Our Global Crisis by Brian McLean

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This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Modern society has reached a critical juncture in its existence. Like past civilizations ours has reached a point where its future is far from certain, with its decline, or even collapse, being distinct possibilities.

The Incas, the Mayans, the Romans, the Rapanui, and many others, had seemingly successful societies, yet collapsed when faced with challenges that threatened their continued existence.

Are we to suffer the same fate? What could possibly cause our downfall?

Climate change and environmental issues? Perhaps. It is now almost a certainty that these events are destined to inflict catastrophic damage to our global society. Our coastal cities and island nations, as well as our global economy and agricultural output, will be irreparably damaged. Many of Earth's species, as well as the lives of many millions of people, will be displaced or lost forever.

Such a fate may still be averted, but that opportunity has largely passed. Even if we are able to correct the climatic and environmental issues threatening our society, we must still recognize and address the ultimate source of our problems. For if we fail, a far worse fate potentially awaits us.

Our Global Crisis is an eye opening look at the common weakness shared by societies and civilizations both past and present. But analysis of the problem alone will not solve the global crisis we now face. Thus, the final chapter is dedicated to the simple, yet critical solutions, necessary for our very survival.

Read an Excerpt

Humanity faces an uncertain future. For although we are the product of a great multitude of evolutionary “improvements,” we are nevertheless imperfect. Through the millennia, our shortcomings have contributed to the setbacks and failures of many peoples, cultures, even past civilizations, and they continue to do so. Even today, the future stability and continuance of our global socioeconomic society is not guaranteed. Climate change, environmental degradation, ongoing political and religious tension and violence, and other damaging and contentious issues not only have the potential to destabilize our global society, but if left uncorrected, may precipitate its eventual collapse. The most troubling aspect of this growing possibility is that each of us would ultimately be responsible for its occurrence.

Despite the advanced level of development attained by our species relative to others on Earth, inherent weaknesses in our nature still persist, and it is those weaknesses that each of us must overcome if we are to survive and evolve beyond our current limitations. If we can come to accept who we are and appreciate our weaknesses as well as our strengths, then we may be able to rise above our imperfections. In doing so, the possibility exists that our species may once again find its rightful place within nature and restore balance to the biosphere.

The purpose of Our Global Crisis is to guide us in this direction, to help us better understand who we are as a species, and to allow each of us to come to terms with our inner wants and desires, our strengths, and our weaknesses.

About the Author: Brian McLean, ART, is a former Medical Laboratory Technologist and Information Systems Specialist. Drawn by his passion for the outdoors, he shifted from a successful career to spend nearly two decades working for a family run orchard business. A passionate conservationist and environmentalist, Brian is also a keen observer of human nature and humanity's interaction with the biosphere. Based on those observations, he has been meticulously compiling and crafting Our Global Crisis over the last 22 years. Currently, he is working to restore riparian and temperate forest ecosystems affected by clearcut forestry practices, and when he needs to decompress, he spends time under the stars delving into his other passion, astrophotography.

Website: https://briandmclean.com
Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/0993607225
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/walkingsoftlyinnature
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/walkingsoftlyinnature
Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/briandmclean

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Borderland by Ross Victory

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Borderland is not just a poetry collection—it’s an invitation to explore the most vulnerable corners of the human experience. Award-winning author Ross Victory takes readers on an emotional journey across the intersections of masculinity, race, bisexuality, and grief. In a fearless blend of narrative and free verse, Victory dismantles societal expectations, offering a space where identity can exist fluidly and unapologetically.

Through its evocative imagery and bold storytelling, Borderland tackles life’s most complex themes—love, loss, strength, and defiance. Each poem immerses readers in raw emotion, from tender vulnerability to fierce defiance. This collection is perfect for readers seeking honest, unfiltered reflections on what it means to exist at the crossroads of identity and experience.

With a voice that’s as unique as it is powerful, Ross Victory has created a collection that speaks to anyone searching for connection and understanding. Borderland isn’t just a book—it’s a movement, a conversation, and a space to find yourself reflected in its pages.

