Aaron-Michael Hall is a Speculative Fiction author (Epic Fantasy and Science Fantasy with an EDGE) originally from southern Illinois. Since August 2015, she has written eight full-length novels and published four. Her first novel, The Rise of Nazil has won numerous reader awards.

Now, when she is not interviewing indie authors on her Desu Beast Blog, being super mom, wrangling stampeding miniature dachshunds, or managing her 9 to 5, she is interweaving genres, creating languages, and adding just the right edge to keep you turning pages.

Aaron-Michael created the Mehlonii language for her diverse Epic Fantasy series. Along with intriguing characters, multilayered plots, new species, deities, and creatures, the Mehlonii language adds that fantastical element missing from most modern Epic/High fantasy. You can listen to samples of the spoken Mehlonii language on her website’s Mehlonii page.

When asked why she wrote this series, Aaron-Michael simply said, “It needed to be written.”
It is her hope that the readers enjoy the wonders of Faélondul and Ahmezurhran even more than she enjoyed writing about them.
​
Website: http://aaronmichaelhall.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Aaron.Michael.Hall.Author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRiseofNazil
Mailing list http://theriseofnazil.us11.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=6b56f127540fa86812db8fc01&id=2d8cf30afe
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/AaronMichaelHall

Rites of Heirdron: book I
 
� https://goo.gl/h63DWf
  
They poisoned his planet, massacred his people, and violated his mother.
Now, they’re coming for him.
 
 A bastard prince, born to a dishonored queen, Zrahnz is the last hope of a dying world. As he struggles to reclaim his legitimacy as a ruler and protect his planet, a debilitating illness threatens his sanity and his life. If he cannot save himself, his planet will succumb to the corrupt intergalactic alliances aligned against them.
 
The irrepressible allure he feels for an Earth-born visitor, Itanya, nearly overwhelms him, yet through her, Zrahnz discovers the secret that can ease the devastating agony of his illness. Could she be the key to his survival and the future of Triaxeyn?
 
With Q-1 Raydren at his side, and the Oracles’ influence, he uncovers corrupted histories and unscrupulous enemies. If he fails to make a crucial decision, his people and everyone he loves will be destroyed.
 
Zrahnz is denied his rule, denied his birthright, and denied the one truth that will save his life.
 
He wasn’t supposed to survive, he wasn’t supposed to fight, and he wasn’t supposed to receive, the RITES OF HEIRDRON
 
~D. Donovan, Midwest Book Review "Rites of Heirdron is a powerful fantasy telling. Its dual focus on changing worlds and hearts moves deftly from personal to political realms. It's a recommended pick for readers who like their sci-fi spiced with more than light romance, but who want that romance wrapped in the heavier cloak of sacrifice, duty, and life-changing decisions."
​
~Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite "Newland Moon has the gift of integrating strong themes like love, friendship, loyalty, faith, and redemption into a beautiful story in a seamless manner. The writing is flawless, crisp, and tight, with vivid descriptions that capture the intense action excellently.”

Rites of Heirdron Excerpt
Agonized Reality
​
Zrahnz dove forward and then rolled to the side. His head came up in a flash and lowered again. Clutching the ionic-tazer, he initiated a backward roll and took position behind a rock formation. He had lost track of his partner. After taking a deep breath, he eased around the side of the boulder, noticing movement to his left.

Instinctively, he dropped into a defensive crouch, sending four ionic blasts toward the enemies. He did not wait to check the accuracy of his shots, running to his right and diving behind their damaged shuttle. His breathing was labored as he tried to steady himself.

He noticed more enemies still advancing as he changed position. When he checked the energy level of his ionic-tazer, he had enough power left for only four blasts. He searched for his partner again, tapping the com-tag nestled in his ear. Nothing. How did they become separated? He had trained for this and now he might have gotten his partner either captured or killed.

He ground his teeth at that thought. After taking another deep breath, he counted. Zrahnz eased around and noticed the position of three enemies. He offered a prayer, wiping the forming sweat off his hands onto his uniform. When his count reached ten, he leveled his ionic-tazer, and leapt from his position, shooting.
One and then another enemy dematerialized as his well-aimed shots hit them squarely. His movement never ceased as he concealed himself again.

Zrahnz checked his surroundings and then rested a hand on the three chazrens on his belt. Those he would use only if he had to. The handheld grenades were more effective if an enemy was within twenty meters. It was his hope that his partner was alive, and that together, they could end this.

When he leveled his weapon again, the tremble in his hands was worse than before. He blinked, trying to clear the haze from his mind. Focus, he thought, willing his mind to follow his commands. Please, focus.

His surroundings became a blur as a pain erupted in his abdomen. He clenched his eyes shut, doubling over with the excruciating waves of heat. It felt as tiny molten blades jabbed at his insides. No, please, no.

He heard the blasts echo in his mind and the screeches that accompanied them. He could do nothing; there was only the pain, the confusion, the helplessness.

