Meet BK IRISH and his character from HOOD: PART 1

Meet BK IRISH  and his character from HOOD: PART 1

Hello BK, and thanks for stopping by.  I hear you're working on your first novel.  Do you have a title for it yet?

The Book of Heroes Series: Hood: Part 1

OK, so let's get to your character.  Who are you?  What is your name? 

Robin Miller

Are you a fictional or historical character?

Fictional

What should we know about you?

I am an alien from the planet Flaskton. I have the abilities of shape shifting in any species, bulletproof and I run faster than 3 cheetahs combined. I’m also a master in martial arts, sword fighting, and an expert Archer. My adopted family found me took me as a baby.

Tell us about your story:  When and where is your tale set? 

My tale is set in the Illinois/Missouri side and it is now during the present day.

What is your personal goal? I mean, what do you ultimately want?

I am searching to find what my destiny is in this world of being the hero everyone wants me to be.

What is standing in your way? What conflict(s) do you face?

Well I have to keep my identity a secret from the world but also I really don’t know who I am just yet. Also my lack of confidence and my love for the girl of my dreams, Alice.

How do I get a copy of your book? Is it available now or when can we except to see it released? 

This book should be released by September of this year.

Thanks again, for taking the time to visit with us.  You can connect with BK Irish at: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/robinhoodmiller

Facebook: Author’s Page- https://www.facebook.com/B.K.Irishbooks

Book’s Page- https://www.facebook.com/bookofheroeshood

Amazon Author Page: still in process

Meet Jeff Pages and PLIGHT OF THE TIVINEL

Meet Jeff Pages and PLIGHT OF THE TIVINEL

Hi Jeff, thanks for stopping by.  Please tell us about your latest release.  What is the story about?

This is the fifth book in the sci-fi/fantasy series I began a decade ago. A race of people, the Tivinel, one of the first sentient species in the known universe, were decimated in an apocalypse on their home world millions of years ago, with the survivors now scattered about the cosmos in secret enclaves. One of them, Tristan, has discovered a way to go back in time to prevent that from happening, but in restoring his people he’ll also wipe out all the other civilizations that later arose, including those on Earth.

Who is the main character?

Joel Morison, eighteen years old and newly-married, is the principal point-of-view character, although he doesn’t come into the story until the beginning of Part Two. Part One, set eighty years earlier, introduces several of the other characters, including Joel’s grandfather Cory, the ghost-like being Pedro and the conniving Jameed.

What inspired this tale?  How did the story come to you?

It began with a collection of loose ends from my previous novel, Cry of the Bunyips. Part One continues on directly from the epilogue of that book, laying the foundations for what is to follow. Part Two moves forward eighty years in a sins-of-the-grandparents scenario, with the protagonist Joel Morison coming to grips with the singleton trait he inherited from his grandfather, a trait he must use to save the universe from Tristan.

Did you have to research for this novel and if so, why?

Several chapters in Part Two are set in France as Joel and his wife begin walking the Paths of Saint James for their honeymoon. This was inspired by the book A Parallel Path, written by my Spanish friend Marco Peel who helped me with the setting and likely crunch point for these chapters.

With the space settings, I’ve tried to be as astronomically accurate as I can, aside from my fictitious subspace and the fractal crystals used to access it. The polarity of the crystals, though, is based on real-life optical isomers that I learnt about in first year chemistry at university.

Joel is also described as having Asperger’s syndrome, otherwise known as High Functioning Autism, and I read much of the on-line literature on this condition, particularly the writings of Dr Tony Attwood.

If you did research, what do you think surprised you most to learn and why?

In researching Joel’s Asperger’s syndrome, I came to suspect that I might also have that condition.

 Do you relate to your character?  Is your protagonist anything like you personally?

Yes, there’s a lot of me in Joel, or a lot of Joel in me, I’m not sure which.

If yes, then how?

His embarrassing naivety with social customs, ineptitude at sports, love of the outdoors, his fragility but grim determination (I get the latter from my father), his goofy sense of humor and his hatred of shoes.

What made you write this character; what made them important to you or made you want to tell their story?

