Blog Archives
Moon Dogg
![Moon Dogg by [Greco, Michael]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51KYaG3C--L.jpg)
It’s easy to judge a situation from the outside looking in. Jerome Doggman has an opinion about religion and is looking into a specific sect for his next project. Jerome is a semi famous Arizona filmmaker working to expose the practices of a particular fundamentalist religious group. As luck, or lack thereof, would have it. He gets too close to something he shouldn’t and is murdered. You would think that this is the end of it but alas! It is actually the beginning of things.
The subject of Jerome’s expose would have been a teenage boy, Abraham, who’s been in a coma for eight years. When Jerome dies, he reincarnates in the body of Abraham. As if that is not strange and complicated enough he has the hots for the boys sister, Florence. Jerome’s journey is long and enlightening, all the while fighting the fact that his previous killers want to kill him, again.
Michael Greco puts together a hilarious tale of life through the eyes of different people. This book is beautifully written. The story flows smoothly, almost like the characters and story took on a life of its own without control from the author. It is exquisite. I felt that the prose was simple and easy to digest. For such a wild plot, it is pretty easy to wade through and find the lessons in the story.
One of the biggest takeaways from this story is the importance of putting oneself in another persons shoes. Jerome would have remained judgmental of Abraham’s sect for life if he got to live his own life. Another beautiful thing is the realization at the end of what the true purpose of reincarnation had been. It was never about uncovering truths and secrets. Not to mention the happy, maybe a little sad, ending. It is nice to see the characters wrap up so nicely.
The author weaves in some old folk tales into the narrative that help to deliver some complex ideas. All in all, it is a book that is thought provoking and engaging.
Pages: 373 | ASIN: B07B7H3NMV
The Warrior Teenager: Let Go of Self-Sabotage & Embrace Your True Power
![The Warrior Teenager: Let Go of Self-Sabotage & Embrace Your True Power by [Fernandez, Mary Lynne]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/516iC6i4GsL.jpg)
In this world where everything is fast paced and competitive, one can feel a little overwhelmed. They can feel lost in the crowd. They can feel like they are drowning in their inability to measure up to society’s expectations and standards. It is not easy. It is not ideal but it is what it is. There is nothing more to do than equip the future generations with the skills to ignore all the news. The wherewithal to see the standards but not bend to them. The ability to understand that the only standards worth measuring up to are ones set by one’s own self.
Mary Lynne Fernandez, with her extensive experience and brilliance, seeks to do exactly that with this book. She seeks to guide teenagers through life. To arm parents with tools to efficiently and successfully navigate the mucky and turbulent waters that is parenting to teenagers. She seeks to shine a light on this depression and suicide epidemic. She seeks to weed it out. She seeks to ensure teenagers seek help before they seek the noose. The only way to achieve this is by harnessing one’s own true power. To embrace and overcome. Suicide is not the way out. Staying alive to fight and exorcise those demons is.
The author has done an excellent job of appealing to her demographic. She does not tell the reader to just get over it. She outlines practical steps with passion and affection. Her delivery and presentation are powerful. She lays a strong foundation for her message with vivid writing that uses simple but powerful language. She is not looking to provide answers but rather a road-map to realization. The subject matter is relevant, relatable, and rings true. She has addressed the conversation in a sensible and sober way.
I think this book is aimed at two demographics. The first is the teenagers, of course. They need to understand just how stacked the deck is and how to play the game. They need to understand the truth about the world they live in. Parents of said teenagers will also find this book useful. The author does a good job of addressing both generations. I felt that she understood and appreciated the different situations and thus successfully speaks to both parent and teen.
This book is inspirational and useful by providing ingenious insights that are both practical and applicable. If you go into the woods, you may bring a wilderness survival book. If you’re becoming a teenager you may want to take this book along with you. This book will help you approach your thoughts and passions with fresh eyes. Read it. Understand it. Utilize it.
