I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
An elderly man must decide if he can share the painful past of his experience in WWII with a young man before its too late in author Jeffrey C. Morris’s “Gunmetal Ridge”.
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The Synopsis
Ninety-three-year-old Will Morgan remembers December 21, 1944, like it was yesterday. Now a widower and alone with his torment, how can he tell it? If not for a chance meeting with a younger man named Jack Owens, Will’s haunting account would surely die with him. Not every soldier fought through Battle of the Bulge or lived to tell the tale—one that Will has sworn to secrecy. What happened on that ridge was one thing, but what Will sees as his own personal failure is another. Can he finally reveal the one heartache he never shared with anyone, one he has carried for so long?
The Review
This was such a powerful and moving read. The author did an incredible job of bringing a depth of emotional storytelling that kept the reader invested throughout this narrative. The author’s writing style was detailed yet vividly captivating, allowing the reader to feel transported to this era as Will told his story. The imagery and atmosphere the author crafted brought the horrors of WWII to life eerily and made the shocking moments in the story truly stick out.
The heart of the narrative was in this book’s world-building and character development. Not only is Will’s story a great emotional mirror for Jack as he deals with his struggles, but the bond they form together, as well as Will’s nurse Bea, forms the emotional background this novel needs. The tragedy of Will’s long-ago friend Al and the commentary on war’s impact on soldiers long after the battle ends make this a compelling story.
The Verdict
Thoughtfully written, memorable, and engaging, author Jeffrey C. Morris’s “Gunmetal Ridge” is a must-read novel. The historical fiction aspect of the story and the depth of emotional character development will keep readers hanging onto the author’s every word. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Jeffrey C. Morris began his career in the United States Air Force as an Avionic Inertial Navigation System Specialist at Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina. His unit was one of the last to maintain and fly the F-4E Phantom, earning the crew the moniker “Phantom Phixers.”
After receiving an honorable discharge from Air Force Active Duty, he served in the USAF Reserves before transferring to the 130th Tactical Airlift Group in the West Virginia Air National Guard. He served with the 130th until the end of Desert Storm.
Jeffrey attained an HVAC certificate upon leaving the military and worked in the HVAC field until accepting a position as a natural gas meter and installation specialist with Dominion Energy (Formerly PSNC) in 2000.
His love of American military history as well as his many conversations with veterans who served in wartime influence Jeffrey’s writing. GUNMETAL RIDGE, a composite story of many World War II veterans, is Jeffrey’s way of paying homage to the Greatest Generation.
A native of Charleston West Virginia, he lives with his wife and “spousal unit” of thirty-five years, Jennifer, in North Carolina. With their three grown children out living successful lives, Jeffrey intends to devote more time honing his craft and carving out the next historical military novel in his man cave. He also enjoys writing in other genres such as sci-fi, mystery, and romance.
I received a free copy of this book in exchanger for a far and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author Robin Bernstein shares the shocking origins of prison for profit and anti-Black racism in the book Freeman’s Challenge: The Murder That Shook America’s Original Prison for Profit”.
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The Synopsis
An award-winning historian tells a gripping, morally complicated story of murder, greed, race, and the true origins of prison for profit.
In the early nineteenth century, as slavery gradually ended in the North, a village in New York State invented a new form of unfreedom: the profit-driven prison. Uniting incarceration and capitalism, the village of Auburn built a prison that enclosed industrial factories. There, “slaves of the state” were leased to private companies. The prisoners earned no wages, yet they manufactured furniture, animal harnesses, carpets, and combs, which consumers bought throughout the North. Then one young man challenged the system.
In Freeman’s Challenge, Robin Bernstein tells the story of an Afro-Native teenager named William Freeman who was convicted of a horse theft he insisted he did not commit and sentenced to five years of hard labor in Auburn’s prison. Incensed at being forced to work without pay, Freeman demanded wages. His challenge triggered violence: first against him, then by him. Freeman committed a murder that terrified and bewildered white America. And white America struck back—with aftereffects that reverberate into our lives today in the persistent myth of inherent Black criminality. William Freeman’s unforgettable story reveals how the North invented prison for profit half a century before the Thirteenth Amendment outlawed slavery “except as a punishment for crime”—and how Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and other African Americans invented strategies of resilience and resistance in a city dominated by a citadel of unfreedom.
