Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Cover Reveal: Dirty Deeds by AJ Nuest






Title: Dirty Deeds 
Author: AJ Nuest 
Release Date: January 31, 2017 
Publisher: Lyrical Press 
Genre: Romantic Suspense 
Format: Ebook

An Eye for an Eye

As owner of Dirty Deeds, a tech-savvy company specializing in the age-old art of revenge, Eden Smith knows first-hand that secrecy is critical. But when a dead body washes up on the shores of Lake Michigan clutching her business card, Eden’s well-constructed world begins to fall apart. Apparently, she’s not the only one with a passion for payback, and staying alive to outsmart a killer has become her most important job of all.

A Game for a Game

Hardened homicide detective Kelly Riordan is convinced Eden Smith is hiding more than she’s willing to admit. Years on the force have taught him that nothing is what it seems, and that couldn’t be truer than when it comes to investigating the alluring owner of a revenge-for-hire business. But revealing her past could put everything Eden has worked for in jeopardy. And trusting a man like Riordan goes against the very instincts that have kept her alive this long.

  amazon goodreads

Multi-published award-winning author and editor, AJ Nuest, resides in Northwest Indiana with her loving husband, two beautiful children and a bevy of spoiled pets. Her four-part serial fantasy romance, The Golden Key Chronicles, was recently named the RONE Time Travel Romance of 2015 by Ind’Tale Magazine, and her contemporary romantic comedy, She’s Got Dibs won First Place in the Heartland Romance Author’s Show Me the Spark! Contest, 2013. She and the cat are currently vying for dictatorship. The cat is winning.

You can visit her website at http://ajnuest.com
goodreads
facebook
twitter
 
Read More »

Book Feature: The Reclamation by Thorn Osgood

We're happy to be hosting Thorn Osgood, author of the scifi/fantasy, THE RECLAMATION, today!  Please be sure to leave a comment below this post to let him know you stopped by!

About the Book:

Title: THE RECLAMATION
Author: Thorn Gould
Publisher: Mind Wings Audio
Pages: 595
Genre: Scifi/Fantasy

Corilan, 25, is an IT project manager by day, and spends her free time involved in ecological organizations endeavors. When her long-absent negligent father, Nolan, wants to see her she’s annoyed. Finally, she decides to see him and despite the friction over his absence, from that meeting her life evolves. Nolan tells her of his birthright, an environmental organization, the School of Ancestral Guidance (SAG) and its members having ancestral guides. This clarifies Corilan’s gift, a voice inside, something she has never revealed. Knowledge of SAG feeds her obsession against environmental destruction.

Then an invisible entity, Earthos, manifests itself to her and proposes assistance in uniting people that want earth preservation. Years, she has been seeking a way to unite conservationist factions and still has no solution. Inspired by her inheritance, she accepts Earthos’ proposal and infuses with him. Then, she joins the SAG organization. From her infusion, she soon discovers abilities, among them lightning bolt generation, mind reading and control.

Armed with powerful abilities and her ancestral guide, Corilan must take an unexpected path. Then she discovers who her real enemies are and must find a way to defeat them.

For More Information

  • The Reclamation is available at Amazon.
  • Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
  • The book is also available at Kobo.
  • Read a preview of his book at his website.
  • Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.


Book Excerpt:

