Hank Quense Shares Key Writing Tips to Create Believable Characters @Hanque99 #SciFi #WriteTip

To make a believable character, you have to develop the character in four separate areas: physical (outer) attributes, mental (inner) attributes, a biography and a dominant reader emotion.

Physical attributes:  

These attributes are the obvious ones. They tell the reader what the character looks like. Many beginning or inexperienced fiction writers stop the character development at this point. What they have created is a cardboard cutout of a real character. No reader wants to spend time with characters like this because they aren’t human. In fact, these attributes are the least important of the four areas. I’ve written and had published short stories in which I never described the characters. I left that job to the reader’s imagination. The only important attribute here is dialog; how does the character speak?. Does the character talk like a banker or a thug? Does the character’s dialog use gonna, inna and other words of this ilk? It’s important to differentiate the characters through their dialog. If every character sounds the same as all the other character, it won’t be an interesting story.

Mental attributes:  

These attributes are much more important than the physical ones. These are what turn the cardboard character into a “human.” These are the attributes you have to assign to your character. Every one has a personal philosophy and your character needs one also. Is the character an optimist? A pessimist? Is she an individualist or a pragmatist? Once you assign a philosophy, the character has to act in that fashion. You can’t have a optimist acting like a pessimist. If you do, the reader will call you out on it. Other important traits include the character’s personality. Is he charming, despotic, murderous, friendly? And don’t forget to give the character a few quirks. Does he avoid making eye contact with others? Does he overeat? How about picking at her finger nails, or her nail polish?

All this attributes are essential to defining a well-rounded character.

Biography: 

Most new writers don’t understand the need for a character bio. After all, most of the material will never make it into the story, so why bother. Writing a bio allows the writer to understand the character and learn what makes him tick. If you don’t have a bio, you don’t know how the character will react in different situations. Suppose you didn’t wrote a bio and someone walks up to your character and punches him in the mouth. How doe he react? Does you character punch back? Turn around and walk away? You don’t know what the character will do, because you don’t understand the character. What if a beautiful woman grabs him and kisses him. Does you character turn red and develop a stammer? Does he ask for her phone number? Does he kiss her back? Without a bio, you’re guessing what the character will do. Guess will ensure the character inconsistency.

Dominant reader emotion: 

This attribute isn’t discussed much in fiction writing books. It’s the emotion you want the reader to experience when the character is in a scene. All the main characters need one or more of this attribute. Typical reader emotions are: sympathy, annoyance, pity, amusement, empathy and affection. Don’t give the story’s hero a dominant reader emotion like annoyance or hatred. These are reserved for the bad guy in the story.

Do you enjoy untypical coming-of-age stories? Well, you won’t find one more untypical that Moxie’s Problem. Moxie is an obnoxious, teen-age princess who has never been outsider her father’s castle. Until now. The real world is quite different and she struggles to come to grips with reality. The story take space against a backdrop of Camelot. But it isn’t the Camelot of legends. It’s Camelot in a parallel universe. So, all bets are off!

Buy Now @ Amazon & Smashwords

Genre – Fantasy, Sci-fi

Rating – G

More details about the author

Connect with Hank Quense through Facebook & Twitter

Website http://hank-quense.com/wp/

ENEMY OF MAN (Chronicles of Kin Roland) #Excerpt by @ScottMoonWriter #Goodreads #SciFi

Excerpt from Enemy of Man, Chapter One 

Earth Fleet assaults the lost planet .... 

….He knew she kept them all alive. She was a force of nature. He needed to meet a nice girl, someone like Becca.

The wormhole convulsed. Kin let go of the rail and stood straight. His hand went to the pistol hanging on his leg. Objects burst from the hazy opening high in the atmosphere. Most ships that crashed on this huge planet came alone—pioneers, explorers, or pilgrims fleeing persecution. Meteors were more common, but during the last three days, a variety of space junk and wreckage had splashed into the ocean and smashed against the mountains east of Crater Town. Somewhere in the universe, an epic battle raged and the debris drifted through the wormhole.

Pacing, Kin watched the sky until the wormhole began to puke earnestly. Small pops sounded in the distance, but he suspected they were explosive thunderclaps.

Damn.

Objects burst into the air close together, sounding like the chatter of machine gun fire. Pop-pop-pop. Pop-pop. Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop.

That’s a planetary assault force.

Each cluster of fast-moving smoke trails were troopers in Fleet Single Person Assault Armor units. He had worn an FSPAA unit during his enlistment and recognized the formation. Several larger objects followed, flanked by more troopers in airborne assault mode.

Laura emerged from the doorway, paused to stare at the sky, and hastily buttoned up her shirt. “I’m going to the meeting hall.”

“Go to a bunker,” Kin said, but she was already running.

“Damn!” Kin estimated a division of Fleet troopers were plummeting toward Crater Town. He jumped off the side of the deck and ran to the lighthouse, sprinting up the spiral staircase. When he reached the top, he doused the light and picked up a horn.