Step into the borderland, where identity knows no boundaries.

Read an Excerpt

The Watchtower

I am a lone sniper standing watch
over my heart,
On a fortress wrought with steel and barbed wire.

I scan the horizon, forever askance,
Enemy or ally? Escape or endure?
Isolation strips away my doubt.

Perched still and silent,
High and ready above the world.

Mirages in the distance,
Stirrings in the sand,
Hallucinations in my mind,
A phantom wasteland.

In this tower,
Each approaching step
Sparks memories of betrayal,
Too vivid to forget.

Steady aim, my rifle cracks—

I descend.

Moving with stealth and care,
To find a crumpled note,
“Do you need help? We see you alone up there.”

How do I distinguish,
Between enemy and peer?

Steady aim, my rifle cracks—

I descend.

Another crumpled letter,
“I’m in love with you.”

Atop the watchtower,
Guarded by suspicion,
Threats of war outweigh my desire for love,
On guard, I am stifled by my own protection.

Ready, aim…

Once, I came down to aid a woman calling for help,
Blade to the neck, a sword in my side
She robbed me of everything,
Scars remain

Oh, the irony that echoes,
In this needle's eye,
Among glorious clouds, silken air,
I repel the saving light.

One day, I may know the truth,
Sometimes love knocks.

Until that day,
In the Borderland's cruel lore,
My instinct, my watchtower a monument,
To a boy lost in war.

About the Author:

Ross Victory, (he/him), is an award-winning author, music artist, and entrepreneur from Los Angeles. Featured in LA Weekly, LA Blade, American Reporter, and Bi.org, Ross rediscovered the healing power of writing after losing his father and brother. A former English teacher, Ross creates immersive narrative experiences. He published “Views from the Cockpit,” a father-son memoir, in 2019, resulting in a portfolio of six original titles and a music catalog of 20 songs. His works explore self-discovery, adventure, bisexuality, and family. In 2023, he released the Pride anthem “Bisexual Daze” and Book 1 of the L.A.-based horror series “Grandpa's Cabin.” Ross also publishes articles and reflections about grief, biphobia, and elder abuse on Medium.com and recently spoke at their Annual Writer’s Conference. This fall he will release his first poetry collection titled, “Borderland,” exploring the intersection of race, masculinity, and sexuality.

Website: https://www.rossvictory.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rossvictoryofficial
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rossvvictorius

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Borderland-Poetry-Intersection-Masculinity-Bisexuality-ebook/dp/B0DJ1PHR13

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The Angel Scroll by Penelope Holt

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Click on the banner to see the other stops on the tour.

ONE ANCIENT PROPHECY, TWO HEARTBROKEN LOVERS, AND A WORLDWIDE SCAVENGER HUNT FOR THREE MIRACULOUS PAINTINGS.

After her husband’s death, New York artist Claire Lucas has baffling dreams and waking visions as she channels an enigmatic and healing painting of a holy man in India at the deathbed of a young woman. When widowed antiquarian Richard Markson announces that Claire’s canvas is one-third of three paintings prophesied by the Angel Scroll, a recently discovered Dead Sea parchment, she is pulled into an international scavenger hunt to find the stolen scroll and the paintings it predicts.

As she pursues the paintings with Richard across historic and holy sites in America, Israel, and Europe, Claire encounters a series of remarkable teachers. A Buddhist, a Benedictine monk, and a professor of early goddess worship all provide rich explanations for the artist’s compelling and perplexing psychic experiences — until she assembles the incredible triptych and deciphers its inspirational message for the modern world.

Read an Excerpt

Hilde. Simply to think of her was to feel her presence, vibrant, beautiful, inviting. She had brought color, excitement, and warmth to his somber life of rigid routines and serious study. No matter how hard he tried, Richard couldn’t stop the memory of Hilde’s beautiful face and perfect body from moving through his memory a hundred times a day. He saw her blond hair, cut in a shimmering, sophisticated bob. He pictured how she pushed the hair on one side behind her ears and stroked her neck, as if to remind him how exciting her touch was. He remembered how she would arouse him by absentmindedly caressing him throughout the day. She gave him lingering kisses hello in the morning, and trailed her fingers in a light touch across his back when he was lost in study. She sometimes ran her palm down his arm with an exciting pressure as they talked. And at night, her hands felt for him hungrily beneath the sheets, as he wrapped himself around the beautiful body he had craved all day and finally took his pleasure.

