Dig Into The Nighthawkers

 

The Nighthawkers

By Amy L. Bernstein

Archaeologist Pauline Marsh may be haunted by the past. She's hearing paranormal voices in her head, that other people don't. These voices want something. They're looking to reconnect with love, and they are reaching out to Pauline for help. Why Pauline? With the difficult, lonely childhood Pauline emerged from, she feels completely unlovable and certainly unable to help others. Yet, these voices persist. Mysterious, physical seizures surge within Pauline with no warning. She dreads these episodes which she calls the pulse. What are these forces bearing down upon her?

There is hope on Pauline's horizon, and his name is Grey Henley. He's a handsome and charismatic man, and they seem to share a hot connection. These lovers plan a future together, treasure seeking for an immensely rich lifestyle. What impact does ambition have on love? And can true love survive the secrets they keep from each other, including those voices speaking to Pauline?

At Carthage University, it's graduation day full of ceremony, speeches, celebrations, and receptions. Dean Nojes praises Pauline, who is the recipient of Carthage's most coveted academic prize. Pauline feels unworthy of it, but she is obligated to show up at the Dean's reception. She meets the most charming, Grey Henley with his appealing, crooked grin and his sweet talk. That night they share an out-of-body experience, and are thrilled with the adventure of it. They want this fantastic escapade to last a lifetime. Grey thinks he's found the girl of his dreams, and Pauline feels Grey is the family life she's never known and always longed for.

Ambition is a powerful emotion, and it can saturate a person's spirit. This dynamic couple together pursue archaeological finds, but in time their nighthawking turns darkly to profiteering. Despite Pauline's reluctance, they partner with a man Grey knows to sell their discoveries. There's something odd about this new partner, Tyrone Lake. Although the trio start out successfully as a team, fate, or something, steps in with an unexpected twist.

This book is a thought provoking journey into the powers that lie within a person, and where empowerment, once triggered can lead a person. There is more than one way for Pauline to achieve what she wants more than anything in this world, but can she find her way? The characters in this story are fascinating, and the wordly as well as paranormal hurdles they must leap are emotionally challenging. The Nighthawkers push the boundaries as they delve into the riches of the past, and readers are treated to the excitement of their finds.

Amy Bernstein writes stories that let readers feel, while asking them to think. Her literary preoccupations include rooting for the underdog and putting ordinary people in difficult situations to see how they wriggle out. Amy is an award-winning journalist, playwright, and certified nonfiction book coach. When she’s not writing about romance, including explicit romance novels, or dystopian futures, she loves listening to jazz and classical music, drinking wine with friends, and prowling around Baltimore’s waterfront.

Frankenstein Diaries - Iconic Horror & More

 

Secret Memoirs of Mary Shelley:

Frankenstein Diaries “The Romantics”

By Michael January and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

The title alone is intriguing. Who wouldn’t love to spy on the diary of the women that brought us one of the most iconic creatures of horror, but this story is so much more. The tale takes us on a magical and sometimes jarring trip across Europe, with Mrs. Shelley providing us with the color commentary and narration.

Mary flees her home and England with poet and married man, Percy Shelley, and her step-sister, Jane, no Claire, no Clara, - she used whatever name suited her temperament at the time. Mary’s stepmother tracks them to France to confront the scoundrel and bring her underage daughter home. Through differing social standards, Mary, Claire, and Percy remain in France. Thus begins our adventure.

The trio face trials from the weather, the financial demands of travel, and an infatuated younger sibling. As they venture from city to city and country to country, the mercurial nature of nineteenth-century mores provided intrigue, and demands on the trio’s wits. From attending high society fetes to sleeping in abandoned barns, and encounters with soldiers, these travelers had to stay on their toes.

This collaboration between nineteenth century and twenty-first-century authors provides readers with seamless accounts of the real trip through Europe and fanciful speculation of what could have happened. The story is amazing and the writing is seamlessly beautiful. A must read for lovers of Frankenstein, his monster, Mary Shelley, or the nineteenth-century.

Michael January is a writer for film and television, as well as a travel writer, photographer, and novelist. He is a California native but has lived on the U.S. East Coast and in London. His travels have taken him all over and especially across Europe. His “Favorite Castles” book series is up to 5 volumes. His films have shown on HBO and Showtime.

Guest Reviewer - Carl W Lee

Carl Lee lives in the rolling farmlands of southern Illinois. This fertile ground sprouted his imagination at a young age. A deep love of classic myths coupled with an attraction to the macabre horror movie genre grew into his love of paranormal fiction. He has been a member of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association for more than a dozen years, an active member of the Flamingo Writers Group, and Co-host of the YouTube podcast, A Novel Talk

Welcome To The Far Side Of Heaven

 

The Far Side of Heaven

By D. L. Gardner

What a memorable Christmas novella. It's a tale you'll treasure long after relishing your read of the last page. These touching characters exhibit tremendous courage against trying times. It's so easy to get embroiled in your own troubles and miss seeing the lives of others. These characters learn that finding ways to help other people, their own lives are touched in a positive way. Although life's hurdles and difficulties differ for each of us, in the end we are all in this life together. There's mystery in the ways we can connect, and kindness is the clue. When the long, deep darkness of the winter surrounds us, it's hope that pushes us to switch on the beautiful Christmas tree lights.

Charlene survived a deadly fire that swept through her small mountain town, but her ranch home was destroyed. Her parents made the heart wrenching decision to move away after the devastation. Charlene continues on as best she can on her own, fighting to regain her spirit after a bitter divorce, running the family gift shop, living above it, and struggling to pay bills and survive. The town's small population are not much of a customer base, and there is little tourist traffic, especially right now as a treacherous winter storm blows in and closes the roads. Desperation is bubbling within Charlene. If only she can rekindle a feeling of hope.

Caught in the midst of the road closure, an entrepreneur named Dallas, and his partner are stuck in a place that appears in the snowy swirl to be the middle of nowhere. Stranded for now in this small town of Meritville, they're looking for coffee and shelter. It wasn't his intention to aggravate the owner of the gift shop. She seemed quite charming, until he got on her wrong side. As Dallas learns more about Charlene and others in this town, he's drawn to their stories, and finds himself thrown into the whirlwind.

Cuddle up with a tender, Christmas love story of town neighbors, and of a very special couple of people who were total strangers and found the life and spirit of hope in each other. This author creates a vivid setting, and characters who are carved from its rugged landscape. You'll be hanging onto every word, searching for hope. It's a surprising twist in the end, for Charlene and Dallas, and the reader.

Author D. L. Gardner is an author and screenwriter. She creates many fiction novels, novellas, and short stories. You can learn more at her website gardnersart.com.