Publication date: March 25th 2025
Genres: Adult, Science Fiction
Prejudice. Legacy. Redemption.
Erys carries a secret that could shatter his world. The telepathic Elegrian has spent his life atoning for his dead father’s role in humanity’s disastrous first contact. Now, as a tech specialist for the Earth-led alliance, he serves in silence—until sabotage threatens the lives of dozens of human children. And the traitor is one of his own.
Forced to work with a brilliant but hostile human engineer, Erys must dismantle not only the deadly conspiracy but also the deep-seated mistrust between their peoples. With time running out, he faces an impossible choice: break the fragile Elegrian-Human treaty and invite the death penalty to forge a forbidden mind link with a human… or let innocent lives be lost.
Two worlds on the brink. A single act of defiance. Can compassion rewrite a doomed future?
The Elegrian Legacy begins here—a gripping sci-fi adventure rich in high-stakes dilemmas, deep character bonds, and first-contact intrigue.
Erys stood in the hospital room’s doorway, every muscle rigid. He’d arrived early, expecting to slip in quietly to take the system readings while the child slept. But, silent and alone, the sick little girl watched him from the bed with shimmering eyes. Purple bruises mottled her face. A red line ran a jagged path from her delicate nose to her dry lips. The stark-white sheet quivered as her small body trembled.
His throat tightened. Maybe he should come back later. It’d be much better for the child to remain unaware of his presence. It’d be better for him too. Not having to deal with the staring or the questions about who he was. Or the judgment.
But no. His job here—this job—should be routine. Easy. At least as easy as anything could be that brought an Elegrian to the foundation colony of the human Alliance on Loridan. Regardless, there was nothing ordinary about the suffering before him. He straightened his uniform jacket and crossed the threshold.
“Zhaaaaa…” He crooned words of comfort in the ancient language of his own people. It didn’t matter that the child was human and he was not—the melody of solace was universal. Besides, he should look human enough to the youngster. The one protein distinguishing his physiology from human was not outwardly visible. The only alien race either Elegrians or humans had encountered was each other, and in appearance they could be next-door neighbors.
The child’s shaking calmed. Her warm response encouraged him.
Brisk steps brought him to the girl’s bedside. Hidden under the covers, the bio-bed’s myriad sensors recorded enough infinitesimal measurements to enable Loridan’s treatment system to cure nearly any affliction. Or would have, if the complex network had not been broken. Loridan’s human techs could not figure out how to regenerate the Intelligent Data which gave the system its power. That was why he was here. Convoluted data issues—living data issues—were his specialty.
He crouched, pulled a sterile wipe from the dispenser, and gently cleaned the blood from the child’s face. “There. Better?” He pronounced the words carefully. The harder he tried, the more the liquid trill of his accent became exaggerated. He hoped she understood him.
Her eyes widened at the sound of his voice. “Are you a doctor?”
She spoke in a whisper, but her plea pinged loud and clear on his psychic senses. “No, shimwa.” He searched his memory for the translation. “Little one.” Deliberately, he relaxed his expression. “I’m here to help your doctors. To repair their equipment, so they can help you get better.” He reached out a finger to dab the wetness from her cheeks.
Her eyes followed his hand, and she stared at his uniform sleeve. At the insignia displayed prominently along with those of rank and division. He recognized the shadow of understanding that darkened her expression. He’d seen it before.
She recoiled, and a sob shook her frail form.
He had no words in any language to relieve this fear.
.
About Author Cheryl A. Arko:
CHERYL ARKO is a science fiction author and an accomplished senior data scientist with a long career in IT and medical data analysis. She has loved reading science fiction ever since she could connect letters into words, devouring everything from Andre Norton to E.E. “Doc” Smith to more and more authors through the years who have shared their thought-provoking ideas of imagined places and alternate realities.
TOUCH OF THE ELEGRIAN is Cheryl’s debut novel and was a Killer Nashville Claymore Award Finalist for best Science Fiction/Fantasy. She writes stories that take her to the stars, imagining who we might find out there, inviting readers to come along for the ride to visit new worlds and their people. To explore what makes us different—and what makes us the same. And to discover the inherent good that exists in the universe to balance against darkness, no matter how far we travel.
A seasoned dog trainer, Cheryl lives with her beloved Airedales in a tiny house nestled within thirty acres of serene Minnesota pine trees.
Welcome to my stop in the virtual book tour for Optimizer Of Souls organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.
Author Julian Christian will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B&N Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner. Don’t forget to enter!
And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Optimizer Of Souls
By Julian Christian
Genre: Science Fiction
Synopsis
When her mentor Professor Williams disappears after discovering a fatal flaw in SENTINEL’s perfect system, Maya must navigate a world where every thought is monitored and every emotion optimized. With help from James Reed, a damaged neural interface designer haunted by helping create humanity’s perfect prison, she uncovers evidence that could shatter SENTINEL’s control – if they survive long enough to use it.But in a city where surveillance drones hunt for behavioral anomalies and optimization protocols spread through quantum networks, Maya confronts a terrifying possibility: what if perfect control isn’t their enemy? What if human consciousness is evolving into something beyond both chaos and control?
~~~~~
Enjoy this peek inside:
Through her pain, Maya watches optimization protocols flow through the crowd like invisible rivers. She sees how each person’s neural implants respond to corporate commands, adjusting thoughts and feelings to maintain perfect social harmony. The amount of control happening around her is overwhelming – too much for even her enhanced systems to process clearly.
Her military tech usually filters all this information, making it manageable for her human brain to understand. But with so many optimized minds in one place, all following Sentinel’s perfect patterns, the filters are failing. Raw data crashes against her consciousness like waves against a beach, each new surge bringing more pain.
The migraine builds as her enhanced vision tries to show her everything at once – the neural patterns of thousands of workers, the hidden messages in corporate announcements, the subtle signs of Sentinel’s control woven through every surface and signal. It’s like having super-powerful eyes that can’t close, forced to watch every detail of how thoroughly humanity has been optimized.
~~~~~
About Author Julian Christian:
.
