Tag Archives: Ebooks

They Mostly Come Out At Night by Benedict Patrick – Review

Title – They Mostly Come Out At Night
Author – Benedict Patrick
Genre – Dark Fantasy
Length –    219 Pages
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

He locked himself away from the dark, but in the Magpie King’s forest nowhere is safe…

Lonan is an outcast, accused of letting the monsters that stalk the night into the homes of his fellow villagers. Now, he will not rest until he wins back the heart of his childhood love and reclaims the life that was stolen from him. However, locked safely in his cellar at night, in his dreams Lonan finds himself looking through the eyes of a young prince…

Adahy has a destiny, and it terrifies him. How can he hope to live up to the legend of the Magpie King, to become the supernatural protector of the forest and defender of his people? But when the forest is invaded by an inhuman force, Adahy must rise to this challenge or let the Wolves destroy his people.

Watching these events unfold in his sleep, Lonan must do what he can to protect his village from this new threat. He is the only person who can keep his loved ones from being stolen away after dark, and to do so he will have to earn back their trust or watch the monsters kill everyone that he holds dear.

They Mostly Come Out At Night is a Dark Fantasy novel from Benedict Patrick’s Yarnsworld series. If you like Neil Gaiman and Patrick Rothfuss then you will love this captivating, dangerous world in which ordinary people struggle to find their place in a land ruled by stories.

Start reading today to discover this epic tale of dreams, fables and monsters! 

Review

This book was a real surprise for me. I’ve never read anything quite like it.

The main thing I enjoyed about this book was the format, it switches between different viewpoints to keep you interested and inbetween you get little folk tales which fitted perfectly with the story but also broke up the reading making it flow and easy to digest. The way the book was paced was honestly the reason I read it so quickly and enjoyed it so thoroughly

Adahy has to be my favourite character, and the tale that unfolds towards the end surprised me. I knew something was coming but didn’t quite get it before the author gave you the twist in the tale.

I love fantasy and this is no exception, it dark, fast paced, creepy and wild

Another thing that really made it interesting for me was the “knack” the villagers possessed, each individual gaining their own skill to benefit their village. This really came in useful for the story when learning about Lonan and his story.. Although it’s fantasy I felt it was real, you really felt for him

The ending did not disappoint one bit, it gave me just what I was hoping for.. When I put the book down the only thing I could think to say was “Wow”

For me this book ticked everything and the way it was written made it fresh and easy to read. Usually when i read at night I might only read a couple chapters before I get too tired but with this I was so drawn in.. it flowed so well that I just kept going

I won’t spoil the plot for you but this story weaves two people’s lives into one with a very surprising and interesting twist.

Anyone who likes dark fantasy will enjoy this no doubt, any lover of fantasy in general also.. come to think of it anyone who just enjoys a dark tale, like the Brothers Grimm, not every story has a happy ending.

Love it!

My thanks go to the author for the chance to read/review their work

The book is out tomorrow at 99p! but only until the 22nd when it will go up in price so I’d grab a copy now if I was you.

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

The Jumbee’s Daughter by Jonathan M. Ross – Review

Title –  The Jumbee’s Daughter
Author – Jonathan M. Ross
Genre –  Military Fiction
Length –   186  Pages
My Rating – 3/5 Stars

Synopsis

Enter a boiling cauldron of danger, adventure, romance, and a touch of island magic:

– Ex-Army Ranger Mike Stiles, haunted by the loss of a comrade in combat, can’t settle into civilian life. When his best friend asks for help to break up a drug-smuggling ring on St. Thomas, Mike rushes to his aid. Mike figures the danger will do him some good.

– Anika Hegner, of Danish heritage, has Jumbee blood in her veins, straight from the Dark Continent. Since childhood, she has delighted in shape shifting to a black cat and scaring the unwary. Now, as she struggles to reconcile her dual heritage, she discovers the added distraction of a taciturn veteran who insists on camping on her family’s abandoned estate.