He screamed, despite his best efforts to remain quiet. He could taste the blood in his mouth from biting through his lip. Another scream escaped him, louder than the last, and then, nothing but white.
 
Zrahnz gasped, springing up and reaching for his weapon. His surroundings were still a blur as he tried to scramble to his feet.

“Easy, my Prince, easy,” Raydren said, attempting to lower him again to the ground.

Zrahnz grasped his arm with one hand and delivered a side-chop with the other. When Raydren ducked the chop, he rolled to the side and leapt to his feet, grabbing a chazren from his belt as he did so.

Raydren’s eyes widened. “Training exercise complete. Terminate!” he shouted, diving toward the Prince.

Everything in the dream room faded as Zrahnz thrashed, trying to break free from his tight hold. The chazren he had been clutching disappeared with the rest of the items in the training program.

“My Prince, please, the exercise is over. The pain is over, you’re here with me. It’s only us, Zrahnz, can you hear me? Follow my sound and come back to me, please, come back to me.”

Raydren bit back his emotion, cradling the prince in his arms. His episodes were coming more often and the level of pain was increasing.

“Zrahnz,” he said again. “I’m here with you, I’m here.”

His motion calmed when he heard Raydren’s soothing voice repeat his name. Zrahnz blinked his eyes open, trying to clear the fog from his mind.

Raydren kept one arm wrapped tightly around him and with the other, pulled a subdermal-injector from his belt. He placed it against Zrahnz’s chest, emptying the remaining medicine into his bloodstream.

Zrahnz’s body tensed with the injection and then went limp as the medicine eased the pain and lifted some of the haze filling his mind.

“Ray—Raydren.” The pain and suffering etched the word. “Raydren…help me…please, help me.”

“I’m here with you, my Prince. We’ll find a way, I promise you. We’ll find a way. I’ll never leave you. I’m here.”

Orbs of Trenihgea: book II
 
� https://goo.gl/Lsv1X6
They poisoned his planet, massacred his people, and violated his mother.
Then, they came for him.
 
After an interplanetary betrayal decimated his world, Zrahnz struggled to protect his people and reclaim his legitimacy as their ruler.
 
Now, he has received the Rites of Heirdron and vows to defend the Triax planets torn asunder by a corrupt galactic council, and the “shadow whisperers” who have manipulated them all.
 
With the aid of First Commander Lezayen and his QuNytwanian fleet, Zrahnz must unite the factions that deceived them in the past. The ensuing battle is for more than the survival of Triaxeyn, it’s for the liberation of the galaxy.
 
 
Orbs of Trenihgea Excerpt
Space Station E-Alpha-1
 
The tufted chair collided against the wall as Gil pushed back from the table. “What the hell do you mean, quarantine? I’m not staying on this damn station!” He pointed an unsteady finger toward Malon, wiping the frothy drool from the corner of his mouth. “That montahn is going to provide the antidote now, or I’ll blast him back to that pungent, black rock he calls a planet.”

When he reached for his weapon, Strand pounded a drab stone on the table, pushing up on wobbly knees. “All of you shut up and sit down! Gil, remove your hand from that weapon and think. We can’t return to Earth; not like this. We need Malon’s people to deliver more of the medicine.”

“What do you propose we do, Strand?” K’aht asked. “Are we to sit here and deteriorate while those weishints roam free? I want them dead!”

“Who?” Tryndr asked, his light voice adding calm to the intensity in the room. “Who do you want dead? No one launched an attack against us. It was our own impetuosity and greed that caused this.”

Gil scoffed. “Name it what you will. This was no accident. That shipment was sabotaged.”

“How? That case never left Malon’s possession. Who in elorac do you think would’ve known it contained the means to annihilate and entire planet? Who?” Tryndr said.

Malon sighed, meeting the eyes of everyone in the council chamber. “He’s right. I didn’t tell anyone what I carried. Only two others from my planet knew I had synthesized the enhanced toxin. You were the only ones, other than our allies on Triaxeyn that were aware. Even SO-12 Sydric was only told to rendezvous with us to retrieve more of it.”

“How then? How?”

“I don’t know how.” Malon ran his webbed fingers over the ridges on his skull. “You all witnessed what took place. The vials imploded and released the toxin. Not one vial, all of them, simultaneously. Not even with the most incompetent design should that have been possible. There’s something we’re missing. And if we want to survive this, we’ll stop fighting amongst ourselves and figure it out.”

The room fell silent with only the ragged breathing of each occupant sounding in their ears.

“Brenz.” Gil gasped, pushing back from the table. His eyes darted frantically, back and forth, organizing the assailing thoughts in his mind. “Brenz. His—his com-tag…it malfunctioned toward the end of the meeting and he left.”

Strand nodded. “Yes…yes. Shortly after he left, the vials malfunctioned and released the toxin. Have any of you received a message from him? He should’ve returned the following cycle.”

Viszain’s copper eyes flared. “He hasn’t returned to the station or sent a message.”