Julian Christian grew up in New York City, attending the prestigious Brooklyn Technical High School specializing in computer science. After graduation he attended New York University where he earned a Master’s Degree in occupational therapy. Julian worked in the New York City public schools as an occupational therapist. His lifelong passion for fitness and health led him into the modeling industry where he appeared on several fitness magazine covers and spreads including Men’s Health magazine. He also appeared in advertisements for Saks 5th Avenue, Adidas, and Diesel. In addition to his modeling work he appeared in several tv shows including Ugly Betty on ABC and Tough Love on VH1, as well as several commercials. The big screen had him featured in several mainstream and indie films in supporting roles. Julian had also had the romance novel industry calling his name as he has been featured on the cover of over one hundred romance novels. His lifelong passion for books has extended beyond just appearing on book covers as he is an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction books. He is a classic sci-fi and alternate history fan. In the non-fiction realm he enjoys biographies and books on science and technology. He is a lover of the outdoors and nature. He currently resides in San Diego California where he is an avid bodyboarder and hiker.
On an alternate earth, a cataclysm has altered a subset of
the population. Talents are persecuted for their psychic and physical
mutations, giving rise to two conflicting societies based upon maintaining
genetic purity. And the Source, a shadowy corporate entity dependent upon the
exploitation of captive Talents, is hunting them…
Chaos rules the city of Glynfyls.
And all Flynn Scot can do is watch. With the hill frozen in
the shadow of the coming Incursion, and the commons giving into a bacchanal
madness, the city’s chances of survival are dire. His hands tied by mandates,
in order to do what he knows is right and give them a fighting chance, Flynn
will have to risk everything by doing wrong.
Meanwhile, Kara can’t hide her declining health.
The Triam’s location remains elusive, and the window to get
the treatment she needs is closing. Unwilling to give in, or idly await her
fate, she hatches a daring plan to help save the city, even if it ends up
destroying her politically.
Because Titus’s army is marching closer to Glynfyls, and
they’re not alone.
With them comes a monster that threatens not only the city,
but the entire Breaker hierarchy. As the world watches on tenterhooks, Flynn
and Kara race against the clock to save their people, but there’s no guarantee
they can save themselves.
Flynn’s bedroom door slammed open and the lights flicked on.
“Get up.”
The hell? He blinked, lifting his aching head to glare at Rogan. Man looked even more beat to shit now that the bruising from their fight had set in. One side of his jaw was twice the size it should be, and he didn’t look any happier to be standing there than Flynn was to see him.
“Fuck off,” he growled, his arms tightening around Kara. She murmured in her sleep, a “V” pinching between her brows as she snuggled against his chest.
Rogan laughed. “Wish I could, kid, but Titus’s troops are crossing the border, the city’s burning down again, cattle are running riot through the streets—” He swiped up a pair of pants from the floor and chucked them at Flynn. “—and we’re on fire brigade.”
Goddamn it.
“Are you serious?” he hissed, catching them as he pushed up to sit.
Kara huffed and curled into a little ball, out cold despite the asshole’s bullshit. Flynn frowned, but wasn’t surprised. She hadn’t slept at all the night after succumbing, and he damned well knew the toll of unmaking the damage Otto had done to her bitch mother was more than Kara was letting on.
Rogan’s gaze dropped to her bared shoulder and slid down her back to the blankets pooling around her hips. His tongue flicked over his lip. “Think I’d be in here otherwise?”
Flynn growled, ripping a blanket up to cover her. If that motherfucker even thought about—goddamn it. Man had just handed Flynn his own ass in front of the entire Breaker line. If Rogan, the Alpha fucking Prime, wanted to challenge for her, he’d win, and they both knew it.
So did the thing growling in the recesses of Flynn’s psyche, its hackles raised. Wasn’t conducive to him being in a particularly cooperative mood.
He slung his legs over the side of the mattress, talent crackling around his fingers. Goddamn it. That didn’t help either. He snuffed the sparks in his fists and pulled on his pants. Fabric was still sticky with gore. What time was it? His eyes found the clock as he zipped up. A little after two in the morning. Didn’t this fucking city sleep? “When did Titus cross the border?”
“Vanguard’s a couple hundred miles in and moving fast,” Rogan said as he reached down to scritch behind Hiss’s ears. Stupid cat let him. “Stonefist called Quorum. I was on my way to wake your ass up for that when the fire broke out. Shit’s officially hit the fan.”
“Fine. Let’s go.” Flynn grabbed a shirt and kicked into his boots, still glowering at Rogan. Asshole shot another look at Kara before he flashed that goddamned grin and backed from the room. Flynn killed the lights and just stopped himself from slamming the door shut. God, he hated that prick.
“What the hell are they rioting about now?” he asked, smacking the button for the lift.
Rogan shrugged and stepped in. “They’re throwing one hell of a party on the lower rungs, but this ain’t that, far as I can tell. Heard somebody say a cow kicked over a lantern, and it’s Chicago all over again.”
“Chicago?” Flynn asked, hitting the button for the main floor.
The Breaker rolled his eyes. “You know, big fire, O’Leary’s—never mind. All you need to worry about is it putting it out.” He pushed past him as the lift door opened and stalked toward the gate.
Flynn’s temper spiked and his talent sparked with it. “Me? How am I supposed to—” He stopped to scuff out a patch of smoldering carpet. Christ, that was getting old.
“Right there all the time, isn’t it?”
Flynn scowled. “Yeah. Weren’t you gonna do something about that?” Talent flared around his fingers again, and he swore.
Rogan sighed, glancing at the gate. “Right. How do you control your Shade ability?”
Was he an idiot? “Control my—I don’t. It’s not like—I gotta pull it to use it. They call it cloaking for a reason. It’s like gathering—whatever, it doesn’t matter. I asked about this Breaker shit.”
“Everything matters. Nothing’s important.”
“Did you just quote Nietzsche?”
Breaker cocked an eyebrow. “Did you just call me out for quoting Nietzsche?”
“Christ, you’re a dick.”
“You should talk. Look, in case you haven’t figured it out, Breaker talent isn’t static. It’s tied to your emotions, just like bloodlust. The fact that you’re as moody as a teenaged girl doesn’t help.”
Flynn glared at the man, his teeth gritting together at another flare of talent. “Then what do you suggest?”
