Blog Archives
Quest For The Emerald Crystal – Book #2: Spiritual Warriors In Belize
Spiritual Warriors in Belize is the second book in Dan Ford’s Quest for the Emerald Crystal spiritual intrigue novel series. A spiritual thriller with fantasy elements, this novel picks up after the events of the first book in the series, Spiritual Warriors in the Bahamas. The protagonists, spiritual warriors known as “The Seekers,” follow Diana to the Central American country of Belize in their quest to stop her from dominating the world using an all-powerful crystal energy source used by the ancient Atlantean civilization.
The novel is action-packed with twists and turns, keeping the reader on the edge of their seats. Diana Daggert, despite the confrontation in the Bahamas, manages to acquire the Emerald Crystal and sets her scientists to work on replicating this advanced technology. The plot follows the protagonists as they attempt to steal the crystal back from Diana and destroy it before she can use its power to dominate the world in every aspect.
In this sequel, new characters with new kinds of capabilities are introduced as they join the family of spiritual seekers in their quest in Belize. Throughout the story, the characters discover that they are all spiritually connected due to their past relationships. The story also has fantastic queer representations, as gay and lesbian characters have their own romantic subplots. An inspirational thriller aimed at mature readers, Spiritual Warriors in Belize deals with complex philosophical discussions on the origin and evolution of individual souls, violence, and sexual themes. However, the author’s excellent use of humor lightens up the mood, and the well-developed world immerses the reader fully into the story.
Dan Ford’s spiritual intrigue series keeps getting more interesting with each book. I would recommend the Quest for the Emerald Crystal series to everyone interested in knowing more about spirituality, mythology, and human evolution in the form of an action-packed thriller.
Pages: 399 | ASIN : B0BXFNL2GL
Margaret Anne Is An Amazing Woman
Margaret Anne is a multi-perspective journey through society, spirituality, and history, following the life of a powerful and determined woman during the American Civil War and her quest for redemption and unity. What inspired you to write this story?
My writing has strong spiritual undertones that come from my faith in God. In today’s society, many stories are created with this notion of things being black and white in terms of deciphering right from wrong. While that is ultimately true, understanding the circumstances that influence a person’s intentions is never that easy. To keep things brief, I would say that there were three primary reasons why I wrote Margaret Anne in the way that I did: The first is simply that the story and its messages were in my head and bursting to be told; the second is that I hoped to use the story to convey the hidden prevalence of our Divine Creator in the world around us; and the third is that I was always fascinated by the societal underpinnings that surrounded the Civil War and the political motives behind that trying time in American history.
Margaret Anne’s life is set against the backdrop of the American Civil War. What were some challenges you felt were important to developing her character?
Margaret Anne is an amazing woman. I hope that I will come across another like her when the time comes to write my next novel. In modern terms, the closest description I can provide for her essence is that she was “touched.” For much of her life, she could see things beyond the scope of our customary human senses. She could also heal people and read their emotions. While I found it to be an exciting challenge to convey the behavior of a spiritual being of a slightly higher order, it was often difficult to keep her in the realms where the darkness is pitted against the light and away from making her plight strictly the result of her skin color and the taboo nature of her existence at that time in our country’s past.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The biggest theme for me was coming to terms with the fact that racial and ethnic division is generally something that belongs to the seedier realms of humanity and beyond. People are never born to hate or exclude, so the question for me has always been: where did those traits that defined the colonial age come from, and how were they nurtured so successfully? As an American born in the post-Nixon Shock Era, I was always fascinated by those cultures that esteemed the ability of selfless leaders to provide for their people before themselves. While I thank God every day for what remains of my freedom and my ability to write stories of this nature, the amount of idolatry and indifference to the importance of community and our fellow man that has been programmed into the American psyche is almost beyond belief. Self-reliance has become a thing of the past in the era of big government, big banks, and big corporations. That is why I like to revisit and write about simpler times and see where those traditions began to evolve because you are able to incorporate a romantic angle that fits with the historic pageantry, chivalry, and proper decorum of the pre-industrialized world.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I wrote a series of books called Redemption prior to writing Margaret Anne. Those books are a continuation of Margaret Anne’s story. The writings cover the history of the Basseterre family and the final resolution of things left undone by Margaret Anne’s predicament. The original manuscripts are available presently, but I will be publishing the revised and edited versions over the coming year. I published those volumes early for my mother, who passed away while helping me organize and revise the story from the onset. The first book in the Redemption series is titled Angel Ascending and will be available sometime this spring. The other three books are titled Convergence, Reckoning, and Watchword. They will not be too far behind.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Website
As the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy plantation owner and a colored Haitian woman in a time of slavery and great upheaval, Margaret Anne Basseterre’s life is anything but easy. From the moment of her birth, she has been coveted by the same dark forces pushing the country toward war. For every moment of despair, an unsuspecting lost soul is given the chance for redemption by helping her to safety.
