Friday, August 30, 2013

The Phoenix Blade by Andrew Hess




The Phoenix Blade
by Andrew Hess

About The Author:

Andrew Hess (1983-present) was born in Lindenhurst, NY where he spent most of his life. After living in the New Paltz/Poughkeepsie, NY area for five years (2003-2008) he returned home to Long Island to pursue his dream of writing. Andrew published his first book, The Chamber of Souls (2011), where he blended free verse poetry and short story into one book.






Genre: Action/Drama
Publisher: CreateSpace
Release Date: April 24, 2013

Book Description:

Follow the journey of Andrew Lancaster and his friends as they are thrown in the middle of the biggest government conspiracy to hit the United States. Andrew is contacted by a man known only as the Benefactor.; claiming to be a government official that has been monitoring Lancaster and his friends. He is told they have enough evidence to arrest them for treason, but would like to hire them instead for a top secret government project. As a bonus the Benefactor says he will reveal something Lancaster has wanted to know for the last six years. Who killed his mother.


Excerpt:


“I keep thinking how so much has changed in the last ten years.” “Here we go again.” “I mean it. When we were kids everything was different. The world was more peaceful. Everyone got along and helped each other. But now everyone’s fueled by greed, corruption, and they get some sick pleasure from hurting others.” “I know what you mean, but there’s not much we can do about it. Too many people think they have to do whatever’s necessary to get ahead in life.” “I still wish we could change it.” “Yeah, it’d be great to get rid of all those people.” Mike reached for the remote to turn the movie back on. “Too bad it’ll never happen.” I knew he was right. Our idea was ludicrous. But at that moment, my cell started ringing. “Talk to me,” I answered. “Yes hi, I’m looking for Mr. Andrew Lancaster,” a stern confident voice said. “Who’s calling?” “Someone who has the power to change your future.” “If this is some telemarketer, you can hang up now. I’m not interested. “I assure you this isn’t a sales pitch and I’m not a telemarketer.” “Then what do you want?” “It’s come to my attention that you and a few friends have been talking about eliminating certain types of people.” “What are you talking about?” “Don’t play dumb Mr. Lancaster. You and your friends have been monitored for some time now. We know everything.” “Who are you?” “I’m someone from the government that would like to give you an ultimatum. We have e-mails and recorded conversations between you and your friends talking about killing people that are as you said evil.” “Look, Mr. we were only joking around.” Mike heard the panic in my voice. My face turned pale white. “What’s going on,” he whispered. I placed the call on speaker and placed a finger to my lips. “Be that as it may. You’ve been under our watchful eye for several months. Now, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way.” “And that would be?” “The hard way is we send our agents to your house and arrest you for conspiracy and possible treason.” “Are you fucking serious,” Mike shouted. I quickly covered his mouth with my hand. “Who is that? Who’s with you?” I didn’t reply. I could hear him rifling through papers. “Ah yes, that is most likely Mr. Santangelo.” “How does he know my…” “What’s the easy way,” I asked. The man cleared his throat. “Simple, we hire you to go through with it.” I laughed it off immediately. “Yeah right, and next you’re going to tell me that I’m the next in line to be King of England.” “I don’t know about that, but I’m very serious. We have a list of targets and evidence that proves their illegal activities. We would like to give you the chance to make the world a better place.” “If you have evidence against them, why not put them in jail where they belong?” “Because they have ways of getting around our judicial system. We all know it’s fallible.” “But why me?” “Who better to lead a team than someone who has never received justice for his own mother’s death?” “But it was ruled an accident.” “That’s what you were led to believe. I have proof she was murdered and know who’s responsible.”









Wednesday, August 28, 2013



Genre: Self-Help, Business
Publisher: Wiley Publishing
Release Date: August 19, 2013

Book Description:

A marketing blueprint for attracting more leads, getting more clients and making more sales

31 Days to Millionaire Marketing Miracles is a breakthrough blueprint outlining the proven steps for successfully attracting more leads, getting more clients, and making more sales. Author Tracy Repchuk shows entrepreneurs, business owners, and opportunity-seekers what to do, when to do it, and the order in which it needs to be done to build an online marketing presence that is stable, predictable, and expandable. Whether you want to dominate your market globally or locally, this thirty-one-day guide allows you to take your product, service, or message, and turn it into a moneymaking machine.