Through one Black man, his family, and his city, Bernstein tells an explosive, moving story about the entangled origins of prison for profit and anti-Black racism.
The Review
The shocking nature not only of the crime but of what drove the young African-American man to that crime instantly grabs the reader’s attention. The visceral nature of the life of William Freeman and the heartbreaking events that led to the young man’s incarceration, both the first and second time, was instantly haunting and compelling all at once and captured the sense of frenzy that overtook white America at the time.
The close examination of racial tension and racial profiling during this time was conveyed throughout this book. Not only did the author explore the mindsets that many white Americans took at this time, relegating all members of the Black community to either being savage criminals or a failure of white America to educate the Black community, but showed how these two equally troubling mindsets impacted race relations in the centuries since. The fallout and impact this case had on the treatment and hardship that many Black Americans would feel in the next several years and beyond was shocking yet expertly navigated throughout this book.
The Verdict
Insightful, honest, and engaging author Robin Bernstein’s “Freeman’s Challenge” is a thoughtful and emotional book that examines one man’s heartbreaking case and the terrible reality of how relations between white and black America progressed in the years that followed. The tragic events that occurred to this young man and the conversation this book will spark and get people of all races thinking critically about American history and how we must end the cycle before it begins again made this one book you won’t be able to put down. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
I am a cultural historian who specializes in race in the U.S. from the nineteenth century to the present. A graduate of Yale’s doctoral program in American Studies, I am the Dillon Professor of American History and Professor of African and African American Studies and of Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Harvard University. I am also Chair of Harvard’s doctoral program in American Studies. My book Freeman’s Challenge: The Murder that Shook America’s Original Prison for Profit is forthcoming from the University of Chicago Press in May 2024. My previous book, Racial Innocence: Performing American Childhood from Slavery to Civil Rights, won five awards.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
Books about dogs when I was a child, and books about spiders and sloth-people in adulthood. It was an easy decision to begin writing in the series overseen by my husband (Julian Fernandes), Earth’s Final Chapter, first. The world is rich in sci-fi and dystopian elements, the vast universe offered many ways to contribute to the series while also getting creative freedom, and each EFC book is illustrated, which made it even more enticing. I wrote Book 16 for the series and felt encouraged to write more.
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What inspired you to write your book?
We (Endless Ink Publishing House) needed a dark fantasy short story for the collection, Dark Tales of Whimsy. After spending a morning thinking about what I’d write, I remembered Anansi the Spider. I only learned of his character during the pandemic, when my daughter and I stopped going to the library and read some ebooks on my laptop. This children’s book featured a naughty spider who tricked animals, only to be outwitted by a quiet little bush deer. My daughter and I loved his character and I looked for more of his stories just out of my own curiosity. The list of tales of this arachnid god abound, and I decided it was time to write my own out of an admiration of his character. Little Miss Muffet seemed a good starting point. The original limerick was short, and needed that same eight-legged foil.
What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
The theme of Little Miss Muffet Meets Anansi the Spider is to protect those who are weak, to rebuke evil-doers, and have fun doing it. Although some Anansi stories depict him doing despicable things, others show him to be a storyteller, and a friend of those disenfranchised. The other function of this short story is to introduce this complex character of Jamaican folklore to more readers.
What drew you into this particular genre?
This was my first time writing in the fantasy genre, but I was excited for the challenge.
If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?
If I could sit down with Anansi, I would ask him if I’ve been pronouncing his name wrong all this time.
What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
Twitter/X seems the most receptive platform for self-promotion for the time being.
What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
Just start. Read your stuff out loud to yourself. Don’t get down on yourself for making mistakes. You’re human, and your story would be less interesting if you were (always) perfect.
What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
I am working on a story for an EFC short story collection about an inventor whose use of her shrinking invention comes at a price. I am eager to finish and see the art that will accompany it!
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About the Author
Remy Fernandes lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, daughter, four turtles, two dogs, and one killer cat. Her published works include the sci-fi western, Earth’s Final Chapter: Book 16: Blink With A Capital O, and the short story, Little Miss Muffet Meets Anansi the Spider, featured in Dark Tales of Whimsy. Although she has earned an Associates Degree in Elementary Education, Remy works in the home health industry while also editing and contributing for Endless Ink Publishing House.
As a career wildlife ecologist and conservationist, I am often asked to recommend a book that tells the full story of our Nation’s land conservation ethic and the environmental movement that it eventually spawned. I can never come up with a good suggestion—mainly because such a book doesn’t exist. Until now, that is.
