Black & White by Nick Wilford

Today we welcome Nick Wilford to the blog to introduce his new book. And, of course, he's given us a "what if?" to ponder...

Say you existed in a perfect society with everything provided that you could wish for, but you had no knowledge of the outside world. What if you suddenly learn of the existence of another country which is blighted by poverty and disease, and have the chance to help at least one of its inhabitants, even though doing so means you risk being detected by the government and potentially never seeing your family again?

Title: Black & White

Author: Nick Wilford

Genre: YA dystopian Series #: 1 of 3

Release Date: 18th September 2017

Publisher: Superstar Peanut Publishing

Blurb:

What is the price paid for the creation of a perfect society? 

In Whitopolis, a gleamingly white city of the future where illness has been eradicated, shock waves run through the populace when a bedraggled, dirt-stricken boy materialises in the main street. Led by government propaganda, most citizens shun him as a demon, except for Wellesbury Noon – a high school student the same age as the boy. 

Upon befriending the boy, Wellesbury feels a connection that he can’t explain – as well as discovering that his new friend comes from a land that is stricken by disease and only has two weeks to live. Why do he and a girl named Ezmerelda Dontible appear to be the only ones who want to help? 

As they dig deeper, everything they know is turned on its head – and a race to save one boy becomes a struggle to redeem humanity.

Purchase Links:

Amazon US / Amazon UK / Smashwords / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iBooks

Add it on Goodreads 

Meet the author:

Nick Wilford is a writer and stay-at-home dad. Once a journalist, he now makes use of those early morning times when the house is quiet to explore the realms of fiction, with a little freelance editing and formatting thrown in. When not working he can usually be found spending time with his family or cleaning something. He has four short stories published in Writer’s Muse magazine. Nick is also the editor of Overcoming Adversity: An Anthology for Andrew. Visit him at blog or connect with him on Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook, or Amazon

Enter the giveaway for a chance to win a copy of my collection A Change of Mind and Other Stories or a $10 giftcard! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Time & Circumstance by Theresa Milstein

Today we welcome Theresa Milstein to the blog for the release of her new book, Time & Circumstance. She's been kind enough to give us a "what if?", and scroll to the bottom to enter her contest. 

What if you could control time? What would I do?

If I wanted to control time for my own gains, I could buy stock in Apple when it was low or something like that to make me rich. Then I could write full time, have a cool place to live in the city, and a nice house on the beach.

Or if I wanted to control time so I had more time, I could slow it down and finish all the to-do items on my list. My stress level would go down. Weekends could be mine again!

If I could control time, I would love to relive special moments. One example is the trip my family took to Paris many years ago. We each picked on thing that we wanted to do. My daughter chose the Eiffel Tower. Her face lit up when we rounded a corner and it first appeared before her. I took a photo to capture it. My son chose the Arc de Triomphe. I enjoyed watching him stare at all the details up close. The last night we ate at a restaurant that served all of our favorite foods. I would love to relive that trip again.

Many poems in my collection are about recollecting a poignant period of time in my life: “1986,” “First Apartment,” “Un-Perfect Moment,” “Measure,” “Concert,” and “Summer Song.” For me, writing vignettes help me capture those all-too-fleeting moments.

“The trunk of this family is lost to history / Photo fragments remain as shadows”

With subtle wit, and poignant imagery, the unrelenting passage of time connects the vignettes in Theresa Milstein’s Time and Circumstance. This reflective collection of real and imagined poetry and prose, speculates on an erratic childhood, the uncertainty of adolescence, and the reality of parenthood, through flashbacks of love lost and found.

“This everyday, why again, sometimes / ignored tune has measured time in notes, / seconds, minutes, days, years, and so it goes. / It’s a measure of the man he will become.”

TIME & CIRCUMSTANCE is available.

$3.99 AUD (eBook)
Kindle AUS
Kindle US
Kindle UK
Kindle CA
iBooks | Kobo | Nook

$12.99 AUD (paperback)
Amazon US
Amazon UK
​Amazon CA
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository
Chapters Indigo

About the author:

Theresa Milstein writes middle grade and YA, but poetry is her secret passion. Her vignette collection, TIME & CIRCUMSTANCE, will be published by Vine Leaves Press in March 21, 2017. She lives near Boston Massachusetts with her husband, two children, a dog-like cat, and a cat-like dog. For her day job, she works as a special education teacher in a public school, which gives her ample opportunity to observe teens and tweens in their natural habitat.


