ALWAYS KEEP YOUR DREAMS ALIVE

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REVIEW  NUMBER 1.

MAUSOLEUM

BY: MARK D. CHEVALIER


REVIEW BY:

Patricia J Smith
Author of  FORE-WARNED
http://www.freewebs.com/blessedbeps

This book will captivate you, This up and coming author,is a young man who so brilliantly webs you in to his sinister side. Like a spider to a fly you will keep reading.

He has woven the story line and characters so perfectly, so evil, and so mystic, that you will find yourself sharing emotion between yourself and each character.

You will definitely catch yourself jumping every once in a while. You will stop reading only to soon return because the questions you are trying to answer are pulling you back.

The suspense which brilliantly starts from the beginning stays until the end and pours through all the chapters in between will have you guessing until the last sentence has been read.

Mausoleum is a must read for anyone who enjoys the thrills, frights, and suspense of a great horror story. Mind you though it is not meant for the weak at heart.

This is a story of such  pure horror that the story line its self is pure genius. The way the characters are connected through time and share a common bond through out the centuries is brilliant.  The fact that  they do all this at such a pace and outstanding writing that even through the trips of time you never get lost is a master piece.

Mark D Chevalier, will stand among the greats, King, Koontz, and the many others who have led us through their evil and wonderful minds of horror.

I feel that The The 4th Of July, Our Independence Day is the perfect day to release this review. Mark Chevalier, his style and imagination is his own. You will never see repeats of old horror grace his pages. All of his stories are new and refreshing. He is not afraid to go out into the night and let his voice be heard. He is not afraid to unleash his vivid and frightful imagination unto the pen.

So for all you skeptics who think new horror can not be written. For all you brave souls who state no author can scare you. For all of you devoted horror readers craving something new and fresh to entice you,........... Well, What are you waiting for? Dive in, Quench your thirst for the unusual, the bazaar , and just when you think you have it all figured out................ what's that you hear? The house settling, the wind whipping through the fireplace, or maybe, just maybe............You best look over your shoulder, shiver, grin with anticipation, and keep reading.

HAPPY READING........ SWEET DREAMS.............GOOD NIGHT......

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD OR PURCHASE A COPY OF MAUSOLEUM AT:

http://www.lulu.com


      
MARK D. CHEVALIER

AZRIEL, THE ANGEL CHRONICLES

“Mark D. Chevalier is a uniquely dynamic writer…his writing talents are clearly evident.”

– Kaye Trout, Midwest Book Review

 

  YOU CAN PURCHASE AZRIEL, THE ANGEL CHRONICLES  ONLINE AT http://www.amazon.com

 

                                                                      REVIEW NUMBER 2

                                                          SAMANTHA AT THE CROSSROADS

                                                                          BY: S. K.  SMITH

From David Rogers, St. Maries, ID:

Having grown up in the Southeastern United States, but now living in the Pacific Northwest, I have an interest in the subject of comparing and contrasting growing up in the two regions. For that reason, when the book Samantha at the Crossroads by S. K. Smith was recommended to me by a friend, I decided to give it a try. I’m glad I did.

In reading it I instantly recognized the area of Montana in which the story takes place. I have traveled there several times and have always found the geography to be most interesting. I don’t want to give anything away, but having explored the Lewis and Clark Caverns in Montana, I also found some of the geological aspects of the story to be most interesting.

Sam was not the usual coming of age story, and Sam is not your usual coming of age young lady. I think Ms. Smith has accurately captured and portrayed a young, rural, Montana girl coming of age in the late sixties.

I thought that the social and geographical aspects of the story would be of more interest to me than the character of Sam, per se. As I read the book, however, I found myself almost embarrassingly amused by and sympathetic with Sam. She is obviously a character very dear to Ms. Smith and one that she appears to know well.

No matter how you look at this book – sociological, geographical or historical setting, or characters and story – Ms. Smith’s book rings true. I very much enjoyed it and most enthusiastically recommend it. I am not normally driven to write reviews, but I truly did enjoy this book. Thank you, Ms. Smith.

YOU CAN PURCHASE A COPY OF THIS GREAT  BOOK AT: http://www.amazon.com

VISIT THE LINK SITE FOR THIS AUTHORS OTHER GREAT SITES.

 

REVIEW NUMBER 3

 THIS IS A WONDERFUL BOOK BY M.M. JOHN DOLLAR

"STORIES FROM LIARS, FRIENDS  AND THE   INNOCENT"

 

I loved this book. It was funny, poignant and inspirational. I have also read it to my kids who actually listened!. There are many references to growing up in the country, brief history of Lob-lolly Pine Trees, fire poppers and turkey buzzards. it was hysterical in unexpected places, well written and intriguing. I hope this is the first of many stories to come from this author.