“You know anything about physics?” Flynn’s eyes narrowed, and Rogan sighed. “Look, I’m not any more thrilled about this arrangement than you are, so let’s do it and have done. Easiest way for me to explain it is to equate Breaker talent to Ohm’s law—”
“Ionic flow. Got it. Energy is dissipated as heat. Then what?”
Rogan’s brow raised. “Then you reach equilibrium by dissipating it, maintaining the state by breathing the potential out, and letting talent cycle through you,” the Breaker said. “You don’t let it build until you need it.”
“How the hell do I do that?”
Rogan made a come hither motion. “Watch and learn.”
They stepped through the gate and into hell. Flynn wiped his brow, his skin abruptly too tight. Smoke seared down his throat and hung thick in the air, stinging his eyes and occluding the morass of standing water and hard baked sludge coating the street. The haze softened the edges of the blaze as a line of Fixers fought to keep it in stasis, while every Fetch able to shift an oxygen molecule battled to snuff the flames. Their crimson blue flicker and the silver and bronze glow of talent warred, filling the streets with an unearthly glow. Within the thin shell of talent, booms shook the ground. A rain of smoldering debris peppered the street, and a fucking cow ran by.
Rogan held out a hand to him, and Flynn scowled. “Thanks, Gramps, but I promise I’m big enough not to get lost.”
“Asshole. I want you to feel how I channel the fire’s potential.”
“I gotta hold your hand to do it?”
“I can put my foot up your ass if you’d prefer.”
Flynn eyed the man’s outstretched hand. Something big exploded, accompanied by a whomp of flame
“Take your time. Not like there’s any reason to hurry.”
Flynn glared at him and slapped his palm across Rogan’s. The Breaker’s halos flared and talent welled, crackling between them. Instead of something blowing up, it was a steady draw. The raging flames shuddered in response, dying back, and the ground beneath them hummed with a weird vibration. What the hell?
“Feel that?”
“Yeah, what’re you doing?”
Whatever it was, wasn’t easy. Sweat poured from the Breaker, and it wasn’t from the ungodly temperature. His halos bathed everything within a fifty-foot radius a gruesome scarlet. “Acting as a ground,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Like it’s electricity?”
“Yeah. Same principle, and you keep shorting.” He snorted at Flynn’s scowl. “Instead of letting the energy flow to heat, I’m converting the fire’s potential and acting as a conduit, redirecting it out and away. Try reaching for it. If you can call it, you can snuff it, and I could use the help. There’s some kind of accelerant in there—” The ground shook with another series of explosions and hot concrete rained down around them.
Fuck that. Flynn threw up a shield. He pushed it out and away, reinforcing the Fixer’s line. They slumped against one another as he took up the burden, the power of the battering flames sending him back a step. Christ. Yeah, there sure as hell was some kind of accelerant in there. Shit was burning like it was jet fuel. He wiped a hand across his brow, dizzy with the heat.
“Wrong talent, asshole,” Rogan gritted out.
Flynn scowled at him, trying to focus. Reach for the fire…how the fuck was he supposed to…he eased his shield and the sense of it hit him square in the chest. Flynn grunted, stumbling back again.
“Yeah, no shit. Now let it flow through you and ground it out.”
Flynn took a shaky breath; the intensity of that potential Rogan had been talking about was crushing. How the fuck was he handling all that? Man should be a blackened smear—
“Anytime now, kid.” Rogan grimaced.
Shit. Flynn’s jaw tensed, trying to take a hold—he eased his shield again and the flames surged forward. He slammed it back up and the fire’s potential bypassed him, arcing from his grip. Christ, he couldn’t—
“Kara still make that little noise when she comes?”
Flynn’s shield disintegrated as the blaze’s potential flooded into him with his rage. It built, his hair standing on end. He was gonna kill—
“Ground it!”
—that motherfucker. Flynn bellowed, channeling the fire’s potential into the ground along with what Rogan was converting. The street buckled and the surrounding buildings listed. The two men fell to their knees, the inferno sucking down like someone had pulled its string, guttering.
Rogan collapsed to sit, swiping a hand over his brow. “Not bad—”
Flynn’s fist took him in the jaw, knocking him back. “Anything about that ever comes out of your mouth again, I’ll fucking kill you.”
“No promises.” Asshole chuckled, wiping the corner of his mouth as he sat up. “And don’t expect it to go any better than your last attempt…but you’re welcome to keep trying.”
God, he hated him. Flynn’s brows furrowed, taking in the smoking ruins. At the far end of the block, Markham spoke to a group of Fetches. He patted one of them on the shoulder, and they staggered off, too exhausted to shift away.
Flynn knew how they felt. His insides were hollow with what’d just gone through him. His glower deepened as his eyes flicked to Rogan. Shithead had baited him, again, and he’d played right into his hands, again. Goddamn his fucking temper. That thing inside him…it was too fucking close. Flynn frowned, staring at his palms, the memory of blood staining them. No. Not here. He was safe in the city.
“When you call it, where does the fire come from?” he asked, wiping this hands on his pants and trying to distract himself. “Doesn’t the potential need a catalyst?”
“Look at you all brainy when you’re not taking potshots,” Rogan muttered, rocking his mangled jaw. “That’s a little more complicated, and I’m spent. It’ll wait.”
Flynn’s brows bunched, glaring at the man who’d claimed to be his great-grandfather. Attitude was on point, but any physical resemblance…to him, to Lot. Complexion was all wrong, but maybe something around the eyes…
The man flashed his teeth. “Yes?”
Christ, that was it. That goddamned grin. Flynn looked away. Markham was headed in their direction, albeit at a snail’s pace. “You the one that figured out how it works? The whole electricity thing?”
“A Breaker’s talent? No. Not controlling it, at least. I was pretty hell-bent on everything but. When I was ready to listen, most of the hard work had been done.”
Flynn flicked a bit of rubble away. Asphalt had caved in around them like a giant fist’d smashed into the street. “Did you want it?”
