Alex wakes in a field with no recollection of how he got there. He is accused of lying about his identity by the police and told his memories are false. He is forced on the run by the corrupt government or face almost certain death. Alex is led on a journey of self discovery, searching for the truth behind the sickness which plagues the country and searching for the truth behind his identity.
Who can you trust.. when you can’t trust yourself?
In the corner of my eye I spotted something behind Terry. There was a man. A man walking by. He looked just like me. It was like looking in a mirror, and my mind struggled to comprehend how this could be possible. He glanced at me before scurrying off into the stairwell. I stood up in a daze and walked to the corridor. Terry protested, but I just ignored him. I reached the empty stairwell perplexed.
Feeling inexplicably drawn to the man, I ran out into the stairwell. I felt like I had to find out why he looked just like me; was this some sort of bizarre prank? The man was gone. I looked down the middle of the staircase, but he wasn’t there. I sprinted up the stairs toward the roof, leaving Terry floundering in the stairwell entrance, unsure what to do. My footsteps thudded as I paced upward, anticipating what could be happening, but when I threw open the roof door, I found the roof to be empty. There was no way the man could have gone anywhere else, but he simply wasn’t there. Terry caught up to me. “You...okay there, man?” he said, panting. He wasn’t the most interesting man I knew; however, he was kind, which meant he was decent friend material, not to say I wouldn’t ditch him if someone else swooped into my desolate life. I was confused. I was sure I had seen someone a moment ago, but no one was out on the roof. I gave a nervous laugh, scratching at my palm. “I thought I saw something.” Giving him a meek look, I returned to the stairwell. Maybe I was just tired and seeing things. Could have I fallen asleep for a moment and dreamed it? It’s hard to determine a dream from reality; in a dream everything seems to make sense, only upon waking do you realize the absurdity of it all.
Native to the UK, I was born in the Garden of England in the early 90s.
I was creative from a young age, always wrapped up in my own world and fantasies. I was a big reader from a young age, reading Les Miserables and Lord of the Rings while I was still in primary school.
I was fortunate enough to be able to travel a lot in my youth, from Hong Kong to Houston I experienced the world and gained a greater perspective of the world outside my small woodland village I grew up in.
In secondary school I was told I was too cynical to be a writer and was put off writing for many years.
Instead I pursued a degree in Physical Geography, gaining my Masters degree in late 2015.
University gave me time to really discover myself as a person. Allowing me to pursue my passions and dreams to their fullest. I want to share my stories and ideas with the world. As a child I hungrily devoured fiction and now I will help feed the minds of others.
Title: The Fold Author: Peter Clines Category/Genre: Adult Sci-Fi My Star Rating: 3/5
Goodreads blurb:
STEP INTO THE FOLD. IT’S PERFECTLY SAFE.
The folks in Mike Erikson's small New England town would say he's just
your average, everyday guy. And that's exactly how Mike likes it. Sure,
the life he's chosen isn’t much of a challenge to someone with his
unique gifts, but he’s content with his quiet and peaceful existence.
That is, until an old friend presents him with an irresistible mystery,
one that Mike is uniquely qualified to solve: far out in the California
desert, a team of DARPA scientists has invented a device they
affectionately call the Albuquerque Door. Using a cryptic computer
equation and magnetic fields to “fold” dimensions, it shrinks distances
so that a traveler can travel hundreds of feet with a single step.
The
invention promises to make mankind’s dreams of teleportation a reality.
And, the scientists insist, traveling through the Door is completely
safe.
Yet evidence is mounting that this miraculous machine
isn’t quite what it seems—and that its creators are harboring a
dangerous secret.
As his investigations draw him deeper into
the puzzle, Mike begins to fear there’s only one answer that makes
sense. And if he’s right, it may only be a matter of time before the
project destroys…everything.
A cunningly inventive mystery featuring a hero worthy of Sherlock Holmes and a terrifying final twist you’ll never see coming, The Fold
is that rarest of things: a genuinely page-turning science-fiction
thriller. Step inside its pages and learn why author Peter Clines has
already won legions of loyal fans.
