Monday, November 14, 2011

Navy SEALs Need Romance Too...



The US Navy SEALs are a highly-trained special force whose courage and expertise is well-known around the world. They are genuine heroes serving the civilians of this country and providing them with security and safety in this tumultuous and often violent world. Now, a new book gives you a glimpse into the softer side of the lives of these incredible and effective soldiers. After all, passion is important to people, and SEALs have a lot to give. The collection is called SEAL of My Dreams, and eighteen authors contribute material to the work. These writers are specialists in romance, and many of them actually know from personal experience what it is to love and be loved by one who serves in the military. The stories are charged with energy and still retain the sense of patriotism that is characteristic of work that relates in some way to members of the armed forces and the work that they do, but make no mistake―this is a romantic series of fiction-style pieces that sizzle and intrigue in a sensual way. Some of the stories read like novellas, and more than a dozen very accomplished and highly acclaimed authors are involved with this collection. Among them, Barbara Samuel, Stephanie Bond, Cindy Gerard, Christie Ridgway, and Alison Kent have all provided material. In addition, all proceeds will go to the Veterans Research Corporation, a non-profit foundation that supports veterans medical research. If you are a romance fanatic who can appreciate exciting fiction with a patriotic nature, then you should not miss SEAL of My Dreams. For more information about the collection, a complete list of contributing authors, and excerpts from the stories, visit the following website: http://sealofmydreams.com/wordpress/.

Romance Dedicated to Some of the Greatest Heroes...

When you think about real heroes, not the ones with super-powers and capes who fly about compromising the plots of ugly villains but genuine and honest human beings who fight to uphold the values we hold dear, what comes to mind? Some of you might think of the police officers who work in the streets day and night, providing us with a certain measure of security, while others may be reminded of those who respond to emergency situations, like firefighters and paramedics. How many of you are reminded of the men and women who serve as members of the military forces both here and around the world? I suspect that for many of you these are true heroes, valiant and full of courage. These are very real people who risk their own lives to provide us with peace of mind in a violent and uncertain world. And, as most of you know, there is a special sort of hero among the ranks of military soldiers in the American armed forces. They are the Navy SEALs, highly trained and ultimately dedicated to their line of work. But what does it mean to live the life of a Navy SEAL? Now, you can get a taste...
...Not always is romance associated with military service, but believe me when I say that many women would appreciate the opportunity to love a Navy SEAL. After all, it takes passion to stay on such a demanding course, and what woman would ever fail to appreciate that in a man? Now, eighteen popular romance writers are taking on the challenge of writing fiction that gives you a sense of what it means to experience that passion, and many of them know from firsthand experience. The book is SEAL of My Dreams, and many great romance authors have a part to play in this. The authors who contributed to this impressive collection are as follows: Robyn Carr (who provides the foreword), Jami Alden, Stephanie Bond, Kylie Brant, Helen Brenna, Helen Kay Dimon, Cindy Gerard, Tara Janzen, Leslie Kelly, Elle Kennedy, Alison Kent, Jo Leigh, Gennita Low, Marliss Melton, Christie Ridgway, Barbara Samuel, Roxanne St. Claire, Stephanie Tyler, and Loreth Anne White. Many of these romance specialists are award-winning, highly acclaimed writers, and some of them even have family members who have served or currently serve.
These stories, some of which read more like novellas, are exciting and full of energy but come with that characteristic sensuality that so often is the pursuit of romance fanatics. If you happen to be a fan of romance-style fiction with a touch of the patriotic, then this is definitely the collection for you. And, in case you need another reason to invest in SEAL of My Dreams, here it is: all proceeds will go to the Veterans Research Corporation, a non-profit group that provides financial support for veterans medical research. For more information about this collection and the authors who provided their work to it, visit the following web address: http://sealofmydreams.com/wordpress/.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

The Time Has Come to Broaden Your Scope...

For any reader who is unfamiliar with the author Philip K. Dick and his many published stories, I hope that after reading this article you realize what you are missing and you subsequently work to resolve the matter of this deficiency immediately. In other words, please find Dick's novels and read them as if you have been touched by madness. Be a voracious reader with an insatiable appetite for knowledge. You cannot miss the brilliance of this author.
Philip K. Dick passed away a few decades ago but he left us with a remarkable and vast collection of novels and short stories, most of which would be classified as science fiction. Even if you are not a fan of this genre, Dick's writing goes well beyond this sometimes limited territory and deals with aspects of religion, philosophy, and pure science. In case you did not know, much of his writing has been adapted for film. Films such as Blade Runner and A Scanner Darkly come directly from Dick's collection, and even films like Minority Report were inspired by some of his shorter writings. He was a true genius who lived an unusual life complete with visions (of a spiritual nature) and ripe with complications. Some consider him a sort of precursor to or partial founder of post-modernism, especially with regard to his focus upon the sociological, political, and cultural experiences in our world.
Now, his final (and extensive) work is about to be available for your pleasure and (perhaps if you keep an open mind) enlightenment. The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick is the final collection of writing to be offered by Dick to the world. It serves as a means of better understanding his peculiar but powerful views on a wide range of topics but particularly religion and the true nature of the spiritual reality. As an author, he delved deeply and with great care into topics such as personal identity, perception, and the impossibility of a truly objective reality. The Exegesis is a journal-style collection of notes, entries, story sketches, and letters, all of which relate to Dick's remarkable and sometimes surreal experiences with faith and religion. The editors of the work, Pamela Jackson and Jonathan Lethem, have taken great care in compiling and arranging this epic and potent piece. You will not be disappointed...
...If you wish to test yourself with a work that is far from ordinary and almost painfully provocative in its uncanny awareness, do not miss The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick, the final novel from Philip Dick. If you are a lover of science fiction (then you should by this point be familiar with Philip Dick's work and you have this novel ordered or already in your collection), do not miss this release. Even if you have no interest in science fiction whatsoever, the importance of this piece cannot be lost. For anyone with an interest in spirituality, the true nature of perception and reality, or science, The Exegesis must at this point be considered a must-read. You will not regret this purchase. For more information about this ultimate work from author Philip K. Dick, look to the following website: http://www.philipkdick.com/new_exegesis.html.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

