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Impossible to Resist
Skyseed follows a group of people who set out to save the planet from a man-made climate disaster. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
The idea of using tech as a quick fix for the climate crisis is attracting growing support and credence, despite the fact that it is hugely expensive, environmentally damaging, and potentially dangerous. I wanted to write a story that was primarily a good yarn, but which also provided a timely and salutary warning about the dangers of so-called geoengineering.
Jane is an intriguing and well developed character. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
There are plenty of great female researchers in the geological sciences, including in my own field of volcanology, and I wanted to reflect this in the book. Geology is not all machismo, and female scientists make hugely important contributions, often while juggling family and work, so Jane is based upon an amalgam of a number of friends and colleagues I have known over the years.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
There are quite a few themes hidden away – some perhaps not so hidden. As I mentioned earlier, geoengineering and its associated dangers, is the big one. But I have to admit that there is also an anti-capitalist strand running through the story, together with digs at neocolonialism and the way in which those in power find it impossible to resist acting in an underhand way, then fail to be open about how bad things are when everything goes pear-shaped. In the UK, we have seen this recently in relation to how the government mishandled both Brexit and the pandemic.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
A sequel to Skyseed is always possible. I have left a small chink of light at the end of the story to allow this, but we shall see. Currently, I am working on a young adult project about an Earth upon which not all dinosaurs were wiped out 65 million years ago. Some survived so that today, their intelligent, bipedal, descendents have built a dominant civilisation that reigns over us humans. But change is on the way…
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Jane Haliwell put her head in her hands. To tell the truth, she was still in shock. All the samples she had taken from inside and around the lab contained the enigmatic spheres in huge numbers. She had only had a brief time to think about the implications, but she was pretty sure already what was going on.
For the first time in the history of the world, it was literally raining carbon. Long before it stopped, the guilty would pay, but so would the innocent…
Skyseed
![Skyseed by [Bill McGuire]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/511AmPgJCDL.jpg)
Sky Seed by Bill McGuire transcends genres. It starts as a mystery with light espionage and ends as a dystopian near future novel. There are three main protagonists, but several chapters are written from the perspectives of side characters as well. The book starts with an enormous eruption that sends ash spewing into the air. Months later, Jane discovers a terrible secret exacerbated by that explosion. There are small, perfectly spherical, carbon-shelled objects floating in the air and raining from the sky. Jane has to tell someone, anyone. She sends her findings to a colleague. The next day someone tries to kill her, but also successfully murders other scientists who have realized the truth. A week later her package arrives at her colleague’s office. He reads it over, panics, and calls in another co-worker. They (Karl and Ralph) realize something extremely sinister is afoot and the world will not be safe if this stays hidden. The three set off to try and save the planet from a diabolical scheme while putting themselves in danger.
Sky Seed is a thrilling global disaster novel that feels authentic due to the grounded storytelling and scattered use of jargon and tech that make this story feel real, add on a climate disaster that speaks volumes on contemporary climate issues, and you end up with a novel that is very realistic. It takes a very valid idea, then shows how that idea could actually be more harmful in the long-run. Even though this book is designed to entertain, I do feel I learned a bit more about climate science by reading this. I liked the subtle addition of humor lightly scattered throughout the story. It really helped to bring levity to some dense and serious sections. I will not ruin the punchlines by sharing them here, but brainy humor is my soft spot. (I see your Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy joke and very much appreciated it in part 3). The story and plot line are solid and overall I loved the story.
Author Bill McGuire has given readers a suspenseful science fiction disaster novel with a creative climate change problem that’s tackled in entertaining fashion.
Pages: 257 | ASIN: B08HM842WD
A Swift and Deadly Maelstrom: The Great Norwich Flood of 1963, a Survivors Story
!['A Swift and Deadly Maelstrom: the Great Norwich Flood of 1963, a Survivors Story by [Moody Jr, Thomas R.]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/514ldu6EmmL.jpg)
March 1963 saw the devastation of the Great Norwich Flood and the aftermath that left one town struggling to pick up the pieces. One young boy and his family found themselves fighting for their lives when the dam wall burst and a watery hell was brought forth on their homes. As floodwaters moved from an odd trickle down the center of the street before them to a panicked roar, author Thomas Moody, his parents, and his siblings made a mad dash to escape their home and flee to higher ground. Neither the Moodys nor their neighbors could have predicted that a normal, peaceful night could have so quickly turned deadly for so many residents of their town.