Following the fortunes and foibles of a multi-generational American family, this book explains how we took our country to the brink of both the Climate Crash and the Sixth Extinction and then back again. Chock full of tall tales—liberally blended with historic facts—the engaging text provides an entertaining and enlightening description of how our Nation’s natural history unfolded from colonial days through the present.
As the journey progresses, readers experience a vivid array of frontier vignettes—including wagon-crushing landslides, badlands raiding parties, frontier smack-downs, buffalo killing fields, life-threatening blizzards, deadly avalanches, alpha predator battles, Gold Rush boomtowns, and bounteous wildlife habitats. Along the way, they also witness heart-warming friendships among white settlers and Native Americans while also meeting wildlife slaughtering ne’er do wells, fun-loving nomads, racist ferrymen, grizzled mountain men, trickster trappers, and ambushing poachers.
Then—as the story moves through the Industrial Revolution and into modern times—merchants and developers start to dominate with their tawdry acts of wiping out entire bird rookeries for women’s hats, ditching and draining south Florida’s wilderness, blasting away mountaintops for coal, damming pristine rivers, destroying coastal shorelines, and fracking entire landscapes into oblivion.
Emphasizing optimism, the last part of the book features the human resiliency that has allowed us to overcome the many existential threats—the Civil War, the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, Nazi Germany, the Cold War, COVID-19—we have faced as a Nation. Strategic resolution begins with making Sustainable Design, Low Impact Development (LID), and Best Management Practices (BMP’s) the catch phrases for achieving world-wide Harmonic Equilibrium Design (HED) and Smart Growth.
As an aside to the main story, readers will get to know the myriad “natural resource heroes” who spawned and nurtured our Nation’s bold conservation movement. People like John Muir, Harriett Hemenway, Roger Tory Peterson, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Ding Darling, Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, Bob Marshall, David Brower, and Gaylord Nelson—who instilled within us the courage and will power to do the right things. The end of the book will also feature the current leaders of the environmental battles against the climate crisis and biodiversity loss—including such luminaries as Bill McKibben, Al Gore, James Balog, Mark Jacobson, Elizabeth Kolbert, Naomi Klein, Naomi Oreskes, Katherine Hayhoe, Reverend Sally Bingham, and—yes—even Pope Francis.
Short synopsis:
Following the fortunes and foibles of a multi-generational American family, this book explains how we took our country to the brink of both the Climate Crash and the Sixth Extinction and then back again. Chock full of tall tales—liberally blended with historic facts—the engaging text provides an entertaining and enlightening description of how our Nation’s natural history unfolded from colonial days through the present.
As an aside to the main story, readers will get to know the myriad “natural resource heroes” who spawned and nurtured our Nation’s bold conservation movement. People like John Muir, Harriett Hemenway, Roger Tory Peterson, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Ding Darling, Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, Bob Marshall, David Brower, and Gaylord Nelson—who instilled within us the courage and will power to do the right things. The end of the book will also feature the current leaders of the environmental battles against the climate crisis and biodiversity loss—including such luminaries as Bill McKibben, Al Gore, James Balog, Mark Jacobson, Elizabeth Kolbert, Naomi Klein, Naomi Oreskes, Katherine Hayhoe, Reverend Sally Bingham, and—yes—even Pope Francis.
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Author bio:
For the past 50 years, professional ecologist and conservationist Budd Titlow has used his pen and camera to capture the awe and wonders of our natural world. His goal has always been to inspire others to both appreciate and enjoy what he sees. Now he has one main question: Can we save humankind’s place within nature’s beauty, before it’s too late?
Budd’s two latest books are dedicated to answering this perplexing dilemma. Protecting the Planet, a non-fiction book, examines whether we still have the environmental champions among us needed to accomplish this goal. Next, using fact-filled and entertaining story-telling, his latest book — Coming Full Circle — provides the answers we all seek and need.
Having published five books, more than 500 photo-essays, and 5,000 photographs, Budd Titlow lives with his music educator wife, Debby, in San Diego, California.