The Magic of Dakota Frost is Back...

Dakota Frost is back in the second installment of the Skindancer trilogy, an urban fantasy series from highly-acclaimed science fiction author Anthony Francis...
...In Dakota's world, magic, which was kept a secret by its practitioners until the counter-culture movement of the 20th century, is very real. And Dakota knows it well—as a “skindancer,” a tattoo artist whose ink can come to life, and a member of the Edgeworld, the alternative culture in which magic is known and practiced, she holds to a certain degree of skepticism blended with her fiery attitude in order to make her world work. Right now, she seems to be on the right course. After all, she has a new house and a new vehicle, not to mention a newly adopted daughter named Cinnamon, who is in reality a were-tiger. Then, her friends, also supernatural by nature, become the target of a magical attack that is peculiar to say the least. Deadly graffiti is the cause, and, with so much at stake, it is Dakota's burden to learn how such menacing alternative artwork can be stopped before Edgeworlders everywhere in Atlanta are doomed. Vampires, werewolves, and even traditional law enforcement are losing their trust, and Dakota seems to have one resort. The time has come to seek help from her own skindancing mentor. The only one who can aid Dakota now is Blood Rock.
Blood Rock is the latest novel from Anthony Francis and marks a continuation of skindancer Dakota Frost's trials in a world where magic is just as much a part of reality as science. The problem for Dakota is that laws of science (physics, etc.) are already recognized, at least to some extent, whereas the laws and true nature of magic are only vaguely understood. An important part of the novel is her course of learning the source of magic. You will understand a little better too when you read...
...Anthony Francis actually enhances computer technology for a living, but by night he retreats into a world of his own contrivance. Writing and science are both passions for him, but he seems also to have a knack for the urban fantasy genre. His novels are set in Atlanta, a city where Francis spent much of his life and one to which he has a great attachment. Of course, in the Atlanta of Francis, there are werewolves, vampires, and magical members of the alternative culture sect, such as Dakota Frost. His stories are creative and full of energy, like his novels' characters. There is also evidence that Francis is very painstaking about his development of a hard magical system for his fictional world.
If you have ever enjoyed urban fantasy, then you should definitely look for the latest novel from Anthony Francis, Blood Rock. For those readers who are completely unfamiliar with previous work from Francis, it might also be a good idea to pick up the first novel in the series, Frost Moon, so that Dakota's story makes a little more sense. For more information about this novel, the author, or his other work, turn to the following web address: http://www.dresan.com/.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

When Love and War-time Fears Collide...

In the years preceding America's entry into World War II, a quiet Georgia town called Salty Creek is home to a peculiar and risky romance.
For quite some time, only polite and brief exchanges were ever had between a spinster named Sophie and Miss Anne's courteous and enigmatic “Chinese” gardener, Mr. Oto. Miss Anne, a moral woman whose memories of the event are at the center of this tale, provides Oto with refuge after he arrives, disgraced, starving, and essentially dropped from a Greyhound bus, in Salty Creek. Then, Oto notices Sophie and begins to fall in love. Sophie, whose own true love was lost in World War I, has settled on leading a dull and miserable existence following the death of her female family members for whom she cared. But somehow she is drawn to Mr. Oto. Love always seems to find us when we are not searching...
...Eventually, a strong friendship develops between them. While the rest of the townspeople attend church services on Sunday, Sophie and Oto sit quietly by the river and paint. Both recognize the unconventional nature of their relationship and proceed with precaution as a result. Yet the passion they feel for each other slowly rises to the surface, just in time for hell to be unleashed.
Oto, who is only mistaken by the simple townspeople for someone of Chinese ancestry, is actually Japanese by descent (though he is California-born), and when the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, he is forced into hiding to escape the onslaught of misguided aggression and, in some cases, unadulterated hatred. Now, Sophie and Miss Anne provide what they can to sustain Oto, but will it be enough, or are the divisions caused by war too great for them to bear?
Sophie and the Rising Sun is a romance that deals with the problems of racial tensions and gives us an account of love's power to overcome even seemingly insurmountable obstacles, such as great disparities in age or ancestry. The novel is the most recent release from Augusta Trobaugh, whose stories have a lot to offer for those readers who can never get enough of romance. Sophie and the Rising Sun is pleasant and simple to read, but there is a certain intricacy to the plot. Perhaps it is the story's ability to grapple with some difficult topics, or maybe it is the nearly poetic innocence of Sophie and Oto's blossoming love (even in spite of its seeming so uncharacteristic). Whatever the reason, if you happen to be a fan of romance, you do not want to pass up Sophie and the Rising Sun by Augusta Trobaugh, available in bookstores everywhere.