Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Book Review: Elven Dwarf by Amanda Redhead and Craig Petillo

Aliaga is the daughter of a healer and a blacksmith, but Crugeon, the father, also know who to wield an ax and is a great warrior. She's also a dwarf, a member of the Norhar clan. The story starts when she is just a child and progresses from there. Not to give much of the story away, she is adopted by wood elves partway into the tale as her clan falls to disease and battle. So she is renamed Alluria and raised as an elf and thinks of herself as such.
As she gets older, her elven father worries about her finding a mate. When a dwarf named Heptos visits, he thinks he's found a perfect mate for Alluria.
Even before this, a demon has stolen a powerful talisman from the council at Druid's Stone though it won't work without a tome containing its spells. The tome is hidden away and various orcs, goblins, and other evildoers want control of both the talisman, a jewel, and the tome. Adventures ensue, battles are fought, and Alluria is right in the middle of it all.
This is a stirring tale in the vein of Tolkien's books. Neldorailin is a dense and rich world with a lot of characters of all the typical fantasy types, but here the authors have woven a tapestry of colorful characters. There are heroines and heroes, dragons, mages, goblin kings, and evil orcs. Some of the characters are quite funny and provide good comic relief. There is a lot of detail and names which are fine for the most part, this being a high fantasy book, but can slow the story down in places with a bit too much telling and not enough showing.
I look forward to more stories from Neldorailin and recommend this book to lovers of high fantasy.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Trad Tuesday - Tramps and Hawkers sung by Old Blind Dogs



Tramps and Hawkers is an old Scottish song supposed written by 'Besom Jimmy' in the 1800s. Another Jimmy, surname MacBeath, brought the song to the attention of modern songsmiths and it has been sung by The Dubliners, Luke Kelly, and the Battlefield Band. I happen to prefer this version by Old Blind Dogs.

Tramps And Hawkers

19th Century        
from the singing of Jimmy MacBeath    
         
Oh come a’ ye tramps an hawkers an gaitherers o bla,              
That tramps the country roon an roon, come listen ane and a’
I’ll tell tae you a rovin tale and sights that I have seen
Far up into the snowy North and South by Gretna Green

I have seen the high Ben Nevis a-towerin to the moon,
I’ve been by Crieff and Callander and roon by bonnie Doune,
And by the Nethy’s silvery tides an places ill tae ken                   
Far up into the snowy North lies Urquhart’s bonny glen

Aftimes I’ve lauched into myself when I’m trudging on the road,
Wi a bag o bla upon my back, my face as broon’s a toad,
Wi lumps o cakes an tattie scones an cheese an braxy ham,            
Nae thinking whaur I’m comin fae nor whaur I’m gaun tae gang

I’m happy in the summertime beneath the bricht blue sky,
Nae thinking in the morning at nicht whaur I’ve tae lie.
Barns or byres or anywhere or oot among the hay,
And if the weather does permit I’m happy every day

Oh Loch Katrine and Loch Lomon’ have a’ been seen by me,
The Dee, the Don, the Deveron that hurries into the sea,
Dunrobin Castle, by the way, I nearly had forgot,
An aye the rickles o cairn marks the Hoose o John o Groat.

I’m often roon by Gallowa or doon aboot Stranraer,
Ma business leads me anywhere, sure I travel near an far.
I’ve got a rovin notion, there’s nothing what I loss,
An a’ my day’s my daily fare and what’ll pey ma doss.

I think I’ll go tae Paddy’s land, I’m makin up my min’
For Scotland’s greatly altered now, sure I canna raise the win’
But I will trust in Providence, if Providence will prove true
An I will sing of Erin’s Isle when I come back to you.

Words:
Aftimes
: often
Bla: blaw, travellers’ cant for oatmeal
Braxy ham: salted meat from a sheep that died of braxy, an intestinal disease
Cairn: landmark heap of stones
Doss: night’s lodging
Erin’s Isle: Ireland
Ill tae ken: of bad repute
John o Groat/Groats: furthest north building in Scotland
Lauched: laughed
Loss: lose, miss
Paddy’s Land: Ireland
Pey: pay
Rickles : loose heaps

