T.A.D.-The Angel of Death Audiobook launch

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. What a great few weeks it’s been. Today I’m excited to share with you, that my first audiobook is here; T.A.D.-The Angel of Death. The narration is done by the talented Steve Connor (find out more here). Steve does an incredible job bringing the characters to life and giving them a voice.

The Story:

Tad loves bouncing around in time and watching mankind grow and change. He loves humanity and helping when he can. However, his job isn’t conducive to helping people.  He’s an Angel of Death.

Doug is fun loving and a drama queen.  Despite his witty exterior, he has a dark history and is prone to self-destruction. He’s also an amazing drag queen and hairstylist with big dreams.

When Tad pushes the boundaries of his duties too far, his angel wings are stripped away from him, and he is sent to New York City to live as a human. Lost and alone he ends up meeting Doug, and the two start a friendship that will shape them both and last a lifetime.  But nothing is simple when you’re dealing with a former Angel of Death and a Drag Queen. Could these two cause the fabric of our world to collapse or will they manage to keep the future as it should?

The Cover:

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 The Reviews:

“This was one of those books that will stay with me, marvelous characters!
Loved the ending. The narrator was excellent. Certainly makes you think!.” — Audible Review

“The friendship and the way the author portrays humanity (from the eyes of the Angel of Death: TAD) is amazing and inspirational.”— Audible Review

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Where to buy your copy:

Get your audiobook from Audible US here.

Get your audiobook from Audible UK here.

Find the audiobook here on Amazon.

Have iTunes, you can get the audiobook here.

***

That’s all I have today.  I hope you enjoy T.A.D.-The Angel of Death it’s a wonderful audiobook and book and I’m proud of the story and the narration. If you’ve read the book or listened to the audiobook please, I encourage you to leave a review. Reviews make a world of difference not only to us authors, but to future readers.  Well, that’s it. Until next time have a great week.

IQARUS Book Con This Saturday (May 8, 2021)

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, can you believe we are in May already. Where has the time gone? Today I’m thrilled to share with you that this Saturday May 8, 2021 will be the IQARUS: International Queer Authors and Readers Uniting Stories book con that me and several other authors have been working on for the last several months. There is so such happening at the book can that I hope we’ll see you all there (well virtually speaking of course).

What is IQARUS Book Con. Let me share. IQARUS Book Con is a series of author readings, discussions panels, and workshops designed to introduce, promote and support outstanding queer genre fiction and related enterprises.

IQARUS Book Con is run by writers who want to showcase the amazing content our community has to offer.

We pledge to build an event that allows our participants to build wings and fly high. This is for fans of all ages, ethnicities, genders, abilities, and orientations in a safe, supported community.

Here is the Agenda for the Day:

As you can see we have a packed day filled with a little bit of everything. Want to learn more about the agenda click here. You can learn more about our guests here. Also, you can find out more details about out panel discussions here and our reading here.

Also, I encourage you to check out our bookstore (click here) and find some amazing new books and support the authors that are going to be participating in the con.

We also are excited to offer our registered guest a chance to win some great prizes in our scavenger hunt. learn more here.

By the way, have you met Alix Q. Star yet? They are the con mascot (and you will see them everywhere). Learn more about them here and check out all the wonderful blog posts so you can get to know our participants, readers, and panelists.

We have some wonderful sponsors, who you will want to learn more about here. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to have put on this event.

And lastly, you can register for the con here.  You aren’t going to want to miss out and if you register not only can you participate in the scavenger hunt, but you get our electronic swag bag (filled with all kinds of goodies including; eBooks, discount codes, and other wonderful things), and access to our after-panel and after-reading chat rooms. Really, you don’t want to miss out.

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So, there it is, the upcoming IQARUS Book Con. I hope you can make it for the day or even a session.  Oh, and did I mention this is a free con? It is, but if you chose to provide a donation to one of our selected charities you’ll be eligible for some exclusive free offers. Please consider sharing this post on your social media sites, it really does help, as does clicking on this little heart below. Until next time have a great week.

The Called - Book Launch

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. It’s here. Today I’m happy to share with you, that my newest book; The Called, is here. This is the highly anticipated sequel and conclusion to The Calling. So many people have been waiting for this book to come out and finally it’s here.  Today I’m sharing all the details about The Called with you.

The Story:

The world is changing quickly for Chris now that he’s part of the Immortal Community. With the events of his past finally behind him, he’s still having visions and true magic is gradually taking hold in our world. There are new challenges that the Immortals must face, but Chris is still new and has no real standing in the immortal community. Learning that nothing in the Immortal community is what Chris thought and now having to face new threats, how will his new world unfold? Old enemies must work together and longtime friends may not be trustworthy. Who is lurking in the shadows? Why are they here? What does this mean for witches, immortals and humans?

Can Chris’ visions even be trusted given recent events, and how easily his mind is manipulated? With Juliet, Amanda, and Kirtus by his side they have to prevent the immortal and witch community from being exposed. Can they trust the local witches that are there to assist them? Can they trust their fellow Immortals? New friendships are made, and longtime alliances are called into question. How will The Called defeat these latest threats, and what does it mean for our world?

The Cover:

TheCalled-f.jpg

 The Reviews:

“Chris is now a different person. After what he went through in the previous book, the changes in his body, and his romantic life, he’s a more confident, more mature characters. But a new threat is rising, and the alliances inside the Immortal Community are changing. Helped by his visions of the future, he foresees something terrible coming.

