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Siba - The Eternal Quest
by B. Singh
GENRE: Fantasy
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Blurb:
An epic journey of adventure, heroism, and self-exploration through the eyes of a teenage boy named Siba.
Siba’s life takes an exciting turn when his pet parrot takes him to a magical forest. He explores the mysterious forest-dwellers and the precious ancient wisdoms of the fantasy world when a sudden tragedy jeopardizes life on earth. To save the world, he must embark on a legendary journey to the Pole Star.
Siba encounters many mythical creatures and numerous thrilling challenges that jolt him to his core. They leave burning questions in his mind about the world and his own existence. He must dive into the dark labyrinths of his mind, for the last hope of saving humanity seems to be hidden there.
Can he solve the mysteries of the mystical world and his inner world? Can he complete his journey to the Pole Star and save the world?
A perfect blend of fantasy, mysticism, and spirituality that explores the answer to the eternal question – Who Am I?
Master Sung Tzu smilingly stared at the demoralized boy. “Don’t worry. The Great Forest has sent you to the right place. I’ll help you. Close your eyes and tell me what you see?”
Siba closed his eyes and replied, “I don’t see anything. It’s just dark and black.”
“Try harder. Try to see what’s going on in your body, in your mind, in your thoughts.”
“No, Master. I still don’t see anything.”
“You can’t see because you are not focused. Let’s say, focus on a dog. Do you see it now?”
“Yes, Master. I see Limpoo.”
“Limpoo? What’s Limpoo? I said dog.”
“Limpoo is my dog. I see him running toward me.”
“Oh! Ok! Where is he running? On the road or the ground? Where?”
“Nowhere. He’s just running on a black background. There’s nothing else, only him.”
“That’s enough. Open your eyes. That black background is your mind’s eye and part of it formed the colorful moving image of the dog. Some say, it’s the third eye. You can visualize anything in that eye. In fact, whatever your two eyes see, their image is actually formed in your mind’s eye. Not only the eyes but the processing of information from your other senses also takes place there. Your sensory organs are just tools to collect outside information. It’s the mind’s eye, which actually sees, smells, tastes, hears, and feels.”
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About the Author:
B. Singh grew up in a small city, Chandigarh, located near the foothills of the mighty Himalayas in northwest India. Since his childhood, he has always had an inquisitive mindset. He doesn’t settle for the pre-existing answers if they don’t make sense to him. Instead, he explores, experiments, and finds the answer himself. He has traveled across India from north to south not only for his education but also to explore different cultures and values. To continue his journey of exploration, he moved from India to Canada. After graduating from the University of Windsor, Canada, he conceived the idea of compiling his learnings in the form of a spiritual fantasy book. This well-crafted and awe-inspiring adventurous journey into a fantasy world is full of chiseled gems of wisdom that will enrich the lives of every human being on earth.
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Like a Lily Among the Thorns
by Karen S. Bell
GENRE: Cli-fi, șpec. fiction, fantasy
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BLURB:
There are those who are born into loving families and then there are the less fortunate who must forge their own families through strong friendships. At a local small library in New York City, one such family was born. And just like so many capricious happenstances in life, this family unit embraced newcomers and grew exponentially. But this clan was also charged with far more than spreading love and joy and a sense of belonging. This clan was formed by divine Providence to help save the planet. Gabrielle Bernstein, the MC of Like a Lily Among the Thorns, is a woman in her twenties and has started her career as a librarian at a NYC public library. Abandoned by her father as a young girl and now orphaned by her deranged mother, Gabby longs for a family connection. Coincidentally, she finds this connection at the same time she inherits a B&B in Vermont from her estranged and now deceased father. This enchanted inn is under the watchful eye of goddesses of myth and legend who have been tasked to save mankind from destroying itself and this planet. These goddesses will use their powers to try and stall the onslaught of the effects of droughts, floods, and rising temperatures. But as a safety net they have collected human saviors all over the planet to erect safe havens at high altitudes away from flood waters and blistering temperatures. This one group of saviors are ordinary people who have some extraordinary abilities and enjoy a higher consciousness. They are brought together to join forces in Vermont to create one such refuge. Along the way there is romance, misunderstandings, conflict, and internal growth. Locations are Manhattan, London, Brooklyn, and Rutland, Vermont. Woven through this tale is Gabrielle’s inherent understanding that she must be grateful, mindful, and present in this journey called “life.” The impending devastation that will be brought about by the effects of global climate change is the underpinning of this Cli-Fi/speculative fiction novel. Like a Lily Among the Thorns focuses on how this potential disaster will have dire consequences for us all and is currently becoming more top of mind as people are waking up to strange weather events such as the scorching temperatures that have gripped the Northwestern states and torrential rains in the Northeast.
