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Literary Titan Book Awards September 2020
The Literary Titan Book Awards are awarded to books that have astounded and amazed us with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas. These books deserve extraordinary praise and we are proud to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and imagination of these talented authors.
Gold Award Winners
A Little Bit Extraordinary by Esther Robinson
A Saint and a Sinner by Stephen H. Donnelly and Diane O’Bryan
Silver Award Winners
Mountain Heat by Natrelle Long
Pandora’s Gardener by David C Mason
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information and see all award winners.
Power Without Responsibility
The Battle for Imperiana follows Meesha and her allies as they uncover a plot to restart another war which threatens Imperiana. What was the inspiration for the setup to this thrilling story?
In the first PATCH MAN book, I explained how the origins of the war between Imperiana and Summia began as a result of depopulation by the developer of the Labyrinth, Julius Gelfson. President Gelfson’s plan to destroy Summia is reminiscent of several of today’s world rulers who think power is the best way to get whatever they want, but power without responsibility, without compassion is simply a threat, and there will always be Meeshas of the world who will confront that threat.
Meesha is an intriguing and well developed character. What were some ideas that guided her character development?
Throughout the first three books of the PATCH MAN series, Meesha grows both chronologically and in her maturity. We see her as a young, one-armed girl in book one who is unflagging in her optimism, but in book two, like many teenagers, she is moody and controlled by her emotions. During these first two books, Var and Zefa, her adopted Father and Mother, guide her character’s development through their unconditional love. In book three, The Battle For Imperiana, she has matured, but her love for Ten becomes her driving force. She is both fiercely independent and emotionally attached, as I suppose many of us are.
I enjoyed the detailed and intricate world you’ve built in your Patch Man series. What were some themes that were important for you to capture in this book?
Two major themes are hard to miss: 1. War is destructive 2. Family can help us overcome adversity in life. Of course there are numerous subthemes as well. Balance is needed in any community if we are to live healthy, productive lives. In the book, this is shown through the loss of technological power and the rise of magical power. The Chunee are a good example of how a people have found balance in their lives. Another subtheme is a warning that children who play computer games all day may not interact well on the human level when they become adults.
This is book three in your Patch Man series. What can readers expect in book four?
Book four and book five have already been written, so I can talk to this question with some insight. Book four is Ulan’s backstory. It describes the forces and events that led her to become an assassin. Book five continues in Summia with Meesha expecting, but events soon have Meesha, Ten, Riata and Ulan thrown into a Doppelganger domain where they meet their opposites in a world no longer covered by desert but by oceans.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook
Captain Fantastic
I’ve Got You is a fun space adventure that explores fear and helping friends overcome it. Why was this an important theme for this book?
For me, it was super important to get this book out during Covid-19 as I wanted to help any children feeling lonely and to make sure they never felt alone! It times of trouble we must stay together and look after those in need the most.
This is book one in your Captain Fantastic series. What can readers expect in book two?
The next book is ‘Captain Fantastic and the Chocolate Planet’ and will be ready for Christmas 2020:
“Good grief,” cried the captain “we’re space monster stew!
Or perhaps it’s an ogre, a witch or some new
Strange kind of monster, a space ghoul or mummy.”
“Captain,” said Winston, “I think it’s my tummy!”
Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Winston is one of the bravest dogs in the universe. He’s travelled through space and battled monsters with his best friend, Captain Fantastic, but there’s one thing that still scares him.
Come along on this adventure to find out what makes Winston tremble, and discover how Captain Fantastic comforts his loyal space dog so he’s once again a happy, waggy-tailed space hero.
First in the exciting new series of intergalactic adventures, based on the awesome and educational Captain Fantastic parties.
“In this lovely story about friendship and fears is an important message about being there for each other and being able to face our fears when we have someone to face them with. Now more than ever, this is an important message for children – I’ve Got You is like having a hug delivered in the form of a storybook.” Dr Gummer, Good Play Guide
Dark Sparrow: The Mastermind
![Dark Sparrow: The Mastermind by [Andrew Casey]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41+NhSAmN6L.jpg)
Nankin City is thrown into chaos when a magical cyborg attacks a country club. As the city’s forces attempt to nab the culprit, emissaries from Albac, a magical planet arrive to join the investigation. They believe the perpetrator comes from Albac and want to help Nankin City find him. To do this, they recruit a few of Nankin’s residents. Dark Sparrow, a bounty hunter finds herself among those selected to travel to planet Albac and help solve the mystery. But she also has a side job to investigate the case of several missing children. She juggles these two cases while struggling to quell the raging demons from her past. The attempts to unveil the cyborg’s identity reveals a deeper agenda that will change the lives of all the investigators forever. Who are those behind this troubling scheme and what do they want?