“An adventurous, passionate historical novel about an eco-friendly balance between humans and nature.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Using a blend of historical fiction and poignant truths, the (book’s) narrative delivers a spirited discourse on conservation, our environment, oneness, and chiefly, the concept of coming full circle. Overall, the authors’ expertise in the topic of conservationism and their knack for storytelling is on full display, making for a highly recommended read.” – US Review of Books
“I recommend Coming Full Circle to fans of issues-focused fiction who also enjoy family sagas and tales of growth, learning, and self-discovery.” – Readers’ Choice
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EXCERPT
PROLOGUE
There is a lot that our U.S. biology and history books don’t tell us.
Tracking the triumphs and travails of a multi-generational American family, this book sets the record straight.
From a biological perspective, many American colonists didn’t care about protecting our native wildlife or conserving our natural resources.
Just think about the once abundant species that are no longer with us — the passenger pigeon, the eastern elk, the Carolina parakeet, the heath hen, the American bison (almost), and the black-footed ferret (almost).
Then consider our native tallgrass and midgrass prairies — most of which were swallowed up by settlers’ plows and then blown away during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Finally, look at our air and water quality — both poisoned by industrialization and still trying to recover.
On the history side of the ledger, no group of U.S. citizens has ever been more disrespected and abused than our Native American tribes.
They respected all species as equals and managed their lands not just in sustainable ways, but in ways that enhanced the flourishing of the ecosystem. Yet they lost both their ancestral lands and their cultural societies to colonial progress.
But — in the end — this book carries a very positive, hopeful message. We can still extract ourselves from our past faux pas. By shedding our polarized viewpoints and working cooperatively, we can still save our planet before it’s too late.
For both of us, this book is a career self-examination. For me (Budd) the text expresses many things I’ve learned about the natural world during my fifty years as a wildlife ecologist and resource conservationist.
For me (Mariah), the book’s content captures the joy of the natural world that my dad (Budd) taught me, how that joy has shaped my career as an educator and science communicator, and how I hope it influences my children’s paths. We both see reflections of our past and visions of our future modeled in the multi-generations of families connected to nature.
Throughout this book, we also emphasize our lifelong beliefs in the sanctity and equality of all living things — both human and non-human.
Our belief system encompasses all races, religions, cultures, and lifestyles — but especially those of the Indigenous (or Native) Peoples of the world.
As expressed in our main title, Coming Full Circle, our book’s central theme revolves around two primary terms — the circle of life and biodiversity.
Many of us — especially those with kids or grandkids — know the first term, the circle of life, as the mega-hit song from the Broadway musical and blockbuster movie, The Lion King. In reality, the circle of life is a symbolic representation of birth, survival, and death — which leads back to birth. For example, an antelope may live for years — grazing peacefully on African grasslands and producing several healthy calves. But — as she nears the end of her life and thus her speediness — a hungry lioness captures and kills her. The antelope dies, but the lioness brings her body back for the nourishment of her hungry cubs. In this way, the antelope’s death sustains the life of the lioness’s pride — or family of lions.
Life is thus represented as a circle because it is a constant loop. The idea of life as a circle exists across multiple religions and philosophies. This belief was prevalent throughout the early Indigenous Peoples of Earth. Unfortunately — owing to what some may term ‘progress’ — this fervent belief in the circle of life is much less common in today’s world.
The second term — biological diversity, or biodiversity for short — is primarily used by biologists and ecologists. Biodiversity means the variety of life — the total number of species, both plants and animals —living on Earth. This includes everything from the tiniest microbial spores to the gargantuan blue whale. Generally speaking, the greater the biodiversity — the total number of species present — the healthier our planet.
As career environmental scientists, we believe that these two terms are very closely related. In fact, they build off of and intensify one another. Picture the diameter of the circle of life as the number of species that participate in that circle. In our antelope-lioness example above, the diameter would include the lioness and her pride, the antelope and her calves, the grass that the antelope eats, the vultures that feed upon the remainder of the antelope’s carcass, the decomposers that help break down what the vultures leave behind — and so on. In this manner, the circle of life is always intricately populated with species and interdependencies. The larger the circle — in terms of its diameter — the greater Earth’s biodiversity and vice versa. Because of this, we use these terms interchangeably throughout this text.
Unfortunately, the circle of life — or biodiversity — of the United States has decreased dramatically since the first European immigrants landed on our shores. By telling this fictional account — partially based on historical facts — of one multi-generational family of American immigrants, this book explores how and why this change has occurred and how we will — eventually — come back around to again achieve closure of the circle of life.