One of my favorites is "MY Grandfather's Secret Room." I wasn't expecting it to end  the way it did. How we forget the magnitude of influence our grandparents had over us when we were kids. It reminded me of "the good old days" when times were simpler and uncluttered and stories around the coffee pot at the corner store was considered entertainment.

I also enjoyed  reading about the Mississippi country side. It sounds so beautiful and peaceful. With colorful characters and crazy circumstances plus a little mischief tossed in, it's a great read.

Marilyn D.  Chicago IL

--
-----------------------------
IN GOD WE TRUST
-----------------------------
 
YOU CAN PURCHASE A COPY OF THIS WONDERFUL BOOK AT: http://www.amazon.com
 
VISIT THE LINK PAGE FOR THIS AUTHORS OTHER GREAT SITES
 

                                                                                         REVIEW NUMBER 4

                                                                                TROUBLE STARTS PANE FOLLOWS

                                                                         AUTHOR: DAVE AND  LINDA BROUGHTON

                                                                          

                                                        Posted January 3, 2008, 5:18 AM EST: A great book with

                                                        well defined characters,   unusual for first time authors.

                                                        Intricate plot with enough twists to keep the reader on

                                                        the edge of their seats, but not so many it's hard to follow.

                                                        Action, romance, humor and more.

                                                                                 SYNOPSIS OF THIS EXCITING BOOK:

                                                        Ashling Pane walks softly and carries a big gun.

                                                        Those abused by evil forces see her as an

                                                        angel from Heaven.  Those who commit evil find she is

                                                        an avenging angel of death and destruction.

                                                        Ashling Pane is hot on the trail of a murdering thief

                                                        who stole a rare Stradivarius violin.

                                                        Wild turns of events have Ash fighting for the

                                                        lives of herself, her lover, and even her good

                                                        friend the President of the United States.

                                                        Ash aims to vanquish the scum that would do

                                                        her and the world harm.

                                                        Will her aim be true? Ash takes on terrorists,

                                                        Russian mobsters, petty bureaucrats and street criminals.

                                                        Unrestrained by rules or social convention, Ash uses any

                                                        method at hand to make sure true justice triumphs.

                                                       Action, adventure, romance, Trouble Starts, Pane Follows

                                                       has it all, and then some.

                                                      YOU CAN PURCHASE THIS GREAT BOOK AT:

                                                      BARNES AND NOBLE, AMAZON AND OTHER

                                                      ON LINE BOOK SITES.

                                                                                     HAPPY READING

                                                     VISIT THE LINK SITE FOR THIS AUTHORS

                                                      OTHER GREAT SITE.

                                         REVIEW NUMBER 5

                                             RETREAD SHOP

                                     AUTHOR: T. JACKSON KING

      Engaging alien characters, a likeable protagonist, and a vividly realized 
      world make King's first SF novel a good purchase for SF collections."
       ---Library Journal "Fun, with lots of outrageously weird aliens."---Locus
      "I like the story very much indeed...because the whole technical concept of 
      the Shop, its sheer size and raison d'etre, and the vast time scale...and the 
      adept handling of these characters and technologies...makes the story...both 
      utterly incredible and completely believeable. That made the short hair at 
      the back of my neck prickle and ...it still does...One hell of a hard act to follow."
       ---British writer James White, author of the Sector General series.

      “Similar in feel to Roger Zelazny's Alien Speedway series is Retread Shop

       by T. Jackson King. It's an orphan-human-in-alien-society-makes-good story.

       Well-written and entertaining, it could be read either as a Young Adult

       or as straight SF with equal enjoyment.”--Chuq Von Rospach, OtherRealms 22

     “King creates for us a novel that Andre Norton might have written. The details

      of alien biology are evocative of Alan E. Nourse, while the intricate political plotting

      smacks of C. J. Cherryh lightly laced with a Niven-esque whimsey. . . The best of

      what fantasy readers read fantasy for . . .  All of this puts Retread Shop in the newly

      emerging subgenre which combines the best sf logic and vision with the compelling

      depth and texture available so far only in the best fantasy such as

      Katherine Kurtz writes.”--Jacqueline Lichtenberg, author of the Sime/Gen series

                                                             ANCESTOR'S WORLD

    
“T. Jackson King is a professional archaeologist and he uses that to great advantage in

