The Bookcast

Rule #1: Stay the Udlast away from the Dragons.Rule #2: Defy the Council or die trying.Where does it end? Over a generation ago, the Council ordered the systematic extermination of the magic wielding Runic race. A few Dragonics refused to participate and instead demanded justice. But their call to defiance came too late; no Runics survived. Now, in A. Wrighton‘s fantasy “Defiance: Dragonics & Runics Part I,” those against the Council’s oppressive reign have long since been cast out to the fringes of society, their numbers and determination dwindling. Alaister Paine, commander of the Rogue Dragonics, leads the Resistance with little hope of success. Until he deciphers one of his predecessor’s logs. Within the cryptic text, Alaister learns that one Runic — a girl of untold power — was hidden from the Council’s grasp. Find the girl, and the Rogues will finally be able to enact a long lost Prophecy to bring freedom back to Solera. Trouble is .. they are not the only ones searching for the last Soleran Runic. More below the media player. Listen to A. Wrighton The Indie Author Life Early in our interview, A.W. makes reference to “anchoring,” a crucial skill for writers of fantasy. [...]Similar Posts:A Stunning Story of Two Women and the Bond They ForgeA Life Told Via Facebook UpdatesShe Wanted to Kill Him – But Fell in Love InsteadWhat a Long, Strange Journey, To Find The MusicGreek Myth Brought to New Life The post War, Holocaust, Rebellion – and Dragons and Runics appeared first on The Bookcast.

Greg is a reclusive overnight radio traffic reporter in Washington, DC, who has spent his life in fear, avoiding anything that might shatter his tenuous grasp on what is normal. It turns out, Greg has no idea what it really means to be afraid. In the new Eric Thomas thriller “DRT (A Ghost Story)” Greg witnesses a horrifying fatal crash, a crash he believes he had a hand in causing. Greg soon begins to see the ghost of the dead driver. The strain becomes unbearable as Greg attempts to determine why the ghost has sought him out, what it wants from him, and whether any of what is happening is even real. “DRT” is the story of one man’s struggle to maintain his sanity. More below the media player. Listen to Eric Thomas The Indie Author Life In a blog post titled “Salvation Through Editing,” Eric Thomas explains how “DRT (A Ghost Story”) evolved, and how it became a better book: In my latest book, DRT, the editing saved it. I wrote the story in between drafts of “Fall of the Citizens,” giving myself something to do so that I could leave Citizens alone in my closet for a while. [...]Similar Posts:Are They Evil? Or Do They Just Not Understand?What a Pain It Is, Being a MessiahTerrified, Lost In The Woods – With a GhostIs No One Left Who Knows Compassion Anymore?A Death That Changes Many Young Lives The post The Ghost and Mr. Traffic appeared first on The Bookcast.

Magic!Prophecies!Cultists!Demons!…. and Oliver?? Oliver Kirkle had a normal life — until prophecies got in the way. In Eric Guindon‘s debut novel “The Reluctant Messiah” a multitude of cults, each with its own interpretation of the prophecies, think Oliver is their messiah. And unfortunately for Oliver, that’s about the only thing they agree on. “The Reluctant Messiah” is a dark comedy about a clueless supposed messiah trying to understand his true destiny. More below the media player. Listen to Eric Guindon The Indie Author Life In a recent blog post Eric Guindon confessed his long journey into novel writing. After long avoiding the leap, Guindon explains what happened to prompt him to write actively as he does now. That something, he says, was NaNoWriMo — National Novel Writing Month: I learnt about it from Neil Gaiman’s blog (which I heartily recommend following). I was reading entries there and saw this mention of a thing with a weird name. I clicked the link and there began the real journey. Nanowrimo challenged me to write, and write a lot. The contest concept made it a challenge and made it fun to see if I could do it. I wrote a book and worked [...]Similar Posts:The Ghost and Mr. TrafficAre They Evil? Or Do They Just Not Understand?Her Long Wait for JusticeA Young Wannabe Rapper’s Quest to Find His DaddyA Stunning Story of Two Women and the Bond They Forge The post What a Pain It Is, Being a Messiah appeared first on The Bookcast.

