The Fifth on the Eighth. By Michael E. Gonzales

The Fifth on the Eighth. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone! My new year is starting off with a great finish. On the eighth of January, 2019, the fifth and final story from The Unborn Galaxy…will be born.

The Blue of Antyllus is the sequel to The Vampires of Antyllus, and will answer the question, “will the human settlement of New Roanoke survive on the alien world or will the humans destroy themselves?”

Peace can be defined differently and so what one person may see as peace another may perceive otherwise. This absence of homogony among the humans will likely lead to the death of them all.

In The Blue of Antyllus you’ll find action, mystery, adventure and romance. Unrequited love, love forsaken and love denied. The outcome of the conflict will determine the future of several burgeoning loves. Whose will survive the wild blue? 

  

This was a difficult story for me to write. First, most of the characters are based on people I have actually known, real human beings whose real-life stories ended far too soon.

I have, in my story, breathed life back into these people, so that they and I…and you, might share one last great adventure together. Also, I have put my characters, both good and bad, through hell, and not all of them will get the deserts they so greatly deserve. Very much like real life.

The alien world of Antyllus is moving forward under new rule now that the war has been fought and won. With the native E’meset tribe joining with the emerging rebel Earth forces against Wilmington, the nefarious commander of the corrupt IIEA army of mercenaries, a tenuous peace has been patched together—but the solution for that peace is not workable for some, and whispers of a deadly uprising are in the wind...

Captain Nash Rastaban tries to rebuild his life after being duped into fighting with Wilmington’s iniquitous forces He is recruited by Dave Mitchell to help quell the mercenaries who plan to take over Antyllus—a battle he wants no part of. But when he stands to lose all he holds dear, he realizes that peace is something he is going to have to fight for—this time, on the right side.

Will Antyllus ever be settled? Can the E’meset trust the humans and SUBs to fight alongside them against those corrupt officials who would take over Antyllus for their own gain? Power is a formidable motivator, but Antyllus—and all it stands for—is worth this fight…worth dying for. Nash and the ragtag band of soldiers he leads are determined to protect their homes, their loves, and their lives—even if it means making a last, defiant stand here in THE BLUE OF ANTYLLUS…

Travel with me under the surface of the moon and try to survive. Join me in heated combat inside Earth lunar base. Cross a Sea of Stars with me for the adventure of a lifetime. Journey several light years into space to save an entire race and then return with me to that world in The Blue of Antyllus.

o0o

My next story will move us away from science fiction and into the realm of Fantasy...

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Dark Moon Rising, Battle of Broken Moon, Across a Sea of Star, The Vampires of Antyllus, Action, Action Adventure, Alien worlds, Aliens, battle, Dark Moon Rising, FireStarPress, Michael E. Gonzales, mikegonzalesauthor.com, NewRelease, Romance,science fiction, syfy

Should old acquaintance be forgot... by Kaye Spencer #HappyNewYear #FireStarPress #PrairieRosePubs @kayespencer

2019 is just around the corner — eight days, in fact. While I don't have traditions attached to seeing the old year out and the new year in, a good many people around the world will sing a rousing rendition of Robert Burns' Auld Lang Syne in the midnight hour as an optimistic welcome to the New Year and as a sentimental tribute to the Old Year.

But did you know that Robert Burns didn't write the poem for which he is well-known? He wrote down the lyrics to an old Scottish folk song and added to it, which is not unlike Francis Scott Key's repurposing the tune of an English tavern ballad then adding the lyrics for the Star Spangled Banner.

According to the website, "Poems for the New Year", Burns wrote this in a letter to a friend:

“There is an old song and tune which has often thrilled through my soul. You know I am an enthusiast in old Scotch songs. I shall give you the verses on the other sheet... Light be the turf on the breast of the heaven-inspired poet who composed this glorious fragment! There is more of the fire of native genius in it than in half a dozen of modern English Bacchanalians.”*

Another tidbit from this website explains, "Though the history of the authorship of the poem is labyrinthine and disputed, Burns is generally credited with penning at least two original stanzas to the version that is most familiar to revelers of the New Year. Here are the first two stanzas as Burns recorded them:

Auld Lang Syne by Robert Burns

    Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
    And never brought to mind?
    Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
    And auld lang syne!

