TURNING POINT by Jeffrey Deaver releases one week from today. Find out more here.

Title: TURNING POINT

Author:  JEFFREY DEAVER 

Genre: FICTION, THRILLER

Length: 66 PAGES

Publisher: AMAZON ORIGINAL STORIES

Received From: NETGALLEY

Release Date: JANUARY 19, 2021

ISBN: 9781542021739

Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Buy these handmade Russian Nesting Dolls on Etsy

DESCRIPTION:

International bestselling author Jeffery Deaver delivers surprise after alarming surprise in an ingenious story about a serial killer, a detective, and a twisting duel of wits.

A serial killer is trolling a midwestern suburb. His tools: a hammer, a screwdriver, floral wire, a kitchen knife and, to complete his errand, a Russian nesting doll left behind as a calling card. From one grisly crime scene to the next, Detective Ernest Neville and his Russian Doll Killer task force follow. With few leads and his career on the line, Neville is driven to desperate measures to get to the core of this diabolical puzzle. Layer by layer, he’s getting closer to the final piece. Yet the only thing that’s certain in this game is the unexpected, and as citizens are targeted by one of the most reprehensible characters the idyllic town has ever seen, Neville can only wonder if his efforts will end in disaster—for himself, for his family and for the people he’s sworn to protect.

MY REVIEW:

RDK – The Russian Doll Killer has struck for the fourth time. It’s confirmed, a serial killer is loose on the streets of Handleman County for their first ever. With this latest murder occurring only two weeks after the last one, it is clear that the killer is escalating.

RDK received his moniker based on the fact that a set of Russian Nesting Dolls were found at the scene of each of the murders.

Hunting RDK is Detective Ernest Neville who is determined to catch the killer and put him behind bars for the rest of his life.

When RDK strikes a little too close to home, Neville takes it personally. This solidifies the detective’s determination to stop the killer once and for all. But, just who will outsmart who is anything but a foregone conclusion.

I loved the scene at the beginning of the book where reporters are asking the detective questions. When one reporter asks if the police had considered the possibility of the killer being Russian because of the dolls he leaves behind. This is the Detective’s response to the question: “He ignored that , though the answer, had it been given by his six-year-old daughter, would be: ‘Duh.'”

Although this is a work of short fiction, it is action packed and contains it a twist that readers will not see coming.

TURNING POINT is fast paced and due to it’s length, can be read in a single weekend. I rate this book as 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

*** Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book. ***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A former journalist, folksinger and attorney, Jeffery Deaver is an international number-one bestselling author.

His novels have appeared on bestseller lists around the world, including the New York Times, the Times of London, Italy’s Corriere della Sera, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Los Angeles Times.

His books are sold in 150 countries and have been translated into over twenty-five languages. He has sold 50 million books worldwide.

To learn more about this author, visit the following links:

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To learn more about these fascinating dolls, go to:
https://nestingdolls.co/blogs/posts/meaning-symbolism-nesting-dolls

BOOK LAUNCH ON THURSDAY NIGHT – COME OUT WITH ME for the LAUNCH OF “DISFIGURED” by AMANDA LEDUC in Hamilton, Ontario

Exciting News

DISFIGURED

By: AMANDA LEDUC

Book Launch for Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability and Making Space by Amanda Leduc.

Join Amanda Leduc for the launch of Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability and Making Space. Sarah Jama co-founder of the Disability Justice Network of Ontario (DJNO), an organization committed to building the political and community power of people with disabilities, will be moderating.

Disfigured challenges the ableism of fairy tales and offers new ways to celebrate the magic of all bodies. In fairy tales, happy endings are the norm – as long as you’re beautiful and walk on two legs. After all, the ogre never gets the princess. And since fairy tales are the foundational myths of our culture, how can a girl with a disability ever think she’ll have a happy ending?

By examining the ways that fairy tales have shaped our expectations of disability, Disfigured will point the way toward a new world where disability is no longer a punishment or impediment but operates, instead, as a way of centering a protagonist and helping them to cement their own place in a story, and from there, the world. Through the book, Leduc ruminates on the connections we make between fairy tale archetypes – the beautiful princess, the glass slipper, the maiden with long hair lost in the tower – and tries to make sense of them through a twenty-first-century disablist lens. From examinations of disability in tales from the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen through to modern interpretations ranging from Disney to Angela Carter, and the fight for disabled representation in today’s media, Leduc connects the fight for disability justice to the growth of modern, magical stories, argues for increased awareness and acceptance of that which is other – helping us to see and celebrate the magic inherent in different bodies.