My Review:
The premise of this story was SO promising, and I was so excited to dive right into this book. Enter chapter one: pure excitement and grabs you straight from the get-go. As you get further in, the amount of research that went into all the little details becomes obvious. The characterization was my favorite thing about this book, though. Leland (Mike), the main character, has so many unique character traits that were articulated so well it became easy to feel like you knew him. The secondary characters are treated with just as much care, to the point where you didn't need a tagline to know who was speaking.That said, I struggled to stay interested in the story. After the first couple of chapters, the story slows significantly, then towards the middle it gets crazy again, then drags out some more until the end. Personally, I feel like about 75 pages of the story could have been taken out and I would've enjoyed it much more.
**I received a complimentary copy from Blogging For Books in exchange for a honest review**
About The Author
Peter Clines is the author of the genre-blending -14- and the Ex-Heroes series.
He grew up in the Stephen King fallout zone of Maine and--inspired by comic books, Star Wars, and Saturday morning cartoons--started writing at the age of eight with his first epic novel, Lizard Men From The Center of The Earth(unreleased).
He
made his first writing sale at age seventeen to a local newspaper, and
at the age of nineteen he completed his quadruple-PhD studies in English
literature, archaeology, quantum physics, and interpretive dance. In
2008, while surfing Hawaii's Keauwaula Beach, he thought up a viable way
to maintain cold fusion that would also solve world hunger, but forgot
about it when he ran into actress Yvonne Strahvorski back on the beach
and she offered to buy him a drink. He was the inspiration for both the
epic poem Beowulf and the motion picture Raiders of the Lost Ark,
and is single-handedly responsible for repelling the Martian Invasion
of 1938 that occurred in Grovers Mills, New Jersey. Eleven sonnets he
wrote to impress a girl in high school were all later found and
attributed to Shakespeare.
He is the writer of countless film articles, several short stories, The Junkie Quatrain, the rarely-read The Eerie Adventures of the Lycanthrope Robinson Crusoe, the poorly-named website Writer on Writing, and an as-yet-undiscovered Dead Sea Scroll.
He currently lives and writes somewhere in southern California.
There is compelling evidence that he is, in fact, the Lindbergh baby.
Title: Mila 2.0 Author: Debra Driza Category/Genre: Young Adult Sci-Fi My Star Rating: 5/5
Goodreads Blurb:
Mila 2.0 is the
first book in an electrifying sci-fi thriller series about a teenage
girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence.
Mila
was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl
living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to
forget her past—that she was built in a secret computer science lab and
programmed to do things real people would never do.
Now she has
no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her
terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that
wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However,
what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own,
and it just might save her life.
Mila 2.0 is Debra
Driza’s bold debut and the first book in a Bourne Identity-style trilogy
that combines heart-pounding action with a riveting exploration of what
it really means to be human. Fans of I Am Number Four will
love Mila for who she is and what she longs to be—and a cliffhanger
ending will leave them breathlessly awaiting the sequel.
My Review:
Thanks to Debra Driza, I learned something about myself I would've never suspected: Turns out, I LOVE androids! Okay, maybe I'm not a hardcore sci-fi robots and mayhem fanatic, but when the android is a 16 year old girl who thinks she's human...count me in!
I found this book in, of all places, the dollar tree. That gorgeous cover snagged me, and before I knew it, Mila 2.0 bypassed my entire to-be-read pile. That's a big pile, guys.
Mila started her connection with me on page one, and it was all over from there. Her character was deep and incredibly well developed, as were her relationships with those around her (well, except with Hunter, but I'll get into that later). Her emotions, her perceptions...I felt them all like they were my own. I mean, think about this: Debra brought an android to life better than so many authors manage to do for a HUMAN character. Talent, folks. The action was incredible (holy fight scenes!). I even had to stop reading at some parts just to let me adrenaline catch up. I think the ending spot for this particular book was justified; yes, CLIFFHANGER alert! But! The spot marks the end to that part of Mila's life. Everything else is a new story (which, I might add, has already been ordered from Amazon).
