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The War Machine
Joshua Landeros Author Interview
Voice of a Crimson Angel is an intimate and thrilling story that leads up to your debut military science fiction book. What was the inspiration that made you want to explore a prequel?
Creating VOCA was something that was on my mind for many years, but it seemed too monumental a task to handle. It wasn’t until I was in the midst of writing Ballad of Demise that I began to see a grand tale in the making. I took that single scene of Julissa Marconi from Reverence and then imagined what her life had been like up to that point and after. That was the only push for the new trilogy. Many reviewers asked questions about how the characters got to where they are, so I figured it was an opportunity to give them answers. It turned out to be a fun experience.
Your currently studying history at the University of Riverside. How has your major helped you write your story and develop your characters?
A TON. The sad but fascinating aspect of history is that the story of the oppressed vs. an oppressor is a familiar one. From ancient Rome to the Spanish Empire, to the British and French empires, superpowers have always had their reign unimpeded for decades before eventual collapse. I wanted to build up the history of the United Nation Republic before it too faces its ultimate crisis. Whether it is still standing when the dust settles is to be determined in future installments.
I also drew influence from the revolutionaries of old, people such as Che Guevara and George Washington. Once the VOCA trilogy is completed, I believe people will see the connections in a new light. History was also a valuable tool in discovering how a revolution starts. First come the words, then the fight to crush those words, and then bullets. The term ‘regime change’ is one perhaps not widely known by the average person, but it is an unquestionable factor in global history. The U.S. has often played a pivotal role in such operations, among them Guatemala, Vietnam, and Iran. The more I read, the more The Expansion seemed very possible.
When writing, do you look at current events, and use them as a springboard for ideas or try to incorporate them into your story?
Current events play a big role most definitely. In VOCA Part I, we see a world where warfare is basically common place. The majority of the people either ignore or don’t care about the conflicts abroad. Once again, I looked to the U.S. The U.S. has been involved in some sort of war for almost its entire history, from the Civil War, Spanish-American, the World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and now the war on terror. Vietnam was the first U.S. war to not split the American conscious on a massive scale. Since 9/11, the U.S. hasn’t slowed down its war game, now in Niger, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries. Despite this, there are no longer large protests confronting this reality. As we listen to music and watch the latest films, the war machine goes on expanding.
These issues, primarily our war driven economy, were the focal points for me in writing the VOCA trilogy.
Any chance you’ll write a prequel that shows the rise of Chancellor Venloran? Kind of like how Star Wars episodes 1-3 showed the rise of Darth Vader? In either case, what do you think that would be like?
I actually have played around with this idea, and the framework is definitely there. I can imagine a young Venloran who sees his country struggling and decides to act. In a way, he’d be comparable to Joseph Halsey, which would be a great foil. It would take time to plan out, especially since I have much planned for the Reverence series. The idea is very tantalizing, though. As of now, I’ve only hinted at the rise of the UNR. For this envisioned ‘prequel-prequel’, I would go in depth to the formation of the UNR Party itself.
The evilest of deeds start with the best of intentions.
Author Links: Website | Facebook | GoodReads
![Voice of a Crimson Angel Part I: Persecution (Reverence Book 5) by [Landeros, Joshua]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/6132amvvD3L.jpg)
Julissa Marconi’s life has never been quite the same since her husband slipped into a coma. Her relationship with her daughter is hanging by a thread, she’s lost all her friends, and she’s retreated to the bottle amidst her sorrows. Truth is, Julissa is struggling to find a reason to wake up in the morning. That all changes when the mysterious Dr. Neeson offers her a chance to discover the truth, and reclaim her life. With the help of the scheming Captain Halsey, Julissa finally has a reason to fight again. She’ll have to act fast, however. Her nation, the United Nation Republic, is hungry for aggressive expansion and the ravenous Chancellor Venloran will stop at nothing to achieve his own twisted goals. Return to the world of the Reverence series with Voice of a Crimson Angel Part I: Persecution, the long-awaited story that sets the stage for the entire saga.
