Blog Archives
The Mystical Guatemalan Robes: The Pilot and the Priest
The Mystical Guatemalan Robes: The Pilot and the Priest delivers a gripping and thought-provoking narrative blending historical fact with imaginative fiction. The story follows John Pulitzer, a pilot whose life is unraveling. Haunted by the loss of a close friend, the collapse of his family, and emotional scars from his military service, John’s days are already a struggle. However, his world takes a dark turn when he uncovers a chilling pattern linked to the airline where he works. Children are being murdered and John’s investigation pulls him deeper into a web of unspeakable horror. What he doesn’t realize is that he’s about to confront ancient malevolent forces with a history of atrocities.
Author Michael David Polansky’s writing shines through with a captivating narrative style that draws you in and keeps you on edge. He skillfully intertwines historical elements, most notably a reimagined version of Hernán Cortés’s conquest of the Aztec Empire with a chilling fictional twist. In his retelling, Cortés’s victory is aided by supernatural forces born from the twisted machinations of a disturbed priest. This priest establishes a terrifying cult centered on the ritual abuse and sacrifice of children. The prose flows with an almost hypnotic rhythm, inviting you to settle into the story’s world before quickly reminding you of the lurking terror. The tension builds, creating a relentless sense of unease. Polansky’s pacing is also impeccable. The plot moves swiftly without feeling rushed. Each event feels deliberate, keeping you hooked without overwhelming you. There’s a balance between action and exposition that ensures every moment counts, making for an engaging read from start to finish.
What stands out to me is how Polansky reveals the backstory. Instead of relying solely on flashbacks, he integrates the origins of the dark forces into the present-day narrative, allowing readers to experience the unfolding horror alongside the characters. This method deepens the sense of dread as the ancient evil becomes more tangible and immediate. The novel also offers an interesting look into the world of airline operations, which I feel is an unexpected detail that adds an extra layer of interest to the story. The action scenes are intense and are filled with vivid and pulse-pounding sequences that grip you in their ferocity. The descriptions of brutal and bone-crunching executions are not for the faint of heart but add to the tension and dark atmosphere of the novel.
The Mystical Guatemalan Robes is a thrilling and unsettling journey into the heart of darkness. Polansky weaves a story that’s both imaginative and disturbing, making it impossible to put down once you start.
Pages: 472 | ASIN: B0CWDPWZ2G
A Meticulous Plan
A Meticulous Plan, by A. Mohit, weaves a heartfelt narrative set against the backdrop of a nation in turmoil. This story delves into the intertwined lives of its characters, focusing on themes of love, identity, and cultural boundaries. It begins with the serendipitous meeting of Bakhtiar Khan, a shy yet charismatic young man, and Pooja Roy Chowdhury, a confident and enchanting woman, in Bangkok. Their chance encounter unfolds into an emotionally rich tale that explores the complexities of love across divides of culture and religion.
The writing has its moments of brilliance. I was drawn into the vivid portrayal of Bakhtiar and Pooja’s meeting. The description of their quiet moments, like Pooja resting her head on Bakhtiar’s shoulder during a flight, is tender and captivating. While I feel the dialogue occasionally veers into being overly sentimental, the story is buoyed by the emotional depth of its characters and the sincerity of their struggles.
The ideas in the book are thought-provoking and timeless. Mohit raises important questions about societal prejudices and the boundaries of tradition through Pooja and Bakhtiar’s love story. For instance, the tension created by Pooja’s family opposing the match due to Bakhtiar’s religion is heart-wrenching yet relevant in many societies. I particularly appreciated the subplots, like Madhuri’s attempts to mediate and win over the family elders, as they added layers to the story. Some sections, such as the detailed descriptions of cultural rituals, felt a bit slower-paced, and I found myself wishing for a slightly more concise narrative in those moments.