Now, about Hunter. I don't buy into instant love in books, and that's exactly what this was. She shares one date with the guy and suddenly she's willing to jeopardize her life AND her mothers to sneak a call to him? Nahh. Yeah, she's a teenager, but that doesn't make her stupid. Also, I kind of felt like the book could've been about 100 pages shorter. There was a lot of repetition, a lot of saying the same thing a dozen different ways.
Title: When We Were Human Author: Kate L. Mary Category/Genre: Apocalyptic Upper YA My Star Rating: 4/5
Goodreads Blurb:
“They came four
years ago. Invaded our planet, rounded us up, decimated the human race.
We fought back, and some even say we won, but they’re wrong. The
invaders took everything from us. Our family. Our hope. Our humanity. We
won the war, but there are no humans left. Only monsters who will do
anything to survive. Some look human and some don’t, but they are all
the same.”
Eighteen-year-old Eva has spent the last year
punishing herself for her sister’s death and hiding from everyone she
comes into contact with, human or otherwise. With the population
destroyed and the Earth left in ruins, she sees little hope left for the
future.
But when she crosses paths with Walker and Tara
something inside her awakens. Something she thought had died along with
her entire family. In these new friends Eva sees a promise of what the
future could be, as well as evidence that humanity might not be extinct
after all.
When a ghost from Eva’s past makes an unexpected
appearance, the group sets out on a cross-country trek that will teach
Eva how to love and hope again, and will remind her what it truly means
to be human.
Review:
**I received a complimentary ecopy of this book in exchange for a honest review**
So let's talk about aliens. I LOVE them. Okay, my husband might say I have a secret obsession with them. Ancient Aliens is pretty much permanently on my TV when he isn't around (the show freaks him out). I don't, however, read too many fiction books about them. I'm a romance junkie, and the idea of a human fornicating with an alien species kind of skives me out. Why I haven't seen an alternative like WHEN WE WERE HUMAN before is anybody's guess. But I loved it!
I got my alien fix, I got my romance fix. The two didn't touch, but they kind of did. Kate wove the two together seamlessly, making each was a vital part of the plot. Too cool.
You will immediately be sympathetic to Eva. Kate tackled some real issues with her character. She finds herself turning into a monster; the only way she knows how to handle the transition is to self-destruct. In comes Walker and baby sister Lilly to save her from herself. Two totally different kinds of love, both crucial to the survival of Eva's humanity.
I didn't care for the ending so much, though. It just kind of ended. No huge climactic event...just, hey, we're all happy now. Which is cool if there's a second book. Maybe there's more to come?
“They came four years ago. Invaded our planet, rounded us up, decimated the human race. We fought back, and some even say we won, but they’re wrong. The invaders took everything from us. Our family. Our hope. Our humanity. We won the war, but there are no humans left. Only monsters who will do anything to survive. Some look human and some don’t, but they are all the same.”
╣Synopsis╠
Eighteen-year-old Eva has spent the last year punishing herself for her sister’s death and hiding from everyone she comes into contact with, human or otherwise. With the population destroyed and the Earth left in ruins, she sees little hope left for the future.But when she crosses paths with Walker and Tara something inside her awakens. Something she thought had died along with her entire family. In these new friends Eva sees a promise of what the future could be, as well as evidence that humanity might not be extinct after all.When a ghost from Eva’s past makes an unexpected appearance, the group sets out on a cross-country trek that will teach Eva how to love and hope again, and will remind her what it truly means to be human.