I don’t want to spoil the plot because there’s a lot going on with twists and turns. The writing is beautiful as usual, and the characters very likeable.” — Goodreads Review


“This book was enjoyable, especially in the second half. There’s a lot of stuff happening here, and I won’t go into detail about it. I liked Victor the most to be honest. I liked how the author wrote the story and was able to keep my interest in the story till the very end.”— Goodreads Review

Where to buy your copy:

Find your copy from these on-line retailers here.

Have a NineStar Press account (and you should) find the book here.

Want a signed copy find that here.

***

That is all I have today.  I hope you enjoy The Called it’s a wonderful book and I’m very proud of it. If you have read the book please, I encourage you to leave a review. Reviews make a world of difference not only to us authors, but to future readers.  Well, that’s it. Until next time have a great week.

The Called – Cover Reveal

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, I hope your week is going well and you are all doing what you need to, to stay safe and be well. Today I present to you, the new cover for The Called. I’m thrilled with how beautiful the cover turned out, and like with the cover to The Calling, this cover holds insight into the story.

I hope you love it as much as I do. The planned release day April 19th it is however, up for preorder over on Ninestar Press (find the book here) if you preorder there you can get the book on April 16th. Buy links will be available soon, however, once released you will be able to buy it everywhere you buy your books. If possible, I encourage you to go to your local bookstore and ask for it, given the year everyone has had, I know local stores really appreciate our business.

Welcome to the Immortal Community where nothing is as it seems.

Welcome to the Immortal Community where nothing is as it seems.

Here is the blurb for The Called:

The world is changing quickly for Chris now that he’s part of the Immortal Community. With the events of his past finally behind him, he’s still having visions and true magic is gradually taking hold in our world. There are new challenges that the Immortals must face, but Chris is still new and has no real standing in the immortal community. Learning that nothing in the Immortal community is what Chris thought and now having to face new threats, how will his new world unfold? Old enemies must work together and longtime friends may not be trustworthy. Who is lurking in the shadows? Why are they here? What does this mean for witches, immortals and humans?

Can Chris’ visions even be trusted given recent events, and how easily his mind is manipulated? With Juliet, Amanda, and Kirtus by his side they have to prevent the immortal and witch community from being exposed. Can they trust the local witches that are there to assist them? Can they trust their fellow Immortals? New friendships are made, and longtime alliances are called into question. How will The Called defeat these latest threats, and what does it mean for our world?

That’s it for this week. Please consider sharing this post on your social media sites, it really does help to get the word out, as does clicking on this little heart below. Until next time have a great week.

IQARUS Book Con – May 8, 2021

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, I hope your week is going well and you are all doing what you need to, to stay safe and be well. Today I’m thrilled to share with you an upcoming Book Con I will be part of.  IQARUS: International Queer Authors and Readers Uniting Stories is a new international book con that me and several other authors have been working on for the last several months. I’m excited to share with you the details of the con.

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What is IQARUS Book Con. Let me share. IQARUS Book Con is a series of author readings, discussions panels, and workshops designed to introduce, promote and support outstanding queer genre fiction and related enterprises.

IQARUS Book Con is run by writers who want to showcase the amazing content our community has to offer.

We pledge to build an event that allows our participants to build wings and fly high. This is for fans of all ages, ethnicities, genders, abilities, and orientations in a safe, supported community.

Here is the Agenda for the Day:

Agenda.png

As you can see we have a packed day filled with a little bit of everything. Want to learn more about the agenda click here. You can learn more about our guests here. Also, you can find out more details about out panel discussions here and our reading here.

Also, I encourage you to check out our bookstore (click here) and find some amazing new books and support the authors that are going to be participating in the con.

By the way, have you met Alix Q. Star yet? They are the con mascot. Learn more about them here and check out all the wonderful blog posts so you can get to know our participants, readers, and panelists.

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We are continually updating the site with more and more details so check back often.

And lastly, you can register for the con here.  You aren’t going to want to miss out.

So, there it is, the upcoming IQARUS Book Con. I hope you can make it for the day or even a session.  Oh, and did I mention this is a free con? It is, but if you chose to provide a donation to one of our selected charities you’ll be eligible for some exclusive free offers. Please consider sharing this post on your social media sites, it really does help, as does clicking on this little heart below. Until next time have a great week.

Media Update March 2021

Media Update March 2021

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, I hope you are all having a great week and are taking care of yourselves. Can you believe today is St. Patrick’s Day? We are a few days away from the start of Spring and I can’t believe it. I also, can’t believe we have passed the one-year mark of living with the pandemic. It’s been insane. Today I wanted to take a minute and spot light some of the amazing vlogs and podcasts I’ve been on over the last couple of months, in case you’ve missed them:

In December 2020, I had the joy of being interviewed by the amazing Wayne Goodman from Queer Words Podcast. In this 20-minute interview we talked about my books (including my upcoming novel The Called), my writing, and my life. The interview was great and Wayne is a wonderful host. I encourage you to listen to it, rate it and give it a vote. Click here for the interview.

February 2021, found me sitting back down with Baz over on the WROTE Podcast. Baz and I spent our hour talking about my upcoming release of The Called the sequel to my award-winning novel The Calling. We chatted about virtual cons and my participating in a voting themed limited anthology, A More Perfect Union. Baz and I always have a great conversation, check it out here.