Our story begins with quite different — but keenly interrelated —anecdotes about two American heroes whose lives were separated by more than half a century.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author Vladyslav Grabarskyy shares the fundamentals of investing and money in the book “Introduction to Investing: A Complete Guide to Starting Your Wealth-Building Journey”.
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The Synopsis
Unlock the secrets of investing with “Introduction to Investing: A Complete Guide to Starting Your Wealth-Building Journey.”
Have you always wanted to learn about the stock market but didn’t know where to start? This comprehensive beginner’s guide covers everything you need to know to begin your journey to financial independence. Discover the history of money, the basics of the stock market, bond market, and various investment strategies, all presented in an easy-to-understand format.
Dive into essential topics such as personal finance for beginners, investment strategies for beginners, and financial literacy. Learn how to set up a brokerage account, manage your money, and make informed investment decisions. Whether you’re new to investing or looking to refine your skills, this book is your roadmap to success in the world of finance.
Key Features:
Understand the fundamentals of money and investing
Step-by-step guide to starting investing
Insights into stock market and bond market basics
Practical investment strategies for beginners
Tips on personal finance management and financial literacy
Strategies on how to combat money printing and inflation
Investing in precious metals, real estate, land, and commodities
Promising investment opportunities for the next decade
Start building your wealth today and take the first step towards financial independence.
The Review
This was a fast-paced and easy-to-read book. The author’s ability to write in a way that beginners to investing and financial moves, in general, could comprehend and explore the investment market was beautiful to see come to life. The author also delves deeply into the history surrounding money and investment, looking into the first trade routes and how wealth has changed over the centuries.
The author’s ability to relay their financial lessons and experiences to the reader without coming across as the supreme authority on the subject and instead as a personal exercise in investment made the book feel very conversational as if it were nothing more than a personal meeting between the reader and the author. The author also does a great job of exploring the stock market in general and what it means to invest in it.
The Verdict
Straight-forward, honest, and educational, author Vladyslav Grabarskyy’s “Introduction to Investing” is a must-read financial, nonfiction book. The wealth of knowledge and personal experience the author brings to the table and the personable writing style will help readers gain a firmer understanding of the stock market and money. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
I am an Investor who wrote a book called ”Introduction to Investing: Your Complete Guide to Starting Your Wealth-Building Journey”. I decided to write the book to help people all around the world learn about money and start investing so that they can get their financial lives under control.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
I was born and raised in Russia (former Soviet Union) and moved to the United States over two decades ago. My decision to relocate was driven by love, as I followed the one and only person who held my heart.
Now I live in Dallas, Texas, with my husband, my teenage son, a dog and a cat.
I actually work in IT industry in the company that produces accounting software. So, I’ve never really planned or studied to become a writer.
But being an avid reader and inspired by hundreds of books by my favorite authors, my mind was always crowded with stories of my own imagination. Only may and many years later, I found the courage to transition those stories from my thoughts onto paper.
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What inspired you to write your book?
This is something a bit embarrassing to say, but it was a midlife crisis that suddenly hit me. At some point I started thinking that I’ve lived most of my life and had always been doing something that I had to do, and not as much what I wanted to do. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job, I’m an IT and I like what I’m doing, but it felt like a large part of me wasn’t there.
I always came up with the stories in my head, the adventures of the characters I’d created. And suddenly I felt an urge to write it down. It started as a “writing into the desk” kind of activity, but eventually I went ahead and made my stories into books.
What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
My stories predominantly featured a courageous female protagonist whom I associated myself with. And those women had to go through a lot. Sure, I give them super skills and magic abilities, but at the end, those are strong women with their hopes, dreams and feelings. I want readers to see how no number of obstacles could throw my heroines off their path.
What drew you into this particular genre?
During my childhood I developed a strong passion for literature, particularly science fiction, fantasy, and related genres. The local public library became my second home, where I would lose myself for countless hours in the captivating stories written by Asimov and Bradbury, King and Tolkien, Verne and Stephenson, or any other Si-Fi book I could get my hands on.
Fiction, and particularly science fiction, just has so many incredible opportunities for new worlds and settings and adventures. It’s a gift that keeps on giving.
If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?
Oh, I would ask my girls, if they are mad a me to throwing so much at them. All those troubles and obstacles they had to overcome, all these heartbreaks and difficult choices to make. But in the end, I’m sure they would say that everything they had to endure only made them stronger.