Richard had memorized every inch of his wife’s lithe, petite frame that radiated so much sex appeal. She was vivacious, the center of attention in any group, but languid and seductive when they were alone. Mostly it was her laugh, throaty and full of easy warmth, that haunted him. Her cornflower blue eyes would brighten, and her lovely face would soften and transform itself with an even lovelier smile to accompany that unforgettable laugh. How could he speak of Hilde when it hurt so much just to think about her?

About the Author:

Penelope Holt was born and educated in England and now lives in New York. She is a novelist, playwright, business writer, and marketing executive, whose work has been performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, York Arts Center, and New York’s American Folk Theater. In addition to writing fiction, The Angel Scroll, and The Apple, based on the controversial Herman Rosenblat Holocaust romance, Holt is a prolific writer, editor, and co-author of non-fiction, including Business Intelligence at Work A Personal Operating System for Career Success, Singing God’s Work, the story of the Harlem Gospel Choir, and many other works. She is married with two children.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Angel-Scroll-Prophecy-Destiny-Novel-ebook/dp/B0D56KD3N5/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title

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Loving Lizzie Finn by Tamara Hughes

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Lizzie Finn grew up in a brothel, and she’s reminded of that fact every day. She dreams of finding a job and becoming independent. Only then can she be free of her aunt’s disdain. First, she must find an employer who won’t turn her away because of her past.

Byron Greeley is determined to save his family’s business after Lizzie’s uncle falsifies the amount Byron owes on a loan from the bank. Determined to find proof of Teague’s perfidy, Byron slips into the banker’s house and rummages through the study only to be discovered by Lizzie, a red-haired beauty who utterly captivates him.

Byron offers Lizzie a job in exchange for information about her uncle, and because she believes her uncle is innocent, she agrees. When Teague discovers Lizzie and Byron’s growing affection, he threatens to destroy Byron and his family, insisting Byron is exploiting her. Is Teague’s warning well-founded? Are Byron’s feelings for Lizzie true, or is Byron using her for his own gain?

Read an Excerpt

She grasped handfuls of his coat as she basked in the sensations Byron inspired. Dear God, this man had the ability to tease the very Devil into giving up his soul. She’d always believed she’d be better served being alone all her life, but with Byron, she’d never felt so happy, so safe to be who she truly was. “Marry me,” she whispered. The moment the words left her lips, a thread of panic wound itself around her heart.

Byron froze for a moment before he drew back. “What did you say?”

“I … I …”

A knowing smile tugged at his lips. He set his hands on the desk on either side of her and leaned in. “Don’t worry. I won’t pressure you to repeat it, but I will take it as a sign of progress.”

She squeezed her eyes shut and cringed. Indeed, he was wearing down her reluctance.

A fingertip traced her nose before warm lips pressed against hers in an all-too-brief kiss.

When she opened her eyes, Byron stared back, his grin still in place, and a giddy thrill coursed through her. If she did marry Byron, what would their lives be like? Even if the two of them could be happy together, what about his parents and sister? “If your family knew where I grew up, would they accept me?”

“Of course.” Although Byron was quick to respond, his smile faded. “I’ll marry you even if they don’t.”