Amanda Leduc’s essays and stories have appeared in publications across Canada, the US, and the UK. She is the author of the novels The Miracles of Ordinary Men and the forthcoming The Centaur’s Wife . She has cerebral palsy and lives in Hamilton, Ontario, where she works as the Communications Coordinator for the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD), Canada’s first festival for diverse authors and stories.

Event Details:

Wednesday, February 12 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
First Unitarian Church, 170 Dundurn Street South, Hamilton, ON

Admission is free, all are welcome
The Unitarian Church has wheelchair accessible entry and wheelchair accessible washrooms. Accessible parking is available on either side of the entrance doors. For more accessibility information on the venue, please visit their website.
https://uuhamilton.ca

Please note that the venue is a nut-free and scent-free space.

………………..

PARKING

Ample car parking is available for most people in our own parking lot with additional space available at the Fortino’s plaza nearby at Dundurn and Main.

Parking spots for differently-abled are reserved near both doors.
……………………………

CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR FREE TICKETS FOR THE BOOK LAUNCH.

To learn more about Amanda Leduc, visit the following links:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

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KINGDOM OF SALT & SIRENS Boxed Set Released TODAY – Blitz Post & Giveaway

Kingdom of Salt & Sirens Boxed Set
Publication date: March 5th 2019
Genres: Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Young Adult

The Little Mermaid but not as you remember it…

Beneath the turbulent seas, beyond the smokey depths, lies a Kingdom that exists in your wildest imagination. A world where mermaids swim, sirens sing and shipwrecks hide mysterious creatures.

Make waves with our 11 magical retellings of the timeless classic, The Little Mermaid.

Dive into a world filled with adventure, love and magic!

One click now for your happily ever after.

Authors include:

J.A Armitage

R. Castro

Jennifer Ellision

Mira Crest

K.M Pyne

Laura Greenwood

Jacque Stevens

Scarlett Kol

Anne Stryker

Nikki Landis

Tracy Korn

Goodreads / Amazon

—

SNEAK PEEKS:

Balanced Scales by Laura Greenwood:

“What happens at the end of your version of the story?”

I shrugged. “Much the same as in your version, I guess. She falls in love with the Prince, he with her, they get married and live happily ever after.”

Erickson’s face fell. “That’s not the same as our version,” he responded. “Ours is a lot more sinister. She loses her chance to marry the Prince. When her sisters find out, they barter for a dagger. The mermaid could return to the sea if she stabbed the Prince through the heart with it.”

I shuddered. “That’s horrible. Did she do it?” If she had, then maybe it would explain why humans seemed to be so against the mer.

“No. She turned into sea foam and disappeared into the air. Some versions say she’s taken pity on by some sylphs and became one of them.”

“Sylphs?” I’d never heard of them and had no idea what he meant. They certainly weren’t part of the stories I’d been told as a child.

“I don’t know how to explain them. They’re made of air and hang around in the atmosphere.”

“And what do they do to her?”

“I’m not sure. In our version of the story, mermaids don’t have souls. When they die they turn to sea foam and just cease to exist.”

I laughed lightly as we turned down another street. “I can assure you, that’s not what it’s like.”

“I guessed. You can’t have a soul stolen if you didn’t have one to begin with.”

“Which do you think is the true version of the story?” My words came out barely above a whisper. Part of me didn’t want to ask at all. Especially if it would mean he said he thought his version was the right one. If that was true, then how had my people gotten souls to begin with…

“Neither. I think it’s nothing more than a story. Each side will tell it the way that puts their own people in the best light. Just like with every other legend like that.”

“I suppose…” Though I didn’t like to think of the mermaid I’d heard so much about as nothing more than fiction. She’d been an inspiration to so many young mer who wanted adventure. Not so much on land, but out in the open sea.

“You never know, maybe one day they’ll be telling our story like they do hers,” he said jovially.