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EXCERPT:
Sometimes a major change in one’s life comes on the heels of ordinary events. A dinner invitation and cab ride can be more than transportation from here to there for food. The Countess would become a very important addition in Gabby’s life but as of right now, none of them knew that, particularly, the Countess. Frozen in place while staring at the luxury townhouse, Gabby was caught up short. Reality had suddenly become fluid, become a changeling, a stranger in the night. The hours she had spent imagining the Countess’s life as a Hollywood starlet or Gatsby character now converged with the truth of her circumstances. It was hard to digest this shift in perspective when everyone at the library remained unenlightened and still believed the Countess was a brave woman struggling to make ends meet just to get by. The bombardment of the truth was too much to absorb right now, especially when her own life was in such flux. She also did not want to think of how this information revealed the Countess’s damning deception, her disingenuousness to everyone. It was a mind-numbing disappointment, a gut punch that made her feel off balance.
Everything was suddenly out of step and off-kilter. Too much random noise was being thrown at her by the cosmos, a shock to the senses. In just one day, today, to be exact, she had been notified that her apartment building was being demolished, her friends at the coffee shop, albeit not close, would be summarily swallowed up by the cavernous city as they dispersed, and now this…this unexpected truth of the Countess’s financial situation.
All my work is inspired by social issues to which we all can relate. Work/ life stresses, the loss of a spouse and how marriage can sometimes swallow a woman’s identity, and the prevalence of greed in modern society.
Walking with Elephants is my first novel, although I am not new to writing. I was a theater critic and celebrity interviewer for a weekly tabloid in Jacksonville, Fl and I earned a Master’s in Mass Communication from Oklahoma State University. For 15 years I worked in Corporate America as a technical editor/editor/writer. I experienced first hand the politics and intrigue that goes with that territory and the balancing act that comes with being a working mother. I salute all those mothers who are the glue that holds their families together while pursuing the nine to five brass ring and were the inspiration for this work. Audible book is available and narrated by me.
With my second novel, Sunspots, I continue to be in awe of the magical and wondrous phenomenon called life. As an observer and obvious participant in feminine values and approach to our human challenges, I bring this perspective to my work. Fascinated by the mysteries of the unseen forces that perhaps play a role in guiding our choices, I search for answers in the mundane as well as in the cosmic forces that surround us.
Alexa’s pact with the Devil in When a Stranger Comes…is an allegory for the evil lurking in our midst. The social decay of modern society with its excessive greed, the ignorance of our political leaders, and our indifference toward the survival of all species from the effects of climate change, among other environmental pressures, are perhaps brought forth by the darkest forces of human nature. The audible book narrated by me is in production.
The genre of magical realism appeals to me and all my work has elements woven in. My current project is focused on a Bed and Breakfast that becomes a safe haven from the effects of climate change while celebrating the Feminine Divine and is set squarely in that realm.
I am working on my next novel in Ponte Vedra, Fl. where I live with my husband and our two furry kids. Our human kids have flown the nest and are scattered far and wide, alas.
