Blog Archives
Encouraging Young Minds
Galileo’s Points of Light in the Night Sky follows a pair of curious siblings and Dr. K and her magical time portal, who travel back to Renaissance Italy to meet Galileo and experience firsthand the wonder of his telescope and discoveries. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration came from my desire to make science and history feel alive for children. Galileo’s discoveries changed how we understand the universe, yet for many young readers, history can feel distant or abstract.
By introducing a magical time portal and pairing the story with two inquisitive siblings, I wanted to create a bridge between today’s readers and the past.
The setup allows children to see history not as dusty facts in a textbook but as living experiences full of curiosity, wonder, and adventure.
I enjoyed your characters, especially Dr. K. What was your favorite character to write for and why?
Dr. K was certainly the most rewarding character to write. She is both a guide and a fellow traveler, modeling how to ask questions, nurture curiosity, and balance seriousness with a sense of wonder. Through her, I was able to weave together elements of science, history, and imagination.
She is not only a mentor to the children in the story but also a representation of my own lifelong passion for encouraging young minds to explore the world around them.
What were some educational aspects that were important for you to include in this children’s book?
I wanted to emphasize both Galileo’s scientific process and the cultural context of his discoveries. Children learn not only that Galileo built a telescope and observed the moons of Jupiter, but also that these observations challenged established beliefs of the time.
The book highlights critical thinking, perseverance, and the courage to question accepted truths.
I also included a “Science Primer” at the back of the book to give readers and educators additional resources, ensuring that the story supports learning in both classrooms and homes.
Can you tell us more about what’s in store for Dr. K and the direction of the second book?
The second book, Marie Curie’s Radiant Quest, transports readers to Paris at the turn of the 20th century.
In this story, Dr. K and the siblings meet Marie Curie and learn about her groundbreaking work with radioactivity.
The narrative continues to blend adventure with science, showing not only Curie’s discoveries but also her perseverance in the face of challenges as a woman in science.
The series as a whole will continue to introduce children to great scientists across time, always with an emphasis on curiosity, resilience, and the wonder of discovery.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Katherine Korkidis | Amazon
In the awarding-winning Galileo’s Points of Light in the Night Sky, the first book of the captivating Dr. K’s Portal Through Time series, Jennifer, a vivacious 10-year-old, and her intellectually curious 8-year-old brother, Daniel, embark on an exceptional voyage through the annals of time. Guided by the enigmatic and brilliant scientist, Dr. K, they are transported to the heyday of Renaissance Italy, straight into the workshop of the iconic astronomer, Galileo Galilei.
As they traverse the time portal, Jennifer and Daniel experience firsthand Galileo’s groundbreaking observations of the celestial expanse through his innovative telescope. They are enlightened about the significance of questioning established norms and the audacity needed to defy the status quo. The siblings witness Galileo’s unveiling of the cosmos’s wonders and his revolutionary proposition that our Earth is not the center of the universe.
Throughout their journey, Jennifer and Daniel support Galileo in chronicling his pioneering discoveries. They confront challenges that enhance their problem-solving abilities and deepen their grasp of the scientific method. Their adventure cultivates an appreciation for the quest for knowledge and the potency of curiosity.
This enthralling tale seamlessly blends history, science, and adventure. It offers young readers a captivating, educational narrative, introducing them to the mesmerizing world of astronomy and the enduring contributions of one of history’s most illustrious scientists. The story of Jennifer and Daniel will inspire the readers to question, explore, and cherish the pursuit of knowledge, just like Galileo did. The book, while being a thrilling read, also helps foster a love for STEM disciplines in young, inquisitive minds, making it a perfect addition to any child’s reading list.
At the end of Book 1 is a QR code for the Science Primer, a comprehensive, free downloadable guide over 100 pages long, written specifically for parents and teachers. It also includes a complete Teacher’s Guide with detailed lesson plans, a glossary of terms, and an extensive list of resources such as books, videos, websites, and other online Resources for teaching about Galileo and his discoveries. The primer is designed to make science education engaging and accessible. Each of the books written for the series will feature its own tailored Science Primer. Book 1 itself also includes a glossary of terms and resources designed specifically for children ages 8-12, complementing the exciting adventures of Jennifer and Daniel.