The Bay Area Reporter invited me to write an Op Ed piece for their newspaper regarding A More Perfect Union and why voting is so important. The article appeared on March 3rd. The article turned out fantastic please read it here.

Most recently (March 5th) I got to hang out with life long friend (and brother from another mother) Rob, from What Up With Rob and Chris. We got to sit back and chat about my writing journey, my family, writing inspiration and I share who I would love to cast if and when my novels are turned into movies or television shows. Who knew an hour could fly by so quickly, find the conversation here.

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There are four of my most recent interviews and media events. If you want to see all my media spots and all the places I’ve shared my thoughts and opinion, you can find a full list here under my News section. You will also find a complete list of my Guest Blogs and Author Interviews I’ve done. And that is all for this week, Scribblers. Thank you for taking the time to read this and to continue to support me and my writing. Which interview or article was your favorite? Are there questions you would like for me to answer in upcoming interviews? Let me know in the comments below. Please consider sharing this post on your social media sites, it really does help, as does clicking on this little heart below. Until next time have a great week.

Rainbow Space Magic – March 2021

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, I hope your March has started off well. Are you as glad to hear, as I am, that we now have three vaccines for the Rona? I can’t wait till it’s my turn to get the shot or shots. It will be a big weight of my shoulders.

Regarding things to look forward too, I hope you have all checked out one of the virtual con’s I’m involved with this year; Rainbow Space Magic (more info here). The con will be the weekend of March 12th so in little over a week. Here are the details:

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Rainbow Space Magic (RSM) is a celebration of the LGBTQ+ science fiction and fantasy community, a place where everyone can gather, discuss, promote and create queer speculative fiction in a safe and supportive place that is accessible to our diverse community.

Join us Friday March 12th through Sunday March 14th, 2021 for this free virtual conference.

This year we are pleased to welcome Jewelle Gomez – author of The Gilda Stories and Bones and Ash, as our Keynote Speaker and special guest throughout the conference.  Jewelle is a two-time Lambda Literary Award recipient with her writings appearing in hundreds of anthologies. She is a prolific play write and presented at the African American Fantastic Imagination, the first conference of black speculative fiction writers. She has also taught creative writing workshops and lectured at institutions around the U.S. including San Francisco State University, Bowdoin College, Cornell University, Spellman College, Bates College, and others. She was on the original board of GLAAD and the Astraea National Lesbian Foundation.

The conference this year will have writing workshops during the day on Friday March 12th prior to our Keynote address Friday night. The rest of the weekend will consist of panels and readings spread out over Saturday and Sunday.

This year we are raising money for Lambda Literary, Glad Day Lit, Trans Media Watch, Shade Literary Group, and BLF Press. Donate to one of these groups and come and join us March 12th – March 14th, 2021. To register and learn more about this exciting event please go to our website: www.rainbowspacemagic.com for more information.

Well, Scribblers, that’s all for this week I hope to see you at the con, I will be on two different panels (Cover so White on Sunday at 7am [PST] and The Queering of Modern Pop Culture in Recent Years on Sunday at 6pm [PST]) it should be a blast. As you all know, I love hearing from folks so please drop me a line in the comments below. Please consider sharing this post on your social media sites, it really does help, as does clicking on this little heart below. Until next time have a great week and see you RSM!

Writing Update and Book Announcement – The Called

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, I hope you all had a great Valentine’s Day and President’s Day. Reminder if you can get the vaccine please get it. In the mean time I hope you are wearing your mask, washing your hands, practicing your social distancing, and more importantly staying safe. I have been so encouraged hearing that the US has passed the 50 million vaccine mark and that hospitalization are going down. There is still a long road ahead of us, but we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Enough about that. Today I wanted to share my book announcement and a couple of writing updates.

Like the title says, The Called is on it’s way. This is the sequel to my internationally award-winning debut novel The Calling. The Called is schedule to be released on April 19th and I can’t wait.  Here is the blurb from the book… so spoilers if you haven’t read the first book The Calling (and why haven’t you read The Calling yet? You really need to, buy your copy here or get your signed copy here.):

The world is changing quickly for Chris now that he’s part of the Immortal Community. With the events of his past finally behind him, he’s still having visions and true magic is gradually taking hold in our world. There are new challenges that the Immortals must face, but Chris is still new and has no real standing in the immortal community. Learning that nothing in the Immortal community is what Chris thought and now having to face new threats, how will his new world unfold? Old enemies must work together and longtime friends may not be trustworthy. Who is lurking in the shadows? Why are they here? What does this mean for witches, immortals and humans?

Can Chris’ visions even be trusted given recent events, and how easily his mind is manipulated? With Juliet, Amanda, and Kirtus by his side they have to prevent the immortal and witch community from being exposed. Can they trust the local witches that are there to assist them? Can they trust their fellow Immortals? New friendships are made, and longtime alliances are called into question. How will The Called defeat these latest threats, and what does it mean for our world?

This story is going to pick up right at the end of book one. In fact, the last chapter of The Calling, is the first chapter of The Called (Find out more about both books here). So, there will be no time jump. I’m proud of this duology and I can’t wait for folks to be able to pick up their own copy and enjoy. Also, in The Called we are going to expand on some popular characters from The Calling and introduce some fantastic new characters in The Called, which I’m thrilled to finally add into the story.

