When
you live in a world pullulating with gods, can you truly be an atheist? Well,
yes…if you know a way to get rid them.
BLURB
Mysantheos, a fanatic atheist at the head of
a powerful lobby/terrorist organization, has created a weapon able to kill
gods. All he needs is a disruptive figurehead to attract the masses. Goblin,
who has just tried to supplant Queen Louhi as CEO of Gods Incorporated, has been
deemed the right kind of unworthy. Mysantheos breaks him out of the Queen’s
prison and the godslaughter begins.
As the divine bodies pile up, panicked gods
blame the CEO Queen for Goblin’s escape. Resentment builds in the company and
violent factions start pushing for the extermination of the human race. Will
Queen Louhi’s Nerd Squad, a group of angry gods, and Richard (a
down-on-his-luck private eye), manage to
find Mysantheos in time to prevent what promises to be the bloodiest conflict
between men and god ever?
Gabriele Russo, AKA Lucie-Gabrielle
Jolicoeur-Rousseau, was born in Quebec City amidst a family of book lovers –
her father had dreamed of being a writer and both of her brothers are published
authors.
Since she earned her Bachelor’s in History,
it was no surprise (except to her) that she ended up working in restaurants,
eventually owning two, which almost drove her mad. She sold them and was nursed
back to pseudo-sanity by Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett.
That’s when she answered the family calling
and decided to write. Armed with her ideas for the Gods Inc. series she went
back to the University and got her Master’s in Creative Writing.
She now lives with her husband in Culpeper,
Virginia, where she divides her time between painting, ripping apart and
reconstructing her recently bought historical home, playing tennis and, of
course, writing more books.
With his family's talisman in his possession,
Kristan Gemeta is ready to face the Wichelord Daazna – but he has no inkling of
the scope of Daazna's power, nor the depths of his hatred.
With the recovery of his family's protective
talisman, Kristan Gemeta has found hope, courage – and perhaps even the first
stirrings of love. With the aid of
Heather Demitt, her band of rebels, a shipload of Northern brigands and the
legendary Kentavron, he readies himself to face the Wichelord Daazna. But neither he nor his comrades realize the
strength of Daazna's power and hatred.
The Wichelord's first blow comes from a direction Kristan least expects,
with horrific, lasting consequences. READ more of FISKUR (The Gemeta Stone, #2) . . .
Only the CIA knows the
truth, and all it would take for the president’s legacy to be tarnished forever
is for one agent involved to turn rogue and reveal everything . . .
In 2011, American Seal
Team Six killed Osama bin Laden in an ultra-secret CIA operation hailed as the
outgoing US president’s crowning achievement. Pakistan's chief investigator
into US Operation Neptune Spear concluded Bin Laden was betrayed by Al Qaeda
itself, fooling the CIA and gaining the US president’s bounty on their ailing
leader’s head: $25,000,000, which may have given birth to deadly ISIS.
Loner, Agent Ben
Markstein, betrayed and primed for retribution by his obsession with the
Pakistani beauty at the dark heart of HARD ACT, an unsanctioned covert black
operation planned by former US Senator Wendell Strachan to save the president
and regain the $25,000,000 held in a Liechtenstein bank account by Saudi Prince
Faisal bin Sharif, CEO of a billion-dollar Islamic charity trust and secret
terrorist money-launderer.
Markstein learns that
Serena Lashari, the beautiful, clever, successful Geneva-based fund-manager is
Prince Faisal’s lover and has the account codes. He acts ruthlessly,
manipulating Wendell Strachan and the black operation to win Serena and the
money for himself.
Against a background of
political conspiracy and escalating violence across Europe, culminating in
potential catastrophe at a nuclear-armed U.S.A.F air-base in England, Ben
Markstein plays HARD ACT’s ruthless game to win – even at the cost of the lives
of all who stand in his way.
HARD ACT is his most hard-hitting and timely thriller
to date.
“The most ingenious thriller I have read this
year.” – World best-selling writer Jack Higgins READ more HARD ACT . . .
Hercules, guardian of the Lemuria Zoo, has a
big problem: the Zoo’s divine animals have been going crazy. To make things
worse, Queen Louhi, the CEO of Gods Incorporated, has just arrived for her
yearly visit… with a new fiancé in tow (along with his yenta-minded grandfather
Jupiter). Of course, the fact that Hercules is desperately in love with her
doesn’t help his plight in any way whatsoever.
His attempt to cover up the situation quickly
blows up in his face and they finally realize the animals’ madness is caused by
artificial means. Cue in the bodiless god Mimir, who reveals that the real
target of the mind-altering poison is Yggdrasil, the World Tree. READ more INCOHERENT GODS (Gods Inc. Series, #3) . . .