Former San Francisco Congressman Andrew Harper is a frontrunner to be the next Governor of California. Harper is also openly gay, and his candidacy has sent shockwaves through the political and religious establishment. Meanwhile, in Robert Lowe‘s thriller “Divine Fury,” reporter Enzo Lee is cajoled into leaving his comfortable niche covering fluffy features for the San Francisco News to cover the historic Harper campaign. Then campaign events are mysteriously and dangerously disrupted. But finding the culprits takes a back seat when it’s discovered that a troubled war veteran armed with guns and explosives has begun a violent journey from small-town Montana to the City by the Bay. When Lee becomes a target he must dodge attempts on his own life while trying to expose the conspiracy — and foil an assassination plot. More below the media player. Listen to Robert Lowe The Indie Author Life Inspired by so many real-life scenes, Robert Lowe decided to share many of them on his website, on a page he calls “Real-life scenes from Divine Fury“:Similar Posts:A Young Wannabe Rapper’s Quest to Find His DaddyWhere Magic is as Common as TechnologyThe Ghost and Mr. TrafficA (Princess) Penny’s Worth of TroubleFive Moons Craving a Hero The post Conspiracy. Assassination Plot. Intrepid Reporter. Go! appeared first on The Bookcast.

As CEO of her own thriving company, Nadia Adeire is flush with success. But a secret society, dating back to the Essenes, believes Nadia to be one of the ancient “djinn” – the notorious demoness of Hebrew legend, Lilith. What’s more, they have reason to believe that she’s plotting a catastrophic attack on the world. In Nancy Madore‘s historical, science fiction thriller “The Hidden Ones” Nadia is snatched from her “perfect” life and caught in a maze linking a present day disaster and the ancient legends of the djinn. The only way out is to retrace the steps of her deceased grandmother, Helene. The deeper Nadia delves into the past the harder it will be for her to emerge unscathed. But it’s the only way to stop this impending disaster that was set in motion five thousand years ago. More below the media player. Listen to Nancy Madore The Indie Author Life It’s easy to see why Nancy Madore is hooked in history and its mysteries. Here’s what she wrote a while back in a blog post called “Angels and Nephilim and Djinn, Oh My”: If you go back in history about five thousand years, you can’t help but notice [...]Similar Posts:We’ve Hit 100!Twenty Years Later He’s Back. But Why?Greek Myth Brought to New LifeAn Adventure Story for the AgesWar, Holocaust, Rebellion – and Dragons and Runics The post Erotica Author Turns to Historical Fiction – and Finds a Demoness appeared first on The Bookcast.

Can a man who throws his dates in a dungeon find a girlfriend? Scott Bartlett‘s novel “Royal Flush” is the humorous tale of a man known only as The King. As his Kingdom careens toward catastrophe, he cruises seedy taverns looking for likely maidens. The King’s incompetence and weakness for beautiful women drag him deeper and deeper into trouble. He is even portrayed as a cross-dresser by the Kingdom Crier (the Kingdom’s most popular tabloid). Shortly after, The King must defend his castle against a siege, with only his royal fiddler – while, of course, attempting to steal his royal fiddler’s girlfriend. More below the media player. Listen to Scott Bartlett The Indie Author Life Love audio books? Scott Bartlett has a deal for you! He’s offering a free audiobook of Part One of “Royal Flush” free to anyone who subscribes to his newsletter (aptly titled “News In a Letter”). Full details here.Similar Posts:Fear No Evil in The “Valley of the Shadows”Erotica Author Turns to Historical Fiction – and FindsGuaranteed: You Won’t Read Another Book Like This All…Fiona Debuts With a BangA Love Story Across the Centuries The post A Girlfriend! A Girlfriend! My Kingdom for a Girlfriend! appeared first on The Bookcast.

