Friday, April 27, 2012

3 More Authors Worth Checking Out


Books by George Geisinger: 

Sorting out one's thoughts in a day of extreme mental confusion.  This short story covers the history of man who had to fight his fight against, drug abuse, brain chemistry issues along with coming of age in the era of Woodstock. Poignant and concise reporting about surviving personal turmoil and being brave enough to record its effects on his soul. The man has taken away something meaningful about the sixties as he still has a spirit of giving. I would also read his other works as guide for showing how it is necessary for the careful watch on one's rebellious teenager and the effects of drugs.



Books by Elena DeRosa:

Marie's peaceful life in Virginia is shattered the moment she receives word from her brother: “I just got a call from a detective. Daddy’s dead.” Rushing to her family home in Brooklyn, New York, Marie seeks answers to her father’s mysterious death only to discover disturbing occurrences and encounter acts of betrayal.
After her questions are amplified and suspicions confirmed surrounding her father’s ex-girlfriend, Marie becomes frustrated by how oblivious so many had been, and continue to be, to the wily con-artist.
Inheriting her father’s scheming ex-girlfriend becomes a journey Marie never imagined she’d be forced to travel.
Written as memoir, “Fractured Facade” is a cautionary tale for anyone concerned about a parent after the loss of their spouse. The survivor, often thrust into an unfamiliar world, finds it quite different from the dating scene of their youth; one where some create facades to mask their true intentions. Sadly, loneliness can cause an otherwise intelligent person to behave foolishly.
“Fractured Facade” is the tale of a father’s death, a daughter’s life, and a sociopath’s vendetta.



Books by Rick Carufel:
While performing research for a master's thesis at Brown University, Brian Metcalf finds more than darkness behind closed eyelids. Astral realms intent upon unleashing unspeakable evil attempt to use him as a pawn in their struggle to open a portal to this world. It's happened before to others. Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, "If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you. Whoever battles monsters had better see that it does not turn him into a monster." Novella 18049 words 

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Editing my second book in the SOTF series - The Closest Enemy

I've started editing the second in the SOTF series, and I'm quite pleased with what I'm reading. Of course there are over 3million typos, the story tends to stray, the characters are not consistent, and a few times I've shifted dialogue so fast I don't even know who's saying what...but other than that, I really did a good job. LOL

At least I laugh and don't break into sobbing.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

3 More Authors Worth Reading


Books by Janet Morris:

The Sacred Band of Thebes lives on, a world away, in this mythic novel of love in war in ancient times. In 338 BCE, during the Battle of Chaeronea that results in the massacre of the Sacred Band of Thebes, the legendary Tempus and his Stepson cavalry rescue twenty-three pairs of Theban Sacred Banders, paired lovers and friends, to fight on other days. These forty-six Thebans, whose bones will never lie in the mass grave that holds their two hundred and fifty-four brothers, join with the immortalized Tempus and his Sacred Band of Stepsons, consummate ancient cavalry fighters, to make new lives in a faraway land and fight the battle of their dreams where gods walk the earth, ghosts take the field, and the angry Fates demand their due.



Books by Paul D. Brazill:

English writer Paul D Brazill's 13 Shots Of Noir is a collection of  flash fiction and short stories in the vein of Roald Dahl, The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.The first story, "The Tut", was nominated for a 2010 Spinetingler Award, while the story "Anger Management" was chosen as one of the Predators and Editors top twenty crime stories.Crime, horror and dark fiction are contained within the pages of 13 Shots Of Noir.






Books by Gladys Quintal:
Alexi is a Vampire trying to live a human existence, he even has a human wife. The Vampire secret is paramount and cohabiting with humans - unless you intend on turning them, just isn't done. Can Alexi protect his beloved Cassandra from the would-be enforcers of this law or will he lose her forever?