– Ambitious, young drug lord Santiago Morales is expanding the family business from Puerto Rico to backwater St. Thomas. Smuggling, fast cars, and beautiful women are his passions. To celebrate his arrival on the island, he plans to romance a certain local girl and kill a nosy ex-soldier.

Review

This book follows Mike, who has been asked by his friend to help with an investigation into drug smuggling. They have a background of working together in the Army so you can understand why he would call on him for assistance.

The plot of pretty interesting, good guy arrives, bad guy arrives, it’s cat and mouse.. neither knowing if the other knows they are there. Everything builds up to an explosive ending.

The things I enjoyed about this book had to be the military background; it gave some depth to Mike. Add to this the magic within the story and it made a very intriguing book, the idea Anika can shapeshift was great.

What didn’t work for me were the relationships within the book. Mike tries time and time again to explain to his friend he believes he knows where the drug smugglers are landing but even with their army background together he’s just ignored..

For me the relationship between Anika and Mike that develops just doesn’t work.. it happened way too fast

The main bad guy in this story is Santiago Morales, even though I enjoyed his character he just annoyed me. He kept calling Mike the police agent even when he didn’t know that’s what he was.. Mike was hired outside of the police due to a mole.. for all Morales knew he could have just been camping out.

All in all I enjoyed the plot, it’s a slow burner but enjoyable if you don’t mind characters falling head over heels for each other quickly.

The writing itself was very good and easy to follow; I think I’d quite enjoy another book from this author if it has a little less romance.

It’s a quick read too so if you like romance mixed with a bit of action and suspense you’ll enjoy this

My thanks go to the author for the chance to read/review his work.

The Jumbee’s Daughter is out today! To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Author Spotlight – Graham Wood

Today I bring to you the third of four author spotlight posts as part of the Clink Street Blogival 2016. My aim is to highlight a few authors, there’s so much choice these days too many can be overlooked. I honestly picked the four that stood out the most for me and i hope you can see why once you’ve read a bit about the books.

It’s the turn of Graham Wood author of Zein: The Homecoming, the 2nd book in a science fiction trilogy. Here’s the blurb that instantly grabbed me. I’d love to hear your thoughts.At only 99p i’ll be adding this and the first book to my TBR list

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With Zylar defeated and on the run, newly appointed Lord Chancellor Kabel Blackstone leads a joint human and Zeinonian force in his search for his home planet, Zein. On Zein, Tate Malacca defends the survivors in the last remaining safe haven from the attacks of the vicious Pod hordes, who are intent on killing them all. As Tyson’s powers in the magics grow more unstable… who can control or guide him; hopes may lie with the enigmatic Changeling, Zebulon. On Earth, the mysterious Cabal spreads its influence and network, with the ultimate aim of controlling the production of the all-powerful zinithium. Zylar waits for his opportunity for revenge, breeding his master race and building a new Ilsid army to crush the Blackstone brothers once and for all. Facing incredible odds Kabel, Tyson and their friends have to conquer their own fears and temptations to fight for not just each other but the millions who face certain death if they fail

Zein: The Homecoming is available on Amazon – rxe.me/0IF8O8

Without further ado i pass you to Graham who will tell you a little about himself and his work.


 

I am an alien…apologies I am deep into writing my third and final book of my first Zein trilogy and you become so immersed in your writing that you become one with it! I am actually a Mancunian from sunny Manchester in the United Kingdom, some may say that my first statement is more accurate than placing ‘sunny’ in front of Manchester. I am married and have two children, Joe who is nearly 21 and Becky who is 17…though I had them when I was incredibly young so I am still very youthful.

When I was 15 years old I wrote my first play called ‘Taming of the Shoe’ which was a take on Shakespeare’s, Taming of the Shrew. The play took the characters from the Taming of the Shrew and gave them characters based on the different types of shoes you could buy at the time, each loosely tied (pardon the pun) with the character type. It was a humorous writing of course and I had to stand up in front of two hundred people at The Rotary Club, a public speaking association, and I came second. But the sight I enjoyed the most was the astonishment of my parents watching their previously shy and post speech impediment son spouting this incredibly insane adaption of a famous play.