In a dimension created by the ancient
gods, most are now stuck working at Gods Incorporated. CEO Queen Louhi Pohjola,
a mortal demigoddess turned vampire (on a diet), holds the planet in the palm
of her hand and while she cannot by any stretch of the imagination be called a
nice person, there’s worse lurking in her shadow.
Goblin, a bitter hybrid with childhood
issues and shape-shifting abilities, has a grudge against the world. First on
his to-do list is getting rid of the Queen and take her place by forcing the
titan Ba’al to devour her.
As her friends and allies fall
one-by-one into Goblin’s traps, the Queen’s fate seems inevitable. With no one
left to fight, will Ba’al’s friends, a bunch of over-the-hill incompetent gods,
be enough to stop Goblin from turning the world into hell?
Gabriele Russo, AKA Lucie-Gabrielle
Jolicoeur-Rousseau, was born in Quebec City amidst a family of book lovers –
her father had dreamed of being a writer and both of her brothers are published
authors.
Since she earned her Bachelor’s in
History, it was no surprise (except to her) that she ended up working in
restaurants, eventually owning two, which almost drove her mad. She sold them
and was nursed back to pseudo-sanity by Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett.
That’s when she answered the family
calling and decided to write. Armed with her ideas for the Gods Inc. series she
went back to the University and got her Master’s in Creative Writing.
She now lives with her husband in
Culpeper, Virginia, where she divides her time between painting, ripping apart
and reconstructing her recently bought historical home, playing tennis and, of
course, writing more books.
The human race has been divided. The
chosen few live in the safety of the domes, watching through their glass walls
as those left on the outside suffer and die. But desperation has brought
invention, and new drugs have given the outsiders the strength to roam the
poisoned night unafraid – but it comes at a price.
Seventeen-year-old Nola Kent has spent
her life in the domes, being trained to protect her little piece of the world
that has been chosen to survive. The mission of the domes is to preserve the
human race, not to help the sick and starving. But when outsider Kieran Wynne
begs for Nola’s help in saving an innocent life, she is drawn into a world of
darkness and danger. The suffering on the other side of the glass is beyond
anything Nola had imagined, and turning her back on the outside world to return
to the safety of the domes may be more than she can stand. Even when her home
is threatened by the very people Nola wants to help.
How would you describe youR style of writing
to someone that has never read your work?
I’m not
sure if this is going to sound wrong, but conversational. By that I don’t mean that multisyllabic words
aren’t allowed. I mean that everything, even action sequences and descriptors, is
meant to sound like a person is speaking. I read every manuscript I write out
loud multiple times to make sure that the words all flow together in a way that
sounds natural.
What mindset or routine do you feel the need
to set when preparing to write (in general whether you are working on a project
or just free writing)?
I don’t
really have a set routine. I’m a stage actor by trade, and I move across the
country for shows at least a few times a year, and in cast housing I have new
roommates all the time. Ideally, I want to wake up in the morning, find a nice
quiet place and spend two hours writing. In reality, quiet is a rarity,
solitude never happens, and the only writing constant I have is my wonderful
husband bringing coffee. I’ve written on tour busses, fancy patios, and
backstage at shows. It’s a crazy life, and I take what time I can get!
Do you take your character prep to heart? Do
you nurture the growth of each character all the way through to the page? Do
you people watch to help with development? Or do you build upon your character
during story creation?
I do
take character prep to heart. I want to know what their goals are, where their
hearts lies, and what they would be most terrified to lose. From there I let
them grow as the story progresses. But those three things always stay with
them, unless something deliberately massive changes.
Have you found yourself bonding with any
particular character? If so which one(s)?
I love
Nola Kent. I love her meekness and her strength. I know it sounds
contradictory, but it’s what I admire about her. She is a quiet person, not one
to seem the type for extraordinary bravery. But if people she cares about need
her, she’ll do everything possible to protect them. From her aptitude in STEM
fields to her claustrophobia, I’ve really enjoyed my time with Nola.
Do you have a character that you have
been working on that you can't wait to put to paper?
Always!
Right now I’m working on the start of a new series, and there is a terrifying
character I can’t wait to work on!
Have you ever felt that there was something
inside of you that you couldn't control? If so what? If no what spurs you to
reach for the unexperienced?