Here is a beautiful graphic that will give you an idea of the feel of The Called :

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Also, as I hope many of you have seen by now I’ve been working on my YouTube channel, click here. I’ve been cleaning up the channel, making it more user friendly, organizing it, updating content, and adding the various engagements I’ve had: including appearances on OUTLook Video, LocalLit 2020 as well as some other fun readings and events that I’m able to share.

To celebrate my revamped channel, I’ve set up a challenge, if I can get 250 subscribers (clearly a lofty goal) by April 19th I have something really fun planned. The surprise will coincide with the launch of The Called. Help me spread the word and meet this goal.  I know with all your help and support we can reach 250. In the meantime, I’m going to be adding more readings and other content to my channel so I hope you will follow me there, plus you get to see me in my natural habitat, my home.

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As a reminder on March 12th – 14th I will be participating at the Rainbow Space Magic Conference. This three-day virtual event is packed full of great content for readers, writers, and anyone who loves books. Learn more about it here.

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Also, on May 8th I and several other amazing authors will be holding the first ever virtual IQARUS Book Con. This international event is open to everyone. We will have panel discussions about writing, marketing/social media, podcasts, vlogging, editing, etc. Also, we will host both live and video readings from authors of romance, horror, sci-fi, contemporary, all sorts of genres, so there is something for everyone. Check it out here.

Well, Scribblers, that’s all for this week. If you want to learn more about what I have coming up next check out my events page here. I love hearing from folks so please drop me a line in the comments below. Please consider sharing this post on your social media sites, it really does help, as does clicking on this little heart below. Until next time have a great week.

Rainbow Space Magic 2021 Virtual Conference

RSM 2021 – Announcement

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Rainbow Space Magic (RSM) is a celebration of the LGBTQ+ science fiction and fantasy community, a place where everyone can gather, discuss, promote and create queer speculative fiction in a safe and supportive place that is accessible to our diverse community.

Join us Friday March 12th through Sunday March 14th, 2021 for this free virtual conference.

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This year we are pleased to welcome Jewelle Gomez – author of The Gilda Stories and Bones and Ash, as our Keynote Speaker and special guest throughout the conference.  Jewelle is a two-time Lambda Literary Award recipient with her writings appearing in hundreds of anthologies. She is a prolific play write and presented at the African American Fantastic Imagination, the first conference of black speculative fiction writers. She has also taught creative writing workshops and lectured at institutions around the U.S. including San Francisco State University, Bowdoin College, Cornell University, Spellman College, Bates College, and others. She was on the original board of GLAAD and the Astraea National Lesbian Foundation.

The conference this year will have writing workshops during the day on Friday prior to our Keynote address Friday night. The rest of the weekend will consist of panels and readings spread out over Saturday and Sunday.

Current Writing Workshops include:

  • Combat Writing

  • Book Justice: Criminal Justice for Authors

  • The Writer’s Guide to Green Stuff: Plants, Herbs, and Wild Places That Make Sense

  • Branding Sci-Fi

Panel Discussions include:

  • Writing Queer Female Protagonists (#Ownvoices lead panel)

  • Magic and Folklore

  • Writing for Bisexual and Pansexual Characters (#Ownvoices lead panel)

  • Aging in Queer Spec Fic

  • Dis/Abilities: Disabled, Chronically Ill, and Neurodiversity in Queer Fiction (#Ownvoices lead panel)

  • Queer Role-Playing Games

  • Fandom and Fanfiction

  • Covers so White

  • Intersectional Identity (#Ownvoices lead panel)

  • Query Letters and Getting an Agent

  • Humor and Cynicism

  • The Queering of Modern Pop Culture in Recent Years

This year we are raising money for Lambda Literary, Glad Day Lit, Trans Media Watch, Shade Literary Group, and BLF Press. Donate to one of these groups and come and join us March 12th – March 14th, 2021. To register and learn more about this exciting event please go to our website here for more information.

Virtual Readings, Virtual Events, Anthology Coming Soon

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, I hope you are all having a wonderful week.  Can you believe we are little over a week away from Christmas and fifteen days from the start of the new year? What an insane 2020 we’ve had and I would be lying if I said I’m gonna miss this year. Despite the long road ahead, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and 2021 will be a good year, fingers crossed. Despite 2020 being a less than stellar, there have been some high points. My publisher NineStar Press has picked up two more of my books; The Called and Conspiracy-A New World (Book 3). Also, this month has been busy for me and my writing. Let me share the highlights with:

December 4, 2020 started my month off with a virtual reading with the gang from Queer Sacramento. It was a wonderful virtual event with some fantastic authors. I’m happy to join these great writers, we always have a blast.  Here is where you can find the whole group of readings:

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On December 6, 2020, I was invited to take part in the 8th annual LocalLit 202 event jointly hosted by the San Jose Public Library and San Jose State University. You can find out more about the event and all the other authors here . I was asked to be part of the SciFi and Mystery Panel. You will be able to view the whole event on YouTube here once they upload the video.

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Then on December 12, 2020, the amazing authors of the Bay Area Queer Writers Association (BAQWA find out more about the group here), celebrated their one-year anniversary with a virtual reading event.  You can check out the readings here.

