Tag: Science Fiction

Welcome Donald Firesmith w/ #Apocalyptic #SciFi ‘Hell Holes: What Lurks Below’ @DonFiresmith @GoddessFish

On By Casey's CornerIn Book Tours1 Comment

Today we have author Donald Firesmith visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* A computer geek by day, at night and on weekends Donald Firesmith writes modern paranormal fantasy, apocalyptic science fiction, action and adventure novels and relaxes by handcrafting magic wands from magical woods and mystical gemstones.
* A computer geek by day, Donald Firesmith works as a system and software engineer helping the US Government acquire large, complex software-intensive systems. In this guise, he has authored seven technical books, written numerous software- and system-related articles and papers, and spoken at more conferences than he can possibly remember. He is also proud to have been named a Distinguished Engineer by the Association of Computing Machinery, although his pride is tempered somewhat worrying whether the term “distinguished” makes him sound more like a graybeard academic rather than an active engineer whose beard is still more red than gray.
* By night and on weekends, his alter ego writes modern paranormal fantasy, apocalyptic science fiction, action and adventure novels and relaxes by handcrafting magic wands from various magical woods and mystical gemstones. His first foray into fiction is the book Magical Wands: A Cornucopia of Wand Lore written under the pen name Wolfrick Ignatius Feuerschmied. He lives in Crafton, Pennsylvania with his wife Becky, his son Dane, and varying numbers of dogs, cats, and birds.

A look into…

~ Blurb ~

* It’s August in Alaska, and geology professor Jack Oswald prepares for the new school year. But when hundreds of huge holes mysteriously appear overnight in the frozen tundra north of the Arctic Circle, Jack receives an unexpected phone call. An oil company exec hires Jack to investigate, and he picks his climatologist wife and two of their graduate students as his team. Uncharacteristically, Jack also lets Aileen O’Shannon, a bewitchingly beautiful young photojournalist, talk him into coming along as their photographer. When they arrive in the remote oil town of Deadhorse, the exec and a biologist to protect them from wild animals join the team. Their task: to assess the risk of more holes opening under the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and the wells and pipelines that feed it. But they discover a far worse danger lurks below. When it emerges, it threatens to shatter Jack’s unshakable faith in science. And destroy us all…

~ Excerpt ~

* After seconds that seemed to stretch into eternity, the cigarette butt tumbled past Mark and eventually reached the depth where the concentration of methane and hydrogen sulfide reached explosive levels.
* There was a deafening whoosh, and a huge fireball the size of the hole erupted from the pit. Luckily, the blast from the explosion blew us backwards, away from the hole. That was the only thing that saved us from the intense heat radiating from the colossal swirling ball of fire and smoke that had roared from the crater. It felt like I was standing next to a hundred heat lamps, and I heard the sizzling sound of my hair and beard beginning to burn on the side of my head that faced the flames. Turning my back to the hole, I immediately used my hands to extinguish my burning hair before it could seriously burn me. Disgusted by the stench of a mixture of burnt hair and rotten eggs, I picked myself up and looked back towards the hole. Above us, a huge pillar of smoke rose like the ash cloud of an erupting volcano. Looking back down, we saw the burning nylon rope continue to rise until its end slipped over the edge of the hole. Only a little of Mark’s smoldering body harness was still attached to its end.
* “No!” We heard Jill’s horror-filled scream coming loudly over our walkie-talkies, followed less than a second later when her anguished cry reached us from across the pit. I could just make out Jill’s wavering form through the turbulent superheated air rising up between us as she raced back around the hole.
* I looked over to where Kowalski was standing, staring in disbelief at the fiery pit his thoughtlessness had created. I was beyond furious. The next thing I knew, I had him by the jacket and was screaming in his face, “You Goddamned careless son of a bitch! Weren’t you listening? Didn’t you hear me say there was hydrogen sulfide in the pit?”
* “Buh, buh, but…” he stammered as he tried to back away from me.
* Without realizing it, I was slowly backing him up to the hole. I might have backed him over the edge had Bill not forced himself between us. “That’s enough!” he commanded.
* Suddenly, I realized what I was doing and let go. It was clear from his expression that he’d had no idea that the gasses in the bottom of the hole were flammable, let alone sufficiently concentrated to be explosive.
* My fiery rage died as I turned my anger inward. Kowalski hadn’t killed Mark. I had. I was in charge and responsible for the lives of my team. I should have spotted the danger sooner. Mark was my student, so I should have sent him up first. Worst of all, I had seen Kowalski smoking next to the hole and done nothing. I turned my back on the hole and wearily walked away across the empty tundra.