The book I fell in love with was Lord of the Rings. For years I wanted it to become a film and you can guess my astonishment when it did eventually hit our screens. I may have been in my thirties but on that day I was just a kid at heart.

My first novel I wrote but didn’t finish was a love story surrounding the fall of the Berlin Wall. I do have to point out that this was ten years before the actual event and was about a retired soldier who attempts to rescue his daughter who has disappeared in East Germany and is part of the non-violent struggle to bring down the Berlin Wall. However, she is pursued by the secret police and he decides to attempt to rescue her. Then life got in the way and before you know it the Berlin Wall had fallen – so inconvenient…that’s when I decided the first book I have published is in the science-fiction genre. Surely there cannot be alien cities above us protected by extraordinary technology…or is there?

After years of procrastinating and not starting my book it was the bravery of my daughter that spurred me on.  At the age of 14 we suddenly found out that her heart was not connected to her descending aorta and she had to have open heart surgery. It was in those long nights beside her bed as she recovered that, to take my mind off what she was going through, I pulled together my first novel, Zein: The Prophecy. When I put fingers to keyboard I could not hold back on my emotions and some of the writing captures the despair and fear that I felt at the time.

There will be three self-contained trilogies on Zein. The 2nd trilogy will be set in the future and will follow the exploits of the children of the heroes and villains of the 1st trilogy. The 3rd and final trilogy will be the prologue on how the aliens came to Earth in the first place.

My ultimate dream, apart from my family being blessed with long lives and happiness, is that my books become films and maybe, just maybe there will be a child out there who has read Zein: The Prophecy and hopes that one day he or she will see the story come to life in front of them on the big screen and spend the first 5 minutes pinching his or her skin to test they are not dreaming.

Zein: The Homecoming by Graham Wood (published by Clink Street Publishing 7th July 2015 RRP £8.99, eBook £4.99) is available online at retailers including Amazon.co.uk and can be ordered from all good bookstores. For more information, please visit: www.grahamjwood.com.

 

I Had A Dream by Owen Mullen – Guest Blog

Recently I reviewed Games People Play by Owen Mullen which follows the life and cases of PI Charlie Cameron. You can read my review here

Today i’m very glad to say Owen has kindly offered to do a guest post on my blog.

I very much enjoyed the book and I’m looking forward to reading the second book Old Friends and New Enemies in the next few weeks

Click the images below to head to Amazon

 

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I hope you enjoy the post 🙂


 

I Had A Dream

I didn’t start out to be a writer. Or rather, I did but somehow managed to forget about it. One early memory I have is of a recurring daydream – I guess I would be twelve or thirteen at the time. In the dream I saw myself on top of a hill, lying on the grass with paper and a pen. Below me was a city. The city was Naples. No idea why; I’ve been to Italy many times though never there. Around that time I was reading the short stories of Somerset Maugham. Maugham was tremendously successful and wealthy enough to be able to live in the South of France, which has always had a particular fascination for me. The writer’s life allowed him to travel and many of his stories are set in the Far East: ‘Rain’, ‘The Force of Circumstance’ and ‘The Outstation’ are favourites of mine.

So I grew up with a head filled with the idea of me as a well travelled writer living in the Mediterranean. Now, many years later, I fit that description. The daydream has become reality. With my wife, Christine, I have been all over the world – mostly organised by ourselves – from the Brazilian Amazon to the Himalayas in Nepal; Borneo to Botswana; the Ganges to the Zambezi. And great fun it has been. As for the rest, well, we didn’t quite make the South of France and settled for the Greek Islands instead. Shame, eh?

The journey has been interesting.

Those childish ambitions were overtaken by another creative outlet, one that seemed much more glamorous and exciting to a teenage boy: Music.

When I was sixteen I started a band with some of my friends. I played guitar [kind of] and practiced in my father’s garage. Where else? Of course, as you might expect, we were pretty awful and before long a few of the guys got fed up and moved on. I stuck at it.