Up next on December 14, 2020, my short story, A Dragon for Christmas (check it out here) was selected by Nobody Reads Short Stores (learn more about them here) to be their end of year reading performance. After the reading by the amazing cast, I was part of a live Q&A. It was so much fun.  Check out the video performance here.

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Lastly, this December, 2020 A More Perfect Union Anthology (A Voting-Themed Romance Anthology benefiting Fair Fight learn more about Fair Fight here.) will go up for preorder, with a release date of January 18, 2021. A More Perfect Union is a series of short stories that has been put together to benefit Fair Fight in Georgia all funds raised from the sale of this anthology will go to Fair Fight. I was honored to be asked to provide a story for the anthology. My short story is called: Election Night.

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Election Night – Blurb

Elections are stressful enough, and none more than this one. With so much riding on the vote this year, Sammy needed involvement to get her candidate elected and into the Whitehouse. Now on election night she’s had a terrible day, but plans to work until the bitter end. Already late for her volunteering, Sammy rushes for the ancient building elevator, mercifully being held for her by an attractive stranger. More than an election is held in the balance when the elevator gets stuck between floors and Sammy finds out that the woman stuck with her works for the enemy camp. Who will win the election, and how will these two women make it out of the elevator in one piece?

Learn more about the anthology and the authors here. You can learn more about the short story I contributed to the anthology here. You can preorder the new novel here.

Well Scribblers, that has been my month, so there has been a lot going on. Thank you all for continuing this journey with me. Without your love and support I wouldn’t be able to keep going.

Do you want to learn more about my two novels coming out in 2021? Check out The Called here and Conspiracy-A New World(Book 3) here.

That’s all for this week. If you have questions or want to learn more about what I have coming up next check out my events page here. If you have any questions please drop them in the comments below. Please consider sharing this post it really does help, as does clicking on this little heart below. Don’t forget you can buy signed copies of my books here (at this time I can only ship in the US). Until next time have a great week.

Conscience by Jonathan Pongratz

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. Have I got a treat for you. This week I was given an Advance Readers Copy (ARC) of Conscience by Jonathan Pongratz.  He is an amazing author so I was thrilled to get the copy and read it. Here are my thoughts on the short story:

This is a wonderful SciFi/Dystopian short story that has excellent character development and a lush world that you want to explore more of. What is creepy about this story is how you can see where, if we are not careful, this world could come to be. In fact, I’m sure there are people out there who would argue that we are already there. You can’t help but cheer on and care for the main character.  This is an outstanding attribute of the author Jonathan Pongratz, he can suck you in with his incredible characters within the first few paragraphs of his story, which is needed for a short story.

I could see this short story easily adapted to Netflix or Hulu as a series.

***

My short review with no spoilers. You need to buy this short story (released August 27, 2020) and give it a read. Please remember to drop me a heart/like letting me know you stopped by. Do you have question for Jonathan? Leave it below. If you want to help support me and my writing efforts please consider sharing this post on your social media platforms to help keep the conversation going. Until next time I hope you stay safe and have a great week.

Everything you need to know about Conscience:

Title: Conscience

Release Date: 8/27/2020

Genre: Scifi/Dystopian/Short Story

Blurb:

Rory Bennels lives in a world ruled by a business entity known as the Corporation. For years he’s executed cerebral uploads for the recently deceased, but when the famed anarchist Epher Lore ends up in his lab, a series of events occur that shakes Rory’s world to the core.

Excerpt:

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“We’re losing him,” the surgeon’s tense voice cut through the viewing room’s speaker.

Rory Bennels leaned against the glass to the operating room as the surgeon barked orders at the nurses and red plated medbots tending to the man splayed out on the surgery table. The patient's body seized in violent tremors, blood oozing through wounds in his forehead, chest, and abdomen. Rory stared on in concern, his skin tingling as he recognized the man.

Epher Lore, the last leader of the Free Thinkers movement.

From his digital news updates, Rory knew of the Corporation's efforts to track down this anarchist. However, as he looked upon Epher’s broken body, curiosity sparked in his mind.

This man, dangerous? He couldn’t have been older than twenty-five. What was it about him that made the Corporation nervous?

A sharp zap at the base of his neck made Rory clench his teeth. Heart pounding, he looked to the watch on his wrist. It flashed red in quick bursts. Crap! That was the second time this week. If he kept upsetting his emotion-monitoring implant, they’d come to clean him. Like the Corporation said, ‘Emotions lead to questions. Questions lead to independent thought. Independent thought leads to anarchy.’

Rory straightened his back, reciting the Corporation’s Preamble to suppress his deviant thoughts. We, the subordinates of the Corporation, in order to form a more perfect human, establish authority, ensure uniformity …

He glanced at his black-banded watch again and gave a sigh of relief. Blue skies.

The harsh monotonous buzz of the heart monitor blared through the speakers, demanding Rory’s attention. The surgeon took off his gloves and told the one-eyed medbots to record the time of death. He exited the operating room, Rory mulling over the peculiar situation before the surgeon entered the viewing room moments later.

“I take it you’re Rory Bennels?” the surgeon asked in a cold, clinical tone.

“That’s right.”

He handed Rory a thin tablet that activated upon his touch. “Retrieve this man’s mind. Upload it to the Corporation mainframe.”

Rory scanned the digital dossier, then gazed upon Epher's covered body on the gurney.

“Is something wrong?”

"Epher Lore, isn't he--"

“That information is not relevant,” the surgeon snapped. He grimaced at Rory with calculating gray eyes. “Are you sweating?”

