet knights that telepathy had started appearing at about the same time over the previous year in major population centers across the empire—mostly in people in their teens and twenties. More worrying—once Emperor Cyraxian named telepathy as a heresy, she heard the rumors of people across the empire being executed if they claimed to hear the thoughts of others.

She hid her problems at her monthly interviews with her Defender of the Faith. It became easier when she realized that being able to hear his thoughts gave her a head start on providing the right answers to his questions.

Over the past year, she had discovered she could tune out people’s thoughts. She had been training herself to handle larger groups of people in her vicinity without being overwhelmed by the cacophony of their thoughts, made easier by focusing on the thoughts of a single person. But silencing three thousand?

A deep tone sounded throughout the super-dreadnought—a tone she felt through her bones as much as heard. Time to go. She managed a deep breath and marched into the vast flight hanger with her Adjutant Lieutenant following hard on her heels.

Approaching her position at the center of the dais, Riann acknowledged with a nod the senior Knights of the Empire who had overseen their extensive training over the past twelve years. As the cadets assembled, she would focus on the thoughts of whichever cadet was situated immediately in front of her, to the exclusion of the thoughts of the other cadets, knights, and VIPs—whose thoughts were bombarding her now. The graduating cadets arrived in dramatic fashion. From the ceiling of the hangar some thirty meters above, a force field was released and two hundred cadets plummeted to the floor of the hangar. The cadets cheated death or injury by the last-minute firing of the boosters in their battlesuits, and by their nanite-enhanced bodies—that and the fact that the ship’s gravity field was set to point five g. As they straightened to attention in unison, they slammed right fist against left chest, then leaped aside to allow for the next group to fall until eventually three thousand cadets stood before Riann.

Impressive and finely timed.

Riann merely stood to attention and focused on one face in the group in front of her. He was recognizable from his file image—Conley Duin, the top graduate of his battalion. She would present his award. Riann absorbed the fact of his size and obvious physical power without qualm. But nothing prepared her for the clarity and strength of his personal thoughts—

—Conley—

Standing directly in front of Cadet Colonel Riann Jameson. Her sapphire-blue eyes lock on mine. I catch my breath, can’t move or breathe. As if a thunderbolt has hit me. Something inside me shifts. Her thoughts flood through my mind.

Unaccountably, I feel cut adrift—something momentous has just changed in my future. The vision that I have always had of my future has dissolved. I have no idea where this moment will take me.

Her thoughts continue to pervade my mind, loud and crystal clear—she had decided to focus on my thoughts alone, so I am experiencing the full power of her telepathy.

—Riann—

—as Riann returned the salute to the three thousand graduating cadets.

Conley’s projected thought burst into her mind. Hell! Are you reading my thoughts, Colonel?

No one had ever sensed that she could read their thoughts, and she struggled to maintain her composure as she completed the salute.

I am focusing on your thoughts to ignore the thoughts of everyone else! Riann belatedly realized that could be a fatal mistake, admitting to telepathy.

Colonel, we need to meet in private and sort this out—we are both in grave danger. Make no sign of this connection now, I beg you.

Agreed.

Riann switched her attention to her Adjutant Lieutenant’s thoughts. The colonel has such a shapely ass.

She presented awards to several cadets in a daze, then the final award to Conley. She blocked her mind to his thoughts as her focus turned to the danger inherent in using telepathy with someone she didn’t know and couldn’t yet trust.

* * *

Riann left the flight hangar as soon as acceptable, once the ceremony concluded. She came to an abrupt halt in a corridor when blocked by an armed squad of four unsmiling Defenders of the Faith, led by a Colonel Abel Augustus, according to his nameplate.

“Come with us, Cadet Colonel.” The colonel had emphasized Cadet with a smirk.

Riann felt as if her heart had stopped beating, and certainly held her breath. “What is this about, Reverend Colonel?”

“We need you, as Cadet Colonel, to be a witness to the punishment of one of your cadets.”

“What is their crime?” Riann struggled to keep her voice calm and confident.

“Well Cadet Colonel, you’ll be pleased to know that we have been vigilant during the last year of your cohort’s training, on the lookout for heretics. This cadet is guilty of the heresy of telepathy. Follow me.”