A month before my nineteenth birthday I packed in my job and ‘went professional’. By then, I was in a group with people who had a lot of talent and a couple of them went on to be famous. I washed up in London, writing songs with another guy, doing session singing and playing the London club and pub circuit which existed at that time. But I didn’t make it and eventually went home to Scotland with no idea what I was going to do with the rest of my life.

Fortunately I met Christine.

We had met when I played her school Valentine’s Day dance. She was fifteen. I was seventeen. But I remembered her. With her help I got down to creating a new life. I went to college then university. As a teenager, music had been just the distraction I needed to bomb at school. Two higher and some ‘O’ Levels were all I had to show for the many wasted years in classrooms switched off from the lesson. Now I was on the road back. I re-invented myself as Owen Mullen MSc DipM CIM and ready to take on the world.

Getting a job was the next step. Not easy. Not many employers are keen to take a chance on an old muso; they’ve heard the sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll hype and believe it. So they should. In the end I realised I was a free spirit and could do better on my own. As a marketing manager I had had dealings with design companies who charged a fortune for their services. I hadn’t been over impressed with the ones I’d had dealings with and had been forced to step in and rescue the artwork more than once. I left – you may have noticed I have had a habit of pulling the plug on ‘good’ jobs. It’s true. I didn’t know it, of course, but I was going full circle; all the way back to the boy and his daydream – and-set up my own business which, thank god, was successful.

But there was always that Mediterranean thing, wasn’t there?

On one particular trip we made a detour to the Greek island of Santorini and loved the climate. When we got back to Scotland I said to Christine. ‘Why don’t we pack everything in [there I go again] and move to the Greek Islands.’

She considered this for almost five seconds and said, ‘All right. Let’s do that.’

The idea in my head was that we buy a fisherman’s cottage and do it up. We were out of luck. We couldn’t find the fisherman or his cottage and instead bought land on a hill overlooking the sea. We found a builder, an architect and began to build our new home. That process is probably a book in itself but eventually we were in and ready to live the dream. Little did we know that just over the horizon was the biggest financial depression in living memory.

The life we had planned was in danger. We had to do something so I started to write, thinking I could save the day, not realising that the book business had troubles of its own. I couldn’t have picked a worse time to become a writer.

Somehow we survived.

When my first book, Games People Play, came out I remembered the twelve year old boy and his day dream. That was when it hit me. I was on a hill, though in a villa not lying on the grass. And the pen and paper was a pc. From the window I can see the blue water of the Mediterranean.

The dream has come true.

Games People Play and the follow up, Old Friends and New Enemies, are in print and doing alright. The third book – as yet untitled – is underway and will be finished in about ten weeks.

And then..?

Well, if form is anything to go by I’ll pack it in and do something else, won’t I?

No. Not this time. I got where I wanted to go. Now I intend to get as many people as possible reading about Glasgow PI Charlie Cameron. For me and for  Charlie, the adventure is only just starting.


Twitter – @OwenMullen6

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/owenmullen10

Author Spotlight – Nooshie Motaref

Today I bring to you the second of four author spotlight posts as part of the Clink Street Blogival 2016.

I’m very glad to bring to you a bio for author Nooshie Motaref today and i little info about her book Tapestries of the Heart which i will be reviewing on my blog shortly. 

Instantly i was drawn to this book from the press release alone –

Authentic and powerful novel explores the ever-changing effects of religion and politics in Iranian society, told through the lives of four generations of Persian women, inspired by the author’s personal experiences.  

If you have already read the book or plan to in the future let me know, i’d love t hear your thoughts.

I’m definitely looking forward to reading this one.