Corilan closed the back door to her new place and carefully removed her siec, making sure the acidic residue of atmospheric particles did not make contact with anything. After taking off her gloves, she removed her ENAZ mask and placed it on one of the moving crates nearby. She examined her siec; a cloak made of biodegradable mesh that served as a sieve to catch and block atmospheric particles. The particles grew heavier after dark and attached to the fabric, creating large clumps of acidic residue that could easily rub off on her skin or quickly eat through more vulnerable materials. Two more wears, she figured. After she shoved her gloves in one of the siec’s pockets, she hung the cloak on the coatrack by the back door. The visibility lens and nasal filters in the mask could be cleaned later.
For nearly five years, this was the process she had gone through daily to go outside, and she was pissed. Life did not have to be this way—it was a widely known fact that the deterioration of the environment was caused by the actions of humans. Yet industry and national leadership chose to do nothing; nothing that was truly effective. She dreamed of finding a way to resolve the environmental problems, in spite of the indifference of corporate CEOs and government leaders. Her body became rigid, her teeth clenched; her hands tensed and became fists at the thought. Those avaricious, self-serving bastards! To lead opposition against the environmental status quo and reverse the damage, that’s what she wanted. Every time she put on her outer gear or removed it, these were the thoughts that filled her mind, leaving her helpless and frustrated. Ticked off that leadership was so obliging to industry . . .
Catching her runaway thoughts, she refocused her thinking and realized she was still standing by the back door.
Then she remembered what she had placed in her shoulder bag the day before the move. Her eyes scanned the tops of the moving crates and boxes stacked on the floor and furniture. She located her bag, browsed the contents, and found what she was seeking. Corilan stared at the letter in her hand. She had found the piece of cursive-written correspondence on the floor when she’d come home the day before the movers arrived, and had stuffed it in her shoulder bag without opening it and continued packing. Who took time to write hard copy anything anymore? Moving to the kitchen counter, closer to the light, she opened the letter.

March 27, 2040

My Dear Daughter,

I received your thank-you card. Good to hear from you. I hope you’ll be happy in your new place.
You are probably surprised to hear from me so soon, but as I said in my previous letter, I would like to see you. I know I have not been a part of your life since your mother died, but I have not forgotten you.
I would like to see you on the second Sunday of next month. I will be in Pond Park at 6:00 p.m. If you decide not to come, I will understand. No matter what happens, you will always be loved.

Love,
Your father

Corilan laid the letter on the counter and pursed her lips—Nolan Troxler, her father. So soon? She hadn’t expected he would respond at all. Why would he? This was his second letter to her in her life. No surprise that he felt unworthy. Really, there was no other way he should feel. She hadn’t seen him in a little over twenty years. Hell, she couldn’t even remember his voice. The way she looked at his message, it was as if he was telling her, “I’m here now, let’s be family? Oh, and by the way, you’ve got two weeks to decide.” What made him think he could just arrive in town and tell her that? She felt anger rise inside, and a flush of warmth swept over her. Okay, her father had been widowed early in his marriage, but did that mean he’d had to abandon her?
 



About the Author

Thorn Osgood was born in Thomasville, Georgia, and grew up in South Florida. During her grade school years, her father read her stories that fed her imagination. Through the years, she has traveled many times to that special place in her mind to imagine fantastic yarns and what ifs and she has finally started to write them down. This is her debut work. Thorn currently lives in Crawford County, Georgia with her Mittelschnauzer, Raskoph, and his stray cats, Grayball and Tweeky.

His latest book is the scifi fantasy, The Reclamation.

For More Information
Read More »

Monday, June 27, 2016

Monday Book Reads: Tours and Cures of a Lightsoldier by Alexander King





I'm Shelf-ish is happy to be hosting Alexander King, author of TOURS AND CURES OF A LIGHTSOLDIER: SURVIVING THE PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT today!  Please leave a comment to let him know you stopped by!



Title: Tours and Cures of a Lightsoldier
Author: Alexander King
Publisher: O Books
Pages: 370
Genre:  Self-Help/Self-Discovery/Spirituality

Tours and Cures of a Lightsoldier is a revolution in the Self-help book world. It shakes up the status-quo, by questioning and uncovering the illogical, cold-hearted or incomplete in spiritual teachings. But Alexander King then attempts to find understandings which allow for the Divine and the basis of Life to be truly loving and intelligent again. Perhaps to keep ascending on the spiritual path one has to keep evolving ones self-help literature as well? Tours and Cures of a Lightsoldier does not just stand still, and repackages existing esoteric teachings – it is moves forward with brutal honesty, but thorough positivity!
Tours and Cures of a Lightsoldier tells the true story of one person’s incredible quest for self-discovery, and the answers to why we are here and what exactly we should be doing with our lives. From an inquisitive childhood, full of promise and expectation, we follow Alexander down a much murkier path to the all consuming world of a modern day cult. And then a battle for identity ensues…
Initially Alexander King, studying for a medical degree at the time, did just want to learn about Spiritual Healing, but the Teacher/Guru he found turned out to be the manipulative and sociopathic kind. A great battle for survival, to de-mask the Guru, and ultimately to de-program himself again ensued.
From this baptism with fire a stronger, more grounded Alexander emerged. All was not all well yet though, as after the cult, a few years of Chronic Fatigue followed. They gave Alexander the chance though to really test all sorts of spiritual tools and teachings on himself, to see which could actually stand up to the often so high flying promises they come with. In recent years Alexander King has worked as a full time masseur and healer and, through his dealings with many different clients, has learned even more about energies, and how they appear to work on this planet. In his practice Alexander King endeavours to help his clients to better health, healing and ‘enlightenment’ in a realistic manner.
Tours and Cures of a Lightsoldier starts as a personals story but finishes as a most unique and encompassing encyclopedia of esoteric practices and teachings.