      Ancestor’s World. I was just as fascinated by the details of the archaeology procedures

      as I was by the unfolding of the plot . . . The novel opens with the discovery of artifacts

      from the lost colony of the Mizari in a tomb of an ancient Na-Dina emperor. This is a

     discovery that the modernist faction of the Na-Dina do not want getting out, and some

     of them will do anything to keep it under wraps. What follows is a tightly plotted,

     suspenseful novel.”---Absolute Magnitude magazine



 
“Another of A.C. Crispin’s StarBridge adventures, this one fleshed out by T. Jackson King,

    whose work appears on the shelves much too seldom. There is a murder on the world of

    Na-Dina, at an archaeological dig in Ancestor’s Valley where Human and other archaeologists

    are in the process of finding artifacts that contradict the beliefs of many of the planet’s natives.

    The murder is only one element of the plot, but its solution winds up the story nicely. We meet

    several characters from earlier in the series, along with fascinating members of other races.

   Good cover by Duane O. Myers. Recommended.”---Norm Hartman, Book Net #10


  
“The latest in the StarBridge series from King, a former Rogue Valley resident now living and

   writing in Arizona, follows the action on planet Na-Dina, where the tombs of 46 dynasties have

   lain undisturbed for 6,000 years until a human archaeologist and a galactic gumshoe show up.  

   Set your phasers for fun.”---Mail Tribune newspaper, Medford, OR

                                                                                     NEW RELEASE

                                                                JUDGMENT DAY AND OTHER DREAMS

  Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author David Brin has said of this collection

 "Congratulations on the long overdue story collection, Tom!

What I find most terrific is your range of topics and styles. You have always been an explorer.

 READ FREE SHORT STORIES AND LEARN MORE ABOUT T. JACKSON KING AT:

  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/192115.T_Jackson_King

 YOU CAN PURCHASE A COPY OF THESE EXCITING BOOKS AT:

  http://www.barnesandnoble.com

  http://www.amazon.com

SEE THE LINKS PAGE FOR OTHER EXCITING LINKS FOR THIS AUTHOR

 

                                                            REVIEW NUMBER 6

                                                            DAUGHTER DENIED

                                                            AUTHOR: ALRETHA THOMAS

                                                            TV Interview on CBS SF affiliate KPIX 
                                                             http://cbs5.com/video/?id=34766@kpix.day...

                                                             
Ararojax Literary Group (Florida) Awesome!!! Definitely

                                                             will have you up late at night and taking breaks at work

                                                             to read. I definitely recommend others read,   cause it is

                                                             a page turner. Awesome job Alretha

                                                             A Place of Our Own Book Club -- Alretha Thomas

                                                             delivers a gripping tale with Daughter Denied. 

                                                             
                                                             
Arc Book Club Inc. (New York) Daughter Denied is riveting

                                                             and a superb drama with extraordinary  characters

                                                             and an intense original plot. Daughter Denied

                                                             has the makings of a bestseller

                                                            Asis Book Club (Virginia) thoroughly enjoyed Daughter Denied. 

                                                            
Ladies of Color Turning Pages (California) Ms. Thomas

                                                             created a compelling portrait of a dysfunctional family

                                                             who in the end finds hope and redemption. I enjoyed

                                                             watching the main character Tina, a young girl of

                                                             seven come of age over the ten year span of the story.

                                                             I cried at her struggles, admired her feistiness and

                                                             cheered at her final triumph over her circumstances.

                                                             I am sure many will find Ms. Thomas' book an

                                                             interesting read.

                                                             YOU CAN PURCHASE YOUR COPY TODAY AT:

                                                             http://www.amazon.com

                                                            YOU CAN MEET AND GET TO KNOW THIS TALENTED

                                                             AND INSPIRATIONAL AUTHOR AT:

                                                             http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2003288.Alretha_Thomas

                                                             CHECK OUT ALL OF HER LINKS ON THE LINK PAGE

 

 

                                                                                   


REVIEW NUMBER 7

THANK MY LUCKY SCARS

AUTHOR: WARD FOLEY

REVIEW BY: DESTINY RAE BOOZE - ROMANTIC SUSPENSE AUTHOR

A Memoir of Inspiration, November 23, 2008

Ward Foley is disabled. He struggles with daily activites such as brushing his teeth. There

 are so many things that he will never be able to do because he simply CANNOT. He

 must tolerate ridicule and insensitivity from the general public concerning his deformities.

