Infinity by Tabitha Lord is the second book in the Horizon Sci-Fi series. It can be read as a stand-alone, though the reader would benefit from having read the first book prior to tackling this one. The second book is the continuation of Caeli and Derek’s story as they return to Almagest in a covert attempt to overthrow the ruthless dictator Marcus.
The Alliance has discovered that Marcus is involved in human trafficking of the Novali people, who are empathic, as a means to purchase advanced technology. The planet is vulnerable to falling into the hands of the Alliance’s enemies who would love to use the Novali as a weapon in the war against the Alliance. Since Almagest is not a member planet, the Alliance is almost powerless to prevent this from happening hence the mission. Once a democratic government is installed, Almagest can then apply for membership in the Alliance. Continue reading “Infinity by Tabitha Lord”
I love discovering new, or new to me, authors. I get especially excited about indie authors. I am always amazed at some of the great stories these authors write and publish. Therefore, after I read Pursuing Dreams by M. K. Clark, I knew this was the next author I wanted to interview.
ME: What motivates you to write?
Clark: I’m probably going to go against the grain here and say nothing really motivates me to write. I think, right now, it’s more that I’ve started to go down a certain road, and I refuse to quit. I’m going to keep going and I’m going to be successful, because that’s what I decided to do. Apart from that, I just really enjoy writing. It’s why I have a tech writing day job. I just really love to write. Sometimes it’s a lot of work and I have to talk myself into it, but it’s worth it in the long run.
ME: Why did you choose to write a Sci-Fi novel?
Clark: I didn’t intentionally sit down to write a sci-fi novel when I got started with The Young Soldier Series. Back then, I didn’t even consider myself to be a sci-fi person –hindsight being what it is, I totally was– I just had a story I wanted to write and it happened to be sci-fi. I’m much more intentional about my work now.
ME: Do you think it is harder for a female writer of Sci-Fi to get recognized?
Clark: This is a hard question to answer. I think it’s much easier now than, say, ten years ago. It’s like the science and tech industries, the female population is growing and becoming more respected. So I’d like to think that no, it isn’t harder, but on some level, I also accept there is still probably a cultural bias. It’s why I publish under the name MK Clark. It sounds more androgynous than my actual name.
In this same vein, I think there are other challenges to being a female sci-fi author that aren’t as actively discussed as the struggle of being recognized.
I get a surprising amount of comments from other authors and reviewers wondering why I don’t focus more on women in my book. There’s an assumption that, as a woman, I would want to or should want to write about strong female characters to provide the next generation with good role models. I find these comments to be odd. I don’t mind this idea. In some of my other works, the main character is a female character. In this case, that’s just not what this story is. The assumption that this story should have focused on a strong female character, because of my gender, sometimes makes me feel like I am being put in a creative box.
ME: What is the most rewarding thing about writing for you?
Clark: Hearing from people that enjoyed my work. I’m not talking about the “it was good” comment, but the ones where I get to hear what they loved specifically. Like, I wrote a short story and someone told me that the emotion captured in the opening letter was beautiful. I worked hard at making the emotion believable. To hear that I was successful in my goal, that is what makes my day.
ME: Are there any authors that have helped you along the way?
Recently, I’ve gotten a lot of support from the indie community, and that has been great. I’m also part of a close-knit group of writers, there’s about ten of us, and their help has been priceless.
ME: Is there a place you like to write that makes you feel the most creative?
Clark: About two cities ago, I had a writing room that was the best. I had a solar system that hung from the roof, papers and notes tagged on the wall, a huge whiteboard for scribbling things out… It was wonderful. That was where I felt most creative. I’ve not been able to recreate that, sadly.
ME: What are your long-term writing goals?
Clark: I’ve told my husband that my long-term goal is to be able to go from tech writing full-time to part-time so that I can write what I want the rest of the week. I really love my day job, so I don’t want to give it up entirely.
ME: Do you ever experience writer’s block? If so, how do you overcome it?