Book Praise:

This is a fascinating book because we get inside the thoughts of the author, who is himself a healer. It is a kind of journey we travel with him, as we learn how he arrived at where he is now, all the pitfalls and all the logical thinking processes ( yes, this author reasons with logic - his early training was in medicine). We are taken thorough all the weighing up of facts and possibilities, and the battles. It is a very frank, honest, and for a book of this kind of topic - strangely realistic. The author avoids merely restating in repackaged form material which is covered in other books. What we get instead is his own unique insights and perspective, and his own application of methods. Reading this book has led me to modify my own practices, and to substantially reconsider some of my own views.

There is much to be applauded in this book, from the courage it takes to follow your dream, to the bravery of standing up to those who seek to destroy it and to then speak up about the great untruths that still exist in this world, masquerading as fact. Take encouragement and guidance from this book and live your truth today!
Barbara Meklejohn-Free, author of the bestseller The Shaman Within  (Moon Books)

For More Information

  • Tours and Cures of a Lightsoldier is available at Amazon.
  • Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
  • Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
Book Excerpt:
Introduction

Why I Had To Tell This Story…

It has taken me years to begin to write this book, because I had to test and retest my beliefs/conclusions and their effects on my life, before committing them to paper. I am sincerely hoping that this book shall bring more clarity, and not add to the tangled mass of confusions out in the Mind-Body-Spirit (MBS) market, which often lacks open, critical thinking. People seem afraid to question esoteric or spiritual teachings, especially if they are claimed to have been channeled by Angel X, Spirit Guide Y or enlightened Alien Z; forgetting that these teachings have been channelled through human beings, and we are not infallible.

I don’t doubt the ultimate goodness of the Divine, but I am cautious about people’s perception, understanding and teachings of all things divine. That is why I have my mind to filter out the true, good and wise intuitions, from all the other input I receive when opening up. I urge you too to keep your head screwed on, feet planted firmly on solid ground, while perusing my thoughts, explanations and beliefs. Feel free to question and test them as often as you like. I have seen and felt too much suffering coming out of what first seemed liberating esoteric or religious ideas to be offended by any caution on your part.

I write about my experiences, my thoughts and ideas, which have shaped my beliefs and understandings. I am aware it’s not a ‘movie star’s’ life, still I believe it has interesting and entertaining elements, that might just help you to understand how I have come to see the world and what life on this planet is about. The examples I use in this book are just that, examples. In the past, maybe because of my German heritage, I would take many things very literally, which sometimes led to unnecessary fears or feelings of guilt. So please read my examples with a pinch of salt and consider that ‘exceptions make the rule’ i.e. examples that may be suitable for some might not be all applicable for another. The same applies when trying to find a balance between connecting to you the reader and not sucking you in, but leaving you room to make up your own mind, whether you choose to agree with my conclusions or have your own – if I do say ‘we’ and you do not feel comfortable seeing yourself as a part of that ‘we’, please feel free to assert your own belief.

Whereas many prominent esoteric authors, healers and lecturers lay claim on having been born with the gift, having had some life-changing spiritual experience, such as a visitation by an angel or perhaps having ‘hooked up’ with some spiritual being during an automatic writing session, I am one of the many more who just happened to start reading about ‘Lightwork’, ‘Spiritual Healing’ etc. and decided to learn and understand more about it.