Pages: 188 | ASIN: B07CSF7PPN
the LOST PHOTOGRAPHS
![the LOST PHOTOGRAPHS by [Carroll, Richard Ira]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51zkXtcr31L.jpg)
Matt and Jim are living out their lifelong dream to uncover and provide undeniable truth that Noah’s Ark did indeed come to rest atop Mt. Ararat. With the help of Ann and a tragic story of her grandmother’s first love, Matt and Jim begin their journey with stunning photographs of the ark itself which have been hidden from the world in the most ingenious way possible. Luck is not on the side of the three adventurers, however. One dangerous situation after another impedes their progress on the path to the top of Mt. Ararat.
Richard Carroll has captured within the pages of The Lost Photographs a mere snapshot of the enormity of the task undertaken to uncover Noah’s Ark atop a frozen Mt. Ararat. His depiction of the dedicated team who undertakes this task despite all obstacles, both natural and incited by man, is riveting and tense. No one else has wanted anything more than Matt and Jim want to prove the existence of the ark, and absolutely nothing will prevent them from accomplishing what they have set out to do.
I have always found the search for proof of the ark’s existence to be fascinating. The Lost Photographs does not focus quite as heavily on the actual ark as I would like to have seen. Though it does center around the hidden photographs and delves into the excavation of the site itself, the book also has a parallel story line that sometimes takes the reader on a path away from the ark story line. I felt there was, perhaps, too much of an emphasis placed on the budding romance between the characters and the inner turmoil Matt experiences.
Carroll does a wonderful job of building interest with the backstory of the lost photographs of the ark. By tying the story of Ann’s grandmother, Jelena, and her friend, Yuri, with the teamwork of Matt and Jim, the author has created a seamless story that spans generations and is a wonderful testament to the timelessness of the ark’s story. I will say I was not expecting the tragedy that occurs centering around Yuri and his family. Carroll presents a moving depiction of Jelena’s love for Yuri and the mystery of his family’s fate.
Readers who require action in their historical fiction will appreciate the many close calls and precarious positions in which Matt, Jim, and Ann find themselves. The desire to keep the ark’s existence hidden leads to an all-out battle when one of the terrorists’ operatives infiltrates the ark team. In addition, the entire expedition faces the utter devastation of an earthquake in the middle of their work.
Though I loved the premise of the book, references to historical events, and biblical truths, I would have preferred more of a focus on the discovery of the ark itself and less of a concentration on the romance between characters. The hints at the book’s conclusion to the unearthing of the Ten Commandments leaves the reader in the perfect frame of mind to want more from Matt, Jim, and Ann.
Pages: 320 | ASIN: B079GJN12N
An Undying Need to Find Truth
Karen Glista Author Interview
The Taking of Peggy Martin follows an enigmatic young nurse working at an institution for the criminally insane. What was the inspiration for Peggy’s character background?
Peggy Martins character came to me one rainy day. I grew up in the deep south. I am a Registered Nurse and like Peggy, I have worked with psychiatric patients. As I began to wander in memory of patients I had encountered, Peggy all but appeared to me. I suddenly felt her devotion. We shared that commonality, but it didn’t stop there. There were so much more and suddenly our lives intertwined. I adopted her persona and added fragments of my own life, an overly religious Grandmother, and the pieces to the story just fell into place. Add in the painful loss of my father when I was quite young which resulted in a childhood haunted by aberrations and ‘The Taking of Peggy Martin’ was born.
Peggy Martin is a pious woman that has had some horrible things happen around her. What were something that you felt were important for Peggy’s character development?
Loss. Painful loss and an undying need to find truth. Survival.
This is an engaging and mysterious thriller that touches on deep emotions. What do you hope readers take away from your story?
Although fragments of real life events are woven into this novel, it is fantasy. If there was one thing to take away from this story it is, that it doesn’t take guts to quit. Even in the face of evil, one can persevere.
What is the next book that you are writing and when will it be available?
My next novel is Chasing the Red Queen. The setting is Sault Ste. Marie Michigan and her sister city by the same name in Ontario.
Fact; It is written in the ancient birch parchments of the Ojibwe (Indigenous people) that Seven Miigis (spirits) known as (Radiant Iridescents) presented themselves (over a thousand years ago) to the people in the Waabanakiing (Land of the Dawn, i.e., Eastern land) to teach the Mide (culture) way of life. One spirit known as the Seventh was too powerful and killed those in his presence. The other Six spirits took to the river and swam back to the ocean from whence they came.