Tapestries of the Heart is available on Amazon – http://lrd.to/tapestries-of-heart


 

Tapestries of the Heart: Four Women, Four Persian Generations

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Synopsis:

This award winning novel portrays four generations of Persian women over a span of one hundred years. It depicts the effects of religion and politics-ever changing in Iranian society. Tapestries stands out as a true representation of the cycle of life. The destinies of these characters are interwoven with many threads and the events and consequences throughout have a major impact on their lives. Throughout the generations, these women lived, loved, and fought for what they believed in. Though it was a struggle, they battled and endured when the odds were almost completely against them.

Bio:

Nooshie Motaref, has gone through many challenging life experiences unlike many women from the Middle East. She grew up in Persia, and studied in four countries — Iran, Germany, Switzerland and United States. She received her master’s and doctorate degrees in American Literature and Folklore from Florida State University. Her dissertation is a proof of Carl Jung’s theory, the “Collective Unconscious,” through Persian fairy tales and folktales.

She has taught university courses on humanities, literature and critical thinking. In addition, she is certified by the Conflict Resolution Program Act to promote peacemaking efforts worldwide.

In March of 2014, she presented one of her articles, “Women and Islam,” for a conference, Women and Education at Oxford University in Oxford, England.

She frequently gives speeches on several subjects related to her birthplace including its culture, traditions and religion. Her purpose is to familiarize Western audiences with  Iranian life and ethnicity.

Website: www.nooshiemotaref.com

Tapestries of the Heart is available on Amazon – http://lrd.to/tapestries-of-heart

Author Spotlight -A.L. Patterson

I’m always interested in being introduced to new authors. There is so much choice out there sometimes authors can be overlooked.

I was very kindly asked to take part in the Clink Street Blogival 2016 and i jumped at the chance to help showcase 4 authors whose books stood out for me.

One thing a book needs to do for me is hook me in from the synopsis alone. If you don’t get that right then you’ve missed out on a sale.

My first spotlight will be on author A.L. Patterson whose book Solipsism caught my eye. Andre has very kindly wrote a piece about how the book came about. Let me know what you think 🙂


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Synopsis:

Cosden Ke’s life has long been ordinary. But soon it becomes anything but ordinary when a charismatic professor takes him on a journey through time and space as they travel through the enigma of the only mind in existence. Just as one understanding of life ends, another begins… through unfathomable dimensions. But they soon face an ominous threat to universal actuality— faceless shadowy figures known only as the “Dark Men” who seek to suppress the truth of the universe— both its beginning and its end.

Unfortunately, Solipsism cannot be explained. It can only be experienced.

Book avilable on Amazon – https://t.co/9rRnEbMVCu

Bio:

Andre L. Patterson is a writer and educator based in Georgia. He currently attends Georgia Regents University as a graduate student of education. His interests range from esoteric philosophy to presidential history to solving Moscow Math Puzzles. “Solipsism” is his debut novel.

Website:

andrelpatterson.com

Book & Author Spotlight:

Several years ago, my brother, a USC doctoral student who enjoys puzzles, proposed an idea to me. “What if I’m not real? What if nothing in the physical world is real? How can you be sure that anything exists outside of your own mind? Maybe everything else is a projection. That’s a real philosophy, y’know?” So powerful was this notion that it remained with me, even if I didn’t fully believe it. But there it was, always niggling and philosophically gnawing at me. Then I read about this theory again and found a name for it—Solipsism—espoused by the great philosopher René Descartes and even mentioned briefly by Sigmund Freud himself (thus the opening quote of my book). This philosophy is also commonly referred to as “Brain-in-a-vat theory.” It configures that “in the beginning” (my words) our brains lie in a jar and electrical impulses send signals to the mind that forge the illusion, perception, and projections that make up our reality— the entire physical world is a mental projection. This was the sort of stardust that gave breath to The Matrix and The 13th Floor.

