Sunday, August 15, 2021

Seph by E. Sandborn

 


Sci-Fi / Fantasy

Date Published: 06-08-2021

Publisher: Sandpaper Press


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Three thousand years ago the three races of Vinge, Human, Dak’or, and Fingalin, fled into space at the destruction of their planet. Now The Alliance between the three governments is at its breaking point. Between racial tensions caused by the elitist and wealthy Fingal trying to claim a divine right to rule, a deadly new quarantine-resistant plague that is sweeping through the primarily Drak’or outer colonies, and lack of funding and success in terraforming efforts, the treaty seems to be at an end. As people begin to turn to religion to save them, The Descendents, a powerful religious sect worshiping the Goddess Vyanna, readily fill the void.

Now the crew of a small mercenary vessel, captained by a man calling himself the devil, are on a relief mission to replace equipment for Deep Space Initiative Station 3122’s failed life support. Lieutenant Commander James Aiunys, the newest member, and tactical officer of the legendary crew is shocked when they are unexpectedly pulled out of hyperspace, and informed that the quarantine zone has been expanded to include the station. The mysterious Drak’or captain is undeterred. In a feat that seems more like magic than science, he turns the battle on its head, defeating one of the most powerful warships in the galaxy, leaving it paralyzed in space.

Upon their arrival however, the station is not what they had expected. The crew becomes concerned when they discover the station empty, an eerie resemblance to another station they had visited at the bequest of strange women with silver hair who smelled of apple blossoms.

When the power core fails during their investigation, The Captain is once again forced to do the impossible, leaving James with more questions than answers. With the government collapsing into chaos, the crew of The Shade find themselves on the run, caught in the middle of a sinister plot that will change the galaxy forever.

But there are darker shadows than the machinations of mortals lurking in the far corners of civilization. Brought face to face with their own humanity in a conflict older than the concepts of good and evil. They are forced to question everything they understood about themselves, religion, and even the very fabric of reality.

 

 

About the Author

Ezra Sandborn got his start writing fiction as a dungeon master in online role-playing games . He draws on inspiration from his childhood, sitting under the trampoline and inventing new worlds and characters. Ezra became an author by accident, during a particularly difficult period of his life he was suddenly struck by inspiration for a short story. After sharing the story with friends and family everyone wanted to read more, and so he continued writing. In less than a month as the result of that novel accident Seph – The Reflection of Divinity was created. Ezra’s writing is defined by his complex characters, deep immersive worlds, and unique stories that challenge the conventional narrative, while exploring the deeper truth of human nature.

  

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Saturday, August 14, 2021

Angel Cults: An In-Depth Look at an Ancient Religion


     Yezidism or Yazidism officially began somewhere in the 12th Century within the Kurdish Mountains which border northern Iran, southern Turkey and parts of Syria. 
     Most historians report an ancient version of the religion began much earlier, possibly 7000 years ago. The name Yazidi might come from Yazd, Iran or Yazad/yazata which means "God" in Kurdish.  Some believe the name comes from a caliph named Yazid ibn Mu'awiya who killed the Prophet Muhammad's grandson and then retreated within the Kurdish Mountains.  
     Sheikh Hasan expanded the religion throughout the 13th Century, attracting many Kurds and other Muslims.  The religion began to defy Islam by drinking alcohol and not facing Mecca in prayer.  The Yezidis now live in tribal communities and face persecution within the Middle East.
     The Yezidis claim to incorporate parts of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism into their religion, but they are much more closely linked to Zoroastrianism.  Zoroaster, the religion's founder, preached two mentalities under one god, Ahura Mazda.  The Magi or three wisemen from the Bible were believed to be Zoroastrians. This religion comes from the Ismaeli branch of Islam. In the Bible, Ishmael was the older brother of Isaac who was banished with his Egyptian mother after Sara gave birth to Abraham's second son Isaac.
     Yazidis' roots are Zoroastrian, but they have added their own spin on the religion. Shaykh Abi Musafir, born 1070-1162, was the founder of the modern-day version of Yazidism.  Yazidis have two holy books, the Black Book and Revelation. Some believe Revelation is a forgery, authored by Westerners with the intention of sugar coating the odd religion. The Black Book might also be a forgery, but there is a debate. Because of the religion's secrecy, scholars believe this group never had an official sacred text. Yezidis are known for passing on their traditions orally through their holy men or priests.  
     Yazidis believe that "God" (Xwede) created the world from a white pearl. "God"/Xwede put this pearl on the back of Anfar, a bird, who carried it for 40,000 years until Earth evolved. God is made up of a "holy trinity" with Malak Tawas (a peacock angel), Sheikh Adi, and Sultan Ezi. Malak Tawas also called the peacock angel is the most important in this trinity and appears every 1000 years. Malak Tawas is "God", like an alter-ego, and leads the seven angels that come from the pearl. Westerners, Muslims, and ISIS believe Malak Tawas is really Satan. Shaytan is Satan in the Koran.  
     Shaytan, another name for Malek Tawas, refused to bow down to Adam and Eve after God commanded him. Yazidis believe God and Satan made amends and reconciled.  The peacock is Malak Tawas's symbol. Satan was not created by God, but born of a white pearl.  Many Muslims and Christians label the religion as devil-worshippers.   