Rogan’s face went stoney. “When the Surge blasted us back to the Dark Ages, people lost their shit, turned on each other. Nobody understood it. Thought the world was coming to an end, God was punishing us…first to espouse the Sons’ ideology were Talents. Turned into a goddamned cult of suicide bombers. You could hear them imploding. See them flare up at night, taking out everything around them until the Corporation showed up with their promise of a cure. So, no. None of us wanted it, but it’s what we got. Didn’t that asshole teach you anything?”
Flynn chewed his lip. “Cal wasn’t around all that much.” Not even when he was.
“What about Lot?”
A surge of temper sent talent flickering around Flynn’s fingers. “What about him?”
“Never mind.” Rogan swore under his breath. “You’re clamping down and getting all pent up again. Breathe it through you.”
Flynn let out a slow exhale. Damn, he wanted a cigar. Thinking about his father, his Shade talent coming in… Jesus, that’d been a miserable fucking experience, but at least the only person that’d gotten hurt had been him. Accident or not, he’d killed people when Kara had been abducted. Guilt tamped down his anger, self-loathing rising up to snuff what was left of it. He needed to get a handle on this before he lost his shit again and took out any more of the city. Another incident like that, and the Pinch would be prime real estate.
Rogan’s mouth screwed up like he wanted to ask something and knew he wasn’t gonna like the answer. Goddamn it.
“Look, the less Lot and I see of each other, the better,” Flynn said, beating him to it. “Ascending to head was supposed to be the end of it. Come up here, assume the fucking position, and spend the rest of my life voting on granite curbing.” Shit, that almost sounded good. He kicked away some debris, the warmth of the ruined pavement cozy in comparison to the arctic air battering down the radiant heat.
“Funny. You don’t strike me as a white picket fence, two kids and a dog kind of guy.”
A gust of wind sent a squall thick with ash at them. Flynn put a hand up, keeping it from his eyes and spat the grit from his mouth. He’d take the fence and kids in a heartbeat right about now. The dog could go fuck itself, but the rest of it sounded like a dream come true. “Kara would’ve been happy. Safe.”
Rogan cocked an eyebrow. “Would she?”
A defeated numbness stole over Flynn. Probably not on either count. She wasn’t like anyone he’d ever met. Didn’t want the same things. Christ, what did she want? It pissed him off that figuring it out was taking a backseat to everything else, and there wasn’t a fucking thing he could do to change that.
He grimaced as he met Rogan’s eye. “Probably not. I just—It feels like I’m being steamrolled towards something, and no matter what I—” Flynn flushed. What the hell had possessed him to drop that nugget? He mussed ash from his hair, the reality of his goddamned existence weighing him down. The remaining flickers of talent around his fingers drained away. Damn. This shit really was tied to his emotions.
“That’s it. Low and slow. Breathe it out. You get worked up, ground what pulses through you.” Rogan leaned back on his elbows. “The universe usually pushes you for a reason. Why fight it?”
“Because I don’t trust it.”
“No, you don’t trust yourself.” Flynn scowled, and the asshole’s grin was back. “You should. That was good work just now, but it would’ve been better if you’d get over that goddamned reluctance and stop second-guessing yourself. You’re Breaker, kid. Acting on instinct is what we do. Leave the overthinking to the Binders.”
Markham huffed over, and Rogan stood. Flynn rose with him. The only thing his instincts were screaming at him to do was to bury the prick.
Except he’d tried that and failed miserably. Motherfucker. “So, what’s next?”
“Combat nap. Phyllis’s already filed the paperwork to officially step down. Between assuming First, and everything else making up this shit show, I’m pretty sure I’m gonna have to drink breakfast if I wanna get through the rest of the day.” Rogan frowned, scratching his stubble. “Should probably shave.”
Flynn rolled his eyes. “No, I meant talent-wise.”
“Try to not blow anything up until the Source gets here. If there’s an after…” Rogan shrugged. “We’ll work on your control. Start with little shit. Light some candles, break frozen peas.” A smile ghosted over his lips, then he pushed past Flynn with a growl. “Get a handle on your equilibrium first.”
Man stalked to the gate and was gone. What the hell had that been about?
.
.
.
.
**FREEBIE ALERT!**
.
Get a free bonus novella, Conspirator at the back of the book!
AK Nevermore enjoys operating heavy machinery, freebases
coffee, and gives up sarcasm for Lent every year. A Jane-of-all-trades, she’s a
certified chef, restores antiques, and dabbles in beekeeping when she’s not
reading voraciously or running down the dream in her beat-up camo Chucks.
Unable to ignore the voices in her head, and unwilling to
become medicated, she writes Science Fiction and Fantasy full time.
She pays the bills editing, wielding a wicked hot pink pen
and writing a column on SFF. She also belongs to the Authors Guild, is a
chapter treasurer for the RWA, teaches creative writing, and on the rare
occasion, sleeps.
Step into a world where the Pumpkin King reigns supreme, and other tales haunt your every thought.
Or step out of this world into the sheer terror of the unknowable and incomprehensible deep space.
.
The Pumpkin King and Other Tales of Terror
by R. David Fulcher
Genre: Horror Short Stories
Gravelight is pleased to present the first volume in a two-book series collecting the horror fiction of R. David Fulcher!
THE PUMPKIN KING AND OTHER TALES OF TERROR offers up 20 works by Fulcher, each updated and revised by the author. Each tale has been fully revised by the author, making these the definitive versions of the stories.
The collection Includes
*Eulogy to E.A. Poe
*Marienburg Castle
*The Pumpkin King
*Heavenly Strains
*A Matter of Taste
*My Days With Mahalia
*A Night Out With Mr. Bones
*Merry Are We of the Lake
*The Night Flyer
*Pumpkin Seed Spit
*A Night for Animals
*The Man Next Door
*Extra! Extra!
*The Flight Dummy
*For the Children
*The Watcher’s Web
*Dreaming, The Copper City
*The Huntress
*The Faerie Lights
*The October Man
Features a wrap-around cover and contemporary design. Perfect for Halloween or dark, rainy nights.
Introducing
ASTEROID 6 AND OTHER TALES OF COSMIC HORROR! The companion book to R. David
Fulcher’s 2023 indie horror hit, THE PUMPKIN KING AND OTHER TALES OF TERROR!
