Pipe Dreams, by Greg Krehbiel

"If you enjoy a Twilight Zone type of story this one is for you."

John is sliding into depression and alcoholism from his grief over the death of his wife. Now the mysterious discovery of his grandfather's pipe has made matters worse. Smoking that pipe has awakened something in his mind and he's begun to have lucid dreams about his dead wife, which have progressed from dreams to daytime visions. He's seeing her in a downtown D.C. park. John is torn between wild hopes that he might have some way to reconnect with Jillian and his concern that it's all a delusion.

Meanwhile, a dangerous old man with obscure family connections is trying to interfere, and the more John investigates the deeper his illness becomes. His psychologist is getting increasingly concerned about his mental state, and when someone reports him as a "national security threat" for his increasingly odd behavior, John faces the prospect of being involuntarily drugged or committed.

Can he find the secret of the pipe, and of his dreams, before he goes mad? Will he find a way to let go of Jillian, or ... is it possible he might even find her?

This story has all 5-star reviews.  

"Great for pipe lovers or sci-fi fans who like real character depth and local color." ~Stephen J Wallace

About the Author

Greg is a lifelong Marylander and a happily married father of five wonderful children. He's enjoying a successful career in professional publishing in the Washington, D.C. area. He earned a bachelor's degree in Geology and studied theology as preparation for ordained ministry -- then thought better of it.

He loves Tolkien, the Dune books, Sherlock Holmes, P.G. Wodehouse, Mark Twain and C.S. Lewis when he's not reading history, philosophy or politics. Greg has always enjoyed long chats with friends over a beer or two about the issues of the day.

Greg is a long-time home brewer (beer, wine and mead), an occasional jogger, an out of practice black belt, an avid writer and blogger, and enjoys camping and fishing.

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Author Interview With Lee Fishman: Mediums Guild

Featured Author, Lee Fishman
"Mediums Guild"

Why do you feel you had to write "Mediums Guild"?
It was a story that wouldn’t go away. Some scenes in my novel, Mediums Guild are based on real life happenings. Years back, I found myself working part-time with a group of psychics. At parties and fund raisers, we shared our intuitive knowledge through tarot and palm readings. Several incidents occurred within this group of friends and they’ve always stayed with me.

From where do you get your ideas?
My inspiration often begins with real world events. From there I add tidbits of conversations overheard, stories people tell me and bits and pieces of my own imagination. These things go into the hopper where I mull it over until it emerges as the beginning of a story.

Do you ever experience writer's block, and how do you overcome it?
Writers block is not pretty. When it happens, I focus on an extreme emotion, such as anxiety or fear. I let my characters feel that emotion and wait to see what they make of it. Some of my best writing comes after that scary writer’s block is pushed out of the way.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
There are a couple of things. Explore a variety of writing formats. Write whenever you can. Finally, I urge all writers to find a writers critique group. You can’t write in a vacuum.

Who are your favorite authors?
That's a hard one. There are so many wonderful authors but I'll just name the ones that pop into my head. Kate Atkinson is a great fiction writer, but I love her mysteries most. My introduction to her work was Started Early, Took My Dog. Lately, I've been reading George Saunders. He tells some darkly comic and mind-bending tales. And how could I forget Gary Shteyngart? His Super Sad True Love Story is an all-time favorite.

When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
I try to write every day, mainly in the morning. Once I've logged a few hours at the computer, I'm ready to get some activity. Two days a week, I do career counseling at a women's shelter. Other days I might take a yoga class, meet friends for lunch or take a stroll. I'm lucky enough to live in a very walkable city.

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A quest for riches turns deadly when a psychic who helps find a missing couple is lured into a mysterious scheme

Real estate agent Margo Fellshur can’t catch a break in a slow housing market. With her teen-age daughter dreaming of high end colleges, hopes of financial stability grow dimmer by the minute. For extra cash, the single mother works weekends as a psychic, reading cards at parties – and she’s good at it. Too bad she can’t resolve her own issues.

As a kid, Margo took her intuitive ability for granted. Couldn’t everyone see auras and hear the thoughts of their friends? Discovering tarot cards helped Margo focus, creating more faith in her “second sight”.

A chance encounter connects Margo with Greg, a pilot whose brush with death leaves him shaken. They click and he asks for her help in finding his sister and her friend, who disappeared months before. Margo recruits fellow psychics but they come up short until a dream changes everything.

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Known Afterlife (The Provider Trilogy), by Trey Copeland

On the utopian world called the Provider, the Deagron Maker waits for destiny.

10,000 years ago, the deagrons reigned supreme. If left unchecked, the alien creatures’ insatiable hunger for the life giving Source was certain to obliterate the Provider. Forced to the brink of extinction, man discovered the power to shift the Source, spawning the first race, known then and now, as Guardians. Emergence of the Guardians turned the tide in the fight for survival, vanquishing the Deagron Maker and its spawn, ending thousands of years of unabated carnage. Or so it is believed, for it is recorded in the Deeds.

