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Soul Born
![Soul Born by [Breaux, Kevin]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51ouWps%2BNIL._SY346_.jpg)
A young and powerful mage named Opal is tasked with creating a weapon to save her kind and land from an evil warlord, Mustaffa. She has created the weapon in the form of a new warrior named Karn. Going against her teachers plans however, Opal creates a bond with Karn that connects them psychologically. Together they set out to try and find help to defeat Mustaffa. Both are captured however and there they meet many more enslaved and captured by the warlord. The devastation and destruction he caused is immense. What Opal soon learns is that things are not as they seem with her teachers and the elders. She uncovers dark truths that shatter everything she was led to believe. Meanwhile Karn starts meeting other people that also have a different view of the world and plans to change the destructive course their land is headed for.
Kevin Breaux has created another amazing fantasy novel with Soul Born. The enchanting mix of mage, human, elves, giants, jackalware, and all the rest of the fantasy creatures contained among the pages creates an engaging story that never gets old. From the opening pages we meet Tala the elf as she races for her life, about to die and is saved by stronger being that the reader is left wondering who or what it is. Readers are than transported to the story of Karn and Opal. There connection is magical, but you can tell Opal really loves him. This love allows her to see past the strategic value he holds to the High Council. The lies she had been fed all her life start to unwind and as she learns the truth of her magic and her people.
This novel is the kind of book that makes you think, it is not a quick fluff read, and the twists and turns of the plot will take you by surprise. There are so many moving parts in the political maneuvering and each group of beings have their own agenda. While they all wish to stop Mustaffa from destroying the land, they all have different reasons and come to the battle from different directions. The characters are very well developed, and I love how you have to read deep into the novel to really find the depth of their personalities. The characters start off flat, but with each chapter you learn something new that adds another layer to them and the plot.
Soul Born is a story about awakening both of one’s self, and the land that the characters inhabit. Breaux is able to twist all their lives together while still giving them each a voice and purpose. Characters are not used as simple filler, they advance the story along or are used to teach one of the main characters something about themselves. Nothing is by chance and each detail, while perhaps unimportant when you read it, will become clearly important down the line as you progress. A well written and original work that is captivating and one you won’t want to put down.
Pages: 370 | ASIN: B07K1XLPP6
Julia’s memories
![Julia's memories (Amor Mundi Book 1) by [Dröge, Dave]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51mbkHjIV3L.jpg)
A futuristic look at one woman’s life is what readers will find in Julia’s Memories by Dave Drӧge. The book is told from Julia’s point of view as she dictates her life to her PR robot. It’s an intense read that follows our protagonist as she navigates her life in this new world. However, her story takes place in 2050, which is not far off from where we are today. Readers in their twenties and thirties will find themselves identifying with Julia as she describes what is a not-so-distant future, but one we may not be comfortable with just yet. While there are no flashy light saber battles in this unique science fiction story, this is a story of a woman’s experience with her life which transcends time.
The first thing to keep in mind about this book is that it is an English translation. That being said, it becomes easier to ignore the spelling or grammatical issues that crop up from time to time. They are not so great that they detract from the content of the story, but they are there nonetheless. There is a lot of content in this dense book. Not only is the word count dense, the content is dense. This book is a sort of existential look at a person’s life. With that comes philosophical thinking and a viewpoint that is unique.
If philosophical thoughts and conversations about what makes up humanity are your thing, then this book is definitely something that you will enjoy. Drӧge certainly dives right into the existential theme that he has built this novel upon. Seeing this world through Julia’s memories gives readers the ability to distance themselves from it and see things in a different way. While there are things that have occurred quite differently from our current timeline, there is no doubt that reading a book that takes place in 2050 is daunting to those who will live to see it. Less than 50 years away yet with the technological advancement one comes to expect from future-exploration books.
While there are a few drawbacks to this book, I found it to be an interesting read, if you can get past the seemingly insurmountable walls of text that will greet you on every page. This book offers a fascinating exploration into the human condition, it picks it a part piece by piece and examines each one.
Readers will find an interesting life-story in Julia’s Memories by Dave Drӧge as the book explores the memoirs of the title character. While this book has been translated, it is linear and easy to follow. That doesn’t make it any less of an impressive declaration of the human condition in a not too distant futuristic world. This book is definitely the novel to pick up if you want to philosophically muse about what it means to be human.
Pages: 364 | ASIN: B07DWJQQ1M
The Potential to Transcend
Mark Daniel Seiler Author Interview
River’s Child follows Mavin, an assistant working in a seed vault when things took a turn and he ends up in the far future. What was the initial idea behind this story and how did that transform as you were writing the novel?