Daniel Donatelli refers to his new book as “random bits of enjoyable writing.” We think you’ll find it’s a lot deeper than that. “Oh, Title!” is a unique collection of non-fiction essays, short stories, and more. A literary yawp; a hundred thousand words; a compelling, sundry collection. “Oh, Title!” is a one of a kind book. At times a humorous memoir of the author-be-damned, at times a compilation of eclectic fiction, this strange book is almost always one page away from turning into something else. As Dan puts it, “You’ll grip it tensely, then you’ll put it down to laugh, then you’ll tuck it under your arm while you look up a wonderful new word — but always you’ll go to it with affection.” More below the media player. Listen to Daniel Donatelli The Indie Author Life WTF is up with Dan Donatelli’s language? As he explainsL For someone who has read libraries of books in his life, and who listens to long lectures on linguistics while exercising, I use “bad words” an awful lot. In my defense, recently I heard of a study where they discovered that using bad words might actually help people deal with pain. In the [...]Similar Posts:The Bookcast Is HereWhat a Pain It Is, Being a MessiahA Ninth Century Test for a Young PriestSaved By An Angel. Oh, Wait…Have You Met Any Indie Authors Recently? The post Guaranteed: You Won’t Read Another Book Like This All Year appeared first on The Bookcast.

Twenty years ago, when he was a boy, Rick Murray left town after his father was arrested by the State Police for trying to murder Rick’s best friend, Dan Reilly. Now in Jennie Coughlin‘s novel “All That Is Necessary” Rick is back in Exeter, Massachusetts, and Dan must grapple with Rick’s return, and the memories that come with him. As childhood memories run headlong into the reality of what actually happened that summer twenty years ago both men must adjust to the idea that things weren’t as simple as they seemed back then. “All That Is Necessary” explores the collision between past and present, between memory and reality, and between two former friends whose lives changed one summer. More below the media player. Listen to Jennie Coughlin The Indie Author Life If you’ve finished All That Is Necessary and cursed the ending, Jennie Coughlin has encouraging news, as she noted in a recent blog post…. … you’ll be glad to know that my travel time to Indy this week was mostly spent brainstorming how the various threads of the plots will fit together. I even surprised myself by finding out a piece of information about one character I had only [...]Similar Posts:Small Town, Big IntrigueErotica Author Turns to Historical Fiction – and FindsWhat a Pain It Is, Being a MessiahThe Ghost and Mr. TrafficCan a Life Not Lived Yet Save The One She Has Now? The post Twenty Years Later He’s Back. But Why? appeared first on The Bookcast.

For a number of years, Harvey Helms kept a diary – the story of a young gay man who accidentally ends up as one of the very first male beauty advisors selling behind a department store cosmetic counter in the south. Now in his memoir called “blush: the unbelievably absurd diary of a gay beauty junkie,” Harvey introduces us to she-dragons, man drama, lipstick, Tammy Faye Baker, Senator Jesse Helms, plus more than a large dose of gay-man craziness Always through a humorous lens, “blush” examines the relentles – once nearly-fatal – bullying he has endured, as well as the not-so-pretty side of the cosmetic industry. A man behind the cosmetic counter is seen as the norm today, but when Harvey started it was more like he was part of a freak show, vividly conveyed in the first chapter of his book, which Harvey calls “I’m the Revlon Girl.” “blush” also gives an in-depth look at growing up gay in an intolerant world and being authentically yourself against all odds. More below the media player. Listen to Harvey Helms The Indie Author Life Harvey Helms is a columnist for BettyConfidential.com, and in a recent column called “Harvey Writes a Book” [...]Similar Posts:Inside The Mind of a Serial KillerThe Secret That Haunts A Presidential HopefulConspiracy. Assassination Plot. Intrepid Reporter. Go!Teen Buddies Face Adult TrialsTwenty Years Later He’s Back. But Why? The post The Absurd Diary of a Gay Beauty Junkie appeared first on The Bookcast.