Dark Place Entry 2

Having a great amount of emotion can really help a writer.  It allows us to give our characters personalities.  We understand being cold, bitter, angry, loving, happy, thoughtful, provocative, etc., but there’s a feeling that I always think I have more than anyone else, sadness.
I don’t know what it is about weekends, but they are not good for me.  I try to do everything to keep myself busy, to keep my mind from wandering back over the depressing thoughts.  Nothing works.
Ok, so I’m seeing a doctor, a therapist, I’m seeking advice from people I know, I’m trying everything I can to change this ache inside.  I’m alone, all alone, no matter what people say, or think, I’m alone.  I don’t have people calling or texting; I don’t have people asking how I feel, or what’s wrong.  Just one person asks those questions, me.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I’m an emotional person.  I’m glad I have feelings and that I actually do care about people, including people I don’t even know and haven’t even met.  I just wish the depression wasn’t a part of me.  It’s becoming a burden to have to carry with me each day.  Honestly, it’s a heavy weight. 
I haven’t left my house since December.  Oh, I go to work, but basically, nowhere else.  And if I do go somewhere, it takes a lot of strength.  And as I said earlier, I am trying to get help.  I just hope someone out there will know how to help someone like me who is so far gone.  I’m a recluse.  I’m scared. 
Whenever you see me online, just know that I’m trying to push the darkness behind me.  Even communication with people across the internet is good for me, good for my mental health.  I just wish I had a friend who could be here with me.  I wish I had someone to share things with, to laugh with, to go to dinner with, to just take a ride in the car.
Tomorrow will give me a little more relief.  It’s Monday, I’ll go back to work.  I’ll be around people.  And for five days I’ll be able to wear the face I’m supposed to.  But the one thing I should be looking forward to, the weekend, is my nightmare.  That’s when I go back to being alone.

4 More Authors Worth Your Time


Books by Graham Smith:

11 Hard boiled stories of murder, misconception and mayhem. Nothing ends as expected. Everything can change in an instant. Tense, thrilling and funny. You’ll be cheering on, laughing at and crying for the characters.
Take a walk in the woods with Annie as a camping trip goes horribly wrong, slug some bourbon in Bobby’s Bar with gumshoe Leonard Peters or join Nicholas and Christine as their honeymoon trip takes a frightening turn.
Attend a night class with the girl who fears a stalker, escape killers with Jason and his sons, join Cook & Barnes as they hunt a twisted killer, look through a telescopic sight with an assassin and recoil in horror as terrorists attack.
Why has Garry been stood up at the altar? What happens to Susie? All the answers you need are in 11 The Hard Way.



Books by Steven Nedelton:

"As the world goes to hell, it proves very difficult not to go with them."Fear!"is a novel from Steven Nedelton who tells of a future where mankind is falling apart and oppression is the name of the day. One family tries to hang onto their humanity, as Nedelton tells their endeavor to stay together and stay united in a miserable world. "Fear!" is novel of a potential terrifying future, well worth considering."











Books by Lily Childs:

A terrifying collection of short horror stories by dark fiction author Lily Childs. These forty-three offerings comprise eleven long tales, including the previously unpublished:
- SMILING CYRUS - dancing dolls of death in your attic
- IN ADORATION - demonic rebirth, revenge and new skin
- STARING AT THE PINK - when the dead don't let go
Studded and stitched together by shorter pieces and tiny 100-word drabbles this first volume of Cabaret of Dread ends with:
- THE INFANTA TRIPTYCH - living, dying art - breathing, pulsing... ancient.
"Extreme vampire horror."
Words spill from the babbling mouths of demons and murderers throughout Cabaret of Dread, combining fear and even humour as the reader encounters serial killers and ghosts, historical entities and psychopaths, not to mention a scuttling vampire or two.
Cabaret of Dread is extreme horror FOR ADULTS ONLY. Ethereal and spiritual elements battle with the visceral and the insane; lustful adoration dallies with laboured, lingering death. The Cabaret will shock, it may well offend. But it is beautiful – at least in the author’s mind - and that’s where the darkness lies.



