Blog Archives
Misfit’s Magic: Twisting in Time
Twisting in Time tells the story of Goff, a boy who desperately wishes to live a normal life but finds himself constantly dragged back into a world of magic, danger, and tangled loyalties. At Amworth Academy, what should have been quiet moments with friends and his first love quickly unravel into chaos as strange forces whisk people away, shadows stretch into monsters, and visions of looming battles return. The story swings between his present struggles and the origins of his curse in Slaathwick, where he is burdened with being a Verlokken, a kind of outcast whose magic is feared as much as it is needed. Through duels, betrayals, and heartbreaking losses, Goff keeps stumbling forward, hoping for safety and love, yet always being pulled into another storm.
What I liked most was the way the book balanced whimsy with darkness. There are scenes filled with warmth, like meals shared, jokes between friends, even the sweetness of Goff’s awkward romance with Joy, that made me smile. But just when I started to settle in, the story twisted into something darker. The shadows, the grotesque enemies, and the way time itself bends gave me a pit in my stomach. The writing has a playful rhythm in places, almost silly at times, and then suddenly sharp, reminding me of how childhood wonder collides with the dread of growing up. It kept me off balance, which I liked, because it mirrored Goff’s own unease.
Goff is both stubborn and insecure, and that mix makes him feel real. He longs to protect his friends, yet he keeps secrets, pushes people away, and sometimes gives in to anger. I wanted to shake him, but I also wanted to hug him. That kind of emotional pull is rare. The author’s choice to lean into food and cooking as recurring motifs was lovely too. Those moments grounded the story. A dish described in detail, or a meal shared, often felt more magical than spells or battles. It made me feel like magic wasn’t always in wands or words but sometimes in butter, lavender, or a loaf of bread.
By the time I reached the end, I felt both drained and hopeful. The book is heavy with loss and with the idea that time doesn’t really heal so much as twist and fold, carrying pain forward in new ways. Yet it’s also filled with small sparks of loyalty and friendship that remind you why the characters keep fighting. I’d recommend this book to readers who enjoy fantasy that doesn’t shy away from sorrow but still knows how to laugh at itself. It’s for anyone who wants a coming-of-age story tangled with monsters, magic, and heartache, but also with friendship, food, and flickers of joy that make the struggle worth it.
Pages: 318 | ASIN : B0FDQYQ8GK
The Dressing Drink
The Dressing Drink tells the story of family, privilege, and damage dressed up in elegance. Thomas King Flagg weaves a memoir that feels both intimate and theatrical. At its heart is Dorothy Mary Flagg, a woman of society who lived with glamour, wit, and excess, yet was haunted by control, loneliness, and the weight of expectations. The book drifts through memories and family stories, some imagined and some painfully real, all tied together by the strange ritual of the “dressing drink,” a symbol of escape, courage, and self-deception.
I found myself pulled in by the writing. It is vivid, almost cinematic, with scenes that sparkle and sting at the same time. At points, I felt like I was in the room, watching Dorothy Mary pin orchids to her dress or sip champagne in secret. The language is playful yet sharp, laced with irony, and it never shies away from showing the cruelty that lives under polished surfaces. The details are lush, but I admired the author’s willingness to let the prose wander because it made the book feel alive, unpredictable, and oddly intoxicating.
What hit me hardest was the emotional undercurrent. There’s a quiet sadness that runs beneath the sparkle, a sense of people trapped in roles they never chose. Dorothy Mary is magnetic, but also tragic. I felt frustrated by her choices and yet sympathetic to her hunger for freedom. The book stirred something raw in me. It made me think of how often family history gets polished into legend, while underneath lies pain and secrecy. I liked how Flagg leaned into that tension instead of smoothing it out.
The Dressing Drink is both a spectacle and a confession. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy memoirs that feel like novels, who want to be dazzled and unsettled at the same time. It’s layered, indulgent, and sometimes heavy with sorrow. But for those willing to step into its tent, it offers a haunting show that I’m sure you will think about for a while.