—

From The Little Monster by Jennifer Ellision:

“Wait!” The little human lurched forward, a single hand outstretched, the other anchored firmly to the ship’s railing. It swallowed as the little monster raised a brow to her. The hand fell lamely back to her side.

“I… don’t even know your name.”

“Name?”

“What are you called?”

“I don’t understand.” What was she called? She was a predator, a hunter, a Mordgris, a…

“I am a monster,” she said simply.

“You’re all monsters,” the human breathed. “But you’re not quite like the rest. How am I to call you and you alone?”

Her. Alone.

A thrill spiked through the little monster. Why hadn’t she thought of this before? She deserved her own name. She was the best of her kind. There was nothing in the sea that could best her except, perhaps, the sea itself. And that made choosing a name simple.

“You may call me Mara,” she said.

“Mara,” the human repeated slowly. “Mara… for the sea?”

Another thrill surged within her as she nodded, knowing the word belonged only to her. The little human had understood the meaning instantly. In a way that prey was not meant to understand its hunter.

“I am Amista,” she said, lifting her full lower scales to cross the bottoms of her fins and bob on deck. “And it has been a pleasure to meet you, Mara.”

Mara dove back into the cool embrace of the sea, feeling Amista’s eyes on her back as she swam away.

The little monster had become Mara.

The little human had become Amista.

GIVEAWAY!

Win a Mermaid Prize Pack – Click below to enter:

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BLUEBELL by Roma Gray AUDIOBOOK REVIEW – 5 Stars richly deserved – This will scare your pants off, especially if you don’t like clowns

Title: BLUE BELL

Author: ROMA GRAY

Narrator: TERRY F. SELF

Genre: FICTION, HORROR

Length: 23 MINUTES

Publisher: ROMA GRAY

Price: $2.77 USD on AUDIBLE

Type of Book: AUDIOBOOK

Received From: THE NARRATOR

Release Date: FEBRUARY 16, 2018

Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

*

DESCRIPTION:

Jasper is having a very, very bad day. However, after he meets an unusual clown by the name of Blue Bell, he soon realizes his day is about to do something he never imagined possible – it’s about to get worse.

MY REVIEW:

This short audiobook only lasts for 23 minutes, yet those few minutes are enough to hook any listener.

Firstly, the clown, Bluebell, on the cover of this audiobook is enough to have potential readers freaked out even before the story begins.

Readers are introduced to Jasper, a regular guy. Someone normal. With normal problems. Out of desperation to help his ailing father, he does something he normally never would.

This leads (somehow) to him discovering a clown doll named BlueBell. This doll will change his life…forever.

It is a difficult task to create characters and a storyline that will
grab and hold a reader’s attention in only 23 minutes, yet author Roma Gray accomplishes this with ease.

I did not want this story to end and am thrilled that the story continues with her full length novel HAUNTED HOUSE HARBOR.

Bluebell is narrated by Terry F. Self whose enunciation and pacing are perfect for this creepy tale.

I rate BLUEBELL as 5 out of 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and I am very much looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

*

*

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Roma Gray began writing at the age of 8 and wrote her first novel when she was 13.

Besides writing, she is also a project manager in the IT field. Her other interests include painting, hiking, archeology, and physics.

She lives in Oregon with her two cats, dog, and parrot.

To learn more about this author, visit the following links:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

AUDIBLE

GOODREADS

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

AMAZON

CHAPTERS

ABOUT THE NARRATOR:

Terry F. Self has been narrating audiobooks for Audible for over a year, but he’s been talking for a living for more than twenty years.

Terry is a Traffic & Weather anchor/reporter for iHeartMedia, responsible for weather & traffic reports for over 30 radio stations in the Southeast United States.

When not sitting behind a microphone, Terry can usually be found watching or playing sports, reading, or learning life lessons from his dog, Moses.

Terry lives in the Charlotte, North Carolina area.

