In the jungles of coastal Mexico, twelve-year-old Kazu Danser is on the run, his bloody past haunting and attempting to be his ruination. Hot on his heals is journalist Carson Staines, a deadly madman full of blood thirst and greed, determined to first chronicle Kazu’s criminal life – and then end it. Staines must nail him down, dead or alive; the boy being worth a huge payoff.
Making a perilous crossing of the border into the States, Kazu fights for his life, desperately heading east. Entering sunburnt Florida, he teams up with a gang of Floridian street urchins, known to the authorities as, “The disposables.”
With Staines not letting up on the chase, Kazu and the other youths go on the run, fighting for their lives.
Can the Disposables and Kazu survive?
What will they have to do to stop the murderous and resourceful monster mowing through them to get to his reward?
The second part of the book takes place in the shadows of Florida, where street urchins fights every day to survive, both bodily and in spirit. In contrast to the tropical beaches and teeming vacationers, the children will do anything necessary to keep their heads above the perilous deep waters.
About the Author
Greg Jolley earned a Master of Arts in Writing from the University of San Francisco and lives in the very small town of Ormond Beach, Florida. When not writing, he researches historical crime, primarily those of the 1800s. Or goes surfing.
Fifty years after a coup replaced President Franklin D. Roosevelt with a
fascist dictatorship, America is a land of hopelessness. Ben Adamson, a
19-year-old farm boy in southern Illinois, wants only to spend his time
fishing and hunting. But when his dead brother demands justice for his
suspicious fate in a colonial war, Ben and Rachel, his brother’s
fiancée, are drawn into an underground revolutionary movement.
After staging a rally against the war, Ben and Rachel are arrested by the
Internal Security Service, who have perfected the science of breaking
people. Ben is given a choice: betray the rebels, including his best friend
from childhood, or Rachel will be lobotomized.
Although traumatized and addicted to a powerful drug, Ben refuses to doom
anyone he cares about. Can he find a third option? Can he free Rachel and
strike back at the dictatorship, while dodging the suspicions of police and
rebels alike?
About the Author
Ted Weber has pursued writing since childhood, and learned filmmaking and
screenwriting in college, along with a little bit of physics. His first
published novel was a near-future cyberpunk thriller titled Sleep State
Interrupt (See Sharp Press). It was a finalist for the 2017 Compton Crook
award for best first science fiction, fantasy, or horror novel. The first
sequel, The Wrath of Leviathan, was published in 2018, and the final book,
Zero-Day Rising, came out in 2020. He has other books on the way as well. He
is a member of Poets & Writers and the Maryland Writers Association, and
helps run writing workshops and critique groups. By day, Mr. Weber works as
a climate adaptation analyst, and has had a number of scientific papers and
book chapters published. He lives in Annapolis, Maryland with his wife
Karen. He enjoys traveling and has visited all seven continents. For book
samples, short stories, and more, visit https://www.tcweber.com/.
China hungers to take the United States’ place as the global hegemon.
And it is plotting to use America’s $40 trillion national debt to do it.
Only one person stands in China’s way: suburban accountant Andrea Gartner.
For years she has dreaded the day of America’s reckoning about its national debt. She’s gotten involved in local politics. She’s run for Congress. But the debt marches remorselessly higher.
Rejected by her party in her congressional race, she joins the insurgent presidential campaign of Congressman Earl Murray. When he wins in an upset, he defies all Washington convention and names Andrea his Director of the Office of Management and Budget. The Washington rookie finally has her chance to solve America’s debt addition.
But China has other plans, engineering financial crises and military confrontations designed to bankrupt and collapse the United States. Wars rage overseas as America’s health care system, schools, and social fabric disintegrate. Desperately coping with these existential threats to America’s very existence, Andrea finds herself enmeshed in vicious Washington infighting with belligerent military brass and ruthless politicians, including the powerful and complicated Congressman Lewis Mason and his chief of staff Frank Palmer. Chinese agents lurk in the shadows, threatening Andrea’s life and family, as she struggles to keep the country afloat.
No aspect of American life is spared as the country teeters on the brink of financial collapse. Can Andrea stave off China’s assault and ensure the United States survives? Or will the Red Chinese flag fly over the American Capitol?
Debt Bomb is a sobering fictional account of a future facing the United States if it fails to control its debt and get its financial house in order.
About the Author
Michael E. Ginsberg is an attorney in Washington, DC practicing in the field of national security law. He spent a decade in private practice at Arnold & Porter LLP in Washington, DC and then worked several years in the U.S. government as a Senior Associate General Counsel in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), where he served as legal counsel for the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA). He currently is Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at a Virginia-based defense contractor.
