Thursday, July 19, 2018

Summer Reads Blitz: Relics of the Divine: The Celestial Flame by Stephen R Watts




Stephen R. Watts was born and raised at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains in Northern Utah, where he developed a love for stories at a very young age. Having spent his adolescence creating alternate worlds where he could escape the hardships of mental illness, Stephen wanted nothing more than to grow up and write his own epic tales capable of entertaining readers in ways that reminds them of their untold worth. Stephen’s debut novel was a fourteen-year labor of love, and when he isn’t studying story craft he can be found traveling the world or spending quality time with his family in Salt Lake City.






When sixteen-year-old Harius is chosen to guard a mystic key and sword, he’s sure there’s been some mistake. Protecting the divine relics requires the celestial flame, a power that only mystic warriors can wield. And while Harius is training to become such a warrior, he’s lacked the faith needed to access the flame ever since his mother’s tragic death.

Despite his doubts, Harius accepts the calling at a time when evil forces threaten to destabilize his world. As the son of his nation’s most controversial leader, Harius soon becomes a delegate to a foreign land filled with technological marvels capable of saving his ancient race of winged men. Acquiring the necessary tech won’t be easy, though, as the king of this land won’t share it unless Harius uses the celestial flame to rescue the royal family from a foe out to conquer the realm.

With so much resting on his fragile faith, Harius fears he will ultimately fail. Yet, amid all the danger he will learn that the relics he guards hold the secret to not only restoring his faith, but to revealing his untold destiny.




Top Ten List:

Ten Fun Facts

1)     Stephen defied many peoples’ expectations when he overcame severe mental health challenges.
2)     In 2002, Stephen lived less than ten miles from Salt Lake City where the Winter Olympic Games were being held that year.
3)     Stephen is the only one of five brothers to have become an Eagle Scout.
4)     Stephen was selected by his senior-class president to give a speech at his high school graduation.
5)     While attending college, Stephen was invited to give a presentation at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research in 2012.
6)     Stephen finished graduate school with a perfect grade point average.
7)     Stephen shares a birthday with two friends from high school, as well as with a certain young prince in England.
8)     Hot Yoga is Stephen’s favorite form of Exercise.
9)     Stephen won’t eat any food he knows contains mushrooms.

10)                        Stephen is saving his first kiss for the woman he hopes to one day marry.





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Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Summer Reads Blitz: Raven’s Eye by Adam Gowans



Adam Gowans is the youngest of five Air Force brats, out of which his siblings have voted him the weirdest. He loves anything that deals with stories, including movies, novels, television dramas, music, video games, manga/manhwa, and webtoons.

In his mid-twenties, he lived and taught English in South Korea for four years before returning to the States to live, like many LDS authors, in Utah.

His first novel is On Angelic Wings, which has a planned sequel, but the sequel will be released after two other novels that are calling for his attention.





Ever since magic caused his mother's death, Ha-Neul, crown prince of Balhae, hates witches and the magic they wield. He has instituted harsh laws against all magic users.


Lisa is a young witch working undercover as a servant in his palace, hoping to gain freedom for her people. The last thing the two expect is to fall in love. But when Ha-Neul learns that Lisa is not only a witch, but the daughter of the Prince of Vires, land of witches, he banishes her. Distracted by heartbreak, he is caught off-guard by a military coup.

In hiding and on the run, Ha-Neul swallows his pride and travels with his siblings to Vires, planning to beg Lisa's aid, only to learn that she has mysteriously vanished.

Now his only hope in reclaiming his kingdom and reuniting with Lisa lies in the remote Northern Mountains, a country no one has ever penetrated and rumored home of a powerful magic source. There, Ha-Neul learns that a being powerful beyond comprehension has been carefully guiding his destiny. But if Ha-Neul can't let go of his hatred of all things magic, and accept the new path offered to him, it will mean the destruction of his entire world.




Top Ten List:

10 Fun Facts
1.     I love chocolate. I always have a stash of Lindor Truffles and Reese’s, my favorite Reese’s being the large Easter’ eggs and Christmas trees. I also eat chocolate every day, sometimes with all three meals.
2.     I only buy the physical copies of books that I really like. All my other copies are digital. I started doing this after I moved to South Korea and had very limited living space.
3.     I spent a few hundred dollars collecting all of the single volumes of the manga Skip Beat! while I lived in South Korea. I still buy the new volumes as they come out and read each new chapter online every month.
4.     I like to cook, but I prefer cooking when it’s for more people than just me; otherwise, I cook simple meals.
5.     My favorite video game series is Kingdom Hearts. I own multiple copies off the main games. However, my favorite standalone (which is standalone for now) is Horizon Zero Dawn.
6.     I own four of the Harry Potter books with the original British covers (1, 3, 5, and 6) because I was given them while I lived in South Korea, but sadly can’t afford to try to buy the others.
7.     Weird fact: I have seven moles on my right arm that form a dipper.
8.     I was a bad student in university. I hardly ever did the reading assigned for my English classes. I always preferred to read a novel of my own choosing. Then I skimmed whatever reading was appropriate for the essays I wrote for class.
9.     Though my two novels are Sci Fi/Fantasy, I very rarely read that genre anymore.

10.I’ll hold conversations with myself as different characters. It helps me hear their voice better and get to know them more.




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Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Summer Reads Blitz: The Seeds of Disolution by Williams C Tracy




William C. Tracy is a North Carolina native and a lifelong fan of science fiction and fantasy. He has a master’s in mechanical engineering, and has both designed and operated heavy construction machinery. He has also trained in Wado-Ryu karate since 2003, and runs his own dojo. He is an avid video and board gamer, a reader, and of course, a writer.