A large ship emerged from the mouth of the wormhole, bow elevated twenty degrees too high and drifting sideways. The ship was still under power, laboriously righting itself as the atmosphere burned it. Kin watched pieces break off. He didn’t recognize the ship’s class or if it were built for entry into the atmosphere, but it was shaped like a Fleet vessel.

An armada of broken ships, huge things never meant to enter the atmosphere even if in one piece, were the last through. Kin sounded the alarm. Horns answered from every corner of Crater Town. Men, women, and children rushed from their homes with survival kits. He saw many running to the well to form a bucket line and parents rushing their children to crude fallout bunkers.

Two companies of assault troopers splashed into the water off shore. Two additional companies veered right while another two veered left of Crater Town as flanking elements. Four came straight at him. The command ship and heavy vehicles—Tanks, Strykers, and reconnaissance vehicles—fought for altitude. They soared over the town, landing near the Goliath half buried in the sand between the coast and mountains.

Kin picked up binoculars from the railing and tracked the progress of each assault force and the efforts of Crater Town’s people. About the time young men surrendered to Fleet troopers in seven-foot-tall armor, the space debris hit. The noise of the plummeting ship parts had been minimal from a distance, but as they neared, they ripped through the air, vibrating the tower where Kin stood. Troopers and townspeople ran for shelters, threw themselves on the ground, or gaped at the destruction. Earth exploded. Water erupted into steaming clouds of death. Fires rampaged like demons.

Kin risked a final glance toward the wormhole before descending the tower.

That’s not a Fleet ship.

He jerked the binoculars up.

No military emblems. No weapons. And it’s shaped like a blockade runner.

He watched the small craft drift away from the others, seeming to sneak free of the chaos. Kin didn’t like the feeling in his gut. Dread hollowed him out. He thought of Reapers and stolen technology.

The faster Fleet vessels and plummeting debris posed the immediate threat. Kin knew it. He needed to ignore the small civilian ship, but understood Reapers hijacked anything that would take them from their home world. The creatures didn’t build ships and were notoriously bad pilots, but when they left Hellsbreach, they were on a mission of murder.

Kin forced his gaze toward the ships and troops already on the ground.

Don’t think of Reapers. Don’t think of Hellsbreach. Captivity. Death. I should have died. Kin steadied his breathing, unsure if it calmed him or merely suffocated his panic. Should have killed them all.

Sweat beaded on his forehead. He waited for Fleet ships to spot the stranger and destroy it, but nothing happened. The craft disappeared beyond the mountain pass. He wanted to go after it, but Crater Town took priority.

He left the tower and ran down the unpaved street twisting around ramshackle huts near the bay. Laura hurried from a building up the street, wearing a firefighting coat. She paused to tie up her hair, then pulled on heavy gloves. People carrying tools rushed from their shelters to follow her. She accosted a group of men held at gunpoint by Fleet troopers and ordered them to follow her.

The squad leader pointed at Laura and gave an order. Get back. This is Fleet business.

Laura elevated her chin and put both hands on her hips. She said something. I’m sleeping with Kin Roland, a murdering deserter and traitor to the Fleet. He’ll cut your balls off if I even nod your direction. Fleet business my ass. This is my business. These are my people. Kindly mind your manners, you faceless killer.

The Fleet trooper spread his hands in frustration and surprise. He yelled and thrust his gauntleted finger near her face. Listen you stupid bitch. You’re lucky I don’t blow your head off.

Kin couldn’t hear the conversation, but he could imagine it. He wasn’t surprised when the troopers released the people of Crater Town to Laura. The guards followed, seeming a bit dazed.

What the fuck just happen?

Don’t ask me. You’re the squad leader. Take charge.

I’ll take charge of your face with my boot. Stay sharp. Watch the work crew. I’ll watch the councilwoman.

Kin ran up the steep hill, knowing planetary assault forces demanded immediate compliance when they made planetfall. They were paid to shoot people. He feared Laura would push too hard. Inflexible and harsh standard operating procedures placed the interests of the Fleet before the welfare of local populations. He needed to warn her about what happened when people resisted. She won this scrimmage and freed her work crew, but needed to consider a softer touch when dealing with officers.

Then he realized she had a trump card. He believed he knew Laura. He believed she had been toying with him when she said she would expose him to the Fleet. Being wrong would cost him his life.

“You there, halt and identify,” a Fleet trooper shouted. His amplified voice echoed from the helmet speaker. He held a rifle and a plasma thrower, each connected to the armor by woven metal tubes. Kin ignored the trooper, who moved forward, weapons ready.

He slipped around the corner and ducked through a cloud of smoke, then circled the area until he was behind the trooper who continued in the wrong direction.

“Identify yourself,” Kin said, under his breath.