Ginsberg has also served in senior leadership positions in the Republican Party of Virginia and is the co-founder of the Suburban Virginia Republican Coalition.
A 1997 graduate of Harvard College and 2002 graduate of Harvard Law School, he also holds a master's in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University (1999). A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Ginsberg lives in Virginia with his wife and two children.
Q: Your story includes many interesting facts about sharks and volcanoes. Have these two subjects always been a fascination of yours?
A: I grew up on Florida’s Gulf Coast, so sharks were a fact of life. Shovelheads at the beach, baby Lemon Sharks in the mangroves, Blacktips coming out of the water trying to snag a fish I just reeled in on my fishing line. Fresh teeth on the shore with the shells were a constant reminder that they were there, just offshore, even if we did not see them. Sharks fascinated me since childhood, and I never really feared them while swimming–although when you see them while snorkeling, you do fear them. It is a perfect example of “out of sight, out of mind”. Volcanoes have always seemed exotic, perhaps also because that one thing I was never exposed to growing up. As an adult, I read the wonderment of Pliny the Younger witnessing the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius that buried Pompeii, trying to describe events his eyes see but his mind cannot fully explain. So, I hope to have captured a bit of that same awe in Sharkano, as the characters witness what their brains cannot comprehend, yet, their eyes are telling them is happening around them.
Q: What exactly is a lava tube?
A: When lava flows from deep below the earth’s surface, it forms tunnels or tubes.Think of it as a volcano’s plumbing. If the lava solidifies under the earth, it leaves ribbons of rock, but when the lava is expelled during an eruption, it leaves behind a cave where that lava flowed. They can be massive–one in Iceland is a tourist attraction, with the cave up to 30 feet high and almost 100 feet wide. More typically, they are 3-10 feet wide, and can be found almost anywhere on earth where there are–or have been–active volcanoes.
Q: Is the island setting in Hawaii a real place? Are you familiar with the Hawaiian Islands?
A: Mauna Niuhi is a fictional island. I considered trying to place the story in a real location, but decided the mystery is best served by creating a somewhat mystical place with its own mythology. The tropical jungle is based loosely on Kaua’i, called the Garden Isle, but with the contrasting desert-like ecosystem of a massive volcano looming over it.
Q: Are there professional volcano experts who study volcanoes? Was Burke based off of a real person?
A: Volcanology is the study of volcanoes, as well as their lava and the magma that exists under the earth’s surface. Volcanologists are geologists who specialize in the study of volcanoes or the molten core of the earth. They use everything from computer technology to satellites to study volcanoes, and are essential to provide warnings to people who live in the shadows of volcanoes around the world. A volcanologist named David A. Johnston was studying for the US Geological Survey on Mt. St. Helens in 1980 when it erupted. Dr. Johnston was heroically manning an observation post near the volcano, where he died when it erupted.
Q: What is your favorite breed/species of sharks? Why?
A: I have always loved Hammerhead sharks, which frankly look like an alien species. They are relatively common in the Gulf of Mexico, where I grew up. I also am a fan of Tiger Sharks,which are the ultimate predator. Beautiful, fast and unique, they are one of the few shark species which are dangerous to humans. To me, that is not a basis to hate them, but rather to respect such an awesome creature.
Q: If Sharkano would become a movie, who would star as Burke, Jacqueline, and Lexi? What would be the theme song?
A: Great question! Sharkano actually began as an exercise in writing a screenplay, which I adapted into a novel. I did not get as far as casting it in my mind, but since you have given the chance…Burke: While writing this, I imagined a slightly nerdy Burke in my head, but I am not sure I would cast him in this way. Maybe someone like Norman Reedus, who has a charm and sensitivity and can definitely pull off roughing it atop a volcano. Jacqueline: Although probably a bit young, I would love to see Anna Kendrick in this role. She has the glamour and the subtle humor, and she’d make a terrific reporter. Lexi: This is the toughest for me, as I am not familiar with many young actors her age. Would love to cast a newcomer, who could bring the wonder and struggle of a tween as she faces the unknown.
BIO: SHARKANO,my debut novel, was published in November, 2020 by Solstice Publishing. I am an attorney, and have also published a non-fiction book on insurance claims. Raised on the Florida Gulf Coast, after college and Law School in South Carolina, I moved to Marietta, Georgia, my current home. My wife and I live with our adopted dog Maksim Gorky, named after the Soviet author, where I enjoy cooking, writing and reading history—particularly historical fiction.