A Swift and Deadly Maelstrom: The Great Norwich Flood of 1963, A Survivors Story, by Thomas Moody, is the account of the night that took his own mother’s life and changed the course of history for so many friends and neighbors in his hometown of Norwich, Connecticut. Moody, a young boy on that fateful night, relates the facts of the dam’s construction, its subsequent mismanagement, and the events leading up to that fateful rupture when the waters spilled into the streets, sweeping away automobiles, filling the local mill, and pulling citizens under its torrent.
Moody’s insight into the deadly night is invaluable to the reader. In addition to relating the events as they occurred and how they impacted families across the city, he includes his own thoughtful analysis as to what may have actually been the cause for his mother’s inability to maintain her grasp on her father’s hand in the final moments of her life. The heartbreaking moment his family loses their beloved wife and mother will forever be etched in the readers’ minds.
Moody gives readers stunning imagery over which to pore as he moves from one stage of devastation to the next. Accounts from other survivors serve to strengthen the impact of Moody’s writing and continually add layers of emotion to the tragic story. Moody includes the most amazing mental images of homes and businesses that miraculously escaped the floodwaters with minimal damage or no effects at all from the dam’s hellacious rage. Interspersed throughout Moody’s writing are stories of shining moments, making the overall tone of the account more bearable. The author manages to provide a wide array of views on that ominous night in March.
To find as an adult that the safety and security of the dam’s structure was so blatantly overlooked year after year and ultimately led to his mother’s death had to be unimaginably emotionally draining. I cannot imagine the strength and fortitude it must have taken to write the story of his own mother’s passing and relive the horrors of that night in print, but Thomas Moody has provided us all with a survivor’s account worth reading and taking to heart.
Pages: 288 | ASIN: B079K2GQDY
The Tough Mama’s Guide to Survival: Survive & Thrive
A disaster happens, can you and your family survive? Where will you go? What will you eat? How will you continue to eat when your supplies are exhausted? How will you meet the medical needs of your family? How will you and your family survive when help is on the way? Being prepared is like having a life-saving insurance policy. If the worst case scenario hits, it is too late to prepare. The time to prepare is now. Even the government is now telling the public to store extra food, water, and medical supplies. If the worst happens, are you prepared to deal with a new reality with no help coming your way?
Tough Mama is a guide for the Mama of every family. You will learn:
– How to begin being prepared
– Finding a safe spot for your family
– Where to buy your Safe Spot for pennies on the dollar
– A comprehensive list of where you can continue to learn for free, including topics on building a garden, learn how to limit radiation to your family, how to be safe during a nuclear blast, and many other topics
– The best ways to build your food store
– Emergency first aid
– Building a survival garden
– Be prepared for nuclear war, fallout, and radiation
Tough Mama shows you many more things not found in other survival books or sites. Every tip has been tried and tested.
Tough Mama saw a need in the prepping community – Women! As guardians of the family, the woman needs to be at the forefront of knowledge and not have to rely on anyone. 46% of households are led by women. This is a time that more women are the heads of households, and it is time women are empowered to protect themselves. Tough Mama wants to see a prepared and educated person in every home.
The maze of survival planning and education can seem overwhelming for the beginner – not so with Tough Mama! Tough Mama starts at the very basics and walks the reader through more complex subjects. All topics are broken down into steps that will ensure safety and success to your planning. Survive and thrive!
The Fallen Ones
Vashti Quiroz Vega Author Interview
The Fall of Lilith is a dark fantasy novel centered around the anti-heroine, Lilith, and the creation and fall of the angels. What was your inspiration for this imaginative novel?
The Fall of Lilith is a High Fantasy with dark elements. I grew up in a religious home and went to religious private school. Angels always fascinated me, but there isn’t much information in the bible about them, so I always imagined what they were like, both the holy angels and the fallen ones. I also read a great deal of religious books (fiction and Non-fiction), mythology and fairytales growing up. I basically combined all three to create this book. I did a lot of research and used facts from the Bible, Hebrew Bible, and Quran to ground it in reality.