Broken: The Founder’s Seed Book 2
When I opened Broken, I was immediately pulled into a world brimming with tension, betrayal, and the complicated weight of carrying other people’s lives inside your own head. Drema Deòraich’s story follows Alira, Galen, and Thrace as they navigate shifting identities, political intrigue, and the brutal cost of survival among human and unammi factions. The author builds a layered tale of power struggles, loyalty, and moral compromise, where every choice feels like a thread tugging at the larger web. The book is about what it means to stay whole when you are forced to fracture yourself for the sake of others.
The writing has a pace that rarely lets up, and the dialogue carries a sharpness that feels lived-in. The shifting perspectives, the sudden bursts of violence, and the moments of quiet reflection all come together to create a rhythm that feels alive. At times, the narrative voices inside Alira’s head became almost overwhelming to read, but I realized that was the point. It mirrored her chaos, her crowded sense of self. I found myself admiring how boldly Deòraich leaned into that confusion, refusing to make it easy for the reader, because life inside a fractured mind is never easy.
Beyond the writing, I was moved by the book’s ideas. Questions about identity, about whether survival justifies the blood on your hands, and about how much of yourself you can give away before there’s nothing left. I was thinking about these ideas for a long time afterwards. I felt both sorrow and admiration for Alira. Her choices often frustrated me, yet I couldn’t help but ache for her struggle. The themes of slavery and exploitation, woven into the politics of the factions, hit me hard. They were ugly and uncomfortable, and that’s exactly why they mattered. Deòraich didn’t flinch from showing cruelty, and in that honesty, the book had teeth.
Reading Broken reminded me of Frank Herbert’s Dune in the way it blends political intrigue with questions of identity and survival, but it feels more intimate and raw, pulling me closer to the characters’ inner battles. I’d recommend Broken to readers who love science fiction that challenges them. If you like tales that balance heart with grit, that mix character-driven drama with political maneuvering, this book is more than worth your time.
Pages: 420 | ASIN : B0DLTLQMQP
Depth and Detail
Pandemic Hacker 2 follows a stubborn and resilient woman who transforms her body to be unrecognizable to her enemies; she and her AI partner work to take down an extortion and trafficking group. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The original story idea was to have a hacker who figured out something significant that was part of the plot. It was my first novel, and learning about the process, I changed the plot. The original technical idea is part of the story and subplot, but not the main plot. I also wanted to create a character who wasn’t like the hackers on TV (click, click, click, I’m in.) There is depth and detail to the technology that a group of readers doesn’t get anywhere else. Then, to make it enjoyable, what if she found something, a group that was hidden, that operated outside of the law because they had corrupted the groups that could stop them (FBI). How could she navigate that kind of world? The pandemic setting helps and hurts in different ways, allowing me to present the reader with various viewpoints about our world.
Martha is a woman with strength and determination who refuses to give up. What do you think makes her a valuable and worthy heroine?
She is confident in her ability to do the special operations stuff. She is confident in her hacking, especially with Zoe’s help. She has a compulsion to clean. She grew up poor and won’t spend money on herself, even though she has millions. Partially because of the pandemic, she only has one read friend. She can’t just make friends with new people and expose them to the killer organization. She is learning and growing in Pandemic Hacker 2. By the end of the book, there are several people now part of the group fighting the bad guys. She is looking forward to living again, not just surviving. The ending aims to convey the completion of the journey that began with her asking if all the pain and being alone are worth it.
I find that authors sometimes ask themselves questions and let their characters answer them. Do you think this is true for your characters?
Yes. But my questions are sometimes odd to others. How could someone travel across the country in a few days without being tracked? How would you send a specific, untraceable message to the FBI that you are sure they will see and notice? What evil actions and behaviors would motivate people to help a stranger if they knew helping would be dangerous for themselves?
Where does the next book in the series take the characters?
The first two books dealt with the evil group and revolved around corrupt authorities. The idea for the next book is to explore cleaning up an organization that could be of help. That could start to turn the tide. Who can you trust, who can’t be corrupted? Can you help the good guys so they can help you?
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
The group leaders operate with impunity. Their security and IT teams are formidable. But Martha is determined to dismantle their empire, stealing their ill-gotten money and learning their secrets. With each strike, the group’s IT experts get closer to knowing her and Zoe’s identities.