I think
most writers probably feel like that. If the story isn’t burning to come out,
is there really a need to write it? For me it’s usually a scene I really want
to put down. It’s a snappy line of dialogue or the perfect moment for a first
kiss. And if you think of the grand scale of the world, the amount that each of
us has experienced is really relatively small. You’re going to have to write
about things you’ve never done; that’s what research, interviews, and
imagination are for.
Author
Info
Megan O’Russell is the author of the
young adult fantasy series The Tethering, and Nuttycracker Sweet, a Christmas
novella. Megan’s short stories can also be found in several anthologies,
including Athena’s Daughters 2, featuring women in speculative fiction.
Megan is a professional performer who
has spent time on stages across the country and is the lyrist for Second
Chances: The Thrift Shop Musical, which received it’s world premiere in 2015.
When not on stage or behind a computer, Megan can usually be found playing her
ukulele or climbing a mountain with her fantastic husband.
Disgraced during the Demon War, Dwarf
investigator Snazdaggin Kundarik (Spade to his friends) wants nothing more than
a desk to sleep on, a bottle of grog to drink, and the occasional easy case for
quick pay.
Then a mysterious female Elf from the posh
side of town shows up and offers him exoneration for his past sins and lots of
gold. All he has to do is follow her brother and report his activities. Simple,
right?
He should have known better. The simple job
soon spirals out of control. Spade finds himself sucked into intrigue, powerful
magic, and the hunt for a weapon powerful enough to end the world.
Ill-prepared, Spade forges on with the aid of his hapless sidekick and a
reluctant female warrior.
Will he survive long enough to save the world
and get his grog?
How would you describe youR style of writing
to someone that has never read your work?
Man,
that’s a tough one. Depends on which book you pick up, I guess. In The Malaise Falchion I’m deliberately
trying to mimic the noir style of Raymond Chandler or Mickey Spillane, albeit
in a more comedic way. With A Whisper of
Death, the style is Realistic Epic Fantasy, if such a thing is possible.
There’s magic and strange creatures, but the characters also face relatable
issues regarding their place in the world, insecurities about who they are, and
the adolescent awkwardness of romantic relationships.
What mindset or routine do you feel the need
to set when preparing to write (in general whether you are working on a project
or just free writing)?
Because
of the nature of my everyday work, which is in film and television production,
I’ve learned to be flexible in when and how I write. Which is to say, I write
when the opportunity presents itself, so I don’t have a routine. As long as I
have a notebook or iPad and a cup of coffee to hand, I can always scribble out
something.
Do you take your character prep to heart? Do
you nurture the growth of each character all the way through to the page? Do you
people watch to help with development? Or do you build upon your character
during story creation?
Before
I start a story, I’ll come up with a basic character history. At least enough
to establish personality and motivations. After that, I try to let the
character tell me more about themselves during the world creation and outlining
process, where such things as cultural and religious influence may come to
bear. Then I learn more about them as the story unfolds. That’s going to change
a bit with my next project, which is an attempt to do a TV series. Writing the
story bible for such an undertaking will require a much more in-depth breakdown
of character. Should be an interesting experiment.
Have you found yourself bonding with any
particular character? If so which one(s)?
I have
certainly bonded with Erick and Blink from The Necromancer Saga, since they are
really two halves of my personality, although both are much braver than I would
probably ever be. Characters are much like your children, though. You love them
each for different reasons. Even the bad ones you can’t help but feel a certain
affinity for.
Do you have a character that you have been
working on that you can’t wait to put to paper?
I tend
to work story or world concept first and then characters come about based on
the concept. Having said that, I have started jotting down notes about two
characters who were inspired by an illustration I received as part of a
GoFundMe campaign. So it will be fun to see what sort of journey they take me
on and what sort of world forms up around them. Of course, I have to get book
two of The Necromancer Saga out the door first.
Have you ever felt that there was something
inside of you that you couldn't control? If so what? If no what spurs you to
reach for the unexperienced?
About
the only impulse control problem I have is when it comes to sweets. Overall,
I’m a pretty disciplined guy, but when it comes to sugary snacks, especially
desserts, it’s very difficult for me to say no. This is problematic on film
sets, where meals are provided and always include desserts. I mean really, how
can you say no to free banana pudding or ice cream? And then there’s the craft
service table, which almost always has cookies or pastries of some sort. It’s a
battle every day.
Author
Info
Paul has lived a varied life full of
excitement and adventure. Not really, but it sounds good as an opening line.
Paul’s multiple careers have included: rock
and roll roadie, children’s theater stage manager, television camera operator,
mortgage banker, and support specialist for Microsoft Excel.