We are Living in Crucial, Transitional Times
The Decline of Democratic Society in the New Age explores the current state of politics, economics, and society. Why was this an important book for you to write?
The idea to write this book came to me in September of 2016. Throughout that month I grew more and more amazed with what I was seeing on television every time I turned it on. Angry people protesting the candidacy of Donald Trump everywhere, even in Toronto where I was living. The intensity of the emotions displayed made an impact on me. I never imagined this many people cared this much about politics. Although I had been working on other things at the time it seemed to me that my first book should be about the politics of this era, so I dropped everything and started writing this book that very month.
The book delves deep into the failures of the US government since 2007 and the international effects of these failures. Why did you choose this year as the starting point?
The year 2007 was not the year the policy failures began, but it was the year the markets began to fail in alarming fashion, day after day. Economics are the lynchpin for all the political and historical insight that pours forth in this book. The book is not academic in nature and contains no jargon. It is for the general reader, but a relevant discussion of economic conduct on the part of government is essential when discussing the state of democratic society today. Democracy itself is still in tact, but societies (people) living under democratic systems are very much in peril due to what is going on economically.
What is one common misconception you find people have about today’s politics?
The main misconception people have about politics today is that it is driven by political concerns. It is not. I try to make it clear in the book that a lot of what goes on is about preserving power and wealth in the U.S. It is not about country or race or society anymore. Everything is motivated by the need to protect enormous wealth and the power it confers. Nothing else matters.
What do you hope readers take away from your book? Is there action that a single citizen can take to rectify our situation?
What I hope people take away from this book is what I state in the very first paragraph of the book. We are living in crucial, transitional times. The western world is not what it once was. Manouvres are being made to preserve economic, class-based power and democracy is very much in danger. What you can do right now is not very much. The source of massive stimulus into the NYSE is now the European Central Bank. They need to move it around every few years to prevent political consequences that might bring an end to it. With so much money coming from Europe, of course, the Europeans now have tremendous influence over the American economy. Since ECB stimulus began, in 2016, the American dollar has fallen in value relative to the Euro by 20%. It was equal to the Euro at the start of 2016. Now one USD is worth .8 Euros. What can somebody do? When the stimulus comes around to the U.S. again, and it will, you must demand, if the American economy is still in tact by then, that there be no taxpayer money injected into the pockets of rich investors and institutions. If they put you off, then I am afraid you will have to become more insistent.
Do you plan on writing other books?
I have about another five books in me which I do plan to write if the marketplace allows me.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
![The Decline of Democratic Society in the New Age by [Soriano, Giovanni]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Tx23d7aNL.jpg)
A deeply intellectual history of the present,The Decline of Democratic Society in the New Age outlines the historical events that have led the world into its current state of political, economic, psychological, societal, and biological demise. By identifying and discussing tyranny in its modern forms, solutions are made evident or provided throughout the text. Abounding with original ideas in every one of its thirty chapters, the book is a model of revolutionary thought and philosophical totality. It constitutes no less than a modern-day version of Plato’s Republic for the new century. Beyond this, the discourse possesses an unceasing intensity of tone found only in the purest of political tracts. Without doubt an intellectual, political, and historical necessity in this confused and disturbing period.
Giving the Ugly a Sense of Humor
Timony McKeever Author Interview
The Gumdrop House Affair is a genre-crossing novel with elements of mystery, thriller, and crime drama as well. Did you start writing with this in mind or did this happen organically as you were writing?
I never considered what genre anyone would label or put The Gumdrop House Affair in when I began writing it. The character of Father William Yeats Butler also known as “The Monk”, is so multi-faceted both physically and spiritually and I have known him so intimately, he doesn’t fit just one genre. However, as the book developed from my initial outline it became its own entity. The characters, including the Monk became deeper and, in some cases, more complicated. Empathy, cynicism, anger, spiritual beliefs and violence at all levels came from unexpected sources.
An outline is a good start, but I feel you should never be a slave to it. As I write, my ideas seem to expand because I am more open to the flow of the work. This may sound odd, but often my characters surprise me. They tell me things or remind me of things that I never considered or have forgotten about in their development. The organic part of writing and character development is too important to dismiss because it wasn’t in your outline. It’s what makes it the writing the most fun and rewarding. Sometimes the most beautiful things appear that were never in any outline.