On my path I have encountered countless, seemingly bottomless abysses of guilt and doubt. Were it not for my innate stubbornness and a good deal of help from ‘Above’, I might have given up on Spirit or Life altogether, long ago. The main reason for this book is to hopefully spare you a few of those mind traps and feelings of paranoia that can be so debilitating. And if you have come to the same conclusions as I already, then perhaps you will get comfort from discovering you are not alone.

I am aware that, from say a psychiatrist’s view, some of my experiences could possibly be diagnosed as bipolar, paranoid and/or schizophrenic – but then one just ends up with the same old debate of whether there are divine powers/spirit(s) (which one can communicate with) or if we live in a purely materialistic world. I am not a radical creationist. I do see the merit and worthiness of science. However, if we look at scientific history, we will often find many a scientific accomplishment would never have been possible without scientific visionaries, who pursued their ideas against all odds. If something cannot be measured yet, that does not disprove its existence; it just points out that the proper measuring tools are yet to be discovered.

I hope that this book will help you get some fresh perspectives or give you healing tools you might not have considered yet. For me the spoils of wandering the spiritual path are diminished fears, serenity, having fewer questions and knowing who, what and why I am. I’m much less likely to be shaken up, by what seem unfortunate events now, because there is a certainty, rooted deep inside me, that all is going to be good. My spiritual path has also taught me greater patience and to manage my expectations. ‘Ultimate Good’ is working full speed on the fulfillment of my harmonious dreams, and they are allowed to be ‘big’, but for all sorts of reasons they can still take time to manifest. It’s not that miracles don’t happen, just that they can take a lot longer to manifest than one is often led to believe when reading other esoteric books.

The spiritual tour can be stressful and sometimes perilous. My own journey definitely got worse before things started to come together and improve. Initially I ended up in a cult and afterwards for almost ten years I suffered from ME, so my experiences with spiritual tools and techniques could be said to have gone through some good stress tests, which have helped me to sort the wheat from the chaff. I often feel that I am in the midst of a battle between ‘Lighter’ and ‘Darker’ energies. I feel though that with Ultimate Good support I am as safe as can be during these battles, but that does not mean that they are always pain free. This book may well shake up your belief systems and rattle your peace of mind. If you bear with me, I hope you will find peace in my conclusions. To those who might get upset about my writings and criticisms – I am sorry. I pray you’ll come to forgive me, as I have forgiven all those who have caused me upset and pain with some of their spiritual wisdoms, beliefs and ideas, which I found to be wrong or incomplete.

I am a great optimist and think all suffering can be overcome with the right approach, help and patience. Spirituality, spiritual healing tools are complementary forms of healing though. So if you are ill in any shape or form, this book does not suggest you flush away all your medicines and shout, “I’m healed!” never to set foot in a doctor’s practice again. If you believe you have been healed, get it verified by a doctor. I studied medicine and saw the compassion in my fellow students and our teachers. Furthermore I spent a year in a medical research facility and saw the love and unpaid overtime that went into research by doctors and scientists there too. There are ongoing developments for medical treatments to become less invasive, more effective and with diminished potential side effects etc. I do not think that generally doctors are out there to poison their patients.

Where medical treatment of one’s physical body should be one’s own decision (where possible), I would never recommend ditching your doctor. Sure, educate yourself about your ailments, different treatment options, do not just trust blindly, get a second opinion etc. In my opinion it’s likely though that medical treatment, if one is sick, will often buy time, give more strength or diminish some pain and hence enable you to resolve other issues causing the dis-ease, which might have to be approached with complementary means.

I see that the true purpose of our being is simpler and far more positive than many religions/belief systems purport. It is perfectly alright to strive for happiness in life. That includes striving for, affirming and living creational essences, such as intelligence, creativity, beauty, abundance and sex. Our bodies were primarily created for us to enjoy and to experience the world around us on physical, emotional and sensory levels. On this planet we can choose to take our bodies on a roller coaster of suffering, but once we decide that we have had enough, we are allowed to fully utilize their potential for joy. My moral compass points to the notion that what I do not want others to do to me, I do not do to them. And this book is my tour of discovery, which I hope in some way will make your journey less fearful and ultimately more joyful as well…

About the Author


In 1995 Alexander King encountered ‘spiritual healing’ whilst studying medicine and now resides in London, England working as a healer and masseur helping people to better health, healing and ‘enlightenment’ in a realistic manner. To date (2015) Alexander has treated well over 1500 clients, and his work has featured in several publications including the Sunday Telegraph. In this book he aims to make his discoveries about Energies and complementary healing tools as transparent and transformative as possible in order to support others who are seriously considering their wellbeing and/or are negating the growing minefield of ‘alternative’ remedies. Alexander enjoys good health and an active social life despite the many challenges he has faced and surmounted.