About the Author:

A small-town girl with a big imagination, Tamara Hughes had no idea what to do with her life. After graduating from college, she moved to a big city, started a family and a job, and still struggled to find that creative outlet she craved. An avid reader of romance, she gave writing a try and became hooked on the power of exploring characters, envisioning adventures, and creating worlds. She enjoys stories with interesting twists and heroines who have the grit to surmount any obstacle, all without losing the ability to laugh. To learn more, stop by her website: www.tamarahughes.com.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tamarahughesauth
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tamara-hughes
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamara.hughes2/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7738043.Tamara_Hughes
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/tamarahughes

Buy link for Loving Lizzie Finn: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DFMQ4X1H

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The Fate of our Union by Hildebrand Hengest Hermannson

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A mountainous thundering bull breaks up battling tribesmen, summoning three struggling youths, as an insidious unseen enemy turns tribes against tribes—pitting rich against poor, sons against fathers, and men against gods. Its insatiable hunger for division threatens to plunge mankind into a dystopian realm ruled by man-eating wolves.

A miraculous seven-headed horse, a symbol of unity, assembles the struggling youths of extraordinary origin into a journey of self-discovery. There Sunu the Saxon Poet, Rufus the Roman Stoic, and Keresaspa the Sarmatian Priestess must overcome pride, aversion, and unforgiveness; there they must learn from historical heroes, philosophers, and amazingly similar gods to battle the unseen monster and its rising wolfmen.

Fated to part ways to face the demons at home, Sunu, Rufus, and Keresaspa must reunite as they bring divided peoples together to fight the source tearing everyone apart. They must heed the divine wisdom of the seven-headed horse and justly wield the seven magic weapons they’ve mysteriously been given to overcome the unseen enemy and understand the higher purpose of the mountainous thundering bull.

Read an Excerpt

Sunu the Saxon and Rufus the Roman meet Keresaspa the Sarmatian (CH 7 of The Fate of Our Union).

Sunu and Rufus leaned in, beholding her sapphire blues—then she punched them in the face.

The woman sprang forward from the mountain while they fell backward onto brown pasture. As they stood up, she kicked back like a mad bull, hitting their chests.

Fallen back to the pasture, Sunu and Rufus rolled on the damp grass to face each other, then looked up at the woman to see her aiming an arrow, a cloud above her brooding face.

“Scavengers!”

They rolled away from her rapid-fire, bronze heads nipping at their skin. Sunu pulled a crimson arrow from his blood bull cloak and shot up to his feet. He extended his right arm, catching a whizzing red shaft with the Gauntlet of Truth and snapping it while whipping the Fetter of Awe with his left hand, lassoing the woman by her waist.

She held out her bow as he yanked her his way.

Sunu grabbed his mace while she nocked an arrow. As her skidding shins stopped near his bare feet, he batted the bow and arrow out of her hands. Rufus confiscated her archery while Sunu seized her sword and aimed it at her head.

She jerked back, nostrils flaring red, arcing her shoulders to slide out of the Fetter only to feel it tightening further. “I’ll be no man’s forced bride—not for the conqueror of hundreds or thousands or hundreds of thousands!”

“Bride?” Sunu winced, glancing at Rufus as he ran to his side. “I thought you had beauty, but I said no word of you being my bride.”

About the Author:

Hildebrand Hengest Hermannson’s deep-rooted fire for Indo-European culture and Western Philosophy ignites his first novel, The Fate of Our Union, the inaugural piece in a planned series. His work draws inspiration from the national epics The Saga of the Volsungs (Norse), Mahabharata (Indian), Aenid (Roman), Odyssey (Greek), Táin Bó Cúailnge (Celtic), and Shahnameh (Iranian), weaving these rich cultures into original stories featuring fantasy world-building, dynamic characters, and intricate plots and themes. His Wild Hunt of thought breathes life into his spiritual, ethical, and cultural interests, inspiring us all to strive for imperishable virtue.

Website: https://www.hhhermannson.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HHHermannson
Twitter: https://x.com/HHHermannson
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hhhermannson77/
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/hhhermannson/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214514568-the-fate-of-our-union
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CZS7TD5V?ref_=pe_93986420_775043100

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Katie Walsh by Colleen L. Donnelly

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Enter to win a $15 Amazon/BN gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Katie Walsh expects to write a love story someday. The hero resembles her father, and the heroine the deceased mother she never knew but imagines from the longing on her father’s face.