The Reverend Colonel spun on his heel to march away and missed Riann’s face blanching. She knew what the “punishment” would be. The other four Defenders of the Faith—“Blackshirts” to most of the empire’s civilians—marched only a pace behind her. What? Do they think I’ll run away?

The Reverend Colonel led them through the Ulysses, up five decks and moving ever further aft. Riann had spent a few weeks aboard this ship during her training, but still found its immensity overwhelming. With a sickening sensation in her stomach, Riann began to suspect their destination—this suspicion was confirmed when they entered the engine room of one of the massive combination fusion and nuclear fission drives used for sublight travel. They moved through a maze of piping and machinery of indeterminate function until they reached a red hatch with a warning sign: “DANGER. HIGH RADIATION.” A rack of bright orange hazmat suits hung in an open locker to the side.

“Well, this is where we’ll need to change to hazmat suits. Unless you want to count your lifespan in days rather than decades. Of course, we all need to strip before we deck ourselves out

in fashionable orange.” That smirk reappeared on the Blackshirt’s face. He was enjoying himself now.

As Riann stripped to her thin, formfitting bodysuit, she could feel the major’s lecherous eyes on her, but ignored him. She climbed into the thick orange suit and donned gloves, boots, and helmet.

Shrill alarms sounded as the massive radiation door swung open. A negative pressure space, Riann sensed the blast of air into the radiation space despite her hazmat suit. They hurried through and resealed the door.

Ahead of them in the narrow corridor stood two hulking figures in hazmat suits, supporting a tiny figure between them. Only a thin striped shift covered the young woman, leaving her otherwise exposed to the radiation. They had tortured her, and Riann catalogued her condition for any future prosecution of the torturers—her head shaven, with burn marks from electrodes, her body crisscrossed by cuts and burn marks and bruises, her face so swollen even her own mother wouldn’t have recognized her, bleeding from several locations and blood pooling around her feet. She was conscious but did not look up on their arrival.

Anger surged through Riann. Her vision narrowed, and her pulse thudded in her ears. “Have we moved on to physical torture in the name of the One True God?”

The colonel turned to her, scrutinizing her face through the helmet faceplate. “Our current drugs used during prisoner interviews don’t seem to work on telepaths. More traditional methods of questioning are required. I found it quite instructive to watch our specialist Brothers work their way through various drugs and a range of traditional inducements—unfortunately this heretic did not divulge any secrets.” The external speaker on his suit made his voice both robotic and gleeful. His eyes gleamed as he seemed to relive the “traditional” methods.

The Blackshirt colonel turned to a panel next to a red hatch and punched in a long code. Piercing alarms sounded as the powered hatch swung open. They threw the young woman through it into an enormous blast chamber, and the hatch closed with a thud.

“We have added a camera to the chamber. The fusion blast will, of course, destroy the camera the moment it starts, but we need proof of her demise as required by Imperial Edict 9245D.” The colonel all but rubbed his hands in anticipation of the entertainment.

Riann could not help herself, despite the danger. She reached out to the young woman with her mind, but she was so far gone she did not respond, her mind blank apart from her desire to hold on to the knowledge that her name was Clarissa, and the pain of betrayal.

The colonel hustled them all out of the high radiation zone and they changed back into their uniforms. The colonel was so keen to get to the next stage of the proceedings that he didn’t even remember to ogle Riann’s body.

They stood before a screen in the engine room control area. He touched his wrist terminal and spoke a command. “We’re ready for that brief blast on Fusion 4.”

On the screen, the young woman lay on the floor of the fusion chamber without stirring.

In the engine room around them, warning lights started flashing and a great humming noise began. It seemed to penetrate deep into Riann’s soul.

Within the space of a fraction of a second Riann experienced two things—Clarissa’s mind screaming of her pain, and a blast of blue-white light obliterating the young woman, then nothing. The woman was gone, the screen blank.

Riann stood motionless, traumatized, changed.

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Book Trailer:

https://youtu.be/IQIclOjOOIo

 

About the Author

Bruce has read science fiction since he was old enough to read––and imagined his own versions of stories in these worlds. During his career as a health professional, his habit of reading science fiction every day led to a desire to create his own worlds and stories. After a long apprenticeship as a fiction writer, Bruce has finally embarked on the process of sharing his worlds and stories with you, starting with Mindfall Inception, Book 1 of the Empire of the Mind series.