  • Best Selling Author Tracy Repchuk is recognized as the Top Woman Speaker in the World for Internet Marketing and an entrepreneur in the IT and internet industry since 1985
  • Serves as a reference guide to newbies and entrepreneurs wanting to turn their passion into profits and accelerate business results
31 Days to Millionaire Marketing Miracles guides you along a proven path to profits and shows you an Internet marketing formula that will attract more leads, get more clients, and make more sales.


Excerpts:

"There are hundreds of blog services and some reside within specific niche areas, which may be better suited to your product. Simply go to Yahoo! or Google, and type “your niche” blogs and you’ll have plenty of options to choose from.
When branding your identity, blogs can be a big part of the success for a full-scope campaign. As you may know when you are putting together a campaign for a product launch or company launch, there are a number of pieces for which you should start to lay the foundation. These originate from the four types of websites and their purpose."


Praise for 31 Days to Millionaire Marketing Miracles:

"A step by step process that does not leave me scratching my head!" ~Wayne R. Hagerty, Amazon Reviewer

"This book has been a HUGE help in getting my business started and expanding it! Tracy is very up front and in your face. It is very refreshing and relieving especially after trying a TON of different programs and having nothing work." ~ Desiree P., Amazon Reviewer

"This is not just another internet marketing book! Tracy Repchuk's 31 Days to Millionaire Marketing Miracles is about how to create an online presence that is sustainable and built on practical business principles so you can dominate the internet, get your message out there, and attract the customers you need. Excellent!" ~ Sharon McRill, Amazon Reviewer

About The Author:


Tracy Repchuk is an internet marketing and social media strategist and speaker. She is a best selling author, and has been an entrepreneur since 1985 and has helped thousands of clients get their message out around the world. Tracy is an internationally acclaimed speaker and motivator in over 35 countries. She keeps audiences engaged with her ability to break down complex concepts and turn them into formula based success.

Tracy started her first software business at the age of 19 which still supports Fortune 100 companies. She has been nominated for awards such as Entrepreneur of the Year, Chamber of Commerce Business Woman of the Year, Coach of the Year and Stevie Awards for Business Mentor of the Year, received Provincial Volunteer and software development awards and has appeared in the International Who's Who in 7 categories.

She graduated in Business Computer Systems, and went on to receive a Certified Management Accountants designation. In 2007 Tracy won "New Internet Marketing Success of the Year" from the World Internet Summit and catapulted into success with her best selling book, speaking engagements, and extensive internet experience in web development, software integration and marketing since 1996.
Tracy specializes in online marketing campaigns that build a cohesive corporate or personal brand using an integrated web strategy that helps you attract more leads, get more clients and make more money. Her solutions are done with marketing and results in mind. In addition she has appeared on TV: ABC7, NBC, King5, 7 For Your Money, 4 On Your Side, WBZ, Report on Business Television, CTV news, USA Today, Radio, magazine, newspaper and her work has appeared in over 50 publications including 2 motivational movies.

Connect With Tracy Online:


Monday, August 12, 2013

The Eyes of Love by Angelina Rose




About Angelina Rose:


Angelina Rose has wanted to write ever since she could hold a pencil. The first daughter of immigrant parents, Angelina had her head buried in books, lost in a world of heroes, heroines and exotic places.

It was a shocking experience that jump-started Angelina's author career.

"I awoke in the ICU... I had been unconscious for several days," Angelina says.

In 2010, Angelina had a long stint in hospital following her involvement in a motor vehicle accident: the longest time off work (as a Registered Nurse), she'd ever had in her life!

It was then she took up pen and paper and started to write again, just as she had done when she was a child. She wrote four short fiction stories for young adults, entered them in several competitions, and managed to win three first prizes!

After happily dipping her toes into writing those short fiction stories for young adults, Angelina has now authored four books in a new "Mill Creek Crossing Romance" series... contemporary romance intended for adults.

The "Starting Over Series" is another contemporary romance series she wrote about a subject she knows well... nurses and their love life. At a recent reunion of her graduating class, she could not help but notice how the same girls would group together and laugh, chat, and even shed some tears over their lives since graduating. Many of the girls had divorced... so Angelina thought "what if a group of the nurses came up with a plan to meet in two years and have a new love story to share?" Then the first story in the series was born.