When the camp comes into view I have a difficult time not throwing up. Water and carrots slosh back and forth in my stomach. The sweat on my palms has nothing to do with the humidity, and my legs are so weak they feel like pipe cleaners trying to support a rubber ball. The fence surrounding the camp is down in most places, and the majority of the hastily set-up tents have blown away. The few left are ripped. The canvas blows in the warm breeze, flapping back and forth like the wings of an ominous bird. The storage building is still standing, though. If it isn’t empty this trip might be worth our time, but if it’s been cleaned out all this emotional turmoil and pain I’m going through right now will be for nothing. And I don’t have a lot of optimism that things will turn out in our favor. Atlanta is just visible in the distance. Or what’s left of it, anyway. A ruined building juts up here and there, but for the most part the city is flat. It looks as if like the earth had just opened up and sucked the city down. It’s what the creepers did in the first wave. Wiped out the all the major cities until there was nothing left but a landscape of rubble and dust. Killing millions in the blink of an eye. Walker heads into the camp, and I follow silently, trying not to think about those terrifying days. My throat tightens when we step across the toppled chain link fence. The rusty metal clinks under our feet and my heart pounds harder with each step. When I finally enter the prison camp where my sister lived out her final days, it feels like I’m walking into a cemetery. In many ways I am. Bones of the former inhabitants are scattered across the ground as far as the eye can see. The bodies have been picked clean by animals and bugs, and the clothes have long since blown away, but the skeletons remain as a heart-breaking reminder of everything we lost. Which one is my sister? “This way,” Walker says, tilting his head toward the storage building. The three of us pick our way across the camp, stepping over debris and remains. Tara won’t stop looking at me, and every glance causes my insides to harden even more. I wish I’d never told them I lost my sister here. I hate thinking that they associate me with this place. Even worse, I hate that I associate myself with this hell. I catch sight of a charred, mangled tree and the urge to hurl hits me so hard that I almost have to stop. The stump juts up from the ground, and to the left of it sits a small crater. It’s like a missile took out the top of the tree, then hit the ground next to it. The black circle from the fire extends for about ten feet around the hole. The fire burnt the tree to a crisp, leaving almost nothing behind. Our tree. Mine and Lilly’s. I force myself to turn away from the remains before I burst into tears. I shouldn’t have come here. We get closer to the storage building but something looks off. The brightness of the sun makes it hard to see and forces me to squint. Then it hits me. The walls are covered in writing and discarded cans of spray paint by the dozens lay on the ground. At first I’m not sure what I’m looking at, but it only takes a few seconds of scanning the words to figure out what it all means. They’re notes left by survivors. People hoping to find loved ones they’ve lost. Stupid people clinging to hope that doesn’t exist. “What is this?” I ask, coming to a stop about ten feet from the wall. “Survivor’s wall.” Walker glances toward Tara, then turns at the entrance of the building. “People leave messages behind just in case a family member comes through. We’ll check it out before we leave, but we should look for food first.” Tara nods and follows him, but her eyes are glued to the wall. They never stop moving, never stop reading the names. I keep my eyes on the back of Walker’s head as I follow him inside. Away from the wall and the words of desperation painted on them. There’s nothing on that wall for me.
╣Teasers╠
╣About the Author╠
Kate L. Mary is a stay-at-home mother of four and an Air Force wife. She grew up in a small town just north of Dayton, Ohio where she and her husband met at the age of twelve. Since their marriage in 2002, they have lived in Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and California.Kate enjoys any post-apocalyptic story - especially if zombies are involved - as long as there is a romantic twist to give the story hope. Kate prefers nerdy, non-traditional heroes who can make you laugh to hunky pieces of man-meat, and her love of wine and chocolate is legendary among her friends and family. She currently resides in Oklahoma with her husband and children.Be sure to check out her best-selling BROKEN WORLD series, a top 100 book in dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction on Amazon.
The Broken World seriesAvailable now on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, Paperback and Audiobook!Broken World
When a deadly virus sweeps the country, Vivian Thomas sets out for California in hopes of seeing the daughter she gave up for adoption. Then her car breaks down and she’s faced with a choice. Give up, or accept a ride from redneck brothers, Angus and Axl. Vivian knows the offer has more to do with her double D’s than kindness, but she’s prepared to do whatever it takes to reach her daughter.
The virus is spreading, and by the time the group makes it to California, most of the population has been wiped out. When the dead start coming back, Vivian and the others realize that no electricity or running water are the least of their concerns. Now Vivian has to figure out how to be a mother under the most frightening circumstances, cope with Angus’s aggressive mood swings, and sort out her growing attraction to his brooding younger brother, Axl.
While searching for a safe place to go, they pick up a pompous billionaire who may be the answer to all their problems. Trusting him means going into the middle of the Mojave Desert and possibly risking their lives, but with the streets overrun and nowhere else to turn, it seems he might be their only chance for survival.