Stay calm, stay calm. Rory maintained eye contact. “Minor synaptic misfire,” he explained, flashing his watch that glowed a healthy bright blue.

The surgeon nodded, ushering Rory to follow him to collect the body.

About Jonathan Pongratz:

Jonathan Pongratz is a writer and author of captivating horror, fantasy, and other speculative fiction stories. When he’s not writing, he’s busy being a bookworm, video game junkie, and karaoke vocalist. A former resident of Dallas, he currently resides in Kansas City with his halloween cat Ajax. By day he works magic in finance, by night he creates dark and mesmerizing worlds.

Where to buy Conscience:

Amazon click here.

GoodReads click here.

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Story Time – Bay Area Queer Writers Association

Hello Scribblers. Am I the only one who is absolutely hating this heatwave.  It’s crazy. I know California typically gets one or two of these a year. I’ll never get used to them. They sure suck. And don’t even get me started on all the fires.  It’s been insane.

Today I wanted to share with you that this Saturday August 22nd at 4pm the writers of BAQWA (Bay Area Queer Writers Association) will be hosting a Story Time (virtual reading) this will be our second virtual event. We were so impressed with the turnout of the last one, we decided to do another one. The plan is to offer virtual readings on a regular basis, so check out my event page (click here), or join our group on Facebook so you never miss out. Click here.

I’m very excited to be doing another one of these, maybe at some point I’ll get more comfortable in front of the camera. Let me know down below what you think I should read from. The choices are: Conviction (Book 2 – A New World), T.A.D. – The Angel of Death, The Reunion, or A Dragon for Christmas. Cast your vote and stop by on Saturday at 4pm to see what I’ll be reading.

Here is a direct link to the event:

https://www.facebook.com/events/303856394182119

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Also, this week, I wanted to share the exciting news that I received the pre-edits for The Called (the second and final book in my The Calling series). I’m really thrilled to get these, because it means we are that much closer to the release of the final novel in this duology. If all goes well the book should be out early next year (January or February), but perhaps it’ll be sooner.

Here is the book blurb to wet your appetite:

The world is changing quickly for Chris now that he’s part of the Immortal Community. With the events of his past finally behind him, he’s still having visions and true magic is gradually taking hold in our world. There are new challenges that the Immortals must face, but Chris is still new and has no real standing in the immortal community. Learning that nothing in the Immortal community is what Chris thought and now having to face new threats, how will his new world unfold? Old enemies must work together and longtime friends may not be trustworthy. Who is lurking in the shadows? Why are they here? What does this mean for witches, immortals and humans?

Can Chris’ visions even be trusted given recent events, and how easily his mind is manipulated? With Juliet, Amanda, and Kirtus by his side they have to prevent the immortal and witch community from being exposed. Can they trust the local witches that are there to assist them? Can they trust their fellow Immortals? New friendships are made, and longtime alliances are called into question. How will The Called defeat these latest threats, and what does it mean for our world?

And that is all I have for you this week Scribblers. Don’t forget to leave me a comment and let me know what story you want me to read from this Saturday. Additionally, are you looking forward to The Called?  Please remember to drop me a heart/like letting me know you stopped by. If you want to help support me and my writing efforts please consider sharing this post on your social media platforms to help keep the conversation going. Until next time I hope you stay safe and have a great week.

Virtual Book Reading

Hello Scribblers and a happy Wednesday to you all. This week, well this last weekend, in case you haven’t heard yet, I was part of a virtual book reading with one of the writers’ groups I belong to; the Bay Area Queer Writers Association (BAQWA). There were six of us reading from our various works. We had a blast.

There was a little something for everyone. We had readings from romance, fantasy, vampires, and even an essay about South Africa. The reading, and our readers were quite the mix.  If you missed it check it out by clicking here.

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To learn more about BAQWA and our group of authors click here.

For the virtual book reading I read from my debut novel The Calling. If you would like to view the reading (which I would love) check it out below.

Don’t forget I have several books out right now, not just The Calling. You can find all my works here.

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That’s it for this week, I’m keeping it nice and short. Next week I’m having another amazing guest author here for chat so keep an eye open for that. Check out the reading and learn more about the amazing authors from BAQWA and their works. Is there something you would like me to read from for my next book reading? The Calling was requested by a fan, so if there is a book of mine you’d like me to read from let me know in the comments below. Until next time, please stay safe, wear a mask, support each other, and practice social distancing.

Updates from Shelter-in-Place Land

Hello Scribblers. Wow! My last blog post was on March 25th that seems like a lifetime ago. My family and I are now on day 30 of our shelter-in-place order. I’m an essential worker (technically) as I work for a nonprofit that has been working the front lines of the pandemic; delivering food, preparing meals, providing mental wellness, helping the homeless, etc. Physically I’m not on the front lines, however, I’ve been working the back end and supporting our agency efforts, which is a lot of phone calls and emails with other nonprofits to track down necessary items so our work can continue. Unlike several of my coworkers, I’m working from home and only going into the office on rare occasions.

As for my husband, he works from home about 50% of the time, but because of his job he is also an essential worker (keeping his companies lights on, paying of staff, etc.) When he goes into the office he works alone, so he doesn’t come into contact with others.