The characters in this novel, I felt, were intriguing and well developed. Who was your favorite character to write for?
The Ugly in all his forms and his confrontations with the Monk directly or indirectly. There are a surprising number of Christians who don’t believe in Satan because they don’t want to think about there being a Hell as a possible destination after they die. Every religious belief I’ve read about has some form or entity like the Ugly.
Even those who profess no faith question the seemingly senseless acts of cruelty and violence that man does to his fellow man. What motivates a timid Florist to go home one night, beat his family to death, then kill himself. Someone or something moved this man to commit such an unspeakable crime.
Being the Irish Catholic that I am, expressing how I feel the Ugly works and giving him human forms, a conversational voice and intellect gives the reader an awareness of the Ugly in a way they may not have had before reading any of the Monk Mysteries. He can appear as the 14-foot-tall winged purple creature with a long tail and scale like skin or a handsome man in an Armani suit, what ever works best at the time. If the Devil was at your party, he would be the most popular and attractive person in the room. Plus, he would be able to tell you everything you ever wanted to hear about yourself to make you feel special and superior.
Giving the Ugly a sense of humor, a temper, a social presence and a fantastic awareness of the nature of man made the Ugly a compelling character. His surprisingly humorous shenanigans with the Monk could not hide the true malevolence of his presence. This was intended to make the reader aware who the real enemy in our culture is.
The novel touched on many social issues prevalent today like crime and corruption. What were the themes you wanted to explore in this novel?
Thousands of men and women takes vows and oaths everyday and promise to live up to those vows and oaths as to their jobs as Priests, Nuns, Policemen, Doctors and Politicians. Those who live up to those oaths and vows seldom receive any press. Those who don’t live up to those oaths get more press than they deserve. However, the coverups by the Church, payoffs and ignoring all types of crimes has become culturally systemic in the Church and needs to be addressed.
Having been a Criminal Investigator most of my life I know firsthand these men and women are also human with stresses and problems like everyone else. Everyone has character defects, but too often society expects Priests and those who are in Law Enforcement and positions of trust to be faultless. When you spend so much of your day dealing with people as their worst or as victims it is easy to become extremely cynical.
As in The Gumdrop House Affair, everyone reaches their breaking point and responds one way or the other. Stress, both physical and mental are often internalized in the name of being a “Tough Cop”. What this does to personal relationships and your spiritually is something I wanted the Reader to understand and be aware of. These men and women are just as susceptible to the tricks of the Ugly as anyone else, badge notwithstanding. Often the badge can make it worse.
This is the second book in your Monk Mysteries series. What will book 3 be about and when will it be available?
In Vol 1 The Monk, Father William must deal with his personal epiphany as to his calling to the Priesthood and leave the Police Department. All the while dealing with Jack Laskey’s feeling of betrayal and assisting Laskey with one of the most high-profile murders in years.
In The Gumdrop House Affair the Monk gets to deal with the Ugly head to head and is put on notice the Ugly will be giving him special attention. The first two books take place in Denver. Vol. 3 Death by Kachina takes place in Sedona Arizona and Monument Valley on the Navajo Reservation. “Thou shalt not murder” is the original Aramaic quote for the 6th Commandment. The King James version says “Thou shalt not kill” which has always caused confusion to Christians and non-Christians alike. It is because most people think the definition of kill and murder are the same. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
If you are commanded not to kill why does the Church pray for victories in wars that are won by killing the other people. The Monk is dealing with spiritual burnout and takes a sabbatical in Sedona with old friends. It is not long before spiritual forces have the Monk in Monument Valley dealing with powers and principalities seen and unseen. He will have to struggle with both translations of the 6th Commandment. Due to be published in July 2018.
