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Dylan Dover: Orion’s Quest follows a 12-year-old warlock and his twin as they try to uncover the mystery of their origins and the powerful forces that seek control over them. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I started writing the Dylan Dover series during the Covid pandemic, when the province that I live in (Ontario, Canada) was under a complete lockdown. At that time, my son named Dylan (no coincidence!) was 12 years old and like so many other young people, he was suffering from the effects of social isolation. He turned to books as an escape mechanism and I wrote the first two books of the series (Dylan Dover: Into the Vortex and Dylan Dover: Orion’s Quest) as a creative outlet for the both of us during this very challenging time. My son and I would spend hours discussing characters and plot twists, and then I would turn those ideas into written words which he would then read and critique. When you consider how the pandemic completely interrupted our regular lives, and the feelings of vulnerability and the lack of control that many of us experienced during that time, I think that those emotions were strongly at play in the writing of these first two novels in the series. Dylan, and his brothers Remy and Seth (later joined by their missing sister, Siri), are all trying to be controlled by evil forces but together, they find ways to increase their powers and to face adversity. During a time when our world was in chaos, the Dylan Dover immortal universe was born!
Do you have a favorite character in this novel? One that was especially fun to write for?
The character Dylan is my favourite character to write for because the voice in my head, is that of my youngest son, Dylan. I like to tell people that the character of Dylan Dover is based entirely on my son, except of course for the fact that my son has no magical powers and is not part of a secret prophecy! As my son aged and went through various challenges in his real life, those situations were mirrored in the novels. Discovering who you are and where you fit into the world, what your goals and values are, how you want to be perceived by others, how you deal with setbacks – these are all aspects of growing up in the real world and in the Dylan Dover series. I also found it both fun and challenging to make the voices distinct for all four of the siblings. I wanted them each to have very unique personalities, strengthens and weaknesses as individuals because even though they must learn to trust each other and work together to maximize their powers, they are each special in their own ways.
Did you create an outline for the characters in the story before you started writing, or did the characters’ personalities grow organically as you were writing?
I did not have any outline created before or during the writing process. My son and I would discuss ideas and I would then write a chapter based on what we had talked about. The characters, plot lines and settings all developed organically during the writing process. The more I wrote, the more alive the characters became in my head. The character of Dylan was based on my own son, so that character was easier for me to imagine in my head, and the development of Dylan Dover through the series in many respects mirrored the development of my son. My experiences as a mother of three children and as a high school teacher for over twenty years, helped me to find the voices and evolve the characters as the writing progressed. Having my son critique each chapter as it was created also was a huge help. If I wrote something that seemed disingenuous, he wouldn’t hesitate to tell me!
Can fans get a peek inside the next installment in this series? When can readers expect to see it released?
Book 3 in the series is called Dylan Dover: Players of the Prophecy. I hope it will be published in early 2026. It is currently in the advanced editing stages. Here is a brief synopsis:
In Dylan Dover: Players of the Prophecy, the siblings are convinced that the ancient prophecy is on the verge of being realized. They must further develop their powers and learn to work together if they have any chance of successfully thwarting Baltazar’s evil plans to seize the siblings’ powers for himself before killing them, destroying the immortal world and then dominating all humans and supernatural beings for his own pleasure. The siblings discover amazing new talents when they combine their magic, including their ability to time travel, but they are still so young. Will they make the right decisions, and will their powers be enough to subdue this threat and save their immortal home?
The siblings are not alone in their quest, and there are other allies working to help them in unexpected ways. And of course, there is Thea. As she discovers her genetic lineage which biologically links her to Cius, the vampire with the gift of foresight, she learns that she too shares the ability to see future events before they occur. But some of Thea’s visions are frightening and show her playing a direct role in the destruction of her friends. Thea tries desperately to remove herself from the future combat which she sees will result in the death of Dylan, but can she control her own destiny, or is her vision unalterable despite all of her efforts?
In a climactic ending, a monumental battle pits the malevolent Baltazar against the siblings. This final encounter brings the ancient prophecy to its end… or does it?