Books by Fiona Johnson:

Crime doesn't just happen in the city and after being violently attacked and tied up, Gordon Campbell's peaceful existence delivering fish to his customers in a picturesque Argyll village is about to change forever.
Crime noir mixed with a generous slosh of Scottish humour.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Wrong-Delivery-Corrins-ebook/dp/B0075YHO3A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335071241&sr=8-1



Saturday, April 21, 2012

One More Time: Featuring 4 More Authors Worth Reading


Stuart Ayris books: 

"A strange, magical book - a work of pure genius - flawless perfection..."
- just some of the things reviewers are saying about the 74,000 word novel that is Tollesbury Time Forever.
Tollesbury Time
Nothing is real
And there's nothing
To get hung about
sing the children...
In September 2008 I accompanied the police as they entered a house in Tollesbury. I was  a psychiatric nurse at the time. The owner of the house was one of my patients. He had not been seen for two weeks - neither had his wife or his son.
What I saw that evening will stay with me forever. On the walls of the lounge, in tiny, neat black writing, were thousands and thousands of words. The torch beams picked them out as if they were groups of well-ordered flies. The words continued up the stairway, onto the landing walls and into the main bedroom. I had been in the house before and had seen some of the writing upstairs. Still I was mesmerised.
What you are about to read are the words that I saw on those walls. I have ordered them into chapters and taken the liberty of providing chapter headings. I have inserted two documents midway through which I trust will make sense when you come to them.
I have since resigned my post as a community mental health nurse and no longer work in psychiatry. The patient of whom I speak is called Simon Anthony. I have met him only once - yet he is, and will always remain, my hero.
Tollesbury Time
Nothing is real
And there's nothing
To get hung about...
sing the children...

"A breathless literary experience...", "An unforgettable book...", "One of the most powerful books I have ever read..."
are just some of the things reviewers have been saying about the 74,000 word novel that is A Cleansing of Souls.
Michael Parrish woke up in bed with his sister, Jennifer. He was seventeen years old. She was fourteen and dead. There was a smell of dread in the air.
What do you honestly do at times like this?
What do you honestly do?
Well, Michael, he just grinned. And he kept on grinning. They took him away to the psychiatric hospital up on the hill. He was there for twenty-eight days; time enough, they thought, to get inside his head, his mind and his soul. But a thousand years would not have been enough - not for Michael Parrish.
So they let him go. And he floats and he floats.
The world is real and it is not real. It moves and it shifts and it envelopes us. What you see is not what I see. And that is the wonder of this life.
But time catches up with us all...

Laxmi Hariharan books:
Amazon US epic fantasy, kindle best-seller, "The Destiny of Shaitan is mind blowing, dark, humourous, and clever. It took me on a powerful journey inwards, which was a surprise as I'm not generally drawn to scifi or fantasy. I love the scene where the planet is covered with water and Yudi rescues Tiina. It's core message is Unity. I believe it will appeal to people across all ages." Sonia Ducie Dip.CSN.AIN, Numerologist, Author 11 Numerology books.
When Yudi, Tiina & Rai embark on a mission to save the universe, they come up against the ruthless Shaitan who is determined to stop them at any cost. But they soon realise they have a bigger enemy - themselves. So they must learn to trust each other and overcome their fears as they fight their way towards the ultimate showdown.
Partially set in a futuristic Bombay, The Destiny of Shaitan is a coming of age story, painted against the backdrop of a post-apocalyptic world.
Yudi, Tiina and Rai are destined to come together, for they are the Chosen Ones. It falls to them to save the universe from the powerful Shaitan, who is terrifying, and utterly merciless. Driven by greed, and fear for his own survival, Shaitan bulldozes his way through the galaxy, destroying anything that gets in his path, including his lovers and his own children. The battle between the Chosen Ones and Shaitan is a classic, epic encounter. Hated and feared by all, Shaitan must win this fight to keep his power. The stakes are high, the combatants are determined, and no matter what the outcome their lives will be changed for all time.

G.D. Steel books:

Julianna Hastings had to put her grief for her father and stepmother on hold when she assumed custody of her younger siblings. When she loses them in a custody hearing, she is overwhelmed by grief and unable to cope.
Jeremy Davies runs a successful business. While looking for his next Executive Secretary, he is pulled into the fun and loving Hastings family circle. When Julianna falls apart, Jeremy wants to be the one to help put Julianna and her family back together.
Another watches and wants all that Jeremy has, including Julianna. Will he tear their new family apart?