In his spare time, he wrangles three cats. He and his wife enjoy putting their pets in cute little costumes and making them cosplay for the annual Christmas card.

You can visit him at williamctracy.com.




On a bright August day, the sun disappears.

Sam van Oen barely escapes freezing to death in his house, as his watch stops and fire ceases to burn. He is pulled into the Nether—a nexus between ten diverse alien cultures—where he meets two maji who can control the musical foundation of the universe. While coping with anxiety attacks prompted by his new surroundings, Sam must learn to hear and change the Symphony, and thus reality, in order to discover what happened to his home.

Sam is surrounded by aliens, both strange and familiar. Soon, he meets sister and brother twins, also new to the Nether, who support him during his anxiety attacks. Sam finds he is attracted to both of them, and does not want to choose.

But more freezing voids like the one that started his journey are appearing, and Sam’s chances of getting back are fading. The Assembly of Species is threatening to dissolve and the maji are being attacked by those they protect, while rumors grow of an ancient, shape-changing species of assassins, returning to wage war.

The Dissolution is coming.




Top Ten List:

10 fun facts about myself:
1)     I am trained in violin and fiddle
2)     I’ve written nine books
3)     I’ve practiced Wado-Ryu karate for fifteen years
4)     I’ve designed and operated heavy construction equipment
5)     Two things in this list are false
6)     I can juggle five objects at a time
7)     I’m a direct descendant of William de Tracy, one of Thomas a Becket’s four assassins
8)     My mother went to school with Robert Jordan’s wife
9)     I own a cast of my grandfather’s teeth
10)                        I’ve visited eighteen countries

Answers:
False: #7 (probably) and #5 (because #7 is the only falsehood, which means #4 is false, but that means it’s true, which then means *head explodes*). #6 is technically true, though not for very long.




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Monday, July 16, 2018

Summer Reads Blitz: Awaken, Shadows of a Forgotten Past by Marcia Maidana



Marcia was born and raised in Argentina during the military regime which ended with the loss of many young lives in the invasion of the Falkland Islands. Amidst the devastating effects of military government and war, reading and writing became a passion which expanded and transported her imagination with the possibility of a brighter future.

At the age of eighteen, she moved to the United States, where she studied English and started her own family. She soon discovered that the love she has for her husband and children would naturally unfold towards her European roots, leading her to become a genealogist and family historian. A decade of searching, compiling, and learning the stories of thousands of people has instilled in her a profound gratitude for the strong ties that can be achieved in families through personal sacrifice.

So it is that through fiction, Awaken explores and exposes the characteristics of true love and loyalty in times of fear, war, and finally, death. But perhaps the most captivating element in the story is the battle within the souls of the main characters as they search to know who they really are and how they are connected.

~ Facebook



Could there exist a love powerful enough to overcome the grave?

Hard times during the Great Depression force nineteen-year-old Florence to leave her service at the monastery and seek employment. Fate brings her to work for a wealthy recluse, General Alexander Sterling. Despite many daunting events and a meddling housekeeper with dark secrets of her own, Florence and the General find themselves falling deeply in love.

What she doesn’t know is that General Sterling has left his native country escaping a painful past, one he yearns to forget. Destiny won’t allow it as he meets Florence, whose resemblance to his deceased wife is unbearable. Could Florence actually be the same woman who still owns his heart and haunts his dreams?

When their blossoming romance is shattered by an explosive truth, a mysterious stranger gives her an opportunity to go back in time to unlock the secret to her existence. Florence must strive to return to the present time to save their relationship from the imminent
 danger that awaits them.



Top Ten List:

Fun Facts:
1.     I was born and raised in Argentina among a mixed culture of Spaniards and Italians.

2.     I got my first library card when I was eight years old. It meant so much to me that after more than three decades, I still have it in my possession.

3.     The library allowed patrons to check out two books per week, which wasn’t enough for me. I then decided that I’d volunteer at the library so I could read books during breaks.

4.     I learned a little British English in Argentina.

5.     When I arrived in the United States, I had no idea what language was being spoken. J

6.     I’m an International Genealogist specializing in the countries of France, Italy, and Spain.

7.     I love to plant flowers and see them grow. I love mint, so I grow it in my garden as well.

8.     My grandmother was Italian. She made her pasta from scratch and it was delicious. Very rarely do I eat store-bought pasta since its taste is so different.

9.     My childhood home is located a block away from a Catholic convent. I was fascinated with the nuns and priests; hence, there are nuns and priests in Awaken.


10.My children laugh when I tell them who the most influential women in my life are (of course they aren’t the most influential, but I do appreciate them very much), they are: Agatha Christie, for her incredible stories which inspire me to be a better writer; Denise Austin, who has kept me in shape through her workout videos without having to leave the house; Mary Kay, whose make-up products I can’t live without.





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Monday, June 11, 2018

Book Tour: Life Lived Nor Lost by Cynthia Staton




Victoria Taylor Staton's life was a... Life Lived Not Lost ~ a journey of hope.

Cynthia Staton's life was in turmoil, then Christ saved her. Life was perfect. She and her beloved daughter, Victoria shared the same belief in God. But seven short months after Cynthia was saved, her daughter lost her battle with Cystic Fibrosis, and God called her home.

Cynthia struggled with not only missing her daughter, but losing her bible teacher. Victoria taught the Word of God to Cynthia in a way that showcased God's perfect love for His children. That profound understanding carried Cynthia through the devastation, knowing she'd see her daughter again one day, in Heaven, and that Victoria's time on Earth was a....
Life Lived Not Lost ~ A journey of hope.














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To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page