 

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The Spiral of Life: An Old Gods Story

 Eilean’s life wasn’t easy and now she has to save a God - great

 

 The Spiral of Life: An Old Gods Story

Eilean in the Otherworld Book 1

by Francesca McMahon

Genre: YA Contemporary Fantasy, Mythology

The first lesson Eilean MacAlistair learned in blacksmithing: First, you harden, and then you temper.

Otherwise, your metal will break.

The same is true with life.

 

A few years back, Eilean didn’t temper herself, and she broke someone. Badly. Hospital badly.

Her family had to flee Scotland because of her, but now they’ve returned, and 17-year-old Eilean’s life feels like a forge with the temperature rising around her. Mamó is sick, her family is straining at the seams, and magic is real!

An Otherworld has been calling to her from beneath Loch Lomond.

When she answers, Eilean discovers a world of blacksmiths in ballgowns, cruel cyclopses, and chronically critical kelpies.

Because she didn't have enough problems to deal with already.

Will Eilean be able to temper herself against everything in this strange new world, and withstand the weight of her past? Or will she break once again?

Find out in the first adventure of Eilean in the Otherworld, The Spiral of Life, a young adult fantasy inspired by Celtic folklore.

 GUEST POST

Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?

· So, hi, I’m Francesca (or Fran as that’s the name I use in every day, Francesca just sounded better as the author name haha) and I’m an author of fantasy, horror, and romance stories. I was born in Oxford, England to a Glaswegian dad and an Essex mother so there was often a little war about which rugby team to support.

· I became an author because that was the only thing I thought about. From the age of, like, 6? Maybe 8? I was writing poetry. By aged 11 I’d written a whole play set during World War 2 (we were learning about it in history) and at age 15 I’d written a whole novel. I just never stopped creating and I knew that was what I wanted to do – I just didn’t know it was possible until I went to university to study Creative Writing. Now, here I am, and it’s mad.

What inspired you to write The Spiral of Life?

· It may be a little bit of a cop out to say but, I have absolutely no idea. I was approached by Antoine Bandele of Bandele Books and asked if I’d like to join an expanded world of stories connected to his series TJ Young and the Orisha’s. He wanted to have multiple mythologies and folklores explored in a world, sort of like Rick Riordan’s work meets Marvel, and have authors of different backgrounds write them. So, when I said yes, I knew I wanted to explore my Scottish heritage and dove into Celtic mythology. To this day, I don’t know how I came up with the plot. I just started plotting an idea one day and BOOM 30 pages later, I had the layout for Eilean’s story completely off the cuff.

· Some things changed here and there with the help of alpha/beta readers but, I remember the only thing I had in my mind when coming up with the story was that I wanted to examine the effects of climate change and have a somewhat unconventional protagonist. I can’t say if I’ve succeeded at that, that’s up to the readers but, yeah, I guess the inspiration was those two things? But then it just went in its own direction after that haha

What made you decide to get The Spiral of Life made into an audiobook?

· It was something I always wanted to do but, with my previously published indie works, I couldn’t afford to do it. Now that I have a publisher to hand as well as an engineer, I immediately jumped on it. I want my work to be accessible to everyone. I have friends who, like me, are dyslexic or ADHD, and can struggle with physical reading. I also know people who are blind or visually impaired who have wanted to read my work but struggle/can’t. Audiobooks are incredible tools that open up the story to many people and I’ve wanted to do it so, when the offer was there, I had to do it.

What is your favourite part of the book and why?

· Ooo this is both easy and hard. I think, without spoilers, it’s the messaging I put into my characters. There’s a lot of exploration of mental health in this story, as well as a small starting look at neurodivergences, and as someone who is autistic (among other things) and has a lot of mental health conditions, I wanted readers who may have similar experiences to know that they are not alone. I know that’s something I wanted growing up and so I wanted my characters to reflect that.

· There are a few scenes throughout the book that showcase these elements, one scene I thought was important was one where a character has a panic attack after having to face their fear and must work through a calming routine to escape the fight/flight/freeze panic mode they’re experiencing. I thought it was important to show the realities of those with mental health issues and, in some cases, also show ways readers could help someone if they see them experiencing a panic attack.

