Monday, March 18, 2024

New Release: Her Wild Yellow Rose by Sally Harper Bates

 

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How could a single woman with seven children survive in the territory of New Mexico and the early statehood of Arizona? With guts, and grit and a lot of prayer! Born in a covered wagon in New Mexico in 1900, she lived to see men walk on the moon!

Follow the path of this brave, bold woman as she works her way through stocking shelves in a general store for five cents an hour to finishing school and becoming a registered nurse.

Seven children, unique in every way, cause heartache and grief, bring joy and love, grow through a depression, and find their way into the twenty-first century.


Sally was born in Prescott, Arizona, and has never lived more than an hour’s drive from the county she grew up in. Her roots run deep into the state; seven generations deep on both sides of her family tree. Raised on ranches and remaining involved in the livestock industry has provided much fodder for her books, poetry and photography.

She’s been writing most of her life, but only seriously began publishing for the past ten years. She started a small publishing company just to help friends get their books in print, and to date there are over 50 books on her website. She’s honored and amazed at the awards on her wall from Women Writing the West, New Mexico Arizona Book Awards, and five author/publisher awards from Will Rogers Medallion Awards.

She and her husband, Pat, have a small home in Chino Valley where she continues to write and create when she’s not helping with family. She’s a mother of two daughters, a teacher and a nurse practitioner, with four granddaughters and six great grandchildren.

Monday, March 11, 2024

Introducing Tai-Chi in my next series - by Vijaya Schartz

  As I’m writing the last book of the Blue Phantom series, set in the Azura Universe (Angel Revenge – October 2024) I wonder about the theme of my next science fiction series. There will be a little fantasy, of course, (Magic is only science we do not yet understand). A strong heroine is a must and I already have her. As for my next hero, I’m thinking of making him a Tai-Chi man.



I have been practicing Tai-Chi daily for over a decade, and teaching it for years, and for some reason I never used it for a character in a book. So, for the start of my next series, one of the protagonists will be a Tai-Chi practitioner.

In a violent universe often at war and fighting back evil forces, the art of Tai-Chi, a soft and graceful martial discipline might offer a different perspective. Tai-Chi works with energy gathered from all around us.


Long ago, in imperial China, this secret Marcial Art was practiced by the feudal Chen and Yang families, hence the two main different styles. Chen is more aggressive, and Yang more flowing, but both are deadly.

Intrigued by this secret technique, the emperor summoned the heads of the Chen and Yang families and ordered them to teach his guard the secret art of Tai-Chi. Since they could not refuse the emperor, the two clans taught Tai-Chi not as a Martial Art, but rather as a dance or an exercise for health purposes. So, the fighting applications of each movement were lost in the official Tai-Chi spread through imperial China.

But through the centuries, the Chen and Yang families kept the secret fighting techniques for themselves. Today, with all the dissemination of information, many of these secrets have resurfaced, and although most Chinese masters are reluctant to teach these techniques to Westerners, a few of their students have come forward to teach in the West.

I was lucky to find a teacher who knew about these fighting applications, and as a practitioner of many other martial arts over the years, (Aikido black belt and instructor, Karate, Judo, sword, etc.) I jumped at the opportunity to learn this technique.


Tai-Chi is for everyone, young or old. It has been called stillness in motion. The health benefits have been studied at Harvard Medical School and definitively proven. It’s a long list. Find a Tai-Chi school near you. There are videos on U-Tube. Or watch movies like “Man of Tai-Chi” on Plex with Keanu Reeves as a villain, or “Shang Chi and the legend of the Ten Rings” with Simu Liu.

SHANG CHI and the legend of the Ten Rings

Through my next series, it will be my privilege to open a window on this ancient Martial Art, and maybe inspire some Westerners to try it. The health benefits alone are worth it.

Tai Chi in the park on Tai Chi Day, a few years ago.

In the meantime, you can read about my fighting angels, as they confront evil and demons bent on subjugating the universe. Be prepared for epic space battles.


Vijaya Schartz, award-winning author
Strong Heroines, Brave Heroes, cats

Monday, March 4, 2024

New Release: CANYON COWBOY - by Sally Harper Bates

 



Click on cover to purchase on Amazon

The fun story about a young cowboy who grew up riding mules. When it came time for him to leave home, where would he go and what would he do where he could remain in the midst of his favorite animals? He finds his way to the great Grand Canyon in Arizona, and spends his life doing what the cowboys do who work at the Grand Canyon Mule Barn.