CollisionNew Adult Romantic Mystery
Available now on Kindle and Kindle UnlimitedSome secrets are better left untold…When eighteen-year-old Kara Jones gets into a car accident on the way home from college, she’s left with more than a few bruised ribs, a busted cell phone, and a totaled car. After a slip-up at the hospital, she’s shaken to discover that her family isn’t all it seems. And now her mother’s strange behavior and willingness to do anything to protect her secrets—including pulling Kara out of school—have Kara floundering in the dark.
Enter Derek Miller, a former classmate who’s dealing with family issues of his own. His nerdy charm is too much for Kara to resist, and she’s even more amazed when he agrees to help her dig into her mother’s past. Together they investigate her mother’s old friends and boyfriends, hoping to discover who Kara really is. Instead, they find disturbing connections to the dark history of Kent State University, and an ever expanding maze of mystery surrounding Kara’s birth.
As Kara and Derek chase secrets, she realizes he’s the only person she can trust. But as they get closer to the truth, the disturbing answers reveal a web of evil far darker and further reaching than they’d imagined, leaving Kara to wish she’d never asked the questions in the first place.
The List
(College of Charleston, #1)
New Adult Contemporary Romance
Available from Lyrical PressAmazon│Barnes & Noble│iBooks│Kobo│Google
The List. Twenty things every girl must do before she turns twenty. . .Body piercing
Get drunk
First kiss
But thanks to her crazy, over-protective father, Annie Roth is way behind schedule. Good thing it’s her first semester of college, because Annie is more than ready to start checking off items. . .
Fake ID
Skinny dipping
Road trip!!!
Where it gets complicated? Ryan and Chris. Best friends. Both sweet, funny, totally hot, and totally into Annie.
But there are some things on The List that Annie only wants to do with Ryan. . .
Lose it
Get Heart Broken
Fall in love
No Regrets
(College of Charleston, #2)
New Adult Contemporary Romance
Coming September 2015 from Lyrical Press Amazon│B&N│Google│iBooks│Kobo
College is supposed to be fun…
Go to parties
Pick up guys
Maybe get in a little trouble
On the surface Cami is your average, wild teenager out to have a good time, but inside she’s struggling. Almost a year ago her best friend was in a car accident, an accident Cami feels responsible for. Since then, she’s made it her personal mission to experience everything life has to offer, both for herself and for Julie, who will never have fun again.
Then she meets Liam, her cousin’s sexy roommate. Hooking up with a hot British dude seems like the perfect way to start off the school year, but the more time she spends with him, the more she finds herself actually liking the guy. Which totally screws up her plans to live life with no regrets…
Prep For Doom
Don’t Look Back, Chapter 18
Band of Dystopian Anthology
Young Adult ApocalypticFrom the imaginations of twenty authors of dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction comes PREP FOR DOOM – an integrated collection of short stories that tell the tale of a single catastrophe as experienced by many characters, few of whom will ever meet. What begins with a seemingly innocuous traffic accident soon spirals into a global pandemic. The release of Airborne Viral Hemorrhagic Fever upon New York City’s unsuspecting populace brings bloody suffering within hours, death within a day, and spreads worldwide within a month.
An online community called Prep For Doom has risen to the top of a recent doomsday preparation movement. Some have written them off as crazy while others couldn’t be more serious about the safety the preppers could provide in a global disaster. But when AVHF strikes, their preparation may not be enough to save them.
Title: IRRADIATED Author: S. Elliot Brandis Category/Genre: Sci-Fi (Post-apocalyptic/Dystopian)
Blurb:
A man thrust a baby into Jade’s hands. It
trembled in her arms. The man had a message: escape from the tunnels and never
return, her parents were already dead. Jade had a sister; she was irradiated.
Thirteen years later, her sister, Pearl, is
coming of age. Rows of sucker-caps line her arms and hands. Her skin is coral
pink. Each night, her dreams fill with visions of violence, depression, and
fear.
On the surface, people have grown wild and
dangerous. They scavenge, fight, and steal. Below, in the tunnels, they're
controlled by a ruthless leader and an army of beings known only as Shadows.