Most of us have experienced scribbling down a dream before we’re too wide awake to remember. It’s interesting that dreams and seeds both spring to life from the dark. River’s Child is a kind of green seedling. I ran across an article about the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. The seed vault near the north pole is designed to last ten thousand years. I imagined a distant future when the seeds are rediscovered and their power to rejuvenate the world is unleashed. When Mavin awoke from his long dream, neither of us had any idea of the mysterious new world that awaited.
In the novel males are subservient and females are revered in the new world. I find this both refreshing and entertaining. Was this idea planned or did it develop organically?
The story is humorous but has a serious dimension. I feel as a species we’re still learning how to become human, the cake hasn’t finished baking. Humans transcend category, or I should say, we have the potential to transcend. If a new perspective means giving up our old comfortable view of the world, more often than not, we prefer to stick with the devil we know.
It’s fun to watch how difficult it is for Mavin to be flexible. If a woman found herself in a strange new world, the story wouldn’t work as well, she would simply adjust. It’s not uncommon for men to be wary of women sharing power. For my two cents: if we’re going to survive as a species, the Feminine Perspective needs to be in balance with the masculine viewpoint.
I enjoyed Mavin’s character as well as Simone. What were the driving ideals behind the characters development throughout the story?
Mavin and Simone are strangers to one another. As the author, before they say or do anything, I get to know my characters off-camera. I set up surveillance. I observe them in the supermarket line. Do they let the person behind them go ahead if they have only a couple of items? I know whether they use their turn signal or if they smoke while gassing up their SUV. Mavin and Simone are not angels, but more often than not they surprise me with their humanity.
I find a problem with well-written stories, in that I always want there to be another book to keep the story going. Is there a second book planned?
The best part about being an author is getting feedback from fans. Readers have been letting me know that they loved the story, but were upset that it ended too soon. I have a sequel sketched out, so I better get cracking.
Author Links: Amazon | Home Bound Publications
Trapped underground in the Svalbard Seed Vault, Mavin Cedarstrom is rescued by a band of strange women dressed in furs. The Peregrine scout Simone Kita was sent to recover seeds from the top of the world and bring them south to the floating gardens of Kashphera. Conjuring myth and magic, this fun, action-packed novel is a delight. River’s Child is a wild ride into an ancient future. Fasten your seat belt as our spirited heroes ride icebergs from the frozen north, battle wild men, and fall in love while they race to prevent world war.
A Modern Romeo & Juliet
R Tran Author Interview
Neutral Space is set in the year 3006 in a galaxy where intergalactic races have intermingled with humans. How did you set about creating the world in this novel?
I love Star Wars and Star Trek. I grew up watching them. As I got older other sci-fi films like Total Recall (the original) and The Fifth Element became personal favorites. When I started writing Neutral Space I envisioned pieces of these different worlds from sci-fi flicks. I wanted something that felt familiar and inviting but still plausible in 3006.
Alliances are broken which causes a war between Kelsairans and humans. I felt the Kelsairans were well developed and thought out. What was your inspiration for this race and how did it change while writing?
The Kelsairan society is based on the Spartans. While they don’t have a whole population of slaves supporting their militaristic lifestyle they are forced to send one child to serve the army. Originally, I intended the Kelsairans to be much more hostile and harder to understand, something closer to true Spartans or even Klingons. As the story evolved and Kheda’s character took shape she had too many human characteristics to do so. She couldn’t veer so far from her people. Her love for a human wouldn’t have been convincing. Government lies of horrible heartless aliens was a more plausible reason for human’s to hate them than for Kelsairans to actually be so horrible.
I felt that there were parallels to today’s society regarding war and political agendas. Were there any events that influenced you while writing?
This story wasn’t meant to be an action adventure, or a military book. It was intended to be a modern Romeo & Juliet. A futuristic war between two alien races seemed like a great way to update it. Somehow during the writing process it took on a life of its own and morphed into the book it is today. When I decided I wanted them to have a happy ending Jackson and Kheda needed a way to end the war that was manageable for two soldiers. Solving a government conspiracy seemed like the only plausible answer at the time. I don’t know if I was influenced by actual events or a general mistrust of large government. What I can say is this story was actually written in 2006-2007 and later revised and edited for publishing. At the time we were in the middle of the Iraq war, Afghanistan War, and it had been five years since September 11. There was a lot going on in the world and it probably influenced the original choice to create a war between two races to begin with.
Will this be the first book in a series? If so, where do you see the story going in the next book?