Once upon a time, USA Today bestselling author Shereen Vedam read fantasy and romance novels to entertain herself. Now she writes heartwarming tales braided with threads of magic and love and mystery elements woven in for good measure.
Shereen's a fan of resourceful women, intriguing men, and happily-ever-after endings. If her stories whisk you away to a different realm for a few hours, then Shereen will have achieved one of her life goals.
A kidnapped child. A witch on the warpath. A church guard in crisis.
In the year of our Lord 1815, Thomas Drake Saint-Clair, Earl of Braden, a Guard of the Green Cross, is tasked by his archbishop to rescue a missing boy and return him to his warlock father. The order lands Braden in the middle of an unholy war between witches and warlocks and shoves him headlong past a sacred line he'd sworn never to cross.
Newly confirmed Coven Protectress, Merryn Pendraven, rushes to rescue a witch's son. She's convinced the same evil warlock who was responsible for her younger brother's death is behind this kidnapping, too. She has no intention of letting this vile villain get away with the same crime, twice.
When Merryn discovers Braden is also on the case, she's tempted to join forces. Yet, how can she truly trust him when her aunt has warned that Braden's second secret charge is to destroy their coven? Finding love in this cauldron of trouble might prove to be Merryn's deadliest mission and Braden's complete undoing.
If you liked A Discovery of Witches and Dr. Strange or Mr. Norrell, you'll love Coven at Callington, an anime-inspired witchy tale that will whisk you away on a rip-roaring Regency ride.
Once outside, noting no one else was about the churchyard, Merryn looked up at the statue. “My lady, may we speak?”
The statue of Saint Agatha did not move. Merryn's shoulders dropped with resignation.
How long might this take? Braden could walk out that door at any moment. She wasn’t ready to face him again, not just yet. Whenever he drew near, she could not rid herself of an acute awareness of his presence. Even knowing who he was and what he represented made not a jot of difference. How could such attractive features and that daunting sensual energy have all been packaged into one man? It left a myriad of others sadly wanting.
Forget him, she chided herself. You’ve more pressing matters to worry about.
Another glance up showed the statue remained immobile and uncommunicative. She was about ready to give up, then shook her head. She couldn’t walk away when Trystan needed her. “I wonder if a truth spell would work on a church,” she murmured aloud.
The saint tilted her head downward. “What troubles you, my child? Are you fleeing from a suitor? Do you need my protection?”
Merryn hid a smile at the suddenly conversant saint. “No, my lady. I seek information.”
“I see,” Saint Agatha said, and Merryn received the distinct impression the saint was on the verge of losing interest.
“A boy was brought here for baptism two weeks ago,” Merryn said quickly, hoping to get her question out before Agatha moved on to more pressing matters. “He was six years old. Before the baptism could take place, he was stolen. Do you know who took him or where he is now?”
“I’m the patron saint of martyrs, torture victims and eruptions,” Saint Agatha replied, adjusting her arms as if to hold her severed breasts in a more comfortable position. “Does your request fall into one of those categories?”
“I thought you were the patron saint of bell ringers,” Merryn said.
Saint Agatha frowned. “That is a misconception,” she replied with asperity. “Are you a bell ringer?”
“No. However, I am searching for someone who may have fallen victim to imprisonment.”
“A boy?”
That didn’t sound promising. “I seek him on behalf of his grieving mother who is worried her son may be in peril.”
“Very well, then. What is it you wish to know?”
“How could a man with ill intentions in his heart have gained entry into the church?”
“You have answered your own query. Why do you bother me with it?”
Merryn frowned, thinking through her words. Her eyes widened as comprehension settled. “A woman stole the boy?”
The saint shrugged her marble shoulders. “A witch, a hellhound, a warlock, they were all here that night. Any one of them could have taken him.”
“And you let them into the church?”
“I’m not the boy’s guardian! And the church is in need of repair. If you truly wish to do some good, you’d see to my weakening structure, not beleaguer me about a missing boy.”