Lost Hero

Changed by captivity and torture, hunted by the Reapers of Hellsbreach and wanted by Earth Fleet, Kin Roland hides on a lost planet near an unstable wormhole.

When a distant space battle propels a ravaged Earth Fleet Armada through the same wormhole, a Reaper follows, hunting for the man who burned his home world. Kin fights to save a mysterious native of Crashdown from the Reaper and learns there are worse things in the galaxy than the nightmare hunting him. The end is coming and he is about to pay for a sin that will change the galaxy forever. 

Books

Enemy of Man: Book One in the Chronicles of Kin Roland was written for fans of military science fiction and science fiction adventure. Readers who enjoyed Starship Troopers or Space Marines will appreciate this genre variation. Powered armor only gets a soldier so far. Battlefield experience, guts, and loyal friends make Armageddon fun. 

Movies

If you love movies like Aliens, Predator, The Chronicles of Riddick, or Serenity, then you might find the heroes and creatures in Enemy of Man dangerous, determined, and ready to risk it all. It’s all about action and suspense, with a dash of romance—or perhaps flash romance. 

From the Author

Thanks for your interest in my novel, Enemy of Man. I hope you chose to read the book and enjoy every page. 

If you have already read Enemy of Man, how was it? Reviews are appreciated! 

Have a great day and be safe.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Science Fiction

Rating – R

More details about the author

 Connect with Scott Moon on Facebook & Twitter

PM Pillon on Google Being a Writer's Friend, Research & Writing @KirstenWrite #AmWriting #SciFi

It’s hard to imagine a writer who is disinterested in being perceived as credible, and faux pas that are easily avoided is one way to lose credibility.

And it’s not just research about what kind of pavement or trees would be found in a Thai village that your protagonist visits, but also diligence with vocabulary and spelling, I just read an excerpt for instance, that ended with “had drank” instead of the correct “had drunk”. This kind of writer needs to buckle down and find an editor to correct such errors that wouldn’t likely be revealed by Microsoft or another word processor.

As the saying goes, “The Google is your friend” with which you can learn about even foreign ambiances with very specific keyword usage. But it won’t replace an editor for a writer who isn’t uncertain about “had drank” and therefore doesn’t search the phrase athttp://www.google.com/#q=had+drunk to find out that it’s incorrect.

Using the best keywords is crucial to fast and effective research. No doubt you have Googled something like “current German technology” and started reading a story only to discover it was published a decade ago – which for that topic may as well be the 19th century – and then had to go back to The Google and add the current year to the search.

Taking the above Thailand example for instance, even if you have been there you may not remember crucial details you might need to know, such as the type of architecture and the type of people you might encounter on the streets at different hours of the day; and where there are different activities are such as red light districts and temples. All of this can be found by reading travel blogs and comments, and even though it might require a lot of time, it’s worth it if you value precision in your writing. For instance, if you write about a particular season in England or Europe but have never been there, it’s worthwhile to research and find out that both places can have very drab summers except in the South, unlike the U.S. which is warm or hot in almost everywhere between June and September.

His celestial companion was waiting for him

Precariously climbing a sea-side cliff near Big Sur, ten-year-old Joey Blake was as yet unaware that near his grasp was an object, so odd, mysterious and alien to earth that it would change his life forever and the lives of countless others in the next few astonishing days. Reaching up as far as he could for a handhold it was just there; it had subconsciously lured him, occupied his mind, and made him find it. It was like he was meant to see and discover this object of unimaginable power … the power to change reality.

Time travel and more

This young adult series of sci-fi fantasy novels begins with The Reality Master and continues through four other exciting and amazing stories about time travel and mysterious alien devices. Joey and the reader will face dangerous shadowy criminal organizations, agents of the NSA, bizarre travelers from other times and even renegade California bikers and scar-faced walking dead.

- Vol 1 The Reality Master
- Vol 2 Threat To The World
- Vol 3 Travel Beyond
- Vol 4 Missions Through Time
- Vol 5 The Return Home

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Science fiction, Fantasy, Young adult

Rating – G

More details about the author

Connect with PM Pillon on Facebook & Twitter

Superhuman Nature by Brandon Overall #Excerpt #SciFi #AmReading

He turned back to the apple and tried to shift the focus of his thoughts to mimic how he had felt.  He thought about the apple the same way he thought about his arm, or his toes.  He wiggled his toes and moved his arm up and down and tried to capture the sort of sensation it gave him to know that these parts of his body were under his control.  He looked at the apple and tried to imagine how it would feel for the apple to be part of his body.  He commanded the apple, as part of his body, to roll off the stump to the left.

Neil’s eyes tracked the movement immediately.

The apple rolled off the stump.  He watched it fall to the ground almost in slow motion.

“YES!” He exclaimed, “FUCK YES, I DID IT!!”