This was not the first book in a series. I doubt I will ever write another sci-fi novel again. I honestly feel like a fraud. I love watching the genre and even reading some of the less technical novels, more along the line of space operas. When it comes to writing it though, I don’t feel like I do the genre justice. It’s why I hesitated publishing Neutral Space in the first place. For the most part I think I got lucky with Neutral Space. I tried something new and it worked. I won’t tempt fate again.
Author Links: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Email | GoodReads | Linkedin | Google+ | Independent Author Network
![Neutral Space by [Tran, Rebecca]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51bwlrksh9L.jpg)
Lieutenant Jackson Peterson thought he knew who the enemy was. A bitter war with the Kelsairans made it abundantly clear. When Jackson saves a Kelsairan woman from a wrecked ship, the line is suddenly blurred. The enemy isn’t what the government said they were and he can no longer blindly follow orders. A shocking discovery leads Jackson down a sinister path of intrigue that could change the fate of two races. But, both the Kelsairan and the Human governments will kill him to keep their secrets. Jackson will risk everything to stop them. Will it be enough? Or will he die in the process?
Neutral Space
Neutral Space, written by Rebecca Tran, is a story told through the eyes of Jackson Eli Peterson; a man raised on a planet in the Sirus Seven. The Sirus Seven are planets named after the seven deadly sins in the Bible and were the catalyst for the war between the Kelsairans and humans. Jackson has a chance encounter with a beautiful Kelsairan woman which changes both their perspectives on the government and war. They soon realise that they may not have been told the truth about the opposition and its race, leaving them both to make decisions that will change their lives forever. A trial will begin, and secrets will be revealed in an epic futuristic tale where exposing the truth will have you killed.
Neutral Space is set in the year 3006, in a world where intergalactic races have intermingled with humans. Technology and territory were shared, but like most trade agreements, alliances were broken causing an unruly war between Kelsairans and humans.
Corrupt governments and evil agendas will mean that the characters may not all be who they seem. Allies will be formed, and friendships will be created, regardless of the race. Through the new found friendships, the authority will be questioned- and betrayed- to save the people they care about the most.
I loved how the novel incorporated futuristic ideas such as new races, advanced technology and ideas while still implementing familiar scenarios such as court scenes, jails and friendship. There’s even cultural food such as Italian and Chinese that are twisted into the plotline, giving the story an almost realistic feel. With human governments still participating in dodgy deals and corrupt politics, you can practically imagine the future in the 3000’s being very similar to what you find in Neutral Space.
Between the battles of war lies a love story that will have you eager to learn how it all ends. Rebecca Tran writes with a momentum that fills the pages with layers of action, romance and intergalactic adventures. The story was easy to read, but the characters were complex, with parts of their past being told as the plot line progressed. Rebecca Tran cleverly transcribes the character progression in a way that makes you feel attached and invested in the outcomes of their lives.
The story switches between past and present and Jackson recounts his encounter with the Kelsairan woman. This builds up the relationship and gives the reader an insight into the minds of both races. There were many parallels to how today’s society may have felt during a time of war with other countries, especially regarding the unspoken political agendas. An element of family is also present in Neutral Space as it hints at the everlasting values of humans and their desire to protect and create a family of their own.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys futuristic style novels with action, friendship and a dash of politics.
Pages: 170 | ASIN: B076GHGTJD
The Book of Self and How it Interrelates
Have you ever met a person for the first time and upon shaking hands experience a sort of electrical shock? Ever been inexplicably drawn to a particular person or animal? Energy is the chain that connects humans to the planet, heavens, animals, plants and other humans. By sharing the earth, energy is transferred through earth’s beings. Energy is the life force of all things. Water is energy. Water can exist in many different forms, which makes it the best conductor of energy. Water is quintessential to life. Without water, man surely will, for lack of a better word, wither. In the absence of water, plants die, animals perish and air becomes ‘unbreathable’. Water keeps the earth going.
The earth has layers; lithosphere, asthenosphere, upper mantle, lower mantle, outer core and inner core. The inner core is also referred to as the solar plexus, the hot centre of the earth. These layers vary in energy frequencies. Just like the earth, humans also have layers. Layers whose energy levels also vary. The energy that surrounds a person is known as aura. Aura is a worldly womb. The strength of this aura is determined by the mind. One’s thoughts can affect and direct their energy. The earth’s energy field protects it from cosmic disasters and solar flares. By the same principle, a weak aura leaves room for unhappiness and attacks on self. Based on the energy running through a person, they can be completely attuned to the cosmos or in utter incongruence. All these frequencies travel up the body to congregate and project like a beam through the third eye. This is a spot between the eyebrows. What importance is this information to human beings? How does knowing about energy and aura beneficial to the human race?