There is always a story running around in her head. A man with thick dark hair, gray-blue eyes, with an engaging smile and a quick wit... or a girl crying over a broken relationship. She finds herself talking to these characters during her day: when she's doing dishes, or bathing babies at the hospital. These characters crop up on days at the beach or on walks through the neighborhood. This is how the stories start to grow.
Angelina's mother was an author, so Angelina grew up with a love of words and stories. If she wasn't writing a short story about something that took her fancy, her head was buried in books... reading, reading, reading, as her brother constantly told her...

When she's not spending time with her goodlooking man, or quality time with her laptop, she's working at the hospital, hanging out with her family and friends, or walking her two dogs around the neighborhood. Angelina spends as much time as she can traveling, then coming home and including some of those adventures in her stories.

Angelina really loves to hear from her readers and she invites you to connect with her on Facebook as she interacts daily with her readers there!





Genre: Romance
Publisher: BookBaby
Release Date: April 26, 2013

Book Description:

After a tragic loss five years ago, Sally Overby becomes an Attorney in Atlanta. She convinces herself that all she'll ever need again is her young son, David, and her life as an attorney. Until one day, Colin Dean barges back into her life and promptly blows her safe world apart, driving her crazy as only a guy she'd had a "school girl crush" on can.

Although shocked and thrilled by Colin’s attention, Sally is wary to love deeply. Only, with every loving look Colin gives her plus every sweet kiss, as the attraction between them sparks, she can’t help but wonder if she’s met the one she should be with. And although Colin didn’t realize his life was going to change so quickly, amazingly, he isn’t the least bit interested in fighting that change. Instead, he’s gearing up for a different fight altogether… the one for Sally’s heart.

Will Colin be able to convince her that's it safe to love him... and that forever isn't really out of reach?

Romantic, amusing, and deeply moving, Book 4 in the Mill Creek Crossing Romance Series, is a tale that will stay with you.

The Eyes of Love is a novella… you will be able to enjoy it in just one day!



"Well, if it isn't the handsome Colin Dean," she said fanning herself and smiling. Gracie was older than he was, but he remembered her younger sister, Eva, quite well. They'd all hung out together at parties when they were younger, and Gracie had been a fixture at Stella's for years even though she recently came into some inheritance money.
"Hey, sweetie," he said kissing her on the cheek. Women loved Colin because he made them feel good, and he was always kind. Stephanie hadn't been able to take that away from him.
"I'll never wash this cheek again," she said touching her face and smiling. "How are you, honey?" she asked with a frown.
"Hanging in there."
"I hate to see you so sad, Colin," she said sliding into the booth across from him.
"I'll be fine, Gracie."
"I know you will, but if you ever need to talk..."
"Thank you, but I don't. Not yet anyway. The divorce was finalized last week."
"I'm so sorry about Stephanie, but she was never good enough for you."
"Gracie..." he said shaking his finger at her.
"It's true. Ask anybody. That woman is trouble with a capital T. Always has been," Gracie said, refusing to mince her words. She'd despised Stephanie since she first met her.
"Glad you're always on my side, sweetie," he said rubbing her hand and laughing. "I sure wouldn't want you on my bad side!"
"Good thinking. Oh, crud, I've got a customer," she said as she slid out of the booth and headed back up to the counter.
"Dean!" he heard a voice call from behind him. It was one of his baseball buddies, Cal Erwin. "How are ya, man?"
"Good. Where've you been lately?" Colin asked as Cal dropped down into the seat.
"Well, I went out to California to visit my brother for a few months. Played in a band out there and gathered up lots of ladies along the way," he said grinning.
"Glad you had a good time."
"Where's Steph?" Cal asked.
"I have no idea. We're not married anymore," Colin said as he looked at his menu.
Cal's mouth dropped open. "What?"
"We divorced, Cal. She screwed Jazz and I walked in on them." Cal's mouth dropped open yet again.
"Dude..."
"You know, we're not sixteen anymore. You should stop saying dude," Colin said with a chuckle.
"I'm sorry, man. I had no idea."
"No biggie," he lied.
"I can't believe Jazz..."
"Look, can we not talk about it? It's kind of old news, and I'm really done discussing it," Colin said pointedly.
"Sorry. So, are you skipping the reunion then?"
"Of course not. Why would I?