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What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
Being a newbie in the publishing industry, I’m still testing the grounds. All social media, as exciting and inviting as they are, have a lot of disappointment and troubles.
Facebook promotions attracted all kinds of strange characters sending me very inappropriate content. Instagram seems to be filled with “Book promotion” channels, that promise you great sales, but in reality, I’ve yet to see any results (except my expenses of course)
I found pubby.co website very helpful with increasing the number of reviews for my books. It’s a good approach that makes you read other author’s books and review those, and get points that you then can use to get your book reviewed.
What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
Don’t give up and keep working. Keep reading and listening to the books and build your vocabulary. The English language is so rich and generous that a writer needs to explore any opportunities to improve one’s writing skills, and what could be better than using examples of fellow authors?
What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
I thought I’ve completed my “Warriors of Mirral” series, and the third book, “The Princess from Earth” would be a conclusion of this storyline. But I’ve already heard from a couple of my loyal readers that they want to see more of this multiverse I’ve build.
So, I’ve already started putting my thoughts on the next installment which would be an expansion of the “Warriors of Mirral” world.
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About the Author
Katrina Zari, an author born and raised in Russia, spent a significant time of her life immersed in its rich culture before transitioning on a life-changing journey to the United States two decades ago. Her decision to relocate was driven by love, as she followed the one and only person who held her heart. Throughout her upbringing, Katrina developed a strong passion for literature, particularly science fiction, fantasy, and related genres. The local public library became her second home, where she would lose herself for countless hours in the captivating stories written by Asimov and Bradbury, King and Tolkien, Verne and Stephenson, or any other Si-Fi book she could access.
Inspired by these literary giants, Katrina’s creative mind was crowded with stories of her own imagination. She always wrote stories in her head, inspired by those great books. She was adding her own characters and coming up with their new adventures. It was no surprise that her stories predominantly featured a courageous female protagonist, a reflection of her deep understanding of these inspiring heroines whom she gladly associated herself with.
Years later, she found the courage to transition those stories from her thoughts onto paper.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A young woman stands between her mentor’s legacy and her father’s evil plans as she must discover the true extent of her own power to save her world in author T.C. Marti’s “The Last Sentrys”, the second book in the Sentrys of Terrene series.
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The Synopsis
A time of turmoil engulfs the Lost World of Terrene…
Sabre Kjaergaard stands at the heart of the conflict, torn between the legacy of her late mentors and the sinister designs of her biological father, a leader in the imperial Venn Order. With her powers evolving and the stakes higher than ever, she must seek the legendary Minch Ware, the last known Spirit Elysian Master, to unlock the secrets of her rare abilities to control both Earth and Spirit.
But the path is fraught with danger. As her father’s forces close in, the ultimate fate of Terrene hangs in the balance, with Sabre’s choices pivotal in an intensifying war that threatens to engulf their reality.
Join Sabre as she navigates through betrayal, love, and the trials of destiny. The battle to restore liberty is heating up, and every page in this post-apocalyptic dystopian science fantasy promises an adventure where only the strongest will survive.
The Review
This was a wonderfully written and compelling read. The author does a fantastic job of expanding upon the mythos and heart of the first novel and the overall series. The theme of legacy and identity runs through this novel beautifully, highlighting the need for balance and control in one’s life. The tension and atmosphere are perfectly on display throughout this book.
Yet, the character’s growth and action drew the reader into the narrative. The relationships that protagonist Sabre develops throughout the narrative, from her brother and the people she works with against her father to the growing romance in her life and the growing need to better herself to prevent her world from collapsing in on itself, gave the readers an honest look into the feelings and thoughts of this character so brilliantly.
The Verdict
Action-packed, thrilling, and entertaining author TC Marti’s “The Lat Sentrys” is a must-read and a grand entry into the Sentrys of Terrene series. This novel’s world-building and character development were outstanding, and the cliffhanger final scenes will keep readers hooked as they anticipate the next book in the series. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
TC Marti has been an avid reader/writer for over three decades. He is the author of the Elementals Universe, a shared speculative fiction universe spanning multiple series. He is also a workout fanatic, and a fan of Arizona sports teams.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author Elizabeth Maria Naranjo shares a collection of short stories that taps into the theme of memory in the collection “What Was Never There: Short Stories”.