Neil felt the rush of excitement.  His heart started beating faster and he got a sudden burst of energy…until he felt the breeze.  The damn wind had blown it off.  His mood sank almost as quickly as it rose.  He picked up a stick, threw it at the can, missed, and sat down on the ground, defeated.

Neil tried for another 20 or 30 minutes in an attempt to make something…anything happen to the apple and the can, but nothing worked.  He decided he was tired of wasting his time looking foolish and walked over to the stumps to retrieve his produce, feeling embarrassed.

As Neil was walking towards the apple, he felt a tickling sensation on his cheek and heard a buzzing noise.  It took a split second for him to realize that a bug had landed on his face, and a split second longer for him to raise his hand to try to swat it off.

He was too late.  He felt the sharp pinch and realized that the bug was a bee, and his cheek was throbbing with pain.  His temper immediately flared from the sudden sting.  He knew he needed to swat off and kill the damned bee, so that’s what he did.  Instead of raising his arm to do it, he reflexively used the other part of his body – the new part of his body that he hadn’t used before – the red spherical part of his body that he sensed had untapped potential that could be used in this very situation to kill a bee.

Before he realized what he was doing, he felt a baseball sized object smack into the side of his face, explode into tiny juicy pieces, and knock him to the ground.  He laid in the dirt and leaves, staring up at the sky.  He tasted something on the corner of his mouth.  It tasted sweet, and then it dawned on him what it was that hit him in the side of the head.  He had just killed the bee with an apple.

Superhuman Nature is Brandon Overall’s first novel. It was written and published during his first deployment to Afghanistan as a 2nd Lieutenant in late 2013.

Neil Hitchens was a senior ROTC Cadet in college. He was just weeks away from graduating and becoming an Officer in the United States Army, until a strange dream set off a chain of events that would twist his life into something he could have never prepared for.

In the days following his dream, several strange happenings occurred that he began to suspect were the result of his own actions. Before long, he discovered that he had the ability to control the world around him with his mind.

What started out as an unpredictable ability quickly evolved into an extraordinary power that had the capacity to change the world. It didn’t take long for the government to find out what Neil could do.

They knew having such limitless potential on the side of the US Military could give them limitless political influence, and they would stop at nothing to get Neil to do their bidding. They would find out what happens when you back a dangerous animal into a corner.

Neil spent his whole life believing he would amount to greatness, but he never expected how greatness could corrupt even the most innocent of minds.

Buy @ Amazon & Smashwords

Genre – Science Fiction

Rating – PG-13

More details about the author

Connect with Brandon Overall on Facebook

The Soul of the World by Joshua Silverman #ReviewShare #Fantasy #SciFi @jg_silverman

The Soul of the World by Joshua Silverman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the second book in the Legends of Amun Ra series. It definitely better than the first book. Everything that is needed for an excellent fantasy read are in this book. Silverman is a great writer whose world building skills are incredible and his characters are extremely fascinating. Plotline are weaved in such a manner that when a new character is introduced it doesn’t throw the reader off balance.

From Book 1 to Book 2, the series works well on a variety of levels. Leoros’ soul searching sets out an unbelievable pace for the story. Atlantia on her own is forced to do some soul searching on her own and Potara is scattered between the good, the bad and the confused. At the beginning, the story seemed as scattered as Portara and the displaced hero had me thinking about how well the story would work.

In the end, everything comes together. The detachment of the characters from each other makes the reader more aware of their individual struggles and strengths.

This scene was the most appealing to me and it made solidified the fact there was definitely more to the characters than I was expecting: - Atlantia launched a ball of fire. The inferno lit up the night-time forest in a violet glow. The form of the woman dissipated in a dark mist; the fireball sizzled through the spot where she was and collided into the trees, lighting them on fire.

Disclosure - As a Quality Reads UK Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for my book review. This book review is based on my thoughts, opinion and understanding of the book. This book review does not reflect the opinion of other book club members.

View all my reviews

#Excerpt - #Zombie Days, Campfire Nights by Leah Rhyne @Leah_Beth #AmReading #Horror

And then I heard a knock on the door. It started quietly, but turned to a desperate banging that had the same beat as BJ’s ringtone which suddenly started blaring from the depths of the sheets on my bed. I hauled my beat-up body away from the commode, and noticed my head was pounding to the same rhythm, too. That almost set me back to throwing up, but I couldn’t ignore the door or the ringing. They were too loud. Crossing the bathroom, I realized I had no panties under my sequined skirt, and then wobbled across my bedroom. At least the stranger’s snoring had stopped. He sat up in the bed, rubbing at his head, looking almost as hung over as I was.

The walk of shame came to an end and I opened the door, interrupting my brother BJ mid-knock. His face was almost purple with rage, and he stared angrily at his lit up cell phone as mine continued to ring. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “Hi, Beej. Come on in. I’ll be right with you.”

I ran back to the bathroom and closed the door behind me. I didn’t have to throw up again, I just needed a minute to hide. To think about how to calm him down. Through the cracked wood, I heard a crash, and a man’s grunt. “Ow, stop.”