Author Links: Twitter | Facebook | GoodReads | Website
![The Gumdrop House Affair (The Monk Mysteries Book 2) by [McKeever, Timony]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51ODS%2Bmi8iL.jpg)
A Jewish Accountant chokes on a Polish Sausage in a City Park. A young Catholic Priest is found wearing only his collar with a dead “Gay Hooker” hanging from the Ceiling. The body of Mafia “Construction Baron” is found in the parking lot of the Diocese of Denver.
It’s obvious how Denver Homicide Detectives, Sargent Jack Laskey and his partner Detective Mai Li McDuff would become involved with these events. But how does Father William Yeats Butler of the Franciscan Order become totally involved in every one of these events and more with his ex-Partner Jack Laskey.
An African American standing 6’5″and weighing 315 pounds of muscle, Father William Butler was an imposing figure in the robes of a Franciscan Priest. Father William was always known as “The Monk” because of his devout Catholic faith when he was an All American Linebacker at Notre Dame or a Narcotics and Homicide Detective for the ten years that he and Laskey were Partners.
In the tenth year of his police career the Monk felt a calling to the Priesthood. He felt as a Police Officer he was only dealing with the spiritual symptoms of humanity’s illness not the real cause of the illness, the Devil’s influence on common man. The Monk had an acute and powerful awareness of the Devil’s presence. Not a “6th Sense”, but a powerful gift from God.
The Devil, who the Monk calls “The Ugly” is now and always has been active on Capitol Hill. In The Gumdrop House Affair many of his deceptions and ploys are revealed as the Monk and his faith stand against the “Wickedness and the snares of the Devil.” Written by a Veteran Cop the pace is fast, violent, profane, humorous and honest.
A tribute to the men and women who give all to stay true to their Vows and Oaths as they protect a cynical public and a decaying culture.
You will fall in love with Father Augustus O’Shea, Aunt Rhoda, Popcan Charlie, Paisley Bob Lewis, Frank the English Bulldog and all the people who visit St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Church.
The Gumdrop House Affair”deals with the recent Sex Scandals in the Catholic Church and the effects in an honest Blue Collar Layman’s fashion.
Beyond Sun and Shadows
![Beyond Sun and Shadows by [Mooney, Lesley J]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51tnYjUK20L.jpg)
Lesley J. Mooney’s Beyond Sun and Shadows is another epic and sweeping tale from the author. Set in Western Australia on a sheep and cattle station in 1948, we follow the lives of a diverse set of characters who are faced with the harsh daily realities of living in the outback with all of its perils and wildness. After they learn of the escape of two dangerous prisoners and then a corpse is found by the local mailman, Ezrah, the community is thrown into turmoil. What ensues is a story of love, adventure and mystery in the Australian bush.
The books primary themes seem to be humankind’s connection to the land and the pioneering spirit of the Australian people, but there are also themes of love, ancestry and the masculine and the feminine. Although the story is set in the 1940’s/50’s, many of its concerns are modern so the book feels both historical and contemporary.
The thing that I loved most about this book was discovering some of the heritage of Australia, such as Aboriginal culture. Landscape plays an integral role in the story, and Mooney excels at writing environment and place–her prose is beautifully lyrical in these instances. Her descriptions of the vastness of the landscape and the tempestuous nature of the bush are particularly vivid and affecting. Not only does she invoke the wide open spaces of the outback, but she also conjures up the minutiae and ‘everyday’ aspects of life such as cooking, and working with the horses and cattle, in evocative detail.
Reading the book, I felt like I had been transported to a land completely foreign to me as the author writes with a very ‘Australian’ voice, but I felt immersed in the world in spite of being ignorant to it. Mooney’s dialogue feels natural. I really enjoyed her use of dialect and Australian phrases and idioms in the writing as well as the inclusion of songs and poetry. Writing dialect can be difficult to pull off, but I actually relished in the musical language of the characters, which added to the authenticity and overall tone of the narrative.
Mooney’s worlds are always fully formed and engaging throughout. She has created a troupe of memorable characters who stay etched in your memory; it is as though they have been living in the author’s mind forever ready to come alive on the page. Because the narrative encompasses so many characters and storylines, it can seem quite meandering at times, and I occasionally felt like I was reading a book of short stories rather than a novel. The book is quite lengthy, and I don’t think that it would have suffered for being a little shorter, but the yarn spun by the author kept me intrigued even whilst the pace was slightly lagging.