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The Synopsis
A mother and daughter lost in the woods must overcome their worst fears to find their way back. A father going through a divorce witnesses a seemingly impossible motorcycle accident,
which forces him to question the truth of his own perceptions. A little boy with a terrible secret routinely steals away at night to meet a girl beneath a willow tree—only to discover she has a
secret of her own.
What Was Never There is a collection of short stories with the common theme of memory, or rather, the way memory haunts us.
Includes Pushcart Prize nominated stories “We Never Get to Talk Anymore” and “The Dinosaur Graveyard" and the award-winning "Windows," selected for Best Microfiction 2023.
The Review
This was such a haunting yet beautiful collection of short stories. The author does a remarkable job of creating a sense of atmosphere throughout each story as if the setting becomes just as crucial a character in each story as the characters themselves. The imagery drew the reader into the narrative, allowing the stories to evolve and grow naturally so that readers could feel drawn further into them.
The author’s writing style stood out to this reader, as the author writes in a way that almost feels both poetic and cinematic, as if in an indie arthouse film. Stories such as Windows and Gravity highlight this writing style, as the reader can feel the artistry and emotion that these tales inspire in the readers. The depth of the characters in these stories also showcases the theme of memory quite well, exploring how memory can be a conduit to our perception of the universe.
The Verdict
Thoughtful, imaginative, and engaging author Elizabeth Maria Naranjo’s “What Was Never There” is a must-read short story collection. The fast pace and compelling storytelling instantly draw the reader in, and their emotional connection with each story will make them eager for more of this author’s moving work. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Elizabeth Maria Naranjo is the author of The Fourth Wall, The House on Linden Way, and What Was Never There. Her stories and essays have been widely published and nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best American Essays, and Best of the Net, and her short story, “Windows,” was selected for Best Microfiction 2023. She lives in Tempe, Arizona, with her husband and two
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
My fourth grade teacher, Roger, loved to give his students creative writing assignments. Every few weeks or so, we’d write new stories and take turns reading them aloud to the class. The day I decided I would get into writing, I had just finished reading my latest story. As we were dismissed for recess, Roger took me aside. I don’t remember everything he said to me, but I do remember one sentence: “If you don’t grow up to be a writer, I’m gonna kick your ass.”
It was exactly the sort of blunt, irreverent, vaguely threatening advice my younger self needed. I was a bright kid—reading and numbers came easily to me—but those assignments were abstract tasks, always given within the context of school. I did them because they were given to me to do. With Roger’s words, writing assignments took on new importance. If I did them well enough, and got better, maybe it could be my job. I could write books just like the ones I read, making people fall in love, as I had, with characters from distant, fantastical lands. I took writing more seriously after that.
Roger’s expectations stayed with me all the way through college; I left school with degrees in literary arts and writing for performance, as well as a contract to complete six young adult novels. That was the start of my writing career, and I’m determined to keep at it! Not only is it fun and freeing, I also get to stave off my perpetual fear of Roger showing up and kicking my ass if I give up.
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2) What inspired you to write your book?
I’ll be honest—my coauthor Paul and I are big Star Wars fans. When we first decided to write a book together, the Star Wars sequel trilogy was coming out, and a lot of our conversations ended up revolving around Star Wars as a result. All of those discussions generated a lot of ideas: characters and worlds it might have been fun to see, alternate ways that plot points could have played out, themes that went under-explored, etc. After a certain point, we realized we had enough original ideas to write our own book.
By virtue of this, Weapons of the Mind shares a lot of DNA with Star Wars. In some places, we haven’t even been that subtle about it. But the story, characters, and world of Weapons are all us, and it’s going somewhere truly special. There are some scenes that haven’t been written yet that I am vibrating with excitement to talk about.
3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
Weapons of the Mind is the first book in a planned trilogy, which was conceived as a single connected story. Therefore, it’s difficult to answer this question without revealing too much about what the next two books have in store for Tala and her crew.
I can say that symbolic death and rebirth are at the heart of Weapons of the Mind. When you lose everything, how do you move forward? What do you build to occupy the space left by your former life? Every major character in Weapons of the Mind has at some point been confronted with these questions, and their answers are key to who they have (or will) become. For any reader going through hard times, unsure what lies ahead, I hope they come away with this: No matter how far or hard you fall, you can always get back up.
4) What drew you into this particular genre?