     Middle Eastern Yazidis speak Kurmanji. They believe in reincarnation, pray five times a day in front of fire, fast, celebrate their own New Year's Eve, throw a Festival of the Peacock, refuse to eat lettuce, and make a pilgrimage to Sheikh Musafir's tomb, the religion's founder. They believe Jesus was an angel in human form and Mohammad was a prophet.  They won't spit or wear the color blue.  Some believe the color blue represents Noah. This is especially interesting because the Flood might have been about getting rid of all of the fallen angels.  
     Yazidis are baptized and circumcised (not a requirement).  They are monogamous, but priests/chiefs can be polygamous.  They believe they descended from Adam alone, and not Eve.  Yezidis are forbidden to marry outside of their culture and religion.  They also practice Honor Killings which victimize women who violate their laws, culture, and traditions.  A few years back, a case in Germany was reported about a Yazidi girl who fell in love with a German boy. Her family killed her.  
     I found this religion fascinating and used parts of it for my book, Peacocks, Pedestals, and Prayers now available on Amazon.  The horror/paranormal novel uses a great deal of research from ancient writings.

Friday, August 13, 2021

Clean Sweep Tour

 

 


Contemporary
Fiction

Release Date: July 20, 2021

Publisher: Little Brown Dog Press, Pinehurst, NC USA



Carli Morris is looking forward to a quiet retirement. Earning billions from the sale of her Madison Avenue ad agency, she dreams of spending her golden years painting and giving back to society. But the heartbreaking discovery of a homeless woman poisoned to death reopens the wounds of Carli’s own tragic loss.

Realizing her busy career turned her away from the vulnerable, she throws herself on a mission to get the defenseless off the streets. But as she sacrifices her own needs to support others, her new colleague’s mental illness and Carli’s unresolved grief collide in a staggering sequence of events that will alter her life forever.

Can Carli dig deep and make a powerful, personal impact?

Clean Sweep is a dynamic literary novel. If you like moving revelations, gut-wrenching decisions, and life-affirming transformations, then you’ll love E. B. Lee’s enlightening tale.

Immerse yourself in this heartfelt journey today!



About the Author

E.B. Lee was raised in Weston, Connecticut, where she enjoyed the best of a then-rural town and easy train access to the high-energy world of New York City. She brings together elements of both worlds in her debut work of literary fiction, Clean Sweep, a heartfelt story of human connection, tough choices, and compassion. Ms. Lee and her husband have two grown daughters, one middle-aged dog, and have loved a variety of family pets along the way. Ms. Lee writes in North Carolina and Connecticut.


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Thursday, August 12, 2021

Are Angels and Aliens the Same Thing?

 

      Are angels and aliens one in the same?  What does the Bible have to say about extra-terrestrials?  Were things so different three thousand years ago?  Or are we just using a different vernacular?

     Anyone who has ever picked up the Bible knows the story of Noah and the ark.  God chose him and his family because they were ‘pure’ (Genesis), but what does pure mean? Is it pure heart? Or is it pure bloodline? Angels mated with women back in those days, producing a half breed called nephilim.  These beings were described as giants with superhuman powers who had 6 fingers on each hand and 6 fingers on each foot.  Could the nephilim be an old version of modern day aliens of a mixed race or even early attempts at genetic modification?  Was Noah and his family the last ‘humans’ left of the human race?

     Angels and aliens are always described as glowing with light.  Ezekiel, an Old Testament prophet, vividly describes a spaceship in his book.  Ezekiel 1:16: “The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the color of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.”  Many Ancient Alien theorists use this passage as documentation of Ezekiel witnessing a spacecraft landing on earth.  The description of the wheel is definitely futuristic.

     Enoch’s writings about angels were controversial enough to be edited out of the Bible.  More of his writings were found in the Dead Sea Scrolls.  He regularly communicated with angels and ascended up to Heaven to speak with God on behalf of their shortcomings.  Possible abduction?  Genesis 5:24 clearly states that Enoch “walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”

     Did angels or aliens come to Earth to show mankind technology and weapons?  One of the Bible’s biggest examples of this, at least according to Ancient Alien Theory, is Lot’s wife.  Genesis 19:26 says, “But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.”  Lot and his family were warned not to look back.  We know now that nuclear blasts leave salt.  There are large salt contents all over the Dead Sea to suggest that there was once an ancient nuclear explosion.In the Bible these beings appear to prophets, kings, and every day people.  In modern day many geniuses such as Tesla and Da Vinci claim that brilliant ideas just popped into their heads.  Some alien believers call these moments of greatness part of the Akashic record.

