Blog Archives
Having A Spiritual Experience
Inside Your Heaven: Inspiring Stories of the Afterlife shares your experiences in life with the psychic world and your growth into a Psychic Medium helping others to heal. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I felt compelled to write this book to share how many of us were born with intuitive, psychic mediumship and extra sensory gifts. Also, like myself and in most cases, people try to hide them or suppress them over the years and end up developing anxiety and depression. We live in a society that doesn’t honor the intuitive mind, and it can get quite lonely, so by writing this book I am creating an outlet for those who are struggling like me with their spiritual awakenings. Remember, we are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience. (Teilhard de Chardin) I also wrote this book to offer answers to those questions about what the inside of Heaven is like. I wished to show many others grieving how to navigate this world without those we love once they transition to the other side, by sharing my own honest and true personal experiences.
What is a common misconception you feel people have about the afterlife?
After every loss within your Soul Group, you will no doubt have a Spiritual awakening, and your loved ones are going to send you frequent signs from the other side, that they are indeed okay and that they walk alongside you every single day just in a different form. Don’t ever think that you’re going crazy. Be open. Talk about it. In some cultures, death is celebrated the same way a person’s birthday is celebrated, as if a graduation from this life school here on earth: a rebirth to the next life. Heaven is truly right here just in another realm and what most people think or in my catholic upbringing that St. Peter locks up the gates of heaven upon arrival that is just not the case. Our loved ones choose us to be their Heaven because why wouldn’t they? They’re right here with us, joining us with love and comfort on our car rides to work in the morning, and on the couch at night watching our regular nighttime shows. Loving and guiding us from the other side through our time here as we continue with our spiritual journey and growth. What lives on is the love and light that emanates from them. I can tell they are off doing other things and serving in more than one place at a time, like the way the sun rays touch down on earth in every state and every continent they too are rays of light.
What is one piece of advice someone gave you that changed your life that you think can help others with psychic mediumship abilities?
I want people to understand that being a psychic medium isn’t supernatural, it’s SUPERNATURAL. We all have these gifts, and they are the navigation system of our soul. I think Einstein said it best…. “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” I can’t keep giving into what our society molded us to think, to the point it’s creating depression and anxiety within myself. I need to honor my intuition because it belongs to my soul and nobody else can take that from me or anyone else for that matter. I feel so much better being led by my intuition than the thoughts and opinions of others in this backwards society. Since I’ve been honoring my soul, it’s been such a great journey and I’ve helped, guided, and healed so many in return. Being psychic is just a soul-to-soul connection and being a medium is just connecting with your loved one’s spirit and energy on the other side. I’ve been gifted with both all my life and once I started to hone in on these gifts the less anxious I felt trying to deny my soul’s birthright.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?
Not only do I want you to feel safe, peaceful and guided by my messages from my book but I’d love for you all to gain the courage to listen to that still small voice within and when you’re grief stricken always trust that your loved ones would do everything possible to send you signs or come to you in dreams to allow love to continue on from their soul to yours from the other side, and that in the end you will all be reunited once again.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website | Instagram
Follow along as April comes to terms with her own childhood trauma and grows into her vocation, first as a nurse, then as a Psychic Medium.
In this book she shares stories about;
Gianna and Vanessa overcome the painful loss of their mothers.
Elena receives guidance and comfort from her Uncle and Grandmother.
Ella’s Babcia (grandmother) helps her feel more beautiful, more loved, no longer abandoned.
Sammy’s loving parents help affirm her self-worth.
Leah Rae and Jenny receive closure and peace from the spirits of their deceased children…
Other incredible stories await that will inspire you. You’ll also discover your own gifts and how to embrace your gifts. It will make you less fearful about death and more able to heal. So that you can live a more loving and purposeful life!
Walter Strychowskyj Author Interview
Wally is an intriguing character that I enjoyed following. What were some driving ideals behind his character development?
I watched a lot of movies and television programs. Then I spent hours walking on my apartment balcony thinking about some of the characters that I saw on television. That’s how I came up with Wally’s character.
