Maelle Woolley, a shy botanist, prefers plants to people. They don't suddenly disappear. Raised on her grandparents' commune after her mother's mysterious death, she follows the commune's utopian beliefs of love for all. Then she falls for attractive psychiatrist Zachary Kane. When Zachary claims her mother and his father never emerged alive from his father's medical research lab, Maelle investigates. What she discovers will challenge everything she believes, force her to find strength she never knew she had, and confront the commune's secrets and lies. What happened to love? And can it survive?
Review
This book is so superbly written! It has such a fresh storyline that was well put together.
I think the cover does a great job of setting the mood.
I loved the theme of this novel. It's a great story about finding oneself in a time when everything seems to be a disaster.
Wonderful characters, multi-dimensional and believable. A plot that's pacing is right on and captivating, there are just not enough good things to say about this book.
Margaret Ann Spence has a beautiful and smooth writing style. It was very easy to follow.
About The Author
Margaret Ann Spence writes about women, the choices they make, and what happens next. Her debut novel, Lipstick on the Strawberry, published by the Wild Rose Press in 2017, won the Romantic Elements Category in the First Coast Romance Writers 2015 Beacon Contest. It was a finalist for the 2019 Eric Hoffer Book Award and in the 2019 Next Generation Indie Awards. Joyous Lies, her second novel, launches on February 15, 2021.
In the year 2163 a corrupt World Government controls everything on our planet and beyond.
Sixteen year-old Sierra has been so caught up in her own world of saving animal test subjects and her father’s disappearance, she hasn’t paid much attention. When she finally finds his location, she and her friend set off on a covert interplanetary mission to rescue him, she begins to see the corruption first hand.
Discovering that her father has been on the front lines secretly trying to save human test subjects inspires her to join a revolution. But she is afraid of the collateral damage of hurting the people she loves. Will she find the strength to make a deal with the mad scientist Cromwell to save not just her friends and family but everyone?
Excerpt
To make a smoke bomb all you need is potassium nitrate, sugar, water and a fuse. Programming holograph messaging to be ‘smoke screen projection only’ is much more difficult. It’s a digital version of invisible ink and completely security cam resistant. I pull up Yesha’s incoming call. The smoke allows her image to take shape and it almost feels like she’s in the room with me.
“I can’t believe you talked me into this, you little gomer.”
Yesha frequently begins conversations in the middle, no introduction or formal interrogation into my life. I think that’s why I like her.
“It didn’t take much to convince you.”
“Did you receive the package?”
I hold up the box addressed to me, Sierra, but I’ve removed the contents.
“Yep, right here, see.”
Yesha’s laugh is like a chorus of toads with hiccups. Her image vibrates on the smoke.
“That’s only the box, you drone bug!”
“I know.”
I hold up the syringes that had been inside the box.
“Be careful with those. Check the labels.”
I roll a syringe in my hands like Kitchen, one of our home bots, does with pretzel dough.
“One says healing serum, which I asked for. Why does the other say anti?”
“Backup. You always need an emergency abort mission option.”
“All right. Thanks!”
Yesha interrupts before I collapse the projection.
“Just be sure not to give the anti if you haven’t given the original serum.”
After she’s gone, I look at my subject.
I shouldn’t be doing this, but I find the koala’s eyes drawing me in like a poli-magno crash about to happen. It’s impossible to turn away.
The Science Olympiad team’s going to put me on probation again, which stinks since they’re the only local, human friends I have.
Following protocol gets us nowhere, however.
Mom’s going to be agitated because this isn’t the first time I’ve broken the rules.
I guide the koala out of the cage, leaving her brothers inside. I have to shake off feelings of jealousy. I don’t have any siblings.
“Why ya look so sad?”
Uplifting experiments have given us animals who speak. “Why do you look so sad, Eucarpo?”
The koala glances back at her brothers and then her eyes look up at me past her round, stub nose, and adorable ears. The sensation of an infant wrapping tiny fingers around mine envelops me. I can’t let them endure more unethical testing just so we can have the best DNA combination. I was okay with the testing when the purpose was to help those that were sick and it was beneficial to the koala species, but I can’t stomach testing these sweet things just for superficial reasons.
“Hate leaving ‘em behind.”
“They’re going after you if this works.”
“What ya mean, if?”
“Healing adaptation experiments have just begun.”
“But ya aced the test?”
“Well, yeah, but that was just practice. This is the first time I’ve used it on a living being. Don’t worry, it should all go as planned. I’m just being paranoid.”