Thank My Lucky Scars isn't about any of the above. This book is about all the things Foley

can and has done with his life. He challenges himself beyond his physical limitations. He keeps

 a positive attitude about life and about himself. One of the most important lessons from this

 book is about self-acceptance. Foley ponders the meaning of life and his life in particular.

Foley describes facing more near-death experiences than should be cosmically possible. He

 strenghtens himself through faith and love and family. He chooses to use his life to help others

 through friendships, motivational speeches, and volunteering with hospice. His testimony is

 miraculous and inspiring.

This book has a profound message. Ward Foley is a great role model for us all. He makes me

 want to do more with my own life. Thank you, Ward.

WRITER’S DIGEST
Judge’s Commentary:

There is not a doubt in my mind that Ward Foley is probably one of the most inspiring and amazing

 persons—let alone writer—out there in the world today. Born with a life-threatening and

 life-debilitating disease only to overcome it and then be burned in a donut shop as a teenager, beaten,

 nearly killed in a car accident and forced to endure the loss of a close friend, Ward Foley

 has not had it easy. But no one would ever suspect it. His optimism, faith and deep understanding

 of his life, purpose and mission exude through every page, and I am sure he’s a delight in person.

 The book was thoroughly professional—the title (albeit cheesy, at first look) works,

the cover design is appealing and the editing was outstanding. This is the perfect book for people

 who enjoy being (and or need to feel) inspired by, rather than dragged through the trenches of,

 life’s ups and downs. For those filling their Amazon shopping carts with books like The Last Lecture,

 Big Russ and Me and Tuesdays With Morrie, they should add this one to the list.

YOU CAN PURCHASE YOUR COPY FROM:  http://www.wardfoley.com

VISIT THE LINK SITE FOR THIS AUTHORS OTHER GREAT SITES.

                                                        REVIEW NUMBER 8

                                                        FERRYMAN

                                                       AUTHOR: CAROLE SUTTON

       

About the author:

Reared in the beautiful county of Devon in England, Carole’s earliest memory is of the

Exeter blitz in 1942. In the 1960s and ‘70s she and her husband raised their family in

Cornwall, built their own boats and sailed the English Channel. In 1981 the family

 migrated to Australia. Rawlhouse Publishing published her first book, Gus, Sore Feet

— No Collar in 1995. Since then Carole’s passions have turned to crime fiction.

Her years of sailing experience in Cornwall enrich this novel with an authentic nautical flavour.

* FERRYMAN was short-listed for the Dundee International Book Prize 2007

* Of special interest to those who know and love Cornwall, the Fal Estuary, King Harry Ferry and the Helford River.

Published by:

YWO/Legend Press

The publisher will donate part proceeds from the sale of this book to "Sightsavers" an International charity fighting blindness.

FERRYMAN (Mystery & Thrillers)
1 chapters   —   updated 12 days ago, 02:24AM
description: A detective with a conscience, a woman's betrayal and a powerful businessman with a sinister secret are some
 of the intriguing characters is Carole's debut thriller set around the Fal Estuary in the 1970s. 
Goto:
 
 
Yes, DI Alec Grimstone leaned on a witness to enhance his testimony in the murder trial of Steven Pangelly, but Alec wasn't going to see a murderer get away with it just because Angela Dupont's body was never found. When Angela's body is fished out of the quay two years later, dead no more than ten days, Alec had to think again.
Carole Sutton weaves the story, past and present, through the detectives, through Pangelly and Veryan, through the degenerate Lomax and his deranged sister, letting the reader in on the who, where, and why, while we watch the good guys piece the puzzle together as they risk disgrace, disaster, and death in challenging a rich and powerful man.
The sailing scenes are utterly convincing; the characters interesting company, even the foul Lomax and his lunatic sister. The writing is friendly and smooth, skillfully implying violence and horror instead of splaying it in front of the reader. There is enough horror underlying the fate of several missing young women, implied, discussed, imagined, to make the end of the villains satisfying. This is a book I could recommend to anyone, even a sensitive reader.

 
A murder mystery with a twist, January 25, 2009
 
I enjoyed this story. The fact that one of the protagonists sorting out the whole mystery was the poor guy wrongly convicted of one of the murders gave it a twist and extra interest. The other protag is sister of one of the victims, so they both had good reason to want to get the confusing events sorted out.

I enjoyed all the sailing references and the British setting. To not give the ending away, I'll say the story took turns that in some ways seemed, not far fetched but maybe, on a bigger than scale than I expected starting the story. But then, when one reads the news these days, the crimes committed, this was all perfectly plausible.
 