When both groups come searching for Pearl, sensing the power her dreams may
hold, only Jade can stand in the way.
Excerpt:
The man thrust a baby into Jade’s hands. It was warm and wet and its cries were muffled. Thick fabric covered its face and body. It trembled in her arms. “You have to go,” said the man. His voice was urgent and his movements were rapid. Each breath was hot and laboured. “I don’t understand. Where’s Mum, where’s Dad?” Jade asked. The tunnel was dark but she could place him by the sound, by the heat, by the air. His panic rushed into her, as though it was her own. He grabbed her with heavy hands and turned her around. “There’s no time,” he said. “No time, child. They’re coming. The Shadows are coming. You need to get out of here.” “B-But, what about my parents?” she stammered. The man squeezed her shoulders tightly, his fingers digging into her muscles and between her bones. “I’m sorry,” he said. “They’re dead. You have to trust us. This is your only chance. This is your sister’s only chance. You have to keep going and never turn back.” He pushed her onward, and other hands grabbed her. They grasped her then passed her on to the next set. They all knew what was happening, all knew where she was headed—everybody but her. She clutched the squealing baby in her long, thin arms and yielded herself to their guidance. Jade had a sister; she was irradiated.
About The Author
S. Elliot Brandis is a Speculative Fiction writer from Brisbane, Australia. He writes about societies on the brink of collapse, and civilizations that have long since crumbled. His debut novel, Irradiated, is a dark tale about survival, love, and moral ambiguity.
When he’s not putting his characters through the wringer, he’s actually kind of a nice guy. He keeps literature on the same shelf as comic books, and mixes his beer with tobasco. He invites you to visit him at selliotbrandis.com.
Title: FIRES OF MAN Author: Dan Levinson Genre: Science Fiction
Blurb:
In a world where a gifted few can manipulate reality with their minds, two great nations—Calchis and Orion—employ these psionic powers in a covert war for global superiority.
In the heart of Calchis, a powerful young psion named Aaron Waverly is kidnapped, and forcibly conscripted. To the north, in the capital, a plan is hatched to decimate Orion, to be carried out by the ruthless operative known only as “Agent.”
In Orion, fresh recruit Stockton Finn comes to terms with his incredible new powers, and learns firsthand how dangerous they can be. Meanwhile, officers Nyne Allen and Kay Barrett navigate the aftermath of their shattered love affair, oblivious to the fact that Calchis draws ever closer to destroying the tenuous peace.
Finally, in the arctic land of Zenith, Calchan archaeologist Faith Santia unearths a millennia-old ruin. This lost temple might just hold the hidden history of psionic powers, as well as hints of a deeper mystery . . . that could shake the foundations of all mankind.
He ran toward the edge of the cliff.
The sun beat down upon him as his limbs pumped. Earth crunched beneath his feet, and a breeze blew across his black-stubbled scalp. His breathing was calm, meticulously measured.
When the ground slipped away, he felt only anticipation.
Plummeting, the man inhaled. Power flooded into him, thrilling, delicious. He reached out with that power, warping reality with an energy born from the depths of his being. Suddenly . . .
He winked out of existence . . .
And then reappeared at the base of the cliff.
About The Author
Born and raised on Long Island, NY, Dan grew up immersing himself in fantastical worlds. While other kids dreamed of being astronauts and cowboys, all he ever wanted was to be a novelist. Now, he’s living his dream.
Jane expected six months undercover to be hard; she expected it to be lonely and bleak. She didn’t expect to find love.
Jane Butler, a CIA operative, is assigned the task of infiltrating the Xanthians and determining if they’re a threat to humanity. Going undercover as a Xanthian mate, she boards the transport ship and meets Usnavi—her new mate. After spending six days traveling through space, Jane is ecstatic to explore the Xanthian station and soon sets out to complete her mission. The only problem? Usnavi—and the feelings she is quickly developing.