Thursday, August 8, 2013

Sapphire by Bryan Alaspa



Bryan W. Alaspa is a freelance writer and professional author of both fiction and non-fiction. Having lived in Chicago almost his entire life, he spent a few years living in St. Louis. Bryan's writing first began when he sat down and wrote a three -page story on his mom’s electric typewriter in the third grade. It’s been all up-hill since then!
With over 20 books in both fiction and non-fiction genres available, you can find most of them at Amazon.com with few books just for your Kindle and iPad users. Be sure to check them out.
A blogger for some time, you can learn about upcoming books as well as various author events Bryan is involved in.




Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Romance, Paranormal
Publisher: SalGad Publishing
Release date: June 2, 2013

Book Description:

Jimmy Parker is a typical high school student. Unpopular with the girls and picked on by the boys, he’s just trying to survive long enough to escape the tiny Pennsylvanian town of Knorr. With Jimmy and his friend, George, heading to the school dance, they expect nothing but the usual ritual humiliation from their peers. But when a girl in a brilliant blue dress enters their lives at the side of a lonely old bridge…everything changes.

Her name is Sapphire, and she is the most alluring girl that Jimmy has ever met. Yet, there is something strange about her; something different. Why has he never seen her at school? Why does she only want to meet up near the bridge? And why does everybody keep warning Jimmy to stay away from her?

Before long, Jimmy is plunged into a decades-old mystery. The town of Knorr has many secrets; some held by powerful men. Men that would do anything to keep them from getting out. Something dark happened one night in Knorr, and now Jimmy is a part of it whether he likes it or not.

And Sapphire holds the key to understanding it all.

Jimmy discovers that his bond with the mysterious girl creates a unique power between them. A power that bridges time, space, and even dimensions. It is the one thing that could save them both.

Because sometimes the most powerful force on Earth is love.


Praise for Sapphire:


A superb, well written story with a 50 year timeline. Initially a ghost story that turns into a mystery that becomes adventure and investigation turns again into a whodunit.” ~Robert Drake, Amazon Reviewer

I was drawn to this book for the cover and it had been recommended to me by friend who knows my love of Western PA. I thought this book really captured the rural feel of a teenager's life and just as I was feeling a little complacent about it, Jimmy and George meet up with Sapphire on the river bank and the story really takes off.” ~Mary H., Amazon Reviewer

A story of mystery and murder. A chilling, ghostly tale. An account of the pains and joys of youth, a romance, a love story like no other.” ~Daniel Cheely, Amazon Reviewer