“Asshole! Get the hell out of my sister’s bed. And put some pants on.” I heard a thump.

Fuck! Okay, I’m leaving! I didn’t know she was anybody’s sister.”

In less than a minute, the voices stopped, the door slammed, and it was time to face BJ. I took a deep breath, and then opened the door into my bedroom. This really wasn’t going to go well.

At first, I didn’t see BJ, and I scanned the small apartment nervously.

Maybe I dreamed it?

Suddenly my head jerked from a hard slap across the face, and I was grateful that it was a slap and not a full punch. Still, it stung, and tears filled my eyes almost immediately. I blinked them back and tried to focus on my brother.

His face was still purple. I’d seen this look many times, and my stomach sank dangerously. I was aware of the distance between us and the toilet, and I took a step back. BJ followed.

“What did I tell you, Louise? What were you not supposed to do last night?”

I hung my head in shame and mumbled, “I was supposed to stay in. I’m sorry. I just thought…”

Millions died when the zombie plague swept the country. For the survivors, the journey has just begun. Jenna, Sam, and Lola are still alive. Jenna avoids human contact, traveling East Coast backroads with her boyfriend, a dog named Chicken, and a Louisville Slugger. Sam escapes to the mountains, where he’s conscripted into a zombie-slaying militia sent on nightly raids to kill the undead…and innocent civilians. Lola’s imprisoned in the “safety” of a zombie-free New Orleans hotel, but life grows more dangerous when her brother gets bitten by a zombie. Jenna arrives in the French Quarter, lured by the false promises of New Orleans’ drunken leader. There, she’s ripped away from her boyfriend, drugged, and dumped in a death camp after refusing Franklin’s sexual advances. Jenna and Lola’s lives collide there, where the dead live and the dying are victims of gruesome medical experiments. Escape isn’t easy: release the genetically-enhanced zombies from the lab to create a diversion, slip away, and don’t get eaten. When Sam arrives, will he join the right side of the battle?

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – NA-Horror, Sci-fi

Rating – PG-13

More details about the author

Connect with Leah Rhyne on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.leahrhyne.com/

Come & Meet with Scott Moon (Enemy of Man) @ScottMoonWriter #SciFi #AmReading #TBR

What are you most passionate about? What gets you fired up?

I get really annoyed with judgmental people who don’t have empathy. And I can’t stand hate mongers.  

What makes you angry?

Bullies.

What’s your most embarrassing moment of your life?

I was once informed by a friend that the back of my swim suit was missing, except for the under liner. When I asked how long I had been exposing myself, he told me all day. And we had just gone to lunch at a very busy fast food restaurant. But that wasn’t too bad, because it was over by the time I realized what had happened. The worst moment, was the time I read a short story in 8th grade and no one got it. It didn’t stop me from writing, and hopefully, I’ve improved a lot over the years.

Are you a city slicker or a country lover?

Both, but I like the city when it’s really late at night and there isn’t much traffic.

How do you think people perceive writers?

That’s an interesting question. My non-writer friends seem to think the fact that I write novels is impressive, which makes me uncomfortable, because to me it’s just what I do. Most people probably think writers are either really smart or have their heads in the clouds.

What’s your next project?

I am editing book two of The Chronicles of Kin Roland. After that, I’m going to finish the Lost Dragonslayer Trilogy.

What’s the reason for your life? Have you figured out your reason for being here yet?

I’m here to provide for my family and follow my heart, live the dream, do at least one thing as best I can. I also feel an obligation to do good in the world, treat people fairly, and make intelligent decisions instead of blindly follow the crowd.

How do you feel about self-publishing?

I love the chance to share my work, and I think hard work will pay off. Now is a good time for new authors, though I fear it could all vanish in an instant. That is why I take every book seriously and strive for the best quality possible. Indie authors have gained respect in recent years, but respect has to be earned. I also think some writers will quit when they don’t make a fortune immediately, which will leave those who really care about writing for its own sake.

Do you know your neighbors?

Yes. Good people.

How important are friends in your life?

Friends are extremely important to me. I don’t spend enough time maintaining relationships, however. For me it is family, work, and writing. Socializing isn’t very practical when you’re trying to squeeze a very time consuming hobby into a busy day. 

How many friends does a person need?

As many as they have.

Lost Hero

Changed by captivity and torture, hunted by the Reapers of Hellsbreach and wanted by Earth Fleet, Kin Roland hides on a lost planet near an unstable wormhole.

When a distant space battle propels a ravaged Earth Fleet Armada through the same wormhole, a Reaper follows, hunting for the man who burned his home world. Kin fights to save a mysterious native of Crashdown from the Reaper and learns there are worse things in the galaxy than the nightmare hunting him. The end is coming and he is about to pay for a sin that will change the galaxy forever. 

