Best Seller Christopher Rice Presents New Series--Bone Music!

So what do I do for my birthday? Why, I give myself a book that I wanted to read, as soon as I saw it was available! It's been awhile since I read Rice's fabulous writing... Check out A Density of Souls and The Snow Garden. I've also reblogged a previous interview frp, my other blog, which I am now merging into Book Readers Heaven...for easier viewing...


Bone Music:
The Burning Girl Series

By Christopher Rice

If you've read the book,
do you agree with these potential characters?

Jason Briffel reads the transcript again. His hands are shaking. If anyone inside this roadside diner notices how badly he’s sweating, they’ll probably blame the baking desert heat outside. But it’s not the heat. It’s the same full-body reaction he experiences every time he reads the ten-year-old record of the last time Trina appeared onstage with her birth father. 
Normally the transcript focuses him, which is why he picked it up after the plate of steak and eggs in front of him failed to ignite his appetite. He thought it would collect his scattered thoughts, channel his anxiety and doubt into action. 
It’s been seven years since he showed up on the doorstep of her grandmother’s house in California, even longer since he mailed her those letters explaining how her birth father and her so-called rescue by the authorities had averted her true destiny. Her soul was being starved. Together, the two of them could reawaken that exceptional and enlightened young girl Daniel and Abigail Banning had coaxed into being.  
But today the transcript hasn’t worked its usual magic. Reading it has left him angry and confused. He’s gripped now by the humiliating memory of what happened to him that fateful night at Burnham College. He’s feeling the vise grip of the two blazer-clad security guards who’d appeared out of nowhere right after he entered the auditorium. The ones who’d threatened to call the cops as they carried him out so quickly he could practically feel the wind in his hair. 
A hopeful, perhaps foolish part of him had been convinced that someone in Trina’s inner circle would have seen the wisdom in his letters. Abigail Banning certainly had. 
Unlike Trina, who responded to his attempts at honest communication with a restraining order, Abigail replied in great detail to every single letter Jason mailed her at Haddock Penitentiary. She recognized Jason as the vehicle for her adopted daughter’s restoration, a daughter who’d been divinely gifted to her and then cruelly removed by a world that did not understand the spiritual necessity of life taking. Abigail blessed Jason with words he’d been desperate to hear since he’d first laid eyes on Trina. You will be the Daniel to her Abigail, she’d written. And in so doing, you will become become my son, too. Why hadn’t he read that letter instead of this transcript? He’s brought it with him, along with several others. They’re at the bottom of his backpack, along with the coil of rope, the rolls of duct tape, and the Ziploc bags in which he plans to put the bullets he’s going to strip from the three different guns she keeps in her house. 
Should he read it now? No, there’s no telling what effect it might have on him. Instead he searches the diner for corrupters. There’s one sitting a few tables away: pretty and young, with a blonde ponytail and a halter top that reveals just enough suntanned skin to corrupt. She taps at the screen of her smartphone. The mustached man sitting across from her gazes out at the passing eighteen-wheelers with a vacant stare that reveals all the damage she’s done to his soul. She ignores the man on purpose. Jason knows this. That morning, or possibly the night before, she denied the man sex and took great, silent, delight in the pain this caused him. Right now she’s texting a girlfriend, or maybe several, and they’re reveling in the power she lords over the man, in the pain her withholding creates in him. And she does this because she is a corrupter, one of many. And once Jason has awakened Trina to their combined destiny, she will give herself entirely to their union and help him remove women like this blonde whore from the earth. Trina will burn away the evidence of his work, just like she burned away the detritus of Abigail and Daniel’s victims. But first he has to break down her walls, show her there’s no escape. From her true calling. From her real mother. From him. These thoughts, these plans—this vision—finally give him the confidence he’s been seeking since he stopped off at this diner. He has only a few hours left in his drive, a few hours until he’ll reach the isolated parcel of Arizona desert she now calls home.

~~~

One of the first things she did when she was finally on her own was to choose and legally change her name.
Charlotte soon became Charley, a name she liked and enjoyed using. It was entirely different from her real name, Trina, and its association with The Burning Girl...

Trina's mother had been gruesomely murdered while Trina was in the car. The couple who had acted together to fulfill their thirst for violence had taken the baby...to raise as their own. Trina never knew that her "parents" were serial rape/ murderers. Until she was 7 and they started her out by giving her the responsibility to burn all that had been worn and owned by those murdered. The Burning Girl soon became what she was best known as...

And, it wasn't surprising that a stalker had started following her after seeing all of those false representative books and movies of her formative years... He had tried to talk to Charlie and she quickly put a restraining order on him...Then he talked to her adoptive mother, who was in jail. She quickly realized the potential of getting her daughter to again "work" to fulfill her earlier role in...murder...And Jason wanted to be her partner just as her adoptive father had been to Abigail, her mother...

When her birth father found her and freed her--only to then use her as the basis for books and movies about the years she lived as the child of serial killers, she was harassed and forced to say what she was told.  When she had been old enough to act on her own, she sued her father and escaped from a life she was now trying to put behind her. To do so, she had built an extremely secured home which, initially, was totally away from everybody...She hibernated, not wanting or needing to be with any people. But she had started going to local AA meetings. That's where she met Dylan...