from: http://sangstories.webs.com/trampsandhawkers.htm

Sunday, March 26, 2017

Book Review: The Second Wife by Kishan Paul

Alisha is very happily married, a successful psychiatrist, who is kidnapped by a Pakistani arms dealer to become his second wife. He saw her at a conference and decided that she would be perfect to provide him the son he's always wanted and can't get from his first wife.
Her husband David and family have no idea where she is but don't know how to get over her disappearance despite two years having passed. Suddenly, David is given information that proves that Ally is alive and living in Pakistan.
This story is told in alternating POVs between Ally and David, and it also skips back and forth from the time of the kidnapping to the present. It started out pretty well - the villain, Sayeed is really evil and what happens to Ally is horrific. David's character is plausible also - he is still in despair over his missing wife, but is trying to move on. My problem was the character of Eddie, the mercenary David finds to help him recover his wife. I found him very confusing as to what his motives were; he took way too long to rescue Ally and really didn't seem to help David all that much, fighting with him and sending him on stupid missions. The story kind of disintegrates and the extra coda tacked on with Eddie made no sense at all.
The book also could have used a better editor. One of my pet peeves happened right at the beginning where Ally shakes her head and agrees. You nod to agree and shake your head to disagree. There were other places where I was taken out of the story for things like this.
It was a good thriller though it dragged on a bit long.

Link to Amazon

Friday, March 24, 2017

New Release, Giveaway, and Excerpt: Looking Back on Forever by Kat Alexander

Contemporary Romance
Date Published: February 27th

There are moments in time that stand out more than others: your first kiss, a special birthday party, seeing your baby for the first time, an intimate conversation, a first date, even something as little as sitting around a dining room table with friends. This is the story of the moments that stood out after I first laid eyes on Noah Gish. ~ Claire Sawyer
The city, it used to be a place I loved and missed with an ache in my gut. It was home. The place where I grew up, where I had fun, where I had my friends, where life was as good as I knew it to be. Then I was shipped off to a place that begins the story of how I fell in love, just to screw everything up. ~ Noah Gish

Excerpt:

That thought is halted the minute she walks in. Long, soft waves of brown swish inside the doorway. Below that hair is a petite, very petite, package full of curves. flawless ass wrapped in some tight jeans, tiny waist, full breasts seen at a side profile, outlined in a gray V-neck shirt. Those soft globes peeking out as she inhales. The ideal hourglass figure.
I haven’t even seen her face and I’m already picturing what I would do to her. I want to feel her skin. I can imagine how silky it would feel, how soft and conforming to my grip. How it would feel under my lips. Taste on my tongue. I want to lick her back. Every curve of …
Again my thoughts come to a halt. My erection stops mid-growth. Her face. Those eyes. My heart stops. It literally. Fucking. Stops. I don’t even think I breathe.
I’m not a fan of clichés, but from my reactions—my stopped breath, my stopped heart, the jaw dropping, eyes devouring, not to mention sexual thoughts paused … and now my heart is beating like I just ran a marathon, quick breathes, heart attack approaching. If I believed in it, I think I am experiencing love at first sight. And from the looks of her—paused mid-step, eyes locked on mine, rapid breathing, mouth parted, now trying not to look at me—I would say she is experiencing the same dubious phenomena.
Her face, if it had to be described in one word, it would be angelic. Her skin is impeccably fair, with a pretty blush to her cheeks. Her eyes are big and doe-like, so sweet, innocent, and the most beautiful shade of blue I have ever seen. They are fanned by the thickest lashes, and the arch of her brow just begs to be outlined by a finger. Her lips are the closest to natural red I have ever seen on a girl. And I know it’s not makeup; there isn’t a stitch of it on her pretty fresh face. Her nose … I want to press a kiss to that little nose.

What the hell am I saying? One look at this girl, and I am a puddle of mush.





Literature is my passion. I like to challenge myself and grow in my writings. I have many unfinished books and some that have been published under a different name.


My passions include the arts: music, photography, writing, dance, painting, films, architecture—anything that is creation. There is not much I don't like; and if I don't like it, I at least appreciate the process it took place to create it. This is something incorporated in all my books.



In my spare time, I enjoy being out in nature, travelling, spending time with family, and reading. I read everything, from contemporary to paranormal, and history to science. Learning is something very important to me.


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$50 Amazon gift card and signed copy of Looking Back on Forever

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Friday, March 17, 2017

Book Release and Excerpt: Creepy Hollow by Rachel Morgan



YA Fantasy
Date Published: March 14, 2017

Seventeen-year-old Violet Fairdale has one job: protect humans from dangerous fae. It’s a job she’s good at—until the cute guy whose life she just saved follows her back into the hidden world of magic. Now she’s broken Guild law, landing herself in a whole lot of trouble. The last thing Vi wants to do is spend any more time with the guy who got her into this mess, but the Guild requires that she return Nate to his home and make him forget the magical world he’s discovered. Easy, right? Not when you factor in evil faeries, plenty of mystery and intrigue, and inconvenient feelings of the romantic kind. Vi is about to find herself tangled up in a deadly plot that threatens not only her own life, but her entire world.