In the 6,000 years that followed, Citizens attained enlightenment, reincarnating as one of the four races- Guardian, Shifter, Healer or Mystic- and living the Certain Way as decreed by their beloved deity and planet: the Provider. As a present day Guardian, Steffor's role in society remains that of protector, defending Citizens from, while mundane in comparison to the deagrons, the inherent dangers associated with life in perpetual wilderness, coexisting with a myriad of lethal predators. When not serving as a resident hero, Steffor spends his time training for the Dive. Having finally qualified for this year's championship, manifesting his future fame is close at hand. That is, if it were not for the events, long in the coming, manifesting a different future for Steffor and his peaceful society. A future in direct lockstep with destiny.

On Antium, a world ruled by the ancient and merciless Church of Salvation, humankind has all but lost the will to grow, to dream, to aspire for a transcendent existence. Armed with the motive, the technology and the capital means, Stalling Alterian and his cadre of gifted conspirators lead a fertile insurrection against the global theocracy. Committed to saving their society, or die trying, the crucial and final phase of their clandestine mission only moments away from completion, Stalling discovers a fatal error in his calculations that threatens to destroy it all. Absenet of any solution and the enemy rapidly closing in, can Stalling impose his technological miracle onto humanity before the noose pulls tight?

Stalling and Steffor inhabit different worlds, yet they are connected. Together, but unbeknownst to one of them, they race towards an inevitable, if unimaginable collision.

“...grow in spiritual faith while entering the strange and fascinating worlds he has paired, parried and opposed…a heady start and a book with more of a profound level of meaning than we read in other novels in this genre.” Grady Harp, Amazon.com Top 50 Reviewer, Vine Voice, Hall of Fame Reviewer

"...Copeland does an expert job of reminding us that reality is what we make it and our beliefs, allegiance and loyalty are ours alone to give." Jay Mittener, Amazon.com Top 500 Reviewer

About the Author

Trey Copeland is the author of the Provider Trilogy: a speculative fiction trilogy that explores the "gray" area between science and mysticism, while contemplating the subject of spiritual evolution and the moral obstacles we all face while in pursuit of enlightenment. Inspired by Joseph Campbell's "17 Stages of the Hero's Journey", Trey's aim as an author is to entertain with fast-paced action and developed characters that move the reader to ask "what if" explorations of their own beliefs.

Born in Central Virginia, Trey currently resides in North Carolina with his loving, supportive and patient wife, where they both do their best to prioritize raising their three boys.

For More Info
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PURE VISION: The Magdalene Revelation, by Perri Birney

***Kindle Countdown May 12-18, 2014.***

"A spellbinding, international cloak-and-dagger thriller . . . Visionary!"

An ancient artifact is stolen . . . A long-lost document is found . . . A mysterious and dangerous journey unfolds . . .

New York Times investigative reporter Maggie Seline disappears suddenly after uncovering a radical energy scheme that threatens the oil industry. A clandestine underground society based in Rome, Propaganda Due, is at the heart of the sinister plot which leads to an unlikely door -- the president of the European Commission.

Forced into hiding, Seline secretly teams up with history scholar and writer, Michael Sonada, and the two track clues which ultimately lead to a powerful ancient blueprint, one tied to a global energy conspiracy. Their discovery catapults them on a dangerous, heart-pounding adventure to unravel the mysterious code, all the while dodging P2's malicious assaults. As Seline and Sonada race to thwart the ominous plan, their journey drives them into the forbidden regions of Nepal to make an earth-shattering discovery.

PURE VISION forges ancient myths and contemporary challenges in this provocative and thrilling epic adventure. At every turn, Perri Birney's intriguing scenario encourages a closer look at the spiritual forces that infuse the world's political battles.

About the Author

Perri Birney has traveled extensively throughout Libya, India, Nepal and Tibet and is the editor of several Tibetan Buddhist publications. The author lives in upstate New York.




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Author Interview with Mike Kilroy: Nine Meals

Why do you feel you had to write "Nine Meals"?
It was a story I had kicking around in my head for quite some time. There was a major power outage where I live, and we were without electricity for three days. That’s when the major plot of “Nine Meals” took shape. As a society, we are so reliant on our fragile infrastructure. I wondered what would happen to us if this outage was permanent. And “Nine Meals” was born.

From where do you get your ideas?
I am a what-if person. I often ponder scenarios and wonder what would happen if X, Y or Z were about to occur. I also take things from my personal life and through observations of the people around me. What is my biggest fear? What are my friends’ biggest worries? Hopes? Dreams? Desires? A good book isn’t about the plot but the people in it.

Do you ever experience writer's block, and how do you overcome it?
I don’t experience writer’s block per se, but I do go into what I call a “writing slump.” When this happens, I just keep writing, even if I think what I have written is terrible. Even in the worst pages, there are salvageable pieces that I can pluck out later when I break out of my slump. I liken it to a hitter in baseball. You have to keep swinging.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Don’t get discouraged. You will be rejected. People will say nasty things about what you have written. Not everyone is going to love every single word. That’s okay. This is the best time to be a writer. There are so many outlets to get your work out there, and if it is good and if you have poured it out from your heart, the majority of the people will gain something from it. Just keep at it.