It would be nice if I could stop blabbering when I’m nervous. Sometimes you just have to go for it and see where the cards fall. That was something my dad used to say. Before he disappeared, he used to tell me lots of things. He’s been gone almost a decade, but I might as well as have “Missing Dad” tattooed on my forehead.
“Ya paranoid? Ne’er!”
As she raises the fur above her eyes, I scratch behind her ear, and she leans into it like a bear scratching its back on a tree trunk. Her fur is soft as manufactured silk charmeuse.
“Ah yeah, right dere.”
“You sure you’re ready for this?”
“It gets us closer to freedom, so I been ready a long time.”
She takes another glance at her brothers, and I pick up the syringe with self-healing serum. I begin the sedation process as no one wants to be awake when artery lining fortifies, muscles pull with new agility, and brain tissue encases itself with a biting, thin metal sheet. Another reason I’m jealous of Eucarpo is that she responds to sedation, and I don’t.
As Eucarpo drifts into a peaceful sleep, I look out the school windows and see only the steel and glass of surrounding buildings. Their reflections mirror the sky. Today the unending blue gives the impression of being in the middle of the sea. On gray days, it’s as if I’ve been swallowed by thunderclouds. I can only imagine how green fields would look. People used to love the smell of fresh-cut grass. That was before an asteroid broke through the atmosphere damaging our ecosystem and killing all plants, causing our world to work together to save Earth and its remaining, limited vegetation. The only vegetation left is kept in guarded areas and labs.
I think I can hear the machines used to keep the atmosphere from collapsing but the sound isn’t right. Instead of a hum, I hear iron clanging. The serum glides through the syringe into Eucarpo and her breathing intensifies as the cells within her body multiply. No, that isn’t the machines. It’s locker doors slamming, followed by footsteps of someone coming down the hall. No one should be here now. They should all be at the assembly that I’m skipping. I must finish before anyone else arrives. I look at the oxygen and pulse readings, cringing with every spike. It feels like an hour passes as I look at the screens, but I know it’s only been seconds. I count breaths and clock ticks, staring at Eucarpo’s oxygen and platelet numbers rising.
“Come on, the science minds keep refreshments in here.”
I think I recognize the voice coming down the hall. Every muscle in my body wants to stiffen, but I can’t freeze now.
Luckily, the serum is fast acting and Eucarpo’s readings are settling. I inject the awakening treatment and then I throw the syringes and all remaining evidence into the incinerator. The burning and sanitizing process will turn these things into energy or something else useful. Eucarpo stirs a little when I hear the door sensor click.
As the voltball captain and visual arts queen walk in, I step in front of Eucarpo.
“Look, we found someone avoiding the assembly,” Milcah says as she nudges Danver in the ribs with her elbow.
About The Author
Stephanie Hansen is a PenCraft Award Winning Author. Her novella series, Altered Helix, released 2020. Her short story, Break Time, and poetry has been featured in Mind's Eye literary magazine. The Kansas Writers Association published her short story, Existing Forces, appointing her as a noted author. She has held a deep passion for writing since early childhood, but a brush with death caused her to allow it to grow. She's part of an SCBWI critique group in Lawrence, KS and two local book clubs. She attends many writers' conferences including the Writing Day Workshops, New York Pitch, Penned Con, New Letters, All Write Now, Show Me Writers Master Class, BEA, and Nebraska Writers Guild conference as well as Book Fairs and Comic-Cons. She is a member of the deaf and hard of hearing community.
Hybrid Timber Framing has experienced a massive resurgence in modern architecture. The potential for gorgeous personalized design is unmatched. Hybrid Timber Framing done wrong, however, can create ugly imbalance and detract from the overall look and feel. Done right, it goes so far beyond the initial investment, the value is hard to overstate.
The Art of Hybrid Timber Framing explores the link between traditional craftsmanship, with current building styles such as "Craftsman", "Rustic", "Modern" and beyond. It is a must-read for Owners, Designers, and Builders who want to influence the look and feel of their project using exposed beam construction. It is rich with ideas, imagery, and instruction to jump start your inspiration and planning.
Naturally, timbers and exposed beams have outsized impact on the aesthetics of building projects. Adding timbers without weighing the structural and aesthetic impacts can magnify any awkward imbalances; proceeding without addressing these important considerations is very risky.
While this is not a technical manual, you will learn how to avoid expensive pitfalls and understand the diverse timber styles showcased in this book. This will help you better communicate your ideas, achieve an enjoyable building process, and maximize your probabilities of getting the right look using hybrid timber framing. This guide will help you plan and build it right the first time!
