Archive for the ‘guest post’ Category

The Gardens of Byzantium Showcase

Posted: October 28, 2023 in Announcements, excerpt, guest post, Now Available in Paperback, Press Release, Promo, Recommended Reading, Showcase, Spotlight
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The Gardens of Byzantium

By J.F. Hughes

Synopsis:

The year is 622 A.D., and the Persian and Byzantine empires have been fighting a war in the deserts since before Asana was born.

Asana’s life has been one of turmoil and change. Every year found her uprooted and brought to another foreign land to live an austere life in a garrison with her father, an officer in the Persian Army. But the middle of a war is no place for such a gentle soul.

Before long, she is swept away from her family and forced to flee on the back of her beloved horse. Fate leads her into the hands of a handsome and mysterious Roman soldier who sequesters her in a beautiful palace in the heart of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine empire.

She begins to fall for him, and at last it seems as though she may have found an oasis of happiness in her war-torn world. That is, until news of a Persian army marching toward the city upends her life again, setting in motion an unstoppable chain of events that bring the story to its breathtaking and tragic conclusion.

Read an excerpt:

Asana lay against the cool stone, peering up at the night sky through the oriel windows of the tower. Her life, it seemed, was to be one misery after another. Happiness, like the stars above, was forever out of reach. She listened to the breeze rustling the leaves outside. The gentle sound was like a lullaby, and she used it to drift off, just like she had with the sound of the waves when she was trapped in the hold of that dreadful ship.

She had nearly fallen asleep when she heard the outer door open quietly and slow footsteps entering. The barbarian has finally returned, she thought to herself. The footsteps approached the steps to her chamber door. The door opened slowly, and there he was again. What does he want? He looked at her sitting down against the stone, looking back at him.

After a moment, he spoke, “I must go to the Hippodrome tomorrow with several of the other officers. I need to know that you will stay here and not try to leave.”

Asana said nothing and stared coldly.

“Listen, I cannot keep you safe in this city. They will know you for a Persian, and you will be sold to another merchant, and they will likely have my head for harboring you.” Again, Asana said nothing. Antonius inhaled, his exasperation getting the better of him. “Don’t you understand what a risk I have taken? You won’t even tell me if you understand me!” Asana continued staring for a moment and then looked away, indifferently gazing toward the sky. Antonius felt his blood beginning to boil, and he rushed up and grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and turned Asana so she faced him. “Answer me!”

Asana pushed as hard as she could to free herself, but it was like pushing against a stone pillar. She flailed, clawing at his chest, drawing blood, and tearing his tunic. He released her and pushed her down in frustration.

“Bah!” he grumbled as he waved his hand at her dismissively.

He made his way to the door. Just before he stepped out of the chamber, Asana caught a glimpse of something curious around his neck. A small glint of metal was revealed by the tear in his tunic: a ring… a silver ring with a single crescent jade…

Early the next day, the chattering birds could be heard through the palace windows. The morning sun was chasing off the cool dampness that had settled in overnight. Antonius had risen early. He brought the girl water and food and headed back towards the door without speaking.

As he was nearly through the doorway, she spoke, “The ring around your neck.” Antonius was stunned into silence. First by hearing her voice for the first time, second by the fact that this Persian girl was fluent in Greek, and third by the unexpected topic of conversation. “The ring… how did you come to possess such a ring?”

Antonius laughed to himself and shook his head. “You keep silent for days, refusing to even say a word, and suddenly I am supposed to start telling you stories? You have nerve, Persian. Enjoy your meal.”

He stepped away but was interrupted again.

“Please… the ring. Tell me,” she persisted, her voice taking on an earnest tone.

Antonius was persuaded, not necessarily by her, but by his own curiosity. What is this ring to her? he wondered.

Author bio:

Born in New York City and raised in New Jersey, J.F. Hughes graduated college with a degree in Business. He works full-time as a property manager and moonlights as a music teacher. Creative at heart, Hughes has been actively pursuing his passion for writing and is excited to launch his debut fiction novel, The Gardens of Byzantium. To learn more, please visit JFHbooks.com or follow him on Twitter/X @JFHbooks.