The engagements are not just on the internet. Every physical disruption puts everyone in danger. Rejoining with Claire, the chase has become a high-stakes game of cat and mouse. Both sides believe they’re the top predator.
Innocent lives can be destroyed. Is the best option to expose the leaders to the authorities or work to remove the hydra heads of the organization? Martha must navigate the physical world, while Zoe works to dominate the virtual one.
Unintended Consequences
Infernal Wonderland follows an akiko who stumbles into the submerged Amber City, a broken metropolis filled with automations, reptilian gangs, and drugs that push him deeper into madness, violence, and strange alliances. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Games like Bioshock and Dark Souls. I wanted to explore something different from what I had explored in the last book, which also took place on Neldar. I knew what the idea and concept were going to be, but I didn’t know what the city was going to be like. The Ichor was going to be a big driving point since it was one of the mechanics from the previous book I wanted to develop more, and a system like Bioshock spoke to me, so I went with that.
I felt that your story delivers the drama so well that it flirts with the grimdark genre. Was it your intention to give the story a darker tone?
I write dark stories, apparently, and no matter how hard I try, the tales always end up that way. I guess it’s just my style, and honestly, I enjoy those types of stories more, so it’s probably why.
What themes were particularly important for you to explore in this book?
Morality, consciousness, identity, power of corruption, unintended consequences, shadow integration, love and sacrifice, as well as transformation, among others. I believe that in a complex universe, traditional categories of good and evil are insufficient to capture the full truth of existence. I enjoy exploring fundamental questions about morality, consequence, and the price of knowledge and power, for the most part.
I hope the Elder’s Vault series continues in other books. If so, where will the story take readers?
Infernal Wonderland is actually the third novel in the series, and wraps up what the second novel consisted of. I’m currently writing the fourth book. Benign Dystopia is the first novel, and Tellurian Otherworld is the second. The fourth book, currently titled Elysium Nightmare, will take readers on a journey of self-discovery and awakening to one’s true self. It dwells a lot on the nature of consciousness and what it means to be “truly aware.”
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Amazon
Requiem For Arcology Prime
Requiem For Arcology Prime tells the story of Elio, a grieving man in a futuristic society where humanity lives in a single megastructure called Arcology Prime. Stricken by the death of his husband Locke, Elio turns to forbidden science, determined to bring him back through memory uploads, neural mapping, and holographic projection. What begins as a desperate attempt to restore love slowly transforms into a fraught battle with ethics, obsession, and identity. Elio finds himself torn between the shimmering ghost of Locke and his growing connection with Adam, a colleague at Cortex Industries. The book blends grief and technology in a world where progress collides with human weakness, and the result is haunting, intimate, and unsettling.
The writing drew me in right away. It has this rhythm that shifts between tender and brutal, which mirrors Elio’s emotional swings. At times, I felt like I was stuck in his cramped apartment with him, listening to the projector hum and watching Locke’s hologram flicker. Other times, the prose opened up into big, cinematic moments, like the bustling labs of Cortex or the neon alleys of Arcology Prime. The rawness of the writing style worked for me. It matched Elio’s unraveling.
The ideas hit me harder than I expected. It isn’t just a sci-fi thought experiment about AI and memory, I think it’s really a story about grief and control. The way Elio clings to Locke reminded me of how loss can twist love into something dangerous. And Locke himself, once reanimated through the network, becomes this eerie mix of devotion and surveillance. I found myself frustrated with Elio, yet I couldn’t stop caring about what happened to him. The book kept poking at questions about whether love justifies breaking boundaries, about whether digital resurrection is really love at all, or just a mirror that blinds us.
By the end, I was wrung out but also strangely hopeful. I’d recommend this book to readers who want their sci-fi messy and emotional, not sleek and clinical. If you like stories where technology digs into the heart instead of just dazzling the eyes, you’ll enjoy this sci-fi book.