 
Ferryman by Carole Sutton

A young woman's body surfaces in the Fal Estuary. Angela had been missing for two years, but evidence showed she died only one week ago. Two years earlier Steven Pengelly was jailed for her murder.

The detective, who slanted the evidence to ensure a conviction, has a growing list of missing women. Veryan Pascoe's sister is one of them. On Pengelly's release from jail, Veryan persuades him that Angela's murder and her sister's disappearance are connected.

DI Alec Grimstone battles his conscience, and gathers his team to investigate the case anew as the body count grows. Pengelly and Veryan work together to follow leads from the sailing fraternity in their efforts to find Veryan's sister before she too, meets with Angela's fate.

It's about one man's quest for justice, a woman's betrayal, a detective's conscience, and a powerful and deviant businessman, whose escalating quest for bigger thrills takes him to the edge of madness in this fast moving, un-put-down-able Cornish tale.

What did the first reader/reviewers from YouWriteOn writing workshop make of it? Here is a sample of their comments:

... well written thriller...
... feel the boat under you and smell the salt ...
... characters, settings and dialogue all had an air of authenticity ...
... kept me turning the pages right the way through ...
I know nothing about sailing, but your descriptions were superbly done...
...tense, with good description and characters that come alive...
... couldn't put it down ...
This is really great - totally readable. Ferryman starts out strong, with a gripping prologue. Subsequent chapters don't disappoint.

Ferryman made the top five, the best-seller list, in the YouWriteOn program and went on to be short-listed in the Dundee International Book Prize of 2007.
PURCHASE YOUR COPY TODAY AT: http://www.amazon.com
 
FOR MORE ON THIS WONDERFUL AUTHOR CHECK OUT THE LINK PAGE

 
                                               

                       

                           REVIEW NUMBER 9

                           PAUL A HARRIS

                           DIARY FROM THE DOME          

                          A Touching and thought provoking account..., July 17, 2008
                        

                          By Sophia ""bookie"" (San Diego, CA) -  

 This book is a touching and thought provoking account of Mr. Harris' harrowing experience

 in New Orleans during the hurricane - Katrina. The author has shared his honest observations

 and emotional responses with the reader in a simple journal format. Mr. Harris has courageously

 expressed his own judgments and fears as he takes the reader through a day by day account

 of being trapped in the "Dome" during the destruction of New Orleans by Katrina. This personal

 account is both deeply moving, humorous and demonstrates the integrity of the author in the face

 of one of the worst disasters to hit Louisiana. The reader is left contemplating what their own

 behavior and reactions would be if faced with the same horrific conditions as Mr. Harris. One

 could only hope to demonstrate the same integrity, courage, honesty and love of humanity the

 author expresses in his book. Thank you Mr. Harris for this reminder - we are all one and it

 matters every minute of every day.

YOU CAN PURCHASE YOUR COPY OF THIS BOOK TODAY AT:

http://www.amazon.com

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE LINK SITE FOR PAUL'S OTHER LINKS.

                          

                                                   REVIEW NUMBER 10

                                                   BEYOND MY CONTROL 

                                      AUTHOR: STUART ROSS McCALLUM

Stuart Breaks Down the Barriers of Neurological Disease

By Carol Denise Mitchell October 16, 2008 (author) "Rovella Starr"

Thank you Stuart for sharing your heart wrenching story with us and breaking down the barriers

 of your neurological disease in your fantastic must read book, Beyond my Control. The moment

 I started reading your book, I could not put it down and I felt I was going through surgery with you!

It is interesting to learn how much work is needed in the medical field to diagnose neurological disorders

 before it tears one's life apart!

Having braved the storm until you met medical competency is a testament to your strength and character,

 for few could have survived what you went through while holding down a business and family. I am

so glad you are alive. You are truly a medical miracle and your incredible story will undoubtedly be a benefit to us all.

Having read Beyond my Control (twice now), I sincerely feel it belongs at the top of the bestseller list, and

in medical journals around the world. You have answered questions that many have been seeking for years

 about seizures and neurological diseases and the like. Doctors' in training would benefit a great deal by

reading this wonderful book. I purchased my second copy today to pass on to friends!

Thanks Stuart for a courageous story of strength, courage and extreme bravery.

You truly are my hero and many more!

 

From Linda-Newton Perry author of FORCED BLOOD THE NORSEMAN

A very helpful book for those who have Epilepsy and those who have family

 and friends with Epilepsy. McCallum describes the stages of this unpredictable disease, of how it overshadowed

 his life for twenty years.
In my estimation Stuart Ross McCallum is a strong warrior of mind and body.

