Blog Archives
Signs on a Page
Erik D. Weiss’s historical fiction novel Signs on a Page presents a gripping tale of intrigue and suspense centered around its protagonist, Molly McMurphy. As a recent college graduate and research consultant, Molly’s curiosity leads her through a labyrinth of historical and literary mysteries. The narrative cleverly interweaves real historical figures and events, such as MacArthur’s involvement in the Pacific War and the infamous Charge of the Light Brigade, with Molly’s personal journey. Weiss skillfully blends these elements, crafting an educational and thrilling narrative.
Throughout the story, Molly finds herself unwittingly entangled in the clandestine activities of a secret society intent on shaping the course of human history. This adds a layer of complexity to her character as she balances her professional pursuits with the dangers that come from uncovering long-hidden truths. The novel excels in creating a sense of tension as Molly navigates between the society’s rival factions, each with their own agenda. I found myself deeply connected to Molly’s character, particularly her passion for research. This aspect of her personality resonates strongly with anyone who shares a similar love for unearthing hidden knowledge. Weiss’s writing is both articulate and engaging, making the novel enjoyable for those who appreciate historical fiction with a blend of mystery and adventure.
Signs on a Page comes highly recommended for readers seeking a well-crafted story that combines historical elements with suspenseful storytelling. Weiss’s thorough research and compelling narrative make for a truly immersive experience.
Pages: 299 | ASIN : B0CLQR1HSY
Terrestrial Passions: A Regency Romance, with Aliens
Terrestrial Passions, by S.P. Somtow, presents a unique fusion of Regency romance and science fiction, transporting readers to the quaint English village of Little Chiswick. In this unusual narrative, the life of Mrs. Emma Dorrit, a widow residing with her brother and twin daughters at the lower echelons of society, undergoes a startling transformation when an extraterrestrial visitor’s starship unexpectedly lands in her orchard.
The novel excels in its detailed characterizations, particularly in depicting the societal nuances and aspirations within 19th-century English society. The Dorrit family, along with the enigmatic alien, Monsieur Clatoux, navigate the intricacies of social conventions and class divisions. The story explores themes of ambition, intellectual exploration, and the intricacies of both terrestrial and interstellar relationships. The juxtaposition of Arabella’s intellectual pursuits against Anna’s more emotionally driven nature provides further depth to the narrative. The novel’s rich historical details and vivid portrayal of the era are a highlight, offering a textured backdrop to the story. Its melding of historical context with science-fiction elements showcases the author’s creative ambition, presenting a refreshing twist for those eager to explore beyond conventional boundaries.
The transition from the familiar setting of an English village to scenes involving extraterrestrial elements adds an element of surprise and innovation, appealing to readers who appreciate a blend of genres. The pacing of the novel, with its mix of reflective social scenes and dynamic sci-fi segments, provides a varied reading experience that keeps the narrative engaging and multifaceted.
Terrestrial Passions stands out for its imaginative approach, skillfully intertwining different genres to create an engaging and distinctive story. It’s a thought-provoking read for those who appreciate an inventive combination of historical fiction and science fiction, marked by well-crafted characters and an original plotline. The book is a testament to the author’s boldness in challenging genre conventions, making it a noteworthy addition to the realms of both historical and science fiction literature.
Pages: 281 | ASIN : B0CDQHNNJ9
A Life-Changing Experience
In Sovereignty: He Lied For Your Sins, a banker finds himself collaborating with Jesus Christ when he sets out to make a name for himself in the financial world. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
My inspiration stems from my own experiences. I grew up in churches and, eventually, found myself attached to a congregation which was more intense than the others. After two years, the leaders found their calling in a movement pioneered by a self-proclaimed ‘prophet’ of an international organisation. This is where radical behaviour and ideas were cultivated.
After many more years of manipulation and threats, I decided to leave after witnessing the leader of my church assault a child for wearing a shirt with a skull on it. Something they believed was a mark of the devil.
This was a life-changing experience. In many ways, writing Sovereignty was as much about reconciling my past as it was about creating something engaging and, hopefully, relatable.
What were some of the trials that you felt were important to highlight in Amphion’s character development?
In many ways, Amphion’s trials and character development mirrors my own. Grappling with the promise of eternal life and the terror of damnation are powerful motivators and were not forgotten easily. I saw a lot of people my age leave the church and lose themselves in drugs and crime because, in leaving, they abandoned the only ethical structure in their lives.
It was important for me to highlight Amphion’s immorality as an avaricious business tycoon and the perpetrator of manipulation as this represents the leaders of the church. But to also show his own self-deception and fear which forces him to believe his own lie which represents the followers—at one time, myself.
Is there any moral or idea that you hope readers take away from the story?
Sovereignty is as much a criticism of capitalism as it is of Christianity. Businesses can operate ethically, however, they will manipulate any market to increase profits, and, where no market exists, they are willing to leverage people’s emotions, fear, and faith to create one. Churches can be wholesome, community-oriented organisations, however, the temptation for leaders to exploit their followers for money and power is often too great to resist.