This eclectic mix prepared him to go into his
true love: motion picture production. He has produced two motion pictures and
two documentaries: His film Night Feeders released on DVD in 2007, and Cold
Storage was released by Lionsgate in 2010
Amidst all this, Paul has worked on his
writing, starting with his first short story, about Ziggy Stardust and the
Spiders from Mars, at age 8. Paul has written and produced numerous commercial
and industrial video scripts in his tenure with his forcreative agency,
Indievision. He has two published short stories (As You Sow and Double Cross)
and one self-published novel (Godchild). He lives with his filmmaker/graphic
artist partner and their three cats.
Pointe shoes, tutus, and a snowy road trip
with the man she hates. What could possibly go wrong?
The plan was simple. Get to Portland, dance
The Nutcracker, and don’t murder your dance partner. And most definitely, do
not, under any circumstances, fall in love with him.
A snowy road trip strands Elle Grant in a
tiny cabin better suited for serial killings than rehearsals for two
professional ballet dancers. With no one but the incredibly talented,
excruciatingly handsome, and notoriously terrible Zachary Benson and a few
taxidermy woodland creatures for company, Elle’s Christmas plans are officially
ruined. Can she and Zach learn to like each other enough to dance together? And
can Elle get home without losing her heart to the Christmas Cavalier?
I’ve been an elf, a
tap dancing reindeer, a teddy bear, a showgirl, the Virgin Mary, and Mrs.
Cratchit. All for the joy of Christmas onstage.
I’ve spent my entire
life onstage. Not like every moment of every day, but it’s how I spent all my
free time as a child and how I’ve made my living as an adult. The stage is my
home, the lights are my sunshine, and the cast is my family, even if only for
the run of the show.
Life under the stage
lights is glamorous but hard. And it gets hardest around the holidays.
Just like retail
workers and plenty of other professions, the holiday season is crunch time for
performers. I’ve performed on Thanksgiving for I don’t remember how many years,
and on Christmas Day for five out of the past nine years, and always far away
from home. Don’t get me wrong. I love it. I spend my Christmas Day performing
for either people who have nowhere else to go or who have theatre for Christmas
ingrained in their holiday traditions. (Thanks for keeping me employed,
theatregoers!)
But when you go to
the Nutcracker and see a performer from New York City that is there to lead the
local ballet company, that means that performer packed up her life, braved the
elements, and is trusting in the world that the show will turn out well. That
her dance partner won’t be a terrible human, and that when it’s all over the
paycheck will clear. It’s a life of tiny Christmas trees in hotel rooms, hoping
you get to see your family before New Year’s, and finding someone nearby to
make your Christmas merry and bright. No one wants to be alone for the
holidays, even those of us who live our lives with dance shoes and glitter.
And that is where the
holiday showmance comes into the picture.
In case you’ve never
heard the term “showmance,” it’s a romance that happens during the run of a
show. You’re away from home, living and working with the same people, in a
profession where you are meant to touch your co-workers, and emotions are bared
under the spotlights. It happens all the time. Two people come into a show,
play love interests, get close in cast housing, and fall madly in love.
Sometimes they end up
married. Sometime there’s drinking and sobbing when they break up on closing
night. Sometimes the rest of the cast takes bets to see which way a showmance
will go.
But add in the
romance of the holidays—fireplaces, snow, and warm fuzzy feelings—toss in a
dash of the normal human desire to be with those you care for the most for
Christmas, and you just might have the makings of a Christmas romance. Or
devastating heartbreak.
From tap dancing
soldiers to beautiful Christmas ballerinas, whomever you watch on stage this
Christmas just remember they are far from home for the holidays so they can
bring joy to their audiences. But don’t worry. It is, in fact, a glamourous
life, and while the stage lights bring warmth and beauty to the show, they can
also bring a little holiday romance along with them.
Author Info
Megan O’Russell is the author of the young
adult fantasy series The Tethering, and Nuttycracker Sweet, a Christmas
novella. Megan’s short stories can also be found in several anthologies,
including Athena’s Daughters 2, featuring women in speculative fiction. Megan
is a professional performer who has spent time on stages across the country and
is the lyrist for Second Chances: The Thrift Shop Musical, which received it’s
world premier in 2015. When not on stage or behind a computer, Megan can
usually be found playing her ukulele or climbing a mountain with her fantastic
husband.
Actor and bartender, Tyler West
experiences a sudden streak of luck -- winning poker games. Determined to
change his life, he enters the World Series of Poker. His life is suddenly
turned upside down when the Russian mafia fronts him 1.5 million dollars to
play at the tables. And then...he loses…
Now on the ride of his life, deceit
and deception are his key to uncovering the truth. He must recoup the money,
but will it come at a price? Can he stay alive long enough or will his time run
out?