One of my favorite parts of the book was the exploration of human vulnerability. Bakhtiar’s insecurity after meeting Pooja resonated deeply with me. His internal monologue when he berates himself for not asking for her contact information felt raw and genuine. Pooja’s character, too, is wonderfully nuanced. Her simultaneous confidence and yearning make her incredibly relatable.
A Meticulous Plan is a deeply emotional and culturally rich story that will resonate with readers who appreciate tales of love overcoming odds. The heartfelt narrative and layered characters make it a compelling read. I’d recommend this book to fans of romantic dramas, especially those interested in stories set against a backdrop of cultural and societal conflict.
Pages: 284 | ASIN : B0DMWPCGZX
A Position of Liminality
Sketches from the Periphery follows an American contractor as he navigates war-torn Darfur while on a peace-keeping mission in 2006. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I participated in the African Union Peacekeeping Mission in my early twenties. It was my first truly professional experience and my tenure in Darfur left an indelible mark on my character. Sudan in general and Darfur in particular are incredible places with complex histories and cultures. In the intervening years, the conflict in Darfur has been subject to significant oversimplification. What started out as an attempt to dissect the roots of the conflict and address said oversimplification evolved into the narrative presented in Sketches.
What research did you do for this novel to get it right?
To a degree, a lot of my research was based on first-hand experiences and interactions. While Alex’s character and experiences are markedly different from my own, the time and space they occupied mirror many events I was involved in. For the Central and Eastern European scenes, I am largely indebted to my Romanian wife, who provided a unique and passionate perspective.
There is a large body of literary works on Sudan written during the colonial period by British administrators. Henry Cecil Jackson, Reginald Davies, CEV Breveridge, Rudolf Slatin, A.J. Potts all left detailed memoirs and accounts of Sudan and Darfur. Despite problematic tones and themes, these works do an excellent job capturing atmospheres and cultures from a position of liminality…an outsider’s perspective that I also tried to capture with Sketches.
What were some of the emotional and moral guidelines you followed when developing your characters?
The two main characters in Sketches, Alex and Cassandra, were developed as kindred spirits. With Cassandra, I wanted to create a façade of didactic arrogance that masks a deeper, more emotional nature. She sees the truth and seeks to understand the “why.” Alex is rudderless, searching for a purpose that has eluded him until his path crosses with that of Cassandra. Their characters have an idealism that blinds them to the brutal nature of the world they occupy; a naïve, almost innocent, arrogance that contrasts with the ruthless pragmatism of Henri, the altruistic realism of the Boss, and single-minded drive of Captain Saleh.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
I envision two follow-on works tied to Sketches from the Periphery. I am currently working on another story from Darfur which is tangentially related to Sketches. This story will focus on a minor subplot and is being told from the perspective of secondary characters. While Sketches is more introspective, the follow-on work has more intrigue and action.
Sketches ends with Alex as a decidedly different person, years have elapsed since his time with the Peacekeeping Mission. While he has moved on, the fingerprints of Darfur are still with him. I want to investigate his evolution during that elapsed time in a stand-alone book. I am currently outlining how I would like to present this story.
My Version of Vampires
To End the Night follows Julius Caesar as he battles a secret enemy, one that is dark and sinister and exists in the shadows of the Roman Empire. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I really wanted to do a different take on vampires and I was watching a documentary about Julius Caesar and just thought, huh, that would be a good setting to do my version of Vampires in. I wrote the story originally in the late 90’s as a short story and then beefed it up to a novella later.
Can you share with us a little about the research that went into the historical aspects of your novel?
Loads and Loads! I have an entire bookcase dedicated to Julius Caesar and ancient Rome now. Many hours reading with highlighters and googling things for clarification. I also went on a history channel binge for JC documentaries. I listed some of the most used research items in the back of the book. I wanted the history in my historical fiction to be as accurate as possible. I am writing a book starring Genghis Khan now and already have 18 history books I’m going through.
How were you able to strike a balance between historical accuracy and supernatural events?
For me, it was a matter of motivation. Why did JC cross the Rubican? Why did he pursue power so doggedly? And then finding places to slip in the motivation. I wanted the history to be the star of the show with the supernatural as a supporting cast.