“Is his shuttle still in the docking bay?” Strand asked.

 “It’s doubtful.” Gil’s said. “I have an associate at the academy on Charznaeyah. I’ll send him a message and inquire about our missing councilmember. If he’s fled the system, we’ll know exactly where to look.”

“Do you think he’d betray us?” Ahorid asked.

“What I know is that he’s the only one of us that didn’t ingest the toxin. When have you ever known him to miss our mandatory meetings?”

“Never.”
​
“Once I’ve spoken with my associate, I’ll contact the Star Guild and the Order. They’ve taken significant losses. If Brenz has sided with the Triaxeynians, his fate will be as theirs, only worse.”

​BLURB
 
Orphaned as a young child and growing up alone in the forest, Delina lives a life of isolation; her only companion a saber-toothed panther. Her strange eyes frighten those she occasionally encounters, so she keeps to herself, until a young, wounded warrior ends up at her doorstep. As she nurses him back to health, she discovers she is more than just a young woman with unusual eyes, she is a dragonblood, destined to become the ruler of Almar.
 
Now hunted by the dark sorcerer who murdered her father, usurped his throne, and killed all her kin, she must find out how she can release the essence of the dragon inside her to defeat him. Everything depends upon her willingness to embrace her legacy and reclaim the Dragon Throne.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Excerpt from Dragonblood Throne: Legacy, by Tom Fallwell
 
Copyright © 2017 by Tom Fallwell – All Rights Reserved
Ignoring the two scribes fidgeting nervously behind him, Kargoth anxiously watched the cosmic tableau of the moons unfold in the darkened sky from his balcony. The rare, lunar eclipse was only moments away from its apex, the new moon phase of Tibel almost centered within the bright ring of Sianor behind it.
 
While he would never admit it, not even to himself, Kargoth was fearful as he waited to see if the prophecy was true, if there would be a sign indicating a dragonblood still lived in Almar. The words of that prophecy played continually in his mind as he waited with bated breath.
 
Ring of the heavens,
Ring shining bright.
Darkness the lesser
Than greater moon's light.
When the ring glows bright
As the moons above turn,
Blood shows the sign
Of the dragons return.
A dragon reborn
From an innocent child.
The power will grow
As emotions run wild.
The dragon will rise
When all hope seems lost.
All evil will pay
The dragonblood's cost.
The dragonblood comes,
The darkness will die.
The dragon wings spread
And the dragon will fly.
 
“Here it comes,” Kargoth said, never removing his gaze from the moons. “Now we’ll see if there is any truth to this prophecy.”
 
The scribes trembled, fearing their High Lord's wrath, as Tibel firmly centered itself in front of Sianor. The light in the night lessened momentarily as Tibel covered much of Sianor's full and bright splendor.
 
The slim circle of light around Tibel began to burn brightly, becoming a brilliant glowing ring in the night sky. For a moment, the scholars hoped that perhaps the prophecy was false, but a red glow began to fill the darkness of Tibel. It was as if some celestial being had poured a bowl of blood into the mold of the darkened Tibel, now glowing with a red, unearthly light. The eclipse became a white circle filled with a blood-red glow.
 
The prophecy was true! It was a sign of blood! Of dragonblood!
 
The scribes slowly backed away from the balcony in fear, anticipating the wrath of their lord. They could almost hear Kargoth's rage brewing inside him as he suddenly turned on them, his steel eyes boring into their souls.
 
“It's true! That beast, Jeraldin, had another child!” His anger turned on the two robed figures. “You should have known this sooner! You impotent cretins!”
 
He raised both hands in front of him, palms outward. The terrified scribes turned to run, but it was too late. A dark fiery energy streamed from both his hands, as jets of black, searing flame engulfed the two men. Their horrifying screams of agony echoed throughout the chamber and into the halls beyond as their bodies were consumed by the deadly power Kargoth had loosed upon them. Within seconds, only smoldering piles of ash remained on the floor.
 
Dropping his hands in frustration, a deep and tortured frown peeked from the shadows of his hood. Kargoth stormed toward the throne room door. “Guards! Guards! Get my generals! Now!”
 
Whoever this dragonblood was, Kargoth had to make sure they never lived long enough to be a threat to his power. He would scour the entire kingdom and find this dragonblood. He couldn’t allow one of their kind to live.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
   
 Early in life, Tom Fallwell discovered a love for fantasy and science-fiction, delighting in the wonderful escape into realms undreamed of. Weaned on the greats like J.R.R. Tolkien, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert E. Howard, Roger Zelazny, Robert A. Heinlein, and Michael Moorcock, just to name a few, Tom's imagination was forever inspired by those marvelous tales.
 
One day, he discovered a simple book of rules called 'Chainmail', by Gary Gygax, and found a new love: the love of creating adventures and stories of his own. 'Chainmail' evolved into 'Dungeons & Dragons', and Tom played consistently with friends as both a player and a dungeon master (DM) for decades. Such activities helped him develop his ability to create worlds and stories for other players to enjoy.
 