Author Links: Into the Vortex | Orion’s Quest | Facebook | Website | Instagram | Amazon
Dylan, Remy, and Seth (identical warlock brothers), Thea (a wizard), Halle and Oliver (shapeshifters) and Via (a fireball) are hiding out in the forest near Dylan’s human home, using magic to hide their location. They are on the run from the immortal Ministry and an evil vampire named Baltazar. Their goal: find their missing sister Siri to complete an ancient prophecy of four siblings who will change the course of history for magical and non-magical creatures alike.
New characters are introduced as they travel the world to find Siri. Dylan’s entourage is assisted in their quest by earthly and immortal beings, including the Greek God Orion. The story is a whirlwind that takes the action from New York City, to Mexico, Bhutan and Alaska.
Odyssey in The Congo
Breakwater Bay follows a journalist who is headed to Madagascar for a diving vacation where he instead winds up sucked into a shady rescue mission in lawless Somalia. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
A video popped up on YouTube about a pushboat pushing 6 barges up the Congo River with 300 Congolese living in a shantytown aboard the barges. It captured my interest and I found myself researching The Congo for a possible story. It just took off from there.
How did you balance the action scenes with the story elements and still keep a fast pace in the story?
This book was a different style for me. It was more about the journey and the characters encountered on that journey. It was an odyssey in The Congo and beyond. I tend to write fast-paced stories, so it was easy for me to balance the elements.
Did you find anything in your research of this story that surprised you?
Yes. The pushboats and barges on the Congo River were intriguing as well as the use of child slave labor in the illegal diamond mines. I also wanted the book to create awareness of this sad/abusive situation.
Can you tell us more about what’s in store for Emerson Moore and the direction of the next book?
I’m developing a book that’s centered on the Lake Erie islands. It’s in the early stages. I will be releasing Not Alone At Home, a humourous Thanksgiving tale, this fall. It’s a sequel to the successful Alone At Home. I’m currently writing a romantic mystery set in Southport, NC. It will be released next spring.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Amazon
Investigative journalist Emerson Moore thought he was headed for sun-soaked relaxation on a diving trip to Madagascar. But when he crosses paths with a smooth-talking, down-and-out British reporter, everything changes. Sucked into a shady rescue mission in lawless Somalia with his old friend “Mad Dog” Adams, Moore soon finds himself deep in the heart of the African continent—on a journey far more dangerous than he ever imagined.
From skirmishes with Congolese militias to a harrowing expedition up the treacherous Congo River, Moore and his crew dodge corrupt security forces and bloodthirsty bandits. The deeper they go, the darker the secrets become—until they uncover a clandestine diamond operation near Kisangani that could shatter lives and fortunes.
As the chase takes them from the jungle shadows to the polished corridors of Antwerp, Moore discovers a chilling link between the illicit diamond trade and a powerful U.S. real estate empire. And when violence erupts back home in Put-in-Bay and Chincoteague Island, Moore must confront the terrifying truth before chaos spreads—and more blood is spilled.
High-octane, globe-trotting, and relentlessly thrilling, this electrifying adventure grips you from the first page to the last, perfect for fans of Nelson DeMille, Clive Cussler, and Brad Thor.
Warrior Pose
Warrior Pose is a high-stakes international thriller that kicks off with a literal bang and doesn’t let up. The story follows Ric Peters, a gritty intelligence operative juggling perilous missions, personal demons, and a complicated relationship with his partner Elaina. From the chaotic streets of Jakarta to the dripping jungles of Bali and the quieter corners of Sydney and New Zealand, the narrative intertwines espionage, betrayal, and just enough romance to keep things grounded. Along the way, the book digs into environmental crimes, global politics, and the human cost of covert operations.
Right off the bat, I was hooked. The opening scene—Patterson faceplanting into his soto soup after taking a bullet to the forehead—was cinematic and brutally efficient. It set the tone for the kind of world we were diving into: sharp, fast, and dangerous. The writing is vivid and smartly paced. Ric’s inner voice, always half-a-step from cracking, added tension and authenticity.
What I liked most was how the authors didn’t shy away from messiness—emotional or otherwise. The romance between Ric and Elaina felt lived-in and real. Their chemistry wasn’t all candlelit dinners; it was jungle ambushes, missed connections, and half-yelled arguments in sweltering heat. Elaina showing up mid-interrogation with two suspects face-down in the dirt? Wild and gutsy. But also, oddly believable for their relationship. It made me root for them, even while I questioned whether Elaina should really be getting this close to Ric’s world. Her voice added a necessary counterweight to Ric’s hardened lens.