Sally was born in Prescott, Arizona, and has never lived more than an hour’s drive from the county she grew up in. Her roots run deep into the state; seven generations deep on both sides of her family tree. Raised on ranches and remaining involved in the livestock industry has provided much fodder for her books, poetry and photography.

She’s been writing most of her life, but only seriously began publishing for the past ten years. She started a small publishing company just to help friends get their books in print, and to date there are over 50 books on her website. She’s honored and amazed at the awards on her wall from Women Writing the West, New Mexico Arizona Book Awards, and five author/publisher awards from Will Rogers Medallion Awards.

She and her husband, Pat, have a small home in Chino Valley where she continues to write and create when she’s not helping with family. She’s a mother of two daughters, a teacher and a nurse practitioner, with four granddaughters and six great grandchildren.

Monday, February 26, 2024

Penny’s Two Cents by Penny Orloff

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 Is it already 2024? Another year rides off into the sunset... Six years, and I’m still procrastinating on my book, Who Would You Be If You Had Nothing to Bitch About? 

Oh, what to do, what to do… 

Although we feared their individual wrath, my siblings and I really made an effort not to displease both of our parents at the same time. For, in their ire, together they dreamed up ever-more-dastardly tortures to get us to toe the mark. By far the worst one The Parents could think of, the one that really got our attention and kept it, was “NO TV FOR A WEEK!!!”

Aaarrrgghhhh! No Mickey Mouse Club, no Leave It to Beaver, no Superman? Even if joy was certainly not what Joe and Ruetta Orloff had in mind with so heinous a punishment, those television-less weeks were the birth of my passion for costume design, the germination of my playwriting skills, the perfection of my double pirouette. After all, I suddenly had hours of boredom to kill, and kids are nothing if not creative.

So, why not try it—how ‘bout I turn off the TV for a week? That goes for Netflix on the ol’ computer, too. And the endless scrolling through Facebook and Twitter feeds on the iPhone. 

I—who have “no time” to finish that book, practice the piano, become fluent in French—how much time will I have suddenly exhumed? Might I have found even an hour a day? Half an hour?? If I’m watching TV and/or vegging online anywhere near the national average of four hours a day—and I am—I’d have more than a thousand hours a year. Writing at the slow rate of half a page an hour that’s still a pretty hefty book, even after my customary slash-and-burn editing.

How badly do I want to finish this third book, to see those who believe in me rejoice over my accomplishment? To revenge myself on the people who doubted me… Resolution for the New Year: Right now—RIGHT NOW!!—I commit to one measly week without television and Facebook and Twitter and Netflix and YouTube, no matter what might be happening on ESPN+ or Murder in Boston. I may like my freedom so much that I never go back. (Yeah, that’ll happen…)

Every book seems the struggle of a whole life. And then, when it is done — pouf! Never happened. Best thing is to get the words down every day. And it is time to start now.

John Steinbeck


Penny Orloff was a working actress and dancer in LA when she relocated to New York on a Juilliard opera scholarship. She played featured parts on Broadway after 7 seasons and more than 20 Principal Soprano roles at New York City Opera. Her solo show, Jewish Thighs on Broadway (based on her award-winning novel, available on Amazon), played off-Broadway and toured the U.S. for a decade. Her new show, Songs and Stories From a Not-Quite-Kosher Life, is currently touring. More at www.pennyorloff.com 


Monday, February 19, 2024

The Siren Call of Music to Write by Robert Ronning

 

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I can’t abide silence whether I’m reading or writing. I’ll take music every time, if it offers a pleasant buzz as I write. I seldom listen to ballads or lyrical works: a singer’s words distract me from the words I’m trying to write. The challenge of conjuring up a story with the right words is best met with pure instrumentals floating in the background like a pacifier. I do listen to occasional opera; an aria by Renee Fleming or Kiri Te Kanawa in a language I don’t understand can be a positive distraction.

I go through phases and different styles of music. Recently I’ve been dipping into New Age, but I’m rather picky: I adore Ann Sweeten’s romantic piano pieces that stand out from the musical herd of New Agers. Her distinctive style is recognizable on the first few notes, emotive and dreamy but never soppy. Her siren chords are pleasant and soothing, a muse to write by. Recently departed Tom Barabas was rather similar—a romantic and distinct pianist.