Now retired from his long career as a software developer, Tom writes all the adventures and characters that constantly fill his mind and shares them with the world.
 
 
Website: http://tomfallwell.com
 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTomFallwell
 
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tom-Fallwell/e/B00IV2JSJI
 
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11303749.Tom_Fallwell
 
Rangers of Laerean Series: https://www.facebook.com/RangersofLaerean
 
Dragonblood Throne Series: https://www.facebook.com/DragonbloodThrone
​

Where to buy
 
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073SYDP68

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/735008
​

​Genre: Romance
 
Book Description
 
Jordan Shepherd has regrets. Big ones. When she makes a seemingly rash decision which potentially costs her everything, she must come face-to-face with her family and start rebuilding her life.

Cristiano Romero knows a little bit about starting over after a catastrophe. He is trying to make it as an on-air talent covering the X Games, yet he still has the heart of a competitor. When he crosses paths with Jordan, he finds himself wanting to compete in a whole new game.

Can Jordan and Cristiano come to grips with the paths not taken and begin a life together?

Pre-Order:

​https://www.amazon.com/Paths-Taken-Hidden-Beauty-Novel-ebook/dp/B073ZP48N7
​

About the Author
  
I have been lucky enough to live my own version of a romance novel. I married the guy who kissed me at summer camp. He told me on the night we met that he was going to marry me and be the father of my children. Eventually I stopped giggling when he said it, and we just celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary. We have two children. The oldest is in medical school, where he recently found and married the love of his life, and the youngest is now tackling middle school.

I write full time now. I have published over a dozen books and have several more underway. I volunteer my time to a variety of causes. I have worked as a Civil Rights Attorney and diversity advocate. I spent several years working for various social service agencies before becoming an attorney. In my spare time, I love to cook, decorate cakes and of course, I obsessively, compulsively read.
 

Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Crawford/e/B00KRGWI3Y

Website:
http://marycrawfordauthor.com

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/authormarycrawford/
 
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/MaryCrawfordAuthor
 
 
The first book of the Hidden Beauty series is free:

https://www.amazon.com/Until-Stars-Hidden-Beauty-Novel-ebook/dp/B00UPEUXBM
​

2nd series. Hidden Hearts
​

First book in this series is also free:
 
https://www.amazon.com/Identity-Heart-Hidden-Hearts-Novel-ebook/dp/B012JXZS20
​

​Genre: YA Fantasy
 
Blurb:

Siblings Aliedori and Maldar, heirs to the throne of the Southern Realm are attacked by an unseen assailant while camping in The Sacred Forest. Aliedori's brother Maldar and his golden dragon, Keidrop, are trapped by a powerful binding spell; a spell that leaves Aliedori strangely unaffected. In an attempt to track down their unseen attacker Aliedori uses her natural gifts and casts a "Seeker" charm enabling her to pursue a chase to a shadowy figure through the dark woods until he mysteriously disappears without a trace...and the adventure begins!

As the trio sets off in the direction the mysterious figure disappeared they encounter mysterious creatures formed from dark magic, a mage powerful enough to incapacitate dragons and other threats only ever spoken of by the Chronicler.
​
As they journey East more of the Chronicler's prediction come true, Aliedori's destiny lay ahead along with ... the battle for the four realms!

​Excerpt:
 
Traders had secured their wares for the night to begin trading again in the morning. There was so much to do before his coming of age... the young man’s thought process was interrupted as his attention was caught by an approaching figure. Aliedori was sure that the thought about coming of age was to hide the original thought process. He tried to hide it, but the pleasure that the germ of a thought had started remained with the young man. The thought filled him with a secret sense of well being as he watched the figure. Aliedori smiled as she recognised so well the approaching man. Her grin spread as she recalled the times when she and Maldar were small and their mother had often told them stories about this figure. One such story that her mother often told was of sneaking out at night to do the rounds with one of the local dousers. The douser approached the young man, his job momentarily forgotten. He inclined his head, palms together as a sign of greeting. The young man brought his palms together and inclined his head also, a deeper bow as a sign of respect to his elder. The douser had been doing the job for a very long time; he knew the young man and his family of drac breeders.

“The hour is late Sorin, even you should be weary of being found out after lights are extinguished.” The young man smiled up at the douser and leant back resting his elbows on the stone steps behind, throwing his head back to look at the night sky. He appeared relaxed, but his casual stance hit an expectant tension.

He brought his head forward and caught the eyes of the douser. The hood of the grey cape the douser wore was hiding his face so the only things visible were lines and shadows. But Sorin fancied that he had caught the douser’s eyes and smiled in a lazy manner.
“I fancy a moonlight walk and who better to do that with but my good friend the douser,” Sorin mused.

The douser said nothing for a while, as if he was thinking over the offer, and when he spoke, his voice was full of unexpected merriment.