His latest book is the self-help/self-discovery/spirituality book, Tours and Cures of a Lightsoldier: Surviving the Path to Enlightenment.

For More Information

Read More »

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Cover Reveal: First Comes Desire by Tina Donahue


Inside the Book:


Title: First Comes Desire
Author: Tina Donahue
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre: Romance
Format: Ecopy
 
On a lush, secluded island, one passionate adventure leads to another….

Diana Fletcher means business. The beautiful, innocent, reverend’s daughter has traveled all the way to a tropical island off Madagascar on a mission: To find her brother—and to punish the man who drove him to a life of piracy. But when she comes face to face with the enemy in question, the handsome, powerfully seductive man is not at all what Diana expected…

Tristan Kent never intended to harm Diana’s brother. A man of humble origins, Tristan claims he tried to save him from another ruthless captain. Diana is desperate to believe he is telling the truth…and that the intoxicating desire that escalates between them is true as well. But can she trust him? Or is Tristan’s story—and his heart—nothing more than fool’s gold? Amid the haze of sensual delights and soaring ecstasy Tristan has in store for her, all will be revealed…
 
amazon (1)

Meet the Author:

Tina Donahue is an award-winning, bestselling novelist in erotic, paranormal, contemporary and historical romance for Kensington, Ellora’s Cave, Samhain Publishing, Siren Publishing, Booktrope, and indie. Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Romantic Times and numerous online sites have praised her work. Three of her erotic novels (Adored; Deep, Dark, Delicious; Lush Velvet Nights) were named finalists in the 2011 EPIC competition. Sensual Stranger, her erotic romance, was chosen Book of the Year 2010 (erotic category) at the French review site, Blue Moon reviews. The Golden Nib Award at Miz Love Loves Books was created specifically for her erotic romance Lush Velvet Nights. Deep, Dark, Delicious (erotic romance) received an Award of Merit in the RWA Holt Medallion competition. Take Me Away (erotic romance) captured second place in the NEC-RWA contest. And The Yearning (erotic paranormal) was honored with an Award of Merit in the RWA Holt Medallion competition. She’s featured in the 2012 Novel and Writer’s Market. Before penning romances, she worked in Story Direction for a Hollywood production company.
 facebook (2)
 

Read More »

Book Review: Girls' Weekend by Cara Sue Achterberg




Inside the Book:

Girls' Weekend

Title: Girls' Weekend 
Author: Cara Sue Achterberg 
Release Date: May 3, 2016 
Publisher: The Story Plant 
Genre: Women's Fiction 
Format: Ebook/Paperback
Source: The Story Plant

Purchasing:


Dani, Meg, and Charlotte have bonded over babies, barbeques, and backyards, but when they escape for a girls' weekend away, they can't bring themselves to return to lives that don't seem to fit anymore.

Harried Dani can't explain why she feels so discontented until she meets a young gallery owner who inspires her to rediscover the art that once made her happy.

Dependable Meg faces up to a grief that threatens to swallow her whole and confronts a marriage built on expectations.

Flamboyant Charlotte, frustrated with her stagnated life and marriage, pursues a playboy Irish singer and beachside business opportunities.

All three of these women thought they would be different. None of them thought they'd be facing down forty and still wondering when life starts. What they do when they realize where they're headed is both inspiring and wildly entertaining.

GIRLS' WEEKEND is a fun, yet poignant romp through the universal search of who we are, why we love, and what makes us happy by an author who is quickly emerging as one of our most incisive storytellers.

    photo addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png photo B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpgB&N


This book was very engaging! Dani, Meg and Charlotte are longtime friends. As the years have passed their friendship has evolved as each of them takes on new roles in their lives, whether it is with their career or home life. 