Katie doesn’t expect her father to be murdered, or his will to leave their farm to Guy Knowles, the man she hoped to marry, and order her to another state. Betrayed by the men she trusted, what should have become a love like no other withers and dies.

Until Ted Howard, who doesn’t fit the hole Guy left in her heart. Instead, he fits himself into what she needs—someone who will stay, protect her, and break his own heart for her if needed.

Read an Excerpt

“You’re in love, aren’t you?” Her voice softened.

“Was in love. Like I said, it doesn’t matter now.” My voice wavered.

“There is no such thing as ‘was’ when it comes to first loves. They are the pioneers who break our hearts in and carve the place where forever love will eventually reside.”

Tears trickled down my cheeks.

“Who is he?” she coaxed.

“My neighbor in Nebraska. Evidently, I wasn’t the pioneer of his heart. Someone else will have that honor for Guy.” I could barely say his name, but Eliza had no trouble spurting, “Guy Knowles?” right back.

I glanced out the side window. Maybe Papa felt this sort of loss after Mama passed, and that was why he said so little when I plied him for more about her. The loss in his expression said he wanted what I did—more of and for the one we loved. Ultimately, more time.

Eliza leaned from her seat and wrapped me in her arms. “Go ahead. You need to cry. The mold Guy cut into your heart hurts because he didn’t fill it. But someday someone will. And you will be ready.”

I rested my head against hers and imagined a hole in my heart the exact shape as Guy. I didn’t want it filled by someone else someday. If Guy didn’t fill it, I wanted it gone. Forever.

About the Author:

Colleen L Donnelly was born and raised in the US Midwest but ventured to other parts of the country as an adult to experience life from other perspectives. Besides writing, she spends time outdoors, antique hunting, reading, or watching a good movie. Even though she retired from a career in laboratory science, she is never bored and always busy at something.

Social Media Links:

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/colleen-l-donnelly
Website: http://www.colleenldonnelly.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ColleenLDonnelly
Goodreads: http://www.Goodreads.com/colleenldonnelly
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colleenldonnelly/
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Buy Link: https://amzn.to/3YQIFP2

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Licenced to Rear by Riya Aarini

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a book-themed T-shirt to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Welcome to It's Raining Books. Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?
I write in the humor and satire genre because it’s a whole lot of fun to imagine and write. When readers get the humor, it’s doubly satisfying.

What world-building is required?
All the world-building comes from my imagination.

Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.
Mila Winston, the heroine in Licensed to Rear, is a go-getter and will not let misbehaving antagonists, like Peter Losor, stop her from achieving her dreams. As a character with unstoppable grit, she has a lot to teach everyone.

Do you have any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?
I’m not superstitious and I try to practice good habits. But to answer the question, I consider myself to be made up primarily of quirks.

Are you a plotter or pantser?
I use a hybrid approach and outline a bit, then write the rest by the seat of my pants.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?
An air purifier.

Anything new coming up from you? What?
I’m promoting Licensed to Rear right now.

Do you have a question for our readers?
What do you enjoy most about reading satire?

Mila Winston aspires to earn a professional license to practice parenthood. It’s all she needs to start her family in the happiest micronation on Earth. Newcomers flock to Coolbeensia to fulfill their dreams of raising children here, where kids are guaranteed loving—as opposed to horrible—parents.

But mighty obstacles test Mila’s grit. Peter Losor, a chap with an annoying air of bravado, questionable parenting skills, and a defiant personality, stirs up trouble, eventually challenging the very law that defines Coolbeensia—that licensure is mandatory to enjoy the privilege of raising children.

Will Mila survive her trying ordeal and achieve her ambitions of being a licensed parent in the quirky yet revolutionary micronation? Find out in this satirical, contemporary family fiction novel that will leave you second-guessing the ideals surrounding the prestigious job of parenthood!

Read an Excerpt

“He’s seven, barely getting started,” Jason retorted. “And for life? Are you kidding me?”

“Well, we have to look closely at the defendant’s conduct and determine if it unequivocally led to a violation of the plaintiff’s Fifth Amendment rights.”