Excerpt

I cry out as the boy grabs hold of my arm. I stumble on the invisible path, my mind loses hold of my destination, and I tumble out of the darkness and onto the forest floor. I don’t usually exit the faerie paths so clumsily, but I don’t usually have a human boy on top of me.

I lie there blinking as the reality of what just happened strikes me like a slap in the face.

A human.

In the fae realm.

And I’m the one who brought him here.

No no no NO.

I give the guy a good kick and he lands on the ground beside me with a groan. “What did you do that for?” I yell, jumping to my feet. “You can’t follow me through! That’s not how this works.”

He sits up and stares at his surroundings—the wildly tangled trees; the creeping mist; the shifting smoke-like colors in the yuro plants’ leaves—with a mixture of horror and awe on his face. “That … was …”

“Probably the most idiotic thing you’ve ever done.” I doubt he’s listening to me though.

“I think you were right about the dreaming thing,” he says. “There’s no way this could be real. Am I high on something?”

“Ugh.” I clench my fists so tightly I can feel my nails digging into my skin. “It’s magic, you moron.”

He looks at me and frowns. “There’s no such thing as magic.”

“Well, you probably think there’s no such thing as faeries either, and yet here I am.” And here he is. In my forest. My home. I kick a flurry of leaves into the air. Their colors shift rapidly in protest, cycling through an endless palette: lavender, magenta, burgundy, sienna. I bury my face in my hands. I have so failed this assignment.

“No way,” he says, rustling the leaves as he stands. “You can’t be a faerie. You’re way too big.”

I lower my hands. “Excuse me?” I’ve been called many things in my seventeen years, but ‘big’ has never been one of them. Quite the opposite, in fact.

“Aren’t faeries supposed to be, like, really tiny? With wings and a wand and faerie dust?”

“I’m not Tinker Bell!”

He takes a step back. “Okay, okay. Since this is a dream, I guess you can be whatever you want to be.”

“Did it feel like a dream when I kicked you just now?”

“Actually, that did kind of hurt.” He rubs his leg.

I shake my head. “This is such a mistake. You should not be here.”

“So you don’t have wings then?” he asks, completely ignoring what I just said.

“Sure I do. They’re in my pocket.”

“Really?”

“No!” I’m trying to think of the best way to fix this, and I wish he’d keep quiet.

“Oh, wait, you do have a wand though. I saw you using it on my wall.”

“It’s not a wand, it’s a stylus. Just a stick, really.”

“But it—”

“You know, if it weren’t my sole purpose in life to protect humans like you from crazy magical fae, I’d leave you here to find your own way home.”

“Is that what you were doing in my room?” he asks after a moment.

I sigh. Why am I telling him any of this? “Yes. I was on assignment.”

“I was your assignment?”

Wow, you catch on fast. “Yes.”

He hesitates a moment, then grins. “That’s kind of hot.”



About the Author

Rachel Morgan spent a good deal of her childhood living in a fantasy land of her own making, crafting endless stories of make-believe and occasionally writing some of them down. After completing a degree in genetics and discovering she still wasn’t grown-up enough for a ‘real’ job, she decided to return to those story worlds still spinning around her imagination. These days she spends much of her time immersed in fantasy land once more, writing fiction for young adults and those young at heart.

Rachel lives in Cape Town with her husband and three miniature dachshunds. She is the author of the bestselling Creepy Hollow series, and also writes sweet contemporary romance under the name Rochelle Morgan.

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Friday, March 10, 2017

Book Review: The Rite of Wands by MacKenzie Flohr

The Rite of Wands is interesting, a perfect fantasy book for MG and YA fantasy lovers. It is told in alternating points of view by Mierta McKinnon and Orlynd O'Brien, two young teens. Mierta goes through the Rite of Wands and sees a dark future for himself. Orlynd is brought to King Francis to act as his warlock.
Mierta is a potion maker, a skill that he uses to try to avoid his fate. Orlynd has visions though he can't always interpret them as quickly as he needs to. He is caught in the schemes of Anya, the woman who is brought to marry Francis's son.
The author is very good on detailing the environment in which the characters find themselves, helping the reader to visualize in great detail the surroundings of Mierta and Orlynd. I found the dialogue a bit stilted at times and I personally didn't like Orlynd's dialect. There's a glossary in the back to help interpret what he was saying, but I found his speech distracting and it kept taking me out of the story. Other readers may not have this issue. I'd also warn the readers that this has a cliffhanger ending.
I'd like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this ARC. I did enjoy the story and I'm eager to see what happens next.