To learn more about this Narrator, visit the following links:

AUDIBLE

GOODREADS

FACEBOOK

AMAZON

SLASH OF CRIMSON by Carl R. Moore BLOG TOUR

About the author: CARL R. MOORE lives in upstate New York with his wife Sarah and two daughters, Maddy and Izzy. His fiction has appeared in numerous other magazines and anthologies. When he’s not writing or working the night shift, he enjoys playing guitar and walking miles through the woods. News and contact information can be found on his website, www.carlrmoore.com

Book Synopsis for Slash of Crimson and Other Tales:

SLASH OF CRIMSON AND OTHER TALES offers two novellas and six short stories that combine an intoxicating mix of horror, crime noir, and alt-mythology. Its title story spins a dark maritime yarn about Drew Aldrin, a young guitarist and street rough, who takes a harrowing journey with a red-eyed beauty who claims she’s from Atlantis. The half-dozen brutal and sardonic short stories that follow tell of lost souls tortured by demons and far worse. The final novella, Torn from the Devil’s Chest, serves unsuspecting Sociology student Lyla Banes a deliciously disturbing feast of deception and trust-destroying lust. Indulge yourself in a collection that guarantees to thrill the senses while it shocks the nerves
Author Links:

website: www.carlrmoore.com
twitter: @carlrmoore
Tour Schedule and Activities

2/27 MyLifeMyBooksMyEscape http://mylifemybooksmyescape.wordpress.com Author Interview
2/28 Amie’s Book Reviews http://Amiesbookreviews.wordpress.com Review
2/28 Book in the Bag bookinthebag.wordpress.com Interview
2/28 Armand Rosamilia, Author http://armandrosamilia.com Guest Post
3/1 I Smell Sheep http://www.ismellsheep.com/ Guest Post
3/2 Sheila’s Guests and Reviews http://sheiladeeth.blogspot.com Guest Post

MY REVIEW WILL BE POSTED IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS!

TERROR OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER by PERRIN BRIAR is FREE on Amazon right now & well worth reading

Title: TERROR OF THE LONG-DISTANCE RUNNER

Author: PERRIN BRIAR

Genre: FICTION, HORROR

Length: 60 PAGES

Publisher: AMAZON DIGITAL SERVCES

Type of Book: EBOOK

Release Date: JANUARY 4, 2018

Price: CURRENTLY FREE ON AMAZON

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

DESCRIPTION:

Athlete Beth once ran for glory, now she runs for her own survival.

The undead can run, and run fast. They do not tire, do not slow, do not rest. And they never stop. Ever.

Beth is alone on a quiet country road, a zombie on her tail. With an injured knee and safety more than ten miles away, can she make it? Or will she be the zombie’s victory dinner?

Second place is dead last…

MY REVIEW:

Before the EMP pulse that crippled humanity, and the zombie virus that flourished in its aftermath, Beth was a long-distance runner, and a damned good one.

Ha! Ha! “Damned,” how appropriate for this story.

The story begins with Beth running down a country road. Chasing her is a zombie, a very fast zombie.

Beth’s philosophy had always been: “The second you showed weakness to your opponent was the moment you were doomed.” She is determined to outrun the zombie, but is hampered by an injured knee.

This race has dire consequences if she loses.

Even though this is only a short story, I enjoyed it very much. The ending will surprise most readers which I think is awesome.

I rate this story as 4 out of 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Perrin Briar was born in Huntingdon, in the UK. He has worked as a bookie, salesman, factory hand and stock counter. He eventually got into TV and worked on various shows in the production and development departments. He currently teaches English in South Korea.

The Blood Memory books involve a group surviving at sea in a zombie-infested post-apocalyptic world. The first book follows Jordan Grant, who wakes up knowing nothing about the virus or the world as it now is. During the first season Jordan unlocks key memories in his past that have a dramatic effect on the world now.

The Z-Minus Trilogy follows Chris and Maisie, a father and daughter with a bad relationship. Unlike other zombie books, in this series the virus takes eight hours to spread throughout the host’s body. In the first book Chris uses this time to get his daughter somewhere safe. In the second book Maisie is infected and Chris must get her to the cure. The final episode sees Chris taking Maisie to the research vessel where they can harvest the cure from her.

The Swiss Family RobinZOM series is a tongue-in-cheek zombie apocalypse based on the original Johann Wyss stories.

He now lives in South Korea.

To learn more about this author, visit the following links:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE
https://www.perrinbriar.com

GOODREADS

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CHAPTERS

THINGS SHE COULD NEVER HAVE by Tehmina Khan is a story collection featuring characters who are usually ignoredin modern literature. It’s a MUST READ!