He has through his book BEYOND MY CONTROL shared with us his battles, where we can learn from his

very real wars (they were many) to win the larger battle of good health and sound mind. Hurrah! Hurrah!

 My friend, Stuart Ross McCallum.

PURCHASE YOUR COPY TODAY AT:

http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Control-Struggle-Epilepsy-Seizure/dp/059548705X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232078998&sr=1-1

VISIT THE LINK PAGE FOR THIS AMAZING AUTHORS OTHER SITES.


 

                                    REVIEW NUMBER 11

                                 AUTHOR: PAT WHITAKER

                                 BAD BLOOD

                                 Bad Blood is a Murder Mystery with a romantic thread and an undercurrent of Science Fiction.

                                           

"Katherine went looking for a serial killer. What she found was both the end and the beginning of her life, and a reality that spanned both. A rich, agile plot, succinctly told. Set among past truths and present myths, the questions posed will engage the mind well beyond the last page."

 

Here is an extract:

 

Katherine was sitting at her kitchen table, chin in her hands, staring at a pile of books in front of her, when the phone rang. It was Paul. There had been another killing. He gave her the address and she grabbed her keys off the sideboard and went out.

 

Ten minutes later she arrived at June Tyler's apartment, now cordoned off and, after showing her credentials, went in. In the kitchen, the pathologist was examining a body, laid out as before on the kitchen table. She looked around the room. Detectives were busy minutely examining the scene.

 

Paul approached her and commented that although the inspection was far from complete, it initially appeared that every detail was exactly the same as the previous three murders. Katherine asked about the time of death and Paul replied that, subject to a post mortem, the pathologist thought around eight —eight thirty the previous evening.

 

The pathologist looked up from his work and said that in all these murders the time of death was somewhat suspect. When questioned by the Inspector, he explained that the techniques used to determine time of death are moderated by many different factors. Unfortunately, there was no reliable information on how draining the blood from a body prior to death would affect the onset of rigor mortis, as in his experience it was pretty much unique, so they would be unwise to narrow the window of opportunity too much.

 

Katherine turned to Paul and asked, "Where are her clothes?"

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"Well, her bed is undisturbed, and it is not likely that she had undressed and put her clothes away, although possible. I think it's much more likely that they have been removed by the killer, probably after she was drugged. Did he carefully put them away or did he take them with him—or her of course. In either case, why?"

 

Paul frowned, but said nothing.

 

And some comments:

 

“An easy to read and intriguing story with many twists and turns leading to an unexpected ending. I’m looking forward to the next one...”

 

... thoroughly enjoyed the sense of immediacy created. Especially enjoyed the treatment that made a generally taboo topic not only plausible but almost probable.”    

 

                                      ANTITHESIS

 

Antithesis is a story of one person’s hunt for the truth.  An ‘old school’ work of science fiction, it questions both our homocentric view of the universe and our place in it.

 

Juliet went looking for a man - a dead man. Her search for him, and the answers she hoped he could give her, took her to the furthest reaches of the planet.

 

What she found was both magnificent and terrible. What she had to decide cut across all that she was and all that she believed in.”

 

Here is an extract:

 

Juliet knew without a doubt she had found what she had come all the way to this remote part of Africa to find. Professor Makel, or at least his last resting place.

 

For a time she could not move, she just stood and stared at the sight before her, almost reluctant to disturb anything. Quite why she hesitated, she couldn't say. Whether it was respect for this man who had occupied her thoughts for so long, or just that she needed to absorb not only the sight of the camp but all the emotions that swirled through her, she didn't know. But there was no hurry. Everything had been here for thirty years; there was nothing that couldn't wait. She walked across to a small boulder and sat down, facing the camp. She took out her canteen and had a drink, she wasn't really thirsty as it was early in the day, it just seemed like the thing to do.

 

Finally, and with not a little trepidation, Juliet got up and approached the camp. It was all in urprisingly good order. The canvas was faded and tattered but still largely intact and the various boxes of supplies and equipment were neatly arranged. Admittedly, everything was partially covered with wind-blown sand, but it was clear that nobody had been here to disturb things since the Professor's day.

 

After a brief glance into the empty Landrover she walked over to the tent. Pulling aside what remained of the flap she stepped inside and stopped. There before her on a simple camp bed, were the skeletal remains of a man. Still wearing the remnants of his clothing, he looked at peace—if that can truly be said of a skeleton. Certainly, to Juliet's eye, he didn't seem to have died of anything other than natural causes. She looked a little closer, but found nothing untoward and although the bones had long since been picked clean, they seemed to have been spared the attentions of any of the larger scavengers. Still, how could a man just lie down there and die?