Clark: Of course! I think everyone does from time to time. I’ve found the best way for me to “get over it” is to work through it, so if I’m ever in a slump, I force myself to write one sentence at a time. Eventually, I’ll one sentence my way out of the block.
ME: Is there anything you can share about your next book?
Clark: The first book of The Young Soldier series introduces the idea that Don betrays the Council, but readers never really get more than a glimpse of why that is. In book two, readers will be able to really grasp what those reasons are. At the same time, book two plays with the concept of identity, reality, and perception. So, in the end, one of the questions that readers will have to answer is whether or not Don’s perception can be trusted.
ME: How many books are you planning on for the Young Solider series?
Clark: I’ve outlined three books in The Young Soldier series. These books complete Don’s character arch and story. I’ve played with the idea of doing one-off novels with some of the other characters that show up throughout the series. There are two that are floating around in my head, but, at the moment, there are three planned books.
ME: What do you think is the most memorable about the main character Don?
Clark: My husband would say it’s that he’s spoiled. Of course, he’s only read part 1 and Don is a bit spoiled in the beginning. I think what makes Don stand out for me as a memorable character is that he is flawed. He’s human, and he makes bad decisions sometimes and has to face the consequences.
ME: Do you identify strongly with the main character?
Clark: Not particularly. I think I probably identify more with one of the minor characters, Roberto. I’m much more practical about things.
ME: Do you have any advice for someone just starting out as an author?
Clark: It’s the age of the internet. There is so much information and so much advice out there that it can be overwhelming trying to figure out what to listen to and what to do. I think the biggest thing is that you have to understand who you are and what your personality is. You have to do what works for you. Also, a little bit of googling goes a long way. What writers in writing groups hate more than anything is when a new writer asks a simple question that a little bit of googling could answer.
ME: Is there any question you feel I should have asked?
Clark: I get a surprising amount of comments from female authors and reviewers that it’s surprising that I don’t focus more on women in my book. I think there’s an assumption that as a woman myself, I would want to or should want to write about strong female characters to provide role models for the next generation. I always find these comments to be a little odd. I don’t mind this idea. In some of my other works, the MC is a female character. That’s just not what this story is. This story is about Don, and he’s always been a guy.
About the Author:
MaryKate Clark is an author and tech writer based out of Austin Texas. She has produced multiple children’s plays for community theatre groups, published an undergraduate thesis, and received an Honor’s B.A. in English and Literature from the University of Texas at Arlington. MaryKate currently lives in Austin Texas with her husband and her two fur-babies and works full-time as a technical writer. She is currently working on the second book in the Young Soldiers Series.
Title: Pursuing Dreams Author: M. K. Clark Pub. date: 30-June-2017 Rating: 5 Stars
Friends and Enemies are made in war… But sometimes… it’s hard to make the distinction.
Don O’Hara was lucky. At least, that’s what everyone else said. Born the son of a General, with a guaranteed ticket to Commander’s School, Don had his future laid out for him. Only, he didn’t want that future. All he ever wanted was to be a Space Jumper. Lucky for him, he never lacked guts. Defying his father and sneaking off to Basic was an easy decision; a decision that forever changed the course his life would take, and not entirely the way he expected.
Pursuing Dreams is an action packed, Sci-Fi, Young Adult novel that takes the reader on a wild ride as Don fights for his dream and stumbles upon the truth about his family and the O’Hara Legacy. With his life turned upside down and unable to shake the feeling that he is being watched, Don does the only thing he can: he keeps moving forward not knowing that every step takes him closer to becoming the most hated man alive.
Title: The Beaumonts: The Kentucky Bourbon Series Authors: Bobby Collins & Jimmy Star Pub Date: 5-Jan-2017 Rating: 3.5 Stars
The Beaumonts: The Kentucky Bourbon Series is the story of two rival Bourbon distilling families, the Beaumonts and the Taylors. The families just became linked when Rickey Beaumont marries Donna Taylor. No one in either family even knew they were dating. Therefore, when Rickey and Donna arrive at the Beaumont estate it is quite a surprise. Despite the shock, the Beaumont family welcomes Donna with open arms, the only exception being Cliff, Rickey’s older brother.