Books

Enemy of Man: Book One in the Chronicles of Kin Roland was written for fans of military science fiction and science fiction adventure. Readers who enjoyed Starship Troopers or Space Marines will appreciate this genre variation. Powered armor only gets a soldier so far. Battlefield experience, guts, and loyal friends make Armageddon fun. 

Movies

If you love movies like Aliens, Predator, The Chronicles of Riddick, or Serenity, then you might find the heroes and creatures in Enemy of Man dangerous, determined, and ready to risk it all. It’s all about action and suspense, with a dash of romance—or perhaps flash romance. 

From the Author

Thanks for your interest in my novel, Enemy of Man. I hope you chose to read the book and enjoy every page. 

If you have already read Enemy of Man, how was it? Reviews are appreciated! 

Have a great day and be safe.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Science Fiction

Rating – R

More details about the author

 Connect with Scott Moon on Facebook & Twitter

Lights Over Emerald Creek by @ShelleyDavidow #SciFi #YA #GoodReads

The Phonecall

‘Hi this is Lucy.’

‘Lucy, it’s Jonathan. So glad you’re there.’ The roundness and beauty of rocky hills and misty lochs sounded in his voice. It was a young voice, but had an edge of manhood about it. He wasn’t a boy.

Warmth seeped from the top of her head, into her heart.

‘That’s nice of you to call,’ she said, desperately casual. ‘What time is it there?’

‘It’s almost seven,’ he said. ‘But I’ve been up for hours.’ She liked the way he rolled his ‘r’s. ‘I can hear the sun in your voice,’ he said.

‘Really?’ she laughed. ‘But it’s been raining all day!’

He laughed too. ‘I can still hear it. It must be warm there.’

‘Yeah, sticky and hot. But I want to know everything. Is this going to be expensive for you?’

‘Not at all. In fact I have this calling card that’s a really good deal. I can call you cheaper than I can call my neighbours.’

‘What does it look like in Scotland today?’ Lucy said, nervously winding a pipe of hair around her finger and then sticking the end into her mouth.

‘It’s grey, and it’s freezing. The Firth of Forth is foaming and frothy, and beating the land into shape, fed by the cold North Sea. The clouds are low and dense. People are really grumpy as they huddle against the wind and drag themselves to work. But I’m lucky … I’m all bundled up in my pyjamas listening to cheesy eighties music in my grandpa-slippers, drinking hot tea and talking to a girl with a beautiful sunny voice on the other side of the world.’

Lucy felt herself blush.

‘What’s Australia like today?’

‘It’s hot. Probably thirty-four degrees. That’s Celsius. Humid too. Been raining all this time. From my window I can see two Kookaburras — I gave them names a while back — Kevin and Evan. My dog Jaffa’s at my feet. The hills are green outside and … I don’t know …’ she laughed. ‘Is this small talk and should we get to the point?’

Jonathan laughed too. ‘If you like. Kookaburras. I can hardly imagine.’

‘Yeah, sometimes if you give Kevin a juicy bit of sausage outside our kitchen and you time it right you can gently stroke his back as he eats. You have to be fast though. Sneak in a cuddle before he turns his beak on you.’

‘I’m jealous,’ Jonathan said. ‘Well, I wish I could see you Lucy. No chance of Skype?’

‘Nope.’

‘Maybe it’s better you don’t see me anyway, I’m as pale as an albino earthworm after months without sun. But I’d like to see you, if I could.’

‘Well, that wouldn’t be fair, would it?’

‘I suppose not. Would you send me a picture? Email it?’

‘Only if you send me one at the exact same time,’ she said smiling. ‘Whether you’re an earthworm or not.’

Lucy Wright, sixteen and a paraplegic after a recent car accident that took her mother’s life, lives in Queensland on a 10,000 acre farm with her father. When Lucy investigates strange lights over the creek at the bottom of the property, she discovers a mystery that links the lights to the science of cymatics and Scotland’s ancient Rosslyn Chapel.

But beyond the chapel is an even larger mystery. One that links the music the chapel contains to Norway’s mysterious Hessdalen lights, and beyond that to Saturn and to the stars. Lucy’s discoveries catapult her into a parallel universe connected to our own by means of resonance and sound, where a newly emerging world trembles on the edge of disaster. As realities divide, her mission in this new world is revealed and she finds herself part of a love story that will span the galaxy.

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Genre - Young Adult SF

Rating - PG

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Promised Land: A Galatia Novel (The Galatia Series) by C. D. Verhoff #Fantasy #SciFi

Promised Land: A Galatia Novel is told from multiple view points. All chapters, except those narrated from Michael Penn’s perspective, are told in third person. Michael is the Official Scribe of Galatia. He’s in charge of penning Galatia’s history. Therefore, when he speaks from personal experience, the story is told in first person. Here is an excerpt:

I waited breathlessly, wondering if we were going to war. My brother through adoption, Mayor Red Wakeland the Second, leader of the displaced citizens of Galatia, sat in the center of a large nylon tent reading a scroll by candlelight. The star-shaped birthmark at the corner of his left eye crinkled as the furrows in his brow deepened in concentration. Surrounded by men wearing tunics, armor, swords and fur—he looked like an anachronism in a checkered flannel shirt and blue jeans.