Through divine will, Margaret Anne and some of those ordained to protect her end up residing on the majestic estate of her father.
As the ethereal girl grows up on the Calhoun plantation and the country farm of her natural mother, the lives of those around her are tested by deep family secrets and the will of wickedness. She is set to prove that her unification of this dangerously illicit and blended family during the societal unrest surrounding the Civil War was ordained from on high. She is their guiding light in this most turbulent storm of the American age.
When it comes time for her to confront the devil who has tainted her family, she’ll discover just how powerful the light within her truly is.
Margaret Anne is a bold walk through the many societal and spiritual battles raging during the years that America fought to establish both its identity as a nation and its identity under God.
A deep and poetic read, Margaret Anne is a multi-perspective view that leads into the Redemption Series.
A Questing Universe
Quest for the Emerald Crystal follows the Seekers on a quest to uncover the ruins of Atlantis and defeat the dangerous Diana Daggert in a thrilling spiritual journey filled with philosophical discussions. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Past readings of a spiritual nature preceded my writings. Notably, these were the writings of Betty and Stewart Edward White and specifically the book “The Unobstructed Universe.” Adding to that, the stories told by Jane Roberts and specifically the book “Seth Speaks” established my organized spiritual thoughts, more or less permanently.
For the first seventy-five years of my life, I read many books. Most of the fictional novels were science fiction, and many of my favorites had to do with various “Universes” created by authors such as Frank Herbert, who created the “Dune Universe.
As I jumped into my eighties, I wanted to create a fictional Universe before leaving for my scheduled one. A Questing Universe formed in my mind, and the Quest For The Emerald Crystal books and my website came into being.
What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
All of my characters came into being within my imagination. The characters are creations based on personalities I would like to see in the storyline’s specific roles. I love my protagonists and antagonists equally in my books but tend to root for the nice guys and gals, even though I am often attracted to the not-so-nice ones. But remember, The Questing Universe had been created to serve the highest Spiritual goal, so I am restricted from offering too much favoritism to my naughty but nice characters.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I tried to introduce many contrasting spiritual themes that humans must get involved with. But essentially, my compositions are central to those factors that are popular in most fictional books. As in all thrillers, we must have greed, sexual interests, friendship, adversarial relationships, spiritual evolution, battles, love affairs, etc. There are a few ordinary folks like us, but most of my characters are extremely beautiful, handsome, and well-built. Why would we create anything else when the author is the creator and has that opportunity?
What can readers expect in book 2, Spiritual Warriors In Belize?
Like everyone who has been to Belize, any reader will get immersed into the beauty and uniqueness of that tropical country. Our protagonists are there to attempt to thwart the intentions of the antagonists to take over the economy of the world from that and other locations. But what a fantastic place to do this in. I have been to Belize many times and fell in love with it the first time there. So now, just as readers in Book#1 learn a lot about what the Bahamas is like, they will join this venture into Belize and, at the same time, follow the major conflicts that the Spiritual Warriors on both sides of the competition will be involved in.
Author Links: Website | Amazon
Evolutionary advancements in these animals are created by superior spiritual beings called Zenithians. They are responsible for creating the evolution of all aspects of living beings within the Earthly Realm.
The following chapters of this spiritual thriller novel continues with the adventures of modern-day individuals, eventually called The Seekers. They continue with their evolutionary journey of spiritual exploration, experience, and growth for themselves and each other. Subsequent chapters of this story transport the reader to contemporary times and establish the novel’s plot.