What were some themes that were important for you to focus on?
I read a lot of self-help books and I wanted to incorporate what I learned that helped into my novel.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I started writing on a sequence. I can’t afford to have it published unless I sell enough books to cover my expenses. It cost me $10,000 to publish and promote my book. If I sell enough books within a year I will be publishing my sequel.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
Accessory to Magic
The Witching Vault follows Jessica as she is given the responsibility of guarding the Gateway from the occult syndicate who want it. What were some ideas that informed this novels development?
Actually, the original idea was something I’d pitched to a ghostwriting client. In its first iteration, it would have been a spin-off of a different series we’d written together. But they weren’t interested, and so I filed the idea away for later use (and honoring NDAs means I can’t say which series sparked the idea, unfortunately). But as this single thought hung around in my head for a while, I started to see how it could be so much more than the original idea. And I was able to put my own much darker spin on it with a witch who’s also an ex-con. Why in the world would somebody take a job at a magical bank that can think for itself, who everyone wants to get their hands on, unless that person had created the bank themselves? No one, really. But now in the Accessory to Magic series, Winthrop & Dirledge Security Banking has a long history with choosing new owners who literally don’t have another choice. Jessica doesn’t either, because getting any job at all that lasts more than temporary work or that doesn’t really “fit the bill” is so hard for anyone who’s been institutionalized and newly released from prison. Even a witch released from magical prison. And that built Jessica’s entire character and her backstory that I’m still exploring in Book 2, The Cursed Fae.
You’ve created a unique fantasy world filled with odd happenings. How did you balance magic and its use throughout the story to keep it believable?
There’s always a fine line between inundating any form Fantasy work with so much magic that it becomes overdone and still pulling in that line of reality, where the characters struggle even with magic to achieve their goals. Urban Fantasy is a particularly unique genre for this, perfectly suited to balancing magic and its use with believability. Because in most Urban Fantasy settings, there’s a “majority population” of humans, people without magic, who really have no idea magic exists. It’s that idea of the hidden world within our already established world.
Jessica is an incredibly powerful magical (and I won’t give any spoilers as to what type of witch she really is), yet she’s removed half of her own magic in order to keep herself and the people around her safe. To not repeat the same mistakes that landed her in prison in the first place. And despite her powerful magic, she still has to deal with things like providing customer service to aggravating and horrifying clients, trying to keep herself fed when the building’s kitchen is almost completely empty and the bank won’t let her leave to stock up on food, and calling in a magical emergency to 2-2-9 and the Cleaners.
The balance is found in going through all the mundane things of daily life that we all experience in the world, just with an extra touch of magic and intrigue.
What were some ideas that informed the development of the bank and the occult syndicate in this book?
Like I said, the whole idea of a magical bank started as a spark of an idea I pitched to a ghostwriting client. But the fleshing-out of the bank as an actual character – with attitude from the very beginning and later with an ability to actually speak to Jessica in her mind – came purely out of necessity, honestly. The one magical who could have given Jessica answers is wiped off the map shortly after she starts this apprenticeship at the bank. And the idea of leaving Jessica trapped inside the bank with nothing and no one but an immortal lizard to keep her company didn’t sound like a particularly exciting storyline. And the bank had already chosen Jessica as its new owner. Why not make the bank a character as well?
As I’m wrapping up the writing of Book 2 in the series, I’m realizing more and more that Jessica’s relationship with the bank as a sentient entity is incredibly reflective of her. The bank goes through some of the same magical mishaps as Jessica, though on a broader scale and within a sort of “life or death” situation for two entire worlds. Jessica’s magic is at half capacity by her own design, and the bank’s magic starts echoing this dilemma as well. Until she learns to come to terms with who she is and the fact that the mistakes she made in her past as a criminal and a fugitive aren’t tied to who she must become in order to protect the Gateway and keep even more chaos at bay.