“Walk with me, then we shall tackle the hunter’s moon together and we will hunt after dark.”
Sorin sighed and treated himself to the glorious view of the silver moon as he stood up reluctantly. He didn’t really want company but once the lights were extinguished only fools and thieves chose to walk the streets alone.

“If you have another of those, our moonlight stroll will merely be seen as work and no one will know differently.”

He winked at the douser and chuckled at his own small joke, accepting the douser he was offered by the master of illumination. The lights of the six lamps in the square were quickly put out rendering almost total darkness. Sorin waits for his eyes to adjust to the darkness the lights at the other end of the market place suddenly seemed very far away.

There were many bandits in the settlements and they had been known to cut a man’s throat the instant the lights were extinguished. Sorin swallowed because, despite his bravado, he was a little afraid.

Aliedori felt Sorin’s fear, palpable, unknown, faceless and nameless but nevertheless very real fear. Sorin was experiencing a mixture of joy and fear, deep bright colours and dull grey hues tumbled through his emotions in equal measure, Aliedori had no trouble recognising these emotions; it felt as if Sorin had discovered something new and tantalizing. The discovery brought joy and fear in equal measure, both emotions vying to be the dominant one. Suddenly Sorin stopped. He had been looking at the moon and smiling to himself, thinking that it appeared to be so close. He could almost reach out and touch it and he was about to stretch out his hand when he froze. Sorin didn’t move until douser grabbed him and pulled him forward, almost off his feet. The douser had removed his hood, and Sorin was looking into the calm face of an olive-skinned man. Soft brown eyes showed slight concern for the young man. Sorin moved quickly, he was a fool to have stayed out so late, but he had become lost in his own thoughts of the upcoming ceremony, and he had not noticed the dark creeping in. What kind of man would he make if he were frightened of the dark?

He had been born close to the settlement by the wall and had spent almost his entire life there. Everything he knew about the Realms he had learnt whilst there, and yet... and yet. Aliedori wanted to find out more, but the young man’s thoughts were now unclear, jumbled and full of imagined and unimaginable fears. Aliedori caught small glimpses of features but somehow she felt that this was more about what Sorin had imagined rather than what he had seen. Aliedori wondered if she should probe Sorin’s mind to find out more, but she knew that she had no right to any of his thoughts. They were his thoughts and fears, and she had no right to any of them, not without his permission anyway. She could not find a justifiable reason to search his mind, so she concentrated on what she was there for. She had simply wanted to use his eyes to gather information on the city outside the wall.

When she had cast her mind out she hadn’t expected to find settlers, nor did she expect to enter his mind so easily and freely; it was strange, but she would have to think about that one later as well. The douser and Sorin had reached the last lamps on the Square and before he put them out douser drew out a torch, held it against a lamp, and lit it. With the lamps out, the entire square was plunged into total darkness. The market was for day traders and there were no residents about. Once trading for the day was over there was no need for illumination and the small market was plunged into darkness.

Sorin was out with an old man whose only experience of the world was to bring illumination to others. The younger man turned and looked behind him, he was sure he had heard something out there in the darkness, something large and unfathomable. He felt something touch him and almost cried out until he realised that it was douser’s hand on his arm.

“I find it is always best to look forward, sire, head up, shoulders back... best way, sire,” he said. “We will walk to your dwelling.”

“And you?” Sorin enquired.

“Don’t you worry about me young sire, I have been walking these paths before you were born. Besides I am not a wealthy man, I have nothing of worth. Bandits want gold coins, and I have none, I am simply not worth the effort.”

The douser was lost in thought for a moment, perhaps thinking of his coinless life, or perhaps the welcoming sign of a tavern. Sorin handed the dousing implement back so that he could draw his sword. He did not believe that his sword would be of any use, or that he would get the chance to use it if something was there in the darkness. He was a good a swordsman and liked to think he was getting better, but he was always a disappointment to his trainer, the master swordsman. It was a comfort to feel the weight of the sword in his hand, though, and what a triumph it would be to single-handedly take down some of the settlement’s bandits. Sorin and the douser moved forward together as one, and Sorin noticed that the douser also had a large club in his hand. Perhaps not single-handedly then... the thought began.
​
Then there was nothing, Aliedori could no longer sense him, Sorin was gone. He had disappeared into the darkness, the connection was severed so suddenly that when Aliedori found herself staring at the distant moon she did not realise for some time that it was through the window of the hut. She pulled herself up from her comfortable position and tried again to re-establish a link. But nothing. Sorin was gone. Aliedori continued to search for Sorin but was unable to find him again. Now she knew where to look she would continue with her search.

Where you can buy the novel:
Paperback -  https://www.amazon.com/Battle-Four-Realms-Dragon-Bone/dp/1944653074
Digital - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-battle-for-the-four-realms-johnson-aldrea/1126400930
Kobo -  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-battle-for-the-four-realms

​Bio:
 
I was brought up on stories, tales of adventures of far off places, of princesses in peril and their princes rescuing them, they filled my head and sparked my imagination from an early age. I have very fond memories of “Lloyd Brown or “Lloydy” as he was known to us children, telling the most wonderful stories. The only time he didn’t stutter was when he was telling stories, I would travel with him to those far off places from the Grimm fairy tales and just around the corner of the “Anansi” stories of Jamaican fables, these were amongst my favourites. By the time I had to swap the Jamaican sun shine for the winter “watery” sun of England at the age of almost eleven years old. My head was already crammed full of stories to accompany me on my very own adventure to far off England.