Andrew Casey’s Dark Sparrow is a delightful mashup of science fiction and fantasy. It has all the usual elements of these genres of fiction. Magic, a fascinating but bizarre planet (that’s not earth), superhuman abilities, fantastic beasts, cool weapons and all the works. Casey’s work is detailed, immersive and very stimulating.
Dark Sparrow is packed with man versus man and man versus alien fights that will give action lovers good value for their money. I particularly liked Dark Sparrow. Her skill, defiance and quirkiness showed her to be a kick-ass protagonist you don’t want to mess with. At times I felt there were too many characters in the story early on and it was hard to keep track of each one. Some of the characters took on separate identities on earth and on Albac which added to my confusion. I am able to overlook little snag with the characters and highly recommend this book.
The thrill of fiction lies in its ability to help readers to escape reality while still feeling its strong pull, Casey generously provides this benefit in his book. While giving my imagination something to lap up, he carves his story around many relevant social issues. From divorce to parenting, empathy, cyberbullying, love and LGBTQ themes, Casey touches them all. All this might sound overwhelming but Casey skillfully holds every bit together with engaging dialogues and a strong story line. What’s more, he delivers each theme with a fresh perspective that rings true.
Pages: 284 | ASIN: B089YBXX2Y
Through New Experiences
VanWest is an intriguing and well developed character. What were some driving ideals behind his character development?
I wanted VanWest to be relatable – a man that also just happens to have some special abilities. Raised to become an Enforcer and a servant of the Universal Council, all he knew growing up is what they taught him (to follow their commandments). Much like us all, through new experiences we get different perspectives, in his case learning about his past, falling in love with a rebel, travelling through time. He starts to question the actions of his masters.
However, right from wrong isn’t so clear, much like in real life. The Utopians and rebels he chases want to change the past, wipe out the last thousand years of Earth’s history, for some their reasons are more selfish than ‘Utopian’. VanWest must weigh this all and come to his own conclusions.
I enjoyed the future dystopian world you’ve created. What were some themes you wanted to capture in your world?
Hopefully this future world does not become a reality, but it very much reflects how humans have been treating Earth in the 20th and 21st century. In VanWest, the outcome of destroying our planet and making it uninhabitable is the creation of a totalitarian government (an elite few) that exploits Earth’s refugees for their own gain. In this new world, there are a few groups: the Elites (Universal Council, rulers of Earth’s habitable zones, the solar system and business), the citizens (refugees) and the Jerseyans (a small population that lives underground in the uninhabitable zones – New York and New Jersey).
The Natural Earth Alliance (NEA) rebels and Utopians (adherents to a new age religion) challenge the Universal Council. The Utopians see the rapid advance of 20th Century technology as the cause of Earth’s ills, hence wanting to prevent its creation.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
The Present: the second book in the series. VanWest confronts his dark past, taking him on a journey to Mars. This book does not include historical fiction and time-travel rather it has more epic science fiction. I’m planning to release this book at the end of July.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Falling in love with the daughter of its leader, Mad Newton, he returns to the present to face a difficult choice, whether or not to save her. And be part of the New Beginning.
The Battle for Imperiana
![The Battle for Imperiana (Patch Man Book 3) by [Rick Stepp-Bolling]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/5148SC8njgL.jpg)
As Imperiana is recovering from its great war the story follows Meesha and her group of allies to uncover a plot to restart another war which threatens Imperiana. The world they know is threatened by former enemies and their intentions for destruction become clearer as they race against time to prevent catastrophe. Former warriors of the previous war must find their own ways to save those that they hold dear to them. Enemies of the past along with a world on the verge of breaking from a fragile peace is about to erupt into war once again. With Meesha and her allies slowly piecing together the mystery of who is causing plans for destruction, they slowly realize that the war itself had never ended completely.
As I first started reading the book, it became quite clear that the “Patch Man Book III” is the third installment of the series. If your new to the series and jumping at this point, it’s a little disorienting at first, but after a few chapters I felt comfortable and enjoyed the story. In either case, the tension throughout this book is palpable. The story line is a fantastic mix of adventure, romance and military suspense. War and its nature of destruction are clear elements which all the characters are familiar with, must endure, and face on their own terms. The number of characters was numerous and sometimes hard to keep track of. But it reminds me of a well developed universe that is reminiscent of Lord of the Rings or Star Wars in the way it introduces the universe as a well established world we’re just being invited into. Nevertheless, the world in which the story takes place is fascinating and intricate. A blend of tribal culture mixed in with cutting edge technology made for some interesting concepts regarding old ways and the new. I especially liked how the author took the time to describe how the characters thought, their methods of battle, and the description of their skills. This added together with the uniqueness of each character made them each important in their own way. Roles assigned to certain individuals with certain skill sets and talents were placed into difficult situations but were able to overcome them using their own style. Some characters are so hyped up that my expectations of them were set high, and when the end came I was a little disappointed to find that they didn’t live up to my expectations. By the very end of the book I was very satisfied with how things ended in general and I was even satisfied with the loose ends that need to be tied in upcoming installments. For readers that like their science fiction to be well thought out then I recommend The Battle for Imperiana.