The Book of Self: A Thesis on Energy and How It Interrelates urges on the importance of following one’s intuition. Intuition is the natural Wi-Fi allowing communication between the mind and the universe to make accurate predictions. Floyd Williams also introduces the idea of sound and color being a language. The seven colors of the rainbow are ingrained in the threads of human psychological make-up. In his opinion, these colors should be integrated in everyday life as much as possible. The author reveals the secret to freeing one’s mind. A clear understanding of energy is essential in the quest to find true selves. A man’s true potential and power lies in their ability to let their mind run free and unencumbered. This book gives a prelude to this journey. The information in this book is a prerequisite in the study of life.
This book uses easily understandable illustrations to unravel the answers to life’s questions. The author properly illustrates how to properly treat life as the gift it is. In Floyd’s terms, “Life is the gift, everything else is a blessing”. The reader’s relationship with self and the earth will be enhanced upon understanding the information in this book.
Pages: 34 | ISBN: 1973368846
Trying to Devour the Population
Natalie Wright Author Interview
H.A.L.F. Origins follows Tex and Erika while they’re running for their lives against a deadly alien virus that is spawning an epidemic around the globe. What was the inspiration behind this idea and how did it develop as you were writing?
The idea of an alien virus was part of the H.A.L.F. storyline from the very beginning of my planning back in 2010/2011. But I planned that the Conexus (the “aliens” behind the virus) wanted to wipe out humans so they could take over the planet. That idea changed a bit when I had the later idea of introducing the M’Uktah, predator aliens from across the galaxy. The addition of the M’Uktah altered how the virus would be used. In general, as I developed the story, I kept looking for ways to make life more and more difficult for my characters! So in book three they are beset with the obstacle of both a virulent virus and alien predators trying to devour the population.
The story is fast paced and throws readers into the deep end of the action. How do you balance action with storytelling to create such a captivating novel?
Novels have lots of “moving parts” and finding balance between the elements is perhaps the greatest challenge. Action, character development, setting, plot, pacing, theme, dialogue, character arc–these and more are all part of the process. Having a fabulous content development editor helps a lot. Alyssa at Red Adept Editing has provided early feedback on all of the H.A.L.F. novels. She is great at helping me see ways to improve pacing, etc. Some of it though is intuitive, but intuition seems to improve with more writing experience. 😉
I enjoyed watching Tex and Erika’s relationship grow throughout the story. Was there story organic or did you plan it in advance?
I did not originally plan for Tex and Erika to end up together. When I wrote book one, I assumed that Erika would end up with Jack and that Tex as their relationship “complication.” But that’s now how it ended up and so yes, what transpires between Erika and Tex was organic. Writing their relationship was the most satisfying part of the writing process of this series.
This is book 3 in the H.A.L.F. series. Are you moving on to other stories or are you going to continue to develop this universe you’ve created?
I am finished with the H.A.L.F. stories and do not intend to write more about Tex or Erika (or Jack and Anna). I’m currently focused on development of an entirely new project that will be epic fantasy.
I may, however, write some shorts or perhaps a serialized story set on the planet of Uktah, the world of the alien predators from the H.A.L.F. series. There has also been interest by screen writers and producers in developing H.A.L.F. for television, so I’ll be working on that as well in the coming months. H.A.L.F. may show up on the small screen some day. 🙂
And I’m introducing a new writing challenge for the writing community called PENuary that will debut January, 2018. Inspired by Inktober, I’ll be writing a minimum of 20 minutes per day from a one-word writing prompt for each of the 31 days of January. I’m inviting other writers of all skill levels to join in this endeavor. You can read more about it here. I’m hoping that I end up with 2-3 cool ideas out of the 31 day challenge.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
![H.A.L.F.: ORIGINS by [Wright, Natalie]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51sM8IGPA5L.jpg)
A deadly alien virus spawns an epidemic. Predators attack Europe. And a clandestine organization conspires to profit from chaos and forge a New World Order.
In this heart-pounding finale of the award-winning H.A.L.F. series, Tex, Erika and the rest are in a race against time. They fought for their lives. Now they battle to save our species.
Tex and Erika are fugitives and running for their lives. But when Tex falls gravely ill, a Navajo healer is his only hope for survival. Tex emerges from the ordeal changed in body and mind and with vital information: how to stop the predatory M’Uktah from overtaking the human population and destroying those he has come to love.
Erika Holt seeks a respite from the constant threats to her life but she’s not about to give up. As she and Tex launch a mission to shut down the intra-galactic highway used by invaders who prey on humans, she grows closer to her troubled half-human companion. But what about her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Jack?