Fun Facts of the Writing Process:

· I wrote the first full draft in two weeks as I’d recently left my full-time job and had a lot of time on my hands. I would NOT recommend anyone doing that as I immediately got sick from burn-out after. It is a little fun fact though, I think.

Which of your novels can you imagine being made into a movie?

· Is it egotistical to say all of them? It may be how I write but every scene I work on I picture it in my head with a cast of characters. Like, when I wrote my first book Home to the Wild (a sapphic Tarzan retelling series) I would have to be able to picture every scene in a movie to know if it worked or not. It was an animated movie specifically for that story whereas with Eilean in the Otherworld I definitely see it more in live-action. I’d love if one of my stories was adapted one day – that’s the dream as an author, or at least, my dream as an author.

What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?

· Ooh, so, I can kind of cheat with this. I was born in Oxford which, as many people might know, has a loot of author history. The main two pilgrimages I’ve gone on is going to The Eagle and Child pub which is where the literary group The Inklings, which had authors like C.S. Lewis and Tolkien part of it, and would write there sometimes. Sadly, it has since closed down due to the pandemic but it was a great experience. I’ve also explored the university parks, not for any specific author reasons but, as many classic British creatives went to Oxford, I liked the idea that I’m exploring the nature they too likely spent time in as well.

Have you written any other books that are not published?

· I have a few in the works! Including the sequel for The Spiral of Life, can’t say much on it but it is slowly working it’s way through the process. I do have a few other things, like sports romances and some cozy fantasy, in the works, but right now it’s the Eilean sequel.

For a last thing, can you give us the sales pitch for The Spiral of Life?

· If you love Percy Jackson and/or BBC’s Merlin but want a little more gay in your fantasy adventure stories, then you’ve come to the right place. With a blacksmithing lesbian, a druid sunshine queen bisexual, and a sarcastic and snide kelpie companion, The Spiral of Life is an easy-to-read young adult contemporary fantasy that focuses on the characters journey more than the journey itself.

· For the girls, the gays, and the they’s – you can get The Spiral of Life wherever you read books, and don’t forget to support your local libraries.

EXCERPT

She was about to slip on her shoes when something strange happened.

Her pendant, the spiral around her neck, grew warm. Eilean stopped what she was doing, stood upright, and reached up for the necklace. It didn’t feel warm to the touch now. Thinking she was imagining things, she slipped her shoes onto her cold feet and grabbed her socks and Mamó’s sweets.

Heading up the bank, trying to ignore the chafe of her shoes, Eilean felt her necklace grow warm again. She stopped in place.

“That’s… weird,” she mumbled, reaching up to hold the wood once more.

Eilean glanced around, trying to figure out if she was just feeling an out-of-place warm breeze.

That was when she noticed it.

The fog had spread. Before, it had been at a distance, only covering a few of the smaller islands on the farthest side of the loch. Now it had spread to the beach, dancing over the stones and heading up the pebbled bank toward her. Like it was trying to swallow her up.

“What the—” Eilean started, until she was cut off by a cry.

“Help!”

Eilean, immediately alert, searched the beach for the voice. Nothing.

“Help me! Help!” the small voice cried, followed by the sound of frantic splashing.

Eilean squinted through the fog.

In the distance, about two hundred yards from the shore, a pair of hands raised into the air, waving madly. The wet head of hair appeared above the water again. The hands belonged to a struggling child.

“Shit!” Eilean cried, searching for someone nearby who could help. Where the hell had he even come from?

“Help—” The voice cut off.

Eilean whirled around, and for a horrifying second, she couldn’t see the kid anymore. They came splashing to the surface again, clearly panicked.

She had no choice.

Dumping her items and throwing off her shoes again, she charged forward. Ignoring the stinging of the stones against her feet, Eilean leaped into the water.

Unlike before, she submerged herself fully in the loch. Her entire body screamed at the sharpness of the icy waters by sending a wrack of shivers up and down her skin.

Christ. Balls. Fack! she thought as she swam through the bone-chilling cold of the loch.

The kid’s screaming and splashing were getting closer, but so was the strength of the fog. She could barely see a foot in front of her. Eilean stopped swimming, unable to continue in fear that she could end up heading in the wrong direction.