Again, this comes down to hiding the extraordinary within the mundane. It’s so exciting to think that the most powerful and crucial portal in this Urban Fantasy world is tucked away within a bank. Yes, a magical bank, but still a daily necessity for humans and magicals. Jessica gets to live in the bank, work in the bank, and work with the bank to protect the Gateway all at the same time. But like with any adventurous Fantasy work, there are always “dark forces” who want to get their hands on what they’re not allowed to touch. If I say any more than that, I’m giving way too many spoilers for the entire series.
This is book one in your Accessory to Magic series. What can readers expect in book two?
In Book 2, readers will discover right alongside Jessica yet again more about who she is, where she came from, and what happened in her past to lead her to where she is now. Fortunately, advanced readers of Book 1 were hooked by the mystery of Jessica’s past, and I’m so excited to be able to bring more things to light about this in Book 2. There’s a handful of key characters who show up in The Cursed Fae to shed a lot more light on who Jessica used to be and what she did, but even they don’t know the full scope of Jessica’s past before she was inducted into a team of magical thieves and criminals. This is part of what Jessica ends up rediscovering herself in Book 2 as well. Because just like she performed a dangerous spell on herself to remove half of her most destructive magic (still keeping it close but refusing to use it), she also paid someone to remove memories she hadn’t realized she was missing. And now they’re starting to come back.
Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Bookbub
After her release from magical prison, Jessica Northwood can’t hold a job to save her life. So when an apprenticeship opens up at a spellbound bank, no questions asked, she can’t exactly say no… But she definitely should have.
For centuries, the bank’s owners have stood between the Gateway in the upstairs hall and the occult syndicate who want it for themselves. As the current owner, the scryer witch is supposed to have that under control. But when the woman turns up dead, Jessica’s employment contract now says she’s the one tasked with this lethal responsibility.
Jessica has no idea what she’s doing…and the bank won’t let her leave. As she deals with magical clientele who know the stakes far better than she does, Jessica must decide just how far she’s willing to go to keep this job. Because if she doesn’t, she’ll end up as dead as the body in the lobby. Or worse.
Ilona Andrews’ Innkeeper Chronicles meets The Magicians in this snarky, fast-paced Urban Fantasy Adventure from International Bestselling Author Kathrin Hutson.
The Seven Experiments
![The Seven Experiments by [Stephen Kanicki]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41DxWIwiySL.jpg)
Gary Miller is a religion and philosophy college professor living a pretty average life. He hardly gets by on his meager salary, has a wife he doesn’t love and struggles with a sexual orientation that conflicts with his faith. But his life takes an interesting turn when Bob, his long-time friend and former colleague, introduces him to seven experiments. They are designed to help Gary manifest his wishes with the power of his mind. Skeptical at first, Gary takes on the challenge and goes through each experiment. As he progresses, his belief in this new discovery grows. It appears better days are ahead and he could finally get all he wants out of life. But how far will Gary go in using his newfound power to satisfy his longings?
Stephen Kanicki weaves an intriguing tale in The Seven Experiments. It’s been a while since I read a story with a healthy dose of eeriness like this one. It’s nothing too close to horror, but it’s just creepy enough to make your skin crawl. Set in present-day New York City, The Seven Experiments is a fictional novel that examines religious, pseudoscientific and metaphysical themes.
Kanicki’s interest in placing religious beliefs on the spot really jumps out. His main character Gary asks some difficult questions of the Christian faith. The book’s context adds a fascinating spin to many of these subjects. For example, Gary’s success at wishing things into reality leads him to question the need for prayers. He wonders if praying to an unseen God is anything more than a waste of time. Maybe we are inherently self-sufficient and can get whatever we want without any external interference. These are Gary’s thoughts.
Somehow, Kanicki was able to take a conservative college professor and transform him into a frightening maniac. I never saw that one coming (that’s the point of a good story, but Gary made quite the jump from super cool to super not-so-cool). Gary’s downward spiral is another suggestion that given the right opportunity and enough motive, we all are capable of much evil. And I couldn’t help but imagine if our strongest beliefs still exist because they’ve not faced real conflict. I mean, how deeply have you questioned your values? Or are they shallow platitudes just waiting to be uprooted by the slightest problem?