“He’s an innocent in trouble.” Merryn wove her way through the saint’s illogic, and back to the crux of the matter. “While he was inside your church, were you not compelled to protect him from all harm?”
The lady’s eyebrow rose with cynicism. “How innocent could he be? He had not been baptized for six years. Besides, his father is a warlock and his mother a witch. Such disparate unions are fraught with difficulties. You should know, also being a child of such a merger. Nevertheless, I gave them permission to enter. After all, God teaches us to be generous of spirit and open to those who seek the greater truth.”
Merryn sighed. At least they were in agreement with that theological outlook.
“Best if you forget that whole unpleasant episode,” the saint continued, her gaze returning to the horizon. “I have.”
“I cannot forget the boy and walk away,” Merryn replied. “I will not abandon him.”
The saint’s gaze swung back to her with such ferocious swiftness, Merryn teetered on her heels.
“The boy is a powerful warlock in his own right, though untrained,” Saint Agatha said in a hard voice. “As powerful as you, Protectress, I don’t doubt. What harm could possibly come to him? We all do what we can, but sometimes we must step back and let the world take a turn to see how events evolve.”
The saint then shut her eyes as if she wished to blot out Merryn’s existence as easily as she seemed to have Trystan’s.
Merryn ground her teeth in frustration. She stared up at Saint Agatha’s stony pose for a restrained count of ten and then asked in as calm a tone as she could muster, “Would you at least relay the details of what happened that night?”
The earl’s voice said, “Talking to yourself, Miss Pendraven? Or are you praying again?”
Merryn lowered her gaze and found his lordship leaning against the closed porch door. How had he come out and she not heard him? Had he been listening to her for long? The one time she needed to sense his presence and he’d crept up on her like a snake in the sand.
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.
Harius felt his heart pulse wildly inside his chest as he turned to face the entrance. After a moment’s hesitation, he reached out and parted the veil before passing through to find a small silver basin set atop a white marble perch shaped like a column to his left. A small silver ring attached to the perch held a towel. A white table stacked with neatly folded robes of the same color stood to his right. He approached the basin and proceeded to wash every inch of his hands and forearms before drying them with the towel. Once he had donned one of the robes and tied its sash at his waist, he turned and faced the veil leading into the main chamber.
Harius stood there for a moment longer, all the while taking stock of himself. He couldn’t fathom how he, a doubter, was qualified to enter the holiest room in the Hamystic Faith, a place reserved for the elders to receive Divine instruction. In spite of his reservations, though, he knew who was waiting for him on the other side, and his heart longed to be near the one person whom he felt he needed to speak with the most. Mustering all his willpower now, Harius took a deep breath to calm himself as he reached out with his hand and parted the veil to enter the room.
Stepping over the threshold, Harius raised his arm to shield his eyes from the light that seemed to emanate from every particle of the interior’s marble floor and pillars. As his pupils began to contract, Harius lowered his arm to discover that the light was coming from an altar at the room’s center, which was surrounded by thin, transparent veils that hung from all sides of a square hole in the limestone ceiling.
The altar itself was a perfectly shaped cube made of cloud-white marble, with a basin half an arm’s length in diameter carved into its center. Inside that basin burned a blue-and-white flame that had an unworldly quality Harius had never seen before. It gave off a warm, invigorating sensation that made him feel more and more elated as he began to marvel over the flame and the significance it had to him as a Zehnarch-in-training.
As Harius began making his way toward the altar, he noticed a man with long white hair sitting atop a white plush bench situated about seven feet from the altar. He wore a white robe with thin silver chains embroidered on the hems, which glistened in the light of the flame. As the man turned to reveal his aging face, his countenance began to beam. He reached out to Harius with both arms and said in a warm, inviting voice, “You’ve grown since we last spoke.”