“Kid!” Eilean shuddered out through her chattering teeth. “Shout for me!” She bobbed in place, turning frantically in every direction. “Where are you?”

Nothing.

Oh, God, I can’t have been too late, Eilean thought. They were shouting for me up until I stopped.

Then, she felt something touch her foot.

Yelping in surprise, Eilean stared down at the water beneath her. She couldn’t see a thing, the water too dark to see through, but she knew something had touched her.

Could the kid be underneath already?

Eilean threw her chin over both shoulders, hoping for a sign that she was close. Nothing happened. No call for help, no ripple in the water. Nothing.

“Crap,” she muttered as she looked down at her reflection in the water. “Crap.”

Eilean took a deep breath, then dove.

The waters of Loch Lomond had never been the clearest. While one could make out details that were in close proximity, without proper diving equipment, it didn’t make much difference. But this time, it was as if Eilean had plunged into a room where all the lights had gone out. It was a terrifying feeling.

She kicked her legs and searched as low and wide around as she could manage. Eilean held an arm out in the hopes of feeling anything but eventually the need for air forced her to swim back up to the surface.

Just as she took her first breath, readying to dive back down again, something grabbed her foot and held on for dear life.

Eilean was so surprised she almost forgot to panic. She swallowed a great gulp of frigid water as the kid pulled her farther under. Kicking and thrashing, Eilean tried to remove their grip as best she could. She even tried to reach down and

pry them off her leg. Nothing worked. Her last thought as the distant light above her faded into darkness cried out through the cold.

I’m not ready to die.

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Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D8LZN3LG

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-spiral-of-life/id6505123153

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-spiral-of-life-francesca-mcmahon/1145945463?ean=2940180347886

Audiobook: https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/x?id=AQAAAEAyH2FfQM

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-spiral-of-life-1

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1585226

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/215953657-the-spiral-of-life

 

About the Author

Francesca McMahon was born in Oxford, England, to a Scottish father and an Essex mother. They gained a B.A. in Creative Writing at Edge Hill University and was shortlisted for the university’s Dame Janet Suzman Playwriting Award in 2019. Since graduating, Francesca has worked consistently in publishing while working on her writing of fantasy, horror and romance fiction, as well as various tabletop RPGs and screenplays. As a queer person, their work is dedicated to the LGBTQIA+ community, and she hopes that they will all find a home in her imaginary worlds.

 

 

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Author Links

Website: https://francescamcmahon.com

X: https://x.com/adoseoffran

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adoseoffran

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@adoseoffran

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/francesca-mcmahon

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Francesca-McMahon/author/B09Q1CRTL1

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4612703.Francesca_McMahon

  

 

 

Giveaway

$10 Amazon giftcard – 1 winner,

Audiobook of The Spiral of Life – 2 winners! 

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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Breaking the Zeitgeist:

Embark on a transformative journey into the heart of modern existence with "Breaking the Zeitgeist: How To Be Happy In A World Gone Insane."

 

Breaking the Zeitgeist:

How To Be Happy In A World Gone Insane

by Keith Nobles

Genre: Literary Fiction

Embark on a transformative journey into the heart of modern existence with "Breaking the Zeitgeist: How To Be Happy In A World Gone Insane." In this captivating tale, join Jacob, a disillusioned young man, as he grapples with the complexities of contemporary life. Feeling overwhelmed by the uncertainties of his existence, Jacob seeks solace in the wilderness alongside John, a seasoned companion whose wisdom illuminates the path to inner peace.

Amidst towering trees and crackling campfires, Jacob finds refuge in John's guidance, insights, and reflections. Over the course of several days, they delve deep into the root causes of societal confusion, exploring the elusive nature of contentment in a chaotic world. As their conversations unfold, Jacob begins to unravel his disillusionment, weaving together a newfound perspective brimming with clarity and resilience.

Through John's seasoned advice, Jacob learns invaluable lessons on thriving in a world teetering on the brink of madness. Armed with self-awareness and inner tranquility, Jacob emerges from the wilderness equipped with the tools to navigate the turbulent currents of modern life with grace and joy.