“What was that right again?”

With a heavy sigh, Mila shook her head. “Jason, you should know it by now. It’s Friday, and you had three days to memorize the entire Bill of Rights.”

He ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah, but—”

“No excuses, Jace. We’ve got to prepare if we’re going to be licensed parents.” She put her hand on his thigh and gave it a light push. “Anyway, the Fifth Amendment states that kids have the right to live in a make-believe world for as long as they wish.” She dropped her tablet onto her lap. “For sure, per Coolbeensian law, this kid’s right was violated.”

Jason jerked his head back. “How so? Kids at some point realize there’s no Santa Claus.”

“But at age seven, he had the right to be inspired by the magical world of Santa and other legendary beings. I mean, it’s just plain wrong that the father’s irresponsible blurt led him to no longer believe in the Tooth Fairy too. These figures add so much joy and wonder to a child’s life. The father had no right to take that joy away from his son so soon.”

She crossed her arms. “It’s just not sensitive parenting.”

“Eh, I disagree,” Jason argued, cocking his head. “In a couple years’ time he’d have learned the truth anyway, from friends and even teachers.”

Mila flung her neck back. “Ugh, I’d never tell my fourth graders that Santa doesn’t exist.” Her eyes grew big. “Some still believe.”

About the Author: Riya Aarini entered her small part of the world one summer day in the Pacific Northwest. She writes in an eclectic mix of genres, including humor and contemporary fiction. If you enjoy quirkiness with a pinch of whimsy, you’ll have an appetite for her books.

Author Website: http://www.riyapresents.com
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/aarinibooks
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aarinibooks

Book is available everywhere books are sold, including
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Licensed-Rear-Novel-Riya-Aarini-ebook/dp/B0DGFGDZYT

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Anastasia's Midnight Song by M. Laszlo

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. M. Laszlo will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Longing to cure her deep, hysterical fears involving a diabolical dream fox living inside her womb, Anastasia T. Grace takes a post making occult mirrors in the hope that she may someday convince herself that she commands the power to banish her nemesis into one of her creations. However, when a troubled, young Englishman grows obsessed with her beauty, she is forced to confront the pressing, all-too-real, misogynistic danger of male psychopathy.

This books takes the reader on a strange, metaphysical psychological drama that plays out with Anastasia and Jack, both troubled by their own demons and delusions. This is a book that could be read several times over and still not be able to glean all the richness the author provides. Themes of aroma, of being alone and lonely, of loss... and many more... are pictured in this journey through a dream or through madness? There are no clear answers, and this reader believes that's what the author intends. Every reader will get something different from the book...and may even get something different each time they read it.

The reader can delve into the different motifs - the dream fox, the diadem spider, the ghost girl of Svetlana - not to mention the music that is introduced throughout.

This is not a quick or easy beach read, but it is a book to be savored and experienced. It reminds me a lot of magical realism bound up in a dream vision - where the things experienced may or may not be factual, but have a reality too deep to explain. For readers who want to think and not just be entertained, this is the book for you. 4 stars. Read an excerpt

London. 19 June, 1918.

In the darkness before dawn, a dream awoke Anastasia—it was a nightmare in which the dream fox inside her willed itself to metamorphose into a large, hideous diadem spider.

She did not fall asleep again for an hour, and once she had, a foul odour awoke her for good. What could it be? She sat up and pinched her nose shut. Sensing warmth against her face, she realised the room was bathed in the morning light. The odour lingered, too, so she climbed out of bed and crawled off to her left, following the smell. Soon enough, she discovered what she believed to be the carcass of a rat lying to the side of the footboard. A dead rat. It’s an omen of something awful. When she finally mustered the nerve, she groped here and there for the tail and collected the lifeless creature. Then she stood, felt her way over to the window, and dropped the dead rat into the alley below.

After she had washed her hands, she stumbled back to the window. What to think of something like that? She revisited the dream. Could it be a sign the conniving dream fox inside my womb has already transformed into a monstrous diadem spider? If so, what happens next?