Leave a comment, and you’re eligible to win a prize during my blog tour! 

1 $25 Amazon gift card
1 signed paperback copy
1 ebook

Answer the question:
“If you could relive any moment in time, what would it be?”


Extra entries if you share on Facebook or Twitter and link it to me.
@TheresaMilstein on Twitter.
@Theresa Milstein on Facebook
#ReliveMoment or #TimeandCircumstance

Winners will be announced on April 5, 2017

Piper Morgan by Stephanie Faris

Today, Stephanie Faris is joining us to tell us about her newest books. Oh, and give us a "what if?" question. Enjoy... 

One day, an eight-year-old girl learns she has to move away from the only home she’s ever known. She and her mom live a nomad-style existence over the coming months as her mother accepts one exciting temp job after another. For the young girl, it becomes an adventure, but she still longs for a place she can call “home.”

That leads me to today’s What If? question.

What if you found a job where you could triple your current salary, but you could no longer live in one place? To get the salary, you have to move every couple of weeks to a new city? Would you accept the opportunity and learn to adapt or stay at your current pay to remain in one place?

And now some more about Piper Morgan...

When Piper Morgan has to move to a new town, she is sad to leave behind her friends, but excited for a new adventure. She is determined to have fun, be brave and find new friends.

In Piper Morgan Joins the Circus, Piper learns her mom’s new job will be with the Big Top Circus. She can’t wait to learn all about life under the big top, see all the cool animals, and meet the Little Explorers, the other kids who travel with the show. She’s even more excited to learn that she gets to be a part of the Little Explorers and help them end each show with a routine to get the audience on their feet and dancing along! 

In Piper Morgan in Charge, Piper’s mom takes a job in the local elementary school principal’s office. Piper is excited for a new school and new friends—and is thrilled when she is made an “office helper.” But there is one girl who seems determined to prove she is a better helper—and she just so happens to be the principal’s daughter. Can Piper figure out how to handle being the new girl in town once more?

Stephanie Faris knew she wanted to be an author from a very young age. In fact, her mother often told her to stop reading so much and go outside and play with the other kids. After graduating from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science in broadcast journalism, she somehow found herself working in information technology. But she never stopped writing.

Stephanie is the Simon & Schuster author of 30 Days of No Gossip and 25 Roses. When she isn’t crafting fiction, she writes for a variety of online websites on the topics of business, technology, and her favorite subject of all—fashion. She lives in Nashville with her husband, a sales executive.

Links:

Website

Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Amazon

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lucy Get Your Gun by Valerie Capps

Today, Valerie Capps is joining us for the launch of her new quick read book and to give us a "what if?" question: 

Thank you Liz for hosting me today. I love to write, but I am new to introducing people to my work. I know nothing about marketing so I appreciate you inviting me.

What if? Two little words that open up a whole world of possibilities, past and present. There is a lot of debate over the second amendment today, but Lucy Get Your Gun isn't about that controversy--it is about survival. It is about an adult decision a 10-year-old must make when an unscrupulous man shows up at her farm with plans to take Lucy and her younger siblings away.

What if you were ten-years-old, in danger, and lived in a remote area during a time before you could dial 911 for help? How far would you go to protect yourself and your family?

Lucy Get Your Gun: It was a different time. Somewhere between the taming of the wild west in the 19th century and the insane indiscriminate violence of the 21st century. People like to think it was a time of innocence. In some ways perhaps it was, but there was evil lurking about in the shadows back then as well. Not everyone lived a "Leave it to Beaver" existence. People in rural areas often had to depend on their own resources. It was a world before 911. A world where sometimes people had to stand firm and protect their own. That was where 10-year-old Lucy Rhys found herself one day in the summer of 1959. A day of reckoning so to speak. A day when she found herself caught between a child and an adult and had to make a life or death decision that would determine the fate of her family. Lucy Get Your Gun is the fourth in a series of Proctor Hollow short-story/quick-read Kindle eBooks released through Amazon.com.

Valerie Capps is a freelance writer and author. Her short stories and articles have appeared in various magazines and newsletters with world-wide circulation. Valerie's latest project is a series of short stories with a paranormal theme set in a mid-twentieth century town called Proctor Hollow. The first four books in the Proctor Hollow series, The Holler Witch, Incident at the Diner, Occurrence on a Country Highway, and Lucy Get Your Gun, are available on Amazon.com.