He told her that he knew she didn't belong in AA meetings, but he did provide the opportunity she needed to talk out what had happened. They had met routinely thereafter and Charlie had shared more than she would have ever thought she could...She had begun to trust again... but was still very afraid... Dylan suggested she take medication to help...

“The world is full of bad men, Charlotte. Go find some. 

Show them what you can do.”

And that's when the major plot begins! And it breaks into an unbelievable, fantasy thriller where Charlie becomes "close" but not the same as Bionic Woman. She is a much more fascinating woman which is suited to be responsive to her special needs based on her past and what happened since then... Think, perhaps, PTSD meds with a "kick..."

I loved the way one character was brought into the story. You see, he was a bully in the same school after Trina had been freed...and he was the one who started calling her Burn Girl. But Luke Prescott is a changed man who has an interesting FBI background and also an interesting hacker brother, both of whom greatly enhance the story. Charlie and Luke slowly begin coming acquainted with the new people they now are... as do the team that is slowly developing and surrounding her with care...

Then there is a former close friend of her grandmother who had died, leaving another devastating loss for Charlie to handle... He successfully works with former alcoholics and immediately is there to help protect her when Charlie's first trouble begins...

That is, when her stalker is already in her home one day when she returns...and attacks!

The psychological suspense of the story is what drew me in the most... While I would normally move quickly through a thriller, I found there were so many brilliant gems in paragraphs that kept coming, that I slowed the pace of my reading in order to dwell on significant issues that were woven within the story that I found relevant to both my own and, I am sure, other lives who have been traumatized in some way. The writing related to Charlie's various experiences was sensitively done, and showed the breadth of knowledge and thought of the author in both character development as well as his story telling. Rice's writing is intellectually stimulating, relevant and compelling.

While loving both the previous novels by this author, the "concept" of the medication and the reason for its trial and error approach, provided much to ponder...and a wonderful goal should anybody ever develop such a medication... I am so looking forward to the next in series, having pre-ordered even if it doesn't come out until next year! Charlie's a woman who has gone through trauma like no other... But will she be able to continue to keep the "potential" of the drug under control??! I loved this book and is easily added as a personal favorite! For women, this just might be a must-read for several reasons, at least in my opinion...


GABixlerReviews

Christopher Rice is the recipient of the Lambda Literary Award and is the New York Times bestselling author of A DENSITY OF SOULS and the Bram Stoker Award finalists THE HEAVENS RISE and THE VINES. He is the head writer and an executive producer of "The Vampire Chronicles", a television show based on the bestselling novels by his mother, Anne Rice. Together they penned RAMSES THE DAMNED: THE PASSION OF CLEOPATRA, a sequel to her bestselling novel THE MUMMY OR RAMSES THE DAMNED. BONE MUSIC, the first installment in his new Burning Girl series, was released March 1st, 2018, and the sequel, BLOOD ECHO, will be released in February 2019. With his best friend, New York Times bestselling novelist Eric Shaw Quinn, Christopher hosts the YouTube channel THE DINNER PARTY SHOW WITH CHRISTOPHER RICE & ERIC SHAW QUINN (#TDPS). THE DINNER PARTY SHOW began as a podcast and Internet radio show. You can download and stream all of their episodes at www.TDPS.tv. He lives in West Hollywood, California. Visit him at www.christopherricebooks.com.

After A Lean Winter by David Farland Hearkens Back to War of Worlds by H.G. Wells

Using a great story upon which to create anew is surely something that is routinely done... But how close or how far can the imagination go in this new creation? In this case, as if Jack London was the main character! I think that David Farland has done an outstanding job in creating After A Lean Winter... The emotional impact of being invaded by something beyond the earth is still as amazing and emotionally charged as the original War of the Worlds and can still capture the fascinating possibility of it really happening! Especially with the intriguing  cover for the story!

There were no enemy ships on the horizon, so I watched as Pierre swept into Hidden Lodge on

Titchen Creek late on a moonless night. His two sled dogs huffed and bunched their shoulders, then dug their back legs in with angry growls, hating the trail, as they crossed that last stubborn rise. The runners of his sled rang over the crusted snow with the sound of a sword being drawn from its scabbard, and the leather harnesses creaked. The air that night had a feral bite to it. The sun had been down for days, sometimes hovering near the horizon, and the deadly winter chill was on. It would be a month before we'd see the sun again. For weeks we had felt that cold air gnawing us, chewing away at our vitality, like a wolf pup worrying a shard of caribou bone long after the marrow is depleted. In the distance, billowing thunderclouds raced toward us under the glimmering stars, promising some insulating warmth. A storm was chasing Pierre's trail. 

By agreement, no one came to the lodge until just before a storm, and none stayed long after the storm began. Pierre's two poor huskies caught the scent of camp and yipped softly. Pierre called "Gee," and the sled heeled over on a single runner. Carefully, he twisted the gee-poles, laid the sled on its side next to a dozen others. I noted a heavy bundle lashed to the sled, perhaps a moose haunch, and I licked my lips involuntarily. I'd pay well for some meat.