Kanicki does a great job of passing his message and keeping the reader engaged. However, a couple of characters were unsolved mysteries. I couldn’t really wrap my head around who they were or what their motives were. But that aside, you’d enjoy The Seven Experiments if you fancy spooky but thought-provoking stories.
Pages: 213 | ASIN: B07X4KM2CY
Unusual “Visions”
Mallory O’Connor Author Interview
Epiphany’s Gift follows one young girl through her life as she struggles to cope with an extraordinary gift. What was the inspiration for her gift and the struggles she faced?
As a child, I had several powerful “visions” and/or paranormal experiences. Because the experiences were so exciting and so unusual, I was surprised to find that when I talked about these experiences, adults didn’t want to hear about it. They told me it was my imagination. Or worse. So, I stopped talking to anyone and kept my experiences to myself. Later, I began to read about other people who had unusual “visions.” I began to study the writings of religious mystics and found many similarities to my own encounters with “another level of existence.” In 1979, I met a psychic medium and we became friends. Although my “mystical” experiences were not the same as her “impressions,” we found we had a lot in common and have remained friends ever since.
I really enjoyed the well developed character in the book. Was there anything taken from your own life and put into the story?
Along with my childhood experiences, I included a number of “autobiographical” elements in the story. One is my work as an art historian and my fascination with artists such as William Blake and his visionary illustrations, especially the works he did of Dante’s Inferno. I also incorporated my interest in Asian art and culture in the character of Maro Guido, an art crimes investigator who is half Japanese. I wanted to explore his views about art from a non-Western perspective. And, I set Epiphany’s Gift in southern Ohio where I lived for four years while attending Ohio University. I was fascinated with Appalachian culture and wanted to immerse myself in the area and its special landscape.
This book blends several genres exceptionally well. Was this your intention or did this happen organically while writing?
When I first started writing Epiphany’s Gift, I intended to create a series of stories that combined paranormal events with art crimes. I wanted my readers to understand the problem of art theft and the significance of taking cultural treasures out of the public arena and into private collections where they are only seen by a few individuals. I believe that art has a lot to teach us about how our civilization developed and why we are who we are. So, I think that art belongs in a larger world that is open to the public.
But I also wanted to explore the issue of climate change and environmental degradation. I was encouraged by Dan Bloom, a climate activist and editor of the Cli-Fi Report, to explore various aspects of global warming and its consequences in my writing. In Epiphany’s Gift I take on the issue of fracking and its consequences. In subsequent books, I plan to focus on a number of climate-related issues including the spread of tropical diseases, effects on water resources, and catastrophic weather events.
So, my stories will be about paranormal events, art crimes and global climate change. Something for everyone!
When will this book be available and where can readers pick up a copy?
I’ve just sent the manuscript off to the publisher, so I expect the book will be available in May or June 2019. It will be available on Amazon, through Archway Publishing, and on my website: www.mallorymoconnor.com. Hopefully, it will later be available at libraries and bookstores. Connect with me through my website and I’d be happy to answer questions.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
For thirty years, Epiphany Mayall has worked as a psychic medium in the small Spiritualist community of Cassadaga, Florida. But when she returns to her childhood home in Mt. Eden, Ohio, to visit her aging mother, she finds that the rural community is reeling from a series of alarming events. The pristine world of her childhood is being destroyed. Wells and creeks are polluted, and earthquakes have become a frequent danger.
Epiphany’s former professor and mentor, art historian Dr. John Bernhardt, believes that the problems are the result of fracking operations that are being carried out by an energy corporation in the region, and that someone from the company is also connected with the disappearance of an illustration of Dante’s Inferno from the university museum. Bernhardt writes an article for the local newspaper about his theory, but the next day he is found dead. When John’s ghost appears to Epiphany and tells her that he was poisoned, she becomes determined to find the answers to several questions: who is responsible for the environmental disaster, who stole the illustration of Dante’s Inferno from the university museum, and who murdered Professor Bernhardt?