In this newest collection, Fulcher explores concepts of the insignificance of
human existence, terror of the unknowable and incomprehensible, and more motifs
found in edlritch horror. Fulcher draws his influence from a wide assortment of
authors ranging from Poe and Fritz Leiber to Stephen King and Dean Koontz.
The title story features an astronaut named Jones who, while on
asteroid-clearing duty, crash lands onto a massive asteroid where he is drawn
to an alien monolith and discovering an ancient race trapped in stasis. Does he
dare set it free?
R. DAVID FULCHER is an author of horror, science fiction, fantasy, and poetry. Major literary influences include H.P. Lovecraft, Dean Koontz, Edgar Allen Poe, Fritz Lieber, and Stephen King. Fulcher’s first novel, a historical drama set in World War II, Trains to Nowhere, and his second novel, a collection of fantasy and science fiction short stories, Blood Spiders and Dark Moon, are both available from authorhouse.com and Amazon.
FULCHER’S work has appeared in numerous small press publications including Lovecraft’s Mystery Magazine, Black Satellite, The Martian Wave, Burning Sky, Shadowlands, Twilight Showcase, Heliocentric Net, Gateways, Weird Times, Freaky Frights and the anthologies Dimensions and Silken Ropes. Fulcher’s work can also be found in the DPP collection Halloween Party 2019, available at Amazon and at the DPP online store. A passion for the written word has also inspired Fulcher to edit and publish the literary magazine, Samsara (samsaramagazine.net), which has showcased writers and poets for over a decade. Fulcher resides in Ashburn, Virginia, with his wife Lisa, and their rambunctious cats.
In the world of internet legends, time traveler John Titor
is the ultimate prize.
.
I Am John Titor
by Niamh Arthur & Sean Platt
Genre: Science Fiction, Time Travel
In the world of internet legends, time traveler John
Titor is the ultimate prize.
Idealistic filmmaker Ramon Jimenez is stuck shooting mundane
reality shows when he longs to create documentaries that change the world. But
needing to keep food on the table has put his ambitions on hold…
Until Ramon spots a broken-down car linked to John Titor, an
infamous internet legend who, at the turn of the century, claimed to be a time
traveler from 2036. This could be the break he’s waiting for – if he can find a
fresh angle.
RJ tracks down six different witnesses – each claiming to
know “the real” John Titor.
But their stories don’t add up.
One says Titor was sent from the future to stop a
world-ending war.
Another insists he was nothing more than a bored college kid
creating an internet hoax to impress his frat brothers.
A third claims to have been set up to take the fall in an
elaborate heist orchestrated by Titor in 1970s New York.
As RJ dives deeper, the lines between fact and fiction blur.
Who was John Titor? Was he really from the future, or just a cleverly spun
hoax? The closer RJ gets to the truth, the higher the stakes become.
I Am John Titor is a time-traveling epic that
jumps between decades, genres, and timelines as RJ tries to solve the mystery
of the true legend of John Titor.
Time was disappearing on him, so he had no other choice. He had to turn on the machine, and that meant flicking on the Variable Gravity Lock system, then entering a code.
Once done, he heard a loud chirp from an angry alarm, then a small light to trigger the short countdown as he secured himself in his seat and energy began to crackle around the car, a bright blue bubble of electricity as he stared out his windshield. Then the Mustang squealed to a stop several feet in front of him. The driver’s face — one the traveler had known forever — looked stricken.
But that was all according to plan. I’m sorry, the man mouthed.
The Chevy shimmered, streaks of rainbow light radiating out from the metal frame.
The air grew heavy with the scent of burning rubber and ozone as a high-pitched whine echoed throughout the garage, like a vacuum cleaner on the fritz.
And then the world disappeared.
.
Niamh Arthur (pronounced Neeve) is the CEO and
Genre Trends Specialist at Sterling & Stone. She moved to Ireland at 18 to
attend the renowned Drama and Theatre Studies program at Trinity College
Dublin, where she focused on film studies and wrote a senior dissertation on
how cultural ideologies are expressed in modern Hollywood film. She went on to
study marketing with a focus on audience response, psychology, and brand
bonding.
After more than fifteen years running a successful business
teaching entrepreneurs how to use story to connect with an audience Niamh
realized that she was missing her favorite part of storytelling: fiction. She
leapt at the chance to join Sterling & Stone as CEO and as Sean’s writing
partner. She uses her deep understanding of emotional triggers, audience
response, genre, and commercial trends to ensure stories hit the mark and
create long lasting impact on the audience.
After 20 years in Ireland she now lives in Colorado with her
husband and two children.
Sean Platt has always been an entrepreneur but knew
he’d rather tell stories. When his wife bought him a laptop for his birthday in
2007, he dropped everything to start writing fiction.
Since making the leap, Sean has written hundreds of novels
(including the international best-sellers Yesterday’s Gone and Invasion),
penned dozens of scripts, and founded the IP Incubator Sterling & Stone,
where more than thirty storytellers work together to create world-changing IP.
Sterling & Stone’s stable of writers come to Sean for ideas, mentorship,
and “better words.”
Originally from Long Beach, California, Sean now lives in
Austin, Texas with his wife and dog, Fisher.
PILGRIMSbyM.R. Leonard Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 412 pages Genre: Science Fiction Publisher: Blue Castle Press Release date: November 2024 Content Rating: PG-13. There is death in my book. There are also religious profanities “God damn”. There are also a few swears (not many but some “F” bombs said by the villain at the end). There is no description of sex but my protagonist follows an online creator who does adult content (her content is never described at all other than to say it exists). The main thing is the violence in my book. It is not gory but it does involve children dying.
Book Description:
Latin was a dead language—until the aliens arrived.
Out-of-work Latin teacher and borderline alcoholic Austin DeSantis is determined to spend his final days in the arms of a prostitute—that is if the aliens don’t exterminate humanity first.
But when the aliens land at the Vatican, begin speaking Latin, and reveal themselves to be Catholic, the world turns upside down.
Pressed into service as a translator and thrust into the center of humanity’s first contact with a cryptic alien race, Austin must uncover their true intentions before religious turmoil rips the planet apart. But with Austin caught between the Catholic Church, the US military, and an enigmatic alien AI, he’ll have to decide where his loyalties lie as the fate of humanity hangs in the balance.