Some parts had me grinning. Like the surprise orange wig at Delilah’s salon—a rare light moment in an otherwise intense story. It reminded me that these characters aren’t just agents and assets. They’re people. They get scared. They crack jokes. They write sweet texts like Ric’s glow-in-the-dark engagement note to Elaina. It made the action scenes feel more meaningful because you cared about who was running from the bullets. That’s not easy to pull off in a thriller.
The story packs a lot. Assassins, flash drives, family trauma, espionage, yoga studios—it’s a buffet. The story switches from Ric’s action to Elaina’s introspection. The ride was fun and rich. And Francis Holms was absolutely unhinged in the best way. His scenes were like a twisted blend of Bond villain and IT guy with a grudge.
Warrior Pose is for fans of spy thrillers who want a bit more than bullets and bodies. It’s got heart. It’s got humor. It’s got complex people doing questionable things for the right reasons—or at least convincing themselves they are. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves stories where action meets character, and where danger is never more than a few pages away. If you like Barry Eisler’s John Rain or the TV show Alias, this one’s going to hit your sweet spot.
Pages: 391 | ASIN : B0F2N8TGDM
The Wife’s New Maid
Amora Sway’s The Wife’s New Maid is a dark, slow-burning psychological thriller dressed up in luxury, suburban charm, and a heavy coat of emotional disarray. Told through the lens of Linley, a woman who trades her independent New York life for a marriage to a wealthy, controlling hedge funder named Dorian, the novel drips with passive-aggressive tension and subtle menace. It explores the suffocating demands of a picture-perfect marriage and how little cracks, like a too-sexy maid or a fading sex life, can deepen into full-blown chaos. It’s twisted, oddly funny at times, and uncomfortably real.
I was genuinely surprised by how compelling the narrative became. The writing style is understated, yet it carries a quiet precision and a strong sense of character throughout. Linley’s voice is vulnerable, cynical, and funny in that “laugh so you don’t cry” kind of way. Early on, there’s this scene where she props her legs up against the wall post-coitus like it’s a team sport, just trying to conceive before a four-year prenup clause kicks in. The blend of quiet desperation and dry humor is executed with remarkable precision. It made me squirm and laugh and then feel kind of bad about laughing.
What really got under my skin was how slowly and subtly the horror unfolds. At first, it’s just awkward silences, missing affection, and a husband who’s a little too into coasters and keto muffins. But then the porn browsing, the rigid control, and the maid’s “skimpy” outfits start to add up. One moment that hit hard was when Linley finds her husband masturbating to buxom brunettes online. She doesn’t scream or confront him; she freezes, tiptoes away, and quietly screams into a pillow. That broke me a little. It’s not about shock, it’s about how many women are trained to shrink themselves in real time, even when their world is burning.
The pacing dragged a bit in places. The prose leans repetitive, and some inner monologues circle the same idea over and over with Linley’s loneliness, Dorian’s emotional constipation, and the perfect wife act. But I’ll admit, it mirrors her rut perfectly. It makes you feel like you’re right there with her, smiling at dinner parties and dying on the inside. The book club scenes are particularly well-crafted, offering a sharp and memorable portrayal of social dynamics. The passive-aggressive wine-sipping suburban wives were both hilarious and horrifying. Everyone smiles with perfect teeth, but it’s all gossip and envy under the surface.
The Wife’s New Maid is for people who enjoy thrillers that simmer rather than explode. It’s for readers who want something psychological, layered, and eerily close to real life. For anyone who has ever maintained the illusion of a perfect life while quietly unraveling beneath the surface, this novel may resonate deeply, both unsettling and engrossing in equal measure.
Pages: 227 | ASIN : B0F1L6PQC2
Native Arcana
Native Arcana doesn’t ease you in—it grabs you by the collar, throws you into a blast, and dares you to look away.
This book has grit. It’s soaked in real talk, tragedy, folklore, and violence. You feel every punch, every loss, every flicker of memory. Nita Ross, the main character, is not just some badge-toting marshal. She’s layered. Tough as old leather but still bleeding inside. Her pain is palpable, and her strength is relentless.