When it comes to my 80-year-old father he stays at home 95% of the time, every day he takes his car for a short drive and about once a week he will go to the grocery store and pick up food. He wears a mask and does what he needs to do to not come in contact with others.

Now, before you yell at me about him going out. We tried to keep him home, but short of handcuffing him to his chair, there is no way to do it, so we mitigate the risk, for him, as best we can. He wears a mask and he goes to the store during the early morning senior hours. He washes his hands and uses non reusable bags (i.e. paper)

I’m happy to report we are all healthy, which at this point is the most important thing.

On to something lighter.

I have two announcements today. First, I’ve been working on two new writing projects. One is about a lost continent off the Pacific Coast, and the second is about a future where vampires, lycan, humans and witches all live together. Both ideas have been fun to work on. I’m not 100% sure where either story will land, but it’s been nice to jump back into writing.

Lastly, for today, my publisher is continuing its 40% off sale on all eBooks, including mine. If you need something to read, please click here and check out all the amazing books available. Read more about them below.

That is all for now, my lovely Scribblers. Do you have any ideas for keeping busy while we are all at home? Share them below. Please remember to drop me a heart/like letting me know you stopped by. If you want to help support me and my writing efforts please consider sharing this post with folks to help me get the word out, especially about the book sale, it’s a great deal for eBooks and you are supporting a local business and local artists. Until next time I hope you stay safe and have a great week.

Book Announcement March 2020

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Happy Wednesday Scribblers, I know everything is crazy right now. Most of us are under a ‘Shelter in Place’ order. All we see and hear on the news and social media is how bad things are getting and how much worse the might get. Who would have thought a few weeks ago there would be runs on toilet paper… toilet paper… I mean food and water, okay, but toilet paper… really?  These are scary times we live in, but we will get through this. There will be a light at the end of the tunnel and we will see a rainbow after this storm passes.

In my effort to promote a moment of normalcy I want to share that this week I signed a new book contract with my publisher Ninestar Press. They have picked up the sequel and conclusion to my duology series The Calling.  The novel is titled The Called. Here is the blurb:

The world is changing quickly for Chris now that he’s part of the Immortal Community. With the events of his past finally behind him, he’s still having visions and true magic is gradually taking hold in our world. There are new challenges that the Immortals must face, but Chris is still new and has no real standing in the immortal community. Learning that nothing in the Immortal community is what Chris thought and now having to face new threats, how will his new world unfold? Old enemies must work together and longtime friends may not be trustworthy. Who is lurking in the shadows? Why are they here? What does this mean for witches, immortals and humans?

Can Chris’ visions even be trusted given recent events, and how easily his mind is manipulated? With Juliet, Amanda, and Kirtus by his side they have to prevent the immortal and witch community from being exposed. Can they trust the local witches that are there to assist them? Can they trust their fellow Immortals? New friendships are made, and longtime alliances are called into question. How will The Called defeat these latest threats, and what does it mean for our world?

Me signing the contract… of course I forgot to include The Calling in the photo. Doh!

Me signing the contract… of course I forgot to include The Calling in the photo. Doh!

There you have it, my newest book creation has been approved and will be joining my other novels out in the real world. As I get more news I’ll be sharing it so keep an eye posted.

Lastly, if you are looking for some great deals on books, Ninestar Press has an amazing sale going on right now 40% off all books and I’m offering Contact-A New World (Book 1) for free. Click here to take advantage of the offer. Sales ends March 31, 2020.

Well, my lovely Scribblers try to focus on all that is positive and good. Please be kind to one another and when all else fails take a deep breath; in through your nose, and out through your mouth. Until next time have a great week.

The Fire of the White Blade Knights - The White Order#2 by Barbara Russell

Happy Wednesday Scribblers I hope you are all having a wonderful week.  I know it’s been a while since I posted anything, I’ve been taking a bit of a break trying to get recharged.  This week I’m pleased to share that my good friend and fellow author Barbara Russell has a new book out, it’s the second book in her White Order series.  Check it out:

Title: The Fire of the White Blade Knights - The White Order#2

Blurb:

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Second book of the White Order Series. Steamy paranormal romance set in Victorian London.

London, 1884

As a failed witch, Kaela isn’t the most experienced person to rescue her father from the Hierophant’s clutches. With her scarce magic strength and her weak spells, she needs help to infiltrate the mansion of one of the Hierophant’s minions where her father might be kept.

Yet, Étienne, fire warrior of the White Order, isn’t exactly the companion she expected. Cranky and impossible, he does his best to control her.

After eight hundred years of fighting sin-breathers, Étienne’s fire is almost out of control and the temptation to join the evil side is strong.  Kaela defying him at every turn doesn’t help. But he’s up to the challenge. 

 

Buy the book here: 

https://amzn.to/2TZhLD8

About Barbara:

I'm an entomologist and a soil biologist, which is a fancy way to say that I dig in the dirt, looking for bugs. I was a kid when I read The Lord Of The Rings and fell in love with fantasy novels.

When I discovered cosy mystery, I fell in love with Hercules Poirot and Sherlock Holmes. Then I grew up and . . . Nah, I'm joking. Don't grow up, folks! It's a trap.

Find Barbara here:

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/barbara-russell

Twitter: https://twitter.com/brussell84Kiwi

Facebook: www.facebook.com/RussellBarbara84

My Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2500803636871995/

Landing page: https://mailchi.mp/f3c0a9bf3544/barbararussell

Remember to like this post below and if you have any readers in your life please consider sharing this post with them. I can assure you this is an excellent continuation to the series. Got any questions leave them below in the comments section. Until next time have a great week. 