Over a year before beginning the manuscript, I came up with a funny idea. Why not turn solipsism into a book? I jotted down the mere idea in a notebook and assumed such an undertaking, with its philosophical and theoretical underpinning, would be too daunting. But a year later, I woke up one morning and realized that it had to be done. While my writing process is generally to plan in great detail, chapter-by-chapter, that was not done with this book. Perhaps because there are no chapters in this novel! That was quite purposeful. I want this novel to be read and experienced in one fell swoop. No breaks, no stops, no distractions to put it down. I almost see this book as one long chapter. But it remains purposefully short in comparison to other 21st century novels, where 600-page tomes have become the norm. I did not want to do that with this story. I prefer to exert the notion that 200 pages of my short novel, an exercise in esoterica— tinged with action and delightful surprises, will be just as worthwhile as any longer manuscript. I have admittedly packed a great deal of material into this book. And I hope, dear reader, you will enjoy experiencing this book as I enjoyed writing it. Who knows? If sales are ripe, we may get to join Cosden and The Professor once more. I will simply leave you with the tagline that I conjured up for this story.

Solipsism cannot be explained. It can only be experienced.

Book available on Amazon – https://t.co/9rRnEbMVCu

Daddy Dearest by Paul Southern – Review

Title – Daddy Dearest
Author – Paul Southern
Genre – Thriller/Suspense
Length –   245 Pages
My Rating – 4/5 Stars

Synopsis

An estranged father’s weekend with his beloved five-year-old daughter turns into a nightmare when she gets into the lift of a city centre tower block and goes down without him. She vanishes without a trace. It sets off a race against time, and a nationwide manhunt, to find her. As the police investigation closes in, suspicion falls on those closest to her – with devastating consequences. Daddy Dearest is a terrifying story of love, obsession and psychological meltdown.

‘My daughter has always had a thing about lifts. There’s something about the thrill of pressing a button and seeing the lift doors close which excites her imagination. It terrifies me. Every time she walks in, I imagine it’s the last time I’ll see her. What if she hits the button before I get there? What if the lift doors close and I can’t get her out? It drives me nuts. There are eight floors in the Sears building, nine if you count the basement, and the lift is fast: more like a fairground ride, really. It does top to bottom in twelve seconds. I’ve timed it. Taking the stairs, I’ve done it in forty-two. That leaves a gap of thirty seconds. You’d be surprised what can happen in that time. I was.’ 

Review

This is a very psychological tale told from the viewpoint of the dad when his daughter goes missing after getting in a lift

I never give away spoilers but I can say for certain this is has a very clever plotline with some very interesting developments that happen throughout the course of the book

There is a underlying tone of love to the tale and I think the author did a great job in making the reader understand the motives behind certain actions.

Emotion played a big part in the tale and the emotion made the tale real for me

For me the best thing about the book had to be the storyline itself. After reading one chapter Paul Southern hooked me in enough that I had to keep reading to see how the story would finish

Overall I felt this was a very well planned and written, raw and real. The storyline is so smart I could easily envisage this one being made into a TV programme.

I very much enjoyed the book and I’ll be looking out for the author’s next release

I really do wish I could give you more to go on but if I say anything else it would give the whole plot away.

My advice is that if you enjoy psychological thrillers or mysteries then you’ll enjoy this one

My thanks go to the author for the chance to read/review his work

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Returning Eden by Maria Mellins – Review

Title – Returning Eden
Author – Maria Mellins
Genre – Fantasy
Length –   138 Pages
Publication – 12th March 2016
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

A gothic ocean mystery.

In a world of monsters, sharks, castles and corpses it is up to Eden to keep the ocean’s beasts at bay.

Eden Hollow is being hunted. A dark secret from her past has followed her to the remote island of Cantillon, where she is due to start college.

Before long, a corpse dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, is found floating in the ocean. Together with her friends Niamh, Amira, Riley and the handsome but mysterious Dylan, Eden must confront her dark past in order to find the predator. In doing so, the teenagers stumble into a sinister world that stretches the realms of reality, as they discover just what is causing the uncanny ripples on the ocean’s surface.

A grotesquely beautiful tale of love, friendship and transformation.

Review

I came across Maria Mellins by chance. As a reviewer I’m always looking out for new books and after reading some novels by Tim Taylor I happened to look at his publisher’s website. Maria happens to be with the same publisher Crooked Cat.