Pages: 382 | ASIN : B0FDBNJW8G
Second Chances in Brittany
Second Chances in Brittany follows Sarah Pullen, a retired professional whose life in France with her husband James is anything but the romantic adventure she once imagined. What begins as a medical mystery about Sarah’s relentless headaches slowly unfolds into a deeply personal struggle for autonomy, identity, and renewal. Through Sarah’s quiet courage and resourcefulness, the story shifts from despair and control toward resilience and rediscovery, set against the evocative backdrop of Brittany’s landscapes, communities, and rhythms of life.
The writing itself struck me as unpretentious, direct, and steady. At times, the prose felt plain, but that plainness carried its own weight. It mirrored Sarah’s methodical thinking and gave her voice a grounded, believable tone. What I enjoyed most were the moments where the local community came alive, like the social clubs, the Qi Gong classes, and the warmth of neighbors. Those glimpses of ordinary joy felt like bursts of fresh air in Sarah’s otherwise suffocating marriage. I did wish that the book lingered a little more in those brighter spaces, but perhaps the contrast is what makes them stand out so strongly. It reminded me that healing often starts in small, overlooked places.
I found James exasperating. His constant belittling of Sarah and his obsessive control were difficult to witness. Yet this very reaction shows how vividly the author sketched him. Sarah, on the other hand, grew on me page by page. Her quiet defiance, her small acts of rebellion, and her longing for connection outside of her marriage carried a raw honesty that made me root for her. I admired the way she strategized like a project manager even while navigating deeply personal pain. It felt relatable in a way that made me both ache for her and cheer her on.
By the end, I found the book both sobering and uplifting. It’s a quiet story of a woman reclaiming herself after decades of silence, which I found moving. Second Chances in Brittany reminded me of The Awakening by Kate Chopin, since both novels capture a woman’s quiet but determined journey toward reclaiming her independence and sense of self against the weight of a controlling relationship. I’d recommend Second Chances in Brittany to readers who enjoy character-driven stories about resilience, reinvention, and the complicated textures of later life. It’s especially powerful for anyone who has felt overshadowed in a relationship and is looking for a narrative that validates the strength in carving out a new path.
Pages: 394 | ASIN : B0DTBZTH65
Patterns of Finance and War
Prophets Of War follows a young financial advisor who stumbles onto a horrifying truth: his own father has created a shadowy business empire that bankrolls Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I didn’t sit down one day and decide, ‘I’m going to write a novel.’ Prophets of War came to me gradually, one breadcrumb at a time. For about a year, I carried around the seed of an idea for a compelling story, but it wasn’t until I was working on my Master’s thesis about the origins of national debt that I had my ‘aha’ moment. A thousand years ago, European monarchs borrowed from banks to wage profitable wars — and in many ways, that was the birth of public debt. I began connecting those historical dots to more recent examples and realized I wanted to explore the idea of war as a business model. The Russian invasion of Ukraine became a natural setting, especially since so many of the mechanics — shell companies, offshore secrecy, private military contractors — are real-world systems.
From there, tone became just as important as plot. When I finally read The Wolf of Wall Street (after seeing the film multiple times), I loved its darkly funny, irreverent voice and knew I wanted to channel some of that energy. Tom Wolfe’s Bonfire of the Vanities was another stylistic touchstone. So the book grew out of both history and literature — from centuries-old patterns of finance and war to the sharp, satirical voices of modern storytelling.
What inspired your characters’ interactions and backstories?
Alex is probably the most personal character — he’s a reflection of me, but exaggerated. I gave him many of the same questions I’ve wrestled with in my own life, then pushed them further to see how far they could go under pressure. The other characters came from a mix of real experiences and public figures I’ve studied. Some are composites — Lena, for example, was inspired by several real women, but I wanted her to embody duality: someone magnetic and vulnerable, yet someone you can never fully trust. Devil Bill, on the other hand, was meant to be the incarnation of corruption and power without conscience. And Langston was my chance to write a parody president — larger than life, full of contradictions, but all too familiar.
Some events in the book were chillingly similar to real-life events. Did you take any inspiration from real life when developing this book?