In my sweat pants and frayed T-shirt, United States flag printed across the chest, I looked out of place too, but my thick yellow beard blended with the times. Razors were scarce here and men now had more important things to worry about than a mug full of whiskers.

“Every king, queen and chief in the West has signed this blasted thing,” Red growled. “They’re warning us not to settle anywhere in the Northlands, Midlands or Southlands, which as I understand it, means basically they’re telling us to go the hell away or we’ll be sorry.”

“Unfortunately, you are correct,” said Prince Loyl of the House of the White Rose. Except for the metal breastplate molded with the image of a rose, he was dressed in an unadorned hunter-green tunic, trousers, and suede boots. A circlet of silver served as his crown.

Having several brothers and sisters ahead of him in line for the throne, Prince Loyl was only a minor prince of the Kingdom of Regala D’Nora. He had become a regular sight in our camp. His inquisitive nature, Regalan good looks—complete with feline ears, retractable claws, and a manly face surrounded by a mane of snow-white fur—combined with an affable personality meant that he was well-received by our people, especially the ladies, but he always behaved like a true gentleman.

Our gadgetry and history fascinated the prince and his Regalan archers. Right now he was struggling to pull himself away from a Mario Brothers game on a laptop. He finally powered it off and gave the discussion his complete attention. Red often leaned on the knowledgeable Regalans for advice about a variety of topics, from politics to combat, or basic survival skills.

“In accordance with the Law of First Rights, the members of the Western Alliance are obligated to remove you from these lands in any way they deem necessary, unless you can prove the Galatians were here before them,” Loyl said. “As you know, my father is a powerful member of the alliance, and though he longs for an allied neighbor to help keep the Slivens at bay, the law aims his archers’ bows in your direction.”

“So I’ve been told,” Red said with a frustrated growl. “The only good news is that they’re giving us a year to vacate.”

“Only so you have more time to build up the city they plan to take away,” Prince Loyl said.

Red rose and ordered everyone to leave the tent, but yanked me back by the collar of my T-shirt. “Not you, Mike.” He motioned for Prince Loyl to sit back down too. “I want to bounce a few thoughts off you two. That way we three can sleep on them instead of just me.”

The rest of the men filed out of the tent into the night, letting in a cool breeze perfumed with the woodsy citrus scent of lavender. We leaned back in our collapsible Ohio State stadium chairs, waiting for the mayor to speak his mind. The sound of the camp—adults snoring, babies crying, and a woman singing Brahms’s Lullaby—drifted into the tent. An owl’s lonely hoot carried from the forest half a mile away. Autumn would soon be upon us: the crickets were already singing their funeral dirge, filling the space between each of their chirps with silence, as if they were meditating their upcoming demise. Or was it ours they sensed?

Short Description:  The last survivors of the human race are riding out nuclear winter in an underground bunker when disaster strikes. Forced to the surface centuries ahead of schedule, what they find blows their minds. Who can explain it? Two social misfits work together to unravel the mystery.

Extended Description:  After living in a posh underground shelter his entire life, Lars Steelsun is plunged headfirst into a mind-blowing adventure on the surface of the Earth. As Lars and his displaced bunker mates are led across the grasslands by Mayor Wakeland, a man of questionable sanity who claims to talk with God, they discover a primitive world where human beings are no longer welcome. Even more mystifying is the emergence of new senses and abilities from within. Learning to use them has become a priority, but his biggest challenge comes from the vivacious Josie Albright. Her lust for glory is going to get them both into trouble. Sparks fly when her gung ho ways clash with his cautious personality. Can they overcome their differences to find love and a homeland for their people?

May not be suitable for younger readers. Contains mild profanity, sexual situations (infrequent), and violence. 

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Genre - Epic Fantasy

Rating – R

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Blog http://cdverhoff.blogspot.com/

Doubt (Among Us Trilogy) by Anne-Rae Vasquez @write2film #SciFi #Thriller #Paranormal

 

Outside the building, she welcomed the fresh air. She stood still for a moment, taking in deep breaths, hoping to relax. She looked around. People were scattering on the streets like the fire ants that used to seek safety from the garden hose she used to wield on in the backyard of her childhood home.

“There is no signal,” a young man said to her. He was waving his cell phone. “Do you have a signal?”

She shook her head, knowing full well that her cell phone was working fine. It was connected to a satellite and not on a regular cellular network. Harry had made sure that all the Truth Seekers were able to communicate with each other at all times.