Of course, I have my daily go-to music, mostly NPR’s classical music covering a whole gamut of musical styles and periods—its list is long in “long-hair music,” as my dad called it.

I’m currently in a more upbeat mode and going back to the nineties of Willie & Lobo and their lively blend of flamenco guitar, gypsy riffs, and Willie’s brooding and racing fiddle. How a violin and guitar put out the sound of a rich ensemble is stunning. Since I write adventure stories, they give me a lift even as I hold to my desk and write. They even make me feel young again … almost.


Robert Ronning writes about wildlife and conservation, and published his adventure novel, Wild Call to Boulder Field in 2023. He and wife Kathleen live in Tucson and summer in a cabin in Arizona’s White Mountains, a few minutes daily dog walk from National Forest and wildlife. He considers his proudest achievements rescuing and assisting the rescue of lost dogs. A recovering golfer, now an avid Pickleball player, he likes to unwind with a crossword puzzle. More at www.RobertRonningAuthor.com 


Monday, February 12, 2024

Science fiction needs a hint of romance

 

Find these and more on my BWL page HERE

My love of science fiction started early, when I read DUNE by Frank Herbert. But I always found that these books were written by men and for men. They relied heavily on the technical aspect, and they portrayed male protagonists, with very few female characters. Even the new movie versions of Star Trek are still men-oriented. Star Wars made progress with the last trilogy with Rey as a female Jedi, and more females in the new Disney series. It's about time.

   

As an avid reader, I scoured the library for sci-fi and fantasy novels by female writers, like Ann McCaffrey (Dragon of Pern series), and Marion Zimmer Bradley. Then, I discovered the Dock 5 series, by Linnea Sinclair, the undisputed queen of Sci-fi with romantic elements. Linnea’s books even had cat-like animals called furzells. Her stories contained plenty of action, strong women characters as ship captains, and they navigated the stars, making no apologies. I had found my niche.

This kind of science fiction written by women does not focus on the engineering of the spaceship, or the weapons, nor does it explain how people traverse intergalactic distances. It is set in a future where space travel technology exists and is commonplace, where man has met alien cultures and spread throughout the universe... like in Star Wars or Star Trek.

So, when I decided to write, I wrote what I love, space adventure with strong women as protagonists. Of course, there are brave heroes, and often cats in my stories as well. Write what you know, right?

As for the angels in my books, they are a select group of gifted people with supernatural talents, in charge of keeping the balance of good and evil in the universe. This said, they are still people, with a body and a heart.



The Blue Phantom glows like a beacon in black space, appears and vanishes, and never registers on scanners. Rumors say it will save the righteous, the oppressed, and the downtrodden… and slay the unworthy without mercy. The space pirates fear it. Their victims pray for it… but its help comes at a price…

Vijaya Schartz, award-winning author
Strong Heroines, Brave Heroes, cats
http://www.vijayaschartz.com
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Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Building a Galaxy by Daniel Dickinson

 

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PART 1: Tolkien and Middle Earth

Gas, matter, and energy erupt and expand at an amazing rate of speed, sending seeds of discovery and growth to every corner of your sci-fi/fantasy galaxy. And all it takes is a spark of imagination to get it started. Maybe it even arises with a simple question: Where do I even begin? 

Creative minds need a trigger—perhaps a title, an idea of a character, even a simple theme or emotion. Whatever your stimulus, you will certainly need to create a viable world in some capacity. Whether that world is a subdued, Tolkienlike secondary world or a hyper-real world like Neil Gaiman’s, your story and characters will need a cosmos of their own to explore. The size and scope of that universe is entirely in your hands. My role is to hand you the scales needed to balance the mind-staggering amount of effort needed to build a galaxy of your own, to provide contrasts between smaller worlds and bigger ones, and to illustrate how knowing the difference will save you a lot of work. To that end, I offer this 3-Part examination of different techniques for world-building.

J.R.R. Tolkien’s original unbridled vision of Middle Earth is the main focus of Part 1. It is also the most copied example of world-building. People have dived into the technique of Tolkien’s craft so often that it’s used as a ruler when measuring other worlds. Robert Jordan, Terry Brook, and even R.R. Martin have taken to copying aspects of Tolkien’s fantasy world-building.