You will Discover:
• How to achieve optimized beauty by first defining ugly
• Where to draw the line with hybrid timber framing
• Seven chapters portraying diverse and unique timber styles
• How to avoid the over simplified “Hail Mary” approach
• How to accurately predict the cost of hybrid timber framing
Learn from a Master of Hybrid Timber Framing. There is absolutely no need to repeat needless mistakes. Bert Sarkkinen, the author, has explored timber framing from the perspective as a builder, a designer and a researcher. His specialty has been in matching clients’ personalities and tastes, to the ideal timber frame designs to accentuate what is unique about the clients project or theme. The book delves into these relationships between design preferences, and actual Hybrid Timber Frame applications. Structural aspects, timber sizing, the golden ratio, and design/build processes are necessary for a successful the outcome. This book is highly informative, with beautiful photography, and is like a coach in your pocket a with personal touch!
About The Author
When Bert Sarkkinen was 16, he quit his job as a farm hand and went to work for his father as a framing apprentice. This golden opportunity gave him the foundation to become a trailblazer in the hybrid timber framing industry.
Fascinated with the way people tick, Sarkkinen discovered that he could match people to the right timber framing options by understanding their personalities. Ultimately, when their wants and needs are properly analyzed, it results in a personalized Timber Framing experience that exceeds expectations.
He understands nuances in personality types, such as thinkers tend to go for function before form. The way people talk, the vernacular they use, can say a lot about their real tastes.
Through a “Trial By Fire” Bert Sarkkinen built his team and dialed in the best people to take the vision of his company to the next level. As the company gained more traction, and employees took more ownership, Bert became a visionary and a leader, teaching the craft of timber framing to others as well as instilling in them years of expertise as an ally to help them succeed.
Today, Bert Sarkkinen is not only the founder of Arrow Timber, he is also the author of The Art of Hybrid Timber Framing, releasing as a second edition, January, 2021. The book is a guide for people who want to explore Timber Framing, and for those who enjoy the unique aesthetics it offers architecture and homebuilding. It is a look into the amazing world of Timber Framing and it makes for a beautiful coffee table book.
Bert can discuss:
· How Timber Framing can be personalized art
· How one can discover unknown aspects of their personality by their preferences in style and design – the quiz he created for potential clients
· What is personalized art? What happens when it is done right? When it is done wrong?
· What do you mean when you suggest people should focus on outward things and not on inward things?
· Why is it important for people to value their gifts? What words of wisdom can you share about not “downplaying” ones’ self?
· Why do you recommend people to always break a sweat before taking a shower?
· What are daddy long legs?
· Advice to future business leaders about tenacity and perseverance.
· What are the four levels of “ugly” and how does this tie into being happy?
Template to Drive Individual and Organizational Change
Business; Management; Human Resources
Are you a CEO in a small business or start-up company interested in aligning business and talent strategy to inspire your employees?
Are you an HR “Department of One” professional looking to create a legacy project and be recognized as a more strategic partner?
This book is for you!
• Practical steps to implement immediately
• A set of tools for effective people leadership
• Real-life examples of how a leadership development program gives rise to self-motivated, high- performance individuals (and teams) that produce long-term results and a competitive advantage for your business.
With The Leadership Development Tool Kit, you’ll learn how to create a fool-proof talent-building process to impact productivity and help your people thrive in the 21st century.
Michael Sampsonis an author, lecturer, certified coach and former United States foreign service officer who has studied and led international development programs and cross cultural relations since 1979. Michael has over 30 years of leadership and management experience in government and corporate environments. Since retiring from national service, Michael has been CEO of LMI Kenya, a master licensee of Leadership Management International (LMI) Inc., which ranked #1 in Leadership Development Programs in North America by Entrepreneur magazine. Michael continues to promote self-reliance and facilitate leadership development programs which drive results, quality and customer satisfaction around the world. Michael started LMI Kenya because of his desire to be more active in promoting leaders and next generation leadership in Africa. Michael is active in civic organizations including American Chamber of Commerce Kenya. He lives in Kenya with his wife, Alma, and enjoys spending time with his three adult daughters (including Faswilla, with whom he co-authored this book) and two grandchildren. Michael holds a BA in International Studies from the School for International Training and an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Faswilla Sampson is an author, certified coach and co-master licensee of Leadership Management International (LMI) Inc., a performance improvement company specializing in personal leadership and organizational development. As an experienced CEO confidant, Faswilla’s mission is to develop leaders and organizations to their full potential. With more than a decade working in the non-profit healthcare sector in Washington D.C., Faswilla’s strategic planning, program management, leadership and executive coaching experience, make her an organizational change agent. She believes that for any organization to be truly impactful in the 21st century requires developing leaders within all levels of the organization now. She enjoys speaking and presenting on a variety of business topics from leadership to workforce planning to talent management. Faswilla holds a BA from University of Mary Washington and a master’s degree in International Administration from Central Michigan University.