I liked that we got to see Lilith change from good to bad throughout the novel, and how that was portrayed was entertaining. Did her character develop organically as you were writing or was it planned?
I always knew she would be an evil character at some point. That being said, she took it from there and developed organically.
There is heavy use of religion and myth in this book. What kind of research did you undertake for this novel to keep things accurate?
An enormous amount of research went into this novel. I researched animals, natural disasters, food, geography, names, and religious text among other things. Like Tom Clancy said, “The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense.”
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
![The Fall of Lilith (Fantasy Angels Series) by [Quiroz Vega, Vashti]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51iCEOKSUpL.jpg)
In The Fall of Lilith, Vashti Quiroz-Vega crafts an irresistible new take on heaven and hell that boldly lays bare the passionate, conflicted natures of God’s first creations: the resplendent celestial beings known as angels.
If you think you know their story, think again.
Endowed with every gift of mind, body, and spirit, the angels reside in a paradise bounded by divine laws, chief of which are obedience to God, and celibacy. In all other things, the angels possess free will, that they may add in their own unique ways to God’s unfolding plan.
Lilith, most exquisite of angels, finds the rules arbitrary and stifling. She yearns to follow no plan but her own: a plan that leads to the throne now occupied by God himself. With clever words and forbidden caresses, Lilith sows discontent among the angels. Soon the virus of rebellion has spread to the greatest of them all: Lucifer.
Now, as angel is pitted against angel, old loyalties are betrayed and friendships broken. Lust, envy, pride, and ambition arise to shake the foundations of heaven . . . and beyond. For what begins as a war in paradise invades God’s newest creation, a planet known as Earth. It is there, in the garden called Eden, that Lilith, Lucifer, and the other rebel angels will seek a final desperate victory—or a venomous revenge.
A Pardon For Tommy
Who would have thought that a story about a turkey would bring a reader to tears? Within the pages of A Pardon for Tommy by Patricia Nmukoso Enyi readers will find just that. Chelsea Malibu is the protagonist of our story. We begin with her waking from a nightmare in her college dormitory. Chelsea is a survivor of Hurricane Katrina and still suffers from its aftermath. She is a young woman now, but she cannot let go of the horror she faced at the tender age of twelve. The story walks us through what Chelsea experienced during the hurricane, how it affected her and what happened to her family. Throughout her ordeal Chelsea had one pillar of support: the never questioning Tommy the turkey. Tommy was a prize her father had won and expected to eat on Thanksgiving with his family. However, life has a funny way of throwing you off track.
The pain that Chelsea experiences in this story is raw and real. Tommy isn’t just a pet turkey: he symbolizes her family. The family that was ripped apart by the hurricane during which her father went missing after trying to save her life. Chelsea is clearly traumatized by the events and the life she lives after relocating to live with her mother, brother and maternal grandmother isn’t as easy as it should have been. Aside from the emotional trauma, Chelsea is faced with discrimination and bullying. Her family is fractured, and no matter how much she prays it won’t become whole again.
While there are some mistakes in the grammar and the styling of the novel leaves a lot to be desired, the content of the tale more than makes up for it. Readers can feel the agony that Chelsea experiences in these pages. She is young and there is so much she doesn’t understand about what is happening to her. There are so many changes in short succession that it would make even an adult’s head spin. There is so much uncertainty in her life that it’s as if time stops for her. Because of this, Chelsea clings to Tommy, the turkey, for comfort. This turkey is the only thing that connects her to her missing father. The physical existence of the turkey allows her to have something she can touch to remember her father.
In the novel, it has been six years since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Our protagonist has avoided returning to the city where her life was so gravely changed. With the impending death of her beloved turkey Chelsea boards a bus to return. It is here that we are privy to the events that took place in that city. A Pardon for Tommy by Patricia Nmukoso Enyi is a beautiful, sad, and harrowing tale of a survivors experience with one of the deadliest events in modern history. This is a perfect book for young adults or those who enjoy more realistic fiction tales. Will Chelsea’s family ever become whole again? Will she ever find out what happened to her father? And most importantly, will Chelsea’s nightmares ever disappear? Read for yourself to find out.
Pages: 150 | ASIN: B0725M51SV
LITERARY TITAN 