Pages: 324 | ASIN: B089S8TQ1P
VanWest The Past
![VanWest The Past by [Kenneth Thomas]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41OLJElQCTL.jpg)
VanWest The Past by Kenneth Thomas is a thrilling intergalactic, dystopian space adventure taking place in the year 3000. Captain VanWest is our infallible protagonist. His mission is to escape the authoritarian society under the control of the Universal Council in order to reach the year 1951. The scenes and settings of all the years and places are extremely vivid and detailed, whether it be the futuristic Black Mirror-esque 3000 or simply 1990s Florida. VanWest has to prove again and again the strength of his character as he battles impossible odds, so that the restoration of the Earth to an earlier, brighter time may be possible.
It wasn’t a stretch for me to imagine that this would be our world in a few centuries or so. The author has created an extremely believable dystopia, simply by extrapolating the consequences of mankind’s current issues: everything from the deteriorating state of the environment or an increasingly unstable global political atmosphere. The best and scariest dystopian novels are those which aren’t too far from our reality.
The side plots are also well-developed. Even though VanWest is single-minded with his mission, he faces numerous other personal issues, including a complicated romantic situation that poses a threat to his goals. The way he navigates his moral, social, and ethical dilemmas is also presented in a very interesting way. Even though he had to make some tough choices along the way, VanWest remained consistent to his character and had me rooting for him throughout.
A lot of the creepy crawly creatures and characters of this book reminded me of a variety of other great stories I had read in the past. It harkens back to everything from Brave New World in the way it portrays the nature of the ruling body and Percy Jackson in the way its action scenes are jam-packed and relentless. I thought it was the mark of great science fiction noveol the way it incorporated the best elements from some of the best examples in the field.
The pace is extremely fast, but it is suitable for the nature of the plot. Even though it ended in a cliffhanger, it felt like a well-rounded end to an enthralling story. I cannot wait for the next in the series.
Pages: 168 | ASIN: B088WYFK9Q
Challenges Of The Gods
![Challenges of the Gods: One Parallel Earth Too Many by [C. Hofsetz]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/513StZdKkvL.jpg)
Fresh from a harrowing heartbreak, Zeon wakes up in what appears to be heaven. While he’s still trying to process the picturesque surrounding, he’s snatched by a flying alien and made to watch earth get destroyed. He soon discovers that what he saw was one of the numerous “earths” imploding. Now, he has a mission to prevent his planet from suffering the same fate. All he has to do is destroy another earth to preserve his. But this happens to be Mike’s home and he also has been tasked to save it by destroying Zeon’s universe. To help both men accomplish their mission, the messengers of the gods swap their consciousness and plant each as a mole on the other’s earth. It’s now a race against time to see who can save his planet. But who is the true enemy here? Is there more to this mission than meets the eye? Which earth will survive?
Hofsetz’s Challenges of the Gods is a sci-fi novel that cuts across three worlds: earth as we know it, another version of earth and a surreal world called Pangea. Hofsetz stretches our imagination as he paints vivid pictures of Pangea’s outlandish reality and points our attention to the peculiarities of the other earth. I mean, imagine an earth where the shaking of the head indicates an interest in casual sex. That’s Hofsetz’s other earth.
Hofsetz’s weaves every detail of fiction together to deliver his themes strikingly. Chief amongst his ideas is how man’s blind loyalty can cause him to abdicate his senses. According to Hofsetz, we can easily be manipulated when we believe the other party is too good to do evil.
Furthermore, Hofsetz highlights man’s disposition to conflict and his ability to empathize with even the enemy. It is this trait that distinguishes (normal) man from a bloodthirsty maniac. He also touches on betrayal (we have quite the knack for that, don’t we?) and its far-reaching effects on the victims.
Speaking of victims, it’s a miracle Hofsetz’s penetrating sense of humour did not literally crack my ribs. The main character’s knack for silly thoughts, conversations between the characters and the culture of Hofsetz’s earth (Jora) all filled the book with hilarious moments. Hofsetz also did well to catch me unawares with some shocking plot twists.
If you’re a fan of sci-fi and a reader who needs something to help you wind down, Hofsetz’s book should do a great job.
Pages: 269 | ASIN: B07KNCXDSX
LITERARY TITAN 