I feel that modern businesses and conventional churches are similar in many ways, as businesses have become increasingly dogmatic, and churches lean into their potential to manipulate for profit.
Can you tell us a little about the next book you are working on? When can readers expect to see it released?
I’m going back to my roots. As someone who’s always loved a gritty mystery, I’m writing a detective thriller with a focus on deep characters and building unique relationships between them. My next novel will centre on a reformed addict as he tracks an international contract killer who is extracting their victim’s bones. The broader mystery is why anyone would pay such extravagant amounts for such a pointless exercise.
It’s hard to say much without giving the twists away, but I’m having fun with it and it should be ready late 2024.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Amazon
It soon becomes clear that faith is profitable if only he can find a man to spearhead his campaign and revive the churches. His idea comes to fruition when he meets a respected local wise man—Jesus Christ.
A Special Character
Gargoyle’s Spring follows a lonely witch banished for her misguided magic who schemes with her best friend to transform a gargoyle into her boyfriend. Where did the idea for this novel come from?
The idea came to me one evening while I was completing a paint-by-number canvas of a witch and a cat while listening to Taylor Swift. The scenes of a clumsy witch and her familiars came to mind instantly. It took me a little longer to figure out the MMC. I kept juggling between a Gargoyle or Reaper. I finally decided on both, but they would each get their own novel.
Ibis is such a relatable character. Is there anything from your own experiences reflected in her storyline?
Oh, I’ve been known to be clumsy, but I can honestly say that I have never unleashed havoc in a library. Final answer. However, Ibis is a special character. My aunt’s name was Ibis and my great-grandfather’s name was Heliodoro. It was my way of honoring them and a few others in the book.
What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?
I am currently working on a paranormal Ghost stand-alone. I am hoping to have it done for May and the second installment of The Veil’s series following Gargoyle’s Spring will come out this Summer. I also have the second Martini Girl Bar book, Forever Luna, coming out July 17, 2024.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website | Amazon
He is a Gargoyle. One without a past. One with an unknown future. One with a bestowed name. Oliver. What kind of name is this? After being summoned by witches and brought into a strange world, he is cursed by those same witches. What kind of curse, some may ask? A stone-sleep curse. One that sends a Gargoyle into total darkness that is beyond sleep. Beyond reality, until he hears her voice. A voice calling him forward, bringing him back into the bizarre world surrounded by scriptures, scrolls and unusual animals. His fate lies in the hands of the enchanting clumsy witch, who breaks his curse.
What happens when a magic spell goes wrong in all the right ways?
Strength From Failure
Broken Pencils follows a turbulent teenager from Oakland who, on his eighteenth birthday, spirals into a night of reckless indulgence, searching for purpose and meaning in life. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
BROKEN PENCILS is a semi-biographical story loosely based on actual events and people from my teenage years. When the time came to structure the story, I drew inspiration from J.D Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye as my guide toward creating an engaging narrative about a Black teen’s struggle with mental health. My hope is that the story will resonate with anyone who is dealing with the same issues. In regards to the authenticity of the story, let’s just say the inspiration came from a crazy night at my Senior prom, some of which are still difficult to recall.
I found Jonah to be an extremely well-written and in-depth character. What was your inspiration for his emotional turmoil throughout the story?
The emotional turmoil throughout the story was based on my own struggles with mental health. Ever since I was a kid, I dealt with bouts of depression and manic episodes. Despite my successes with therapy and medication, I have always carried this shame from not being understood and guilt from feeling misunderstood. Through Jonah’s heroic and chaotic journey, I wanted to take the reader along this emotional rollercoaster so that they may gain insight into the challenges and beauty of having Bipolar Disorder.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The book explores several important themes that I found resonated throughout my life including coping with grief, managing mental health, complexities of identity, dealing with existential crisis, succumbing to peer pressure. The most important theme in the book was the idea how feeling broken can inspire us to become better, which became clear in my life when I lost my best friend, Dion, at a young age. With his passing, I also lost my innocence to the world. My eyes began to see the suffering and fragility in so many lives. Yet within these broken lives, I saw strength from failure and beauty of growth, both of which I strived for myself and personified through Jonah’s character.
What were some goals you set for yourself as a writer in this book?
BROKEN PENCILS deserves to be read and studied by anyone who has ever felt broken. In spite of the chaos and drama, the story is full of rich meaning and raw emotion meant to inspire readers to examine their own purpose in life. My goal is for the book to reach a national audience and span to international countries as well as college courses and book clubs. My dream is having the book adapted to film or TV series, but I know I’ll be too old to play Jonah. Upon the book’s release, readers will be able to purchase exclusive merchandise based on the book, including original sketch artwork and T-Shirts. There is already a sequel to BROKEN PENCILS in the works, so stay tuned. Visit www.jrrice.com for more updates.
Author Links: Website | Instagram
Jonah Tarver, a troubled Oakland teenager grappling with his parents’ troubled marriage, his own mental disorder, and the weight of his best friend’s death, embarks on a desperate quest to find meaning in life. Will he find the purpose he yearns for, or will he discover that life has no point like broken pencils?