The world of Middle Earth began with a hole in the ground, out of which grew the race of small, fur-footed creatures that would carry the entire narrative of the story. The Hobbit, the first of four novels in the Lord of the Rings series, was published by Allen & Unwin in 1937; the remaining titles followed nearly twenty years later. With millions of Tolkien’s books in circulation for eight decades, it’s rare to come across anyone who doesn’t know the story of the Hobbits and their quest to end the dark lord Sauron’s reign of terror.

“I now wanted to try my hand at writing a stupendously long narrative,” said Tolkien, “and to see whether I had sufficient art coming or material to make a really long novel which would hold the average reader right through.” 

With a plan set up and basic guidelines for his world and how its inhabitants would interact, Tolkien set about making up the history that would later define and govern the race and the daily lives of those in Middle Earth. However, there are a few missing pieces to the puzzle in the Lord of the Rings series. Absent are religions, beliefs, and historical temples that would increase the size of the mythology into other levels of existence. Within the original Tolkien stories, there are no direct correlations to the greater cosmos outside of Middle Earth. Reading through the series, the reader is led along the narrative in a closed view of the world and its inhabitants; and, while the world they do interact with is detailed and complex, the story is limited to small sections of Middle Earth. There is a limited scope to the world around the Hobbits, Elves, Dwarves, and men as the reader travels along the path of adventure. They are tightly packed within their own borders with only minor hints of outside lands such as Valinor, the retirement home of the Elves. As readers, we are never really treated to it and are kept at arm’s length.

The original trilogy also does this with other cultures within Middle Earth. For example, we are never brought to the lands of the Harad, or told much about them outside Tolkien’s narrative: “Tis said that there were dealings of old between Gondor and the kingdoms of the Harad in the Far South; though there was never friendship. In those days our bounds were away south beyond the mouths of Anduin; and Umbar, the nearest of their realms, acknowledged our sway. But that is long since.” (Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Book 4, Ch. 3 – “The Black Gate is Closed”).

(Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Book 4, Ch. 3 – “The Black Gate is Closed”) Historical information is tightly packed into a few lines of dialogue about the Far South and its history. In these instances, the mythology of the world and the cosmos outside only exist to serve the narrative. The world never seems much bigger than what Tolkien wants it to be at any given time. The cosmology is boiled down to character focus, and it becomes an emotional journey. C.S. Lewis, a good friend of Tolkien, once commented on the storytelling aspect of his companion: “The Hobbit is merely an adaption to children of part of a huge private mythology of a most serious kind: the whole cosmic struggle as he sees it but mediated through an imaginary world.” (p. 630, The Collected Letters, Volume II, HarperOne).

This streamlined aspect to Tolkien’s world-building works for his narrative. As a reader, however, I never get the full breadth of the world. There is history but, despite the colorful descriptions, it never seems to go beyond the current scene or setting. We’re given information that the world is old, based on those living there now—Elves, Gandolf, Tom Bombadil are all aged, wise, and completely timeless

And that’s when things start to become a bit weird. If we stop and study the time frames and history within The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings series, we find time and the greater cosmos take a back seat to the story and adventure. When asked about time in a 1964 BBC interview, Tolkien pointed out that he couldn’t associate the time on Middle Earth with time as we know it “because it had been impossible. Because you would completely interfere with and trammel one in a free invention of history and an incident of one story.”

Tolkien went on to explain that he did not want to use Earth time, nor would Earth’s land masses make sense; he wanted his world to be free of the constraints of pre-conceived history. Time and space are fed to us in small, nutrient-packed bites that fill out the narrative with lively background for the characters to live in and interact with: “The Hunter’s Moon waxed round in the night sky and put to flight all the lesser stars. But low in the South one star shone red. Every night, as the Moon waned again, it shone brighter and brighter.” (Fellowship of the Ring)

This works for Tolkien’s stories and the way they flow. Keep in mind this densely packed world-building is not a bad thing—there’s a reason Tolkien is so often copied and studied. 

The question of where to start when developing a focused world becomes much easier when you’re concerned with the characters, instead of the greater cosmos around them. By developing the characters and their world as you travel along, you can explore it with them, learning new things as conflict arise, like orcs from the mist.