K.T. Banks books:

Action and Adventure with so many twists and turns you'll need to buckle up for a Thrill ride. Nico is back and so is Luke and many of the characters you loved so much from STAND AND PROTECT.
Nico's sister Toni is missing from New Orleans, so he teams up with his former partner from the DPD, Luke Manning. They have to take on Russian Mobsters. When Luke's sister Rachel tries to get involved, she gets kidnapped, so it turns out they must find both of young women. Car chases, explosions and fights break out all over New Orleans, with a mysterious woman named Dominique lending her own form of Voo-Doo magic to help.
The Mobster Boss is psychopath and no one is safe around him. He rules an army of men through fear and money. He owns strip clubs around the City and is also involved in human slavery.
Will Toni and Rachel be able to save themselves, or will it take the men to save them this time? These girls end up armed and dangerous too.

Featuring 4 More Authors Worth Reading



Paula Shene books: 

Santa tells his Elves to make Mandy's Christmas Wish come true. Santa shares a secret with Mandy but she shares it with Shadow, Sophitia and Snooper.









Mandy: The Alpha Dog features Mandy, the smallest Beagle in the pack, and Shadow, the youngest and only non-rescue dog in the pack.
Mandy tells the story of her beginning and her overcoming the obstacles of her plight. Shadow the dalmatian hangs out with Mandy, giving her support and some prodding as she recounts her life.
There are more tales (the dogs prefer tails) to come. Be on the lookout for The Midnight Caper, which will feature all the K-9 boys and girls from Locus Street.

Bud Scott books:

25 short stories and flash fiction on various and diverse subjects. Most are short reads and everyone should find something to their liking, from Sci-fi / Fantasy, to human interest and most things in between.




John Reeves books:

Girls are taken out of public, and never seen again. Years later one girl would be found. After that nothing seems to fit. Her story is published, and then she is gone.
A writer will try to tell her story again, while also trying to find out what happened to her. He will find out this mystery has a price to pay.







How well do you know the kid down the road?
Children can be cruel to each other. In a perfect world that would not turn criminal. In this story you will see how sadistic one child can be. You will see a kid go to distances only comparable to the worst humans mankind has ever seen.







C.J. Heck books:

This is a delightful, funny, and honest collection that explores the sweet, naive and sometimes, scary world of a child. CJ Heck captures the delicate humor and innocent insights that children have about such things as the etiquette of passing gas to talking to your shadow, to thinking that your parents are giants, to riding a "broom" horse. The unique appeal of Barking Spiders is that each poem offers an assurance from someone who understands that children, like adults, wish to make sense of the world they live in ... and when it doesn't make sense? Well, that's okay, too.

Poetry for preschool children, from a child's point of view.

Featuring 4(5) Authors Worth Checking Out

Instead of always tooting my own horn or babbling about things you might get bored with, here are a few of my author friends that I think you should look at.  Read the description of their books and then, once you’ve discovered you’re interested, click the link and make the purchase.  You will not regret a single moment of any book listed.
I will be trying to add at least four new authors each day.  So, there will be a MUST READ for everyone who checks them out.

Carol Wills books:
"A Whimsical Holiday for Children" is a collection of holiday themed poems and short stories by five authors in the US and UK known as the “The Peacock Writers.” They have joined together in the spirit of giving this holiday season, anticipating releasing an anthology for charity every year.
Their poems and stories are written to encompass the joy of being a child during the most magical time of year, Christmas. Each author contributed their talents to raise money to benefit children’s charities through the purchase of this book.
This book also contains writings from Paula Shene:

Written for grownups/parents’ to read to young ones and older children to read themselves.
When Titus wants to visit his friend Jackson who is in hospital, he runs into all sorts of trouble. So, he sets about trying to find someone to help him.