Are you still buying into the retirement mirage, hoping that, once you stop working, your life will be a perpetual enjoyment, exploration, and pleasant experience? It’s time to think differently.
Your ideas about retirement are dissipating before your eyes. People are living longer, and the world is changing faster because of advancing technology. Twenty-first century notions about retirement are antiquated.
Nancy Hite has a fiduciary duty when guiding her clients’ financial process throughout their lives. If you’re like them, then you are so busy in your day-to-day life that you don’t have time to think farther ahead than next week’s paycheck. Nancy helps you: See ahead when you’re too busy to look up®.
In The Retirement Mirage, Nancy dissects the key points to help you think differently about your financial future.
· People are living longer today than at any time in history — be prepared so you don’t run out of money before you run out of time
· The world is evolving with climate change, disease, unsteady markets — learn how to adapt to constant change
· Technology is changing the world — find out how science positively impacts your financial future
· Education and our children — let’s give them a process that establishes a strong financial foundation for financial stability
· Spend it now, spend it later, or spend it never® — find out why this is Nancy’s motto and why it should be yours, too
The Retirement Mirage combines Nancy’s years of financial expertise with real-life examples to show you a variety of perspectives. The Retirement Mirage will inspire you to honestly assess your financial situation and offers the tools you need to prepare for the realities of your financial future.
The Retirement Mirage includes advice for all ages on what experts don’t tell you.
REVIEW
This is a very important book. Whether you are close to retirement or not, planning and knowing what retirement actually entails is very important. There are a lot of unknowns and misconceptions and I think it's imperative every single person is aware of what they need to do to prepare.
Well laid out, honest, and doesn't skirt around the heart of the book. It will give insight into a very important time in our future lives.
About the Author
Nancy Hite is the founder of The Strategic Wealth Advisor® LLC, located in Boca Raton, Florida.
She offers forthright advice and has a fiduciary duty to provide meaningful and workable options to help her clients prepare for and enjoy the current and future chapters of their lives by focusing on their personal goals.
Her first book, "The Retirement Mirage," offers a fresh perspective to your future financial stability.
Through its 211 interwoven poems, this double-tiered recursive crown of sonnets takes the reader on an epic journey to the heart of mankind’s would-be nemesis – herself – and back again. Does her destiny await in the unexplored depths of the cosmos, or in a toxic wasteland of her own making? Does she have the will to shape her own future, or is she a slave to her myopic wants and impulses?
Requiem takes the existential threats facing humanity – from the destruction of the environment to nuclear holocaust – as a lens through which to reflect on the fate of civilization, humanity and ultimately conscious life in the universe.
About The Author
A software engineer by trade, Daniel Ståhl splits his time between software development, research, teaching, writing and being the father of two.
Daniel has previously published both fiction and non-fiction, with his latest forays as an author delving into strictly metered poetry. His latest book, Requiem, came into being in the intersection between the rhythmic cadence of sonnets and his despair at the sanguine apathy with which the human species approaches the prospect of its own extinction – with all of its implications for his children.
Daniel received his MSc degree from Linköping University, Sweden, and his PhD degree from the University of Groningen, Netherlands.
Arriving at the capital as captives, Ihva and Jasper find themselves divided once more. Things have changed in Agda, though, and the situation reveals itself to be darker and more dire than either of them imagined. A fateful decision leaves them on the run, pursuing the salvation of Gant to protect its people from the new nemesis. As events unfold, Ihva and Jasper must each make choices concerning their love, their loyalty, and their lives, forcing them to face their fears and each other.
Will they maintain the courage to fight the war against the deepening Shadow, and more pressingly, can they find a way to fight it together?
About The Author
Lauren C. Sergeant, author of the Children of the Glaring Dawn series, adventures through life as a wife, mother, author, and assistant property manager. Having dabbled in over a dozen languages and taken more than a handful of international trips, she expresses her fascination with people in the novels she writes. The relationships of her characters with each other and with themselves draw readers into her keen attentiveness to what it means to be human. She spins epic tales of love, humor, and struggle, but in the end, she is just another individual on this quest called life.
