Ebook Preview: Dance on Fire by James Garcia Jr.

Book Stats: 

• Ebook By James Garcia Jr.
• Published By Vamplit Publishing
• Published: Feb. 06, 2010
• Words: 107480 (approximate)
• Genre: Horror/Christian Themes

Book Info:

Two Kingsburg police officers have been butchered in an attack as ferocious as it is mystifying. Now two detectives and their families are being drawn into a battle that threatens to destroy them and those around them. In a marriage of horror and Christian themes of good conquering evil and redemption, Dance on Fire is the fictional account of characters drawn into the fire by supernatural forces.

Author Bio:

James Garcia Jr. was born in Hanford, California in 1969. In the mid 1970's James Sr. began a Law Enforcement career just up the road with the Kingsburg Police Department, taking the family there. It was not until junior high school; however, that anything of significance occurred. Discovering authors Stephen King and Michael Slade, as well as hard rock music, began to form a spark of creativity within his adolescent mind. He began to play guitar and pen song lyrics, but soon found himself confined in that tight medium, desiring to do longer works.

After graduation he moved on to the local community college where he met his wife. By this time he had written a handful of short stories, a couple of novellas and had begun writing the novel that would become, “Dance on Fire”.

James and his wife, Aida, and their two sons make their home in Kingsburg, where he is an Administrative Supervisor for Sun-Maid Growers of California.

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For more information on the author link to his blog.

Thanks to Ebook Undead for the copy of this book.

Link here to purchase Dance on Fire in multiple formats.

Thanks for reading Layers of Thought.

Ebook Preview: Swan Song by Jevron Mc Crory

Book Data:

• Ebook By Jevron Mc Crory
• Published By Vamplit Publishing
• Published: Feb. 10, 2010
• Words: 23594
• Genre: Horror - Vampire

Book Info:

Katrina Collins isn’t like other musicians, she doesn’t do interviews and no one has ever seen her outside of her musical arena. Her beauty is startling, her effect upon an audience mesmerizing. Lewis Morrison isn’t like any other music journalist, as he despises music and loathes musicians. They find each other and their discovery brings hope, redemption, pain, pleasure and death.

Author Bio:

Born in the East End of London where he currently resides with his wife, Jevron Mc Crory’s sincere love of the vampire is somewhat humbling.

As affecting as they are unique in a rapidly expanding field, Jevron’s blood drenched tales are short, sharp shocks that somehow still manage to retain a bitter sweet romanticism.

Swan Song is Jevron’s emotional debut novel with Vamplit/Ebook Undead Publishing. It unflinchingly portrays an altogether too real scenario of loneliness and despair that, with the inclusion of a vampire lover as damaged as her male counterpart, builds to a heart rending climax.

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Link here to access Jevron’s blog, and here to purchase his book here.

Thanks to Ebooks Undead for the copy of this ebook to review.

Thanks for reading Layers of Thought.

Ebook Preview: Descending Skies by Margaret Schlegel

Book Data:

• Ebook By Margaret Schlegel
• Published By Vamplit Publishing
• Published: Mar. 02, 2010
• Genre:  Young adult or teen, Sci-Fi & fantasy
• Words: 36253 (approximate)

Book Info:

Descending Skies by Margaret Schlegel is a magical, science fiction fantasy set in a world where magic is science and the laws of nature do not apply. Andrew Granger, is dead and then he is not, but to his amazement awakening from death gives him a whole new chance at life. Will Andrew become the hero his new world needs? Or will the treachery and power struggle raging in this strange new world destroy him and the new life he’s been given.

Andrew Granger is a hero for our modern times, for whom life and death become the difference between success and failure.  This novel takes a serious theme such as global warming and our blind reliance on science to fix all our problems and transports it to a place and time far away.

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Purchasing link in multiple formats at Smashwords is here.

This book was provided for review from Ebook Undead.

Thanks for reading Layers of Thought.

Review by JD: The Archer’s Tale by Bernard Cornwell

 Book Stats:

• The Archer’s Tale
• by Bernard Cornwell
• ISBN: 0-06-621084-4
• Pages 374: hardbound
• HarperCollins, 2001
• Genre: Historical Fiction

JD’s Thoughts:

I try to spread my reading around a bit across different genres and authors, but this was my second Bernard Cornwell book in six weeks; and I’m enjoying it! (A big thanks to Charlie at professor b. worm for initially turning me on to Cornwell).

Looking back to my review of the first one I read, which was Agincourt, I could almost cut-and-paste the same words. The story is set during the same war, the underlying themes are much the same, the cast of characters is similar, the plot progression is similar and both stories end in large set-piece battles which faithfully reconstruct actual events from medieval history. In truth, the books are kind of carbon copies of each other. Having said all that, it didn’t spoil the read for me at all.

Cornwell creates some strong characters and writes really good stories. He clearly does a lot of homework and he entwines his stories around actual historical events with lots of detail that feels very authentic.

In this case the setting is once again the Hundred Years War between the English and French. This time the story climaxes with the battle of Crecy.

It did occur to me that with a factual backdrop as amazing as this, who needs to create a fictional foundation? The facts take some beating. There is war between two countries that lasts for over a hundred years. Throughout there is political intrigue with some factions changing sides. Both sides experience a constant change of leadership, with the kings variously being warriors, timid, smart, dumb, brutal, petulant, nervous, conniving and greedy. There are some major battles which served to re-write military strategy. The much smaller armies often won the day. Kings and princes often lead their armies into battle and were on the front line of brutal action. Epic is a much over-used word, but this was truly epic stuff.