Absolutely — I drew inspiration from real events, but Prophets of War is still very much a work of fiction. You can’t write about finance, politics, or war without noticing the patterns that repeat throughout history. Shell companies, corruption, shadow networks — these things are in the news all the time, but fiction gives me the freedom to connect the dots in ways that journalism can’t. My goal wasn’t to retell any specific headline, but to create a story that feels uncomfortably close to the world we live in. Readers should come away thinking, ‘This could happen… maybe it already is.’ But at the end of the day, it’s still a novel — a thriller built to both entertain and provoke thought
Will there be a follow-up novel to this story? If so, what aspects of the story will the next book cover?
I’ve been asked that a few times now, which is exciting in itself. I do have ideas for where the story could go next. If Prophets of War is about uncovering the financial machinery behind conflict, then the follow-up might explore how those same hidden networks shape politics — through propaganda, dark money, and campaign donations where no one really knows who’s footing the bill. I could see a storyline where a presidential candidate is backed entirely by the business of war. That said, whether I actually write it will depend on how this first book resonates with readers. If there’s demand for more, I’d consider it.
There will also be a podcast coming out soon that you can listen to. I am featured on Read, Beat (…And Repeat) on Spotify but it has not come out yet. It will be posted to my website once it’s live.
Author Links: GoodReads | Instagram | Facebook | Website | X (Twitter) | Amazon
When Alex Morgan, a rising star in wealth management, stumbles onto a trail of cryptic financial clues, he doesn’t just uncover corruption—he unmasks a global conspiracy.
Behind the headlines of the war in Ukraine lies something far more chilling: a private empire of shell companies, black-market trades, and political operatives turning global conflict into personal profit.
The deeper Alex digs, the more dangerous the truth becomes. His own father may be at the center of the scheme. His mentors may be funding both sides of the battlefield. And the woman he trusts most might be the key to it all—or the final betrayal.
From Caribbean tax havens to Wall Street boardrooms to shadowy Zoom calls between oligarchs and ex-presidents, Prophets of War is a pulse-pounding political thriller that rips into the machinery of modern power. Inspired by real systems, real tactics, and real moral failures, it asks a question no one wants answered:
What if the next world war is already on the balance sheet?
Invisible Tragedy
Driven follows a woman recovering from the brink of madness who discovers a man is searching for unammi survivors to experiment on, and humans are being kidnapped, leaving her determined to find a way to save them all. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Our own world is beset with social issues. I wanted to take these two—slavery and medical experimentation on living beings (humans and animals)—and kind of push them into the reader’s face, so that they couldn’t be ignored. Slavery, also known as “human trafficking” or “sex trafficking,” takes place every day, but for those of us who are insulated in privilege, it’s an invisible tragedy and easy to overlook.
It’s the same with the experimentation; though that’s a bit harder to see in contemporary civilization, it’s definitely there, hidden behind closed doors and shuttered windows. Because we don’t see these problems, it’s easy to pretend they don’t exist.
There are many ways to fight these issues, not all of which are as bold as Alira’s choices. But here’s the thing: if we don’t face them with unflinching outrage, they will never stop.
Regardless of the methods we choose with which to fight, no one person can solve all these problems. Not alone. Yet even though one person can’t save everyone, they can help a few. And that can start a larger movement.
Alira is that person, the one who saves those she can reach. She’s already gone through so much; she is the unflinching (okay, she does flinch on occasion, but it doesn’t stop her from moving forward) individual who says, “If not me, then who?”
Alira is a fascinating character. What scene was the most interesting to write for that character?
That’s a tough choice. Alira’s whole character arc is so tightly woven that choosing a single scene as “most interesting” is like trying to choose a single favorite thread in a completed tapestry. And Alira has her peak moments in each book in this trilogy.
For Driven, I lean toward one of Alira’s “rescue” scenes—either of Bika (which has two parts, the rescue and the aftermath), the ikanne harvesters, or the brothel slaves. Each of those times gave Alira’s spur-of-the-moment creative problem-solving skills room to shine.
I find that authors sometimes ask themselves questions and let their characters answer them. Do you think this is true for your characters?
Definitely. Sometimes, their answers surprise me.