Excerpt



Jimmy stood in front of the full-length mirror and did not like what he saw. The sleeves were too short. The white cuffs of his shirt stuck out from the sleeves of his jacket. Any dork could see that. Unfortunately, most of the student body at Knorr High School already thought of him as a dork. The last thing he wanted was feeling that way during his senior prom. However, here he was, looking at an image that could only be described as “dork.”
No one will notice,” said his mother from behind him. She was hovering over his shoulder like a specter. She was smiling and proud. “You can take it off once you get there, and no one will even be paying any attention. Everyone will be too busy having a good time to care what you’re wearing.”
Jimmy sighed and tugged uselessly at the jacket’s sleeve. “Mom, you just have no clue.”
She came forward and hugged him. Then she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Jimmy felt even more like a geek.
I’m not supposed to,” she said. “Mothers are not supposed to have a clue.”
Why couldn’t I have rented one?” Jimmy asked for the nine-hundredth time that afternoon.
You know why,” she said, turning her back and fussing with something out of his sightline. “We can’t afford it. Your uncle had this perfectly serviceable tuxedo and it’s a shame not to use it.”
She reappeared beside him in the mirror, her hand on her hip. Her mouth was a tight line. Jimmy knew that poking at the nerve that they were not a family of means was a low blow. He had seen that look before. This was the same look she had given him as a kid when he wanted a toy that was just too expensive. It was the same look she had given him when he begged her for a cell phone. And he saw the exact same look from her whenever he talked about needing a car.
I spent a lot of time getting the shirt and pants to fit you,” she said. “I did the best I could with the jacket. If you want, you can spend the night at home with me instead of going at all. So, either deal with this situation the best you can or don’t go. I really don’t care.”
She cared. Jimmy knew she cared. She and his father had worked their fingers to the bone to provide for Jimmy. The family had never gone hungry. They had never been without clothes. They may have shopped for their new school wardrobe at Goodwill, but they had clothes. They may have eaten more macaroni and cheese than others, but they were never hungry. Their car may have been rusted through and coughed out oily blue smoke, but they always got where they needed to go. The house may have been run down and it may have been in the part of town most of the other kids avoided, but they always had a roof over their heads. Then his father had died, suddenly, a few years ago. The pain was always there, behind Jimmy’s eyes, lurking around every corner. His dad had done what he could to make sure his family was cared for, but it had not been easy. His mother worked very hard.
Jimmy smiled his crooked smile. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “I appreciate it, Mom. Come on, it wouldn’t be a weekend if I didn’t complain about something.”
His mother’s face softened and then her smile returned. Jimmy managed to turn away, searching for the bow tie, before she could plant another kiss on him. He was only willing to be gracious up to a certain point. He found the tie and fiddled with it for a moment. When he turned back toward the mirror his mother was fiddling with something behind him again. He affixed the tie and straightened it. He took another look. His image still said “dork,” but he had lived with that image for a long time.
Before too long he would be elsewhere, and all of the things he had gone through in high school would be over. He could live with looking like a dork for another night. Besides, he was going with his best friend George, anyway, so things couldn’t get too bad.
When is George getting here?” his mother asked.
About five more minutes,” Jimmy said.
I wish you two had managed to find some nice girls to ask,” his mother said.
Mom, there isn’t a girl in Knorr High School that would be caught dead attending the senior prom with Jimmy Parker or George Howell,” he said as he adjusted his tie one more time. It immediately went crooked again, and he decided that the tie really didn’t matter.
I’m sure that’s not true,” his mother said.
Jimmy turned to face her. “Mom, trust me on this one. George and I are not the most popular kids in school. In fact, we are far from it.”
She reached out and pinched his cheeks. This was the one thing worse than the kiss on the cheek. One thing was certain: his mother had some kind of cheek fetish.
But you’re such a smart, nice kid,” she said.
Jimmy snorted. “Mom, even in your day the smart and nice kids were not the popular ones in school, were they?”
She put her hands on his shoulders. “I found your father in high school. He was smart and nice.”
He also played football,” Jimmy said.
He was the kicker,” she said. “You know, back in the old days when dinosaurs walked the Earth, and your father and I were young.”
Kickers still wear uniforms,” Jimmy said. He paused to make sure his hair looked OK one more time. The cowlick towards the back of his head was still there despite the industrial strength hair gel he had put in there.
Just then, the phone rang. Jimmy’s mother vanished into the kitchen and Jimmy turned back to the mirror and adjusted his tie for the millionth time. He also tried to plaster his hair down, but to no avail. He sighed. He was always going to look this way, right?
Jimmy,” his mother said, returning to the bedroom. “It’s Jesse.”
Jimmy smiled. Jesse was the town’s librarian. The library was small, but filled with wonder, as far as Jimmy was concerned. It overlooked a river and was surrounded by touristy attractions, but inside it was all books and musty smells. Jimmy had buried himself there when his father died and Jesse had taken a kind of liking to him. It may have been a stretch to say that Jesse was a father figure, but their relationship was pretty close. Jimmy ran to the phone.
Hey, Jimmy! Are you looking sharp in your suit?” Jesse asked.
Jimmy laughed. “Jesse, I would not look sharp wearing a suit full of razor blades.”
Come on, you know that isn’t true,” Jesse said. “I’m sure you and George will have a good time. Maybe try to get up the nerve to ask a girl to dance.”
I wouldn’t put money on that,” Jimmy said. “I’m betting most of the girls there arrive with dates.”
You just never know,” Jesse said. “I had a pretty amazing time the night of the big dance when I was your age. And I ended up going with a beautiful girl, to boot. You need to be a bit more positive.”
A honk came from outside. This was followed shortly by a sound that was only slightly quieter than a Howitzer shell going off in the living room. George had arrived with his car. The engine settled into a low rattle as the car set about trying to shake itself to pieces again.
Yo, Jimmy!” came the bellow from the car. That could only have been George leaning out the driver’s side window. George was not known for being subtle.
That sounds like George,” Jesse said.
Yeah, that’s him,” Jimmy said.
There was a pause. It seemed like there was more to say, but anything else would have crossed some line between them and that line was still held by Jimmy’s father, even though he was gone.
You be careful tonight, Jimmy,” Jesse said. “Come by the library when you can and tell me all about it or give me a call tomorrow.”
I will,” Jimmy said, and paused, then added. “Thanks for calling.”
You bet,” Jesse said.
Then he was gone, and Jimmy ran back to the bedroom. His mother was there with her hands to her throat in an unconscious anxious gesture she often did, looking as if maybe she had been crying. His mom appreciated how Jesse looked after him, but the pain of losing his father was still there. Jimmy smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Another honk came from outside, so Jimmy had to move.
Jimmy tried to move past his mother, but she grabbed him by the shoulders, pulling him back and looking him full in the face again. She smiled, and, much to Jimmy’s consternation, he saw tears swimming in her eyes. She was about to give him some sort of speech about how proud she was of him. It would be similar to one she had given him when he had first gotten the scholarship to attend Clark University.
Be careful,” she said instead, her voice quavering. “And have fun.”
Jimmy smiled. This time, he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. He left quickly just because he did not want to see her cry. He ran down the hall and through the living room.
Jimmy bolted through the door and heard it bang shut behind him. George was hanging out the window of his car, his tuxedo jacket already tossed in the backseat. He had a huge grin on his face, his hair already wild and windblown from driving with the window down.
Come on, the party awaits!” he yelled in the rather odd way of speaking that George had and that so marked him as an outsider, and leaned back into the car, reaching over the passenger’s seat to unlock the door.
What’s it waiting for?” Jimmy asked as he opened the large, rusty door with a loud screeching sound.
Us, my man,” George said as Jimmy planted his ass on the passenger seat and slammed the door. “It is waiting for us.”
Jimmy laughed. “You do live in an amazing fantasy world.”
George leaned around the passenger seat to peer out the back window as he shifted into reverse. “You should move into my world, my friend,” he said. “Plenty of room, and the fun never stops.”
Jimmy laughed again. He thought that maybe it would be a night to remember, after all. Once Jimmy was situated in the passenger seat, as often happened when he was with George, Jimmy’s own form of speech slipped into the oddly formal way that George spoke.
Then lead on, sir,” he said. “Lead on!”











Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Dominant Species - Natural Selection by David Coy & Awesome Giveaway



Dominant Species Volume One – Natural Selection

by David Coy

About The Author:


I’ve had a lifetime love of science fiction and horror. I suspect it started in puberty since most obsessions do. My passion for it was so strong as a penniless youth, I resorted to boosting copies of my favorite authors’ works off the shelves of the book section of the local Federal’s department store. My friends and I soon had a collection of great sci-fi at discounted prices to read and read again. But I’m not wholly without conscience about those shifty activities as a scrawny youth. I’ll shake my head from side to side and mumble “Crap, that was stupid” once ever decade or so. But that’s about it.
I consider myself a sci-fi film Nazi. I’m sure I’ve seen every sci-fi movie ever made – certainly the vast majority of them. I can’t pass up even the worst of it. All those god-awful, black and white B flicks of the 40’s onward, with their outrageous and ham-handed themes of science vs. ignorance and good vs. evil, wrapped in whatever pseudo-scientific covering was popular that year, transfixed me, entertained me, and like the works pinched then stashed in my friend’s basement, made me think. When pivotal films like “Alien” and John Carpenter’s “The Thing” elevated sci-fi film up out of the gutter with all those glorious and expensive production values, I was im himmel.
I attended Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Like so many of my peers at the time, I left Wayne State with an utterly useless BA with a major in psychology. I’ve cleaned tractor cranes for money and worked as a steel mill laborer when the last one of those plants in Michigan still existed. I’ve worked as a night janitor. I moved to southern California when I was 30 years old and sold cars for a while. Shortly thereafter I worked for what used to be called the Hughes Aircraft Company as an in-house photographer. For the last 10 years of my work-a-day life I worked as a senior project manager for Computer Sciences Corporation. I now live in Oregon where I started and recently sold a fitness gym. I relate this choppy history to drive home my favorite maxim relating to life and the living of it: you never know where in the fuck you’ll end up. You’ll find my books laced through with that persistent theme. I hope you find the journey of reading them, should you attempt it, if not straight and linear, at least interesting.