For Mattie O’Reilly, who was eleven and just a frizzy red-haired fifth grader, magic wasn’t even a remote possibility. Not in the basement of Sears in Hackensack, New Jersey anyway. But October 10, 1968, would end very differently than it began. In “Mattie Spyglass and the 8 Magic Stones,” the debut adventure novel by Shoba Sreenivasan, a mysterious antique spyglass chooses Mattie as its mistress, and hurls Mattie and her friends Eddie and Geeta, and old Mr. Herman Biddle, across the treacherous eight precious stones pursued by the evil Uri Gneezy. And what they will witness on their journey will open their eyes to threats large and small. From her own childhood, Shoba says she can recall “the feeling of wonder, of new places and new experiences, the possibility of the impossible, the ancient stories of the great battles between good and evil that run like sounds of an endless stream over stones … eight magic stones. More below the media player. Listen to Shoba Sreenivasan The Indie Author Life Publishers Weekly certain likes “Mattie Spyglass and the 8 Magic Stones”: Mattie and her friends are catapulted through the years in an attempt to destroy the spyglass before it can [...]Similar Posts:Where Magic is as Common as TechnologyThe Epic (Epic!) Story of a Magical Land in JeopardyTwenty Years Later He’s Back. But Why?Erotica Author Turns to Historical Fiction – and FindsThis Girl Is One Elf You Don’t Wanna Mess With The post An Adventure Story for the Ages appeared first on The Bookcast.

Oxford fellow and John Milton expert Professor Henry Fell suffers from panic attacks and a gnawing fear that what he doubtfully refers to as his existence is much more out of his control than he realizes… In Ryan Asmussen‘s debut novel “The Englishman and the Butterfly” Professor Fell has just arrived in Boston on an academic fellowship, when he meets a variety of people who, in one way or another, expose him to true love, true death, and true poetry. The cast includes the lovely and sharp-tongued Julia Collins, a Ph.D. candidate struggling to survive in a male-dominated world; fellow Brit Professor Geoffrey Hearne, one of the University’s most popular and colorful lecturers; .and the rather less-than-popular, equally British, Professor Christopher Moberley, whose vast bulk contains the darkest of secrets. A “coming of middle-age” story, a metaphysical parable, a glimpse into literature from the inside-out, “The Englishman and the Butterfly” is a tragicomic look at the differences between imagining a life, performing one, and becoming enlightened to the possibility that there is more to life than meets a reader’s eye. More below the media player. Listen to Ryan Asmussen The Indie Author Life This, from Shannon McCloskey Allain’s review of [...]Similar Posts:An Appetite for AdventureA Dead Ranch Hand, a Silver Picture Frame, and a CurseThe Bookcast Presents “Books of Exceptional…Price, McBain, Move Over. Ryan Owns NYC NowAn Ancient Evil Is On The Rise The post Prof. Henry Fell’s “Coming of Middle Age” Story appeared first on The Bookcast.

In a sprawling urban landscape where magic is as common as technology, Zack Monday is a hard-working private detective, street-smart, resourceful, and clever. But his latest case – in Andrew Kirschbaum‘s novel “Monday and the Counterfeit Corpse” – takes him far away from the streets he knows and into a far-off magical land where all the rules are different and the slightest misstep might mean disaster. Zack must face down immortal goblin warriors, aristocratic thieves, and all the other arrogant and powerful lords of the land to find out which one of them is a murderer. The clock is ticking and if Zack doesn’t figure it all out in time it’ll be more than just his own neck on the line this time. More below the media player. Listen to Andrew Kirschbaum The Indie Author Life As you heard in our interview with Andy Kirschbaum, one of his literary influences was the late Robert B. Parker. It would appear that one of Andy’s fans, Shelleyrae, agrees: Monday has the air of a cynical, tough guy ‘gumshoe’, and his personality merges surprisingly well such a fantastical environment. Quick witted, handy with his fists and willing to take risks he doesn’t back [...]Similar Posts:A Big Week AheadThe Epic (Epic!) Story of a Magical Land in JeopardyThis Girl Is One Elf You Don’t Wanna Mess WithWill Ambition Get The Better of Verity Parker?This Thief Steals Her Way Almost to Death The post Where Magic is as Common as Technology appeared first on The Bookcast.