The primary antagonist is a spiritually powerful and wealthy woman named Diana Daggert, who provides the nucleus that pulls all of the primary characters together in a quest to discover the ruins of Atlantis, suspected to be somewhere in the Bahamas. She has a very dangerous hidden agenda that will serve as the conflict between all characters in the novel. Many of our novel’s characters acquire heightened spiritual powers by reading the Akashic Record, traveling within the Spiritual Timeline, and traveling in Out of the Body experiences. The story describes these powers and more in detail.
The storyline takes the reader along on a ride that moves at a moderate pace during the first chapters while new characters are being introduced. The story begins to speed up when friction between the protagonists and antagonists occurs. The novel becomes a thriller towards the end, as an open conflict between Diana and her followers attempts to destroy The Seekers.
This novel is an inspirational thriller for mature readers as it contains relatively complex philosophical discussions on the origin and evolutionary progress of individual souls. There are instances of great violence and disturbing activities. The storyline also describes many of the primary character’s actions, including those of a sexual and social nature.
This novel introduces Quest for the Emerald Crystal-Book #1/Spiritual Warriors in the Bahamas, but plans for a sequel to this novel to occur without leaving the reader to feel that the story was incomplete. The characters remain intact and some are damaged, whereas others are enhanced.
Quest For The Emerald Crystal – Book #1
Spiritual Warriors in the Bahamas by Dan Ford is the first book in the Quest for the Emerald Crystal spiritual intrigue novel series. I would describe it as a supernatural thriller that follows a group of spiritual seekers on their journey to explore the secrets of Atlantis, the lost continent set in the Bahamas.
While the plot of this book is complex and detailed, the characters are wonderfully complex, and the writing is exceptional. The book is primarily aimed at mature readers, as it deals with in-depth philosophical discussions on the origin and evolutionary process of individual souls. It’s a challenging but worthwhile read that involves a complicated plot and suspense, as various interrelated subplots serve as pieces of a lamore giantuzzle. The main themes of the book are reincarnation, the spiritual concepts of Zenithians, who are potent entities and guides, and the Supreme Consciousness, an all-powerful source of energy that created the Earth, its souls, and as an extension of itself.
Ford takes the reader on a journey through time, from the beginning of human evolution to the present. When Adam, the novel’s protagonist, survives an accident due to divine intervention, he embarks on a journey of spiritual discovery, finding himself in a plot bigger than life. He soon learns of more excellent plans in action and must face dangers ahead, which threaten humanity in the same way Atlantis was annihilated.
I would recommend the Quest for the Emerald Crystal series to everyone interested in knowing more about spirituality, mythology, and human evolution in the form of a thriller.
ASIN B0BB8PPHDG | Pages: 479
Margaret Anne: Child of the West Wind
Margaret Anne by Ronan James Cassidy is a story about a child born from a forbidden love between a wealthy businessman from the Carolinas and a beautiful Haitian woman. The plot centers around how the child offers divine love and inspiration in a world surrounded by mysteries that influence people’s paths in life, including blessings and curses from powers beyond our realm.
As evil walks beside us, so does light, which sometimes shines from the most unexpected source. Through the turmoil of the Civil War and tenets of slavery comes a story of a beautiful child destined to purify the world. Who is she, what is her purpose, and will she be able to fulfill her sacred mission? What will be the cost of the divine plan to her and those she loves?
The storyline unfolds against the backdrop of the colonial south, where many people faced numerous challenges in life when one’s skin color dictated social and economic standing in society. The book is an exciting journey of one young woman searching for a way to save her world from dark forces lurking in the shadows of plain sight.
This is an incredibly intricate novel written in the classical style of the nineteenth century. The language is rich, descriptive, and perfectly conveys the people and settings of this time. It’s a great read that will delight those who enjoy mystery storylines and the writing style of James Fenimore Cooper or Jane Austin. Margaret Anne is a must-read guaranteed to leave you captivated and enchanted.
ASIN B0B57PKYGP| Pages: 683
You Are a Bird
Have you ever wondered what it is like to be a caged bird? In You Are a Bird you will experience the longing, hope and frustration of a bird that desires more than its metal confines. This is a thought-provoking novella with a unique concept. It is written in the second person and the writing transports you into a world we think little about, despite being surprisingly similar to our own in many ways. Throughout the book, the reader feels what the bird feels as it observes its unnatural environment and fights to live as it was intended- to spread its wings and be free.