Valerie lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband and their Welsh Corgi.


Contact Valerie at:
Blog | Amazon | Twitter | Goodreads

Zealot - A to Z Challenge

At the heart of much speculative fiction (and fiction in general) is a question. What if? Occasionally, I like to throw one out there and see what you make of it. Do with it as you please. If a for-instance is not specified, feel free to interpret that instance as you wish. And if you find this becomes a novel-length answer, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements ;)

What if the zealot you've been debating (on social media, at work, in the coffee shop line, in your family...) suddenly said something you completely agree with? On a topic you both vehemently disagree about? (Did they suddenly see sense? Did you just go crazy?)

Today's A to Z Challenge post brought to you by the letter...

Rewind - A to Z Challenge

At the heart of much speculative fiction (and fiction in general) is a question. What if? Occasionally, I like to throw one out there and see what you make of it. Do with it as you please. If a for-instance is not specified, feel free to interpret that instance as you wish. And if you find this becomes a novel-length answer, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements ;)

What if you could go back in time and relive one hour of your life? Any hour, but only the one. (And, for the sake of argument, any changes to the timeline would affect your current present.)

Today's A to Z Challenge post brought to you by the letter...

Juried - A to Z Challenge

At the heart of much speculative fiction (and fiction in general) is a question. What if? Occasionally, I like to throw one out there and see what you make of it. Do with it as you please. If a for-instance is not specified, feel free to interpret that instance as you wish. And if you find this becomes a novel-length answer, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements ;)

What if everything you do had to be scrutinized by a "panel of experts"? (Kind of like being a teenage girl. Or being on a reality show. Or being a presidential candidate.)

Today's A to Z Challenge post brought to you by the letter...

Boring - A to Z Challenge

At the heart of much speculative fiction (and fiction in general) is a question. What if? Occasionally, I like to throw one out there and see what you make of it. Do with it as you please. If a for-instance is not specified, feel free to interpret that instance as you wish. And if you find this becomes a novel-length answer, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements ;)

What if your very favorite thing in the world suddenly became the most tedious thing you can imagine? (Suddenly, as in you planned it yesterday, but today the idea of it bores you to tears.)

Today's A to Z Challenge post brought to you by the letter...

Long Distance Travel

Most speculative fiction begins with a question. What if? This week I've been posing a couple for you.

What if the only way we humans can travel to distant stars/planets is to lose our physical forms?

After What?

This week I've been posing what if questions. Just random thoughts that may take your story someplace. Or not.

What if this is the "afterlife"?

Lack of Imagination

(c) Scott McLeod

So, um, yeah. It's been that kind of week. A week to contemplate the what ifs of it all...

What if imagination was something that people feared? What if stories were forbidden? What sort of a people would we be?

Vengeance is Mine

What if? It's a question that can take your novel in a whole different direction. It's a question that can begin a whole new story...

What if you* were wronged so badly that you contemplated revenge on the one who wronged you*? How far would you* be willing to go?

*You'd never really resort to revenge, would you? So, by "you" I mean any character in your current WIP.

The Viper and the Urchin

Today Celine Jeanjean is joining us. The Viper and the Urchin is currently on presale at Amazon and will be released later this month. Her "What If?" is something I think a lot of us can relate to...

I didn't go for a What If? question based on my book, since it's not really that kind of story. Instead, I focused on what it's been like getting The Viper and the Urchin ready for release. I keep asking myself all sorts of very negative questions, like "What if people hate the book?", or "What if people think I'm a terrible writer?", or "What if the book flops, will people I know judge me for it?" but in fact people's reactions so far have been very positive.

What if you could know what everyone thinks of you? Do you think it would be as bad as what those little voices in your head say? Or would it actually be far more positive than you'd expect? Would it make life easier or unbearable?

The Viper and the Urchin

Being Damsport’s most elegant assassin is hard work. There’s tailoring to consider, devilish poisons to concoct, secret identities to maintain… But most importantly, Longinus has to keep his fear of blood hidden or his reputation will be ruined. So, when a scrawny urchin girl threatens to expose his phobia unless he teaches her swordsmanship, he has no choice but to comply.