"Breaking the Zeitgeist" is a poignant work of domestic fiction that delves into the profound connections forged between two individuals amidst the wilderness. Join Jacob and John as they embark on a soul-stirring journey, navigating the complexities of modern America and the depths of the human spirit.

 EXCERPT

Can you, for those who don't know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?

I have had several careers and I was invited to start writing a newspaper column on economics to educate people about that reality, from that I eventually published magazine articles finally culminating in a book about how to escape our current cultural insanity and absurdity.

What is something unique/quirky about you?

I am a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and have done considerable public speaking on Indian history and Indian rights as well as radio and podcast conversations on that topic.

Tell us something really interesting that's happened to you!

I have had an interesting life and apparently lots of things I have experienced and done people find to be unique and interesting but it is hard to isolate it down because they just seem as normal life to me. I once spent two hours in the middle of the night in the West Elk Mountains with a bear trying to run me out of my camp that at one point had the bear and I face to face about ten inches apart. The bear eventually moved on and everyone went home safe and happy.

What are some of your pet peeves?

I don’t really have any, I am pretty centered – hence the point of Breaking The Zeitgeist. Do not take this stuff seriously.

Where were you born/grew up at?

I have lived in Kansas, Oklahoma, California, Colorado and Wyoming. I mostly grew up in Southern California.

If you knew you'd die tomorrow, how would you spend your last day?

With my wife and daughter outdoors somewhere.

Who is your hero and why?

Probably Augustine and Solzhenitsyn because they were the epitome of moral courage and their moral courage changed the world.

What kind of world ruler would you be?

The one who did not want to rule.

What are you passionate about these days?

The outdoors.

What do you do to unwind and relax?

The outdoors, I spend a 100-150 nights a year in a sleeping bag. This is the setting for Breaking The Zeitgeist: How To Be Happy In A World Gone Insane, a place I go to quite frequently and have spent hundreds of nights at over the decades. In my view far too few people spend far too little time outdoors. I am fortunate I have wilderness at my fingertips. We have lost touch with nature, not as some mystical entity, but as reality if someone allows that to be experienced. There is a reality to nature, a reality to the world and how it operates. That reality is not to be moralized but experienced. There is an opportunity to be grounded in that reality that nature provides. A mountain lion or a bear

does not care what your ideology is, that tree does not care if you support a Republican or a Democrat, that stream does not care what you posted on social media. There is a reason the Declaration of Independence starts with “Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God” in the first paragraph, a reason the Greeks tried to tie nature and philosophy so tightly together, because reality is to be found in nature. There is a peace to the reality of nature and a peace in being able to exist in that reality without having the urge to consistently redefine what reality is as post-modern philosophy is so fond of advocating for. The daily need to redefine reality, not predicated on any additional actual knowledge but on the tribal pursuit of power, has contributed mightily to our collective insanity. The wilderness allows one the time and place to genuinely think without interruption or distraction if one is inclined to do so and have genuine meaningful conversations with thoughtful people when you can still find them. This is how I relax and unwind.\Of course a good beer and cigar by the campfire in the evening can help that along!

How to find time to write as a parent?

My daughter is grown and currently working on her PhD so well past the active parenting stage.

Describe yourself in 5 words or less!

Thoughtful, irreverent but not contrarian.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

When ask to write a newspaper column about twelve years ago.

Do you have a favorite movie?

Touch of Evil, absolute brilliance by Orson Welles who I think was the only genuine film genius to ever work in Hollywood.

Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie?

Honestly none, I do not know they lend themselves well to that media.

What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?

I have traveled extensively and it has all contributed.

As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

Marmot

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Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D79VVXJ3

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/breaking-the-zeitgeist-how-to-be-happy-in-a-world-gone-insane-by-keith-nobles

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214927549-breaking-the-zeitgeist

 

About the Author

Keith Nobles is the author of "Our Dogs Did Not Bark: A Politically Incorrect Dystopian Tale" and "BREAKING THE ZEITGEIST: How To Be Happy In A World Gone Insane."

Keith lives in Wyoming. An avid outdoorsman and motorcyclist, Keith is also a proud citizen of the Cherokee Nation. He frequently speaks on Native American rights and history, sharing his insights and advocacy.