A group of teenagers on the corner were pointing towards the sky. She tilted her head to see what they were looking at. Something was very different. Angry strokes of crimson red with charcoal rain clouds hung above them. What was strange were the streaks of lightning that were crisscrossing each other like an intricate woven rug. If she squinted, she could make out an image, almost like a painting. Odd, very odd.

She began walking down West 34^th Street, hoping to find a cab. Abandoned cars were making the normally traffic congested street even more difficult for cabs to get through. She started picking up her pace. She was going to have to walk to GN, which was on Lexington and East 33^rd Avenue. It was probably a good twenty-five-minute walk.

She walked past pockets of people. She noticed one thing they all had in common. Their eyes were opened wide, blinking fast as they raced past her. A woman with snow-white hair and clear blue eyes caught her gaze. She was walking towards her, clutching her black purse. Her shoes were black with thick heels. Each step she made was like a crack of thunder in her head. She covered her ears, but it didn’t stop the sound. Walk past her. Look away.

She tried to avoid making eye contact, but her eyes were drawn back to the woman. They were now face to face with each other.

“You. It was you,” the woman said in a quiet voice.

Standing in front of her now, the woman seemed fragile and small.

“I think you are mistaking me for someone else.”

She took a step to the side intending to walk around her.

The woman grabbed her arm.

“I saw you in my vision…when the earth was shaking.”

Cristal stopped and turned slowly towards her. Her skin felt like fire ants crawling up her arms.

“I don’t know what you mean,” she said, half believing her own words.

The woman continued, “It was you. There was a bright light coming down from heaven through your body into the earth.”

She clutched the gold cross around her neck with her left hand.

Cristal shook her head and said firmly, “No, not me! It wasn’t me.”

She yanked her arm away from the old woman and started running down the street. Her heart was pounding; her palms sweating. Her backpack bounced against her and the straps rubbed against her shoulders.

She kept running, oblivious of the people bumping into her. The words repeated in her head like a mantra.

“It wasn’t me. It wasn’t me!”

She looked up and realized that GN was at the next corner. She dodged traffic and ran across the street. As she ran up to the busy intersection, another voice entered her head.

“But it was you, darling.”

Do you love shows like J.J. Abrams' Fringe and read books like Cassandra Clare's City of Bones?

"Doubt" mashes fringe science, corporate espionage and paranormal encounters to catapult you into an out-of-this-world experience.

At 21 years old, Harry and Cristal are fresh out of university with their PhD's. Labeled all their lives as being 'weird' and 'geeky', they find true friendships with other outcasts by playing online virtual reality games.

Harry Doubt, a genius programmer and creator of the popular online game 'Truth Seekers', has a personal mission of his own; to find his mother who went mysteriously missing while volunteering on a peacekeeping mission in Palestine. His gaming friends and followers inadvertently join in helping him find her; believing that they are on missions to find out what has happened to their own missing loved ones. During Harry's missions, Cristal and the team of 'Truth Seekers' stumble upon things that make them doubt the reality of their own lives. As they get closer to the truth, they realize that there are spiritual forces among them both good and evil, but in learning this, they activate a chain of events that start the beginning of the 'end of the world' as they know it.

Doubt is Book 1 of the Among Us Trilogy. Among Us is a book series which delves into the world of the supernatural and how it intersects with the everyday lives of seemingly ordinary young people as catastrophic events on earth lead to the end of times. Among Us weaves the theme of a young man and woman, who while not fully understanding their 'abilities', are drawn together in their desire to find out the truth about the world they live in which is similar to themes used in J.J. Abrams' TV shows Fringe and Lost.

What readers have to say...

As a big fan of the show Fringe, this book appealed to me tremendously. The writing was well done, and the way the "supernatural" forces were introduced was great.

A good, clean read for any age.

It was an excellent story that I'm sure both adult and teen urban fantasy fans will enjoy. You don't have to be a gamer or know one to identify with the characters. They're very well developed and definitely feel like people. I would definitely recommend it to a friend and I'm really looking forward to the second book.

...the novel is written in such a languid style, it moves on effortlessly and absorbs the reader into the story completely. Although the story itself revolves around the online gaming industry, one does not have to have an in depth knowledge as it is ably explained and discussed within the plot line.
OMGosh! I just finished reading "Doubt" INCREDIBLE! I couldn't put it down.

˃˃˃ >>> Depth and Substance mashed up with Fringe Science. Will entertain young and old alike.

This book is intended for mature young adults and new adults. Ages 16 to 45 +

˃˃˃ >>Inspired by real Truth Seekers Aaron Swartz and Harry Fear

The main character Harry Doubt was inspired by Aaron Swartz, internet prodigy and activist, co-founder of the Creative Commons and Reddit, and Harry Fear, journalist, documentary filmmaker and activist whose coverage of the conflict in the Middle East was seen on UStream by millions of viewers.

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Genre - Young Adult, Paranormal, Science Fiction, Thriller

Rating – G

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Website http://amongus.ca