How do you mend a broken friendship? For Lance Parker and Daniel McAllister, the answer is simple – road trip. In Randy Richardson‘s coming-of-age story “Cheeseland” the shock and grief of a friend’s suicide creates a gulf between the two suburban Chicago high school seniors. A trip to Wisconsin should be just the ticket to come to terms with the trauma that has pulled them apart. The journey of recovery is filled with comical twists as the two teens navigate Cheeseland, a place that blurs the line between adolescence and adulthood. The journey of recovery turns into a journey of discovery, as secrets are revealed and the ugly truth behind their friend’s death unfolds. Now, thirty years later, the secrets they buried have come back to haunt them. Told in two parts, the novel’s long and winding road comes full circle when these two friends must finally confront their past and come to grips with their present lives. But is it too late to heal old wounds? Cheeseland is a novel about loyalty, friendship and the self-destructive nature of secret-keeping and unresolved anger. More below the media player. Listen to Randy Richardson The Indie Author Life Did you ever wonder [...]Similar Posts:Twenty Years Later He’s Back. But Why?A Reporter Gets Far More Than He Bargained ForThe Open, Terrifying Road After CollegeWill Ambition Get The Better of Verity Parker?A Love Story Across the Centuries The post Teen Buddies Face Adult Trials appeared first on The Bookcast.

For the last four decades or so, Mathias Freese has been jousting with American culture. His essay collection “This Moobius Strip of Ifs” is a mixture of the author’s reminiscences, insights, observations, and criticism, the book examines the use and misuse of psychotherapy, childhood trauma, complicated family relationships, his frustration as a teacher, and the enduring value of tenaciously writing through it all. Freese scathingly describes the conditioning society imposes upon artists and awakened souls, skewering where he can and applauding those who refuse to compromise and conform The profound visceral truths in this book will speak to anyone who endeavors to be completely alive and aware. More below the media player. Listen to Mathias Freese The Indie Author Life What does Matt Freese mean, when he refers to this “Mobius strip” of ifs? What is a Mobius strip? “A one-sided surface that is constructed from a rectangle by holding one end fixed, rotating the opposite end through 180 degrees, and joining it to the first end…” (merriam-webster.com). As reviewer Allizabetgh Collins goes on to explain, in a receent review: Unfortunately, I still wasn’t sure why it was the tile of the book, until I found this definition: “a Möbius [...]Similar Posts:In Johnson, Ohio a Star is BoredThe 11-Year-Old Witness to An ApocalypsePrice, McBain, Move Over. Ryan Owns NYC NowA Stunning Story of Two Women and the Bond They ForgeHelping the Follicly Challenged Come to Acceptance The post Veteran Writer Takes on American Culture appeared first on The Bookcast.

With a cast of characters that includes a falling toddler, the manager of the last fast food joint in the world, the Devil and a talking dog Paul McCormack‘s short story collection “All the Lights That Have Shone” isn’t a book about answers, but about really interesting questions: What would you do if the world was ending? How do you say goodbye when there’s no one to say it to? What kind of person still drives a Plymouth Reliant? And, do you know the way to San Jose? More below the media player. Listen to Paul McCormack The Indie Author Life What are others saying about Paul McCormack’s short story collection? Here’s what Rick Watson, Associate Poet Laureate of North Dakota, said recently: You get tricked by these stories, by the voices; by the way the sentences deliver themselves to your eyes, and ears. Someone is talking, someone you feel like you know, someone who is certainly not a threat, and suddenly you find yourself sitting with that someone, one of Paul’s people, in a nondescript caf�, a caf� that is interesting for its nothingness; and you are privy to Paul’s character– the character has a nice friendly, nonthreatening (which [...]Similar Posts:Five Moons Craving a HeroIs No One Left Who Knows Compassion Anymore?One Man’s Search for a New Life – On An AsteroidThe Epic (Epic!) Story of a Magical Land in JeopardyTechnology Turned Homicidal The post Finding the Offbeat and Absurd in the Ordinary appeared first on The Bookcast.