Buy Hell Holes: What Lurks Below here… The book is free!
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | CreateSpace | instafreebie.com | iTunes | Smashwords

Find Donald Firesmith here…
Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Website | YouTube

Thank you for joining us here today, Donald Firesmith! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Donald Firesmith will be awarding an autographed copy of the Hell Holes 2: Demons on the Dalton (US ONLY) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour! So be sure to leave a comment AND use this RAFFLECOPTER LINK to enter the drawing. Also, visit the other tour stops for a greater chance of winning!

Welcome to Cailin Briste w/ #SciFi #EroticRomance ‘Maon: Marshal of Tallav’ @CailinBriste @GoddessFish

On By Casey's CornerIn Authors & Books, Goddess Fish Promotions7 Comments

tourbanner_maon

Today we have author Cailin Briste visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* Cailin has been writing fiction for five years and non-fiction for two decades. Her non-fiction work has been published in magazines and in a non-fiction anthology. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America, the RWA Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal Chapter, and the RWA Passionate Ink Chapter.
* Cailin likes to flip convention on its head, creating a universe in which each planet is a study in different what ifs. What would happen to alpha men on a matriarchal planet where the women are not Dommes in the strictest sense but certainly have the attitude down pat? How would society handle it if girls born on their new planet developed empathic senses? Cailin throws her characters into these settings, heroes and heroines whose kink is a major defining attribute of their personality.

A look into…

mediakit_bookcover_maonmarshaloftallav

~ Blurb ~

* Maon Keefe has always been told he’s doomed to fail as a husband. He decides never to marry instead focusing on living life as a player and becoming a capable marshal of Tallav. When he is shot and the most-wanted criminal he’s escorting escapes, he fears that his career, his one success in life, is doomed. Assigned to ferret out the cause of missing shipments for a VIP aristocrat, he meets Selina Shirley CEO of the House of Shirley. He finds himself inexplicably attracted to her despite her frumpy appearance. When he meets a hooded and masked, scorching hot Domme, Lasair, at his friend’s BDSM club, he’s torn between the two women. Both fire his imagination and call to his submissive nature. Either might be the woman to change him into successful husband material.
* Selina Shirley organizes her life like she organizes her business, taking control of all aspects of each. She’s concluded that she must marry to get an heir and that her future husband must be totally submissive. Mentored by the sector’s most famous sadist, she learns what it takes to be a proper Domme. Then, hidden behind a hood and mask, as Lasair, she meets Maon and her instant attraction to his full submission at the BDSM club leads her to break her own rules and become involved with him. But he’s also the marshal assigned to investigate thefts at her company. When his broad streak of protective alpha male comes into play, it obvious he’s not a 24/7 submissive. To stick to her plan to marry the perfect husband, she must ignore her heart and dump Maon.

~ Excerpt ~

* Despite his ordinary, nondescript looks, Randolph, owner of the Whip Hand, had a charisma that mesmerized even the most difficult people into doing exactly what he willed. Not that Maon needed mesmerizing to take up Randolph’s gauntlet. They were friends, and when Randolph had needed someone to help in a predicament bondage scene, Maon had been hesitant to assist him. After all, what was in it for Maon? He wasn’t into Randolph, and he didn’t like pain. When Randolph turned it into a challenge with a hot female sub as a prize, Maon’s reluctance had evaporated. Now it was a given that Randolph would offer Maon a new sadistic challenge whenever Maon made it to Beta Tau. The public play space was already crowded with tourists of every stripe, from lifestyle kinksters to the merely curious. The Whip Hand was a place to indulge your fantasies or explore new possibilities. Only the serious-minded would complete the security registration that allowed them to enter the private play space and individual rooms beyond the public areas. Maon spotted Randolph heading toward him. A woman who looked familiar to Maon was following him, but she darted into the locker room before he could get a good look at her. He turned back to the scene he’d been watching.
* “You ready?” Randolph asked when he strode up to where Maon was observing a younger man using a single tail to make a submissive shriek in fear. With each crack, she screamed even though the whip had yet to touch her.
* “He’s good,” Maon said.
* Randolph crossed his arms over his chest. “Trained him myself.”
* “What? Mind fucks or the whip?”
* “Both actually.” Randolph’s face lit with a smirk.