 

On reflection, Juliet realised that there could be no answer to that. For all she knew the man may have been mortally ill, she knew nothing about him. She stepped back and stood looking down at him for some considerable time. For the first time she asked herself the obvious question, why did she suppose that finding the man was going to give her any answers?

 

No, that wasn't fair; he had already given her some. She now knew that he had died. She knew where he had died and she even knew roughly when. She didn't know why, but she was sure it was a consequence of the massacre at Ongana. She was equally sure that he had not been taken and killed by the rebels.

 

And some comments:

 

Another well researched and highly readable novel. Pat’s stories have the rare ability to inform and entertain.’“

 

Pat Whitaker is a meticulous researcher with an eye for detail and he tells a fascinating story. Once started, Antithesis is hard to put down ...

 

                                                                  RAW SPIRIT

 

Raw Spirit Raw Spirit is a companion volume to “Bad Blood” and “Time Out” and as before, it is not a sequel but a separate story that shares some common ground.

 

There is a rather strong romantic element to this story, but in essence it is a crime mystery. The principal characters, constrained by their connection to a murder investigation, become involved in another, more esoteric investigation of their own..

 

Facing a reality that undermined everything he believed in, Sean needed answers. Answers that would reconcile his mind and clear him of the woman's death.

 

The truth taught him that what the eye sees and the mind believes are not one. Maddie taught him that no passage through life is without it's doors.”

 

Here is an extract:

 

Sean, unable to sleep in the hot, close conditions of the previous night, had gone out into the passage seeking some cooler, fresher air. At three minutes past three he had stood outside his door and looked up the passage to the window at the end, a window that—if he remembered correctly—led to the first floor fire escape. There was nobody about and the hotel was silent. He glanced towards the stair at the other end of the passage then turned back to the window.

 

He was confronted by a young woman. He physically started. She had literally appeared from nowhere and without a sound. She was walking towards Sean, and he muttered an embarrassed greeting. Nothing. She just continued down the passage as if he wasn’t there. Then Sean noticed that she was pale and insubstantial, almost like a holographic projection in white light. He stood transfixed, unable to reconcile what he was seeing when, to his horror, she passed straight through him. He spun around, only to see her take another step then vanish as abruptly as she had appeared.

 

Sean was a rational man, a logical man, and what he had witnessed cut him to the core. In a daze he retreated to his room and sat on the edge of his bed. He did not believe in spiritual manifestations, did not believe in ghosts. He did not believe in life after death, the existence of a soul—other than as a component of our psyche—or any form of God.

 

But he had to believe what he had seen. He had not been dreaming and he was not hallucinating. He had seen a ghost. It did not matter how many times he ran the events of the night through his head, where he looked for a logical explanation, he could not escape from it. He had seen a ghost.”

 

And some comments:

 

“An easy to read mystery/sci-fi novel with enough twists and turns to keep you interested and guessing. Certainly thought provoking...”

 

 “... a great book! I literally couldn’t put it down. The characters were “real” and I could visualise them in my mind. The storyline was gripping and kept the momentum up till the last page. A well written and thought provoking book.”

 

 

 “... has cleverly embedded an answer to one of life's’ great enigmas.”

 

 “... breathes new life into the crime fiction genre. Pat has his own style, refreshing and often dryly humorous, which, combined with a raft of believable characters and puzzling undercurrents, has produced “a jolly good read”.

 

 “Yet another good novel to follow on from the others. A well constructed theory on another taboo subject. (very clever).”

 

                                      

                                   MINDSET

Mindset is space-based and futuristic. It I takes the opportunity to explore the sort of dilemmas that might confront people “lost in space”, both technical and social.

 

As with all my work, I have gone to great lengths to ensure that although fiction, at least ninety five percent of the science is fact, and the other five at least plausible.

 

 

 “Cast out into the nothingness of space and abandoned to their fate, simply surviving would take everything they had, and make them all more than they had ever been.

 

Only in the fullness of time did they understand that forgiveness would be their only means of revenge, and a terrible revenge it turns out to be.”

 

The reality was very different. The whole project had from the beginning been under-resourced and the numbers just too small to be viable in the long term. As these resources became ever scarcer, co-operation between the two colonies was replaced by competition. This soon escalated to skirmishes, raids on supplies, and finally out and out civil war.