Pages: 183 | ASIN : B0F7J2MXKT
Furniture Sliders – A Max Calder Mystery
Furniture Sliders is a post-war spy-fi romp that kicks off The Bureau Archives Trilogy with a smoky, rain-slicked bang. Set in 1947, it follows Max Calder, a former intelligence officer with holes in his memory, who is pulled back into the shadows by a mysterious woman named Artemis. A cryptic file, a vanished scientist, and a strange device known only as “the Mirror” set the stage for a chase that spans seedy New York bars, crowded transatlantic ships, and the broken glamour of Vienna. The novel threads together espionage, noir atmosphere, and science-fiction intrigue, with time manipulation simmering under its cloak-and-dagger surface.
I loved how this book felt. The writing drips with mood. Fog curling down city streets, cigarette smoke blurring the edges of a room, the distant hum of jazz over clinking glasses. The pacing dances between languid observation and sudden bursts of violence. Bentley’s style pulls you into Max’s fractured mind. We’re not just following a spy, we’re feeling the tug of his half-buried memories and the unease of not knowing which shadows to trust. Sometimes the dialogue leans into pulp, almost like a wink to the genre’s roots, and it works. It kept me grinning even when the stakes turned deadly.
The ideas themselves are a bold mix. The “Mirror” concept, which is a device that remembers rather than reflects, opens the door for paranoia, philosophical tangents, and deliciously weird possibilities. Bentley resists over-explaining it, letting the mystery breathe. The interplay between Artemis and Max is sharp, edged with mutual suspicion and unspoken history. There’s a lot of world-building baked into their exchanges, which I appreciated, though now and then I wanted the plot to lunge forward faster. Still, I was hooked. Even the side characters, like the poison-bead-wielding Bishop, feel like they’ve stepped out of their own fully formed novellas.
Furniture Sliders is a strong start to what promises to be a stylish, time-twisting spy trilogy. It’s a book for readers who love their thrillers with a noir heartbeat, for fans of John le Carré who won’t mind a dash of science fiction, and for anyone who likes peeling back the layers of a protagonist who isn’t even sure of himself. It’s atmospheric, it’s clever, and it leaves you wanting the next mission right away.
Pages: 314 | ASIN : B0FF6RD921
Black Glove
The novel Black Glove by M.A.N. is a sprawling tale of vengeance, power, and the blurry line between justice and corruption. It follows Leroy Black, a young man marked by loss, who grows from grief into a relentless vigilante. His brother is murdered by gang members, his father killed unjustly by police, and these tragedies set him on a lifelong path. Trained in every art of combat, from boxing to martial arts to military precision, Leroy reinvents himself as a force of wrath against gangs and systemic oppression. Parallel to his story is the rise of King Solomon, the leader of the Dynamite Flash, a militant group caught between fighting oppression and becoming what they despise. The two figures move through a world where brutality and ideals clash, raising the question of whether salvation can ever be born from violence.
This story is a whirlwind of action and anger. The fight scenes are long, detailed, and absolutely wild, sometimes almost cinematic in their intensity. At times, I found myself grinning at the sheer audacity of the battles. The writing doesn’t hold back. It’s raw and brutal, sometimes over-the-top, yet I could tell the author poured a lot of heart into balancing the spectacle with deeper themes. I liked the tension between Leroy’s personal mission and the wider chaos around him. He’s both a hero and a man broken by grief, and that contradiction kept me hooked. At the same time, there were stretches where the detail of combat overshadowed the emotional core, and I found myself wishing the quieter, human moments had more room to breathe.
I admired the ambition. The book isn’t afraid to dive into uncomfortable territory. It doesn’t gloss over systemic failures or the ways power corrupts, and it asks hard questions about what happens when resistance begins to mirror oppression. King Solomon, in particular, fascinated me. He’s charismatic and ruthless, convinced that dirt must be fought with dirt. I felt uneasy whenever he spoke, which I think was the point. The moral ambiguity, paired with the relentless energy of the prose, gave the story a jagged edge.
Black Glove is a furious book. It’s for readers who want action mixed with philosophy, who don’t mind a story that gets messy and brutal to make its point. I’d recommend it to people who enjoy gritty superhero stories, vigilante epics, or urban tales that don’t shy away from politics and pain. It’s not a light read, but if you’re ready to ride through chaos, it has a lot to offer.
Pages: 260 | ASIN : B0FDTRSBZH
A Fresh Start For Humanity
Tim Rees’ Original Earth: Book One follows the last survivors of humanity who have, for generations, drifted through space and now, after their ship is sabotaged, are forced to land on what they now call Earth 2. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
What a great question! Thank you for asking it.