Chasing the Red Queen is a beautiful, modern day love story with relentless action, elite battles, steamy passion and the ghastly realization that just because one chooses not to believe in the paranormal, doesn’t make it a given.
Author Links: Website | GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook
![The Taking of Peggy Martin by [Glista, Karen]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51330%2BvNI5L.jpg)
The setting is East Texas, where Peggy, a young nurse, works at an institution for the criminally insane. After her husband Danny is mysteriously killed in a car accident, she convinces herself that it was murder… and she knows the murderer by name… Jasper Johnson. When she gets notice from Marbelle Johnson, Jasper’s mother, requesting an impromptu meeting, she discovers that the filthy rich oil baroness believes Danny to have been the bastard child of her deceased husband, Charles Johnson.
Peggy, irreparably damaged from childhood by religious fanaticism, reluctantly agrees to exhume Danny’s body. Reeling with doubt, all the while fearing betrayal by the Johnsons, she finds herself bordering on insanity.
Shackled in darkness, Peggy throws herself into her work only to find herself face to face with a blonde haired, blue eyed schizophrenic in a straitjacket. Quite by circumstance she discovers that this patient, Morgan Dubois, who as a child was found burrowed in the ground in the Piney Wood Thicket, has a link not only to her late husband, but also to the aberrations of her mind.
As secrets are revealed and it becomes apparent that something or someone wants to silence their tongues, Peggy is forced to seek refuge with the Johnsons. Together, as death finds them, one by one, they set upon a perilous journey in search of truth. Deep in the heart of the Piney Wood Thicket, they stumble upon Cypress Creek and discover an existence older than time itself. Peggy, caught in a maelstrom of emotions, torn between two worlds, finds herself in a desperate battle, not only for her life, but for that of all of mankind.
Primarily Spiritually
J.F. Cain Author Interview
Angels’ Whispers chronicles the harrowing struggle between two ultimate forces, Angels and Demons. What was your inspiration for this captivating story?
The idea of a female Angel had been knocking around in my head for a quite a few months and, ever so slowly, a story began to be woven around her. But it hadn’t occurred to me to write down the story. The last time I had written anything was when I was 17 years old, and that was many years ago. The only thing I was putting to paper all these years later were comments I jotted down about the books I was studying. But, at some point, I began to mark some of these comments with asterisks as a way to make a note of some topics that I could highlight in the story; and then all of a sudden, one evening I decided to write about the ideas I was developing. This story is the outcome of my need to express some unconventional views based on my inner contemplations.
The struggle between Angels and Demons is consistently explored by literature, but you bring a playfully crisp air into the work. What were some things that you wanted to do differently from standard tropes?
Modern-day readers have different demands. To make the age-old myth of the battle between good and evil more attractive and approachable for readers, I created a more intricate plot and added more suspense and romance, which nevertheless does not detract from the book’s objectivity, but instead enhances it.
I loved the intelligent yet candid way Angels scrutinize the notions of truth and freedom throughout the book. What were some themes you felt were important to highlight in the novel?
Balance is a key topic. Corporeality is the essence of human existence and one’s physical needs have to be met to attain intellectual and spiritual balance. This is why love and passion do not remain on the notional-platonic plane. The search for the source of existence and the changes that define it are a pivotal aspect of my work and my heroes’ actions. As they search, my characters gain self-knowledge. Emancipation is another topic. Many of the heroes in my story strive to break the bonds of the power holding them hostage – primarily spiritually – so that they can achieve their goals. They are even prepared to pay the price for this freedom that they must now handle on their own. Their weapon in this fight for freedom is doubt. As the enduring foundation of philosophy and science in general, doubt is what has led to the human being’s intellectual qualities and consequently to the creation and ongoing development of civilization. Of course, I do not fail to highlight the predominant role of love and passion, which together transcend space and time and even unite opposites – the human and the transcendent, good and evil – as their common denominator.
This is book one in the War Eternal series. Where does book two take readers and when will it be available?
The second book will be released in April 2018. There will be more action, earth-shattering revelations and unexpected twists that will propel the story to a new plane for readers.