Buy Maon: Marshal of Tallav here…
Loose Id | Online Retailers | Goodreads

Find Cailin Briste here…
Blog | eMail | Facebook | Google+ | Pinterest | Twitter | Website

Thank you for joining us here today, Cailin Briste! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Cailin Briste will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GCto a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour! So be sure to leave a comment AND use this RAFFLECOPTER LINK to enter the drawing. Also, visit the other tour stops for a greater chance of winning!

a look at G.H. Bright & The Woodman #series #Dystopian #SciFi @SDSXXTours

On By Casey's CornerIn Authors & Books, The Silver Dagger Scriptorium ToursLeave a comment
The Roads of Hell
The Woodman, Book 1
By G.H. Bright
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopian, SciFi
POST APOCALYPTIC, yet so much more!
“Modified Ebola has decimated the globe, handfuls of survivors eke out an existence whilst others are intent on building from the ashes a world of unimaginable pain and horror. The Woodman fights to keep the world from tipping completely over the edge whilst battling his own demons.”
Imagine a world where nothing is easy. No electricity, electronic communications fuel or running water. Imagine that world came so fast there was nothing you could do about it. No preparation, no stockpiling of goods. One day you flick a switch and a fire comes on, the next day you need to learn to make fire to get warm and keep animals away.
No law, no order, survival of the fittest is the name of the game. From seven billion human beings to a few million spread out across the globe almost overnight.
Ebola has attacked the human race, virtually wiping it from the face of the planet. For those who survived, the struggle is just beginning and for some the nightmare is just starting.
A madman, now free of prison hospital builds an army and marches on Coast Town with the intent of taking for his own ends. Coast Town is a haven on the south coast of England, a refuse for the few survivors to gather and start again. Three years on from the dark day when Ebola first struck, the people face another challenge, this one perhaps all the more frightening because it might not kill you, just enslave.
Duke Woods, The Woodman, stands in the way of the madman. Duke has the power to stop him and a score to settle, too. With the help of another man, a new friend, they take the battle to the madman known as The Black Pope.
Will Duke survive?
Can The Black Pope be beaten?
Will the Ebola virus, known to all as The Death, return?
As Duke’s past comes back to haunt him so the battle for life takes off, with not only his life in the balance but that of Coast Town, too.
CONTAINS CONTENT SOME READERS MIGHT FIND DISTURBING.
The Fires of Hell
The Woodman Book 2
This second instalment starts six weeks after Book one, the Roads of Hell, finished.
The reluctant hero in the making, Duke Woods, The Woodman, has contracted Ebola, otherwise known simply as “The Death”.
The Black Pope is still alive and kicking, unknown to most, and The Woodman has a new friend.
Michelle, a six-year-old girl remains at his side watching and waiting whilst The Death ravages his body. Hannah, the love of his life is not allowed near them in case she and the child she carries become infected and the communities, at the news of his contagion, go into lock-down.
Hannah is nearly six months pregnant, Sue is seven months into her pregnancy, and several other women are carrying babies too.
As Duke recovers, he finds the Army is still in place and helping everyone it can, and the Elders are still unable to achieve even the simplest of things. Coast Town looks to be thriving again with the new influx of people but as always, trouble is just around the corner and new horror surfaces.
Just when things looks good for the survivor’s, just as they begin to grasp skills forgotten, new evils and hard times rush to compound issues and make life a far greater struggle than it already was. The Death wiped out 90% of Mankind; illness and disease took even more.
Those that lived through it, instead of banding together, seem unable to change their ways and people find they still have to fight Mankind’s greatest enemy, Mankind itself.
The Gates of Hell
The Woodman Book 3
This instalment begins six hours after Duke Woods, AKA The Woodman, has decided he must leave Coast Town.
If he leaves, they stand a chance of negotiation with the small army coming their way and he gets to go home to his family. If he stays, the army will want his head. He has to try and flee, regardless of how it looks to others.