Joel first appeared in my previous novel in the series, Cry of the Bunyips, initially just as one of the children taking part in a bushwalk where a hero character goes missing, but something seemed to click and before I knew it, he’d suddenly taken over the role of my principal point of view character, with the story following his trials and tribulations through to the end.

One of my goals in the new book was to go forward five years to Joel’s marriage and honeymoon walk across Europe where he becomes ensnared in Tristan’s plot. A lot of Joel’s innermost weaknesses and fears are exposed along the way, and although he ultimately triumphs in his own inept way, it takes a heavy toll on him.

Is there anything specific you want readers to know about this piece of work?

While the earlier books certainly set the stage and introduce many of the characters, this book should be readable as a stand-alone novel, with sufficient back-story revealed for it to hopefully make sense.

If there’s a theme to this story, it’s about fulfilling one’s destiny and doing what’s right rather than what’s easy, although the definition of right has a nasty habit of becoming more and more blurry the closer you look. Aside from that, it’s a rip-roaring adventure across space and time with twists and turns galore.

Now it's time to meet one of the characters from your story.  Who are you?  What is your name?

Joel Morison.

Are you a fictional or historical character?

Purely fictional, but I try not to let that bother me too much.

What should we know about you?

I’m eighteen years old, newly married and walking barefoot along the Paths of Saint James in France on my honeymoon with the absolutely awesome Loraine. Just before the wedding, my friend and mentor Peter Thorpe, who knew my grandfather at school and university, broke the news that I was a singlet, err, single-ton (I can’t even say it, let alone control it), meaning I can sometimes turn the flow of time back on itself, creating a short-lived alternative reality, what they call a time cusp. 

Tell us about your story: When and where is your tale set?

The year is 2071 and my part begins at my home in Coolum Beach, Queensland. After the wedding we fly to France for our honeymoon where we’re doing a pilgrimage along the Paths of Saint James to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, but things go wrong and I end up trapped three million light years away on the mining world of Ignus in the Triangulum galaxy.

What is your personal goal? I mean, what do you ultimately want?

All I want is to return home to my wife, preferably alive and still married to her, but as the story unfolds that seems more and more unlikely.

What is standing in your way? What conflict(s) do you face?

Tristan, the blonde-headed man who’d been stalking us since we arrived in France, is plotting to create the mother of all time cusps but needs my singlet, grr, singleton ability to succeed. First he tries to train me to control it by almost starving me to death, but I escape only to be enslaved on Ignus where a volcano-worshiping death cult is “recycling” people.

After turning the tables on them with help from a ghost, I instigate the greatest financial sting in the galaxy’s history but then have to drown myself to save the universe.

That’s only the curtain-raiser, though, for the real challenge lies in the distant past, where I have to change the future to stop the future being changed. No wonder I’m losing my mind! 

How do I get a copy of your book?  What is the title title for this piece?

Plight of the Tivinel

Is it available now or when can we except to see it released?

It’s available now through Zeus Publications and Amazon.  

Thank you for taking the time to visit with us.  You can connect with Jeff Pages at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeff.pages.96

Blog: http://plightofthetivinel.wordpress.com and the series’ website http://www.barefoottimes.net

DEAR MAUDE by Denise Liebig

DEAR MAUDE by Denise Liebig

Not able to afford college tuition, Emily Stanton accepted a full scholarship from Evergreen Research Corporation, with the understanding that, after right after graduation, she would have to spend the next four years working for them. Which didn't seem like such a bad idea, until she graduated. Now, the thought of spending fours years away from Mom and step-father, seems like too much of a sacrifice. But that's just the tip of the iceberg she is soon to uncover. 

I thought the advancement of the plot was unique by the use of Emily's journal, which she calls Maude, named after her grandmother's aunt, who had a somewhat eccentric personality for her time period. This all ties in together at the end. I found myself drawn into the story, waiting with expectancy, as Emily found out what Evergreen Research Corporation really stood for, and their intended use of her knowledge and expertise. I also found my head spinning, just like Emily's, as she was confronted with the past, present and future, all at the same time. My favorite scene is while Emily is brushing her horse, Estelle, and she breaks into an air guitar recital with the brush, then Wendell Berringer walks in. Well, you had to have been there. 

I found this a very entertaining tale and look forward to book 2. There is no bad language or sex scenes, so anyone who enjoys a light, time travel fantasy should enjoy this book. I give it 4 feathers. 