I may have spent my formative years in the Jamaican country side the wild green woods and perfectly clear rivers but I grew up in London. Long winter days and darkened evenings would find me with my head in a book, the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Arabian Nights and closer to home Enid Blyton’s Famous Five were later replaced but not forgotten by Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast, Sterling E Lanier’s Hiero’s Journey.

I was a shy introverted child but while at school I was regarded as one of the “cool” kids I was a real Jamaican with the accent to prove it.  Libraries became my playground, they helped to fuel my imagination where adventure after adventure played out again and again in my head.  I could be anywhere, any place, anytime from my little corner of the local library, I lived in my head my stories gave me  a sense of belonging, they sustained me  and now somehow one of my adventures found its way onto the page and is about the be shared with others.

Find Aldrea Johnson on Social Media:
 
https://www.facebook.com/Battle4the4Realms/
 
https://twitter.com/FourRealms
 
https://fourrealm.wordpress.com/
 
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/

​

Genre: Science fiction thrilling adventure 
 
Book Description

The Blackstar Gambit, book 7 in the thrilling Col Sec series will see Kurt Stryder and Zara Hardy face their most challenging threat to date as they are faced with choices that place millions of lives in the balance. From one side of the galaxy to the other they race to find the truth behind an ancient cult that has spawned an evil so deadly it threatens to destroy the entire Confederation starting with planet Earth. Kurt and Zara learn that the good guys don’t always win and that bad things do happen as they stand by helplessly to watch the Blackstar Gambit play out. 
 
 



​
 
 
 
Excerpt
 
“What have you got for me?” the stocky man asked as he entered the room.
It was a small room, an office really, with a desk at one end behind which the other occupant sat. On the desk was a monitor screen, which held an image frozen in time.
The other occupant, a taller, thinner man pointed to the seat before him on the opposite side of the desk.
“Sit, if you will, and watch,” he offered.
The stocky man did as instructed, the man he had come to see knew he was not a man to trifle with and was aware he was more than a little afraid of him.
Goran Visjic, the stocky man, turned the screen fully so he could see it better.
Thomas Patten sat back and watched as the image on the screen began to play. He had seen the footage several times but was still amazed by it.
The footage was of a fight that had been captured in a nightclub. Not just any fight, this was different, for it was between one man against three much larger men while another stood by watching. The fight didn’t last long, the larger men attacked and quickly overpowered the smaller one, as expected, but then the situation changed and the smaller one took charge. In a display of savage, raw strength, he took the three men out as fast as the eye could see. The most remarkable aspect of the fight though, was something that had only been picked up briefly by whoever took the footage. They clearly did not know what they had witnessed but Patten most certainly did. He had the footage cleaned up and enhanced so that when the final version was shown him his heart almost stopped with excitement. This was what his visitor was now seeing.
The image clearly showed the person who had been attacked in close up just as he reared up from the floor after being pummelled there by the three larger men. The image zoomed in on his face and the cuts and scratches from the earlier skirmish miraculously healed as the footage unfolded. Before the man had flattened the other three, his face was as good as new, it had completely regenerated new skin over the damaged tissue.
“What’s this? Are you trying to pull something over on me here?” Visjic snarled, his lip curling up.
“What you see is actual footage of an incident that was witnessed by clientele of a nightclub. Someone watching this fight thought I would be interested so I acquired it from them,” Patten stated, a smile crossing his thin lips.
“This can be verified?” Visjic asked.
“It can, I have located the person in question and everything is in place for the next phase.”
“What are you offering?”
“I propose to obtain a viable sample of his DNA from which we will extract the means of duplicating this amazing ability.”
Visjic looked at Patten, his eyes narrowing as he contemplated his next move and what it would cost. The super soldier syndrome was the Holy Grail for every military in the galaxy. If Patten had it, he could name his price from anyone. He had to lock this down to him and him alone.
“Is this offer open to me alone?” he asked.
“If you meet my price, if not it might well become an auction.”
“You do not want to make an enemy of me, that would be most unwise,” Visjic threatened.
“You are in no position to make threats Visjic,” Patten said sounding much braver than he felt.
“And you have not even verified this serum yet either. When you have a sample let me know your price and we will negotiate further,” Visjic goaded, sensing the man was not as confident as he sounded.
“I’m sorry, did I say this was open to negotiation, no I did not. You will meet my price or I will go elsewhere. Do you really want your competitors to have this, think of the lives lost if they do?”
Visjic was furious but he knew what Patten said was true. He was entirely at this man’s mercy for the moment, which was something he could not allow to continue. For now though he would have to admit defeat. The battle was not lost, just postponed.
He rose from his seat, took a calming breath and said, “You have three days. If you fail then I’ll go after this myself.”
With a scowl, he turned and left the room.
Patten sat back and relaxed.
Visjic was someone he should not antagonise, for he had a way of exacting revenge for the smallest of slights and he had just been dealt a huge one. Still, if he pulled this off, Visjic would be more than pleased and he would be off his back for good. He was not too happy about the time constraints he had given him but he was sure he could deliver.
He reached forward and turned the monitor towards him. He watched the footage one last time stopping it at a close-up of the man in question.
He looked at the blond hair, the chiselled cheekbones and the cobalt blue eyes that shone with an intense vibrancy he envied.
“Okay, Kurt Stryder, let’s see what you’re made of,” he said at the screen.