Beginning at the age of ten, Arizona native Daniel Dickinson has spent a lifetime inventing realistic realms for his fictional characters. His fantasy world, Xonthian— created during his teen years—is an entire domain that allows his characters’ journeys to unfold in a diverse setting. He enjoys giving educational presentations about world building and fantasy genres, in general. Daniel’s published works include the short story, Escape from Ogre Island; a two-story horror book, Don’t Close Your Eyes: Two Thrilling Tales of Terror; Aggression Factor; and Gathering Tide. More about Daniel at https://www.tigerforce.net/ and https://shoutoutarizona.com/meet-daniel-dickinson-author/ 


Monday, January 8, 2024

Is there an "X" conspiracy? by Vijaya Schartz

 

Find these and many other novels of mine on the BWL site HERE

I’m not a conspiracy theorist, only a curious writer, whose creative mind notices clues and patterns. I’m always looking for fresh angles and new stories everywhere, and lately, I can’t help but notice the proliferation of “X” in everyday American lives. Is the X part of a secret equation? X = ?

 

It started years ago with the “X” Files, “The truth is out there.” Ominous, but not so far from reality, since in recent years, many governments around the world have opened up about an alien presence in our skies, and a few even claim to have reverse-engineered some alien technology.

As a result, more and more NASA and other astronauts, as well as Air Force and commercial pilots, are opening up about what they saw in space and in our skies. The US government finally admitted to the existence of Area 51, and briefed Congress about UAPs (Unexplained Aerial Phenomena), in 2023, in a secret session, which somehow leaked to the press, and contained military footage of UFO encounters.

Recently, we’ve seen Twitter become “X” under Elon Musk’s new ownership. Why? The symbol is ugly and gives me the shudders. Not a very good marketing move. The man also owns SPACE”X”. Is he signaling that Generation X is taking over the reins of technology? Or is there an X-File alien technology connection? Musk has also been accused of endorsing antisemitic posts on X, causing many advertisers to leave the platform. X was also accused of favoring white supremacist groups. Coincidence?
  


Many other companies in recent ads are prominently displaying the “X” factor. From pharmaceutical labs, AnolonX, AreXvy, or media companies like “X”finity internet or manufacturers like the X-chair, and TV shows like the X-Files and the UneXplained.



Celebrity X cruises displays an X that is not part of their name. When the public suggested it meant X-rated cruises for adults, their official rebuttal was: The big “X” on the funnel of the cruise ships represents the Greek letter chi for “Chandris.” Maybe it does… then again… maybe it means something else.


Conspiracy X is an RPG (Role Playing Game) based upon a secret invasion of Earth by aliens insidiously taking over the world. It is set in a world of dark secrets and hidden agendas where nothing is what it seems.


According to others, Disease X is the next pandemic.

Are we facing a new generation of X-men identifying themselves to each other? Or is there a secret “X” society manipulating governments toward an unknown destiny? It wouldn’t be so farfetched, since secret societies have been running the world from the shadows for millennia.

I guess we will find out… eventually, if we live long enough. In the meantime, I’ll keep watching for clues.  

My novels are full of intergalactic conspiracies, villains, strong heroines, brave heroes, and cats. Find them here:






Happy reading!

Vijaya Schartz, award-winning author
Strong Heroines, Brave Heroes, cats
http://www.vijayaschartz.com
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Saturday, December 30, 2023

Monday, December 18, 2023

From Samurai Bounty Hunter to Egyptian Goddess - creating new stories and characters for the Azura Universe - by Vijaya Schartz

 

Find this book and more
on my BWL page HERE

The Azura Universe is vast and varied. I have been writing stories in it for several years now, over different series. From the Azura Chronicles set on the angel planet, to the Byzantium series set on a space station, and now the Blue Phantom series, featuring the crew of an angel ship. I truly enjoy writing this universe. It’s filled with Humans, alien races, powerful angels, AIs, Cyborg, formidable crime lords, evil sects, power-hungry rulers, bounty hunters, demons, demi-gods, and often big cats with mind-reading abilities.

In all of these novels, you will find strong heroines, brave heroes, and lots of action and adventure, with a little romance for good measure. I write to entertain, and you can trust me to give my stories a happy conclusion no matter what kind of hell my characters have to go through to find their happily ever after.

All my science fiction novels in each series can stand alone, and I like to give each of them a different flair. I sometimes find inspiration in various legends and mythologies of ancient cultures throughout the world, from India to Japan, to the middle east. In Angel Guardian, the latest release, my villainess is Azfet, the Egyptian Goddess of chaos, who has crossed over from another universe.