“Grandfather,” Harius said as he sat next to the Emissary and entered his warm embrace. As they hugged one another, Harius’s heart filled with joy over once again having the chance to be with the man who had given life to Harius’s mother, for he was as loving and kind as the woman Harius missed so dearly. As they released each other, Harius’s grandfather turned toward the altar in front of them and motioned to the flames with his hand.
“Isn’t it wonderful, Harius?” said Azariah. “The Celestial Flame in its purest form, its power capable of infinite possibilities and immeasurable wonders. It is the very power of the Divine, which only we, as Zehnarchs, have the privilege of wielding.” His expression grew more sorrowful as his eyes scanned Harius’s face. “You haven’t been doing what is needed to be blessed by it, have you?”
Harius frowned. “How did you know?”
“It was revealed to me by the Divine. But more importantly, I can see it in your eyes. They are the eyes of an enmity born of fear and sorrow. You’ve allowed the Fallen to trap you in a dark spell, which is unbecoming of a young man preparing to act as an agent of the Divine.”
“I’m sorry,” Harius sobbed. “I’m so lost and miserable right now. I don’t know what I am to do.”
“I am worried about you, Harius. This dark spell will consume you if you don’t rise above it.”
Harius cringed at his grandfather’s gentle yet firm rebuke, which caused him to avert his eyes to hide his shame. As he felt his grandfather pat his hand, Harius turned back to see Azariah staring back at him. His grandfather’s eyes filled with love as he said soberly, “Tell me, why have you let your faith grow so weak?”
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Web of Hearts by Jamie Magee is on sale!! Grab your copy of this fantastic series today!!!
About Web of Hearts:
This isn’t the love story you know...
A powerful thought-provoking story that reaches across realms, life and death, love found and lost, and the classic battle of the darkness invading us all.
“A richly original telling of the meeting of two souls.”
This compelling series starter set has over 4,000 favored reviews!
Jamie Magee has always believed that each of us have a defining gift that sets us apart from the rest of the world, she has always envied those who have known from their first breath what their gift was. Not knowing hers, she began a career in the fast paced world of business. Raising a young family, and competing to rise higher in that field would drive some to the point of insanity, but she always found a moment of escape in a passing daydream. Her imagination would take her to places she'd never been, introduce her to people she's never known. Insight, her debuting novel, is a result of that powerful imagination. Today, she is grateful that not knowing what defined her, led her on a path of discovery that would always be a part of her.
Stella Stonewall exposed her scaly side to save the man she loves, the soulful and sexy Ewan Bristol. But her troubles have only just begun. A treacherous betrayal at the hands of a trusted confidante leaves her running for her life.
An Impossible Choice
An unlikely savior offers Stella a way out, but it means leaving everything—and everyone—behind. Can she give up the only home, the only friends she’s ever known to save herself?
A Chance to Have It All
Stella learns of an ancient curse that, if lifted, could change everything. To alter the course of history she must trust her former lover Rowan Gresham, and she must trust the machinations of fate: that she may be the key to it all.
Betrayal Foretold is a fast-paced, emotional ride through the mesmerizing world of Thayer. This third book in the Descended of Dragons series, a new adult fantasy romance, is a can’t-put-it-down story of loss and self-invention, of survival, and of the selfless pursuit to secure the happiness of friends.
It’s cleansing, it’s rejuvenating, it’s fortifying—until it’s not. I had soul-searched and introspected until my deficiencies clung to me like a throng of specters.
Over the last few days, the people of Thayer had learned dragons were not, in fact, wiped out hundreds of years before, and word had spread like wildfire that I was a member of the notoriously villainous species. My world turned upside down in a flash, and the capricious tide of public sentiment turned against me.
I sat, licking deep emotional wounds in the primitive cabin deserted only days before by the three Drakontos dragons—and my relatives—my Grandmother Bay, my Uncle Eiven, and my cousin Stryde. An official Radix committee and the Thayerian authorities conducted searches and quizzed my known associates to learn both my whereabouts and the extent of their knowledge.