Meet Orrin Jason Bradford and SEEDS OF A NEW BIRTH

Meet Orrin Jason Bradford and his book Seeds of a New Birth: A Genetic Engineering Science Fiction Thriller 

Unlocking the Potential of the Human Mind

Scientific Breakthrough…

Or a Really Bad Idea?

Hello, Orrin. Thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions. You refer to Seeds of a New Birth as a Special Limited Edition? How come?

Well, while I’ve been writing professionally for over thirty years, it’s only been in the last few years that I’ve committed to writing fiction, especially speculative fiction novels. It’s what I call my “Encore Performance Career” because it’ll be my last career and hopefully my most fulfilling. So, I want to introduce readers to my work. That’s why for a limited time, Seeds of aNew Birth is available as a free download. Besides the full 366 page novel, this edition also has one of my favorite novella — Hunt Along the Iron River. It was a quarter finalist for Writers of the Future. There’s also a personal invitation for readers to join OJB’s Reader Inner Circle.

Who do you consider to be your ideal reader?

I’ve named my ideal reader Ronald Readsalot and I think he’s not all that different from me. A bit of a nerd but in a cool sort of a way. Ron has an affinity for science, maybe even one or more careers related to some field of science. He has an inquiring sort of mind, loves to speculate on what’s possible, enjoys the wonder of a good science fiction or fantasy story. He especially enjoys stories with unexpected twists and turns that keep it entertaining and engaging while the well developed characters are thoughtful and thought-evoking and often inspiring in some way. I think there’s a second ideal reader by the name of Rita Reader who’s not all that different from Ron. Both are avid readers who may occasionally read outside the speculative fiction genre from time to time but always returns, just waiting for the next story that will stretch their imagination and leave them thinking about the story long after they’ve finished reading it.

If you could say anything to Ron or Rita, what would it be?

Just to give my stories a chance. Download the free ones, open them and read the first 10-20 pages. If you’re not hooked by then, move on to the next book. But if you enjoy them as much as I think you will, please share them with your friends and, of course, leave a positive review. Oh, and I’d like to thank them in advance for being an avid reader. Readers are really some of the coolest people in the world.

How did Seeds of a New Birth come about?

I’ve been an avid reader of science fiction and fantasy since the age of eleven when my next door neighbor, Mrs. Crabtree (yes, that was actually her name) took pity on my mom the summer we first moved to Raleigh NC. I was driving my mom crazy asking her to come out and play with me since my older brother had already made friends and didn’t want me around. So, Mrs. Crabtree, who happened to be the children’s librarian at the downtown library, brought home a stack of books hand selected for a boy my age. At first I had absolutely no interest in reading them. Reading was something you had to do in school, not during your summer vacation, so the stack set on the nightstand next to my bed. Finally, after repeated invitations from my mom, “Go read a book,” I picked one up. The trap was sprung and I’ve been an avid reader of speculative fiction ever since. Even back in those early days I thought, “Wouldn’t it be great to give back or really pay it forward by writing my own spec novels one day.” The Kindred Series, which Seeds of a New Birth is book one of, is the result of that declaration.

You published Seeds of a New Birth under the pen name of Orrin Jason Bradford? Why?

 Besides adult science fiction thrillers, I also enjoy writing middle grade and young adult science fiction and fantasy including the Zak Bates Eco-Adventure Series. I didn’t want any of my young readers to pick up Seeds of a New Birth by accident since it has adult themes and some sexual content. At the same time, I think it’s a mistake for it to be appearing as erotica SF. The sexual content is part of the genetic engineering theme, so the sexual content is just part of the story and not all that erotic. At least that’s what my readers have told me.

   

As for the pen name, it’s a composite. Orrin was my father’s first name so I wanted to honor and remember him. Jason was supposedly my name in a former life when I was a deck hand on a slave ship. I don’t know if I believe in past lives and all that, but I thought it a neat name so I included in my pen name. And Bradford is my middle name so it hopefully keeps me grounded a bit in who I really am.

Thank you for stopping by.  You can connect with Orrin at: 

 Author’s website: www.wbradfordswift.com

Author’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/wbradfordswift

Author’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/BradOnPurpose