Fumbling their way through varying sexual expectations, cooking catastrophes, and cultural differences, they soon discover life together is never boring. As Jane and Usnavi careen into a relationship neither of them expected, Jane uncovers dark secrets about the Xanthians and realizes she may no longer be safe. When it becomes clear she’s on her own, Jane is forced to trust and rely on Usnavi. Simultaneously struggling with her mission, her feelings for Usnavi, and homesickness, Jane faces questions she never imagined she would have to answer.
After chasing around puppies and corralling kittens, S.A. Snow flips open her BSG replicated console and enters her mysterious world of imagination. Seeking to escape the rigors of her day jobs, she enters flight mode and powers her engines full-speed ahead.
A prolific writer of non-traditional erotica, S.A. Snow grew up on a small alpaca farm high in the Andes Mountains. A lover of yoga and meditation, she spends her free time constructing alien space stations, organizing werewolf governments, and cataloging all episodes of Star Trek in order of technical soundness. A firm believer that one need not choose between Gene Roddenberry and George Lucas, she also has closely examines all Star Wars movies in order to determine which episode is more factually based.
S.A. Snow writes truth and only truth, factoring in all evidences she can find. She writes only about parallel universes she has personally visited, and believes if something about her books isn’t shocking, she’s not effectively telling the story.
Alex once walked away from a rare ability to warp time, thinking it was only a young man's trick to play basketball better. Now, as a father and teacher, he needs to relearn the skill quickly before the past begins to destroy his own future. To protect his daughter and his most promising student, he must stop the school at which he teaches from turning the clock backwards to an era of white supremacy.
An old high school friend is in desperate need of Alex’s unique gifts to help solve an ancient Maya mystery. As the puzzling artifact offers a rare chance to bridge the past and the future, its story begins to intertwine with the growing tensions at Alex’s school. As both situations take dangerous turns, Alex knows that he must learn to control his temporal talents before he runs out of time.
z2 is part of 46. Ascending, a collection of loosely interrelated novels about five very different family members who each discover that they can do the extraordinary when circumstances require it. These books are designed to be read as stand alone stories or in any order.
Sherrie Roth grew up in Western Kansas thinking that there was no place in the universe more fascinating than outer space. After her mother vetoed astronaut as a career ambition, she went on to study journalism and physics in hopes of becoming a science writer.
She published her first science fiction short story in 1979 and then waited a lot of tables while she looked for inspiration for the next story. When it finally came, it declared to her that it had to be whole book, nothing less. One night, while digesting this disturbing piece of news, she drank way too many shots of ouzo with her boyfriend. She woke up thirty-one years later demanding to know what was going on.
The boyfriend, who she had apparently long since married, asked her to calm down and explained that in a fit of practicality she had gone back to school and gotten a degree in geophysics and had spent the last 28 years interpreting seismic data in the oil industry. The good news, according to Mr. Cronin, was that she had found it at least mildly entertaining and ridiculously well-paying The bad news was that the two of them had still managed to spend almost all of the money.
Apparently she was now Mrs. Cronin, and the further good news was that they had produced three wonderful children whom they loved dearly, even though to be honest that is where a lot of the money had gone. Even better news was that Mr. Cronin turned out to be a warm-hearted, encouraging sort who was happy to see her awake and ready to write. "It's about time," were his exact words.
Sherrie Cronin discovered that over the ensuing decades Sally Ride had already managed to become the first woman in space and apparently had done a fine job of it. No one, however, had written the book that had been in Sherrie's head for decades. The only problem was, the book informed her sternly that it had now grown into a six book series. Sherrie decided that she better start writing it before it got any longer. She's been wide awake ever since, and writing away.
The denizens of hell attack. The zombies feed. She’s their meal.
Sometimes they come back. At least the Kryszka aliens do. Their leader injects captured humans with a drug, turning them into zombies. Yeron escapes the Kryszka Colony, hoping to practice medicine on the humans who fear him. Alexis—a patient—is afraid too, until his seductive attentions arouse her. Despite his experimental drug, severe arthritis leaves her too weak to handle most guns. The Kryszka troops and zombies who break into the hospital are hungry. Very hungry. How will she fight them?
EXCERPT
Shattering glass. Plodding footsteps. IV poles crashed to the floor. Glass shards tinkled, punctuated by low-pitched groaning from the rear elevator, the exit Hoffman had claimed to seal.