Immediately I was interested by the cover alone which definitely caught my eye, add to this an intriguing plot and you had me hitting that “buy now” button

First off let me tell you this is a short story at 138 pages but it doesn’t feel like it, at the end I felt I had definitely got my money’s worth out of it.

The story focuses around Eden who has a dark past; Maria builds the suspense throughout the book as you never really know what will happen next. Towards the end of the tale everything is put in its place and the picture becomes clear. The author managed well to give you enough info to know something good was going to happen but didn’t give the game away too quickly.

I must say one of the best things about this book was the prologue. I was hooked in within 2 pages.

The plot itself was good, twists and turns to keep you interested. The relationships that form in the book do happen quite fast but that’s to be expected in a short novel

I definitely enjoyed Maria’s style of writing; the story flowed so well I barely even noticed the time… I got lost in the tale

This book was top notch! The plot was undeniably intriguing for me. This book is all about the build-up and for me it worked.

If you’re after a nice short read, interesting storyline with mystery and tension building up then this is the book for you

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

10 Questions with…..Brian K. Larson

So since is started to really get into reading a few years ago i’ve become a big fan of Brian’s work. He has fun ideas and his storytelling has always kept me hooked. Today happens to be release day for his latest work Time Squared. Look out for my review in the not to distant future!

Happy release day Brian!

Now, Brain has very kindly answered a few questions. Sit back, enjoy and at the end of it i hope you’ll be tempted to give Brian’s work a try if you haven’t already

Let’s talk about your latest released book. Tell us a short blurb about the book, please?

Time Squared is a book about, well, time travel. Here’s the synopsis:

Jonas Arnell, Tipper Montgomery, and a crew of seven launches from Jupiter Station on the Aevus. They’re sent to investigate a mysterious signal coming from the star Gliese 667.

Nearly destroyed from a surprise attack to prevent the mission, they retire into cryogenic sleep for the nineteen month journey.

When they awaken, their world is turned upside down as they discover the origin of this mystery signal; their own ship. Only the crew and the ship’s skiff are missing.

Landing on the planet, they discover a time chamber where an accident has altered their time-line. Now they must travel through time to stop the paradox from occurring.

Where did your idea for the story come from and how long did it take to write?

This book was originally inspired by the 1960’s TV show, “Time Tunnel” that I watched as a kid. I was enthralled by the idea, or, possibility, that we could travel through time.

Time Squared was one of my easiest books to write with a completed manuscript in two months. I love science fiction and when you toss time travel in, well, it becomes even more awesome.

How did you come up with the title?

Time Squared has several been inspired by many different works. However, one comes to mind is an episode on Star Trek: The Next Generation called Time Squared where Captain Picard discovers his shuttlecraft floating in space. When they bring it onboard, Captain Picard is inside. It’s a wonderful time travel episode. However, the crew in this book finding themselves and the title are the only things you will find familiar. The story does take on its own life and after ready a couple of chapters, you will be hooked.

 

 

 

Do you stick to one genre or do you dabble in others, too?

I mainly write Science Fiction. However, my last 3 book series titled ‘Warlords,’ mixed science fiction and fantasy. I had one review state that he loved the books and I didn’t trip over one genre over the other, it was blended nicely.

What are you currently working on?

Currently, I’m working on volume 2 in the ‘Time’ series titled, ‘Time Fractured.’

Which manuscript did you have the most fun working on?

By far, the manuscript I had the most fun writing was the third book in the ‘Warlords Series’ titled ‘Blood Scroll of Antares.’ The words flowed onto the page, and I had a clear understanding of every aspect of the story. I found my groove on this one for sure.

 

Let’s talk about you, the author, now. What do you do when you aren’t writing?

If I’m not sitting behind my keyboard writing my next best seller, I tend to binge watch Netflix series. My favorite one is newest ‘Battlestar Galactica,’ followed by ‘Fringe.’ Currently, I’m just starting season 3 of ‘Lost.’