PILGRIMS is a sci-fi retelling of Augustine’s Confessions, mixing a high-concept premise à la Children of Time with the ceaseless pacing and rich characterization of Red Rising.
Okay. The cover. We need to talk about the cover. How’d you come up with that?
It is a great cover, isn’t it? I wanted something that announced the genre clearly but said to the reader, this book is going to be different.
In PILGRIMS, instead of landing on the White House lawn and saying “take me to your leader,” the aliens land at the Vatican and ask for an audience with the Pope.
Is this like the far future, the past, the present? When do these “Catholic” aliens show up?
It’s set in the near future. I’m vague about the time because I think when books are super specific it kind of dates the story. Like in Back to the Future II Marty McFly goes to the “future” which is 2015. Needless to say, 2015 California in the movie didn’t look a whole lot like the real 2015 California (where is my hoverboard?!!).
So the story starts in a world that looks a lot like ours, with one key difference—humanity discovered an alien ship careening toward Earth five years prior and all attempts at communication have failed. No one knows if the aliens are friend or foe and if their arrival portends a coming apocalypse or a golden age.
As you can imagine, this has a pretty big impact on things, not really for the better.
The aliens are faking, right? Aliens can’t be Catholic. Can they?
You have to read the book to find out 😊.
But interestingly, this is a subject Catholic thinkers have been pondering for centuries (that’s right—centuries). While there is no official Church teaching, there are many scholars, including those who work at the Vatican Observatory, who believe that of course aliens can be Catholic if they sincerely want to be.
Speaking of the Vatican Observatory. That is a real thing. It’s in Arizona and one of the characters in the story—Father Ambrose—is the director. So read my book and learn more!
How long have you been writing?
About three years. This is my debut novel. I came from a business background before but I had this story burning inside me and I just needed to get it out. I’m happy to say the response has been phenomenal. A lot of major influencers have picked up on it. It’s not every day that a book about Catholic aliens invading Earth comes out . . .
Is this a one-off story or is it a series?
The book concludes about fifty days after Catholic aliens arrive on Earth. What happens to society ten years after such a momentous event? Fifty years? There is still so much story to tell and I’ll do it from the perspective for the main character—Austin DeSantis.
I didn’t want to write a book with a major cliffhanger at the end, however. The story is all wrapped up in a bow at the end. It’s very satisfying.
What’s this about you going to the Moon?
Even though I’m a sci-fi author, I’ve never really had an interest in space tourism. I like things on Earth just fine. But I do want to go to the Moon one day.
And here’s the thing—I think that is going to be possible in the late 2030’s. This isn’t a pipe dream. I already have permission from my wife an everything (which we all know is the hardest part about going to the Moon).
Speaking of the Moon, my Instagram handle is @Monksonthe_Moon. It’s about time we had monks on the Moon, isn’t it? I’m gonna work on making that happen. I like to have modest goals . . .
.
.
Meet Author Michael Leonard:
Michael Leonard was born and raised in Boston, but the cities he’s spent the most time in are Beijing, Florence and Edgartown (in that order). After graduating from Boston College, he pursued a career in law before becoming a China market entry advisor and accumulating a few lifetimes worth of adventures in just nine short years. Somewhere along the way he lost his faith but he found it again in graduate school at MIT. Married with two young sons, he can be found discussing his next novel with his ten pound dachshund as he strolls around Boston Harbor.
Welcome to my stop in the virtual book tour for Bitroux: High Country organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.
Author Jordan Harcourt-Hughes will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B&N Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner. Don’t forget to enter!
And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Bitroux: High Country
by Jordan Harcourt-Hughes
Genre: Science Fiction
Synopsis
If Merouac ever thought his life’s work would culminate in leading the metal workshops of the Transcontinental Railroad Project, he was sorely mistaken.
Now, his true challenge lies in navigating the other-worldly abilities he’s only beginning to understand—abilities that allow him to tune metal to interdimensional frequencies.
While trying to be a guardian to his niece, Evra, he’s realising she may have more to teach him than he ever expected. At the same time, his decision to help an interdimensional race find refuge underground puts him at the centre of an even deeper mystery.
As reality reshapes itself around him, Merouac faces a growing realisation: the world of Ahm is on the brink of a profound transformation, and everything he thought he knew may soon be shattered.
~~~~~
Enjoy this peek inside:
The two men were slow moving, graceful, each with a high mohawk of golden straw-like hair, and heavily decorated with neck jewels. The neck-ware was gnarled, twisted, fibrous, fragments of plant stems dried and interwoven with beads and fresh flowers, trussed with other leaves and organic material, and embedded with strange jewels that seemed to glow and fade, changing colours across a spectrum of blues to greens and then back to blues.
Tundra inclined his head, made a small gesture and a bow.
‘He greets you,’ Kii translated. ‘Tundra does not speak very much, and so I’ll translate for him.’
‘How do you know what he wants to say, then?’ Merouac asked.
‘I can see it, or sense it, in the atmosphere,’ Kii explained.
Merouac watched in surprise as the Tundra gestured again, imparting information through the aether which Kii seemed to easily recieve and decipher.
Tundra then eased himself into a crouching position and cleared a patch of grass. He shook his head and determined it would not suit, and looked for a sandy patch. He moved over to another, more suitable, patch of ground and beckoned the other two to join him. He went through the same process of clearing the ground, and then used his fingers to trace lines into the sand. He was silent as he did so, but then looked at Kii expectantly, and Kii nodded.
‘Tundra said you did the right thing with the race that was escaping their imploding planet. They are safe, and they will rest in the core of Ahm now. Tundra was just drawing a map for me, to show me where they are.’
Merouac felt a shock run through him. ‘How does Tundra know about the Helara?’ he asked Kii.
‘There are things that can be seen in the energetic environment. He is able to perceive the place where the Helara now rest. It is under the power grid, deep below Suron. There is a cave network, and catacombs with very deep canyons. Below those canyons, this is where you found a place for the Helara to enter the core of the planet. It was the right thing to do,’ Kii said, translating as he watched Tundra’s fingers work in the sand.
~~~~~
About Author Jordan Harcourt-Hughes:
.