Title: THINGS SHE COULD NEVER HAVE

Author: TEHMINA KHAN

Genre: FICTION, SHORT STORY COLLECTION, LGBTQ, MULTICULTURAL FICTION, DIVERSITY, CANADIAN LITERATURE

Length: 121 PAGES

Publisher: MAWENZI HOUSE

Type of Book: SOFTCOVER

Received From: THE PUBLISHER

Release Date: OCTOBER 2017

ISBN: 978-1-988449-14-2

Price: $20.95 CDN

Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

DESCRIPTION:

Accomplished, sensitive, and often disturbing, these stories take us into the lives of modern Pakistanis—privileged and poor, gay, trans, and straight, men and women, in Karachi and Toronto.

“Whisperings of the Devil” takes us into the mind of a mistreated maidservant’s boy who gets seduced into the role of a suicide bomber.

In “To Allah We Pray,” two privileged and educated young men, one of them home from Toronto, gallivant through the streets of Karachi, finally walking into a doomed mosque.

“Things She Could Never Have” is a love story about two young trans women living in Karachi.

“Born on the First of July” opens the door into the home of a Toronto girl who has left to join ISIS and the devastated family she leaves behind.

“The First” will astonish many readers by its depiction of sexual encounters of young college girls in Pakistan.

These and other stories link us into the complexities of a sometimes troubled and often misrepresented Muslim society.

MY REVIEW:

I am aware that the stories contained within this wonderfully written collection are fiction, but it is all too easy to see that they contain at least a degree of truth.

First-time author TEHMINA KHAN has crafted tales that are so believable that you will find yourself wondering if some of them are actually non-fiction. This is the mark of a truly talented writer.

In the story, BORN ON THE FIRST OF JULY, parents of a Canadian born young woman are shocked when she leaves to join ISIS. They “…become news junkies… [and] scour the internet for news on ISIS, Syria, Iraq, and Turkey.” “For us, she dies again and again. She is reborn again and again. There is nothing as cruel as hope.” She has taken a topic that is taboo and somehow made it relatable. Great job!

All of the stories in this collection are wonderfully written and will entrance the reader. This book was impossible to put down and I found myself thinking about each of the tales, long after I finished reading them.

Tehmina Khan has given a voice to those people whom modern day literature shuns and ignores. From transgender youth to Muslim women, readers are sure to read about characters they might otherwise never encounter. It is story collections like this one that are necessary now more than ever before.

I rate this book as 5 out of 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and I highly recommend it. Tehmina Khan may be new to the publishing world, but I am sure we will be hearing more about her in the near future.

*Thank you to Mawenzi House Publishing for providing me with a free copy of this book.*

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tehmina Khan was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and holds degrees from Kinnaird College, Lahore, and Faculté des Sciences Humaines et Sociales de Tunis.

She has her home in Toronto, where she lives with her husband, two children, and a cat. She is currently working on a novel.

To learn more about this author, visit the following links:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

BLOG

GOODREADS

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PUBLISHER’S WEBSITE

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER:

Mawenzi House is dedicated to bringing to the reading public fresh new writing from Canada and across the world that reflects the diversity of our rapidly globalizing world, particularly in Canada and the United States.

Our focus is on works that can loosely be termed “multicultural” and particularly those that pertain to Asia and Africa. We publish 6-8 titles of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction (literary criticism, history) per year.

Among our achievements: we have played a role in the formulation of the Indo-Caribbean identity through the publication of several ground-breaking titles; we have kept in print books by major Caribbean writers Sam Selvon, Ismith Khan, and John Stewart; we have published provocative and perceptive social and literary critical works by Arnold Itwaru, Arun Prabha Mukherjee, Chelva Kanaganayakam, and others; the introduction of the important Zimbabwean writer Yvonne Vera; the first historical and critical study of Chinese Canadian writing in English; the first anthologies of South Asian Canadian literature, South Asian Canadian women’s poetry, Chinese Canadian stories, and South Asian Canadian and American women’s fiction.