 

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Author Links

Website: https://keithnobles.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063765694493

X: https://x.com/AuthorNobles

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Keith-Nobles/author/B07LBGHPVH

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18696986.Keith_Nobles

 

EXCERPT

As the morning sun broke above the trees to the east, casting a warm glow on the campsite, John and Jacob found themselves not only in the company of each other but also in the embrace of a wilderness that whispered timeless truths. The coffee mugs, now halfway empty, symbolized more than just a morning ritual; they marked a shared moment of reflection and the beginning of a day to be spent with the heart of both nature and self-discovery.

Amidst the serenity of the morning in the mountains and forest, John and Jacob, mugs of coffee in hand, resumed their contemplative conversation. The previous night's discourse still lingered in the air, an unspoken foundation for the words that would follow. John spoke with a certain gravity. "You see, Jacob, philosophy is a powerful guide to understanding life, but its true worth is tested in the crucible of real experiences. It's in the rawness of life, like spending the night here, that philosophical musings are either validated or reshaped or rejected out of hand." Jacob, still absorbing the tranquil surroundings, nodded thoughtfully. "So, you're saying philosophy isn't just a set of ideas but something that needs to be lived and tested?" "Exactly," John affirmed. "It's easy to philosophize in the abstract, detached from the messiness of reality. But when you confront the unpredictability of life, the philosophy you carry gets a reality check. It's like last night, surrounded by the quiet of the forest, we delved into ideas about happiness, truth, and the human experience. Now, as the morning unfolds, it's time to see how those ideas hold up in the light of day." The aroma of coffee, intertwined with the pine-scented mountain air, created an intimate atmosphere for their exchange of ideas. The sun cast a warm glow on their faces, illuminating the earnestness in John's eyes. "The night, the backcountry, they're testing grounds for what we believe," John continued. "Philosophy offers a compass, a way to navigate the complexities of existence. But the real understanding comes when you apply those principles to your own life, in real time and space and see if they hold up without having to resort to bullshit to justify them." Jacob, recalling the challenges of the night before, ventured a question, "But isn't it risky to put such abstract ideas to the test? What if they don't hold up?" John smiled, a hint of wisdom in his response. "That's the beauty of it, Jacob. Life is unpredictable, and sometimes, what we think should work doesn't. It's in those moments of unpredictability that philosophy evolves. You adapt, refine, or sometimes discard ideas based on the realities you face. It's a constant process of learning and relearning." As the coffee mugs were now cradled between their hands, John continued, "Take happiness, for instance. Last night, we discussed it in the context of solitude and nature. Today, as the sun rises and the wilderness awakens, observe how those ideas resonate

with the simplicity of this moment. The philosophical truths we uncovered last night should find echoes in the quiet rituals of a morning coffee, don't you think?" Jacob, inspired by John's insights, took a contemplative sip from his mug. "So, philosophy isn't a set of rigid rules but a living, breathing guide that adapts to the nuances of life?" John nodded appreciatively. "Precisely. It's not about sticking to a script; it's about understanding the essence of these ideas and letting them shape your responses to the world. The real test is in how well philosophy aligns with the intricacies of your experiences and can you be honest about it with yourself." John delved into a topic that had been lingering on the periphery of their conversations—the post-modern nihilistic world and its detachment from testing philosophy against reality. Coffee mugs in hand, they found themselves exploring the implications of a society that, in John's view, had lost its connection to the crucible of testing itself against truth and reality. "Jacob, one of the challenges we face in the modern world is the separation of philosophy from the gritty terrain of reality. The post-modern era, marked by nihilism and a skepticism of overarching truths, has created a sort of intellectual bubble," John began, his gaze fixed on the distant mountain peaks visible through the trees to the west. 

Giveaway

$10 Amazon

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Hijinks, Hitchhikers & Mayhem

 Can a kickass psychic, an invisible hitchhiker, a deadly warlord and a cowardly witch stop the brain-eating aliens from destroying the galaxy? Only time will tell.

 

 Hijinks, Hitchhikers & Mayhem

A Coletti Warlords Novel

by Gail Koger

Genre: SciFi Romance, Comedy Adventure 

After a yearlong separation from her soul mate, all Casey wanted was to have hot, mind-blowing sex with Hothar. That little fantasy went up in smoke when she’s stuck babysitting Aphrodite, a cowardly witch, who is the galaxy’s only hope of survival. To add to the fun, Casey has picked up an invisible hitchhiker who she named Hitch. Is he friend or foe?