~~~

After A Lean Winter

By David Farland

Living in this area of our country is bad enough without problems with a war! Interestingly though, the martians that had invaded the United States had discovered that the climate around the arctic circle would meet their needs!

In warmer climes, it was said, they died quickly from bacterial infections. But that was not true here by the Circle. The Martians were thriving in our frozen wastes. Their crops grew at a tremendous rate on any patch of frozen windswept ground--in spite of the fact that there was damned little light. Apparently, Mars is a world that is colder and darker than ours, and what is for us an intolerable frozen hell is to them a balmy paradise.

~~~

Jack sat watching was men and their huskies came toward the Lodge. As soon as they were in sight and identified Jack, they were asking about whether the martians had been seen...

"Jacues? Jacues Lowndunn? Dat you?" he called, his voice muffled by the wolverine-fur trim of his parka. He pronounced my name, Jack London, in a thick accent, his lips frozen. "What news, my fren'? Eh?"

 "No one's had sight of the bloody-minded Martians in two weeks," I said. "They cleared out of Juneau." There had been a brutal raid on the town of Dawson some weeks before. The Martians captured the whole town, harvesting the unlucky for no one would walk about unarmed, then forged up toward the lodge, plodding toward me through the crusted snow, floundering deeper and deeper into the drifts with every step, until he climbed up on the porch. There was no friendly light behind me to guide his steps. Such a light would have shown us up to the Martians. 

"Where did you spot them?" I asked.

 "Anchorawge," he grunted, stamping his feet and brushing snow out of his parka before entering the warmer lodge. "De citee ees gone, Jacues--dead. De Martians keel everybawdy, by gar!"

~~~

Many of us think of Alaska being the most secluded place, yet the martians had gone through Juneau, Anchorage, many other cities, destroyed them, and moved on to where few people were there to fight them, especially at this time of the year. So learning what was happening was the first thing that people asked about. Jack had his own memories of seeing the martians and it wasn't something he'd forget...

Only once had I ever had the misfortune of observing a Martian. It was when Bessie and I were on the steamer up from San Francisco. We'd sailed to Puget Sound, and in Seattle we almost put to port. But the Martians had landed, and we saw one of their warriors on the beach wearing a metal body that gleamed sullenly like polished brass. It stood watch, its curved protective armor stretching above its head like the chitinous shell of a crab, it's lank, tripod metal legs letting it stand gracefully a hundred feet in the air. At first, one would have thought it an inanimate tower, but it twisted ever so insignificantly as we moved closer, regarding us as a jumping spider will a gnat, just before it pounces. We notified the captain, and he kept sailing north, leaving the Martian to hunt on its lonely stretch of beach, gleaming in the afternoon sun. Bessie and I had thought then that we would be safe back in the Yukon. I cannot imagine any other place than the land near the Circle that is quite so relentlessly inhospitable to life, yet I am intimate with the petty moods of this land, which I have always viewed as something of a mean-spirited accountant which requires every beast upon it to pay his exact dues each year, or die. I had not thought the Martians would be able to survive here, so Bessie and I took our few possessions and struck out from the haven of San Francisco for the bitter wastes north of Juneau. We were so naive.

So what happens when you gone as far north as you can to escape, only to find the enemy is not only there but went further north...and were surviving in the location! Especially hurt were the trappers who had lost his opportunity to run his trap lines. Numbers of those living there were diminishing and Jack's wife, Bessie, was holed up at home, until the storm passed and he, along with others, would go back to their homes.

What I didn't expect was for them to have a dog fight! Nor, in their preparations to find...a martian!

The Arctic night was brutally cold, the stars piercingly bright. The aurora borealis flickered green on the northern horizon in a splendid display,.. I stood in the snow for a long hour, looking up at the shimmering display. My thoughts were cloudy, but I wondered at all I had seen. The Martians wanted this useless tundra, and I tried to imagine a world where we lived in peace, sharing it. 

~~~

When we face something so different that we don't know what is going to happen, do we go into a dramatic shutdown? Or do we do what we must do, figure out what to eat, where to live and, then, how will we survive... Only later do we begin philosophically thinking what about the future... David Farland's story brings us face-to-face with our own humanity and what we are willing to do. How does the story end? Each individual who was there would find their own ending... What would mine be? Yours? A fascinating story for your consideration!

GABixlerReviews

David Farland is an award-winning, New York Times bestselling author with dozens of books to his credit. He began his career writing short fiction as a prize writer, which vaulted him into prominence in the mid-1980s. He has written science fiction under his own name, Dave Wolverton, including the highly praised "On My Way to Paradise," which won the Philip K. Dick Memorial Special Award for "Best Novel in the English Language." 

David has also written novels in the Star Wars and Mummy Universes, and has worked as a videogame designer, most notably for Starcraft's Brood War. 

In 1999 he set the Guinness Record for the World's Largest single-person, single book signing. 

In the mid-1990s he began to follow his love for writing fantasy under the pen name David Farland, where he became best known for his international bestselling Runelords series; though he has also won the Whitney Award for best novel of the year for his historical novel "In the Company of Angels," and he also won the International Book Award for Best Young Adult Novel of the Year, along with the Hollywood Book Award for Best Book of the year for his Young Adult fantasy thriller, "Nightingale."

The Wings of Dragons by Josh VanBrakle - Book One of The Dragoon Saga - Cool YA, Adult Fantasy!

www.d20srd.org

"When the session ended, however, all those thoughts came flooding to him at once. Slamming the mop on the floor, Iren shouted. "It's not fair! Everyone else in the whole kingdom is right-handed. Why am I the only Left?" Grasping the rock Balear had thrown at him, Iren whipped around and launched it, not bothering to aim or even care what he hit.
"In truth, he could damage little. His chamber had little adornment: a hard bed with three discarded blankets and a dresser with the few outfits he'd fished from the trash. The only object of merit was a large painting hung on the wall beside the dresser. As if guided by fate, the rock struck its frame, and the artwork clattered to the floor.
"The harsh sound yanked Iren from his temper. He knelt and retrieved both the stone and the fallen painting. They were his finest treasures. The stone, little more than a black pebble, had come from the ocean. The surf had tossed it until it had worn perfectly smooth. Years ago, one of the castle children had brought it home, but his mother had commanded him to get rid of it. Iren swiped it that night, his only possession that had ever touched the sea.
"As for the painting, while he couldn't truly claim to own it, he still considered it his. It had hung in the tower since long before he arrived, yet it apparently held such low value that no one bothered to remove it when he took up residence. Still, he could help feeling a deep attachment to it, the only thing in his room he hadn't stolen or pulled from the garbage. Iren surveyed it closely. "No harm done," he whispered with relief.
"Returning the painting to the wall, Iren stepped back and took in the splendid image: a serpentine dragon. Though unsigned, the painting's remarkable realism made the great beast almost come alive. Blue streaks and hairs off its spine accentuated its gleaming white body. Its wings stretched beyond the paintings borders, so that they appeared to extend forever to the heavens. Though its mouth opened wide in a silent roar, its expression invoked not terror but majesty. The painting's frame held a small plaque that read, "Divinion, the Holy Dragon." 