It doesn't take long for Rory to realise that her new trainer has more eccentricities than she has fleas. But she'll put up with anything, no matter how frustrating, to become a swordswoman like her childhood hero.

What she’s not prepared for is a copycat assassin who seeks to replace Longinus, and who hires Rory’s old partner in crime to do away with her, as well. Rory and Longinus must set their differences aside and try to work together if they're to stop the copycat. But darker forces than they realise are at play, and with time running out, the unlikely duo find themselves the last line of defence against a powerful enemy who seeks to bring Damsport to its knees.

About the Author:

Celine Jeanjean is French, grew up in the UK and now lives in Hong Kong. That makes her a tad confused about where she is from. During her time in Asia she's watched the sun rise over Angkor Wat, lost her shoes in Vietnam, and fallen off a bamboo raft in China.

Celine writes stories that feature quirky characters and misfits, and her books are a mix of steampunk, mystery and humour.

pre-sale in the US: http://amzn.to/1GGmdrR

pre-sale in the UK: http://amzn.to/1LkUdNS

Website: celinejeanjean.com

Blog: celinejeanjean.wordpress.com

Twitter: @CelineJeanjean

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CelineJeanjeanAuthor

Dragon of the Stars

Today the center of the blogging universe (or at least our little part of it) joins us with another "What If?"...

What If?

For an author, that can mean the difference between a good idea and a great idea. It can spur us to look beyond the obvious and even beyond the unobvious.

Since there are only so many basic storylines, we need to explore the ‘What If’s’ to make our story original and our own. There are so many ways we can twist a story around and stand it on its head. (And whenever someone stands on his head, loose change falls out, so that’s even more story nuggets!)

What If…?

The main character was the opposite sex?
We tried a different setting?
Time travel was involved?
The killer was someone different?
We changed the time period?
The main character had an allergy?
What if a monster emerged from the lamp and not a genie?

There are thousands of questions we could ask ourselves. Each answer leads down a different path. Brainstorming a ton of options often leads to that one thing that propels the story forward in a unique direction.

I had a lot to consider for my latest book, Dragon of the Stars. What If…?

The qualities of Earth’s toughest animal, the Tardigrade, were in a much larger creature?
The greatest ship could not be controlled?
Failure wasn’t an option but there was no way to win?
Someone had to make an unheard-of sacrifice?

Those questions helped bring the story to life and gave it twists most never saw coming.

What are some ‘What If’s’ you could ask to take your story in a new direction?

Dragon of the Stars
By Alex J. Cavanaugh
What Are the Kargrandes? http://whatarethekargrandes.com/

The ship of legends…

The future is set for Lt. Commander Aden Pendar, son of a Hyrathian Duke. Poised to secure his own command and marriage to the queen’s daughter, he’ll stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

But when the Alliance denies Hyrath’s claim on the planet of Kavil and declares war on their world, Aden finds his plans in disarray. Entrenched in battle and told he won’t make captain, Aden’s world begins to collapse. How will he salvage his career and future during Hyrath’s darkest hour?

One chance remains–the Dragon. Lost many years prior, the legendary ship’s unique weapon is Hyrath’s only hope. Can Aden find the Dragon, save his people, and prove he’s capable of commanding his own ship?

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Stars-Alex-J-Cavanaugh-ebook/dp/B00S0DPUYU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1420814971&sr=1-1&keywords=dragon+of+the+stars
Barnes and Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dragon-of-the-stars-alex-j-cavanaugh/1121069418?ean=2940046510720
ITunes - https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dragon-of-the-stars/id957912496?mt=11
Kobo - http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/dragon-of-the-stars
Amazon UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dragon-Stars-Alex-J-Cavanaugh-ebook/dp/B00S0DPUYU
Amazon print – http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Stars-Alex-j-Cavanaugh/dp/1939844061/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1427824785&sr=1-1
Overdrive - https://www.overdrive.com/media/2130736/dragon-of-the-stars
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23521766-dragon-of-the-stars






And just released –


CassaSeries
By Alex J. Cavanaugh

The Amazon Best-Selling Series!