Jack Wilson, with his friend Anna Sturgis, is on a mission of his own. He’s determined to destroy The Makers, an illuminati-like organization behind the H.A.L.F. program. It’s time to put an end to their schemes for world domination. Complicating matters, an anti-viral that could save millions from an alien virus has been stolen. As both alien and human forces line up against them, the destiny of all mankind is hand the hands of these young warriors. And time is running out.
Evil for the Sake of Being Evil
Kristopher Jerome Author Interview
Wrath of the Fallen is an epic fantasy novel detailing the ferocious clash of angels and demons. What was your inspiration for this story and how did it change as you were writing?
This story has been kicking around in my head for some time. As much as I enjoy the human machinations of stories like Game of Thrones, I really like battles between good and evil as a larger construct over the human element in a story. I crafted this mythology over several years, drawing inspiration from some of my own beliefs, and cobbled them together with different failed story ideas that I came up with as far back as when I was in High School. The opening Prologue, for example, started as a scene from a story set in an entirely different world, but I eventually reworked it to be the jumping off point for this one.
Early in my college career, I was a dishwasher at a restaurant. I worked graveyard, and as you can imagine, I didn’t have a lot to do mentally from the hours of 9 PM-4AM so I started to craft this world in my head to pass the time. I came up with the history of the Mortal Plane, starting over a thousand years before Wrath of the Fallen, and continued it some two thousand years past that first novel with multiple other story ideas that I hope to get to someday. Overall, the initial planning of the world took place over several years, while the actual writing of Wrath took place over roughly two.
The characters in this book are well written and easy to visualize. What were some obstacles in your story that you felt were important for the characters development?
I ran into the issue when crafting the story of making the characters too black and white. I didn’t want to fall into the trap where Trent was always likable and never did anything good, and I wanted to make sure that the antagonist was somewhat sympathetic. The hard part about overcoming this was the good vs. evil divide that was built into the very fabric of the world. This is why I felt that it was important to give Trent his anger issues and resentment towards his father based on what happened in his past. I actually didn’t have him meet his dad in the first draft, but on the rewrite, I knew that adding that scene would give Trent a more realistic and humanistic characterization. Trauma, especially in childhood, fundamentally changes a person, and I wanted what happened to Trent to reflect that. Too many of the orphan chosen-one archetypal heroes are good people through and through and are too well adjusted for my taste. On the opposite side of the spectrum, I wanted to make sure that I gave the villain, even being an evil god, a real human motivation, so I picked what might be the strongest one out there: revenge. He couldn’t just be evil for the sake of being evil, but because he was also defined by trauma.
The backstory and mythology of this story, I can tell, was developed with a lot of thought and care. How did you set about creating the rich background for this story?
As I mentioned earlier, I started coming up with the history while washing dishes. Most of the world is still in my head, though I am finally typing it up into a series bible that I can refer back to. I also laid out an illustrated timeline on my website to allow others to see what the history of the world is leading into the Broken Pact Trilogy, which really helped me pin down specific dates for events that I was fuzzier on in the beginning.
I follow the history through storytelling method of worldbuilding. I would rather write a novel, novella or short story that details a historical event in my world and allow readers to learn the full details that way than writing out a detailed pseudohistory for them to pore over and wonder about. Those certainly have merit, and I enjoy reading them myself, but as a writer, I would much rather tell a story than write a history book.
This is book one in The Broken Pact series. Where does book two pick up and take readers?
Book two will be titled Cries of the Forsaken. It picks up immediately after the events of Wrath, and even a little bit before the final chapters to show us what happened to certain characters that we weren’t previously following. Some heroes that we thought dead return and some that we hoped survived do not. One of the themes of the next novel is good destroying good and evil destroying evil, so be prepared to see the conflict between the gods turned on its head.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
The Mortal Plane has long been divided among the servants of Light and Darkness, suffering a thousand years of atrocity by both sides. When one god finally rose up and slew another, The Pact was formed, forestalling any further damage to the realms of men. But now, over the last few decades, signs of the Demons and their mindless Accursed minions have dwindled to an all-time low. It seems that after a thousand years of conflict the Gods of Light and the Gods of Darkness have finally tired of the bloody war. Or have they?
It falls to Trent, a Paladin of the Light with a soul torn with an impossible and unrequited love for his commander and scarred by a childhood filled with despair and pain, to travel beyond the walls of the city to discover what has become of humanity’s ancestral enemy. Only with his closest friend Devin by his side can Trent hope to keep from losing himself. Together the two men track a horde of Demons to a secret that will rock the Mortal Plane to its very foundations.
LITERARY TITAN 