This is a rewarding read, full of intimate detail and stunning imagery which left me with a real yearning to visit the sprawling outback of Australia and experience it for myself.
Pages: 537 | ASIN: B072J3M6QV
Literary Titan Book Awards March 2018
The Literary Titan Book Awards are awarded to books that have astounded and amazed us with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas. These books deserve extraordinary praise and we are proud to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and imagination of these talented authors.
Gold Award Winners
![In the Shadow of the Hanging Tree by [McLellan, Michael A.]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/513Zi17P7sL.jpg)
![Turning Blue: A Life Beneath the Shield by [Hoffman, Lawrence]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61MSqz77EFL.jpg)
![This Does Not Leave This House by [Coons, Julie]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51riAbQjNLL.jpg)
![Life Sliding by [Mauldin, S.L.]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51IcfQQUhiL.jpg)
![Liberating Inner Eve: A Reflective Journey for Women by [Zawisz, Bozena]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/516NIl5J9TL._SY346_.jpg)
![The Guardians of Eastgate: Book 1 of The Seers Series by [Leclerc, Sherry]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51hKRhK7N3L.jpg)
Silver Award Winners
![The Green Line Divide: Romance, Travel, and Turmoils by [Vally, Z]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Uc1oiICvL.jpg)
![The Separation by [Duffy, Thomas]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51sRB5sn0CL.jpg)
![Seeker of Time by [Buckler, J.M., Buckler, J.M.]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41eTotUOEXL.jpg)
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information and see all award winners.
The Three Lives of One
![The Three Lives of One by [Mooney, Lesley]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2B48SWOUkL.jpg)
A massive tsunami destroys the island home of a little girl. Left without a family, she is rescued by missionaries who name her ‘Patchula’ or ‘Patches’ and take her to Darwin, Australia. What follows is a story of misfortune and tragedy; adoption, death, abuse, forced prostitution, but also of hope as Patches finds joy and meaning, especially in her talent for photography and singing, in spite of the pain. Spanning Australia, America and Japan The Three Lives of One by Lesley J. Mooney is a sweeping tale which carries us across time and continents in search of love and fulfillment.
The book is written in beautiful yet un-flowery prose which is at times poetic. Mooney conjures up place incredibly well, and I found the movement between different continents particularly fascinating –the depiction of the sights, sounds and geography of these places gave me total wanderlust! The description of the tsunami and the wreckage and devastation that follows is extremely affecting and pulled me into the narrative immediately. Mooney is also skilled at portraying her time periods, which begin in the 1920s and move to the 1980s, and the changing biases and turbulent politics of the times.
There are many themes running through the narrative including womanhood, nature and environment, religion, the importance of family, and the value of keeping faith and resilience in times when despair seems never-ending. Although many terrible events occur in Patchula’s life, the book is ultimately about hope in the face of the unknown and what we can achieve if we have the strength to carry on.
Mooney has written a large and diverse cast of characters, and the world she has developed seems utterly real. Patches in particular leaps off the page as a fully-formed individual. Some of the mistreatment she endures is quite harrowing and difficult to read, but it feels very honest. Her hardships elicit great empathy in the reader; I was constantly rooting for her to overcome all of the tragedy in her life and felt completely invested in her development. The more peripheral characters are also well-drawn and prove to be quite emotive, some invoking feelings of intense anger!
One aspect of the book that bothered me slightly was the pacing. We are introduced to Patchula’s predicament, and the narrative subsequently moves very swiftly through the first part of her life and I would have liked this introduction to the story to be slightly more drawn out. Despite this, the rest of the book has a really good tempo, and because there are so many unexpected twists and turns I was always eager to find out what would happen next in Patches’ story.
This book moved me to tears, but it also gave me a great sense of hope. I finished it feeling as though I had been on a long journey–and an extremely rewarding one at that.