CassaStar - CassaFire - CassaStorm

Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZAP5PV4?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
Amazon UK – http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00ZAP5PV4?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
Barnes and Noble – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cassaseries-alex-j-cavanaugh/1122097909?ean=294015196217
Kobo – https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/cassaseries
Goodreades – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25705316-cassaseries

About the Author:

Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design, graphics, and technical editing. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. He’s the author of Amazon Best-Sellers CassaStar, CassaFire, and CassaStorm.



http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/
http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/
http://twitter.com/AlexJCavanaugh  

Effigy

Today M.J. Fifield is joining us to remind you to read her book if you haven't already. (Seriously, if you haven't, you should. It's worth it.) And she's also been kind enough to give us a "What If?"...

I want to start off by thanking Liz for hosting me today. I appreciate the invite! Marketing is hard, and I am grateful for all the help I can get.

Now let’s move on to a truly oddball What If question. But first, some back story:

Effigy is populated with mythical creatures—in particular, unicorns and a pint-sized pegasus. They talk. (They can be more sarcastic that way…)

The pegasus, Faolan, is one of the more frequently remarked-upon characters in this novel. He’s prone to sarcasm and a tad on zealous side, truth be told. He’s a pegasus on a mission, and he won't let anything—or anyone—stand in his way. He will lie, cheat, and manipulate, all in the name of the deity he serves.

Many of characters in Effigy—both major and minor—interact with Faolan and struggle with his “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few” philosophies.

Which leads us to today’s What If question…

What if you woke up one day and talking unicorns weren't the craziest thing in your life? What if your life depended upon a borderline fanatical pegasus?

Effigy

The survival of a once-mighty kingdom rests in the hands of its young queen, Haleine Coileáin, as it slowly succumbs to an ancient evil fueled by her husband’s cruelty.

A sadistic man with a talent for torture and a taste for murder, he is determined to burn the land and all souls within. Haleine is determined to save her kingdom and, after a chance encounter, joins forces with the leader of the people’s rebellion. She gives him her support, soon followed by her heart.

Loving him is inadvertent but becomes as natural and necessary as breathing. She lies and steals on his behalf, doing anything she can to further their cause. She compromises beliefs held all her life, for what life will exist if evil prevails?

Her journey leads to a deceiving world of magic, monsters, and gods she never believed existed outside of myth. The deeper she goes, the more her soul is stripped away, but she continues on, desperate to see her quest complete. If she can bring her husband to ruin and save her people, any sacrifice is worth the price—even if it means her life.

About the Author:

Armed with a deep and lasting love of chocolate, purple pens, and medieval weaponry, M.J. Fifield is nothing if not a uniquely supplied insomniac. When she isn't writing, she’s on the hunt for oversized baked goods or shiny new daggers. A life-long New Englander, M.J. is currently giving life in Florida a try. Visit her online at mjfifeld.com.

Links:

My Pet Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

The Book and the Blade

This is the first time I get to welcome someone to the blog who I know IRL. J.D. Fisher has given us a "What If?" to ponder...

What if we did just one act of kindness each day that did NOT benefit us but others - would the world be a different place?

The Book and the Blade

When two elves set out to investigate rumors of war near their homeland, their meticulous plans go awry, and they find themselves mysteriously chosen to fulfill an ancient prophecy that will affect the entire world. Unknown to the elves, an unforeseen enemy pursues them with lethal intent after discovering they are carrying items of great power. Read The Book and the Blade: Awakening and join them on their journey in a world full magic, dangerous foes, and an epic struggle between good and evil.

From the Author:

Some of the major influences and stories that inspired the idea of this book were from The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis and The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. However, there is one person that really planted the idea, or the seed you could say, of fantasy fiction and this book in my mind and that was my brother Luke. Before he passed on in early January, 2004, we used to have a lot of late night chats. He would tell me his latest problems with girls and then after, if I were lucky, he'd share his ideas of a fantasy story he wanted to create. I was always amazed at how imaginative his mind was.  His ideas really helped me imagine and create the story for The Book and the Blade.

About the Author: 

J.D. Fisher is a teacher who lives in California, is married, and has two children. He enjoys family time, surfing, running, and fantasy movies and stories. Much of his inspiration for writing has come from some of the greatest stories created by C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien.

Websites:

Official - http://thebookandtheblade.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thebookandtheblade

Amazon (link for the most current edition of the book)
~Paperback - http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Blade-J-D-Fisher/dp/1634181050
~Kindle - http://www.amazon.com/Book-Blade-J-D-Fisher-ebook/dp/B00TU7CHUK

Barnes & Noble (Paperback/Nook)
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-book-and-the-blade-j-d-fisher/1116766623?ean=9781634181051

A Different Soldier

At the heart of much speculative fiction (and fiction in general) is a question. What if? Occasionally I like to throw one out there and see what you make of it. Do with it as you please. If a for-instance is not specified, feel free to interpret that instance as you wish.