​Where to buy the book
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Blackstar-Gambit-Jan-D…/…/ref=sr_1_1…
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-blackstar-g…/1123886733…
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-blackstar-gambit-2
iBooks: https://itun.es/us/ki_Kjb.l
 
 
About the Author
 
I was born in Staffordshire to a working-class family, my father worked down the local mines whilst my mother worked in one of the local Pottery manufacturing factories.
At school, I discovered the joys of reading. I was a big fan of sci fi books but I would read almost anything I could get my hands on. My mother took me to join the local library as soon as I could read and from that day on, if it had words on it, I’d read it.
In the early 70’s there wasn’t much choice where I worked so I ended up in an apprenticeship in screen printing for the ceramic industry. 
I’m still in the same trade after a forty -year career but my passion is and has always been writing. After several abortive attempts, I started the Col Sec series around seven years ago, it’s an action adventure series set in the twenty fifth century.

Books by Jan
 
Books in this Col Sec series
Ronin
Omega
Discovery
Retribution
Extinction
Resurrection
The Blackstar Gambit.
And many more to come…



How to find Jan Domagala
 
Amazon page - https://www.amazon.com/Jan-Domagala/e/B004F6BRNO
Col Sec series book page - https://www.facebook.com/ColSecSeriesByJanDomagala/
Col Sec fan group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/752844848143378/
Website - https://jandomagala.wordpress.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/JDDoubleTrouble
​

​Book Release Virtual Party.
 
Come and celebrate with Jan and a host of special guests on FaceBook 19th May from 12.00 through to 21.00 EST.
 
Don’t forget to enter the prize draw for a chance to win a signed paperback of BlackStar Gambit and 8 amazing ebooks of scifi and fantasy. 

​The Party is free to attend and you can pop in and out throughout the day. As well as the usual fun and games and contests, there will also be characters from authors’ books popping in to say hello, so don’t miss it.
 
https://www.facebook.com/events/208797802969281
 
Plus in celebration of Jan’s new release he has dropped the price for book one and two of the Col Sec series, down to 0.99.

Book one RONIN
https://www.amazon.com/Ronin-Col-Sec-Book-1-ebook/dp/B004HO5X1Q
 
Book two OMEGA
https://www.amazon.com/Omega-Col-Sec-Book-2-ebook/dp/B007MPPHE0
​

​If you’re here in New Orleans for Mardi Gras, welcome to our fabulous city. We are happy to have you, and we hope you will enjoy your stay with us. If you were not able to join us this year, we hope you will in the future.



What is Carnival/Mardi Gras?

With both Pagan and Christian roots, Mardi Gras is the last day to party before beginning the Catholic Lenten season. The Carnival season begins on January 6, the Twelfth Night after Christmas; the Catholic feast of the Epiphany. The festivities end at midnight on Fat Tuesday. Mardi Gras is always the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. The carnival season can be long or short. 


What are the origins of Mardi Gras?

Mardi Gras originated in medieval Europe. It was established in New Orleans in 1718 by Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville.


King Cake

A pastry that resembles coffee cake that contains a plastic doll called a “king cake baby.” The person who gets the slice with the baby must buy the next king cake or host the next king cake party. King cake season begins on January 6 and ends on Fat Tuesday.


Krewe

The name for carnival organizations.


Throws

Beads, cups, doubloons, and trinkets tossed from the floats.


Doubloon

A metal or wooden coin with the krewe’s logo on one side and the parade’s theme on the other.


Neutral Ground

The terrain in the middle of a divided street known as a median everywhere else. There’s a history behind that. In the old days, the French and the Spanish didn’t get along, but they had to do business with one another, so they created a section in the middle of the street designated as the neutral ground where they handled business. Apparently, it stuck because nobody uses the word median in New Orleans. It’s simply called the neutral ground. Parades are viewed on St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street from either the street side or the neutral ground side.


Show me your tits

No, just don’t. This may happen on the balconies on Bourbon Street. The quarter is adult oriented where you will find risque costumes and flashing for beads during Mardi Gras. While the Vieux Carre has its share of debauchery, outside of the French Quarter, Mardi Gras is a family event. The parades are family oriented, and it would be inappropriate, and illegal, to expose body parts along the parade routes where there are families and children.