~~~

The Wings of Dragons:

Book One of The Dragoon Saga

By Josh  VanBrakle

Ok, listen up everybody! Until I read this book and started working on my review, I knew nothing about what is out there on the subject... So if you are a gamer and some names might be similar --I don't do games and have no knowledge about whether there is any correlation to the gamer sites I just found through a search for pics... My review is based solely on what Josh VanBrakle has written in Book One... It's a fun book I enjoyed reading and would recommend it to all those who love fantasy and, in particular, dragons! Pics were selected as close as possible to the descriptions of those identified...

Now there were a couple of things that I was impressed with... the left-handed differentiation of what must have been a species that looked like humans, except that they were left-handed... Seems everybody is afraid of people who are different! Geesh! This poor guy, Iren, was placed in a tower to live when he was found and taken to Haldessa as a baby. Even now, after living there all of his life, everybody shunned him except the soldier who had first found him...He had to steal food or eat from what he could find in the garbage. Stealing was the only way he could have any kind of life. He even turned to playing tricks on others to get attention, even negative, that most of us covet... But the last time, he went too far!

"As he reached the doorway out of the men's bath,
though, a shadow passed the corner of his eye.
Reflexively, he turned, watching intently, but the
only movement came from torchlight playing off
the pool's surface and the shiny tiles.
"The feast must have started already," Iren said to
the empty quad...This was great. He could sneak in
without noticing, all the better for pilfering a bite
 or pulling someone's chair out from under them...
"Iren nicked some food off the tray of a passing
servant and took up a standing position along the
back wall, searching for easy victims to prank.
The ideal candidate, of course, had to be King
Azuluu...
"In the place of honor immediately to the king's
right sat the man of the hour: Captain Amroth
Angustion, leader of the Castle Guard...
"Amroth," the king continued, "I know of no
mightier warrior in all of Lodia, and your talents
extend off the battlefield as well. I cannot in good
conscience allow you to remain merely a captain.
No, for the first time since taking the throne, I
will formally offer to someone the position of
king's chief advisor. I offer it to you, Captain
Amroth Angustion. Do you accept?"
~~~

Amroth, the soldier who had originally saved him years ago was being honored at the Castle. If it had been anybody else--and if it didn't mean a huge meal that he wouldn't have to steal, Iren wouldn't have gone. But finally he talked himself into going, knowing that the first thing he would have to do was take a bath...

This was a fun scene to read as he shared his thoughts! Specifically, since he was shunned, everybody ran when he entered the public pool...

"The moment Iren began walking across the courtyard, the girls
stopped talking and stared at him with cold, empty eyes. Most
everyone in the castle looked at him that way, with eyes that
saw past him, a thing so contemptuous the senses rejected it...
"Undressing, Iren stifled a chuckle. He never tired of what came
next. Grabbing a towel and washcloth from the pile, he slammed
open the door facing the pool and paraded forward, grinning
broadly. As the noise, several faces turned and initially disregarded
him as just another bather, albeit a noisy one. A few seconds later,
their heads snapped in a double take as they realized the bather's
identity. Shouts filled the bath, and the furious splashing of water
as everyone rushed for the edge only added to the din. In less than
five minutes, the uproar ceased. The chamber had emptied
completely.
"Sliding into the water, Iren laughed. "How luck I am!" he shouted,
a little louder than he'd intended. "Nobody else gets to bathe in
private!"
Please note, I know this female wouldn't be in the men's bath,
but she looked soooo comfortable, I had to use! LOL
~~~

But even as the speeches were going on, Iren was looking for some type of prank to pull. Of course, Amroth was watching him while he was sneaking around, although he didn't show it! Little did Iren realize that he was playing right into Amroth's hands!

And Amroth almost was killed by announcing right then and there, in front of his world, that he was choosing Iren Saitosan and Sergeant Balear Platarch to go with him on a special, secret mission! Well, actually, he was almost killed because he spooked Iren in the midst of his prank! And, of course, the king immediately said--off with his head! No, no, LOL...that's another story...! Anyway, King Azuluu was furious and did command that he be killed but Amroth talked him out of his fury and into understanding what may be a death mission for the boy--for all of them--anyway. But something had to be done to get rid of the Quodivar!

So Iren was placed together with a trained Sergeant, who was NOT happy about it, and the three prepared to find the Quodivar. Iren had, of course, never been permitted to train with the regular soldiers, although he had sometimes watched from his tower home and tried to learn their moves. Now he was being given a sword and expected to fight enemies! The only reason Iren was going was he didn't have a choice! And he did have a debt to pay to Amroth.

About this time, readers will begin to wonder... You should! Why would a young man who had been ostracized his entire life be taken on a special secret mission? Then, it really gets strange, because the woman to whom he'd first been given when a baby, declared she was going with this group! 

