The Silver Sphere by Michael Dadich: Book Blast

The Silver Sphere

By

Michael Dadich

BLURB:   
Shelby Pardow never imagined she could kill someone. All she wants to do is hide from her troubled father… when she is teleported to awaiting soldiers on the planet Azimuth. Here she is not a child, but Kin to one of the six Aulic Assembly members whom Malefic Cacoethes has drugged and imprisoned. He seeks to become dictator of this world (and then Earth by proxy).

His father, Biskara, is an evil celestial entity, tracked by the Assembly with an armillary device, The Silver Sphere. With the Assembly now deposed, Biskara directs Malefic and the Nightlanders to their strategic targets. Unless….

Can Shelby find the other Kin, and develop courage and combat skills? Can the Kin reassemble in time to release or replace the Assembly, overthrowing Malefic and restraining Biskara?


AUTHOR INFORMATION:

I’ve been writing since first setting pencil to steno pad at age 8. A year later, I began developing the world of my current series-in-progress, and even created its title, The Silver Sphere. Now, with the support of years of experience, those early maps and back stories have progressed into what I hope is a fresh and entertaining take on the classic young adult fantasy adventure.

Despite my frequent escapes into parallel worlds, I root myself firmly in my very real family and community. When not pacing the yard maniacally after every few pages of writing, I spend as much time as possible hanging out with my studly 9-year-old son, and my inspirational wife Jenna. I also coach several local youth sports teams in Beverly Hills, and alternate between yelling at my two crazy Corgis and hiking with my trained German Shepherd.

For more, join me in my favorite fantasy worlds, from Lord of the Rings to the creations of C.S. Lewis, Anne McCaffrey and Terry Brooks. Even more importantly, stop by and say hello on my Facebook page at AuthorMichaelDadich, tweet me at @MichaelDadich, and stalk my website at http://www.thesilversphere.org.org.

Margay Leah Justice: The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler: A Rev...

Margay Leah Justice: The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler: A Rev...: When all signs point to heartbreak, can love still be a rule of the road? A poignant and romantic novel from the author of  Bittersweet...

Book Blast: Winter's Magic by Cynthia Gail

Winter’s Magic

By Cynthia Gail

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BLURB:

Beth Sergeant and Nick Chester come from opposite ends of the social food chain. While he sees a rare beautiful woman without an agenda, she sees a wealthy playboy. Can he convince her to let go of her insecurities and take a chance on love, when challenges from his past force her to reveal her most guarded secret?

Owner of La Bella Vita, a five-star day spa nestled in the affluent suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee, Beth Sergeant knows her elite clientele first hand. She attended their private schools. She was even engaged, although briefly, to one of their most recognized bachelors. But she never fit in to their social-elite world.

After losing his parents to a car accident at a young age, Nick Chester was raised by his grandfather, the wealthiest man in Nashville. When he chooses to socialize, he has a never-ending list of exclusive events and beautiful women vying for his attention. Yet he never lets himself forget that everyone has an agenda.

Beth can’t resist Nick’s charm and accepts an invitation to dinner, despite her deep-seated insecurities. She proves she’s nothing like other women Nick's dated and learns to trust him in return. But just as the last of their resistance crumbles and true love is within reach, challenges from Nick's past threaten to destroy everything and force Beth to reveal her most guarded secret.

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EXCERPT:

Beth made her way over to the tree to get a closer view. Several handmade pieces intermingled with the sparkling crystal ornaments and gold strands of glass beads. She fingered the row of cotton balls that ran along the edge of a red felt Santa hat. On the top, in glitter writing, it said 1982. “Who made these?”

Nick laughed, but when she turned her head, she caught a hint of sadness in his eyes. “I made them with my mother when I was in grade school. Every year, on the first day of holiday break, we would go to the craft store and buy materials to make a dozen ornaments.”

“A dozen?” She wondered how a person ever got over losing a parent, much less losing both. Or if you even could. And his poor grandfather, losing a child ... Her chest tightened at the thought.

“One for our tree at home, one for Grandfather’s, several neighbors, and the mailman. And I’ll never forget Mrs. Sawyer at the bakery. She used to give me a free cinnamon roll when I came in with my grandfather.”

“We weren’t very crafty at my house. But Mom and I would bake like a storm. Candy, cookies, fudge. We always took packages to our neighbors on Christmas Eve, right before we went to church for Midnight Mass.”

“Do you still go?” The reflection of the tree lights sparkled in his eyes as he spoke. At this very moment, he didn’t look, or act, like the city’s most eligible bachelor. She could feel her resolve slipping. She needed Jenny.

“I haven’t been in years. In fact, I don’t think I’ve been since I graduated high school.”

“I haven’t, either. You can imagine my surprise when Grandfather asked me to take him this year.” He glanced back at the tree. “Would you like to come with us?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Home is where you hang your hat. A native Missourian, my family relocated twice during my teenage years, taking me from a high school freshman class of over 1,200 students to living in a small town in Kentucky with a total population of less than 1,000.

Home is where your heart is. Despite the culture shock and challenges of those shy, teenage years, I met my true love in that tiny town and I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to experience a community where everyone waves, calls you by name, and treats you like family.