How would you describe you style of writing
to someone that has never read your work?
I’m hoping that my style is simplistic,
easy to read, and economic. I like the
way Robert Parker wrote. Economically. He
always said he didn’t waste too much time with language, and quoted Harold
Pinter as the great compressionist. I
also write about the people I’ve met, the things I’ve experienced. I’m a forensic psychologist, so the people I
interview have quirky and unusual ways of thinking. When I was doing comedy, the idea was to turn
simple things into crazy, out of whack things that would make people sit up and
go, “whoa, I didn’t see that coming.”
I try to say a lot with the fewest
words I can. And likeJohn Irving, someone who’s work I love, I do write the
last chapter first so that I can see where I’m going. I also have recently started writing the most
pivotal scene that will be in the book, first so that I can visually see the
“arc” of the character, how he or she changes and what makes him or her change.
I construct a careful
outline of the story, chapter by chapter, and see everything. When you do that,
you see the “inciting incident” and you see how someone’s backstory will
influence how he or she reacts to the current situation. An outline forces you to flesh out the whole
story. So that's the way I write.
The character always
comes first with me, even though I have a good idea of what the plot will
be. I have to know someone and really
understand what would turn their life upside-down, and then construct a plot
that will turn their lives upside-down.
Once I know that, I know I’ve got a great hook that can really grab the
reader.
What mindset or routine do you feel the need
to set when preparing to write (in general whether you are working on a project
or just free writing)?
I write
every day, 7 days a week. I get lazy
like right now. I’m in the midst of
finishing the second book in the Counterfeit series and I’m trying to get
through the middle of it. For some
reason, I want more to happen. I usually
get up at 8:30 in the morning, have breakfast with my husband and then write
for the entire morning. I’ll have lunch
with him and then go to the show. I get
enthused by reading something I love like Mikey Spillane. His language and plots and character foibles
can really get me going.
Do you take your character prep to heart? Do
you nurture the growth of each character all the way through to the page? Do
you people watch to help with development? Or do you build upon your character
during story creation?
I have already “People-watched” in
order to get the backstory of my character and I most certainly take him or her
to heart. The character usually grows
due to the circumstances of my plot and will build on his or her own sense of
self-worth and empowerment.
Have you found yourself bonding with any
particular character? If so which one(s)?
I’m not that old, but from the time I
was an actress in the middle 70s, I liked a character I called, “Mrs.
Heffleby.” She was a crusty old woman
(at least 50 years older than I was at that time) and I remember my acting
coach, Jack Garfein, telling me to work on that character. I think she shows up in some guise or other
in every piece I write. She’s always “the Greek chorus” commenting on what’s
going on and how it’s disturbing her peace, busting her serenity. I just love that character. In HOT SHOT, my newest comedy/mystery, she’s
a madam.
Do you have a character that you have been
working on that you can't wait to put to paper?
I pretty much get them on paper. But I
would love to put someone like a Sally Ride, the late astronaut into a book
about perseverance, love, commitment and self-reliance. I’d love to put her in a situation where she
connected to the simple-minded man and worked through a really difficult time
with him. When the guy finds out who she
is, he feels blessed and special.
Have you ever felt that there was something
inside of you that you couldn't control? If so what? If no what spurs you to
reach for the unexperienced?
I have terrible ADHD. I have very little ability to delay
gratification and that causes terrible havoc with me. When I studied with famed coach, Stella Adler,
she told me it would take me longer to accomplish what I wanted because I had
no patience. She was right about that,
but I did persevere.
Author
Info
Stefanie Stolinsky, Ph.D. is a
licensed psychologist and forensic psychologist with a private practice in
Beverly Hills, California. She
specializes in trauma, adults
sexually, physically and emotionally abused as children, and PTSD. She is an
international speaker and has taught training seminars in overcoming the
aftereffects of child abuse. She has also taught licensing examinations to
candidates for both marriage, family and child counseling and for the
psychology licenses.
She began her career as an actress in
motion pictures, television and stage and created a unique therapy combining
acting exercises with psychodynamic psychotherapy to help survivors of all
kinds of trauma overcome the aftereffects of abuse. The first edition of
"ACT IT OUT" was a top seller for over nine years. A second edition
of the popular book was launched in April of this year and is available on
Praeclarus Press, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.
She is also the author of several
award-winning short stories including her newest short story anthology, DATE
NIGHT, and numerous comedy mystery. Dr. Stolinsky lives with her husband in Los
Angeles.