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Book Review: Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop

I usually only share reviews for Indie books, but on occasion, I will throw in a review of a book by
one of my favorite authors. Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop is the fifth and last book in The Others series, though I did hear there may be more books about Thaisia and its inhabitants.
This is a series that, at least in my opinion, needs to be read in order. The inhabitants of the Courtyard change subtly over the five books in various ways that culminate in Etched in Bone.
Meg Corbyn, the cassandra sangue, has mostly stopped cutting, suppressing the need by using her prophecy cards in lieu of the cutting euphoria. Things at the Courtyard have settled down; the Others and the humans are adjusting to living together after cataclysmic events of the previous books where the Humans First and Last movement tried to erase the terre indigene from all the lands.
The story builds slowly as Monty's brother 'Jimmy' and his family arrive to disrupt the fragile peace. While the other books dealt with bigger issues and movements, Etched in Bone is more about how this one bad apple can also cause destruction on a different scale. Jimmy is a grifter who mistreats his wife and children, takes advantage of his siblings and mother, and just generally causes trouble. Right from the beginning, the reader wants the Others to eat him, but Namid's Teeth and Claws make them accommodate him, wanting to learn more about this one human troublemaker.
The relationship between Meg and Simon Wolfgard has deepened. Meg is growing up, learning to deal with the real world after her years of confinement and Simon is patient while helping her adjust to new activities and changes.
There are some lighter moments; I especially liked the turkey hunt and the Elders asking for their treats. All in all, Etched in Bone is a satisfying conclusion to a wonderful series.

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Book Review: The Wingman by Natasha Anders

Daisy McGregor is not precisely an ugly duckling, but she's just not as pretty next to her two sisters. She's used to being ignored by others when Mason Carlisle suddenly starts paying attention to her at a night out. When she finds out that he was just trying to help his brother get a date with her oldest sister, Daisy decides to take advantage. Mason is a nice guy so he goes along with Daisy's scheme to be her date for her other sister's upcoming wedding. In fact, he decides that he must spend more time with Daisy to make the façade seem real.
I really enjoyed this book and just ordered another book by the same author. Both Daisy and Mason both grow as their relationship develops. They are both just nice normal people and it's sweet how they both overcome their backgrounds to find each other. Mason is a hottie, former Seal and underwear model, who sees Daisy for the woman she really is. And Daisy is a bit of a mess, but finally manages to assert herself to her mother and sisters. It's a great story. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this "Ugly Duckling" romance.

Link to Amazon


Book Review: The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book. I applied for The Bone Witch because the premise sounded very interesting. However, the reality turned out much different. I was initially confused between the two ongoing stories. I don't particularly like long passages in italics that didn't seem to pertain to the main storyline (later I discovered that it's told by a bard about an older Tea).
Tea is a young girl who discovers she's a bone witch when she accidentally raises her brother, Fox, from the dead.   After this the story goes downhill. Tea is taken off to learn how to become an asha, and, as others have noted, this mirrors Memoirs of a Geisha very closely. The author is very good at detail and world-building. But there is very little actual story going on here so the detailed descriptions of everything just become mind-numbing. I'm normally a fast reader, but this book took me forever to finish. When I keep looking to see what page I'm on now and it seems like hours and you've only read ten pages, you know there's a problem.
I'm sure that some people will really like this book, but it was not for me.  I reviewed this book of my own volition.

Link to Amazon

Monday, March 6, 2017

Book Release and Excerpt: Like Clockwork by Ali Abbas

Steampunk/Anti-Romance/Gothic Suspense
Date Published: February 28, 2017
Publisher: Transmundane Press

Commander Raymond Burntwood of the Royal Navy has returned to England where he meets the reclusive heiress Lady Ariana Grayhart. After the scandal of a night spent dancing together, Ariana returns home to Northumberland. Raymond’s superiors—seeking information about Ariana’s father—dispatch the commander under the cover of courting the heiress.
All is not as it seems in the Grayhart household. Captain Grayhart is an invalid, the servants maintain a monkish silence, and secrets are layered upon secrets. Everyone has their own agenda, from Raymond's friend and confidante Du Bois, to the family lawyer Sir Berwick, and Ariana herself.
In the midst of it all, Raymond must unravel the truth of Captain Grayhart's decline and save Ariana's reputation and fortune. In doing so, he learns dark secrets about himself that could tear his world apart.







Excerpt:
 I hurried back up the aisle, looking for a break in the foliage where I could step across, but the wall of green was impenetrable. My boots clattered on the stone floor, and I almost lost my footing as I came around the corner. I caught a glimpse of a figure turning past a small forest of bare poles standing in tall thin pots.