Conflicting Pull of Our Inner Emotions
The Varieties of Religious Experience follows a crow trying to eat some Vienna sausages who gets his head stuck in the can and hits it on the concrete causing him to realize he has lived before. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
As you can imagine, this one pretty much came from real life. I was sitting in traffic, waiting for the bridge to come down, and saw this crow masterfully opening an aluminum can. Seattle is pretty much ground zero for crow behavior research (U of Wa), so there’s a lot of interest in these birds. As always in fiction, you try to take a situation to its extreme. Who would be most shocked at discovering they were reincarnated? A Catholic priest. Couple that with the never-ending sexual abuse scandal and; Voila.
What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?
No matter which paradigm you use; Old Testament, New Testament, Freud, Jung, and my current jag-Robert Sapolosky, on the neurobiology of behavior; The conflicting pull of our inner emotions (and demons) with our moral compass and our desire to “do the right thing.” The one thing I’ve learned over the years is that it is entirely possible for a human being to believe two entirely opposite things at the same time.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The persistence of deep inner faith is often coupled with ambivalence.
The irremediable power of shame, as opposed to “guilt.”
Does any notion of our after-death make any consistent sense?
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
Satan’s Vermeer. The devil has amassed one of the world’s greatest art collections. All the ‘whereabouts unknown’ are in his private museum. When news of an undiscovered Vermeer looted in WWII reaches him, he sends one of his minions, the reluctant soul of 15th-century artist, Pietro Tocca, to buy it before the Mossad reclaims it for the Jewish family that owned it before the war. Hilarity ensues…
If Varieties generates a fan base I’ll push it though.
Author Links: Amazon
Soar: A Soul’s Quest
Fables possess a unique charm and elegance in storytelling, artfully weaving narratives that resonate with our lives through inventive and personality-rich characters. SOAR: A Soul’s Quest exemplifies this tradition. Authored by Christopher Morris, Ketan Kulkarni, and Francis Yoo, the book delves into the classic fable format with a contemporary touch. Centering on a young eagle grappling with a pivotal choice — the comfort of its familiar home versus the allure and dangers of the wider world — this tale echoes the thematic depth found in classics like “The Little Prince.” While its narrative can be seen as a journey of self-discovery and growth, its universal appeal lies in the personal interpretations it invites from each reader.
What elevates SOAR further is its visual storytelling. Reeva Kulkarni’s illustrations are not merely complementary; they are integral, bringing the story’s fantastical elements to life in a way that is both accessible and enchanting. This synergy of text and image enhances the reader’s engagement, allowing them to immerse themselves fully in the world of the fable. The prose is poignant, balancing emotional depth and the whimsical charm intrinsic to fables. Its appeal is broad, capable of touching readers across age groups with equal profundity.
For those who find themselves at life’s crossroads, uncertain of their choices, this book offers a reflective journey, reminding us that insights often come from the most unexpected sources. Despite its brevity, SOAR is a book to be savored. Readers are encouraged to take their time, allowing each chapter to resonate and reveal its impact. This is a story that stays with the reader long after the last page is turned, a testament to the enduring power of a well-crafted fable.
SOAR: A Soul’s Quest is a beautifully crafted fable that weaves meaningful storytelling with captivating illustrations. Its universal themes, coupled with the emotional depth of its narrative, make it a timeless read for an audience of any age. This book doesn’t just tell a story; it invites reflection and self-discovery.
Pages: 192 | ISBN : 1990137393
BROKEN PENCILS
Broken Pencils by J.R. Rice delves into the turbulent life of Jonah Tarver, a teenager from Oakland facing the challenges of adolescence, family strife, and personal mental struggles. The story unfolds over a significant day in Jonah’s life, marked by key events: prom night, the eve of his birthday, and the anniversary of his best friend’s death. This convergence of milestones catapults him into a whirlwind of chaos and uncertainty.
The narrative paints a vivid picture of Jonah’s environment, where the constant arguments of his parents form a continuous, unsettling backdrop. Jonah strives to protect his younger brother from their family’s deteriorating dynamics. Compounding his distress is the strained relationship with his father and the perceived betrayal by his friend Trevon and girlfriend Taniesha. Prom night becomes a pivotal point as Jonah plunges into a world of drugs, alcohol, and reckless behavior, leading to unforeseen consequences and revelations, including a discovery about his father. J.R. Rice’s Broken Pencils is more than a story of a teenager’s life; it’s a reflection of how things from the past can unfold in a single day. This book is a poignant exploration of choice and consequence, distinguished by Rice’s skill in creating authentic, complex characters. These characters, each entangled in their own struggles, bring a rich, multifaceted perspective to the narrative. At its core, the novel grapples with the theme of brokenness, portraying it not as a defect to be mended but as an intrinsic part of the human experience. While it subtly addresses the experience of young black individuals, the book does not make race its focal point. Instead, an undercurrent of mental health issues weaves through the narrative, offering a layer for readers to uncover and interpret.
Rice offers an emotionally resonant, thoughtful, and philosophically charged narrative in Broken Pencils. It serves as a compelling reminder of the weight of our choices and their indelible impact on our lives and those around us.
LITERARY TITAN 