“Dear God, help us.” Alexis reached for her gun.
“What are you doing? Guns are forbidden on this floor, and…Oh, my God!” Ms. Grese cupped her hands over her mouth. Her authoritarian demeanor vanished, replaced by horror-stricken pallor. “Where are the officers?”
“You think our visitors give a shit?” Alexis scuttled toward the door, feeling vulnerable. The vest didn’t protect her face or hands, but the intruders wouldn’t care about that either. She shoved Ms. Grese ahead of her, pushing with her mind, Yeron beside her. “Run!” she hollered.
As the creatures poured through the ward, a stench crawled down her throat, the stink of things many days dead. Moaning drowned out the sound of Ms. Grese’s cries, a continual chant of “hungry.”
Skeletal figures in tattered rags skirted around Mark, who fired at any who got too close. Their tendons flashed gray against cold cobwebs of rib and knuckle. The flesh that quivered through widened skin tears had the sheen of rotting meat. The skin resembled cracked leather. Weeds sprouted on some of the figures’ necks and hair, the way they did in her nightmares. They made their way to the desk, where two nurses sat. The two women jumped up, both screaming. One of them opened fire with a Glock.
The armed woman was her mother.
Barbara Custer
Barbara lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she works full time as a respiratory therapist. When she’s not working with her patients, she’s enjoying a fright flick or working on horror and science fiction tales. Her short stories have appeared in numerous small press magazines. She’s published Night to Dawn magazine since 2004.
Other books by Barbara include Twilight Healer, City of Brotherly Death, and Close Liaisons. She’s also coauthored Alien Worlds and Starship Invasions (both now out of print) with Tom Johnson. She enjoys bringing her medical background to the printed page, and then blending it with supernatural horror. She maintains a presence on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, and The Writers Coffeehouse forum. Look for the photos with the Mylar balloons and you’ll find her.
In the corner of my eye I spotted something behind Terry. There was a man. A man walking by. He looked just like me. It was like looking in a mirror, and my mind struggled to comprehend how this could be possible. He glanced at me before scurrying off into the stairwell. I stood up in a daze and walked to the corridor. Terry protested, but I just ignored him. I reached the empty stairwell perplexed.
Feeling inexplicably drawn to the man, I ran out into the stairwell. I felt like I had to find out why he looked just like me; was this some sort of bizarre prank? The man was gone. I looked down the middle of the staircase, but he wasn’t there. I sprinted up the stairs toward the roof, leaving Terry floundering in the stairwell entrance, unsure what to do. My footsteps thudded as I paced upward, anticipating what could be happening, but when I threw open the roof door, I found the roof to be empty. There was no way the man could have gone anywhere else, but he simply wasn’t there. Terry caught up to me. “You...okay there, man?” he said, panting. He wasn’t the most interesting man I knew; however, he was kind, which meant he was decent friend material, not to say I wouldn’t ditch him if someone else swooped into my desolate life. I was confused. I was sure I had seen someone a moment ago, but no one was out on the roof. I gave a nervous laugh, scratching at my palm. “I thought I saw something.” Giving him a meek look, I returned to the stairwell. Maybe I was just tired and seeing things. Could have I fallen asleep for a moment and dreamed it? It’s hard to determine a dream from reality; in a dream everything seems to make sense, only upon waking do you realize the absurdity of it all.
Native to the UK, I was born in the Garden of England in the early 90s.
I was creative from a young age, always wrapped up in my own world and fantasies. I was a big reader from a young age, reading Les Miserables and Lord of the Rings while I was still in primary school.
I was fortunate enough to be able to travel a lot in my youth, from Hong Kong to Houston I experienced the world and gained a greater perspective of the world outside my small woodland village I grew up in.
In secondary school I was told I was too cynical to be a writer and was put off writing for many years.
Instead I pursued a degree in Physical Geography, gaining my Masters degree in late 2015.
University gave me time to really discover myself as a person. Allowing me to pursue my passions and dreams to their fullest. I want to share my stories and ideas with the world. As a child I hungrily devoured fiction and now I will help feed the minds of others.