With some convincing, Charlotte gets them to agree to take a weekend away for some me time, and to have fun with just the girls. But once they are there they all realize that a weekend just isn't long enough. Each woman faces their lives as they are and what they want them to be. And being together makes them all realize they have lost some of themselves along the way. 

The writing flows so smoothly and the storytelling is so strong, I enjoyed getting to know each of these characters.

Meet the Author:

Cara Sue
  Cara Sue Achterberg is a writer and blogger who lives in New Freedom, PA with her family and an embarrassing number of animals. Her first novel, I’m Not Her, was a national bestseller. Cara’s nonfiction book, Live Intentionally, is a guide to the organic life filled with ideas, recipes, and inspiration for living a more intentional life. Cara is a prolific blogger, occasional cowgirl, and busy mom whose essays and articles have been published in numerous anthologies, magazines, and websites. Links to her blogs, news about upcoming publications, and pictures of her foster dogs can be found at CaraWrites.com.  


Read More »

Monday, June 20, 2016

His Lass Wears Tartan Book Blast!



We're happy to have Kathleen Shaputis and her HIS LASS WEARS TARTAN on the blog today!  Please leave a comment to let her know you stopped by!



Title: HIS LASS WEARS TARTAN
Author: Kathleen Shaputis
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Pages:  270
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Independent and dedicatedly single, Rogue Bruce enjoys running Castle Baillie with her Aunt Baillie from America. They specialize in romantic Elizabethan-themed weddings, complete with resident ghost, Lord Kai (nothing like a haunted castle to set the mood for love). But love is something Rogue is not the least bit interested in. Content with her work and stable of horses, no man is necessary for her happiness.

Matchmaking is in the air, though, focusing on Bruce MacKenzie, a Thor in plaid and jeans from town, and Jonathan Olson, a snobbish Rhett Butler type. With two men after her heart (she’d thought safely locked away), Rogue is torn with confusion. Murder and a psychic yank the soundtrack of Rogue’s life from romantic to scary, while she has choices to make in this sizzling triangle.

You can pick up your copy at Amazon.

Book Excerpt:

“Who created these torture devices for women?” Rogue muttered as the high-heeled ankle boots her glittery Seattle friend, Rafael, had picked out for her squeezed her toes. Dashing around the white-silk-draped chairs inside the reception tent set up on the castle grounds, she lifted her floor-length emerald skirt of fluff and ribbons and screamed internally about her aching feet.  Her steps made soft clicks on the temporary polished flooring. “Spike heels make my legs look better, she tells me. Heels? Seriously? Buried under twenty yards of bloody material, no one will notice, I swear, and this dress weighs a ton.”
Why must my bloody underwear be authentic if no one knows or sees it? Seriously, another full day of endless agony in this restrictive Elizabethan costume of layered torture. You know an evil man must have created the corset. No woman would have designed something so miserable and called it fashionable. How many times had she pleaded with Aunt Baillie to let her wear something soft, something comfortable like pants and a jacket? Her aunt’s normally sweet face would transform into a stony glare, forcing Rogue to relent and don one of the many costumes made specifically for her. 
“The Baillie Castle Bed and Breakfast promises a fairy-tale environment for couples in love and bridal parties and a stop-time fantasy for families and guests,” Rogue mimicked her American aunt and business partner. “These expensive weddings pay the taxes and daily upkeep of your renovated castle.”
Rogue could barely breathe in the tightly wrapped bodice as she rounded out of the heated white tent, her eyes on the temporary stone path placed in the soggy Scottish mud. Plowing into something solid, Rogue cursed and frantically reached out, wobbling on the spiked heels. Grabbing at anything, her fingers found soft, crushable flannel before warm, strong hands wrapped around her wrists. Staring at the manly fingers holding her steady, Rogue’s eyes traveled up the long, chiseled arms of a young man to his concerned face, locking eyes with her.
“Ya be all right, miss?”
His baritone voice tickled her ears, causing the breath to catch in her throat as the heat from his grasp flushed in a wave across her face. All she could handle was a weak nod while staring at his serious face framed with shaggy blond hair, a chill breeze lifting the bangs from his ruddy forehead. His oddly green eyes blinked above a well-freckled nose and broke the spell.