What is the next book fans can expect to see from you?
I have a book with the editor right now called The Ballad of Jayce: Not Your Mother’s LitRPG. It is my take on LitRPG. I’ve been told it is like a LitRPG meets Ready Player One. I am using an editor that is completely unfamiliar with the genre to help me make it as accessible as possible to people who do not read LitRPG. I needed a fun thing to do after all the research that went into this book. I am also 25 thousand words into my Genghis Khan historical fiction and have plans for a Terry Pratchet style book after that. I plan on bouncing between more serious historical fiction and light hearted fun things.
Author Links: GoodReads | Bluesky | Facebook | Website | Amazon
The Women of the Philippines
Finding Rosie follows a young man fresh out of high school, trying to navigate his way through post-Vietnam War America, from his carefree surfing adventures to losing the love of his life in the Philippines. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Actually, the book begins during the height of the war in Vietnam. And just like Sutton, I joined the Navy Reserves to avoid being drafted into the Army and ended up stationed in the Philippines. While I was there, I told all my pals that I was going to write a novel about Olongapo City and all the bars when I got home, and I did. It just took me until 2017 to finish it.
Were you able to achieve everything you wanted with the characters in the novel?
I wanted people to see what the women of the Philippines had to do to survive the conflict in Vietnam. I tried to paint them as seen through the American characters’ eyes, the way I saw them, the way I remembered them, and avoided trying to see things through their eyes. Besides Rosie, there was Raquel, Flora, and Rosie’s sister, Margaret. I’m disappointed the reviewer didn’t hear them as well as I’d hoped. To me, they were the heart of the story. But it is a good, honest review, and I’m very grateful for it.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
That love can outlast our hopes and dreams, but there is always a price for hesitation. And that war will create casualties everywhere, not just on the battlefields.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
My next book will be called HYPNOTIZED, a tale of love and mystery that takes place in the town of Whittier, California during the summer of 1969. I’m hoping to publish it in early 2025.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | The Independent Author Network | Amazon
An Inside Track
The Maker’s Name is a suspenseful saga of family betrayal and corporate intrigue that unfolds against the backdrop of Ireland’s economic boom, where two brothers clash over their inheritance. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I’ve always taken a strong interest in the way businesses develop, particularly family businesses. I worked for a number of years in the Irish Industrial Development Authority (IDA) where I was able to gain good insight into many such scenarios. The IDA gave me an inside track.
The characters are complex and often morally ambiguous. Can you talk about your process for developing such compelling characters?
I have often clashed with strong personalities in my career, which also took in multinationals like Colgate-Palmolive Company and Shell Oil. There one would come face to face with individuals whose ambition knew no bounds, and against whom one would need strong defences; rising through the ranks in big business is often a zero-sum game. The process of developing such characters for the novel consisted of little more than remembering back to the details of the personalities and behaviour of the people concerned.
The novel features a mix of dark humor and bursts of violence. How did you balance these elements to maintain tension without overshadowing the story’s deeper themes?
I have always been an avid reader. This, I believe, has encouraged me to a deep study of human nature whenever I have found it. I have also taken inspiration from the very best: Ernest Hemingway, Ian McEwan, Graham Greene, Robert Louis Stevenson, Auberon Waugh, Saul Bellow, Philip Roth, Claire Keegan, Anthony Trollope, Tom Wolfe, William Makepeace Thackery, Vladimir Nabokov, and many, many more of history’s superlative novelists. Not forgetting, of course, James Augustine Aloysius Joyce, for the style.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am working on an outline, and have written about 30,000 words, of a novel that’s inspired by the kind of things that happened in Ireland in the 1980s, the period in which Claire Keegan’s novella, Small Things Like These, is set. According to one commentator, this book sells a thousand books a week, every week. The film version, starring Cillian Murphy, has just been released, to critical acclaim. My book will be ready in the first quarter of 2025.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Literary, historical, Irish family saga fiction, for grownups
Lucid, engaging prose covering half a century of a provincial Irish business family, which could be microcosmic of the nation, from a first-time author.