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But now is the time to plot ANGEL REVENGE, Book 3 in the Blue Phantom series. And this time, my heroine is the one coming from a semi-familiar mythology. A strong warrior woman, a green-eyed beauty, flying over the battlefield on the wings of a genetically enhanced tiger. That’s all I will say. You’ll have to wait until next fall to read her story.

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In the meantime, you can read the previous books in this universe, some of which won literary awards, and all of which gathered rave reviews. Happy reading!

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Vijaya Schartz, award-winning author
Strong Heroines, Brave Heroes, cats


Monday, December 4, 2023

New Release: Blind Journey: A Journalist's Memoirs - by Jack Hawn

 

Find it on Amazon HERE


Uncharted and beyond his control for the most part, Jack Hawn's career simply happened. He never studied journalism and never aspired to be a writer. After almost four years assigned to the army's public information offices, he faced civilian life with a wife, infant daughter, wild ambition, bursting optimism, unshakeable confidence-and no job. Eventually, he found work as a copyboy at a Hollywood newspaper, was paid $5 to review plays and nightclub acts, and a year later filled a sports desk vacancy. As years passed, he earned extra income as a television dramatist and wrote TV and radio scripts for sportscasters. When the paper folded in 1970, he was hired at the Los Angeles Times, where he worked in sports and entertainment. During Jack Hawn's amazing 43-year career, he covered Muhammad Ali title fights, boxing at the 1984 Olympics, and wrote about Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., and other celebrities until his retirement in 1991. Whether you're an aspiring or veteran journalist or just want a genuine page turner that details the author's own life and career, it's a work you'll keep pulling from your bookshelf time and again. As one critic summed up his review: "His book is terrific."

Born January 25, 1930, in Kearney, Nebraska, Jack Hawn grew up in Southern California, graduated from San Fernando High School in 1947, and after one year at the University of California, Santa Barbara, enlisted in the U.S. Army. He and his wife Charlene celebrated their sixty-third anniversary June 2, 2014. They produced four children. The numbers began to change nearly two decades later-14 grandchildren, 23 great-grandkids and (last reported) 3 great-greats. The author and his second wife, Mary Beth Myers-Hawn, reside in Sun City West, Arizona.


Jack was born in Kearney, Nebraska, January 25, 1930, raised in the San Fernando Valley, a suburb of Los Angeles. He and his wife of 63 years moved into their Sun City West, Arizona, home on Christmas Eve of 1991. He and his present spouse celebrated their first anniversary July 11, 2021 (lucky seven-eleven). Jack never studied journalism or aspired to be a journalist. It simply happened thanks to an Army lieutenant colonel, the Fort Ord public information officer with whom he shared a midnight Greyhound bus ride when he was an 18-year-old recruit fresh out of basic training. Jack is an active opportunistic optimist with a strong sense of humor, having a "target date" of at least 104 years. That's when his identical 18-year-old triplet great-grandsons will open a time capsule that contains his book among other treasures. Their brother also should be present. He's two years older. Author's Website:

https://authorjackhawn.com/author/


Monday, November 27, 2023

New Release: Team Joshua: The war on crime continues - by Frank Davis

 

Find it on Amazon HERE


"Team Joshua" is a story about a select group of individuals who became special government agents assigned to take down criminals who think of themselves as untouchables. The group is lead by Joshua Brown, a 6'-7" former active duty Recon Marine. With him are three other former Marines, Pham Bin Minh, sniper, Mark Riley, demolition expert and Sarge, a large German Shepherd trained to identify explosives and to attack the enemy. A fourth member of the team is Simone Cantrell, a DEA special agent until she hooked up with the team.


The last member of the team is Caleb Brown, Joshua's twin brother, also a former Recon Marine. Both Joshua and Caleb served in Afghanistan for two tours. A week before their last tour ended Caleb was killed by an IED. But his spirit survived, bonded to his brother and became a super sleuth, providing intel no human could gather.


They have successfully completed all four missions over two and a half years. Each one more complex than the last. It was time to stand down and enjoy some well earned R&R. However, that was not to be. This mission was by far the most complex they had ever been assigned to. It was like going back to combat again, but this time in Oregon. Before it was over many people would die.

Frank G. Davis is an award-winning author from Chandler. During the last three years he has self-published ten science fiction novels. An eleventh novel is currently being edited. He is also involved in generating an audio book of one of his novels, The Book of Caleb. It's a prequel to the Joshua series. He has written two four-book series; the first is the Generation series, a space opera that covers 200 years and multiple generations. 