HISTORY

In 1981, a group of young people, who had been in North America for just over a decade, decided to take the plunge and start the magazine they had always dreamed about as students, at a time in which Naipaul had to be ordered from bookstores, let alone Narayan or Ngugi or Soyinka. The result was The Toronto South Asian Review, which later became the much broader-based The Toronto Review of Contemporary Writing Abroad and helped entrench a generation of new writers. As an offshoot of this literary magazine, in 1985 TSAR Publications published its first title, a book of essays on South Asian Canadian literature, followed by a book of poetry by Sri Lankan Canadian Rienzi Crusz. Mawenzi House finally emerged, a uniquely diverse and knowledgeable publishing house based in Canada. (“Mawenzi” is the name of the second peak of Kilimanjaro.)

To learn more about Mawenzi House, visit the following links:

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***This book is part of my #2018AtoZChallenge on Ginger Mom’s Blog***

5 Stars for Melanie Karsak’s Steampunk short story: CHASING CHRISTMAS PAST ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Title: CHASING CHRISTMAS PAST

Subtitle: An Airship Racing Chronicles Short Story

Author: MELANIE KARSAK

Genre: FICTION, SCI-FI, CHRISTMAS, STEAMPUNK

Length: 41 PAGES

Publisher: CLOCKPUNK PRESS

Type of Book: EBOOK

Received From: FREE FROM THE AUTHOR

Release Date: 2014

ASIN: B00RA6ZA1Q

Price: $1.02 on Amazon

Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

MY REVIEW:

The main character is a young woman named Lily. She is the captain of the airship “Stargazer.” Lily has entered the Yuletide Airship Race ever since she was young, and last year she had almost won. This year – 1820 – Lily was determined to win.

Lily would never admit it to anyone, but she is lonely and Christmas being the next day amplified her loneliness.

Will Lily finally be able to beat out all the other airship captains? And what will she do about her loneliness?

Melanie Karsak’s world-building is superb. The Steampunk version of London where the story takes place is highlighted by vivid imagery.

What a gift! Melanie Karsak has the ability to describe a scene so well that you can visualize it easily in your mind. For example:

“The rooftops were covered with a powdering of crystalline snow. The gaslamp light made everything sparkle. The waves on the Thames twinkled with golden light.”

I rate this short story as 5 out of 5 Stars ⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I highly recommend this wonderful Steampunk Christmas tale.

Thank you to the author for providing me with a free copy of this story.

To sign up to Melanie Karsak’s Newsletter, click HERE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Melanie Karsak is the author of The Airship Racing Chronicles, The Harvesting Series, and The Celtic Blood Series.

She is a steampunk connoisseur, zombie whisperer, and heir to the iron throne.

Melanie currently lives in Florida with her husband and two children.

She is an Instructor of English at Eastern Florida State College.

To learn more about this author visit the following links:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

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FACEBOOK

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AMAZON

CHAPTERS / INDIGO BOOKS

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PUBLISHER’S WEBSITE

ss.com

4 Stars for the Speculative fiction short story LEVIATHAN by SAUL TANPEPPER.

Title: LEVIATHAN – A SHORT STORY 

Author: SAUL TANPEPPER  

Genre: SPECULATIVE FICTION

Length: 31 PAGES

Publisher: BRINESTONE PRESS

Type of Book: EBOOK

Received From: THE AUTHOR

Release Date: FEBRUARY 11, 2017

Rating: 4 OUT OF 5 STARS 🌟🌟🌟🌟

OFFICIAL DESCRIPTION:

Earth is dying.

On a barren, windless shore of a dead sea, two people, a father and his child, eke out a meager existence. They eat what little they can find. They are tormented by memories and tales of what the world once was.

Then, on a day no different than the thousands of others they have lived, the child hears the ghostly call of a sea creature presumed extinct for decades. Was it real? Or was it the last gasp of planet nearing death?

Leviathan is a short, dark, and haunting post-apocalyptic story (6500 words) written in stream-of-consciousness. Fans of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, which inspired this story, will recognize similarities.

Appropriate for readers of all ages. 

CHECK OUT THE TRAILER: 

 

MY REVIEW:

As the world nears its end, a father and his child are tormented by the ghostly call of a sea creature presumed extinct for decades.

Is it the last gasp of a dying planet? Or a reason to hope?

This is an thought-provoking and extremely interesting story. It may have been short, but it packed a punch. It is worth reading.