    Chorus.-For auld lang syne, my dear,
    For auld lang syne.
    We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
    For auld lang syne."

So from me, in southeastern Colorado, to you, wherever you may be on New Years Eve, here is a bagpipe presentation of Auld Lang Syne performed by the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.

Until next year,

Kaye Spencer

Writing through history one romance upon a time

I don’t send a newsletter, but I am followable (is that a word??) on these social venues:
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References:
*Poems for the New Year - https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/poems-new-year
*Robert Burns - http://www.robertburns.org/

MERRY CAT-MAS, by Mollie Hunt, Cat Writer

In our house,

the cats own Christmas.

They own the tree,

which is decorated to their delight,

with the big unbreakable bulbs

down low

for their enjoyment.

They own the hearth

and the soft rug in front,

warm and cozy.

They own the kitchen,

which though busy with baking,

also gives treats and tastes,

just for them.

They own the presents,

wrapped in tissue,

which they pull and tear,

to open by themselves.

They own the gift boxes

to sit in;

the wrapping paper

to kneed into a crinkly bed;

the ribbons to chase and toss,

better than all the expensive toys

from the pet shop.

In our home,

the cats own Christmas,

and we wouldn’t have it

any other way.

Happy Holidays from our family to yours!

Check out more blogs by Mollie Hunt, Cat Writer at:

Mollie Hunt: Crazy Cat Lady Mysteries and more

Happy reading!

Holiday Kindle Sale! and San Francisco for the Holidays

The second book in the Li’l Tom series, Li'l Tom and the Case of the New Year Dragon, Kindle version, is on sale for the holidays for 99 cents today through Friday!  

The first e-book, The Case of the Parrots Desaparecidos, will be on sale for 99 cents Friday through Sunday!  

I’ll be visiting San Francisco this weekend for a quick holiday trip, and will likely stop in to Li’l Tom’s Pussyfoot Detective Bureau on Telegraph Hill to say hello and to see how his latest investigations are progressing.  If I know Li’l Tom, he is probably winding down for the year and taking it easy due to all of the holiday fun that can be had in San Francisco.  Below are some of my favorite San Francisco holiday displays from years past, and I hope to capture new experiences on camera as I wander the city this weekend. 

First up is the Fairmont Hotel’s two-story, life-sized gingerbread house in the hotel’s grand lobby.  It was a sight to behold and also smelled delicious. It was made with 7,500 home-made gingerbread bricks, 1,500 pounds of royal icing, and 650 pounds of candy.  I hear this year’s model is even taller and larger, and filled with many more pounds of holiday treats!

The lobby itself is always fully decked out with gorgeous trees, lights, wreaths, poinsettias … you name it.

My favorite, however, is the Champagne tree.

The Westin Hotel boasts San Francisco’s largest sugar castle.

The Embarcadero Hyatt has a twinkling Christmas village.

Another sight not to be missed is the Christmas tree at Union Square.

I also love the enormous Christmas decorations that can be found around town.  If these are giant to me, just think how big they are to Li’l Tom!

Warmest wishes for a happy holiday season to you and yours from me and Li'l Tom.

Angela Crider Neary is an attorney by day and writer by night. She is an avid mystery reader and especially enjoys reading novels set in interesting locales. She was inspired to write her first mystery novella, Li'l Tom and the Pussyfoot Detective Bureau: The Case of the Parrots Desaparecidos, by one of her favorite areas in San Francisco, Telegraph Hill.  Her second book, Li'l Tom and the Case of the New Year Dragon is now available.  To learn more, visit her on Facebook and Amazon.