            More carefully now, I followed, watching the occasional pools of standing water and mossy patches on the uneven flags. I turned down the same space that the figure had gone and gagged. The stench was foul. I buried my nose in the elbow of my coat and stumbled backwards. My heel caught on one of the tall pots. I grabbed at the pole to catch my balance, but it swayed away under my weight and snapped. I fell heavily on the floor, a length of cane in my hand and the other canes clattering against each other in mock applause.
            I stood gingerly, wincing against the sharp pain of a blossoming bruise. The intake of the foul miasma hit me like a blow. I took a few cautious steps, using the length of cane as a walking stick.
            We had taken a pirate laden with slaves and bound for Port of Spain once. The Thame had stumbled on him by chance on the high seas, and did some damage before a long chase commenced. The pirates had given up looking after their cargo for some days by the time we finally overcame them and boarded the ship.
            In the hold, we had found a hundred souls dead, and only a handful alive. They were barely recognisable as men in their filth and malnutrition, packed into the darkness with death. We took the survivors on board and burned the shattered remains of the ship with its grisly contents. Some nights the smell of that hold haunted me. And now, I had found it once more in a stuffy corner of this oppressive glasshouse.
            My mind reeled between the present and past. Before me, a row of corpses slowly decayed into the boards of a ship’s hold. I doubled over and retched up scalding bile. I spat to clear my mouth and squeezed my eyes shut against the vision. Minutes passed before I dared to look up again.
            Before me were rows upon rows of noxious-looking fungi. They grew in shallow trays of straw-flecked manure, distended stems rising to lopsided caps. The sickly dark-yellow colour was deeply unwholesome, similar to the lantern lit bodies of the dead slaves. The fungi varied from six inches to a foot tall, and the mature ones seemed to be the same across.
            At least eight tables laden were with these trays. Oozing stems showed some had been recently harvested. I reached out my hand in horrified fascination. Something in their vile shape called out to be squeezed. Two soft footsteps fell behind me, and a strong hand gripped my wrist.



Author Info: Ali Abbas is a writer, photographer, and carpenter from London. He has travelled widely but still lives in the suburb where he was born. It's hard to explain what he does for a living, the common term is Policy Wonk.


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Friday, March 3, 2017

Book Tour and Excerpt: Mineran Influence by P.N. Burrows

 Sam, an ex-soldier who is trying to rediscover himself after twenty years of service, unwittingly stumbles upon a mysterious alien presence in rural Wales. He is drawn into a tangled web of intrigue, pitting him against forces bent on destruction and putting his life in peril. Feeling mentally eroded by his time in the army and having worked hard to overcome this, he is thrust upon an alien journey that will change his life and beliefs in a profound way. Claims of benevolence are only the beginning of the mysteries he'll have to unravel as doubt and mistrust haunt him. He will have to form unlikely alliances in order to fathom the mysteries at the secret Mineran enclave, where intrigue, deception and imminent danger reside. His journey for answers will introduce him to pernicious enemies with hidden agendas, as a heinous plot to kill him unravels. Can he defeat his personal demons to secure justice and discover the truth of who or what is behind the nefarious machinations and why?



Excerpt:

Sam could see rows of large stacked cubes. They were polished bright, reflecting the light from overhead. Sam cast a questioning glance at Reb.
‘Would it make sense if I said they are a by-product of the process? To be precise, they are two-metre tall cubes of solid steel or eight cubic metres of steel weighing over sixty-two thousand kilogrammes each. Does that help?’ The sarcastic tone failed to mask Reb’s amusement at Sam’s quandary.
Sam touched one of the cubes as he walked by. The sides were perfectly smooth, and he couldn’t see the top as it was above his head height. The edges and corners were rounded, giving the cubes a look of gigantic dice.
A subdued glow was faintly visible from the end of the conveyor. Sam calculated it to be a quarter of a mile away. He didn’t bother to figure out how many barrels were passing him on the conveyor. A steady stream of them, spaced six feet apart, were travelling lengthways, slightly faster than the pace they were walking at. They disappeared ahead, near the glow. Sam could not make out what was happening, it all seemed to be occurring in shadows, which didn’t make sense as it was also glowing.
He picked up his pace a bit, subconsciously eager to solve the mystery. ‘Do I need to wear a suit or anything?’ he enquired.
‘No, but do not and I stress DO NOT touch anything. In fact, put your hands in your pockets when you get there,’ Reb replied cryptically.
He could feel the heat; it was definitely getting warmer as he drew nearer to the glow. The air had the feel of a smithy he had once visited. It had a perceptible ferrous taste. He could partially see the end wall of the tunnel thirty or forty feet behind the glow, but something large and dark was obscuring the view.
The conveyor ended suddenly with a short downward section. The barrels seemed to enter a dark cave. Bastards, he thought, they are dumping the drums, after all, that bullshit and holier-than-thou crap he had been fed. The bright glow prevented him from seeing into the new cave or tunnel entrance. It seemed to be a set of ultra-bright strip lights. In his haste, Sam had gotten ahead of Reb at this point; he looked back with anger in his eyes.
‘You go ahead, I’ll catch you up. For your own safety, please do not go up the gantry steps or go into the red zone.’
Sam didn’t realise it, but he had broken out into a small jog as he strained to see clearly what was happening. What seemed to be a tunnel entrance from further back must be the opening of a large twenty-foot diameter pipe, whose opening was facing directly at him as the opening was floating in the centre of the tunnel.
He could see the barrels rise to the top of the conveyor’s apex and then descend, lost in the illumination from the bright strip lights. At thirty feet, his assumptions fell apart. He could see that the glowing strip lights were, in fact, a constant stream of bright luminescent liquid flowing into a grill in the floor. ‘None of this makes sense,’ he muttered to himself. ‘If the liquid was the toxic waste, what’s the pipe for?’ He looked back at Reb. ‘I don’t understand, you’re just dumping it all into the ground, but what’s the pipe for?’
‘Look closer, Sam, you not allowing yourself to see the truth.’
Sam paused at the railings which separated the danger zone from the walkway with the aid of red markings on the floor, defining a twenty-foot radius from the illicit dumping area. The whole area was brightly lit. The liquid wasn’t luminescent. It was white hot. He could feel the heat searing his skin even from this distance. The pipe was blacker than night. It was void of any reflection from the incandescent liquid that was pouring down. The barrels moved along the conveyor, and they should have fallen into the centre of the dark yearning chasm and rolled away. Instead, they seemed to hit a solid barrier. Where the metal met the beginning of the opening, it instantly became molten liquid, running down across an invisible surface and into the grate in the floor.
Sam walked around the railing to try and see the process from the side. He didn’t hear Reb as he eventually ambled alongside him. There was no pipe, there was no nothing. From his vantage point at the side, the barrels stopped their descent from the conveyor in mid-air. The metal simply melted as if it were merely chocolate touching a white hot skillet. It ran down and back towards the direction of the conveyor. A river of molten metal floated in the air as if it were on top of an invisible thin sheet of glass that was set at a thirty-five-degree angle. Sam walked further round to see if he could make sense of what he was seeing. All he could see was blackness, a huge disc of blackness.
‘I don’t understand.’
‘My ancient ancestors with their primitive minds called it “Dia Kuklos” because they could go through the circle. This is the cause of distortion here in Minera. This is what we guard, keep secret and safe. This is our primary duty.’
‘So is this a black hole? Shouldn’t all of our solar system be sucked into it?’
‘No, you’re not seeing what is in front of you, Sam. Come back to the front and watch.’ Sam and Reb walked back along the railing to view the barrels landing on the Dia Kuklos.
‘Think back to the balloon model we discussed. If two distortions happened to touch each other, they’d perforate the fabric of space and link together. You can literally step through one side to the other. Your scientists theorise about this and commonly call them wormholes. There’s no tunnel connecting them. Both openings occupy the same space at the same time. They have many names in different cultures throughout the universe such as spatial apertures or perforations, portals, Quantum eyelets, interstices.’
He looked at Sam, beaming. ‘Cool, eh? So we are using this cosmic abnormality to dump your toxic waste. Just not where you thought. The metal can’t get through the surface tension. The reaction is so volatile that it melts upon contact. We use this to allow the waste to escape and flow through while collecting the metal for recycling.’
‘So you’re saying I could step through to wherever you are dumping this stuff?’
‘Well, you could step through, Sam, but you wouldn’t last very long. The other side is in a fixed position near a star you call Canopus. Over the course of a year or so, the waste is gently drawn in by its gravitational pull and destroyed. The aperture itself is black because neither side opens facing the star. If you could pop your head through and look to the right...’ Reb shrugged and put his hand on Sam’s shoulder. ‘I was hoping to have thought of something witty to say by now, but, there you go. What else can I do to prove to you we are the good guys?’ He handed Sam the small stone from his pocket. ‘Go ahead and toss it in, watch it float away. Do it from the other side to get a better view.’
Sam walked to the rear side of the aperture and gently, with an underarm throw, tossed the stone through the portal. It physically slowed as it passed through what Reb had called the surface tension. It carried on into the darkness with its left-hand side clearly visible as it was being illuminated by the unseen sun.
‘Why are you guarding these, why the secrecy?’
‘Why? Well, that’s a long story, but I’ll keep it brief. My race evolved on planet Minera long before the Overseer arrived. As our population spread over the planet, legend says they found a portal and called it “Dia Kuklos”. It happened in the midst of the harshest winter in history. My primitive ancestors found a window to a sunny world; it saved thousands of lives. They sought refuge through it and others harvested food and brought it back. Over the centuries, we eventually learnt how to detect the distortions in the fabric of space and found thirty more on our planet. Because of the nature of their original creation, these portals were always located within spatial distortions like Minera, making them difficult to find unless you know what to look for. Not all distortions contained a portal and many, being like this one, open into empty space, or hundreds of feet above the ground. As our technology evolved and resources dwindled, we abused these portals to other worlds to carry out raids and wage war.’
‘We discovered one portal close to a black hole. The conflicting forces waged between the portal, and the event horizon of the black hole made it jittery. The other end wasn’t permanently fixed. It sporadically lashed across the universe, momentarily setting on other portals. We learnt how to manipulate it with gravitational and spatial distorting fields. We could lock onto other portals within its original range. It is, to this date, the only one we know of with this ability. History says we were ruthless, relentless and barbaric. To the unwary, we came out of nowhere. Whole armies massed secretly in the distorted areas, unseen by the local population. It was an era of terror that we waged covertly over the universe and a shame we still carry. The Overseer stopped this. Somehow he changed the surface tension on all of the portals. Nothing but light passed through; they became useless windows. In one fell swoop, he had isolated us. We had no long distance space travel technology as we had never needed to develop it. Our planet was over populated, and resources strained. He gave us an ultimatum, either we sign up and with our knowledge locate these portals throughout the universe and guard them against further abuse or he would cause our extinction.’
‘The elders in their vanity would not bow down to an unknown enemy, and millions died as ruthless factions fought amongst each other for the dwindling resources. After 225 years of planet-bound war, they realised no children had been born. We had been sterilised. The last generation to be born were now in charge, and the war machine had fizzled out long ago. The remaining populace had reverted to a simpler way of life. The preservation of life and the recovery of our planet became almost a religion. It was a hybrid of high technology and ecological, environmentally friendly living. On the eve of 250 years, the Overseer spoke again. The message was clear: police the portals for him or die out. The rest is history, as they say, they capitulated, and we have served him ever since. The Overseer returned to us the ability to reproduce and the use of the portals, though he has never allowed any metal to pass through since.’
‘Well, that’s not what I expected. I don’t know what to say.’
‘There is nothing to say, but you can see a similarity between our chequered history and how your civilisation’s developing. It took a long time for our planet to recover from our greed and negligence.’ Reb ushered Sam back around with his arms. ‘We try to keep the portals secret to make our life easier. There are only a few races out there that are partially aware of them. For some they are a thing of myth and legend, magic gateways to other worlds, but nothing more.’
Sam subconsciously switched the case to his left arm as he walked back around.