About the Author


Kathleen Shaputis, author/ghostwriter, lives in the glorious Pacific Northwest with her husband, Bob, a clowder of cats and two pompously protective Pomeranians with little social aptitude, Brugh and Bouncer. If not writing, she’s busy reading and watching romantic comedies, her ultimate paradise.

Visit Kathleen’s website or connect with her on Twitter or Facebook.
 

Read More »

Thursday, June 16, 2016

The Hidden Reality: Interview with Stephen Martino





Stephen Martino is neurologist practicing in New Jersey. Though not separating conjoined twins like Dr. Ben Carson, he is part of an active medical practice and is currently participating in concussion research and inventing new medical products. When he is not working, he can be found with his five children doing homework or cheering them on at a soccer field, basketball court, or dance recital. Martino is a member of the Knights of Columbus, a Cub Scout den leader and is an active public speaker, helping to provide stroke education to the local community, EMS squads and healthcare professionals.

His latest book is the science fiction/political thriller, The Hidden Reality.
For More Information

In the year 2084, the brilliant inventor, Alex Pella, finds himself at a precarious crossroad between the pursuit of justice and preservation of his own sanity. While attempting to undermine an international New World Order government created by the financial juggernaut known as The New Reality, he must also face the hidden truths about his own genetic heritage that are slowly destroying
him. After receiving an ambiguous message sent from a former New Reality executive who died 2 years prior, Alex learns that the only possible means to confront this New World Order is to defeat a long-forgotten enemy almost 2500 years old.

THE HIDDEN REALITY is the second stand-alone novel in a trilogy starring Alex Pella, created by New Jersey-based neurologist and entrepreneur Stephen Martino. With his fusion of history, politics, and science fiction, Martino joins such masters of the thriller genre as Dan Brown, James Rollins, and Michael Crichton.

Martino’s villain is a corporation run by a cadre of ruthless international bankers known as The New Reality. Directed by the most corrupt and morally unscrupulous of the bunch, Myra Keres, the company has economically seized control of the world’s governments and the population’s personal freedoms in the process. In order to save humanity from this despot ruler and the unwonted atrocities to which she plans to perpetuate on the world, Alex Pella must infiltrate the company and face an enemy that has unknowingly haunted both him and history for almost 2500 years.

Martino says he wrote THE HIDDEN REALITY more than just to entertain the reader. He wanted to create a modern day Orwellian ANIMAL FARM to allegorically forewarn his readers of a possible dystopia future that awaits all of mankind if humanity continues to proceed down its path of self-destruction.

In THE HIDDEN REALITY, Martino has included such hot-button contemporary topics as genetic cloning, unprecedented economic debt, the rise of big government, and the threat of a New World Order run by the economic elite, while bringing the reader back almost 2500 years into the past when the ancient city state nation known as Greece fought the mighty Persian Empire for world domination.

All of these elements, Martino maintains, separate his book from the pack. He calls THE HIDDEN REALITY “issue-oriented fiction. There are real concerns facing society today that threaten both the sovereignty and prosperity of our future generations. Though fictional, my novel addresses some of these issues and predicts the potential consequences we face as a nation and the world if they are not properly addressed today.”

For More Information


Thank you for this interview!  I’d like to know more about you as a person first.  What do you do when you’re not writing?
By day I’m a neurologist and practice in a 6-person private practice group. I also have the good fortune to run a 7 hospital system stroke center. Though the days are long, I enjoy my office patients and really appreciate making a difference in people’s lives. Plus, through the stroke centers, I’m able to create a multi-hospital system to treat stroke patients and deliver the most cutting edge and state-of-the-art care to all of them. Plus, as part of my job, I also conduct research and teach medical students and residents. If that weren’t enough, I have 5 kids at home who garner much of my free time. So when do I write? Good question. Thankfully I don’t need much sleep!

When did you start writing?
When it came to writing and most other aspects of my life, I was a late bloomer. In fact, I never started to write until my late twenties. Though I had aspired to create the next great American novel since my college days, the thought of creating an entire book seemed overwhelming.