The book opens on the Oklahoma City bombing and never lets go. It leaves a mark on her and on the readers. Nita is a survivor of this tragic event and has faced a multitude of heartaches throughout her life. Caughman has crafted an incredibly relatable character readers will find themselves clinging to and rooting for throughout her story. It’s part crime thriller, part Native myth, and part emotional gut punch. And it all works.
The dialogue is sharp and natural. Just people talking like people do. There’s no highbrow nonsense. Just raw words and even more raw feelings. The writing hits like a slow-burning bonfire. Warm one minute, raging the next. And just when you settle in—bam—a masked killer with owl eyes shows up.
This story mixes the real and the surreal, crime scenes and shapeshifters, meth and mysticism. And the pacing is wild. One minute you’re watching a kid draw maps, the next you’re in a moonlit brawl in the woods, getting slammed into trees and hunting a monster-man in an owl mask.
And the setting, Eastern Oklahoma, breathes on every page. The dusty roads, the fried food diners, the broken towns, the old men who never left. It feels lived-in. Like the place itself has stories it won’t tell you unless you ask real nice.
But make no mistake, this isn’t a whodunit with clean clues and neat endings. It’s messy. Personal. Deep. It’s about ghosts, literal and not. It’s about culture and loss. It’s about being Cherokee in a world that doesn’t always see you. And it’s about fighting anyway.
I highly recommend C.J. Caughman’s Native Arcana to any reader looking for a thrill ride of a tale. This ain’t your average crime novel. It’s weirder. It’s heavier. It’s better. Read it. But buckle up first.
Last of the Pops
Skylar Chase. A rising musician on the brink of stardom, until he vanished without a trace. Legally declared dead a decade later, his disappearance remains one of music’s great unsolved mysteries. Yet his limited body of work didn’t fade into obscurity. Instead, it evolved into legend. Even while he was still alive, his songs hinted at something timeless. Long after he was gone, they continued to inspire, to unite, to heal. Through melody, he created a legacy that outlived him, a legacy rooted in the enduring, transformative power of music.
Last of the Pops is a stunning collaborative graphic novel written by Adam Wilson, with illustrations by Dr. Demus, Dapit Jamus, and Erika Paratore. Subtitled A Mixtape for the Death of Radio, the book operates on multiple levels. At first glance, it’s a meditation on the fleeting nature of technology and how innovation renders even the most revolutionary ideas obsolete. But dig deeper, and it reveals a much more intimate reflection on the emotional resonance of music and the invisible threads it weaves between people.
Centered on the mythos of the fictional Skylar Chase, the story unfolds through a constellation of characters whose lives, at first seemingly disconnected, begin to intersect in unexpected, profound ways. What begins as individual narratives coalesces into a larger, more intricate tapestry. The pacing is deliberate, the writing precise, and the structure artfully cyclical, bringing the reader back to where it all began, but with renewed clarity.
True to the spirit of a mixtape, the novel is eclectic and layered. It blends poetic introspection with visual storytelling, balancing narrative complexity with emotional sincerity. At its heart, it’s about family, identity, belonging, and, above all, the shared experience of sound. Each chapter shifts perspective, and with it, both the visual and written style adapt accordingly. This shifting framework gives the book a dynamic rhythm, mirroring the diverse influences that shape each character’s journey.
More than just a tribute to music, Last of the Pops is a dialogue between artist and audience. It explores the deep, often invisible impact musicians have on the lives of their listeners. The artwork throughout amplifies this emotional depth, enhancing the tone of each scene with thoughtful variation and artistic flair. The visual transitions are not just aesthetic choices; they reflect the evolving inner worlds of the characters.
As a lifelong believer in music’s power to connect, heal, and transform, I found Last of the Pops to be a deeply moving experience. The narrative avoided sentimentality, instead grounding its emotional moments in authenticity. What I expected to be a series of fragmented vignettes emerged as a unified, resonant story. That cohesion made all the difference.
This graphic novel isn’t just about the mysterious Skylar Chase. It’s about all of us, the ways we connect, the memories we hold in song, and the legacies we carry forward through the art we love.
Pages: 234 | ISBN : 978-1960869081
LITERARY TITAN 