The second is titled, Joshua. It is an action/adventure series set in the near future. Frank has been focusing on marketing and has made arrangements with several Barnes and Noble stores in the Phoenix area to add some of his books to their Local Authors displays. 

In March, he held his first book signing event at the Barnes and Noble store at Tempe Market Place. There are eleven Barnes and Noble stores in the greater Phoenix area. His goal is to hold book signings monthly at their various stores. To find out more about Frank, visit his website Home | Sci Fi Frank


Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Would you know it if you were the victim of Identity Theft? - by Vijaya Schartz



Although I write fiction, I have to say reality can sometimes be more incredible than angels and demons and other supernatural creatures found in my books.

It all started with a strange transaction on my Paypal account. $34.00 were taken out to an unfamiliar bank, then placed back into my account. Weird, but no harm done. Probably a mistake from Paypal. Still, I messaged Paypal on the site to contest the transaction.

Two days later, I jumped as I noticed a large balance in my checking account. Someone was moving money around, transferring all my savings into my checking, including a very large cash advance from my credit card.

I took out my phone to call the bank, only to discover that my phone refused to let me dial out. PANIC!

Then, large cash withdrawals were happening on my retirement account. WHAT? Unable to call, I sent an online message to contest the transactions, but got a message back that they were busy and to expect delays.

The next day, all my IRA rollover shares had been sold and the entire balance in my account was on its way out to an unknown bank account, being processed. Still no phone, and no one to talk to, except sending a message on the site.

Of course, it was the weekend. On Monday, I went to my bank and spoke to a fraud agent. Someone had also requested a personal loan in my name. My bank filed a claim and froze all my accounts and opened new ones. Told me to file a police report and change all my passwords.

I had my phone checked. They couldn't figure out what was wrong with it, but it wouldn't dial out. Stranger and stranger. They replaced the Sim card. Now it works fine.

I called my retirement account firm, and they stopped the cash transfer and locked my account... just in the nick of time. They gave me a list of places to go and people to call, including IDtheft.gov, and the credit bureaus, etc. They also asked me to have my laptop and my phone cleaned, which I did. I learned that my phone was probably hacked first, to prevent me from reporting the fraud in time.

The worse was averted. I could sleep again. But now wherever I go online, I have to deal with proving my identity as without all the cookies my familiar sites do not recognize me. I have to reset all my bill payments, all my automatic deposits and more...

It has been a maddening two weeks, and I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. I was fortunate. My bank was curious on how I spotted the fraud so quickly. I check the balance on all my bank accounts online every morning, as part of my daily routine. Had I not done that, I would be on the street today. 

Now I can start writing again, with a clean computer and a clear mind. I'm working on the next book in the BLUE PHANTOM series, to be released next year. In the meantime, you can read the two first books: 


Desperate to save her people from the Marauders swarming her space freighter, Kefira prays for a miracle. Blake Volkov, legendary captain of the Blue Phantom hears her plea and deems her and her refugees worthy of his help. Grateful for the rescue, Kefira finds his price shocking. But despite his glowing wings, handsome looks and impressive abilities, Blake admits he is no angel… although Kefira’s feline bodyguard strongly disagrees.

Meanwhile, an old enemy bent on revenge unleashed an unspeakable evil on the galaxy. Time to face past mistakes… time for innocent blood to flow. Nothing prepared Kefira for the upheaval ahead.

Can Blake find redemption? Can Kefira save her people? Can she ever trust and love again?

ANGEL GUARDIAN - Book 2 amazon B&N - Smashwords - Kobo

Desperate to escape the frozen labor planet to complete his crucial mission, Kal wishes he could remember his orders, who he worked for, or who he was before his memory wipe.

On her first solo assignment to rescue a foreign angel, Indra discovers that, despite her impeccable training, she is not warrior material. She cares too much to follow orders. Her life turns upside down when the captain of the Blue Phantom assigns her a spirited, telepathic feline named Panthera.

But a new kind of evil threatens to subjugate the galaxy, and it came on the wings of the rescued angel. Torn between duty, and what she thinks is right, will Indra dare to violate angel rule? If she’s wrong, and Kal is an agent of evil, it could plunge the entire galaxy into eternal torment.


Vijaya Schartz, award-winning author
Strong Heroines, Brave Heroes, cats
http://www.vijayaschartz.com
amazon B&N - Smashwords - Kobo FB