New Release — Tough Month for a Ranger: A Texas Ranger James C. Blawcyzk Novel by James J. Griffin

It takes one tough man to make it as a Texas Ranger, and Jim Blawcyzk certainly qualifies. But surviving this particular month has been full of trials he never expected—and quitting never entered his mind.

After single-handedly arresting a ring of murderous cattle rustlers he caught red-handed, his next case is something that affects him for weeks. When a mentally-challenged young man is shot down right alongside him after Jim has guaranteed his safety, it sends the hardened Ranger into a downward spiral of self-doubt. Only a few days later, he barely escapes death again in a violent West Texas dust storm while transporting three felons.

Things finally come to a head in an all-out race riot when a Tejano deputy sheriff is gunned down, allegedly by a young black man. It’s up to Jim to find out what really happened, and what secrets the murdered deputy’s partner—who happens to be white—is keeping.

Can Ranger Jim Blawcyzk get to the bottom of what really took place that night, before an entire county explodes in violence? He will—or die trying—because no matter how dangerous a situation might be, it's no match for a Texas Ranger determined to uncover the truth. no matter the cost.

EXCERPT

     “All right, boys, you can stop right where you are,” Jim ordered. “Texas Ranger. Keep your hands where I can see ’em. Y’all are under arrest for cattle rustlin’.”
     One of the men eased his hand toward the pistol on his hip. Without even seeming to move, Jim shifted his rifle, so it was pointed directly at the man’s chest.
     “Uh-uh. I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Jim said. “Unless you think you can keep on breathin’ with a big ol’ hole blown clean through your lungs.”
     Reluctantly, the man lifted his hand away from the weapon.
     “That’s better,” Jim said. “You two on the ground. Get in front of the others where I can see you.”
     The men did as ordered.
     “You can’t keep all of us covered, Ranger,” the man who’d started for his pistol said, with a scowl. “You just bit off a helluva lot more than you can chew.”
     “Maybe so,” Jim said, with a shrug. “But that’s not your worry, because if any of you or your partners try somethin’ stupid, you’ll be the first to take a bullet. I can guarantee I’ll take at least two or three of you with me before I go down. Any of you want to take that chance, that you’ll still be standin’ upright after I hit the ground?”

     

Who's in Charge Here?

The insanity of National Novel Writing Month is over and I am pleased to announce that for the first time in four years, I achieved a win! I crossed the 50,000 word threshold on November 29th - one day early. This year was really important to me. After struggling for so long, I needed to prove to myself that I can still do this writing thing and I did. Go, me!

I was what would be classified as a NaNo Rebel, which is appropriate since I tend to be a bit of a quiet rebel in most aspects of my life. As a rebel, I didn't spend my month working on one novel. I actually worked on two! The first 20,000 words I put toward finishing the long overdue first draft of Dances with Werewolves, the second full-length novel in my Kudzu Korners sweet paranormal romance series. The last 30,000 words were put toward the first draft of a stand alone fantasy romance, Blood Lines.

I am not an outliner and never have been. Even in my school days, I never understood how I could be expected to write an outline. I mean, how am I supposed to know what I'm going to write about until I write it? I call myself a plantster - a combination of the words "plotter" and "pantser." A pantser writes by the seat of their pants. I don't go into a story completely blind though. For me a story usually starts with the title. When I start writing, I know who my main characters are, how the story begins, how it ends and a few random scenes in the middle. The rest of the story unfolds as I write which mean that the characters occasionally throw me a curve. When I was writing Dial V for Vampire, the hero suddenly offered the heroine a job. It wasn't what I had intended but I made it work, and honestly, it was better that what I originally intended.

After spending the last couple of weeks working on Blood Lines, I have decided that I am not in control of this story at all. *facepalm*

It all started with a secondary character. He was supposed to start off as a jerk but I expected him to grow and be the gruff guy with a heart of gold. I even had a big role for him to play in the story. It turns out, he's not just a jerk, he's both a complete a**hole and the antagonist. Not what I expected but okay. There was another character who could play the role I expected of him. The only problem with that was... she died. Seriously?