Well Amaroth confessed some of his past actions, one of which was to apologize for suggesting Iren be kept in the Tower, which led to his being treated so badly. Now, he wanted Iren to be able to prove himself...and to also avenge his parents, telling them about the night they had been murdered... Hearing the word Avenge immediately caught his attention and he really started listening... Iren had one goal now--revenge!

www.dreamstime.com
To Iren, she probably lookedliked this--but his image of her
changed greatly by the end!

Rondel was one of my favorite characters--looking like an old hag who was constantly drunk. She had watched and kept track of Iren since he had been moved into the Tower. So, upon hearing the news, she had immediately packed and prepared to go with them. From Rondel Iren learned to fight and oh so much more! Let's just say that she knew what had happened when Iren had been given his sword, and it had immediately...accepted...him! None of the three men knew how much they would need Rondel as they began riding out on their mission! Loved her!

www.draconika.com

Lots of mysticism, strange characters and magic in this book that I'd love to go ahead and tell you about but I'm not going to so I won't give anything away, other than to warn you: Be on the alert when you reach forest lands... and...Look out for the "Red" Dragon!

There is even a potential love interest for Iren which hopefully will continue into the next book!

There are some underlying principles for living that I appreciated and enjoyed for differentiation of good and evil--because we all know that all dragons are not evil! This is a wonderful, well-written story, while at the same time, the author has given sufficient enemies for us to hate and fight against. Mainly, I just loved the mysticism and use of magic the most! Some really creative images for us to visualize... Highly recommended!


GABixlerReviews

My name is Josh VanBrakle, and I'm an author of the perfectly logical combination - to me, anyway - of epic fantasy novels and environmental non-fiction.

Born in Altoona, Pennsylvania, I spent most of my life in Hershey, PA. Before you ask, yes, it really does smell like chocolate there! In the past few years, I've shed the suburban life for a rural one in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York with my wife and two ill-behaved cats (excuse me a moment; one of them is chewing on an electrical outlet).

I grew up with a passion for both reading and the outdoors. My parents claim I learned to read using dinosaur books, because all the dinosaur names had phonetic spellings after them. I was introduced to fantasy the way many of you likely were - through The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. From those first few pages, I knew I wanted to write a novel someday.

Unfortunately, this little thing called life intervened. It was a dark time, but I somehow graduated from Lebanon Valley College with a degree in Environmental Economics and from the State University of New York - College of Environmental Science and Forestry with a Master of Science in Natural Resource Management.

I might never have gone back to writing had it not been for a serendipity moment. A local author, Shannon Delany (awesome woman - author of the 13 to Life series and theWeather Witch series), held a free writing workshop series. I just happened to see it advertised in the newspaper and decided to attend.

It changed my life. If that sounds like exaggeration, it's not. I dove back into old manuscripts, refined my characters, built a whole new world and narrative to go along with them, and revised, revised, revised. Thanks to the help of some great friends, The Wings of Dragons was born.

While I continue to grow my writing career, I also work a day job at a local environmental nonprofit promoting rural land conservation. In my "spare time" - as if I had any - I enjoy hiking, kayaking, nature photography, and generally being outdoors wherever and whenever possible. Check out my photo gallery below for some examples of my wanderings in the Catskill Mountains and the rest of my site!

Mysticism Neurosurgery, and More in The Avatar Syndrome by Stan I.S.Law!

"There were three of them. Three wingless flies moving slowly, in concentric circles, as though burdened by some invisible load, across the kitchen table. 

“Anne?” “Yes, Mommy?” Anne or Annette, as her father liked to call her, was a bundle of joy. Five at her last birthday, a mass of richly curled naturally red hair bounced with each of her jaunty youthful steps. She presented a picture of health and happiness. Diana Howell normally had to hold herself back from picking her up and squeezing her for all she was worth. “Yes, Mommy?” Anne repeated as her mother stood over her, her hands clasped tightly together as though holding something small but precious. 

“Please explain these?” Diana pointed to the three de-winged flies still performing their gyrations on the table. 

“The flies, Mommy?” Her mother didn’t answer. This was the third time in as many weeks that she’d asked her daughter the same question. “Please explain these....”

 “They like honey, Mommy. I gave them some...”

 “Anne?” Diana’s voice sounded more stern. 