The ‘reluctant hero in the making’, fights his way out with bow and arrow, and arrives home only to find his family in mortal danger. Then, in a twist of fate; Duke is taken prisoner and escorted to Dover Castle. There he has, under threat of death, to fight for his freedom and his sanity as the true horrors of a madman come to light. Seth Windsor is insane and out for blood, a truly bad concoction, and he will only be happy when Duke is forced to fight for his life.
Sue goes to other lands to start a new and joyful life whilst Coast Town burns; only to find the sweet talking man was really a serpent in disguise.
Duke fights evil time and again, fashioning himself unwittingly into a hero regardless of his wish to not be.
Years of peace follow, communities come together, trade together and grow, and a network of towns and villages live in harmony with the people of the woods. Harmony that is, until evil rears its ugly head once more in the form of feral kids linked to Seth Windsor. The Death is still out there, perhaps it always will be, and evil men still rampage across the lands too. The peace is shattered by these feral kids and a new terror from the north. Will peace ever really come to The Woodman?
Hell on Earth
The Woodman Book 4
Duke and Coast Town face a new challenge as the horror from the north, having taken the Oxford Crew, move southward looking for The Woodman. Duke attempts to build an army and defend. Kufuo is still missing, on an adventure of his own trying to trace his roots and all the time ships from the new world head toward them for confrontation. Senator Horst is not all he seems to be and speaks with a serpents tongue. Marine Cobb goes AWOL and tells Duke what he already suspected, that Horst let the Ebola virus loose in the first place. Fighting for his life and the lives of those he loves, Duke must defeat the terror from the north and deal with Senator Horst whilst keeping his people together.
This fourth and final instalment gives the answers to who the people were that died at the start of book one, explains who unleashed the virus, modified it and why. Duke comes close to death, Sue at last finds happiness and Duke, Gould and Troy find out who lives on the forbidden isle.
This is the last in the on-going series, however, the saga continues with books 5 and six.
All Hell Broke Loose
The Woodman Book 5
Modified Ebola was created to wipe out the masses and cut down the numbers of humans on planet Earth. Three differing strains – due to natural mutation and the meddling of the mega-rich – has created a bleak world for those lucky enough to survive. This is book five in the saga and, whereas you might not have read books one – four, you can pick it up by jumping right in here. Life is peaceful once more, the newcomers are getting used to this way of life in southern England and Duke Woods is a dad again. Evil, however comes from across the Channel and threatens the very existence he has fought so hard to build. If the virus wasn’t bad enough this new terror rips the heart out of not just Coast Town but The Woodman too as this battle becomes personal and painful.
Hell Hath No Fury
The Woodman Book 6
Three differing factions head for Duke’s Lands. All have different agendas, one wants to live in peace and be friends whilst another is happy to die for the cause just so long as The Woodman dies too, and the third faction – an eight hundred strong army – wishes for nothing more than total domination. Attacked on different fronts, abandoned by The West and with his lands diminishing rapidly, Duke Woods has the fight of his life on his hands. It is a fight that will cost dearly, many people will die in battle and the return of The Death will take its share too. Stretched to the limits of manpower and with the weather against them, the Marines and Fighting Men stand side by side with The Woodman and family in a fight to the death to save Coast Town. This is a win or lose-it- all battle to the death. Contains graphic violence and sexual content, not for the squeamish.
I live on the South coast of England, Sussex to be exact, but I was born in Hampshire.
When not writing I Instruct motor vehicle studies, including computer diagnosis & diagnostics on modern systems. I love the beach, being social, walking the beach/woods and family life (not in that order) and real ale.
The Woodman saga – book one written in 2000 – is set in a world where modified Ebola has decimated human life as we know it. Duke Woods fights to bring peace and stability to life again but also has to fight his demons to do so.
A cross between Mad Max meets Game of Thrones, meets Contagion meets Robin Hood, this is the story of a modern day hero trying to do the best for everyone and putting himself in the line of fire to do it.