When I began to dabble in the writing field, it was strictly non-fictional work for the local paper and hospital. I toyed with the idea of moving on to fiction for years. However, it was a coworker who eventually inspired me to take that final step. He would walk into my office with different ideas of what he thought would make an exciting book, or what he envisioned could create the next blockbuster movie. The more we talked on the subject, the more I wanted to create my own novel. After procrastinating long enough, I finally decided to jot down an outline for my first book and continued writing fiction ever since that time.

As a published author, what would you say was the most pivotal point of your writing life?
Presenting at The Book Expo of America at the Java Center in NY has been the highlight of my publishing career. I’ve gone to this particular book expo multiple times and always hoped to be one of the published authors there signing my novel. Ironically, through hard work, persistence, and positive though (Thank you Robyn Byrne from The Secret) my dream came true. To this day, I am ecstatic my publisher provided me with such an incredible experience.

If you could go anywhere in the world to start writing your next book, where would that be and why?
It would definitely be somewhere on a Pacific island. The fantastic weather, clear air, and tropical breeze is perfect for writing. It’s also conducive for sleeping and drinking. However, I would plan to do a little writing when I am there.

If you had 4 hours of extra time today, what would you do?
I’d probably catch up on some needed sleep. Though it sounds mundane, there seems to be too much to do with too little time to do it. Because a little extra shut-eye is the first thing to go when I’m busy, I would like to recoup on some of my needed sleeping time.

Where would you like to set a story that you haven’t done yet?
My books really take the reader around the globe. I enjoy exploring different countries and even times through my writing. However, if I had to choose some completely different place to set a story, it may be in a different dimension, planet, or even realm of existence. However, for the time being, I’m going to stick to terrestrial locations.

Back to your present book, The Hidden Reality, how did you publish it?
An independent press known as Light Messages Publishing took on my work and brought it to print. As a previous novice to the publishing industry and writing business, finding Light Messages was a completely humbling task. I was rejected by hundreds of agents and publishers before eventually joining Light Messages. Honestly, the only time I was rejected this many times was when I was dating back in high school.

Before ever being published, I was signed on by an agent. It was this agent who eventually made contact with Light Messages and brought me into their family of successful writers. Sadly, a week before I closed the contract with Light Messages, my agent suddenly passed. However, I believe she is on the other side still rooting on my books for continued success.

In writing your book, did you travel anywhere for research?
Though I would like to travel, I’ve been able to virtually circle the globe from my own bedroom using my trusted computer. One day I would personally like to take the trip. However, I’m content to discover new places virtually until that day finally comes.

Why was writing The Hidden Reality so important to you?
My goal was to create a modern day allegoric Animal Farm in order to forewarn my readers of the possible future consequences we may face as a result of our current follies of today. As political tensions rise around the globe, the world plunges into economic debt, Europe delves deeper into chaos, and new scientific and medical achievements astound us by the day, the world in which we are living in today is rapidly changing. Unless we have the wisdom, humility, and compassion as we move forward intelligently, there will be unintended negative consequences for humanity’s future.

Where do you get your best ideas and why do you think that is?
Before writing The Hidden Reality, I conducted years of research into different scientific, medical, historical, philosophical, and political topics. In fact, I have shelves of books dedicated just to this novel. The goal was to create a finished product that was meant more for than just enjoyment. I really wanted to create a novel with substance like Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code or Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park. These books not only tell a fantastic story but they also make the reader think. So what I did in The Hidden Reality was incorporate certain pressing topics that effect our word today such the unprecedented world-wide economic debt, globalism, clash of East and West, and the rise of big government while combining it with some interesting subjects such as Ancient Greek military history, the concept of an Open Society, and futuristic scientific concepts.

Any final words?
Please visit me on my website: www.martinoauthor.com
The Hidden Reality can also be purchased on:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Hidden-Reality-Stephen-Martino/dp/1611531632/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=51vW-hoJAdL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR105%2C160_&refRID=021VMTZ9Q5SNK9SMTKF8
Barnes & Nobles: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-hidden-reality-stephen-martino/1122827122?ean=9781611531633
iBook: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-hidden-reality/id1060329732?mt=11

Read More »