How do you market your work? Are some avenues more successful than others?
There is no better promotional device than word-of-mouth. I have seen sales of “Nine Meals” build like a snowball rolling down a hill, and that has come mostly from word-of-mouth. Someone reads it and likes it, so they recommend it to someone else, who reads it and likes it and so on and so forth. Another great avenue is Author & Book Buzz. I saw my sales explode when I used their promotion service.

If your book was made into a movie, who would play each role?
That’s a great question. What author hasn’t thought about who would play their protagonist in a movie? There is no doubt the perfect actress for my heroine would be Ellen Page. She has that spunky personality of Antigone. As for the male lead, that is a bit more difficult. There’s always Nicolas Cage – he’s in everything.

About the Book

When the sun belched and the power grid failed, it was only nine meals until the end of the world. Billy “Shep” Shepard always thought the apocalypse would come from an asteroid with a funny name, or a super bug, or a nuclear war, or even Yellowstone blowing its top. It came from none of those things. Instead it came from an angry sun in the form of the biggest Coronal Mass Ejection mankind had ever seen – and it slapped the human race back a century.

In these grim times, people kill for food, water and weapons. They scratch out a feeble existence after “The Ejection.” But not Shep. His biggest question each day in his underground bunker is “Cheese Ravioli, Beefaroni or SpaghettiOs?”

Shep soon discovers that nothing in this new world is guaranteed. He and Antigone, a girl he rescues, are forced to take a perilous journey across an unyielding landscape toward the one place rumored to be unsullied by the disaster. Along the way they must overcome hunger, disease, desperation and death while running from a man who wants nothing more than vengeance.

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https://twitter.com/KilroyWasHere7

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Dreams Worth Dying For, by J.P. Herman

Synopsis
Wealthy Madison Avenue advertising executive Andy Pettigrew's recurring dreams of inner peace and contentment center on his desperate need to love and be loved. Middle-aged and divorced, Andy laments the fact that his heart is as empty as his bank accounts are full. Dying to change things, he sets out to balance the books, eagerly boarding his vintage red and white Corvette convertible for the ride of a lifetime. What follows is an account of Andy's adventurous transformation from reality to make-believe and back again. Co-stars include a beautiful woman named Dr. Susan Jacoby, some well-known Key West spirits, a smattering of Great Lakes ghosts and an angel or two.

BUY THE BOOK
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Worth-Dying-J-P-Herman-ebook/dp/B00I6KA3Z8/

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Kindle Spotlight: Dreams Worth Dying For

Dreams Worth Dying For
By: J.P. Herman

Wealthy Madison Avenue advertising executive Andy Pettigrew's recurring dreams of inner peace and contentment center on his desperate need to love and be loved. Middle-aged and divorced, Andy laments the fact that his heart is as empty as his bank accounts are full. Dying to change things, he sets out to balance the books, eagerly boarding his vintage red and white Corvette convertible for the ride of a lifetime. What follows is an account of Andy's adventurous transformation from reality to make-believe and back again. Co-stars include a beautiful woman named Dr. Susan Jacoby, some well-known Key West spirits, a smattering of Great Lakes ghosts and an angel or two.

BUY THE BOOK
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Worth-Dying-J-P-Herman-ebook/dp/B00I6KA3Z8/

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Official Book Video Trailer: Going Home (Book 1 of the Alien Encounters Series)

Going Home (Book 1 of the Alien Encounters Series), by Kim Welsman

Lyrissa is a woman on a mission with a haunted past. Peggy is a woman in a new world on a quest. The Agency and the Guard both want Peggy. Will Lyrissa help the Queen and the Guard for a healthy sum or will she find the courage to let Peggy leave so they can both go home?

Going Home is Book One in the Alien Encounters Series, a new adult supernatural fantasy set in a dystopian future for women of all ages, but recommended for those over 16. Go on a psychic inner and outer journey with Lyrissa and find out if she goes home!

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Official Book Video Trailer for Going Home

(Book 1 of the Alien Encounters Series)

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About the Author:

Kim writes science fiction, fantasy, and paranormal romance. She likes to weave her stories around strong and independent female protagonists, something that seems to be lacking in science fiction. Her first novella is part of The Alien Encounters Series; a set of four serials formatted much like Steven King's serial The Green Mile.

As a former science teacher Kim wanted to create stories that would make her female science student feel welcome, an experience she didn't get from the genre herself when she was younger.

Kim was raised in a military home. Born in PEI but moved around Atlantic Canada she calls Nova Scotia home. She lives in Dartmouth with her husband and a library full of books, as rare as those are. She takes photographs to provide inspiration for her work and paints in her spare time to relax.

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FOR MORE INFO:
Website: http://www.kimwelsman.ca/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/kimwelsman

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Amazon: http://amzn.to/19GY6uw