Aided by art crimes investigator, Maro Gaido, and by Blake King, an eccentric local artist, Epiphany tries to put together the pieces of a disturbing puzzle, but finds her efforts thwarted at every turn. Even a State Senator cannot help. As the earthquakes escalate, Epiphany begins to wonder if even her psychic gifts are enough to find the answers before it’s too late to save her loved ones from disaster.
www.mallorymoconnor.com
The Truth Won’t Help Them Now – Trailer
It is 1939 when the bullet-riddled body of an accounting clerk from a gambling ship washes up under the Santa Monica pier. As city homicide detectives tenaciously chase down their only clue—a fast, expensive, and very exclusive Bugatti—their investigation leads them into a tangle of competing gangsters all looking to muscle their way to a bigger share of illegal gambling.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles County deputy district attorney Cliff Thoms is leading a special squad searching for a pair of serial killers who have already killed four young women and are on the hunt for more. Thoms, with the help of a self-proclaimed psychic he doesn’t quite trust, risks lives and careers in a desperate gamble to catch his elusive quarry. As the two investigations collide and rush to a deadly conclusion, dirty cops, DAs on the take, mobsters, grieving families, and reformer politicians must attempt to distinguish lies from the truth. Unfortunately, they are all about to discover that even the truth won’t help them now.
In this fast-paced tale of murder and gangland intrigue, a gritty district attorney and a band of detectives set out on a quest to solve two separate crimes amid a corrupted 1939 Los Angeles.
Dabble in the Dark Side
Laura Simmons Author Interview
Dark Karma follows Luke and Nina on a quest for vengeance, punctuated by secrets, and colored with dark magic. What were some driving ideals behind the development of this novel?
I wanted to write something different and unpredictable. My first book, Little Bits of Karma, focused on reincarnation; the second one, Tough Karma, focused on that same concept plus unusual psychic talents and a deranged villain. I wanted to use all of those concepts in Dark Karma, but take it to another level. The concept of traveling to other dimensions of reality intrigues me, and I thought it would be a wonderful element to include in this story. The main characters, Nina and Luke, are supporting characters in Tough Karma so it was easy to write for them. I’m just a channel for my characters, they work through me to tell their tales. I have to give them all of the kudos for the wonderful unpredictability of this story! They gave me the plot twists and turns as I commuted back and forth from work.
Luke and Nina have a fascinating and deep relationship. What was the inspiration for their characters and their relationship?
The inspiration for their characters came from my previous books. New characters come to me when I need to add one to move a story along. In Little Bits of Karma, I needed a bad guy (supposed) older brother to help an antagonist get his point across and Luke made his first appearance. He was a very minor character with only one or two sentences. When the antagonist from Little Bits of Karma became the redeemed romantic hero, Bryce, in Tough Karma, he needed his brother’s help to save his sweetheart, Amber. Luke’s character began to grow and he let me know that he was a CIA operative who worked with people who had unusual psychic abilities. Luke called up Nina and she entered the story. She was a free-spirited and spunky psychic gifted with telekinesis who knew how to manipulate energy and situations on the astral plane. She helped everyone by using her talents. I thought it would be fun to have a sexy friendship between Nina and Luke with both of them being independent and not needing anyone romantically; until he gets jealous of another man interested in her and makes his true feelings known. The seed for a deep and loving relationship was always there, but they both had their defenses up.
I enjoyed the well crafted use of magic throughout this novel. How did you balance magic to keep things grounded while also keeping readers wondering?