My husband and I live in the suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee with our eighteen-year-old son and three dogs. When I’m not working or writing, I can be found with family and friends. I love to bake in the winter, grill in the summer, and on occasion, I sneak away from everyone and curl up with a good book.

I hope you enjoy my stories. Each one touches on modern day issues, fears, and challenges that women face every day. And each one illustrates that love is within reach if you let down those walls and allow your heart to open. Our lives and experiences are so much more meaningful when we have someone to share them with.

LINKS

Amazon   http://amzn.to/PdYIyf

Barnes & Noble http://bit.ly/RnxlBC

Soul Mate Publishing  http://bit.ly/VwT9ZI

Twitter  http://bit.ly/VXuYZx

Facebook  http://bit.ly/RnxlBC

Website  http://cynthiagail.com

Book Spotlight and Giveaway: Captain by Thomas Block

ABOUT THOMAS BLOCK

Thomas Block has written a number of aviation-oriented novels, many which have gone on to acquire best-seller status in numerous countries. His novel writing began with the publication of “Mayday” in 1979. That novel was rewritten with novelist Nelson DeMille in 1998 and remains on DeMille’s extensive backlist. “Mayday” became a CBS Movie of the Week in October, 2005.
Several of the other novels by Block include “Orbit” (a top bestseller in Germany, among other nations), “Airship Nine”, “Forced Landing” (also done as a radio serialization drama in Japan), “Skyfall”, “Open Skies” and his latest novel, “Captain”. Thomas Block is still writing both fiction and non-fiction, and has edited and updated his earlier novels into ebooks in all the major formats and also into handsome full-sized (6″ by 9″ Trade Paperback) printed versions.

Block’s magazine writing began in 1968 and over the next five decades his work has appeared in numerous publications. He worked 20 years at FLYING Magazine as Contributing Editor, and as Contributing Editor to Plane & Pilot Magazine for 11 years. Block became Editor-at-Large for Piper Flyer Magazine and Cessna Flyer Magazine in 2001. During his long career as an aviation writer he has written on a wide array of subjects that range from involvement with government officials to evaluation reports on most everything that flies.

An airline pilot for US Airways for over 36 years before his retirement in April, 2000, Captain Thomas Block has been a pilot since 1959. Since 2002, he has lived on a ranch in Florida with his wife Sharon where they board, compete and train horses.

His latest book is the suspense/thriller novel, Captain.

Visit his website at www.thomasblocknovels.com.

To purchase from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Captain-Thomas-Block/dp/1470158973/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347159324&sr=8-1&keywords=captain+by+thomas+block

To puchase a Kindle copy: http://www.amazon.com/Captain-ebook/dp/B007KQHK2I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332328330&sr=8-1

To purchase from Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/captain-thomas-block/1109625740?ean=2940014237529&itm=1&usri=thomas+block+captain

To purchase from Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/160858

ABOUT CAPTAIN

Thomas Block has created ‘Captain’ – his most ambitious, intricate and action-packed aviation tale yet . It is a chilling and all-too-real story about a routine Trans-Atlantic airline flight that suddenly turns absolutely insane. In the doomed airliner’s cockpit, inside the passenger cabin and on the ground, a complex array of characters have been propelled at jet speed into a sudden and frantic race for survival.

‘Captain’ is about the individual and collective struggles of each of these men and women as they attempt to deal with and ultimately fight against the odds and circumstances that are stacked against them. ‘Captain’is a novel that pits man against man while also pitting man against machine. It is a story about the need for human judgments, hard-learned experiences, gut feelings and unbridled perseverance in an effort to rise up against a world where the strict adherence to written rules, regulations and procedures have been accepted as the norm.
‘Captain’ is about the way real airline pilots think, feel and react, especially after those giant airliners that they’ve strapped themselves to have suddenly turned vicious and unpredictable.

Watch the Trailer!

Time for the Giveaway!


  a Rafflecopter giveaway

In the Moonlight with J. W. Nicklaus, Author of The Apocalypse of Hagren Roose

Gifts

By 

J.W. Nicklaus                                   

Is this another winter of discontent for us? That is, globally, as a species. Has the doomsday train left the station and begun its whistle-stop tour of humanity? People the world over may think so, and assuredly so might some within our own national boundaries, and yet it is within each of us, almost an innate feature of American childbirth, the spirit we warmly refer to as Christmas. A time of year in which scales of preparation perhaps exceed all others, the call heeded to give and receive, in whatever manner.

Sure, our economy still has a rancid stench about it but the Greeks and French tread far more dire straits than we do; Spain and Italy are struggling mightily not to join the ranks of severe austerity. It is a unique function of the human mind to be both adaptive and susceptible to our external environments, and as such, when you scarcely know where the next meal is coming from it's ludicrous to consider things such as gifts . . . yet it is hard to escape the lofty spirit of the season.

Take a few moments, every now and again, to part the veil of harsh reality and look around you, watch complete strangers interact, listen to your neighbors and co-workers stories about their lives. If you can keep the wolf at bay you will easily discover an energy waiting to be tapped. Don't reach for it, it will come to you.