Can a kickass psychic, an invisible hitchhiker, a deadly warlord and a cowardly witch stop the brain-eating aliens from destroying the galaxy? Only time will tell.

Author’s note: This book was originally published in Pets in Space #8. It has been retitled, revised, and expanded.

 

 EXCERPT

My gaze fixed on a tall, brawny warrior dressed in a spiffy black uniform striding across the landing pad. God, why did he seem so familiar? I eyed his short hair and beard. He didn’t look Coletti. Maybe he was one of Zarek’s mercenaries. I mentally scanned him, and my jaw dropped. “Oh, my God. Hothar?”

The warrior stopped and turned to face me.

My affectionate companion had turned into a cold-eyed stranger. My stomach tied in knots; I walked over to him. “What happened to your warrior’s braids?

“I cut them off.”

Color me confused. Braids were an important part of a Coletti warrior’s identity. “Why?”

“I went undercover as an Avicii mercenary.”

Which explained his brown eyes. “And the beard?”

“It hides my Coletti features.” Hothar’s gaze roamed over me. “You have not been eating properly.”

“Gee, I wonder why?”

“I must go. Zarek awaits me.”

Talk about a slap in the face. Was he that eager to get away from me? “Who do you think told me where you were? Should I call you War Commander now or will Hot Lips still do?”

The muscles in Hothar’s jaw bunched. “I do not answer to Hot Lips.”

“Don’t I get a hug, Hot Lips?”

Hothar’s hands fisted. “I gave my word to Zarek that I would not touch you.”

“Well, I didn’t.” I wrapped my arms around him. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“And I you.”

Pain squeezed my heart at his cool, impersonal tone. He didn’t sound like he had missed me at all. His body remained stiff and unyielding. My God, he hadn’t even smiled at me. I took a step back and smacked his chest. “You’ve changed your mind about us. That’s why you never wrote or called or linked with me.”

“I could not contact you. I was on an undercover assignment for the Overlord.”

The image of a nude female draped over Hothar’s lap flashed across my mind. Oh, hell no. The bastard was fondling her breasts. A murderous fury swept over me. “And how many pleasure houses did that undercover assignment include?”

Hothar’s eyes narrowed. “I did what was necessary to maintain my cover.”

“And you enjoyed every minute of it too, didn’t you?” I shoved the memory of the nude female into his head. “Why don’t you just admit, you forgot all about me. But that’s okay, you’ll never have to see me again. It’s a win-win situation for both of us.” I stomped off.

The war commander teleported in front of me. “Stop!”

“Why? You made your choice and it’s obvious you don’t want me.”

Hothar’s hands closed around my arms and up I went. He held me at eye level. “How could you even think I would have sex with another female?”

“What am I supposed to believe? You were touching her.” I studied his stern face, hoping to find some sign of affection or love. “I thought you were the other half of my soul. Guess I was wrong.”

A burning hunger exploded in Hothar’s eyes. “Every hour of every day without you was pure agony.” He gently shook me. “You are mine and I will never let you go.”

“Why should I believe you?”

Hothar’s mouth closed over mine. It wasn’t a gentle kiss. It was a body-burning, soul-searing lip lock.

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Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hijinks-Hitchhikers-Mayhem-Gail-Koger-ebook/dp/B0DFJXWB2D

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/hijinks-hitchhikers-mayhem/id6670221864

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Draft2Digital: https://draft2digital.com/book/2225146

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218190684-hijinks-hitchhikers-mayhem

 

About the Author

Howdy. My name is Gail Koger and once upon a time I was a 9-1-1 dispatcher. Too many years of wild requests, screwy questions, bizarre behavior and outrageous demands have left me with a permanent twitch and an uncontrollable craving for chocolate. I took up writing science fiction romance to keep from killing people. So far, it has worked.

 

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Author Links

Website: http://www.gailkoger.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Colettiwarlordbooks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Askole

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gkoger58

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/gail-koger

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Gail-Koger/author/B001K838BY

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1598719.Gail_Koger

 

 

Giveaway

$20 Amazon

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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