My friends had proved faithful and generous in the days since I’d fled our magical grad school, Radix Citadel for Supernatural Learning, or The Root, as most commonly referred to it. But my friends couldn’t be expected to spend every waking moment at my cabin hideaway. Ewan, Boone and Timbra, and sometimes Layla visited when there was no risk of being followed, but it hadn’t been frequently enough to stave off my loneliness.
My arms hung at my sides as I stood in the center of the cabin, too restless to sit, to read, to think. The absence of sound was so prevalent that every tiny noise seemed to roar in contrast: the scratch of a branch against the roof, the drag-tick of an old clock, the whistle of wind through the dense forest.
“Hello,” a deep voice called from outside. “Stell?”
Ewan. Thank God. I raced through the cabin door and found him standing just beyond the front porch. Ewan Bristol rarely deviated from wearing black, and when he did, it wasn’t far. A dark blue V-neck lent contrast to his skin, which tanned easily and well.
I crashed into him, holding him close, and delighted in the solidness of him. Ewan always smelled of the forest, of juniper or fir, and I inhaled his scent while I had the opportunity; before he could leave again. I closed my eyes and absorbed the comfort of his arms, of his warm body.
It wasn’t just that I was so lonely I’d begun talking to the furniture. I missed the sexy squint his eyes took on, the uneven slide of his lips when he thought I was funny or clever. I missed the way his mouth went slack when my top slipped to reveal too much cleavage. I missed his level-headed advice and unyielding support. I missed the way people stopped and listened when he spoke. I missed Ewan.
“Hi,” I said and beamed up at him. His pleasure mirrored mine. It was there for me to see, completely unguarded in the depths of his dark eyes.
He kissed me high on the cheekbone before finding my mouth. Think me arrogant if you like, but I’ve always considered Ewan and me the best kissers ever to lay lips on one another. My mouth fit perfectly against his, his full lips complementing my smaller ones. With a groan, he pulled me so tightly into him I gasped for breath. He had missed me, too.
My Radix-issued personal interactive assistant, which I’d named Pia, chirped from the cabin just as I felt a buzz through the fabric of Ewan’s shorts.
“Stella,” Pia called, “you have received a message from Dean Livia Miles.” I shot a questioning glance at Ewan, who shrugged and fumbled in his pocket for his own device.
When I didn’t answer right away, Pia repeated the notification. “Stella, you have received a message from Dean Livia Miles.”
I hurried inside to see what Dean Miles could possibly be sending. The last I’d heard, she was on a vicious rampage to condemn and disgrace me.
When I emerged from the cabin, still scrolling to access the message, Ewan’s posture was bunched, coiled. A toy soldier wound too tight.
I dropped my arms to my sides, still clutching Pia in one hand. “Ewan? Ewan, what’s wrong?”
When he looked up, his dark eyes were black holes within his blood-drained face.
Someone died. What else could produce such a severe response?
“She…” Ewan cleared his throat. “She sent the entire school your journal entry.”
“What? Who did? What are you talking about? What journal entry?”
His face held such pity. “Dean Miles. She sent the entire campus a student journal entry you wrote detailing your dragon, your family…everything.” Ewan whispered the last. He walked to the fire pit and slid onto a log seat.
Book Trailer for Series:
About the Author:
Though she grew up on a working cattle ranch, Jen Crane has been into fantasy and sci-fi since seeing a bootleg tape of The Princess Bride.
Jen has a master’s degree and solid work histories in government and non-profit administration. But just in the nick of time she pronounced life too real for nonfiction. She now creates endearing characters and alternate realms filled with adventure, magic, and love.
Jen is happily living out her dream in The South with her husband and three children, striking that delicate balance between inspiration and frustration.
Book 2 in Jen's new fantasy romance series, Descended of Dragons, was selected by iTunes/iBooks as "Our Pick" in fantasy/sci-fi.