Purchase the book on Amazon

The Ancient Ones Showcase

Posted: October 10, 2023 in excerpt, guest post, Now Available in Paperback, Press Release, Promo, Recommended Reading, Showcase, Spotlight
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The Ancient Ones

By c.b. strul

Synopsis:

The Ancient Ones is a Science Fiction adventure that takes place on Earth 100,000 years ago. It is the survival tale of a teenage girl named Blue Flower who escapes into the wilderness as her tribe is captured by an opposing clan. Out in the far reaches of the desert landscape, she is rescued by a being from another world and the two of them form a bond through music. Blue Flower and Crow Mother develop a relationship through song though their words have little value to one another at first. Ultimately, they realize they want to trust each other, and Crow Mother helps Blue Flower to find her captured tribe.

Read an excerpt:

Blue Flower had only died for a moment, perhaps a couple of hours… could a day have passed? When she finally opened her eyes, she did not know where she was, or why it was so much cooler in this place, or what that odd dripping appendage was hanging just over her face and mouth. The walls of the cave were all mossy stone and grey and red. Some mineral deposits colored the stones with starkly beautiful layers of crushed sediment. Droplets of water had been falling onto her face from the appendage, and she realized it bore an off resemblance to some of the water pots of Tetset at the end, though there was an extension of metallic tubing coming out the back end of the thing that did not look familiar to Blue Flower in the slightest.

She shook off the small puddles of liquid that had been forming around her eyes and chin where the drip had missed its mark. She sat up slowly, feeling the ache in her muscles from the long journey she had just taken. She followed the metal tubing with her eyes to see it extend from wall-to-stalactite-covered-ceiling. Her sidelong glance brought her attention to a cluster of humming bricks formed from that same metal. The boxes were new with no signs of rustication. If Blue Flower had known much about metal, she would have recognized that none of those components could have been there for very long. But all of it was beyond Blue Flower’s comprehension. Her people had not been metallurgists. Tetset had never imagined the need for stronger, more durable materials like these. Still, she marveled at the shine of the stuff.

More metallic objects lingered beyond those boxes, with soft, velvety surfaces inlaid atop them. What this substance was, she had even less of a clue about. And why were there so many shiny finger-sized circles and sticks jutting up from just below the velvet? Had all these things been built by someone? They did not appear natural — not like anything Blue Flower had ever experienced.

Eventually, she decided she should stand in order to see the rest of the room. Her aches seemed to dissipate as her sense of disoriented curiosity overtook everything. Now on her feet, she realized the room was much smaller than she had initially thought. She would have been able to walk from one end to the other in perhaps six long steps if she hadn’t suddenly become distracted by the other creature with its back turned to her behind the place where she had been sleeping.

Author bio:

C.B. Strul is excited to launch his first full-length science fiction novel entitled The Ancient Ones. He has previously released a series of three novellas: Spinners, Forget the Complex, and What Grows from the Stump of a Tree? He lives in Los Angeles with his fiancée, extended family, and two sweet pugs. To learn more, please visit OdomsLibrary.com or follow him on Instagram @CBSciFi.

Purchase the book on Amazon.

A World of Love, Beauty, and Awareness

Posted: July 21, 2023 in Announcements, guest post, Now Available in Paperback, Press Release, Promo, Recommended Reading, Showcase, Spotlight
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Pilgrimage on the Path of Love
Barbara Ann Briggs
Publication date: October 28, 2016
Genre: Religious romance

Pilgrimage on the Path of Love is the story of a woman on the spiritual path who travels alone to India. Arriving in New Delhi, expecting to be her publisher’s guest, she finds herself instead in a Buddhist guest house run by lamas from Ladakh. There she is introduced to Tibetan Buddhism and befriends a lama. Traveling to a Himalayan hill station to write, and living very simply, she meets people from all over the world who share their wisdom of life. While recovering from a sprained ankle in a Buddhist monastery, she experiences a deepening of faith in the eternal harmony of creation. Finally, she embarks on a momentous journey to Ladakh, the Last Shangri-La, to await the lama she loves. There, her faith is severely tested, but she emerges triumphant with a deeper understanding of her purpose in life and the meaning of true love.

Author Bio:

Barbara Ann Briggs is a poet, podcaster, and the author of two books. She is also a certified Consciousness Advisor. She has over twenty years’ experience as a freelance journalist and has had numrous articles and essays published in both print and online media. A practitioner and teacher of Transcendental Meditation for over thirty years, Barbara hosts a bi-monthly podcast called Essence of Life, which has a rapidly growing audience. She also has a YouTube channel called: LivingWisdom-Barbara Briggs.

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