Rickey is not so fortune when the time comes to meet Donna’s father, Joe Taylor. Joe is livid and very vocal in expressing his displeasure over the marriage. He views it as the ultimate betrayal by Donna. He sees the Beaumonts as his enemy and declares that as long as Donna is married to one he will have nothing to do with her. Continue reading “The Beaumonts: The Kentucky Bourbon Series by Bobby Collins and Jimmy Star”
As an avid reader and fan of fantasy, I have been wanting to read The Invisible Library for over a year. Even after I received a copy, it was in my TBR pile for months. Now that I am finished reading, I am berating myself for taking so long. It was a great story and wonderful start to a new series.
Ms. Cogman has that rare ability to transport the reader to the place and time of her choosing. In this case it is a library that resides between dimensions. The librarians who staff this particular library are there for life and their mission is to collect and preserve rare books from all dimensions. The main character Irene is a junior librarian that has been tasked with finding a book of Grimm fairy tales in an alternate London. Assigned to her is Kai, a librarian in training, who is somewhat of a mystery. In this alternate London magic and the forces of chaos abound. Worlds with chaos are extremely dangerous, leaving Irene to wonder why Kai would be assigned to her for this dangerous mission.
When they arrive in the alternate world, they discover the book they are sent to retrieve has been stolen from the vampire that recently acquired it. Now they must unravel the mystery of its disappearance. Along the way, they meet Vale, a detective reminiscent of Sherlock Homes, minus the Watson, who assists them. They also meet some not so helpful and downright dangerous people. Including another librarian that is trying to be the first to the book in order to scoop Irene.
A great adventure. The plot moved along quickly and had lots of surprises which kept our heroin on her toes. I also enjoyed how Irene’s mind worked and how she kept questioning things in her quest to find the missing book. It gave validity to the story.
The only thing I wanted, that I did not get, is a little more information about The Library itself and some of the characters. There are several bites of information that are hinted at but not fully revealed. It left me craving more. This has set the stage for further development in the series of both the characters and The Library. In addition, the alternate dimensions concept is teeming with infinite possibilities for future stories. My head is spinning just thinking about all the possible missions for the field librarians. In short, I look forward to discovering more about Irene and Kai and reading about their exciting adventures for the The Library.
Dandelion Dead, by Chrystle Fiedler, is the fourth book in the Natural Remedies series. Even though this is the fourth book in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone book. Ms. Fiedler did an excellent job of giving the reader enough background information on the characters so you do not miss out on anything happening in the story.
Willow McQuade wears many hats, owner of Nature’s Way Market and Café, holistic doctor, animal rescuer and part time sleuth. It all starts when Willow is catering an event for Pure, a local winery, run by her ex-boyfriend Simon. All is going well, at least on the surface, until during the party the body of Amy Lord is found and it is discovered that she died from ingesting poison hemlock. Amy is the sister-in-law to Simon’s business partner David. The leading suspect in the case is Willow’s assistant Lily and the police are convinced they have their killer since Amy had both motive, opportunity and the knowledge of poisonous plants.
With the police refusing to look for another suspect, the trio of Willow, Simon and Willow’s boyfriend Jackson team up to put their amateur sleuth skills to work. What they uncover is a tangled web of lies, jealousy and deceit. They suspect that David was the real target and not Amy. As they try to unravel the mystery of Amy’s death there are additional attempts on David’s life confirming their theory and spurring them on to discover who the real killer is.
There are several interesting twists that made the story very compelling. The back stories of the characters were very thoughtful done and gave the story a real believability. The pace of the story was good and I particularly liked how all the lives of the characters were intertwined. All in all, this book is a great cozy mystery. I really loved all the herbal lore and remedies in the story. The author’s love of herbs and holistic remedies really shows in this book.
Anyone who loves mysteries is bound to fall in love with this one. Looking forward to reading more by this author.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.