Outside, the streets grew quiet—and the lull made her twist the Huguenot cross. For a time, she paced. Wringing her hands, she debated what kind of pathology might be responsible for envisioning something so disturbing as the metamorphosis fantasy. Every now and then, she sat in bed and rubbed her belly—and in those moments, she brooded. Someday soon, I’ll deliver the diadem spider. Just like a woman gives birth to a little baby. And then the hideous thing will probably tear me to pieces and consume my remains, and why wouldn’t it?

About the Author:

M. Laszlo is the pseudonym of a reclusive author living in Bath, Ohio. According to rumor, he based the pen name on the name of the Paul Henreid character in Casablanca, Victor Laszlo.

M. Laszlo has lived and worked all over the world, and he has kept exhaustive journals and idea books corresponding to each location and post.

It is said that the maniacal habit began in childhood during summer vacations—when his family began renting out Robert Lowell’s family home in Castine, Maine.

The habit continued into the 1990s when he lived in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem and worked as a night clerk in a Palestinian youth hostel. In recent years, he revisited that very journal/idea book and based Anastasia’s Midnight Song on the characters, topics, and themes contained within the writings.

M. Laszlo has lived and worked in New York City, East Jerusalem, and several other cities around the world. While living in the Middle East, he worked for Harvard University’s Semitic Museum. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio and an M.F.A. in poetry from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York.

Website: https://www.mlaszlo.com/
Twitter: https://x.com/AuthorMLaszlo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giacomovenable/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Anastasias-Midnight-Song-M-Laszlo/dp/1922329762/ref=sr_1_1

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He. by Gregory Pakis

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A sexually open-minded couple, Lester and Val, have recently moved into a stylish yet eerie apartment building.

Val's curiosity is piqued when she starts to receive unusual messages and requests from an anonymous messenger.

Lester is also cautiously intrigued, as Val starts to fulfill the requests.

A suspected sex club soon becomes media headlines when a former member disappears, and the club is reported to have vacated its last premises.

As the messages persist, Lester and Val start to question whether the anonymous messenger is connected to the clandestine club mentioned in the media, and if there is any link between him or the club and the odd newcomers in the apartment next door.

Read an Excerpt

She walked over to the kitchen and stared out the windows. Everything was still. An uneasy feeling came over her. She looked back at Lester’s door.

was he acting a bit strange lately

he did seem distracted

that night he seemed more excited than usual

wasn’t that a dream

She remembered the things he had said and she felt excited about the possibilities. There was another party in a few weeks. They were also possibly going to meet with a couple Lester had met online. But she felt dread about mixing her and Lester’s energy with others. She wasn’t sure she needed to. She still found Lester compelling; his brooding mysterious presence, his body. He took care of himself. And she wasn’t sure there were many men that could be with her as intensely.

Her phone beeped. She looked down at it on the kitchen table. It wasn’t often she received messages. She preferred it that way. She read the message.

‘the stencil’

It wasn’t from a contact. That was odd.

what stencil

She’d received her share of messages over the years. Notes pressed in her hand. Under her windscreen wipers. Written on napkins in bars or on the back of business cards. But it was usually just a phone number and a name. She then realised which stencil the message was referring to.

did something just click in or out of place

About the Author:

Gregory Pakis is an Australian author, film-maker, actor and wacky vlogger.

He has written the short story, The Lonely Australian of the Asian Night; the soon to be released horror-suspense novellas, The Regressor and He., and Memoir of a Suburban Hoe-Bo, which is partly an account of when he lived out of a van for ten years in Melbourne.

Gregory Pakis is also the writer / director of the feature films, The Garth Method (2005) and The Joe Manifesto (2013), which have won national and international awards and been distributed through Accent Entertainment, Label, Vanguard Cinema.

Gregory's more informal video projects are the feature documentaries, Garth Goes Hitch-Hiking (2007) and Garth Lives in a Van (2011) which have screened at film festivals in Australia.

More recently, he has created the comedy series, suBURPieS and his Wacky Vlog which can found on his socials.