My Review of Sharkano
Sharkano, (combination of Shark/Volcano), is about a volcanologist (learned that from the author interivew!) who sets up camp to study a volcano on a fictitious island in Hawaii. The volcanologist/Burke is divorced and decides to take his teenage daughter, Lexi, with him for the summer while working. Without spoiling the story, Lexi immediately spots two sharks while swimming in a natural pool situated in the mouth of the volcano. No one believes her because the volcano is detached from the ocean. As people start to die, Burke, her father, begins to accept her story as truth. Her mother, Jacqueline, is a reporter who smells a story and flies to the island to find out what is going on. A shark expert, Dr. K., is also brought in to help answer some questions.
My Review: T.A. Bound does an amazing job with describing the setting-Hawaiian Island and volcano. The setting almost becomes another character as he uses research about volcanoes and a highly detailed description in his story-telling. The main characters, Burke, Jacqueline, and Lexi, move the story as well as offering dimension with their relatable qualities. The story in itself is well-written and action-packed. He does an excellent job painting a picture with words during the climatic scenes. I learned a great deal about volcanoes and sharks while being completely entertained. I thought of Jaws while reading the book as the words played a movie in my mind while reading. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves an adventure story.
A young WWI veteran searches for his French Impressionist father through encounters with Claude Monet and some of that movement’s key figures.
About the Author
Joe Byrd's BS in Journalism and MA in Communications degrees inspired him to become a pioneer in electronic publishing. As a McGraw-Hill editor, he developed one of the first computer publishing systems. In the rapidly developing PC software industry, he co-authored one of his two books using PC desktop publishing software, the first for a major publishing house. He developed the first technical support website in the software industry. In his fifty-year career, he published magazines, wrote research reports, and developed conferences in the US and Europe for the digital photography industry. He launched one of the first digital photography dot coms. This is his first novel.
Who can you trust when corruption and danger are a way of life?
The CIA never left Latin America, and is facing catastrophic blackmail at
the hands of an erratic Guatemalan drug lord: the infamous patrón of
Antigua – Pablo Puentes. Desperate for a swift solution, the agency
calls in their black operative fixer: John Carpenter.
John is a cold-blooded professional ready for the job. But the mission
doesn’t have a simple fix. Pablo has a disastrous kill switch in
place.
John is still haunted by the mysterious death of his best friend who died
on a far too similar mission, and now is uncertain about how much he can
trust his handler or his sensual partner.
Back at the agency, tensions are running hot as the stench of corruption is
growing to a boiling point. If things aren’t put to rights – and
soon – the entire mission will go up in flames and take the CIA down
with it.
Only John Carpenter can bring this drug lord to justice and get the answers
he deserves.
Because this mission is personal…
If you like the relentless tension of Daniel Silva and the gritty reality
of Lee Child then you’ll love this first book in the John Carpenter
Trilogy!
About the Author
Collin Glavac is a Canadian born actor and writer who lives in the province
of Ontario Canada. He has written, directed and acted in two original stage
plays, In Real Life, and LoveSpell. He completed his Dramatic and Liberal
Arts B.A. and M.A at Brock University.
Ghosts of Guatemala is his first novel.
Collin loves hearing from readers, so please don't hesitate to contact him
by email at: collinglavac@gmail.com
Transforming Business with Inclusion and Innovation
Non-fiction / Business / Leadership / Diversity and Inclusion
Date Published:June 8, 2021
Hephzi Pemberton’s first nonfiction, business book The Diversity Playbook provides an empowering and uplifting experience. It contains proven expertise, factual examples and practical tools to transform your business and leadership approach with inclusion and innovation as a central shared goal and priority.
Her book demonstrates with clarity, relevant case studies and the latest research, as well as an applicable exercise in each chapter, to show how leaders and firms who embrace and embed inclusion and diversity into their business will benefit. They will be the businesses that innovate and adapt more rapidly. They will have a workplace culture that the latest talent seeks out and stays with. They will reach a wider set of customers and clients who feel valued and understood. They know that to achieve these benefits and many others besides, leaders and businesses now and in the future will have to take inclusion and diversity seriously.
About The Author
Hephzi Pemberton is a UK business founder and advisor, who believes in the power of good business to transform society. After completing an undergraduate degree at Oxford University, Hephzi began her career in Investment Banking at Lehman Brothers. In 2009, she co-founded Kea Consultants, a financial headhunting firm that specialises in investment and high-growth organisations, which she quickly grew into a profitable and sustainable business.