Book Genre
Science Fiction / Sci-Fi Horror
Publisher
David Coy
Publication Date
Digital editions – June 2012

Purchase At Amazon:

Book Description:
Imagine an alien science where tissue, bone, nerves, and muscle are used like we use iron, wood, rubber and wire. Now imagine yourself held captive with hundreds of others by beings who wield this grisly technology as easily as we do hammer and saw; beings whose lineage can be traced through the morally hollow, parasitic branches of nature's evolutionary tree. What would you do to survive? Would you re-draw the boundaries of your own morality to stay alive? What would you compromise? How might you escape? This is the context of NaturalSelection, the first of three volumes of the Dominant Species series of books. What distinguishes Dominant Species from other stories in its genre is its visceral imagery and more importantly, its rich subtext. The story can appeal to those fascinated and drawn to horror and strong drama, and at the same time will fascinate those who can tune into its broader message about our relationship to the natural world. Taken as a whole, the series is a puzzle linked together with genetic threads that unravel like a double helix. Viewers intrigued by mystery and dramatic puzzles will find a fascinating playground for guesswork, thought and discussion.


The first volume sets the stage for the ongoing conflict between Homo sapiens and a visiting alien race. Like all successful serial drama, the story poses many questions to be answered, each one carefully laced into a central theme about human survival, the action driven by antagonists both alien and human.
The story is character driven, each character fully developed and rich, providing the colorful characterization required by serial drama. Central to the first volume is teacher Phil Lynch.


The story starts as a peaceful visit to his weekend getaway in the Sierra foothills. Hours later he finds himself living an unthinkable nightmare. Paralyzed and taken prisoner, his body is used as an unwilling host in a bizarre and grisly series of parasitic infections. On board the alien vessel within which he is imprisoned are more than a hundred other humans – and like Phil – just as confused and terrified – their bodies subject to unfathomable violence for a dark and malevolent purpose. As the terrible truth about the alien visitation unfolds, a small group of captives must first understand – and then fight for escape from the terror that holds them captive. That struggle will stretch razor-thin the limits of the human will to survive.


There is strong language in the story because humans under stress often use such language. There are no puppy love or adolescent motifs of intimacy in the story. Instead there are very many mature, psychosexual themes that run through all three books. Some are represented symbolically, others described explicitly. There is violence. The story is not PG-13.



The story is a human drama that will be appreciated by most adult demographics. It is strong, unflinching theater played through characters who repulse us, fascinate us, and often, appeal to our better natures; ones who continually remind us of our human strengths—and weaknesses.

Excerpt

Mary listened to the droning sound that came to her through the wet air and thought of her mother’s soft humming. She wanted her mother to be there now, to hold her and hum softly to her, to soothe her. She drifted toward her mother’s round arms and warm smile on the ghostly crest of that ugly sound.
Then the dread came. It crashed over her like a cold, brown wave and the memories of her mother’s soft touch were washed away. She was in the big chamber. The big chamber was where the droning sound was. The droning was the collective sound from others just like her, others not asleep yet not awake; others unable to move their limbs.
She could turn and lift her head and see and hear and smell. She could not talk, but she could make a deep sound, a groan, if she tried. When the pain came, the groan would be its outlet. The groan would be the dull steam her violated body would vent in its outrage.
She prayed for a miracle. She prayed that when she opened her eyes she would see big, blue sky and bright light. She pressed her eyes closed and prayed hard but when she looked, only the chamber’s ceiling filled her vision. Its black, bubbly surface gave substance to the dread and when the cutting began, the ceiling’s gloom would stamp its dark print on her soul once more.
Mary turned her head slowly and saw the naked body of a young woman. Then she breathed the warm scent of perfume. The woman was new and a splash of luscious scent had been captured with her. The woman looked at Mary, her face slack with paralysis. Mary could not speak, but if she could have spo#ken the result would have been the same. There was nothing to say to this newcomer, no consolation to be offered. There was no comfort where none could exist.
Then her surgeon witch was there, its long head hovering, twisting and looking. Its thin, quick hands moved like rats over her body, feeling here and there with spiderlike squeezes. For the moment, her body was numb to the creature’s touch and she was thankful for it.
There was a motion under her skin, in her neck, deep in the muscles. It was a roiling little pressure she’d grown to know quite well. A grub was moving, and from the feel of it she thought it was moving upwards. As the larvae fed on her tissues, it caused a single sharp note of pain that grew in volume second by unmerciful second. She heard the high-pitched hiss of the witch’s cutter and was relieved that the cutting was starting.
Mary began her retreat from the sound and the growing bite of the cutter and of the pain of the worm and joined her voice with the others.