Pages: 361 | ASIN: B074M3LW12
Fathering the Fatherless
There are two kinds of fatherlessness. The first kind is where the father is never known to the child. The second, the father lives in the same home as the child but is emotionally unavailable and often physically absent too. Both of these have adverse effects on the child. Children need a special kind of love and nurturing from their father. There is some security that comes from having a father, especially in the formative years. Children cannot understand why other children have their fathers but they do not.
Todd Johnson tells a very intimate and personal story about his childhood. He grew up in a single parent home. He talks about the struggles he went through as a result of not having that special father figure in his life. He outlines all the choices he made as a result of his home situation. He talks about how that situation shaped the man and father he is today.
The most important thing in this book is the role of God in a single parent home. One can ask God to fill that void left behind by an absentee father. A fatherless person can find the love and care they need from God. It urges on the importance of God –lead fatherhood.
This book is centered on a very important subject. Fatherless homes are very common not only in America but on a global scale. In fact, the book starts with some very interesting numbers. Numbers never lie. They indicate the percentage of children affected by lack of a father or having an emotionally unavailable father. The numbers give the book a serious tone. One will understand the true weight of this subject.
Fathering the Fatherless makes proper use of scripture. It conveys the message God has about fatherhood. One will have a better understanding of their role once they have read through the verses given. He will understand that being a father has nothing to do with DNA but everything to do with nurturing, caring and loving. That, the kind of father one has great potential to shape character and identity.
The author is obviously very passionate about the subject and the book feels like a personal endeavor. However, the delivery of the subject matter suffers from broken statements, grammar mistakes, and anemic prose. At one point, the author strings together verses from the Bible and at times repeats verses and his personal story feels incomplete. This book does a fantastic job of starting a very important discussion, but stops short of diving into the deep end of that conversation. If you only pay attention to the intended message you can gain insight into what fatherlessness really is and this book does a great job of getting that conversation started.
Pages: 64 | ASIN: 0692075208
Seeker of Time
What begins as a typical young adult novel evolves into a fantastical adventure. Seeker of Time by J.M. Buckler presents us with a protagonist most young people can relate to: Elara feels isolated, like she doesn’t fit in. Not only with her high school classmates but also with her family. Never feeling like she truly fit in, she comes across another student, Cyrus, who has been nothing but kind to her. But there is more to their relationship than Elara and Cyrus are prepared to understand. They aren’t just classmates; they aren’t just your typical high school students. No, these two have an even greater destiny waiting for them than what an average person will experience.
Buckler does very well with her world building. At first, the book feels like a coming-of-age story where Elara will find a way to fit in with those around her. The prologue should have been a dead giveaway for this, but the chapters that follow don’t dive into the fantasy aspects of the tale until much farther into the book. Buckler takes her time developing her characters and building the world that the readers are going to get drawn deeper and deeper into.
The dynamic and difference between the two protagonists Elara and Cyrus is necessary not only for the current story line, but for any potential future books. They are similar and yet opposite enough that when Buckler goes on to explain the extraordinary circumstances to their existence, it makes sense. If they were too similar or too opposite it would have ruined the balance that is necessary for these characters further on in this world. This is not easy to do, and it is laudable that Buckler is able to accomplish this.
There are some formatting, spelling and punctuation issues that detract from the story at times. These can be solved by a good editor or by spending more time on the editing process. By no means do these errors detract from the story itself, but they are disruptive when they occur. Another downfall to this book is the pacing. If readers are looking for a strong fantasy element, you will not find it right away in this book. But if you have the patience to wait it out, you will be rewarded.
Seeker of Time by J.M. Buckler is a fantastic entry into a well-developed fantasy world. While the pacing can be a bit slow at times, the payoff is a well-constructed world with a rich history. Descriptions and characters make sense: the way protagonists Elara and Cyrus react to the truth about their lives is refreshing. The reality of the experience is sure to help readers identify with the characters on a personal and emotional level. Buckler sticks to parameters she has outlined for herself in how this book and this world is going to develop. The ending leaves just enough intrigue that a second installment, or more, in this series would be welcomed.
Pages: 330 | ASIN: B075MNZ7TB
LITERARY TITAN 