Jordan Harcourt-Hughes is an abstract painter, writer and communications professional. She’s passionate about all aspects of creativity, life-long learning and personal wellbeing. Over the last fifteen years she’s led, coached and developed creative professionals across the Asia-Pacific region.
Jordan’s books, studio workshops, courses, coaching and resources are an invitation to explore the rich landscape of creative experiences open to all.
High Country is Jordan’s second novel set in the world of Bitroux.
Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Mindcraft organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.
Author Darryl Vidal will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B&N Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner. Don’t forget to enter!
And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Mindcraft – The Educational Singularity
by Darryl Vidal
Genre: Science Fiction
Synopsis
On the eve of the Global MindCraft Universe Challenge, Justin Turner, a teenage master of the titular virtual reality game, and his friends (known online as the Digital Mavericks) discover a sinister underbelly within the MindCraft Universe that may use artificial intelligence and virtual manipulation to end the world as we know it.
.
Enjoy this peek inside:
The foray into EduNex’s Curriculum base unfolded like a treasure trove of knowledge, offering a profound depth of data and information across every conceivable discipline and subject. In the core of his academic pilgrimage lay a technological marvel that wove the fabric of education and technology into an academic spider’s web—EduNex. The school’s Learning Management System stood as the bedrock of educational efficacy. A ubiquitous platform that boosts every student’s aptitude in every aspect of their learning experience.
EduNex wasn’t just an LMS; it was an educational ecosystem that had become the standard across all schools in the state. Its influence extended far beyond the confines of a traditional learning management system. When Justin navigated its intuitive VR interface, he often found himself immersed in a world where every nuance of the learning process was invisibly aided. It wasn’t a cheating platform—more of a virtual world book encyclopedia—without the book.
The scope of EduNex was staggering. It served as the central repository for student information¬—a digital canvas where class syllabi, schedules, grades, and academic reports coexisted. But it went further, seamlessly integrating the intricacies of remote and hybrid learning. Voice and video conferencing brought the classroom to life, transcending physical boundaries and fostering an environment where learning knew no limits and no borders.
Everything on EduNex is collaborative. Whether with peer students, teachers, subject-matter-experts, researchers, or anyone else with an Internet connection—every module within the EduNex suite offered the ability to collaborate.
.
About Author Darryl Vidal::
Darryl Vidal is an accomplished entrepreneur, author and education technology consultant with over 30 years of experience working with the largest school districts in Southern California. He is a futurist and fan of Artificial Intelligence, and an avid reader of the sciences, philosophy, and techno-thrillers.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Information Management and a Master’s Degree (MA Ed) in Education (Instructional Technology) from California State University, San Bernardino. He has also published eight critically acclaimed books on Educational Technology, Ed Tech Strategic Planning and Digital Transformation, and has developed the formal strategic planning and project management methodology known as MapIT.
Darryl has been a student and teacher of the art of Kenpo Karate for over 50 years. He has been teaching Karate in Murrieta for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department for the past 30+ years. He also founded and heads the Murrieta Stick Fighting Club (Filipino Martial Arts). This has led to him earning the highest honor given in martial arts when he was promoted to Grandmaster – Ju Dan, 10th Degree Black Belt in 2012.
He is widely known for his appearance in 1984’s The Karate Kid, playing himself in the tournament semi-finals, as well as acting as a stunt-double for Pat Morita (Mr. Miyagi). He is also credited with inventing the iconic Crane Kick.
MindCraft: The Educational Singularity is Darryl’s second novel in over twenty years and his first science fiction endeavor.
Publication date: December 10th 2024
Genres: Science Fiction, Thriller
Active gamer Justin Turner and his friends- avid climbers Drew and Jon, mystically-sensitive LilyBelle, experienced surfers Brad and Shaina, puzzle master April, and outdoorsman Lisa-are masters at MindCraft, a global virtual reality gaming phenomenon that immerses its users in incredibly realistic environments. When the MindCraft Corporation CEO announces the Global MindCraft Universe Challenge, where the winner would become a worldwide superstar, these eight friends, also known as the Digital Mavericks, are excited to push the boundaries of the virtual gaming experience to prove to themselves they are elite Mindcraftians-all of this while also representing the United States on the global stage and acting as influencers dedicated to fostering unity and inclusion.
But as the team participates in regional and national challenges on their way to the global championship, Justin finds a backdoor into the MindCraft database, accidentally discovering a sinister underbelly within the MindCraft Universe. The deeper he digs, the more he finds out that something-or someone-may be planning to use the MindCraft Global Challenge to enact a plan for world domination. As he continues to poke around, MindGuide, a new artificial intelligence setup as a chatbot in the MindCraft Universe, begins to target the Digital Mavericks with virtual manipulation and real-world threats.
Now, as the bridge between virtual and reality collapses, Justin must carefully unravel this nefarious scheme and protect those who are clueless to the impending danger, all before the Digital Mavericks-and the world as we know it-are defeated once and for all.
A neon blue sky with puffy white cumuli-nimbus clouds provided the background for a grassy landscape speckled with pastel flowers. Eucalyptus trees lined the sides of some sort of football or soccer field. In the distance, hundreds of armored medieval warriors came thundering down the hills, shields and swords in hand.
They were storming toward a massive medieval castle of limestone and granite stretching across the near end of the playing field; a vast mote surrounding it. The massive walls stretched twenty to thirty feet high, which normally provided sanctuary from siege. But in this instance, a large hole had been blown through the castle walls with granite boulders, near the gates and bridge that secured entry into the castle.
A closer group of workers and warriors, commanded by the screaming artillery master and aided with oxen, moved giant catapults away from the castle walls to expose the holes for the armored warriors coming down the hill. Next, they started loading giant balls of pitch, a thick black tarry substance, to be set on fire and launched over the castle walls.
Justin Turner, in full VR regalia, used his hand controllers to assemble 3D blocks to repair the wall before the hordes of warriors arrived. The glow of the forty-two-inch curved gaming monitor cast an illuminating light on his determined expression. In the virtual realm of MindCraft, Justin went by the handle ByteMaster, due to countless strategic victories and an uncanny ability to outsmart opponents.