Valerie Byron books:

The year is 1945 and a shy young housewife has been abandoned by her husband. She takes a trip to London with a friend, and is instantly drawn to a stranger she sees boarding the train. Against all odds they meet and fall in love. This poignant "slice of life" explores their romance

Valerie Byron's back story reads like a script pitched at the TV and movie stars whose lives and loves she shared in the swinging sixties. But it is true and told with all the candour and raw honesty of a beautiful woman remembering heady days and passionate nights with celebrities on both sides of the Atlantic. She was part of Britain's ground-breaking ITV company, Granada, which made global successes of Coronation Street and many an edgy drama. In America, she worked in the film business and continued to bewitch those who sought to bed her. This is a book that could only have been written by an older, wiser woman but one who knows herself and is at ease with a life well lived.







Erika Szabo books:

I bet you're thinking of the popular Hollywood detox programs, aren't you? The coffee colonic, extreme purging, torturous enemas and such... well, don't! Not going torture you, promise!
I'm far from being one of those extremists who preach raw diet or torturous detoxifying methods! I love and take care of my body, and I don’t like torture. I love food, and I enjoy every meal immensely. I just know what is good for me, and I know how to get rid of the toxins before they build up in my body.
Our bodies were made to get rid of toxins and waste efficiently - if and I underline this - if we eat healthy, unprocessed food.
However, because we can't eat a simple and organic diet anymore, we need a little helping hand in that department. In this short book, I’ll tell you how I detoxify and protect my body by eating my favorite foods and using simple methods. This information is included in my larger book, “Keep your body healthy”, but I published this information separately as well for the convenience of those who are interested only in my detoxification methods.
Should you have questions such as?
Is it good for everyone to follow the same one size fits all diet? How should I keep my body clean and get rid of toxins? What should eat and how should I live healthier? What kind of vitamins, herbs and supplements do I need to keep me healthy? Why do I have bizarre cravings and symptoms? Is my body lacking vitamins, or am I taking too much? What are the symptoms of vitamin deficiency or overdose?
If you’d like to read about my advice on healthy foods, healthy lifestyle and the best supplements for your body type, you might want to consider my book “Keep your body healthy”.
In this book, I’ll tell you how I detoxify and protect my body by eating my favorite foods and using simple methods.

Ilona is a doctor and the descendant of an ancient Hun tribe which still exist with its strict and fiercely enforced rules. Ilona is resourceful and daring breaks those rules, but she must face the consequences. She begins to remember the forgotten rhymes her mother was teaching her since she was a small child. Her love life is nonexistent, unless her secret and unreturned love for her best friend counts. Her dream reflects her desire, or is her dream planted and controlled? Ilona inherited the ability to heal with her touch. Nobody told her about her Hun heritage, she has to discover everything by herself. A stranger explodes into her life. Could he bring happiness or heartache? Is it a coincidence or faith that he comes to her life? Ilona slowly adapts to her inherited Hun abilities. Some of the discoveries freak her out a bit, but she learns to accept them. She comes from a noble blood line which is new to her.

Roy Mauritsen books: 

One Last Chance To Save Happily Ever After! Can a group of heroes, including Goldenhair, Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel, help General Snow White and her dwarven resistance fighters defeat the tyrannical Queen Cinderella? And will they succeed before a war with Wonderland destroys everything? Their only hope to stop Cinderella's quest for power lies with a young girl named Patience Muffet. She carries the fabled shards of Cinderella's glass slippers, as well as the dark secret of who murdered the last of the fairy godmothers. Roy A.Mauritsen's fantasy adventure fairy tale epic begins with Shards of the Glass Slipper: Queen Cinder.

Friday, April 20, 2012

The Controversy is OVER.

For me, the Goodreads controversy is now over.  I worked with Patrick Brown from Goodreads, a very nice man, and he helped to clear out accounts that I was accused of creating. 

Those who condemned for something I hadn't done, and then threatened me with blacklisting my name should feel badly for the way they acted.  I don't expect them to walk around and feel ashamed, we all make mistakes, and because of that, I forgive them.