Author Links: Facebook | Website
![War Eternal: Book I: Angels' Whispers by [Cain, J.F.]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41CHijYxi9L.jpg)
Alex Meyers, a dynamic, global entrepreneur, has an advantage that no other human has ever had: he is protected by Aranes, the Superior of the Angels. While he is skiing, he dies in an avalanche, but his all-powerful protector breaks one of the ethereal world’s most important Rules and brings him back to life. Alex falls head over heels in love with the beautiful Angel, who appears to him in human form. But she disappears just as suddenly as she had appeared.
While he searches for Aranes, Alex discovers her true identity and that he actually might be the high-ranking Celestial Abaddon, who is mentioned in the Revelations prophecy as the one who will defeat Lucifer.
The man who fate has thrust among the world’s superpowers is now living a nightmare. He wants to evade Lucifer’s pursuit, find out who he truly is and once again see the only being he has ever loved. And the only way to do it is to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Angels’ Whispers is the beginning of an epic tale set in modern times. The eternal war between Light and Darkness is at a critical turning point: Angels and Demons, invisible to mortal beings, battle for dominance in the physical world, while Guardians, vampires and werewolves, who live among the humans, find themselves on opposing sides in a deadly power game.
The Fugitive’s Trail
In the lobby of a prestigious Wall Street investment firm, one man is dead and another seriously injured. The man accused of the crime now a fugitive.
When the Director of the FBI personally orders Special Agent Sean Kruger to New York City to find the fugitive, Kruger questions the reason. Told to shut up and do his job, he starts looking into the case. What he finds is troubling. Eye-witness accounts seem contrived with little variance between individual testimonies. The more he hears, the more he feels someone is manipulating the story.
As the investigation unfolds, he discovers the only information known about the fugitive is a HR file from a former employer. Public records of the man do not exist.
The fugitive is a ghost. A ghost who has disappeared.
When Kruger unearths information the investment firm lied about the incident in the lobby, he learns there is a possibility the fugitive was defending himself. He also discovers another individual is searching for the fugitive. An individual who has no interest in allowing the truth to be discovered.
When the cat and mouse game turns lethal, Kruger must use all of his skills and experience to find the truth, protect the fugitive, and ultimately stay alive.
Systems Theory
Systems Theory is a collection of philosophical systems created by the author, Nathan Coppedge. Before the table of contents, the author specifies that a friend once theorized that “systems can be formed about anything”. Coppedge seems determined to challenge this assertion by creating as many systems as possible.
This set of systems is broken down into subsets, including formal/logical, archetypal, applied, psychological, aesthetic, and many others. Throughout his text, he seeks to enlighten readers with his definitions of these systems and provide copious examples of these systems at work. While the text is physically over 400 pages long, the text inside is not as long, due to the formatting. So, if you are intimidated by the page length, it is not representative of the amount of content between the covers.
While I’m not one to spend much time on philosophy, I found that some of the systems seemed quite acceptable, while others were derivative of common truths. The ones that did not sit well with me were, perhaps, over my head, but I did find the acceptable systems to be well explained. Regardless, there are probably systems which will mean more to some than to others. It is safe to say that any reader will find something with which they can consider in depth, even if they cannot think in depth about some of the other topics that are a bit tougher.
For example, Coppedge introduces an “Ancient Book Design Program” with the subheading of “Secret Books Formula”. He uses his knowledge of literature and how a book functions as a storytelling device to create a system that helps to name a book and introduce a proper moral. This system, although seemingly unnecessary, puts a framework to the building blocks that writers often use to create stories. It works as a set of ideas and I can understand how this system came to be.
On the other hand, especially in the mathematics portion of his text, Coppedge creates several of his own mathematical operators and explains their uses in detail. However, much of it only holds purpose inside the realm of philosophy. As an example, he creates a “God Variable”, which is equal to infinity plus one or “any value including infinity for each variable”. It serves its purpose inside of the discussion, but examples are not provided for it’s possible uses.
Overall, this text might provide some philosophers with interesting topics of conversation and consideration as they peruse through the lists of systems. Each system has a brief explanation and examples where necessary, allowing most to understand the meaning behind each one.
Pages: 392 | ISBN: 153316858X
LITERARY TITAN 