‘The process,’ swinging his arm at the conveyor, ‘should end in a few minutes, then we have a few people to see.’




Author Bio: Born in England and raised in Wales, I started my working life on a farm in the glorious rural Welsh countryside. I retrained to become an IT Consultant and having spent thousands on Microsoft, CompTIA and Cisco qualifications; I also obtained a contract to run and teach at a Cisco Academy in England. After this, I became a small business IT Advisor for WCBC and the Welsh Government. As this funding dried up, I retrained as a Business Advisor and have since helped thousands of people start up their own businesses. In my leisure time, I work my way through a comprehensive bucket list with my Fiancée, Cath. This has caused us great delight as we have attended various courses and fun days out, such as beekeeping, pottery making, stained glass making, painting course, cooking courses, hawk walks, animal experiences, quad biking, gorge walking and much more. Ourfavourite one is learning to dance. This activity has remained with us and will hopefully do so for the rest of our lives. We can do a reasonable Waltz, collapse in laughter trying the Viennese Waltz, but it is the 1920’s Lindy Hop that we have fallen in love with. After three years of dancing, we still attend regular dance classes and events. Strangely, for an ex-geek, my favourite gadget is my Italian Marcato pasta machine. I love real, unprocessed food and my freshly made pasta with a home cooked sauce is amazing. I have always enjoyed reading, and in my early teenage years, I read authors ranging from Harry Harrison to HG Wells. Later in life, I turned to thriller writers such as the 3 C’s; Clancy, Cussler and Child. Also, I will always have a Pratchett book on my phone for light reading. His imagination was and always will be, inspiring. I have wanted to write the Mineran Series for several years prior to actually starting and with the encouragement from Cath, who has suffered my many varied, imaginative pranks over the years, I have begun.