Anne’s mop of hair bounced up and down as she danced around the table. “If I didn’t take off their wings, they would fly away before they ate all the honey, Mommy!”

~~~

The Avatar Syndrome

By Stan I.S. Law

The above opening to The Avatar Syndrome threw me. Oh Boy, what have I got myself into now?

A child removing the wings of flies??? Stanislaw writes more books than I'll ever be able to really read and digest. When I saw him request reviews for Headless World at Reviewers Roundup on Facebook, I let him know I'd read it when I could... Instead, he sends me The Avatar Syndrome AND Headless World, indicating he just knew I'd want to read the prequel before the sequel... 

Unfortunately for me with a high TBR stack is that he was right! I would not have wanted to read the second book without the first! Sure, they can stand alone but how could I possibly discuss one without knowing the whole story? Of course, it's fiction, but Stanislaw throws his full intellect into each and every book he writes and while readers think they are enjoying a great fantasy thriller, they are learning much more about subjects you would never consider trying to learn. Take, for instance, neurosurgery...

Quite simply I don't have the background to understand the sciences, but this author knows that and so he writes so that you get so invested in the story that you try to comprehend what's happening and you do pick up at least a basic understanding. Take Anne, for instance, the main character. If you read the above opening, you'll probably immediately think psychopath. Indeed Anne had many other problems and when she entered school and started to interact, she was ultimately expelled and her parents had to homeschool her.

Skipping quite a bit, Anne is finally scheduled to meet with a psychologist, who immediately, in my opinion, seem to slough off her problems. Her parents really thought so, too, but decided that since Anne was fine with homeschooling, they would wait. But then one day she had a headache...

And that's when they discovered... Well, I'm not going to tell you mainly because I understand the basic premise, but don't think I could explain it to my readers. Let's just say that her brain is different than ours... There was a time in Anne's past when she had been kidnapped; they believe it may have caused that to happen and it sounded to me quite credible...scientifically...

But, really, I prefer to think it was supposed to be that way... Do you believe in the mystical??? Then you've got to read this book!

During her treatment, Anne met a young doctor and discovered that he played the violin and with two sticks, played a concerto. Now he must have hummed along with moving his fingers, because Anne was enthralled. She wanted to learn how to play!

Do you know what an avatar is? I didn't before I read this book. Sure, I'm placed a cat to be my "avatar" on some social site, just as many of you have... But, wow!

Just Wow!

Before long, Anne was not only playing the violin, she was lauded as the greatest violinist alive... Soon she was giving concerts... Then she was scheduled to tour!

I know that you may choose not to listen to the music I've selected in response to reading this novel. But I wanted to give you some feeling for what two years of constant touring/playing must have taken in terms of strength and emotions. You will learn that there was a reason for Anne's collapse and her ultimate withdrawal from playing.

Because by then, she knew that she was to move on to another type of music--interacting with the autistic children who lived in Canada and much more...

“Fire, no Ma... Diana.” Peter had great difficulties fraternizing with his betters. Elders, he quickly corrected his own definition. It certainly wasn’t due to his so-called humble milieu. In fact, his father was a respected oncologist in Toronto. It was mostly John Brent’s presence that dampened his spontaneity. “Actually I was....” “...playing the Sibelius violin concerto. He is brilliant!” Anne burst in with unaccustomed vivacity.
 “Well, there is only so much you can do with a stick...” he continued to look embarrassed. 
“I thought your rendering of the andante was particularly engaging, Sir,” 
Gabriel said from the doorway, his voice as serious as though delivering a pontifical dogma. He filled the opening almost completely. “Will there be anything else, Madam?” 
By now Diana had no idea what was going on at all. Her daughter a genius, Peter playing violin concertos with a pair of sticks, Gabriel applauding his performance!
~~~

“The Max Bruch? Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky, I can play him better than I can pronounce him. And what of Felix Mendelssohn, or Johannes Brahms. Of course, there is my beloved Sibelius. Dear Jean, dear Julius Christian....” 
"They all sounded like her dear, personal friends. Peter suspected that, when alone, she thought of them all in first names only. Dear Max, or Pyotr, or Felix. She had also read all about them. All of them. Detailed biographies, trying to get into the minds of these great composers, perhaps their souls. She needed to know what all those messengers of the gods had felt when those divine notes flowed through them, through their hearts onto the lined paper. She sighed deeply, probably tearing herself away from Jean’s study. Then she looked at Peter, a silent plea in her eyes. 
~~~

"He strongly suspected the latter, although, eventually, the two really became one. As for the performance of the Brahm’s Concerto, well... There were only two things that separated it from all the other performances in Montreal. First, it was the soloist herself. And the second was almost as unique. Anne’s very last note was followed by deadly silence. Whether people had refused to accept that the concerto was over, or whether they were just swept into a different reality, no one would ever know. But it wasn’t until virtually the whole audience had risen to their feet that the first hands joined in applause. The applause lasted until Anne had returned to the stage a dozen times, bowed and sent kisses, then climbed to the conductor’s podium to kiss the conductor, which act, needless to say, invoked another storm of applause. 
"Just as Sir Ian had promised, it was a night no one would soon forget. And this was just the beginning.
~~~

"Anne was much too old to be considered a child prodigy. Mozart was four when he composed his first symphony. He qualified to be called a Wunderkind, Michael agreed, but not Anne. “No way,” Michael insisted, “Anne is very talented, after all she’s my daughter,” he postulated with a straight face, “but she’s no prodigy. She just works very hard.” Michael desperately wanted Anne to be, what he called, ‘normal’. He had read about too many cases where the so-called ‘wonder children’ had their lives destroyed by success too early. 
"Peter tended to agree. He knew a thing or two about the fiddle. Also about child prodigies. But early success did not necessarily spell impending doom. Yehudi Menuhin had played solo violin with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra when he was just seven years old. At eleven he’d made his debut in Carnegie Hall with Beethoven’s violin concerto. When Einstein heard him two years later, he is reported to have said: ‘Now I know there is a God in heaven!’ Peter smiled at his own thoughts. He loved that story.
~~~

"At the final concert there was an air of reserved expectation and excitement. The program was reversed. Traditionally, the violin concerto is played before the intermission. It is preceded by some introductory oeuvre, usually by a local composer, like the di Vargas Intermezzo, and followed, after the break, by a symphony. With Anne, this was impossible. In Rio de Janeiro, more than a year ago, the conductor had wisely decided to change the established order. After her performance in New Delhi, it had proven impossible to maintain any order after she had finished her performance. Following a moment or two of flabbergasted awe, people had erupted into such a display of adulation that it had taken more than an hour to quiet them down. In Rio, and ever since, Anne’s performance was the final piece on the program. In the Royal Box, where Peter, John and the Howells sat as Sir Ian’s guests, everyone shed tears of joy, of elation, of euphoria at being transported to a reality they hardly suspected existed. Anne took many curtain calls and then walked quickly, alone, to Sir Ian Barton’s dressing room.
"There she placed the Stradivarius carefully in the glass cabinet from which it had once come. For a little while she stood looking at the magnificent violin which, at least in part, had made her famous. She touched it once more, as one would touch a lover one would never see again. A solitary tear rolled from her eye. Then another. And then her chest heaved in convulsive spasms of the agony of the final farewell. Anne never played another note.
Note: No mention of Shostakovitch was in this book. I chose this because I love the minor classics, as I also chose this violinist to represent Anne in my blog.
~~~