I don't think that we'll be the best of friends, but we can be civil with each other.  We can and should work together.  I know that's what I would like to do.  I would like to put this in the past, forget about it, and never bring it up again.

I wish when the very moment arose and the accusations were made, the person/people would have contacted Goodreads to find out for themselves.  As nice an as helpful as Patrick Brown was, the accusers would have found out the truth before this turned into a witch hunt.

Again, for any of you that tried to bring me down, I forgive you.  I won't hold a grudge.  I won't say anything bad about you.  I won't even name you.  Naming you would be petty on my part, and that's not the type of person I am.  I would love to move forward from here.  I don't expect tears and begging, and all that melodramatic stuff, but a simple, "sorry" would be good enough for me.  I don't even care how you get that sorry to me. 

Thanks to the many who were supportive of me.  Your support meant more than anything to me.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Snapshot of where I was...


I was at the top of The Best of Little Known Authors when I was falsely accused of faking votes.  I just wanted to take this snapshot of my place since I've asked Goodreads to remove me from the list.

I don't harbor any ill feelings toward the people who made these accusations.  I also want to thank all those people who supported me during this time.  It's a shame that some people are always looking for the negative.  This world would be so much better if we would look at the positive.

I'm not afraid to admit that I battle depression each day.  And when this whole mess blew up it really knocked me back.  I really don't need to do anything to make my life rougher, it's as rough as it can get.

The harrassment was like bullying - something, that being a teacher, I just detest.  If only people would listen to what my mother told me, "If you have nothing good to say, say nothing at all."  Trust me, those are good words to live by.

Survival of the Fittest - The Closest Enemy


SNEAK PEEK OF THE SECOND IN THE
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST SERIES

Survival of the Fittest - Book Trailer


My self-created rough version using Windows Movie Maker.

Survival of the Fittest - Book Trailer


Book trailer created by Roy Mauritsen
Author of Shards of the Glass Slipper

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Dark Place Entry 1

I'm currently in one of the most depressed moods I've ever been in.  I feel alone and friendless.  I sit home day after day.  It's getting to the point where I don't even want to go to the places I used to enjoy.  My world consists of home and school, and I know that's not how life is supposed to be.

I see pictures of happy people on Facebook and it just brings me further down.  I wish I had the words to capture this feeling, but they elude me.  Sad, anxious, scared, lonely, etc.  Bland words that can describe just about anyone's feelings at one point in their lives.  But how do I capture that for a person who lives with it on a daily basis?

I'm getting help, but who knows where that will lead.  It could make things better or worse, who knows? 

I guess I'm trapped with the friends I create, my characters.  But they have a better life than I do.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Book trailers on Youtube

I created 2 book trailers for my books.  The first is for Survival of the Fittest - The Last Hope for the Human Race:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycVIZx6AxK0

The second is the sneak peek for Survival of the Fittest - The Closest Enemy (currently editing):  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se2SqHIbpKI&feature=youtu.be

Let me know what you think.  Criticisms are fine too.  I'm a tough person, I can take it.  :)

Monday, April 9, 2012

SOTF Character Interview Blogged. Check it out!

Wanted to share an interview that was done with a character from Survival of the Fittest - The Last Hope for the Human Race.  Click the link and read on.  You might even find it interesting enough to follow the blooger (Ernie).  He does a great job with character interviews.

http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/2287836-director-shale-interviews-priya-hendi#

Teaser from SOTF - The Closest Enemy

            The two new leaders led the group down Broadway.  Every decision they made was made with everyone’s input.  Matt and Kayla could see this was beginning to wear down and erode the bitterness that each of them had inside themselves.  Matt stopped, stared straight ahead, “Is that the place?”  He turned to Ricardo. 

            “Time Warner Building,” Ricardo answered flatly, “this is the place.”

            “What should we do now?” Alex asked.  He looked at Matt, then at Ricardo.  “Do we just walk inside?”

            “I don’t know,” Matt answered as he turned to Ricardo.  “What do you think?”