 

For the victors, there was a brief period of calm, but all the factors that had triggered this situation were now multiplied tenfold. The bulk of colonists' resources had been used or destroyed in the fighting—attrition, particularly of supplies, had been the dominant tactic—and the population had been halved. In almost no time, factionalism began to appear amongst the survivors and this inevitably led to total social collapse.

 

Gary and the others on the station had monitored events with growing despair, by listening to the radio traffic from the surface. The last transmission they had heard was over two years ago, and it was clear by then that there were probably less than a dozen people left alive. There had also been some indications that the inhabitants had only survived so long by resorting to cannibalism.

 

The shuttles, the only possible way for them to return to the surface had long since been scavenged for anything they could provide. There was no way to go to the surface, and nothing to go for. Where they were was where they would all die.

 

 And some comments:

 

 “... from the practical workings of outer space to the total turmoil of the inner mind … A damn good read.”

 

Mindset is enthralling and believable science fiction that deals with the psychological interplay between differing factions in a highly stressed environment ... all leading to a dramatic and unexpected ending.

 

An intelligent work for those who like their sci-fi well thought out.”

 

                                       

                                                    TIME OUT

                                                      

Time Out intermingles crime with romance and Science Fiction.  It confronts what we may perceive to be true with logic, and asks us to reconsider.

 

 

“Deep cynicism born of a lifetime of journalism did nothing to prepare Don for the reality he had to face or the choices he had to make.

 

Confronted with the unanswerable, he had to decide which reality could undo the harm done, and which would cost him all that he held dear.”

 

Here is an extract:

 

“She was little more than a third of the way down when she started to get a very bad feeling about what she was heading towards. She could still not be sure what she was looking at, but it certainly wasn’t a calf. It looked much more like a seated child—a naked, seated child. She started to run.

 

At her approach the cows started, and for a moment she was terrified they might trample the child, but they were aware of its presence and gave it a wide berth.

 

Janet could see clearly now that it was a young girl, maybe eleven or twelve years old and sitting cross-legged on the ground. She was stark naked, dirty, and shaking with cold. She did not move. Janet called out, not wanting to frighten her if she was unaware of her approach, but there was no response.

 

Squatting down in front of her, Janet looked into her eyes and spoke softly to her. Nothing. Although she had no experience of the condition, Janet thought the child was catatonic. She took off her jacket and wrapped it around the girl’s shoulders, then gently took her by the elbows and raised her to her feet. With one arm around her to support her, she quietly started to lead the child back up the slope towards her car.

 

She had only gone a few paces when something made her stop. She checked that the girl would remain standing if she released her, then quickly doubled back to the exact spot the girl had been sitting. Taking her handkerchief out of her pocket, she wrapped it around a stone and used it to mark the place. Why this seemed important, she wasn’t sure, but at least it could do no harm.

 

The thought crossed her mind that her policy of never taking her phone with her when she went out painting, so reasonable on the face of it, had turned around and bitten her. But no matter, she would take the girl to the nearest house and ring the police, and for an ambulance.

 

She collected the girl, who had moved not so much as an inch, and continued back to her car.”

 

And some comments:

 

“An easy to read mystery/sci-fi novel with enough twists and turns to keep you interested and guessing. Certainly thought provoking...”

 

 “... a great book! I literally couldn’t put it down. The characters were “real” and I could visualise them in my mind. The storyline was gripping and kept the momentum up till the last page. A well written and thought provoking book.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

                              

 

 

 

 

 

 

REVIEW NUMBER 12

SCULPTING THE HEART

AUTHOR:

JOYCE WHITE

Sculpting the Heart with Art Therapy eBook

Nothing is so healing as the realization that I have divine gifts

I want/need to share with others., September 2, 2008

                                          For me, this book was an exploration, and most of the time, it was an

                                          excuse to live perpetually in fantasy land; a way to avoid all the mental

                                          and physical problems of an imperfect world. Every word written is

                                          a victory against dysfunction. Not everybody gets a second chance.

                                          I thankfully, did. Writing and making art put me in touch with my

                                          inner artist who was choking to create a new me, a happy, self-achieving

                                          me. I've been slowly and quietly growing and changing into the person

                                         I've always wanted to be, a writer, a poet and an authority on

                                         surviving depression with Art Therapy. It is my hope this book

                                         will help others as much as writing it helped me.                                         

                                         at Smashwords See, Sample Read or Buy at:

 http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/joycewhite

www.sculptingtheheart.com

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT JOYCE WHITE

CHECK OUT THE AUTHOR LINKS PAGE