I live very near a beach in Wales called Freshwater West. It’s a beautiful beach and I walk on it pretty much every day. Whilst walking on this one beach in Wales, I will see the debris of humankind. Our rubbish. Manmade items that have no place in the natural world. I am constantly being shocked by what I see in this very small corner of the world and this is just one beach. I’m sure you could walk on every beach in the world and experience shock and horror at what we’ve done. And what I see is of little consequence to the bigger picture. What is the rubbish made of and where do we get the materials to make the rubbish in the first place, that’s the bigger picture. And, of course, I’m only scratching the surface here… So, to keep this short, I find myself gasping on the same question every day: imagine how beautiful this planet would be without humans?
I’m a novelist and my tools are words, so the story evolved upon the question: imagine if we were offered a new, uncontaminated planet and a fresh start, how would I, as an author, wish to see humanity move forward…?
And I wanted the main character to be an individual in perfect harmony with the natural world, so through that character I could play with scenarios and ideas about what it must feel like to be truly in harmony with nature and with all my fellow natural beings.
One of the things that stands out in your novel is the complex relationships of the survivors as they try to rebuild a life on this new planet. What aspects of the human condition do you find particularly interesting that could make for great fiction?
I like your use of the term ‘human condition’, because we live in societies where we are conditioned to live in particular patterns and aspire to particular goals. I could go on, but let’s keep this simple. On the spaceship, everyone was forced to live together in a sterile, confined space. They knew no different, so it wasn’t really a problem, that is, until they were exposed to the hope or the opportunity to explore their own dreams and aspirations. They land on a planet without any experience of how to live in the ‘real’ world. They are completely innocent, except for information and data they have with regard Original Earth. So I asked myself the question: where do these people begin to build a community into a free-thinking society? To begin to answer that question, I reflected on a passage in a previous novel I’d written called Delphian. In the novel there is this relevant passage:
For some reason his thoughts always ended up at the same questions: society and establishment; two words describing the maze of structure created to protect and enable the vast variety of people to live in apparent harmony. His mother had put it perfectly when she’d said: ‘People are different shades of colour, darling, and too often the colours clash.’ She was so right. Different shades of colour. Beautiful. Different shades of personality in a rainbow of dreams, aspirations, hopes and desires… It is we, collectively, who accept terms like human resources, for instance. It is we who put up fences labelled ideology and either stand on one side or the other and proclaim this is right and that wrong…
As an author, I’m hugely excited to explore this landscape. No spoilers, but in books two and three you see those colours naturally coming together and blending, whilst other colours clash and pull apart. I leave that very much to the characters to play out. I’m in discussion with a film producer at the moment, not for Original Earth, but another story, but he complimented me on the fact my scenes breathe. I know what he means, but I don’t create that, the characters do.
What themes were particularly important for you to explore in this book?
That’s an easy question. The damage we have done to planet Earth. The damage we have and are continuing to do to ourselves, because, whilst we poison the planet, we also poison ourselves. And the damage we have done and continue to do to the planet and all other life forms with whom we share this space has to stop, because we only have this one planet. I write fiction so can imagine exploring different worlds, but will humanity survive our collective suicide in order to really explore other worlds?
Where does the story go in the next book, and where do you see it going in the future?
Anu grows closer to Sonri and together they will explore the universe. You already see that in books two and three and in all the planets Anu visits you’ll see a reflection of humans on Earth. For instance, in book three Anu visits a planet run by a humanoid species governed by a repressive, authoritarian ideology similar to Afghanistan and the Taliban – Anu, of course, liberates the women in that society. In book four, the novel I’m currently writing, Anu returns to Original Earth about 150 years in our future. Planet Earth is unrecognisable.
I think in the back of my mind, I always had the idea I’d like Original Earth to evolve in a similar way the stories of Star Trek must have for Gene Roddenberry.
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Now, armed with some knowledge of the complex relationships that exist between both fauna and flora – all life with whom we share this incredible planet – what lessons have we learned?
This is a story about a new beginning…
Anu has a gift: her personal vibration is in perfect harmony with the natural world.
LITERARY TITAN 