            “I have to admit, I never thought I’d be here.  I know why we’re here, but I don’t know what to do or how to do it.  I’m,” Ricardo hesitated, then mustered his strength to say the words to Matt and his best friend, “I’ve never been so scared in my life.  I never thought I’d travel so far just to kill someone.”  He never lowered his gaze from the building.  “And somewhere, in there, is the person I want dead more than anything.”

            “Hey guys,” Lindsey called out, “We need to back away.  Something’s not right.”  She looked around at everyone around her.  “It’s just a feeling, but I wanted everyone to know.”

            “You sure?” Alex questioned.

            “Yes.  There’s something very wrong.  We need to back off right now.” 

            The ground began to rumble.  Manhole covers burst into the air like coins being flipped.  A haze began to fill the area.  The group scattered. 

            BOOM!

Just a little bit of sick pleasure...

I wanted to share something that I dealt with while writing the second in the Survival of the Fittest Series.

There's this one character, and honestly, I couldn't stand her.  I did everything I could to get rid of her.  And then I decided to finally kill her off.  Ha Ha, (evil laugh there).  So you'd think I'd be able to get rid of her early on and then be free of her - not!  That girl just wouldn't die until one of the last chapters.  I swear, the character had a survival instinct that beat my creative instinct.  Could it be I just didn't want to kill her?

And then - wouldn't you know it...  I wrote, what I think is one of the BEST end scenes for any character that's died.  Why?  How the heck do I know.  That girl just wanted to live.  Doesn't it sound strange how my characters actually do live in some strange way.

But, and this is a SPOILER:  in the the third in the series The Battle for Earth, she's BAAAAACK!  Maybe I didn't dislike her as much as I thought.  Or maybe, she's still fighting to live.  (scary music)

Saturday, April 7, 2012


The cover of my first book.  I'm sooo proud of what I've accomplished.  I realized a dream I never thought I would.

Article on my book published in Frederick News-Post


Local teacher/author uses student input to craft his work

Originally published March 03, 2012
By Blair Ames
News-Post Staff


Author Mike Taylor chats with members of Monocacy Middle School's book club Wednesday afternoon. Taylor fielded questions on his recent young adult novel, "Survival of of the Fittest: The Last Hope for the Human Race." He is a seventh- and eighth-grade language arts teacher at Monocacy. At right is seventh-grader Kieran Hosier.    

Members of Monocacy Middle School's book club had a unique opportunity Wednesday of spending time with the author of their assigned book for the month.

Mike Taylor fielded questions on his recent young adult novel, "Survival of the Fittest: The Last Hope for the Human Race." Some students said how much they enjoyed the book, while others thought it was just plain boring.

Taylor, who is also a seventh- and eighth-grade language arts teacher at Monocacy, said he expected both praise and criticism.

He is open to the criticism, he said, because it improves his writing while demonstrating to his students that no one's work is perfect, and that's OK.

"I think I learn and the kids also learn that being criticized isn't meant to hurt their feelings," he said.

"Survival of the Fittest" is Taylor's first published work; he has written 20 to 25 novels that were not accepted by publishers, he said.

"Survival" follows seven teenagers who wake completely alone one night, the sole survivors of an alien attack. They are now the last hope for humanity, but first must fight off the aliens.

Taylor described himself a doomsday scenario fan, which led him to write a science-fiction novel.

His second book, "Survival of the Fittest: The Closest Enemy," is finished and now under review by Monocacy students.

Feedback has been good, but slow to come in because the students are still reading it, Taylor said.

Taylor is in his second year teaching at Monocacy after working as a teacher in Florida and Pennsylvania. He holds bachelor and master's degrees from Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania.

"Survival of the Fittest: The Last Hope for the Human Race" is available in middle school libraries across the county and at the C. Burr Artz Public Library in Frederick. It is the most requested book at the Monocacy Middle School library.

Taylor does not know how many copies of the book have been sold since its release in November. His Facebook page has fans from 24 different countries, with the most coming from Japan.

Having a book published is "one of the most difficult things in the world," Taylor said. He estimated his previous novels have been rejected at least 100 times.