http://www.muhcfoundation.com/neurological_hospital"Dr. John Brent, MD, FRCS, had been Director of Montreal Neurological Institute long enough to know that threatening the Minister with future problems would be of little interest to him. He had saved his trump card. “Minister Courtier,” he said, leaning over the immaculate surface of the mahogany conference table and lowering his voice to a conspiratorial level, “I must confide in you.”
"The Minister unwittingly began to listen. Secrets were always good for business. It kept one ahead of the game. “We have hard evidence that the Federal Government guidelines bear a direct result on the sanity of the whole nation. The Whole Nation,” the doctor capitalized the last two words with exaggerated facial expression.
 “What do you mean, doctor?” The Minister stirred uncomfortably. This didn’t sound good. Mimi might have to wait a minute longer. Life could be really tough in politics. Even Canadian politics.
~~~

During all this time, Anne was undergoing many tests by the head neurosurgeons at the Montreal Neurological Institute... Of course, there were others being treated but Anne's unique situation became the basis for much new research that was started... Then Anne came to the attention of others and more wanted to see what was happening...

By the way, I've left out a very important character, who was lovingly called Gabby.  When you start reading, pay attention to him! LOL! Also, Dr. Peter Brown, the stick-violinist and Anne got married when she was 19... 

The book ends...but immediately starts to invite you into the sequel... where Peter Brown takes center stage... Of course, along with Anne... So much happens in this novel, I wanted to help readers see the scope and complexity...but even then, I've just skirted the primary issues. There is no doubt the author is brilliant in his presentation of science and spirituality within fiction. If you haven't read him and you enjoy intellectual stimulation above the norm in novels, please do consider these two! Of the books I've read thus far by the author, these are both the best by far... Can't wait to tell you about being Headless! (Monday!)


GABixlerReviews

Stan I.S. Law (nome de plume of Stanislaw Kapuscinski), an architect, sculptor and prolific writer was educated in Poland and England. Since 1965 he has resided in Canada. His special interests cover a broad spectrum of arts, sciences and philosophy. His fiction and non-fiction attest to his particular passion for the scope and the development of human potential. He authored more than twenty books, twelve of them novels. His novels have often been described as visionary fiction, and/or spiritual thrillers. His short fiction has also been shortlisted for the CBC Literary Awards.

Under his real name he published six non-fiction books sharing his vision of reality. He also composed two collections of poems in his original native tongue, in which he satirizes his view of the world while paying homage to Bozena Happach's sculptures.

As an architect [RIBA, MRAIC, OAQ ret.] he designed a number high rise buildings in Montreal, including Regency Hyatt Hotel (now Delta), Place Mercantile, Headquarters for the Mutual Alliance, as well as a number of low and middle rise structures for private clients. In the National Capital he was the associate in charge of design of Royal Bank Headquarters on Sparks Street.

To find out more about me, look at http://stanlaw.ca or add me as a friend wherever you find me!

http://gallery.passion4art.com/members/stankap/gallery.html

Ruby Moon-Houldson's Latest in Guardian Series Now Out in EBook...

Guardian of the Middle Realm
(Photo credit: www.ruffrootcreative.com)

“Vows are for those who wish to keep them,” Jadyn related with a huff. “And you no longer wish to keep the one that ties you to Remiel?” he asked with great interest.
 “I want more than he’s willing to give. I have to live out my own life just as others do. It doesn’t look like I’ll be in the Middle Realm for much longer.” 
“You’ve been spending quite a bit of time up here lately.” Jadyn turned her gaze upon Araboth once more. 
“You’ve noticed?” Araboth nodded. 
“Most certainly.” He then smiled. “So tell me, Hephate, what’s come about to make you feel the way you do now? What about your duty? What about the Middle Realm?” 
“To the devil with the Middle Realm. It’s nothing but a battle ground of chaos and unrest. Those who dwell there need to be on their own—fight for themselves if they want to make it—prove their own worth to save their own skins. Goodness knows I’ve given my all for them. And what have I received in return? Being surrounded by vampires. Working with kids. And being saddled with a Pure One who’s afraid to rock the boat a little every now and then. I need a stronger companion—one who’s willing to take a chance on having fun now and then. Strong arms and gentle whispers just don’t cut it any longer. I’m tired of the constant struggle to keep balance in the Middle Realm. I’m ready to rest now. I’m ready to come home to stay,” she shared with an air of finality. 
Araboth considered Hephate’s words. He probed the Great Master’s mind and read her thoughts. He also concentrated on and dissected the feelings which were flowing free from Hephate’s countenance. He concluded she was being sincere in her revelation. He drew an arm about the Great Master. “You can always count on us—those you’ve been with over the eons. And I’ll stand by you if you need someone to turn to while you work through your troubles,” Araboth offered. 
Jadyn smiled. “Thanks, Araboth. That means a lot to me.” 
“Anytime,” he replied as he lightly ran a hand down the long black hair which blanketed Hephate’s back. 
“I think I’ll head out for the Guardian’s abode,” Jadyn announced. 
“Need some company?” Jadyn smiled once again as she slowly eyed the Great Master up, down, and then up again. “Why not? We just may enjoy a stimulating conversation along the way.” 
“And maybe even something more,” Araboth returned in a suggestive undertone. And with that he slipped an arm around Hephate and proceeded to guide them down the golden path which would lead them to the nearest portico.

Guardians of Immortal Faith


By Ruby Moon-Houldson

The unbelievable has happened! Jadyn, the main character in The Guardian series by Ruby Moon-Houldson has turned against Christopher and her family. She wants to return to the Upper Realms, where she can use her power as a Great Master! Christopher could go too, if he wanted—but it is clear she really doesn’t care if he does! What could have caused it?

Christopher started having dreams in Guardians of Immortal Faith. Given that many important events have been foretold in their dreams, he is worried—because Jadyn has turned against him and has threatened his life so that he must defend himself in the only way he can—by showing his vampire side and covering the mark on Jadyn’s throat with his fangs! Each time he awakes, just as Jadyn screams, “No, Remiel!”

Although Christopher and Jadyn have routinely shared important dreams with each other at the appropriate time, Christopher felt he could not this time, for he had already begun to see actual changes in Jadyn that bothered him. For one, in the frenzy of battles, she had “accidentally” killed a number of good vampires. Many had become leery of being involved in a battle if she was there. At home, she had become impatient with the children; so much so that Christopher was concerned she might hurt one or more of them!

As he thought about it, things had started to be different when she first discovered that she was a Great Master and she was spending more and more time in the Upper Realms. While he is taking on more and more responsibilities and all are now looking to him as their leader. He has faith in Jadyn and believes she will rid of herself of what is bothering her and get back to her family. That is, until he starts hearing the rumors. Rumors that Hephate [Jadyn] is routinely seen with another of the Great Masters! Since their own intimacy has dramatically decreased, fear and jealousy brings about a confrontation.

Jadyn is almost relieved to tell him that she is tired of the never-ending battles that do nothing to help the Middle Realm, suggesting that the mortals should fight their own battles! She wants to move back into the Upper Realms and if Christopher won’t go with him, then she will take Rayna and live there! Christopher is so concerned that he decides that he must hide Rayna to protect her from her mother!

You can’t afford to miss Guardians of Immortal Faith by Ruby Moon-Houldson. One good thing that I can report is that Randu has become interested in a woman! Of course it is the same woman that had come to Christopher’s bed to tempt him into becoming unfaithful to his wife...
How long can Christopher keep his Immortal Faith? Trackle Ruby Moon-Houldson, put it on your calendar, or whatever you do to make sure you don’t miss Guardians of Immortal Faith. Not my favorite—but you gotta read it! For when the battle of the swords begins in the Valley of Fire, Christopher and Jadyn will be fighting on different sides!

Special Afterwords of conversations between Jadyn and The Great One, as well as Jadyn’s thoughts provide readers an intimate view of the struggles and turmoil she faced during this time in her life. Once again, the author has given us ample reason to follow The Guardian Series!