 

 

Tell us about your favorite cause.

I support the International Dyslexia Foundation. They help others recognize and deal with Dyslexia.

 

Are you coffee or tea?

Most definitely a coffee person, but I do like tea as well.

And lastly, what is the one thing you wish people who DON’T write would understand about writing?

Writing is NOT an easy profession. Sure, the story ideas come fairly easy. However, it takes a lot of planning such as world building and creating unique character that reader will love. Lastly, it’s not all about writing. When you’re an independent, or Indi author, my job’s not done when the manuscript is done. Revisions, editing, doing the book layout, as well as all the marketing fall to author. Having some experience in business with project management does help a great deal.

Author Bio:

Brian was born and raised in Seattle in 1959. He grew up in the town of Mount Lake Terrace, a small suburb north of the city. Brian, being the youngest, had two siblings, his eldest brother, Mike and sister, Pam. School was challenging, as Brian suffers with Dyslexia, a learning disability that affects 1 in 15 Americans. That didn’t stop Brian. He was named “bookworm” in school because he always had his nose in a book.

Brian received his MBA in 2010 in Business, now writes for fun, living his lifelong dream of writing science fiction books. He enjoys his off time, with his seventh grade sweetheart, Diana Rose now for going on sixteen years. She has been by his side and continues to supports his writing. Brian says that without her encouragement, his dream would never have become a reality. They now live in Marysville, Washington, and enjoy three wonderful kids and eight grandchildren. They range from newborn to thirteen, and he says they are so special and great to have around.

It is Brian’s hope that through his writing he will fill hearts with joy to readers all over the world, sparking their imaginations.

Links:

Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/bklarson

Time Squared link US: https://amzn.com/B01F6A9I2Y

Time Squared link UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01F6A9I2Y/

Personal: www.secretofthecrystal.com

Games People Play by Owen Mullen – Review

Title – Games People Play (Charlie Cameron #1)
Author – Owen Mullen
Genre –  Crime Fiction/Mystery
Length –    405 Pages
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

On a warm summer’s evening thirteen month old Lily Hamilton is abducted from Ayr beach in Scotland, taken while her parents are yards away. Three days later, the distraught father turns up at Glasgow PI Charlie Cameron’s office and begs him to help. Mark Hamilton believes he knows who has stolen his daughter. And why.
Against his better judgement Charlie gets involved in a case he would be better off without. But when a child’s body is discovered on Fenwick Moor, then another in St Andrews, the awful truth dawns: there is a serial killer out there whose work has gone undetected for decades. Baby Lily may be the latest victim of a madman.
For Charlie it’s too late, he can’t let go. His demons won’t let him.

The stunning first novel featuring Glasgow PI Charlie Cameron. Games People Play will have the reader guessing to the very last page.

Review

This book starts with a bang.. I literally felt compelled to keep reading just so I could find out the truth about what happened.

Charlie is a PI who’s tasked to find a missing person, he knows he should take this case since it’s too close to an ongoing police investigation but he just can’t help himself.

Along the way we find out more about the PI’s own past and his motivations which gave him some depth and made him likable, he’s flawed but you want things to go his way.

The book has two stories playing side by side, one being the investigation and the other Charlies own complicated life. This brought a freshness to the story.. with each turn of the page the story would shift focus seamlessly kept me engaged and interested in what was happening

The story was well written and planed out. I must admit I did not see the ending coming until the author put all the pieces together.. it really had a wow finish for me..the hand over mouth moment when you finally see what Charlie has figured out.

Suspense is the word that best describes this book.. it’s all about the build-up and Owen Mullen did this really well. Some books just make the suspense plane boring but not this book!

The characters were great and I really loved the development throughout of the main character Charlie as you slowly learn more about him

For me this definitely is one of the best Crime Fiction novels I’ve read, not only does it have the investigation side you’d expect but with the underlying story behind Charlie I couldn’t help but be hooked in.

I can’t wait to read the next book in the series

My thanks go to the author for the opportunity to read/review their work

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com