I rate LEVIATHAN as 4 out of 5 Stars. 🌟🌟🌟🌟

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Saul Tanpepper is the speculative fiction pen name for Ken J. Howe, a retired PhD molecular biologist and biotech entrepreneur who writes full time in multiple genres. The pen name honors the memory of his high school buddy, who passed away at age 27. “Salt and Pepper” was a favorite epithet, given the author’s premature graying.

After a childhood in a small town in Upstate New York, he entered the U.S. Army and was trained as a combat medic. He did a tour in West Germany before the wall came down, working as both a medic in an armored infantry unit in Mannheim and a hospital attendant in Frankfurt. After returning Stateside, he did a tour as a trauma specialist in the emergency room at Walter Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, and at Lawrence General Hospital in Massachusetts.

He attended university in Santa Barbara, CA, majoring in biology and creative studies while working as a medical assistant. He studied molecular biology and genetics as a graduate student, then completed his post-doctoral fellowship at Berkeley.
Prior to entering the work force, he and his wife spent six months traveling through the Middle East and Africa, logging over 50,000 miles in a refurbished garbage truck.

He spent 10 years in biotech, working his way from bench scientist to Director of R&D and site manager of a major pharma company. He then formed his own company, Collabria BioSciences, and was VP of R&D of another startup.

He retired from the business in 2011 to write and publish full time. Under his real name, he writes literary young adult, middle grade, and children’s picture books. As Saul Tanpepper, he writes and publishes speculative fiction (scifi, horror, fantasy).
​
​He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, children, and many pets and farm animals.

To learn more about this author visit the following links:

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TWO MOONS by Speculative Fiction author PK Tyler is a wonderful introduction to a world peopled by two vastly different races. Interesting and Unique.

Title: MOON DUST  

Series: TWO MOONS OF SERA PREQUEL

Author: P.K. TYLER

Genre: SCIENCE FICTION

Length: 59 PAGES

Publisher: EVOLVED PUBLISHING  

Release Date: MARCH 23, 2015

ISBN: 9781507807972

Rating: 4 OUT OF 5 STARS 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Sometimes it works out for the better when you first discover a new book series that already has a couple books available to read right away. It cuts down on all the angst of waiting for the next book. Such is the case with a series that I only discovered yesterday. The series I am talking about is the TWO MOONS OF SERA Series. To add to the excitement of discovering an talented author that I had not known about, if you visit her website and sign up for her newsletter, she will send a free copy of the prequel to the series: TWO MOONS OF SERA. 

MOON DUST introduces readers to an entirely new world which is populated by two vastly different races.

The main character of this story is Nilafay. She is a Sualwet. The Sulawets live beneath the ocean, most of them residing in the Domed City. They have completely hairless bodies and webbed toes (both of which ensure that they are excellent and elegant swimmers.) They have a regulated society that is despotic and there are very clear class divisions.

The other race that inhabits this amazing world are the Erdlanders. This race is the one that seems to most closely resemble humans. They live on the land and have hair on their heads and most of the men have beards. Because the story mostly focuses on Nilafay, we do not learn as muçh about the Erdlanders as we do about the Sualwet.

As seems to happen when two very different races do not attempt to understand each other, they go to war. In fact, the war has been going on for a long time.

On the morning of her much anticipated wedding, Nilafay makes a decision that will not only change her life, but also the lives of both species. Little does she know that her impulsive decision will have consequences far beyond what she could ever have imagined.

I was fascinated by the world that P.K. Tyler has created. She has done a great job of world building and in generating interest in the MOON OF SERA series. I plan to read more and I cannot imagine that anyone reading it would not want to read on and find out what happens next.

This  novella is well written with vivid characters and a well thought out plot. I rate it as 4 out of 5 Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thank you to the author for providing me with a free copy of this book through her newsletter. I am now officially a fan.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

P.K. TYLER is the bestselling author of speculative fiction and other genre-bending novels. She is an artist, a wife, a mother and a number cruncher.

She graduated Smith College in 1999 with a degree in Theatre.

After graduation, she moved to New York, where she worked as a Dramaturge, Assistant Director and Production Manager on productions both on and off Broadway.

When not writing Speculative Fiction she twists her mind by writing horror and literary fiction.

To sign up for her newsletter and to receive a free ebook, visit her online at the following links:

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