His hands flew around, directing the giant claw of the manipulator to replace the blocks that had been blown out of the wall. His hands wet with sweat slipped off the controls, causing the claw to falter and drop the building blocks needed to repair the wall and keep the castle secure from the approaching army.
“Mom!” Justin called out, not able to tear his eyes away from the screen. “Have you seen my lucky gaming gloves?” These would be the key to mastering the controls of the giant manipulator. But alas, he was running out of time—he had to go to school.
The foray into EduNex’s Curriculum base unfolded like a treasure trove of knowledge, offering a profound depth of data and information across every conceivable discipline and subject. In the core of his academic pilgrimage lay a technological marvel that wove the fabric of education and technology into an academic spider’s web—EduNex. The school’s Learning Management System stood as the bedrock of educational efficacy. A ubiquitous platform that boosts every student’s aptitude in every aspect of their learning experience.
EduNex wasn’t just an LMS; it was an educational ecosystem that had become the standard across all schools in the state. Its influence extended far beyond the confines of a traditional learning management system. When Justin navigated its intuitive VR interface, he often found himself immersed in a world where every nuance of the learning process was invisibly aided. It wasn’t a cheating platform—more of a virtual world book encyclopedia—without the book.
The scope of EduNex was staggering. It served as the central repository for student information—a digital canvas where class syllabi, schedules, grades, and academic reports coexisted. But it went further, seamlessly integrating the intricacies of remote and hybrid learning. Voice and video conferencing brought the classroom to life, transcending physical boundaries and fostering an environment where learning knew no limits and no borders.
Everything on EduNex is collaborative. Whether with peer students, teachers, subject- matter-experts, researchers, or anyone else with an Internet connection—every module within the EduNex suite offered the ability to collaborate.
Message boards buzzed with intellectual discourse, becoming virtual arenas where ideas were exchanged and discussions thrived. Document boards housed a treasure trove of resources, making information accessible at the click of the mouse. Homework submission and plagiarism checking became streamlined processes, integrated into the underpinnings of the system, enhancing the efficiency and integrity of the educational process.
Yet, the true marvel lied in EduNex’s adept utilization of artificial intelligence. Beyond the Adaptive Learning algorithms powering TarotTutor, Justin discovered that EduNex’s advanced AI wasn’t just a passive observer; it was a dynamic orchestrator, composing a symphony of personalized learning experiences for each student based not only on their stated interests, but also to tangential subjects and disciplines seemingly unrelated to academics and personal success. The system, virtual companions that enhanced and integrated disparate information bases, ensured a fusion of academic discourse and knowledge.
.
About Author Darryl Vidal:
Darryl Vidal has been consulting for schools implementing technology for over 20 years. His projects include district-wide implementations of VoIP, Wireless, Data Center Virtualization, and Video Security. His primary instructional focus for over 15 years has been the ever evolving technology classroom. Mr. Vidal has developed the formal strategic planning and project management methodology known as MapIT. He is currently Principal Consultant for Tier 4 Tech – Education Services and Sr. Project Manager.
Publication date: June 27th 2024
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult
Driven to find a cure for her brother’s illness, Emma embarks on a research trip to the island of Crete, a land brimming with tales of the gods. There, she is drawn to the myth of Medusa, a beautiful priestess turned monster, cursed at the hands of a jealous Athena.
Her exploration leads to a dangerous encounter with a mysterious serpent in the forest, and after the snake’s venom nearly kills her, Emma slips even deeper into the myth, her own fate intertwining with the woman at its heart.
She returns home, eyes set on attending Columbia University after graduation, but it isn’t long before she notices changes to her body and mind… changes that are nothing short of serpentine.
As she pulses through Medusa’s memory, she unlocks an unexpected truth that alters her world. She discovers the scope of her new abilities, including her blood’s power to cure illness, but with a cost. When Emma is betrayed by those closest to her, she finds herself hunted by an enemy hungry for her blood. And she is not the only one in danger; a horrifying plan unfurls as young girls disappear from the streets.
Emma must embrace what she has become to fight an enemy more ancient and evil than she imagined, for the chance to heal her brother, save the girls, and avenge the mythical source of her power.
Serpentina will be available Free during the blitz.
~~~~~
Enjoy this peek inside:
“Dark leaves rustled in the forest, their dried tips rubbing against each other like the slow rattle of a snake. Emma paused, a warning echoing in her mind. Since her arrival to the reptile research base on Crete, she had ventured into the palm forest alone each afternoon, wandering deeper each time.
Never enter the forest alone. It was the rule her research mentor emphasized most during orientation. But there was nothing truly dangerous on the island. Hercules had cleared away all the deadly creatures to honor Zeus’s birthplace. She smiled, recounting the myth the airport taxi driver had told them. Emma knew, out of all the snakes there, only the cat snake had venom, and it was too mild to hurt a human.
Still, if Dr. Belken discovered her sneaking out at dusk, she might as well kiss a Columbia University recommendation letter goodbye. Yet the forest called her in, beckoning her to explore its ancient grounds.
She stepped over sandy soil, glancing over her shoulder at the wooden stairs and scanning to see if anyone was watching before turning into the trees. She savored a breath. The air was dry and the heat tame, with an endless breeze carrying wisps of sea salt and the spice of wild herbs through the dancing shadows of leaves.
A rustling halted her steps.
Her eyes darted to catch a beige, reptilian tail slipping into the nearby shrubs.
She held her breath and crept toward it, afraid to scare it off. It would sense the vibration of even her lightest step.
She peered through a thicket of narrow, glossy leaves and clustered pink flowers. Her heart pounded, instincts heightened, but she reminded herself that even a bite couldn’t kill her.
At first, she didn’t see anything. Then scales materialized among the leaves on a thick, coiled body. Only now they were green and pink. She squinted. Was it a different snake, or had it changed?
Its serpentine head emerged through the leaves, forked tongue flickering. She froze.
This was not a cat snake.”
.
About Author Faith Consiglio:
Faith grew up in Sloatsburg, NY, and finished medical school in Stony Brook to become a psychiatrist, with a passion for storytelling. When she’s not writing or seeing patients, Faith enjoys traveling, taking her cat for walks, trying different types of green tea, and seeing how many plants she can fit in her apartment.