But at least one major focus of my writing is to ask big questions, sometimes even the ones we don’t want to face. I think The Founder’s Seed trilogy manages to do that. I feel like Alira’s answers to those questions came from a courageous heart and a strong spirit.
Where do you see your characters after the book ends?
Oh, their story continues in the coming follow-up trilogy, tentatively titled Nexus. That trilogy will be told through the eyes of non-POV characters that were introduced in The Founder’s Seed, but Alira, Botha, and Galen/Thrace will all be there. We see the start of that at the end of Driven, in the new secret colony Alira and Kilbee have established.
Stay tuned.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | BlueSky | Website | Niveym Arts | Amazon
On Danua, acting Clan Admiral Knøfa experiments on his unammi prisoner. Except the squib isn’t healing any longer, and the medics aren’t working fast enough to save her. Knøfa starts searching for another unammi—maybe a male this time, so he can create all the test subjects he wants.
Stopping the Cartel is enough to keep Alira’s hands full. She doesn’t want to fight the Clan, too. Yet, when she learns Knøfa is searching for the unammi survivors, she races to warn them. As Knøfa’s ship approaches them on Earth, the council tries to force it to leave. But Alira knows that if the humans escape, the unammi are doomed. Knøfa’s “experiments” will escalate, and other humans will follow his example. To protect her people’s secrets, she must stop that ship. Her only hope is to attempt something no Founder’s Daughter has ever done.
Governance in the Quantum Era
Quantularity: A Quantum Framework for the Human Experience challenges the theory of Singularity by hypothesizing that, instead of one super-intelligence consuming everything, there is a world where many minds —human, artificial, cultural, and even biological —intertwine without collapsing into sameness. Where did the idea for this book come from?
The idea for Quantularity emerged from years of questioning whether the dominant narrative of Singularity truly captures the future we are heading toward. Ray Kurzweil’s vision of one all-consuming super-intelligence felt incomplete. I began exploring an alternative, a framework where many minds, whether human, artificial, cultural, or even biological, remain distinct yet interconnected. Instead of collapsing into sameness, they amplify one another through entanglement. That seed of thought became the foundation for this book.
In your book, you cover philosophy to technology to governance, weaving stories of history, myth, neuroscience, and quantum theory into a vision that feels both speculative and strangely practical. How did you approach researching this book, and what was your process for compiling it?
My research was intentionally multidisciplinary. I drew from neuroscience (especially work on the neocortex), philosophy of mind, cultural studies, and quantum physics. I also leaned heavily into myth, religion, and history. I believe meaning arises at the intersections. The process itself was nonlinear, much like the ideas I write about. I journaled, drafted essays, debated with colleagues, and mapped connections across fields until a coherent framework emerged. The writing then became an act of stitching these threads together into a narrative that feels both visionary and grounded.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
Several core ideas guided me:
That cooperation and entanglement, not domination, are the forces driving the next chapter of human and technological evolution.
That consciousness is not limited to humans or machines, but can emerge across networks, cultures, and even ecosystems.
That governance in the quantum era must be decentralized, transparent, and adaptive, designed for multiplicity, not centralization.
And most importantly, that our humanity is not diminished by technology. Instead, it can be expanded if we build with intention.
What is one thing that you hope readers take away from Quantularity?
I want readers to leave with a sense of possibility. We do not have to accept a future of either machine domination or human obsolescence. Instead, we can imagine and design a world where multiplicity thrives, where diversity of thought and being is preserved, and where our interconnectedness becomes a source of resilience and creativity.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Website | Amazon
In Quantularity: A Quantum Framework for the Human Experience, visionary thinker and technologist John Wingate dismantles the myth of the Singularity—that moment when artificial intelligence eclipses human thought—and offers a bold alternative: a future where intelligence doesn’t converge into one mind, but expands into many. A future defined not by domination, but by connection.
Spanning quantum physics, AI, distributed systems, neuroscience, and spirituality, this groundbreaking book explores the emergence of a new kind of consciousness—layered, networked, and co-created between humans and machines. Wingate weaves deep science with poetic insight, challenging readers to rethink intelligence, identity, value, and the very architecture of reality.