What seems like a simple book at first, contains so many different angles. First of all, it is an eye-opener for anyone considering owning a pet bird. As humans, we often think we are caring for our pets when, in fact, we are doing the exact opposite. We laugh at our pets’ funny habits, not knowing the real message they are trying to convey.
You Are a Bird also serves as a metaphor for our lives and as inspiration to never give up hope of realizing our dreams. No matter how low or out of touch with reality we feel, we must maintain optimism. Author Breezy Van Lit cleverly ties everything into a simple, yet highly emotional book. Some parts of the story are upsetting, but these are also stark reminders of the damage we are capable of inflicting upon others.
You Are a Bird is unlike any other book I have read before. This evocative novella had so many different layers to it, that I wouldn’t hesitate to heartily recommend it. The ending of the book is beautiful and left me with a strong motivational feeling. I would urge readers to overlook any initial doubts about the unconventionality of the story, as this is certainly worth the read.
Pages: 159 | ASIN: B0B5PHYY19
A Book That Brings Back Memories
The Dead Superstars Bar follows two friends that open up a bar that only plays music from dead artists from the 60s; they didn’t expect those artists to show up. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
Interestingly, the answer to that question can be found in the book when Harvey and Conor talk about how the idea for a Dead Superstar Bar developed. Let’s just say that the process involved friends, chess, cold beer, and late nights listening to 60’s music. Details can be found in Chapter 2!
What kind of research did you do for this novel to ensure you captured the essence of the story’s theme?
Most of the research was done on the internet, with a surprising amount done watching YouTube videos. If research can be fun, spending hours watching interviews with 60s musicians, and bands from the 60s perform on YouTube fits the bill. While it is The Dead Superstar Bar, I wanted to also highlight some of the musicians out of the spotlight, the non-Superstars, in particular, studio bands like the Wrecking Crew and the Funk Brothers, among others. These unsung artists contributed mightily to the music we still enjoy today, so getting their names back in front of people was important. Other themes in the book, such as the importance of second, third, or even fourth chances in life, God’s commitment to humanity, the importance of music, lifelong friendships, and meaning in life (not the meaning of life), etc., weren’t dependent on research. Hopefully, this is a book that brings back memories to many people and leaves everyone with a smile on their faces.
Was there anything from your own life that you put into the characters in your novel?
There’s quite a bit from my own life in the story. My wife has said that I’m Harvey Dowd, but in truth, while there are similarities, Harvey is a much nicer guy than me! First off, like Harvey Dowd, I love the movie, Harvey. I hope readers go back and watch the film and listen carefully whenever Jimmy Stewart speaks. Some of the simple lines in the film say more than entire movies.
Life in Baltimore, Catholic school, retirement in Sarasota, time spent in the investment business, enjoying 60s music, an incredible wife and family, and the pseudo-philosophy in the book all also define me. But there are many differences as well, which I won’t enumerate. However, if there was a Dead Superstar Bar movie, in a perfect world, Jimmy Stewart would be Harvey Dowd, and Conor would be played by Jason Alexander.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
My wife and I occasionally walk at a semi-abandoned mall in Sarasota. The movie theater, a Costco, and a handful (one hand) of stores remain open. The rest of the mall is a ghost town with signs of deterioration everywhere, eerie sounds in the corridors, creepy shadows, etc. Somehow, I found this inspiring. So, after a lighthearted, philosophical, feel-good book, i.e., The Dead Superstar Bar, I’ve begun writing a horror novel, Deadfall Mall. The premise—thirteen people trapped overnight on Halloween in a mall that is set to close in a few days. I have a beginning, an end, and a lot of writing to do to fill in the middle. The story has nine victims (not a spoiler, as readers will know this very early), a dollop of humor, no hardcore violence, some twists, and a little moral underpinning. Does it have any connection to The Dead Superstar Bar? There will be music, but no dead musicians and both books have Dead in the title. Also, it will be a stand-alone novel. So, there’s actually very little in common with TDSB.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads | Facebook | Twitter
LITERARY TITAN 