You'll find someone at the cash register who comes up short some change, or maybe a dollar or two short and the next person in line will smile and make up the difference; you will discover that neighbors you rarely meet will wave at you when you encounter one another; perhaps you will get a whiff of the true power of good, of giving, over self-indulgence. While Congress can't seem to do it we as individuals have it within our power to make up for their willful ineptitude.

When you hear the word "gift" this or any holiday season most likely you envision it as a noun, as in "present," a wrapped package. But the word attains a wholeness, a satisfactory completeness when taken as a verb or adjective, even if indirectly. Take as an example the story of one Monty Roberts.

Monty, a teen, was the son of a thoroughbred horse trainer and his dream was to run a facility of his own one day. When given an assignment to write a paper entitled "My Goals In Life" he seized upon his dream and wrote out a detailed plan to achieve it.

His teacher, Mr. Fowler, returned the paper with a failing grade. "It's a wild, unattainable dream he told his student. "I know your family and background; it would not be possible." Fowler then insisted Monty rewrite the paper but Monty was not so easily swayed.

Monty and his mother discussed the paper and his interaction with Mr. Fowler that evening, and the next day the teen returned the original paper to his teacher with a note stating that he believed in his plan and the teacher shouldn't squelch or limit his  aspirations. Mr. Fowler didn't respond at the time, but Monty received an A in the course.

As it would happen, Monty did, in fact, attain his dream through hard work and sheer determination. Many years later he received a call from Mr. Fowler requesting arrangement of a tour of Monty's stables for his church group.

After the tour Fowler related to the group the story of the term paper and the note Monty had written. "There was a time when I told Monty that this was unattainable," he said. "Now we've all had a good look around and seen how he proved me wrong." His student, he said, taught him "the most valuable lesson I ever learned."

That, in short, is a gift in action verb, not a noun. And it wasn't just a present for the moment, rather one to impact a whole life. Talk about impressive.

By any definition the fact that we're here at all, forget the advent of civilization with its development of writing and language, agriculture, and social and environmental engineering's a miracle, a gift in itself. Think about that when you're hustling about, warming up your credit cards, and getting ready for "Christmas." Perhaps there is some other gift which may be readily given with precious little monetary cost but unquantifiable personal gain.

Merry Christmas to all, and a healthy, prosperous New Year.



About the Author:

J.W. Nicklaus attests to living somewhere between the city closest to the Sun and upon the precipice of Hell—but the winters are mild in Arizona. An avid reader and peerless amateur philosopher, he is “DNA and energy. I am cellular and soulful. I am shadow and light. I am carbon and water . . . and I am stardust. As are we all.” His singular ambition is simple: to leave the world a slightly better place than when he came into it.
J.W. latest book is the fiction drama novella, The Apocalypse of Hagren Roose.
You can find out more about J.W. at http://avomnia.com/about.html.
Visit him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1381134300.


About the Book:

Once a small-town success and happy family man, Hagren Roose finds his slide backwards at once abrupt and wrenching. His small-town mentality sets him on a journey of his own making, of which he has no control—and only he can atone for. 

The Apocalypse of Hagren Roose Tour Page:

http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/2012/11/24/pump-up-your-book-presents-the-apocalypse-of-hagren-roose-virtual-book-publicity-tour/

In Leah's Wake by Terri Guiliano Long

About the Book:

The Tylers have a perfect life--beautiful home, established careers, two sweet and talented daughters. Their eldest daughter, Leah, an exceptional soccer player, is on track for a prestigious scholarship. Their youngest, Justine, more responsible than seems possible for her 12 years, just wants her sister's approval. With Leah nearing the end of high school and Justine a seemingly together kid, the parents are set to enjoy a peaceful life...until Leah meets Todd, a high school dropout and former roadie for a rock band.

As Leah's parents fight to save their daughter from a world of drugs, sex, and wild parties, their divided approach drives their daughter out of their home and a wedge into their marriage. Meanwhile, twelve-year-old Justine observes her sister's rebellion from the shadows of their fragmented family-leaving her to question whether anyone loves her and if God even knows she exists. Can this family survive in Leah's wake? What happens when love just isn't enough?

(From Amazon.com)

My Thoughts:

Sometimes, reviewing a book can be hard, especially when you really want to like the book...and it just doesn't happen. I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't get lost in it enough for the magic to happen. And for me, that is essential, that is how I decide whether or not a book is a winner. I need to be totally lost in it, begrudge the time I can't spend reading it, and groan at the time that I have to devote to other things - like eating or sleeping. I want to think about the book when I'm not reading it, and long after it's done. That is the sign of a great book to me.

Although this book was written in a concise, readable style (I've read many lately that weren't, so I have a broad base for comparison), I found myself struggling to get into it. Whenever reading feels like a chore to me, I know it's not the book for me. Nothing against the author, nothing against the book itself. It just didn't speak to me as a reader. But I am certain that it will for many others. In fact, if Oprah was still doing her book club, this would be a perfect candidate for her selection. So try it for yourself and you decide.