Can I go to a Carnival Ball?

Not unless you know one of the Krewe members. Carnival Balls are formal events, and admission is by invitation only.


Should I wear a mask?

It’s cool to wear a mask on Mardi Gras Day. Float riders are required to wear masks at all times, but Fat Tuesday is the only day masking is allowed by the general public from dawn to dusk.


What are the colors of Mardi Gras?
The colors of Mardi Gras are purple (justice), green (faith), and gold (power).


Is it true it’s legal to drink alcohol outdoors?

Yes, as long as it’s in a plastic cup or container. No glass bottles or containers are allowed. If you leave a bar, you can take your beverage with you. Just pour it into a “go-cup” first. All bars and restaurants have them.


Mardi Gras is a fun time and the temptation to imbibe is everywhere. If you have a tad bit too much, please don't be tempted to drive. You don't want to ruin your vacation by spending time in the New Orleans jail. Use Uber or take a cab.

​Use good common sense. Have fun. Enjoy all that New Orleans has to offer. It has been said; New Orleans is a city with many faces, but only one soul. It’s mystery and ambiance will seduce you, and once you surrender, it will never let go. By the time you get home, you will be planning your next trip. When you leave New Orleans, a piece of it goes with you, and that will always bring you back. 

We look forward to seeing you again on your next trip.

Laissez Le Bon Temps Rouler

 Running on Empty, Book 2 of the Fleur de Lis Series, by A. L. Vincent released today. I'm adding this one to my TBR list. Here's a little about the book:

As a singer in a popular band, Grace Delchamp lives for the spotlight…

Her music and motorcycle are all she needs while doing what she loves most—performing. Her only problem is guitarist Brent Mouton, who can’t take no for an answer. After Grace rejects him one too many times, her life changes for the worse when she wakes up next to Brent with no memory of what happened the night before. 

When everything is taken away from you in the blink of an eye, all you can do is start over…

Broken, Grace leaves her life in the spotlight behind and heads back home to Bon Chance, Louisiana. Deciding to dust off her degree and accept a job as a substitute teacher, Grace finds herself bonding with a group of rebellious and unruly students. What she didn’t count on, however, was running into her old high school friend, Gabriel Angelle.

​
When life gives you a second chance, you need to be strong enough to grab it…

Gabriel has always been crazy about Grace, yet the fear of losing her friendship kept him from confessing his true feelings. Now, years later and with newfound confidence, he finally has the chance to go after what he has always wanted—her. After discovering the truth behind Grace’s panic attacks, Gabe is determined to do whatever it takes to help her recover.

Love can sometimes be found in the most unusual of places, but will Grace be brave enough to embrace it when she’s already running on empty…?

About the Author:

A.L. Vincent is a teacher/writer who lives in the heart of Cajun Country. Born in Oklahoma, Vincent became fascinated with South Louisiana after reading Interview With the Vampire. Finally, she became a Cajun transplant in 2001. When not getting lost in a story line, Vincent can be found cooking or enjoying live local music. She has one son, and a furball of a dog aptly named Furby.

​Buy Links:

Life in the War Zone by Paul White releases today. Here's a little about the book:

The modern day civilised world we know is little more than a fragile moment balancing on a knife-edge between the evils of avarice and the struggle for dominant authoritarian supremacy.

Caught in the maelstrom between the warring factions are the innocent lives of civilians and children, the unsuspecting conscripts and misguided volunteers on all sides.

Conditioned, indoctrinated and convinced by those who have only power and ultimate wealth to gain, are those whose personal stories are revealed within the pages of this book.

Life in the War Zone takes a serious, no holds barred look at the devastation and trauma of life in the battlefields of the Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia, Israel, Palestine, Libya, Lebanon and El Salvador.
​
This may well be the book they would rather you did not read.

Here's a preview:

About the Author:

Paul White is an author, blogger & poet. His writing covers various genres and topics, both fiction and non-fiction and encompass such areas as life, love, anger, anguish, fear, uncertainty, and loss. The common denominator in all of Paul’s works is that they feature the most important matter of all, the human condition.

As for Paul, himself... he has a warped sense of humour, loves good food, good wine and good company. He is an ardent independent traveller, nature lover and supporter of ecological and wildlife preservation.

You can find out more about Paul’s books, his current Works in Progress and Future Projects by visiting http://paulznewpostbox.wix.com/paul-white

You can read a selection of Paul’s short stories at https://alittlemorefiction.wordpress.com
​
Or, for articles on writing and a writer’s life, go to
https://wordpress.com/stats/ramblingsfromawritersmind.wordpress.com

Buy Links:

Ebook purchases - PayPal only. Direct from the author via his website, in the format of your choice (AZW3/Mobi/epub etc.) http://paulznewpostbox.wixsite.com/paul-white 
OR by email paulznewpostbox@gmail.com