"If you can't win (publishers) over in the initial email, they're not even going to bother looking at your manuscript," he said.

Taylor plans to keep writing young adult novels because that is the group of readers who must be reached to keep a literate society, he said.

"I think staying in this profession, staying where I'm at and reading, I'm actually going to create those kids who are going to go forth and keep society moving where it needs to go," he said.

What I'm thinking will come next...

Ok, I have three ideas running through my head for my next book.  Let me know what you think...

1.  Rewrite my fantasy story about a boy who finds out he's the oldest living being in existence.  In the rough I have now, he fights the Dead, Ephemerals, Exiles, etc., the list goes on and on.  His reason for his extended life is due to an incantation he cast during a war that took place hundreds of centuries ago.

2.  A disease sweeps across the world affecting different climates in different ways.  In some a heatwave, others, drought, hurricanes, tornadoes, cold, etc.  The disease kills off adults, but will eventually affect everyone, no matter who they are.  The story would basically be about how to beat the disease and how to handle right and wrong.  (already started the rough)

3.  The nations schools are falling apart and have closed.  The government re-opens them with a plan.  To handle the kids who are trouble, they are removed from their school and sent to a camp.  At this camp the kids are required to get from one safe house to the next within a day (there are a total of 25 safe houses).  They must do this on their own, but they are followed by people who hunt them.  And reaching a safe house isn't safe at all.  (already started the rough)

Let me know what you think.

Friday, April 6, 2012

What scares me.

In my own little world there are many things that scare me.  Right now, the biggest fear is thinking that my books will go nowhere. 

I sit and create and create and create and honestly, I do it for myself.  I guess that's what a writer should do if they really love their craft.  But, once that book is out to the masses, a new fear takes over.  I wonder who reads my book.  I wonder what they're thinking about it.

I've finished the second book in the SOTF series and have started working on the third.  I think it's very good, but what will others think?  That's what really scares me.  I guess it scares me because I want to create a reading experience that people will and enjoy.  I want them to finish the last page and feel an overwhelming need to tell others.

Does anyone else think like me?

Question...

What makes a character one you love?

SOTF - The Battle for Earth

I've just started writing this book within the last four days, and I'm incredibly excited about the direction it's heading.  I don't know if this will be the last in the series, but time will tell.  Here's a snippet of the Prologue:


            The question had been echoed over a million times, “How much longer?”  As the days ticked by, and time drew closer and closer to the Quar return, everyone fell into a feeling of despair.  The thought of having to go to war to save Earth wasn’t something hundreds of thousands of Theta DNA teens around the world even wanted to consider.  All of them knew, and all of them understood, this war would have a clear winner, and the loser, well, that was the one thing no teen wanted to think about.

            The teens faced a harsh winter following the exit of the Quar.  They found themselves trapped in skyscrapers that had already begun to decay.  There were nights when the winds howled outside.  The teens in New York City faced a blizzard, one greater than any had ever seen.  During that, there were those who thought they all would starve to death.  But in that group, there were some, who were determined to ensure the group wouldn’t go hungry, ever.

            Ricardo, Cain, and Matt, led the battle to find food.  They braved snow drifts that buried buildings up to the second story.  They fought the freezing temperatures while others made certain there was a warm place to call home.  The arctic blast lasted nearly three weeks, and only one didn’t survive.

SOTF - The Closest Enemy is completed

The second book of the Survival of the Fittest series is complete.  Right now it's going through some of my toughest critics.  They will advise me what needs to be changed or added or deleted.

You might be asking, "Who are his toughest critics?"

The people who the book is for - young adults.  There are about five kids who have asked to read my second book because they loved the first.  They are and always will be the toughest critics.  To be a great YA author, I feel I need to hear their thoughts in order to write something that will be successful.


I feel very fortunate to have them reading my book.

SOTF - The Last Hope for the Human Race

Survival of the Fittest - The Last Hope for the Human Race

Is available on Amazon.com in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle. 

Is available on BarnesandNoble.com in paperback, hardcover, and Nook.

Is also available around the world.

Take a chance and get your copy today!