I grew up on science fiction and fantasy, and those genres remain my favorites to this day. When you read a genre enough, you get a feel for the narrative conventions, a sort of instinct that helps the plot unfold in front of you. Ideas tied to science fiction and fantasy come more readily, and in brighter colors. My first series, The Big Bet, was far more grounded in the real world than I’m generally comfortable with, and so I was ready for my next project to explore new, uncharted horizons.
5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?
I would ask Tala to Enhance me*! Perhaps this is a copout of an answer, but I’m so curious as to how it would feel. Paul and I wrote Enhancement as a rush: a heady, exuberant feeling that I would love to try. I’d also like to try eating a meal with Enhanced tastebuds, et cetera. It would be a once-in-a-lifetime, unforgettable experience.
*For those unfamiliar: Enhancers like Tala can channel energy into themselves or others, increasing specific targeted attributes.
For a less selfish answer, I’d love to pick Arcus’s brain about the largest problems facing our society. I likely wouldn’t have the stomach for his solutions—he’s ruthless, even cruel, in pursuit of his goals. But he’s very good at comprehending problems in their totality, and seeing him work through issues like climate change, artificial intelligence, and microplastic contamination would be fascinating in and of itself. And maybe I’d get lucky and he’d give me answers that didn’t involve any murder!
…Maybe I’d just ask Quarack how to play krukki.
6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
I have not engaged much with social media. I find it tiresome. Yet, these days, it’s more important than ever to reach your audience. I’m almost certainly handicapping my book by not being more active on social media sites, but I’m hoping a combination of advertising, community engagement (local and online), and positive word of mouth will be enough to overcome that disadvantage.
On the other hand, social media platforms are increasingly overrun with bots and ads, and AI seems poised to exacerbate this trend. Combine that with new studies on the detrimental effects of social media, and it seems possible that they will play less of a centralizing role in a book’s success. If that happens, I hope their replacement is something I find more pleasant.
7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
Write!
It seems simple, but that really is the most important step, and it’s a step that a lot of hopeful writers never take. There is no substitute for putting words on a page. They don’t have to be good words. In fact, it’s almost guaranteed they won’t be. But the worst case scenario is, you toss them out and try again. More likely, you have a foundation that you can revise. It is so much easier to start from something than to start from nothing, so give yourself that something. The more you write, the more you’ll develop your voice, and the easier it will be to write more.
If you don’t have time, get inventive. Write on your lunch break. Dictate sentences on your commute. Don’t worry about being profound or changing the world. Just write, and the rest will take care of itself.
8) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
Fans of Shakespeare will want to check out Midsummer Night, available soon on my website! A new spin on an age-old story, Midsummer Night seamlessly melds William Shakespeare’s timeless writing with original, Elizabethan-style prose. In this reimagining of the Bard’s most beloved comedy, responsibility, agency, and trust take center stage—and mortals and fairies alike must earn their happy endings.
Fans of Fire Emblem should look up Anna’s Roundtable, a board game true to the beloved video game series. This love letter to the Fire Emblem franchise plays brilliantly (and is absolutely gorgeous). I was asked to lead design for the expansion, and preorders open soon!
Paul and I are hard at work on the Weapons of the Mind sequel. While we can’t share many details about it yet, it’s shaping up to be an amazing second installment that will push Tala further than ever before, introduce some memorable new characters, and answer some of the burning questions left over from book 1. Also in the Weapons-verse, we’re planning to release a novella that gives readers a look at a very different part of the galaxy. How does it tie in with the Weapons storyline? You’ll have to wait and see…
In my spare time between projects, I try to make progress on a very long fantasy epic that draws a lot of inspiration from stories of King Arthur while exploring a rough approximation of the current political landscape. It’s meant to be a look at how kingdoms fall, not through invasion or any external force, but by the efforts of bad actors, the friction of petty grievances, and the failures of a system beyond the power of any lone individual to change. This one will take a very long time, but I’m very pleased with it so far and I think it will be worth the wait.
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About the Author
Owen B Greenwald is the award-winning author of the Big Bet series and of Weapons Of The Mind, set for release in November 2023 from Will Dreamly Arts Publishing. He is also the lead designer for the board game Anna’s Roundtable. He lives in Santa Clara, CA with his wife Jenna and his dog Kubo. He is an ardent believer in the power of stories to enrich and transform lives.
Despite the incoming glut of AI-generated entertainment, Owen plans to keep writing.