Book Anniversaries

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, I hope everyone is having a great week. This week I’m keeping my blog post short with a quick announcement. If you don’t know, this month The Calling celebrates it’s two year book anniversary and Contact (Book One in my A New World series) celebrates it’s one year book anniversary. Since, you can’t have an anniversary without some kind of celebration or gifts I wanted to let you all know that I have something special planned starting on Monday.

Keep your eyes posted for an announcement on Monday January 27th and see what I have in store to help celebrate these amazing milestones in my writing career and to celebrate these two award winning books.

Remember to like this post below and please if you want to help support my writing and me share this blog post on your social media platforms or email it to friends or family  who you think might find me and my novels interesting. Your support really does help and I greatly appreciate all the love you send my way. Got a question for me leave it below in the comments or you can email me at info@mdneu.com. Until next time have a great week.

2018-2019 Rainbow Awards

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Happy Wednesday Scribblers have I got some amazing news to share with you this week. Over the last year several of my books have been part of the Rainbow Awards, and this weekend the award winners were announced. I won in several categories and received some wonderful Honorable Mentions, check it out:

The Calling - Two Honorable Mentions and came in third place for Best Gay Debut Book (click here to view all the winners).

Here’s what the judges said:

"This book, by far, was the best read. The emotional connection between the characters and story were paced very well and the story, as a whole, was awesome. I hated to see this end with no word if there will be more."

"I enjoyed this interesting twist on vampires, and particularly liked the idea of the choice of light or dark. The final showdown rocked, and had me turning pages. The characters are interesting, although they feel a little emotionally detached at times, yet this does mesh with the perspective of the MC narrator."

Buy the book here.

Contact-A New World Book 1- Two Honorable Mentions, Winner for Best Gay Alternative Universe/Reality & Sci-Fi/Futuristic, and came in twelfth place for Best Gay Book (click here to view all the winners).

Here’s what the judges said:

"This is a well written story and pulled me in from the beginning. I like sci fi stories that keep me wondering and this is just what Contact does. Can’t wait to see what happens in book two."

"An excellent book that I'd highly recommend to readers of the genre it had me laughing crying and praying for the characters. A book I thought about often for a long time after I'd read it."

Buy the book here.

Conviction-A New World Book 2 - Three Honorable Mentions, Winner for Best Gay Alternative Universe/Reality & Sci-Fi/Futuristic (click here to view all the winners), and came in third for Best Gay Book (click here to view all the winners).

Here’s what the judges said:

"I loved this story. It was fortunate that I had already read the first book Contact, as this next installment flows seamlessly into the next section of the tale. Todd is the perfect 'everyman'. I completely connected with the character, and Neu had me turning pages wanting to discover how he fairs in his precarious new position as an emissary to an alien race, and in his burgeoning new interspecies romance! There are a lot of parallels here to be tied to our current world, which made the book even more appealing, and without being preachy, really sent home the message of kindness, love, bravery and doing what's right. I highly recommend not only the book but the series."

"I read this book in one session. A well-rounded sci-fi story that I could imagine as a movie. "

"The two books in this series are easily among the best books I've read in 2019. They have everything I want from a Sci-Fi book. An emotional roller coaster with twists and turns and world building. They are excellently written."

Buy the book here.

As you can imagine, I couldn’t be more please. If you want to help me celebrate, you can share this news via the share button below. Let’s get the word out so folks don’t miss out on these award winning books. If you have questions or comments please share them below and I’ll jump back over and respond. As always don’t forget to share and like this post. Until next time have a great week.

Three Year Bookaversary! The Reunion

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. As I touched on last week this is the three year anniversary of my novella The Reunion. This short little ghost story was what wet the appetite of readers and introduced me to the reading community. Before my debut novel The Calling came out, The Reunion was picked up by my publisher NineStar Press and released as part of their Halloween Anthology. It was an exciting moment for me. I had never done anything like this before and it was a huge step outside of my comfort zone.

I remember worrying that no one would buy the eBook. They did. Then, I was worried Readers would hate the story. They didn’t. Then, I was terrified people would hate me and my writing. Luckily that didn’t happen either.

As of this posting The Reunion is:

21st on Goodreads List of Short Reads

295th on Goodreads List of Best Gay Paranormal Book

183rd on Goodreads List of Best M/M Novellas, Short Stories

I really couldn’t be more pleased with how well this wonderful novella has done. Okay, well if they were number one that would be pretty freaking cool.

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Anyway, today is The Reunion’s third birthday so how about going out there and picking up a copy and showing it some love. It’s less than $3 for the eBook and it’s a fun read that will get you into the Halloween Spirit for sure. Buy your copy from one of the many online retailers here. Do you need more convincing? Click here for the reviews.

Here is the story blurb:

It’s been twenty years since the quiet Midwestern town of Lakeview was struck by tragedy. But every year on the anniversary of the event Teddy returns home for ‘The Reunion’. Lakeview, like Teddy, has secrets and not all mysteries should come to light.

If you’ve read The Reunion and want to help celebrates its third birthday, share this link below and tell your friends and family all about it and why you love Teddy and his friends. What’s your favorite ghost story? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time have a great week.