     Whatever you believe, angels or aliens were definitely here thousands of years ago.  Our history books only tell us bits and parts of our past.  Peacocks, Pedestals, and Prayers, my new sci-fi/horror novel, uses ancient Biblical writings, an ancient angel cult, mind control in advertising, and vampire lore to weave an entertaining tale that will leave you wondering about our collective past.

Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Attracting Your Life by Mija Bradford

 




Non fiction / Self Help / Goal Setting

Published Date: May 11, 2021

Publisher: Elite Online Publishing



Tap Into Your Greatness

Learn to identify the hindering blocks you have and start the process of tapping into your greatness. Your past thoughts created your current reality. You can reprogram your current views and thoughts to create your future. The concepts covered in this book include:

● Knowing Who You Are

● The Power of Manifestation

● How To Reprogram Your Thoughts

● The Law of Oneness

● The Importance of Abundance Mentality

● Creativity and Imagination Exist In Each of Us

● How To Ask The Right Questions To Unlock Your Potential

● How To Use Affirmations Correctly




About the Author

Mija spent years studying, learning and developing her abilities. She is a Certified Life Coach and Reiki Master Teacher and is versed in a number of modalities that she uses in her toolkit to serve her clients. These include trauma healing, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Akashic Record reading, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) & TFT (Thought Field Therapy). She hosted a Podcast titled, “Attracting Your Life” which is now archived on iHeart Radio. And most recently, Mija has begun studies at Northwestern University in clinical counseling. Mija lives in the Chicago area with her husband and two children. She enjoys reading, watching movies and spending time outdoors hiking and biking with her family.


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Tuesday, August 10, 2021

I Jonathan: A Charleston Tale of the Rebellion by George Scott

 


Historical Fiction - Civil War Era

Date Published: 10-03-2020

Publisher: Southern Rocket and Fountain City Publishing


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A young stranger from Boston is marooned in Charleston just as the Civil War begins. His relationships with working men and women, slaves, merchants, planters, spies, inventors, soldiers, sweethearts and musicians tell the story of a dynamic culture undergoing its greatest challenge.

It's also the story of everyman. He grows into manhood dealing with the issues we all must face.

Jonathan's adventures include witnessing the bombardment of Fort Sumter, the last great Charleston horse race, the Great Charleston Fire of 1861, the Battle of Secessionville and visits to the North Carolina mountain homes of wealthy Low Country planters. He even has an encounter with a Voo-Doo conjure man. He makes a run through the Federal Blockade and visits the raucous boomtowns of Nassau and Wilmington. The author describes battles of ironclads and monitors, and the Battle of Battery Wagner (made famous in the movie "Glory"). Jonathan’s story documents the hopes and struggles of a young man making a new life in a strange land in times of war and change.

 


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About the Author

George WB Scott is an East Tennessee video producer and videographer with a life-long interest in the causes and events of the Civil War. His years of research on this topic are the basis of a story of Jonathan's personal journey through one of the most interesting and important regions of the South. Scott was born in Stuart, Florida, and is a cum laude graduate of Appalachian State University. He lives with his wife Mary Leidig in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Other Books by Author: "Growing Up In Eden"

 

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Monday, August 9, 2021

Innerspace by JR Bryant

 

 

Literary, Psychedelic, New Adult, Friendship

Date Published: 08-02-2021


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Four close friends, a beach, a fire, a trip to remember

 

"We're ready to take flight on our next big adventure, supplies packed, minds clear…The air is charged with sherbet-zing anticipation. We’re in formation. Ecstatic motion. Screaming down the hill towards the beach."

Everyone has secrets. Some are darker than others. Ethel, Isaac, Moana, and Henry are about to embark on their last psychedelic adventure together before Moana leaves for Australia

Each of the four has something soul-scarring to hide, something they’ve vowed to take to their graves. But when the psilocybin kicks in, psychological doors spring open and all past and present lives are laid bare.

Will the experience bring them closer to each other and closer to understanding themselves, or will it devastate them?

 

Content warning: contains strong language, use of psilocybin mushrooms and other substances, trauma themes.

 

 


 

About the Author

JR Bryant has spent many years researching psychedelic experiences and has written multiple novels under different pen names. They live in New Zealand

 

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Review: The Odyssey

The Odyssey debuted in theaters this weekend. I went to see it yesterday in the afternoon. At my local cineplex, the movie played in six of ...