Contact Information 
Website: www.pnburrows.com
Facebook: /pnburrows Twitter: @pnburows Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28531297-mineran-influence

Purchase Links 
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mineran-Influence-P-N-Burrows/dp/1540536785/
Amazon USA: https://www.amazon.com/Mineran-Influence-1-P-Burrows/dp/1540536785/



Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Promo Blitz: B-Boy Series by S. Briones Lim


     


New Adult/Sports Romance
Date Published: May 31, 2016, June 28, 2016 and Feb 14, 2017
 Publisher: Limitless Publishing


After a devastating accident, Aurora Crane's collegiate gymnastics career comes to an abrupt end… 

Fighting to piece her life back together, Aurora packs up and transfers to California State to start anew. When she arrives, her focus is on schoolwork and choosing a new career. But to her surprise, destiny has other plans… 

Sucked into the world of competitive breakdancing, Aurora comes toe-to-toe with the hottest B-Boy of them all… 

An arrogant hothead, Mitch Adachi—or B-Boy Kickwit as he is more commonly known—has life all figured out. He breakdances all day, practicing for upcoming competitions that are sure to challenge his skills—which means he has no time for distractions. 

When the new girl steps into the scene, he sees an opportunity he can’t pass up… 

Besides finding Aurora devastatingly attractive, he can’t help but notice her skills. He quickly develops high hopes for the ex-gymnast, seeing her as the perfect potential crewmember for the impending high stakes Battle of the Crews competition. All she needs is some fine-tuning. 

When the two commit to a business relationship, a different kind of passion kicks into high gear. There’s no denying they groove well together, but there’s a chance mixing high-stakes competition with a fierce romance might lead to… 

Breaking Promises.



Estelle Donovan knew college would force her out of her wallflower ways—but she never dreamed how far…

Known as shy and insecure, eighteen-year-old Estelle left for college with the hope it would bring an adventure of excitement and discovery, and give her plenty of room to spread her wings. But she couldn't have predicted how many changes she’d face—or that one of them would be named Jacob…

Jacob Silas—or B-Boy Spinja, as he’s called—isn’t just another college heartthrob…

After meeting Jacob, Estelle is determined to win his heart. When she stumbles into his world of breakdance, she falls in love with its culture, music, people, and most of all—the realm of competitive dance. For once in her life, the spotlight shines on her, forcing her out of her introvert ways.

But just like life, love is unpredictable…

When Estelle’s plan to win over Jacob backfires, even a new, exciting life can’t heal her broken heart. And as the years pass, Estelle lives with heartache of a once in a lifetime love slipping through her fingers.

Will they ever have a second chance at love? Or will Jacob continue with his dangerous trend of…

Breaking Hearts?



A one-night stand that changes her life forever…

Mallory Carmichael is a pianist who just lost out on the biggest solo of her life. To ease the sting, she heads to the club, where she meets Asher Nolan—a sexy dancer with wicked confidence in his eyes. Mallory loses herself in a night of carefree passion. Little did she know that one hookup could turn her world upside down.

A man who knows what he wants, and how to get it…

Asher—or B-boy Hellhound as he is known in the breakdance scene—is a TV and movie star. He’s used to winning…until his breakdancing game spirals out of control.

After an uncharacteristic loss, Asher becomes convinced the mysterious girl from the club jinxed him. Wanting to reverse the hex, he searches for her online, and it’s not long before #Search4Mallory goes viral.

Mallory didn’t think she’d ever see Asher again, but when she discovers he’s searching for her, she agrees to meet…and quickly regrets it.

She soon discovers how crazy a man like Asher can make her…

Asher convinces Mallory to help him find a supernatural cure for the “hookup jinx.” Navigating the world of mysticism may be challenging, but it’s even harder for them to ignore their growing attraction.

Can Asher ignore the temptation to hook up with his ‘jinx’ once again?

Will Mallory find the right balance between her crazy rehearsal schedule and helping Asher?

One thing is for sure, the only way to get over this hex is by Breaking Free. 


About the Author

Thanks to her Mom’s unwavering devotion to read a childhood bedtime story to her every single night, S. BRIONES LIM’s love for books began before she could even speak.

Raised in Southern California, Lim initially dreamt of becoming an artist. After a Psychology Degree (Summa cum Laude), a stint in Art School, and a career in Advertising/Media she is finally diving back into her first love – books. As a self-renowned bookworm, Lim’s love for reading has inspired her to pen her own novels and hopes her readers will fall in love with her stories as much as she enjoys writing them.

Her obsessions include time with family, Cherry Coke, popcorn with jalapeños, watching movies and her dogs, Tobi and Roscoe. She currently lives in Virginia with her husband.

Contact Links

Pinterest: @sbrioneslim

Purchase Links
Amazon



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