Gregory has been featured in articles in newspapers, The Age, The Herald Sun, Beat Magazine, Inpress, FILMINK, and the Neos Kosmos. He has been interviewed on radio by the ABC, 3RRR, SYN FM, 3CR.

BOOK TRAILER: https://youtu.be/Kmzbq39uREY
AUTHOR CHAT TO CAMERA VIDEO: https://youtu.be/gb76iJdAUak
WEB PAGE: https://www.gpak.org/books/he
WEB PAGE FOR FILMS: https://guerillafilmnite.com/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/gregorypakis/
TIK TOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@gregorypakis
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/gpakis
TWITTER: https://x.com/GPakis
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@Films_Books._Vlogs

AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJYRJK5W FREE TO READ ON KINDLE UNLIMITED OR BUY FOR ONLY $0.99!

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Flamingo Cafe by Jackie Kang

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A storm is brewing off the coast of Florida, but chaos has already made landfall for four women of Palm Beach society. Abigail, a self-appointed Cuban princess and queen of the WAGs, suddenly finds herself penniless and on the streets. Claudia, a Greek entrepreneur and CEO of a prestigious international clothing line, is entering her golden years only to realize secrets can weigh you down. Cassy, a barista and owner of the Flamingo Cafe, is doing her best to recover from a tragic past. Meanwhile her best friend, Bri, also harbors a secret: a romantic tet-a-tet with Cassy's brother Nick. Each woman has played her part in a society obsessed with appearances and secrecy for years. So, when Hurricane Odette blows through town, exposing those secrets, it's no surprise their lives collide like a clap of thunder. Only one thing is certain: if they don't work together, Mother Nature will teach them the hardest lessons of their lives.

Read an Exclusive Excerpt

As I observe Abigail, I notice she is also giving me the once-over. I watch her gaze travel the length of my body, and the skin around her eyes crinkle when she settles on the box half hidden in my arms.

Without missing a beat in Riley’s and my conversation, Abigail says, “we also learned that after mating is over, the male leaves and never takes part in raising the child.” Abigail looks at Riley and scoffs. “Go figure. Mammals of the male variety are all the same.” She glances pointedly at the box again. “But I would bet you already know that little tidbit of information, don't you?”

I resist the urge to fidget or shift my arms. “I suppose I did.” I search the recesses of my brain for something else to add. But instead of producing some witty comment or brilliant conversation, I trail off into silence.

Abigail stares at me silently until I can't take it any longer. “I was just on my way to get some coffee. I guess I'll be seeing you around.” I back down the aisle, away from the two of them, with the box still firmly tucked in my arm, and give Riley an awkward wave. “So anyway, have fun camping.”

Abigail regards me with a look I can't quite place, and I fear I've said something wrong, so I add, “stay safe out there. See you later, kiddo.”

I make haste to the coffee stand and pour myself a steaming cup of French roast before taking my purchases to the counter. As I head out the door, I glance at Abigail and Riley. Abigail is shaking her head at Riley in the negative, and I wonder what she is saying no to.

I'm tucking my coffee into the cup holder of the Jeep when Abigail and Riley exit the store. They cross the parking lot empty-handed and open the driver's side door of a black Mercedes G-wagon SUV. It takes me a few minutes to register the tinted windows, and it's not until they are pulling out of the parking lot and I'm staring at the Miami Sting Rays vanity license plate that it hits me.

“What the hell? It was Abigail?”

About the Author:

When not spending her time creating make-believe people and places, Jackie Kang lives in Kirkland, WA with her very real family of 1 husband, 2 dogs, and 3 children. In her past life, Jackie has held jobs as a personal trainer, a spa manager, a dental assistant, and an office manager, but her true love is writing and sharing a well-crafted story. Jackie is a member of the Women's Fiction Writers Association.

Website: http://www.jackiekangwritesbooks.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JacqulineK
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacqulinekang/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Flamingo-Caf%C3%A9-Jackie-Kang-ebook/dp/B0DCC4NCJ5/ref=sr_1_1

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