So, a fascinating history plus a strong story-teller equals a winner. I’d rate this book four stars, and as with Agincourt I’d strongly recommend this to anyone interested in historic fiction or life in medieval times, or indeed anyone who enjoys a good action read.

I now have to try and resist the temptation to read another Cornwell book for a little while.

Link to JD’s review of Agincourt.

The Archer’s Tale is the first in The Grail Quest series. The other two books are as follows:

• Vagabond – Published 2002
• Heretic – Published in 2003

Amazon purchasing Information for US/UK/Canada  and The Book Depository in Euros and AUD.

This book was borrowed from the local library. Yeah!

Your comments and thoughts are always welcome. Thanks for reading Layers of Thought.

Guest Post from Blake Charlton ~ author of fantasy novel: Spellwright

 

Guest post from new author Blake Charlton ~ author of the newly released fantasy  ~ Spellwright.

So how did I (me - little old Shellie do this?) … well in one of my luckier travels within “twitterdom” I had the pleasure of connecting with this new author, doctor in training, humorist, and any mother’s dream date/mate for her daughter – Blake Charlton in the most wonderfully fateful way.

Let me enlighten – while twittering, as we “chicks” often do, with Cara from Ooh…Books! on the handsomeness of one her favorite authors - I was veered by her to Blake Charlton as being an even more hunky representative of the species.

I do have to agree, and better yet very funny too… as you will see from the post below, which makes me even more excited to read the first in the trilogy of his début fantasy book – Spelllwright. (Links to book preview here at Layers of Thought.)

Even if your not a fantasy fan it is worth your time -  Enjoy!

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“Adult” Fantasy ~  Just as in this popular humorous post, an infinitely fractional* part of the below actually happened to me.

[Lights up on an atrium after grand rounds--fichus plants, white walls with tasteful hospital art. Upstage stand several folded tables with bagels on them. The CROWD OF DOCTORS, dressed in white coats, is milling about the table, chatting, holding paper plates with one or two bagels on them. Spot lights up on BLAKE, wearing white coat, and a MINOR DEITY OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, wearing glowing white coat and surrounded by a small cloud of butterflies, and a dancing Mongolian shaman.]

BLAKE: …and then the author described quite beautifully how he figured out the patient was surreptitiously taking furosemide.

MINOR DEITY OF INTERNAL MEDICINE: Interesting. Pardon me, but are you that med student who’s about to publish a novel.

BLAKE: Yes, I am. And, you’re a minor deity of internal medicine. You wrote that famous textbook.

MINOR DEITY OF INTERNAL MEDICINE: I am. [He smiles and shrugs. Spotlight intensifies on him. Butterflies flap more vigorously. Mongolian shaman dances tighter circles and holds up a copy of the famous textbook.] So, what kind of novels do you write?

BLAKE: Fantasy.

MINOR DEITY OF INTERNAL MEDICINE: Like Harry Potter?

BLAKE: Oh, I mean adult fantasy.

MINOR DEITY OF INTERNAL MEDICINE: “Adult” fantasy? Like Debbie Does Dallas?

[Suddenly the CROWD OF DOCTORS goes dead silent, and looks at BLAKE.]

BLAKE: [blushing] Oh…no, more like…like…Gandolph Gone Wild.

[Enter stage right BEARDED AND ROBED MEN dressed alternately in grey and white.]

BEARDED AND ROBED MEN: [running wildly across stage] Woooooo! YAYAYAYA! Woooo!

CROWD OF DOCTORS: [forming a huddle behind MINOR DEITY OF INTERNAL MEDICINE] Ahhh, help us! Save our souls. The geriatric ward has gone commando! We’re doomed! Help! Help!

MINOR DEITY OF INTERNAL MEDICINE: [holding up arms and shouting] You shall not pass!

BEARDED AND ROBED MEN: [standing still in stunned silence] What did you say?

MINOR DEITY OF INTERNAL MEDICINE: [holding up arms and shouting] You! Shall! Not! Paaaaaaaasssss!

BEARDED AND ROBED MEN: Fuck that! [continue cheering and running to stage left] Woooo! Show us your staff!!!! Woooo! [exit stage left]

[Silent moment passes before CROWD OF DOCTORS begins to chatter among themselves and eat bagels]

MINOR DEITY OF INTERNAL MEDICINE: [mildly] So, surreptitiously taking furosemide, you say?

[Blackout]

*and legally non-binding.

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About Blake:   Debut novelist and medical student, Blake Charlton is a new face in both fields working to establish a dual career in fiction and medicine. Currently, Blake is writing fantasy novels, science fiction short stories, and academic essays on medical education and biomedical ethics. To connect find him at his Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Live Journal, Goodreads

For more about his first novel link to Layers of Thought’s preview of Spellwright the beginning of the trilogy ~ by clicking on the book’s cover.  Don’t you just love it?  Tor does the best covers!

The above fun snippet is a copy of Blake’s original post on his blog with permission granted by the author. Thanks Blake!

Please feel free to comment. Our guest would love to read your thoughts, and perhaps he will grace us with a response or two.

Thanks for reading.