Thank you, but I honestly don’t know. I just wrote what came through. Most of this novel surprised me too! Dark Karma went in a direction I never dreamed of when I started writing it. You mentioned in your review that you gave up trying to predict what would happen and I laughed because that was my intent. As far as magic goes, I’ve been fascinated with it my whole life. I have books of spells which I’ve never tried and I would never dabble in the dark side. I love living vicariously through my characters and traveling the astral, moving objects with my mind, manipulating energy, and everything else.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I’ve started writing the follow-on book to Dark Karma but the plot hasn’t solidified. I strive to write all of my books as stand alones, however, it is proving difficult with this next story. I don’t have a title for it yet, I usually come up with those much later. For now I’m calling it Karma Book 4. I’m going to let the characters guide me and hope they can provide something just as unpredictable as Dark Karma. If not, then I hope whatever comes through is an entertaining read. My goal is to have it published by the end of next year or early in 2020.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
![Dark Karma: Sword of Vengeance by [Simmons, Laura]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41j5GFQOQUL.jpg)
A remarkable tale of vengeance, time travel, and dark magic. What would you do if you woke up one morning and your world was inexplicably changed in the worst way imaginable? Banished by his enemy into a hellish alternate dimension, Luke Decker fights to understand why his world has suddenly changed, and why is he on trial for the murder of his beloved Nina? What he doesn’t know is she’s not dead. Nina watches him vanish into thin air and is completely bereft, struggling to find out how and why he disappeared. Using all of her psychic talents and traversing the astral realm, she frantically searches for him to no avail. She owns a secret item which holds the key to his salvation, but will she figure it out before he’s condemned to live the rest of his life in a realm of darkness?
Future World Rolls!
![FUTURE WORLD ROLLS!: We Are Family (Carousels of Life Book 2) by [Tumbler, Terry]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51OFukcasLL.jpg)
Charles Bone and Stan Loren are two FBI agents with quite the special set of skills. The least of which is their ability to communicate without vocalizing their thoughts. As two men with psychic abilities, they have been given the job of heading up a recruitment drive unlike any other in history. Charles and Stan, in the early 1970s, manage to pinpoint over 3,000 individuals exhibiting the qualities making them the perfect candidates for the job. Little do the recruits know the mission for which they have been chosen is one that could change the course of human history.
Terry Tumbler’s Future World Rolls (We Are Family) Book 2 in the Carousels of Life series has one of the most unique settings of its genre. Spanning centuries and with locations varying from Winter Park Florida in the 70s to vessels in space including the Voyager 6, Tumbler carries the reader on quite the raucous ride through time and space via Charles and Stan and the plethora of alien life forms peppered throughout this second in a series.
There is a Men in Black feel about the novel that gives the book a light, fun air. Fans of this type of science fiction will appreciate Tumbler’s alien beings, their idiosyncrasies, and the banter between the main characters as they go about the task set before them.
As with Tumbler’s first book in the series, Future World Rolls is laden with song lyrics, references to artists’ best-known works, and well-timed and perfectly-placed excerpts of the world’s best (my own humble opinion) music. Tumbler’s characters are more than capable of standing on their own, but these song references help to add another light note to the text. I thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to hum along to the tunes Tumbler sets as pleasant little earworms from the beginning to the end of the book. I mean who doesn’t love to be reminded of George Harrison’s “Here Comes the Sun” and “All Day and All of the Night” by the Kinks? Tumbler doesn’t just incorporate music from the 1960s. He takes readers on a nostalgic journey through music history, hitting all the right notes–so to speak.
To say Future World Rolls is fast-paced would be a gross understatement. Tumbler keeps the reader engaged from one jam-packed chapter to the next. Billed as a space opera, this book hops, skips, and jumps from one scene to the next introducing new and engaging characters while building on the already well-developed Charles, Stan, and the just-short-of-amazing green giants.
Science fiction fans who enjoy lively plots and bigger-than-life characters will find Tumbler’s works meet all of their expectations and more. Tumbler writes beautifully and manages to pull off humor in the most eloquent of ways possible. Some science fiction books are fraught with terminology and processes that overwhelm the reader. Tumbler combats all of that with his stunning cast of characters and an upbeat tone that is set from the first chapter.
Pages: 314 | ASIN: B07H4QQR8K
LITERARY TITAN 