The Considine brothers, Rudi and Gus, are at war.
Their father, Malachi, has died in a ‘freak accident’. But is there such a thing as a freak accident? When Rudi attempts to grab Gus’s inheritance there’s a real prospect of human blood appearing on the Hawthorne Meats slaughterhouse floor. Enter Cosgrave, a solicitor with expensive tastes, and Toomarood, the banker with an eye to making money outside of his day job. Mix in the ‘free’ energy device, after experts have stated that the promoters are suffering from long-term, severe self-delusion. Does this all make up a catastrophe waiting to happen?
How will Gus’s childhood friend, Raymond Quinn, his partner, Kaarina, and their children, be able to deal with him being placed under an exit ban in China because of his part in a pyramid scheme that has defrauded Chinese small investors? Is Gus really the nice guy everyone thinks he is? His activities as a ‘celebrity butcher’ might suggest otherwise. Does Rudi go too far by defrauding Quinn senior and his business partner through the use of a shadow company?
Is Rudi capable of murder?
And Rudi’s wife, Penny – whose side is she on?
Treachery hangs over this story of the pressures and tensions, both personal and commercial, of Celtic-Tiger era Ireland, especially when that edifice is destroyed in the Global Financial Crisis of 2008.
For Rudi, the payback from Gus and Raymond is severe indeed.
Dragon of Denmark
Dragon of Denmark, by Jennifer Ivy Walker, is a compelling blend of fantasy, romance, and historical intrigue. The story introduces Ylva Rikardsdóttir, a skilled Celtic healer shunned by her Breton village of Saint-Suliac in Northwestern France. Her ostracism stems from her lineage—the illegitimate daughter of a ruthless Norse ruler who played a pivotal role in the Viking conquest of the region. After abandoning her a decade prior, Ylva’s father unexpectedly reappears, forcing her into a political marriage with Skårde Haraldsson, the bastard son of the Danish king. Bound by circumstances beyond their control, Ylva and Skårde must navigate their uneasy union. Can peace—or perhaps love—blossom between them?
The novel captivated me, particularly the relationship between Ylva and Skårde. Despite his fearsome moniker, “Skårde the Scourge,” the Dragon of Denmark, and a violent history steeped in bloodshed, Skårde surprises with his gentle demeanor toward Ylva. Their connection is underpinned by shared struggles: both are illegitimate children, discarded by their fathers only to be used as pawns in a strategic alliance. These parallels create a foundation for mutual understanding and gradually deepen their bond, even within the confines of an unwanted marriage.
The world-building is immersive, weaving together Norse and Celtic mythologies. Norse gods and goddesses coexist with Celtic deities, enriching the narrative with mystical depth. The inclusion of witches, elves, and shapeshifters adds to the fantastical allure. This interplay of myth and magic enhances the story’s texture, setting a unique stage for the characters’ journey. The prospect of exploring this richly imagined world further in the upcoming installments, Wolf of the Nordic Seas and Falcon of the Faroe Islands, excites me.
While Ylva’s visions were intriguing, they occasionally revealed pivotal events in advance, which made it challenging to fully feel the tension and immediacy of key moments. For example, knowing ahead of time how and when Skårde would be wounded reduced the emotional impact of the event itself. I felt the frequent use of italics to represent Ylva’s inner thoughts in the early chapters was somewhat distracting to me. Additionally, I think the repetition of details about runes and rituals at times slowed the pacing at times. However, these were small critiques in an otherwise captivating and immersive story that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Dragon of Denmark is an engaging start to a promising series. Jennifer Ivy Walker skillfully combines romance, mythology, and history, creating a tale that will appeal to fans of fantasy romance and Viking lore. I look forward to seeing how the saga unfolds in the books to come.
Pages: 322 | ASIN : B0DCQHXVGP
LITERARY TITAN 