What if we sent older people to fight our wars rather than using the youth as soldiers? (For example, taking more experienced individuals and having them virtually fight via robots or such. But the question doesn't need to be limited specifically in this way.)

Faking It

At the heart of much speculative fiction (and fiction in general) is a question. What if? Occasionally I like to throw one out there and see what you make of it. Do with it as you please. If a for-instance is not specified, feel free to interpret that instance as you wish.

What if you could initiate a hoax? Would you? Would you use it for good or evil?

Ursa Major and Other Stories by Tamara Narayan

I asked Tamara Narayan to give us a what if question for today. She gave us four. Take it away, Tamara...

Thanks Liz, for inviting me to the Unicorn Bell. I understand you enjoy what-if questions. Ursa Major and Other Stories contains three tales that answer some off-the-wall ones. Let's get started . . . 

Ghosts of a Benevolent Place: What if an autistic child met a senior citizen who, in his dementia, thought he was still a kid?

For Audrey Ericcson, raising an autistic son is like juggling hand grenades. She never knows when Ian is going to blow. Gloria Carter, whose husband Winston suffers from Alzheimer's, can sympathize. The unlikely friendship that blossoms between Ian and Winston on the shore of Lake Ontario is nothing short of miraculous to both women. When Ian begins to spell out words with rocks on the beach, Audrey is first thrilled, then puzzled, and eventually frightened. Are the mysterious stone messages from Ian, Winston, or something else entirely? Approx. 77 pages (21K words)

Ursa Major: What if you were starving and came upon a pristine box of donuts in the woods? Would you eat them, knowing they were bait?

Something with a heavy gait and a taste for sweets lurks in the woods behind Josh Surrel’s new home. Not that he has time to worry about it. As the new kid in school, he's got to figure out quickly whether to join the outcasts or the bullies, if he's got the guts to speak to the prettiest girl in ELA, and the answers to his hideous math homework before he lands in detention. Yet when everything goes wrong, these problems become meaningless. Josh finds himself alone in the dark, freezing in a freak September snowstorm, searching for the one thing he's most afraid of . . .
Approx. 73 pages (21K words)

The President and the Pea: What if you witnessed a murder, but no one believed you? What if the victim was the leader of the free world?

Sixty-something Annette Hutchins has her quirks. She abhors eggs and never drinks anything red. But those oddities pale in comparison to the secret she's been forced to keep for years. Annette witnessed the assassination of the President of the United States. Or did she? Approx. 35 pages (9K words)

Links
Ursa Major and Other Stories (reduced to $0.99 through May on Amazon)

Ghosts of a Benevolent Place ($0.99 on Amazon)

Ursa Major ($0.99 on Amazon)

The President and the Pea ($0.99 on Amazon)

Author Bio

Starting at a zoo, I wrangled African penguins and raised several fluffy little footballs. Next it was back to school for a Ph.D. in mathematics and sympathy for Barbie. (Yes, math is hard.) After three years as a professor, daughter number one arrived (8 hours after final grades were submitted) and bam! The ever-challenging, at-home mom marathon began. When daughter number two was old enough to survive shopping trips with her dad, I dove headfirst into writing. Today I've got eight sci-fi/fantasy stories published through Wormhole Digital and am in the final edits (I hope) of a historical novel. I also blog a bit at www.tamaranarayan.com.

What can I say? I like variety, which leads to my final question:

What if you could snap your fingers and experience any job on the planet? Would you become a CSI investigator? An acrobat with Cirque du Soleil? Chocolate technologist for Ghiradelli?

Awesome jobs I’d like to experience: a zombie on the set of The Walking Dead, a tour guide to Machu Picchu, or a guitarist on tour with U2. Why not?

Not a Memorable Conversation

At the heart of much speculative fiction (and fiction in general) is a question. What if? Occasionally I like to throw one out there and see what you make of it. Do with it as you please. If a for-instance is not specified, feel free to interpret that instance as you wish.

What if you could make someone forget their conversation with you? Not that they saw you or talked to you, necessarily, but just what was said.