~~~

The Guardian series is a sensuous escape into the fantasy world of the ages. I am thoroughly hooked! When I read the More Than Angels books, I declared Moon-Houldson a must-read author. However, the Guardian series, in an entirely different genre, forces, yes, forces me to consider this author a Creative Genius! Book reviews cannot begin to describe the fascinating complexity, compelling story line and sensuality of these stories. While based upon well-researched somehow familiar magical stories, each idea from Moon-Houldson is unique but totally interwoven into an intricate tale that becomes a reality into which readers invariably fall! Building suspense through character development and constantly more exciting and seemingly impossible challenges is almost magically done through brilliant writing! The Guardian series demands to be consumed!


GABixlerReviews

Ruby Moon-Houldson has written over thirty books to date. She has met, spoken with, and conferred with many of the actors from the Original Series of Star Trek, as well as the many spin-off series. Ruby considers Leonard Nimoy to be her “hero” seeing she looked to his example as she was growing up. Ruby is a published author who enjoys writing in the science fiction/paranormal genres as well as children’s books, and reference books. 

She also submits material for online magazines, nursing textbook companies, and works with an Entertainment Company housed in CA which hosts Star Trek conventions for the fans. Ruby writes for Roddenberry Productions. She wrote a speech which was presented at the Great Bird of the Galaxy Conference in Texas and worked on the ‘Beam Me Up Scotty’ program that was presented by PlanetXpo in Hollywood, CA. 

Moon-Houldson has appeared as guest speaker at various conventions across the United States as well as conducted book signings. Ruby is a member of the Trek Writer’s Guild. She is the author of the book titled “A Tribute to James Doohan, ‘Scotty’” as well as the book “A Tribute to Spock,” “A Tribute to Walter Koenig,” and “A Tribute to George Takei.” 

Ruby is a member of the Indiana Literacy Coalition, the Greene County Speaker’s Bureau, and the Greene County Writer’s Group. She also dabbles in photography (getting tips from Leonard Nimoy) and creates artwork for book covers. She is the President of “The Moon-Houldson Foundation” which provides assistance to up-and-coming writers and to nursing students. She lives in Indiana, loves to hear from her readers, and takes time out of her busy schedule to answer all mail received from them. When not at her laptop, Ruby works full time as a College Professor. She holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Nursing. Virgil Franklin, music composer, credits the inspiration he found for creating his latest music CD release, “Night Sins”, to Ruby’s “Guardian” series. Moon-Houldson’s latest achievements consist of receiving rave reviews for her most recent novels, having two books nominated for Oprah’s Book Club, and earning the “National Indie Excellence Award” for Best Fiction novel (More Than Angels).