In 2018, Hephzi founded Equality Group, an Inclusion and Diversity specialist business focused on the Finance and Technology industry. Equality Group helps companies to diversify their teams, using their executive search service, and creates a more inclusive cultures with their consulting and education services. Equality Group has partnered with many leaders in sustainable investing, such as Generation Investment Management, and Private Equity and Venture Capital firms who are committed to being leaders in inclusion and diversity.
Hephzi has been angel investing since 2010 and has invested in technology start-ups across AI, Logistics, Health and Beauty, E-Commerce and Education. She has also advised a number of businesses on their hiring practices, board composition, compensation structure, strategic and fundraising plans.
Alongside her commercial experience, Hephzi has founded a social enterprise called Kiteka, empowering female micro entrepreneurs in Uganda to access digital opportunities through mobile technology. Hephzi has sat on the board of trustees for three other charities focused on youth employment, homelessness and community development.
BEST eBOOK SUSPENSE/THRILLER - New Apple Book Awards
BEST COVER OVERALL - New Apple Book Awards
The Mourning Dove Mysteries series includes:
1. MURDER ON THE LAKE OF FIRE
2. DEATH OPENS A WINDOW
3. A LIGHT TO KILL BY (coming August 3)
Emory Rome is back in DEATH OPENS A WINDOW, Book 2 of the Mourning Dove
Mysteries and the follow-up to the international bestseller MURDER ON THE
LAKE OF FIRE.
As he struggles with the consequences of his last case, Emory must unravel
the inexplicable death of a federal employee in a Knoxville high-rise. But
while the reticent investigator is mired in a deep pool of suspects –
from an old mountain witch to the powerful Tennessee Valley Authority
– he misses a greater danger creeping from the shadows. The man in the
ski mask returns to reveal himself, and the shocking crime of someone close
is unearthed.
About the Author
Award-winning mystery author Mikel J. Wilson draws on his Southern roots
for the international bestselling Mourning Dove Mysteries, a series of
novels featuring bizarre murders in the Smoky Mountains region of Tennessee.
Wilson adheres to a “no guns or knives” policy for the
instigating murders in the series.
The Love Has Won cult attracted national attention a few months ago when leader, Amy Carlson, 45, was found dead at their headquarters in a mobile home southwest of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Her body might have been moved from Oregon (one of their bases) to Colorado headquarters for worship purposes. The cause of death is unclear. She might have had cancer. After she died, her body was mummified in a sleeping bag. Her glittered body had no eyes (unclear about whether they were closed, plucked out, cut out????) and was wrapped in Christmas lights, propped up in a bedroom like a make-shift shrine. She was dead for weeks before the police got involved. Members refused to accept her death.
Two children were found at the Colorado headquarters, and one of them was placed into child protective services. Seven cult members were arrested for child abuse and tampering with a dead body.
Amy Carlson grew up in Dallas and was a straight "A" student. The Love Has Won cult began in 2006 with her chosen as its leader. She left her job at McDonald's, her third husband, and her children to lead the organization full time. The group existed before her as the Galactic Federation of Light.
One of Amy's talents was communicating with angels. These angels offered spiritual intuitive ascension sessions. She claimed to be 500 billion years old and reincarnated over 500 times. Some of the people she used to be were Cleopatra, Jesus, Joan of Arc, and Marilyn Monroe. Amy believed she would ascend in a starship or disappear through a portal in the ocean. Amy claimed she could heal illnesses and lead 144,000 people into the 5th Dimension. She also claimed to be the Queen of Lemuria (think Plato and Atlantis). According to her, Donald Trump was her father in another life, and she communicated with Robin Williams who is now an archangel. Other beliefs within the cult centered around reptillian conspiracy theories and links to QAnon.
Amy Carlson's followers believed she was the planet Earth who was put inside of a woman's body. Her title was Mother God. She had many romantic links who were given the title as Father God. Together, they were thought to have formed the universe. Apparently, there was some alcohol abuse going on. Mother God drank around ten shots of vodka every night. She also consumed silver. Full time cult members who lived with her were considered to be homeless potheads.
The cult had thousands of members across the nation. They once lived in Hawaii, but there were problems and protests from the island of Kauai. The cult ended up relocating to Colorado.
My new book, Peacocks, Pedestals, and Prayers centers around an angel cult based off of an ancient religion. It will soon be released by Solstice Publishing.
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