Inside, you’ll explore:
Why the Singularity is a flawed and incomplete vision of the future
How consciousness may be fractal, recursive, and quantum in nature
The role of AI as a mirror—not a master—of human dreams
How distributed ledgers can serve as society’s new trust fabric
The shift from scarcity economics to coherence economics
New models of education, governance, and collective memory
Why choice—not control—is the foundation of reality’s unfolding
This isn’t science fiction. It’s a blueprint for what’s already emerging.
With 20 thought-provoking chapters, Quantularity is a guide for leaders, technologists, spiritual seekers, and anyone who senses that something deeper is awakening in our relationship with intelligence—human or otherwise.
Wingate calls us to remember that we are not passive travelers in this next era. We are co-creators, resonant nodes in a conscious, evolving universe. As we move beyond mechanistic systems into fields of entangled awareness, the most important question isn’t “Will AI surpass us?”—it’s “Who do we become when we remember what we are?”
Whether you’re a futurist, founder, developer, or philosopher, Quantularity offers a bold new lens—and a call to action.
This is not the end of our story.
This is the beginning of our remembering.
Alive and Forgotten
The Lights of Greyfare follows a burned-out journalist who goes to a small seaside town on assignment, and she discovers the small town is hiding terrifying secrets. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Greyfare began as a place in my imagination long before it had a name. I’ve always been fascinated by towns that seem both alive and forgotten, where the fog feels like another resident and silence carries its own folklore. I wanted a setting that could reflect Katherine Calder’s unraveling, a place where her grief and addiction would meet an environment that seemed to breathe and press back against her. Maine’s coastal isolation gave me the perfect canvas for that tension, where a story about strange lights could spiral into something much darker.
What intrigues you about the horror and paranormal genres that led you to write this book?
Horror has always been about intimacy, about getting uncomfortably close to the things we would rather avoid. The paranormal allows those inner struggles to manifest outward, in ways that are unsettling but true. Kat’s sarcasm, self-destruction, and longing all take shape in Greyfare’s uncanny atmosphere. I love that horror lets us put grief, obsession, and identity into forms that are at once monstrous and heartbreakingly human. It’s not about shock alone, it’s about resonance… leaving the reader haunted in ways they didn’t expect.
Were you able to achieve everything you wanted with the characters in the novel?
Kat fought me every step of the way. She’s painfully real. I wanted her inner spirals, her addictions, and her sharp humor to feel unvarnished, and I think that comes through. Some of the townspeople surprised me, too, especially in how their secrets entwined with hers. I don’t believe in tying everything up neatly. I prefer characters who linger with you after the last page.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
I’m currently in the early stages of my next novel. It will return to the gothic tradition, a story shaped by architecture, community, and the way hidden histories leave their mark on the living. While it won’t be set in Greyfare, it will share that same interest in place as a character. I hope to share more in the coming year. In the meantime, readers can follow updates and join my mailing list through my website, https://junoguadalupe.com/.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Amazon
A gothic horror novel about grief, obsession, and the monsters we become when the sea calls our name.
After a brutal divorce and the loss of everything she thought she was, journalist Katherine Calder is on assignment to the fog-drenched town of Greyfare. She’s come to write, to recover, and to disappear for a little while. But Greyfare has other plans.
The town is strange. Too quiet. Full of faces that seem familiar, even when they shouldn’t be. At night, something walks the shore—a reflection of Kat that mimics her, imperfectly. The harbor groans with secrets, and the townspeople cling to ancient traditions they won’t talk about.
When Kat meets Dean, a reclusive widower with a weather-beaten boat and a haunted past, she feels herself unraveling in ways that are both terrifying and intoxicating. Their bond deepens, even as Kat uncovers hints of a centuries-old pact—one that demands sacrifice to keep the devils in the deep.
But the sea is waking.
And Kat may already be part of the offering.
Darkly lyrical and emotionally charged, The Lights of Greyfare is a supernatural descent into love, memory, and the terror of losing yourself to something older than the tide. Perfect for fans of The Haunting of Hill House, this is a horror novel that lingers long after the last page
LITERARY TITAN 