Image courtesy of depositphotos.com

Don't get me wrong. I actually enjoy the unexpected twists and turns that happen while writing. It was just the sheer number of twists that were popping up that was getting rather amusing. I have no doubt that whatever the characters throw my way, the story will be better for it.

On another note, my husband doesn't understand how this happens at all. "What do you mean? These are your characters. You created them. How can they not do what they are supposed to do?" I have explained that it's like having kids - you give them life then they go off and do their own thing. I even showed him this quote to prove that it's not just me.

Now, it's time for me to keep the momentum I started in November going into December and beyond. Wish me luck!

Until next month, Happy Holidays!

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New Release — The Homecoming by Kit Prate

Rory Saunders has experienced a crushing divorce. After sixteen years of marriage, her life is in disarray.

She knows she is running away when she leaves the city behind her; running to what she hopes will be a new beginning. Moving to a new house, a place in the country, she seeks to recapture the happiness of her childhood, and perhaps some of her childhood dreams.

The last thing she wants or expects is another broken heart. She is through with that part of her life; through with secrets, disappointment, and painful deception.

Then Devlin Culhane strolls into her life. He reminds her of the handsome loners who decorate the covers of the western romances she reads for pleasure; tall, tanned and blond, ever the hero.

But even a hero can have secrets…

EXCERPT

     Rory Saunders had made up her mind. She was going to do it. It didn’t matter if it was slightly less than a month until Christmas, or that everywhere she went some pillow-stuffed Santa was ho-ho-hoing on every street corner or at the entrance to every store. And if she heard even so much as one more pop version of Hark, the Herald Angels Sing… What was it about the idiot merchants out there that made them start the Christmas push just a week after Halloween? Or pop “artists” who thought they could improve traditional Christmas carols by performing them like they were punk rock compositions? It was depressing.

     It was also her first Christmas alone since the divorce.

     Rory Saunders was going to kill herself.

New Release — Christmas Wishes by Diana Tobin (Men Of Maine Series Book 6)

Quiltmaker Claire Stone and her young daughter, Grace, are newcomers to the small town of Webster, Maine. Erasing the past is something Claire is determined to do, for divorcing her cruel ex-husband was the only solution to save herself and her daughter—and she’s never regretted it. But when she meets handsome Marc Baxter, the attraction is instant, and she begins to realize what she’s missed in life—someone to care for her…someone to care for.

Marc Baxter has come home to his roots, recovering from a nasty divorce and the discovery that his ex-wife had some shocking secrets of her own. Christmas is on the way, and he’s looking forward to opening a clinic with his niece and getting back to practicing medicine again.

When Grace is injured in an accident, Marc’s tender treatment leaves her with a severe case of hero worship—and wishing for a loving father. Claire is grateful to Marc, but her feelings go much deeper than that. Despite her fears of emotional ties, Marc is prepared to do whatever it takes to win Claire over.

But Claire’s controlling ex-husband was a doctor. Can she take a chance on another “professional” man who’s used to making the decisions in life? Marc says he loves her, but can he respect her and treat her as a life partner? Is there any hope for a Yuletide miracle that will see all their CHRISTMAS WISHES come true?

EXCERPT

     Claire sipped her pumpkin spiced coffee and licked a drop of whipped cream from her upper lip. She should be home, starting the mayor’s quilt, but couldn’t face an empty house. Instead, she came to Moose-ley Coffee and treated herself to an afternoon snack. Even though she sat alone at one of the small tables she didn’t feel alone with the few others in the cafe. The atmosphere was welcoming and friendly.

     Grace would enjoy a hot chocolate. Maybe she’d remain in the coffee shop until school let out, order a snack for her daughter, and they could go home together.

     “Mind if I join you for a moment?”

     She looked up to find a stranger beside her table, his hand on the chair opposite hers. His dark brown hair looked wind- tossed with a lock hanging down his brow. His blue eyes pierced her with an intensity filled with sadness. Scruff covered his square jaw and outlined his full lips.