AMETHYST, THE SHALLOWS

 

The Companion Novel to

 

The Aquamarine Surfboard

 

By Kelley Abernathy

 

 

 

Young Adult / Magical Realism / Coming of Age

Atmosphere Press

296 pages

February 6, 2024

NEW RELEASE!

 

 

 

 

“This is a night for being brave.”

In the aftermath of a devastating sickness that shatters their close-knit beach town, six lonely kids are drawn together during the unpredictable autumn equinox. Among them are fourteen-year-old Lorelei, who yearns to be an oceanographer, and her peculiar younger brother, Tad, who possesses an otherworldly curiosity.

When Lorelei has a strange and almost deadly encounter in a sea cave, her loyal boyfriend, Casey, cannot reconcile her fantastical experience with the rational world. Condi, Lorelei’s best friend, understands ocean magic but isn’t free to share what she knows. Kait, a girl from Ireland, regrets her impulsive move to America-all because of an odd occurrence involving her deceased boyfriend’s lost surfboard. When tides turn and the moon shifts, Isaac, the new kid in town who despises the ocean, is forced to face the truth-a profound and powerful magic lives in the deep.

Guided by a wise surf master, mystical old women known as the Beachlings, and an open-hearted grandmother, six kids embark on transformative adventures that challenge their beliefs about possibilities and the intense nature of love.

Amethyst, The Shallows is the brand-new companion novel to The Aquamarine Surfboard.

 

 

 

 

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Praise

 

“Amethyst, The Shallows’ sensitive and potent prose stirs the reader, leaving a lasting impression. Although this novel is the second installment in a series, it stands strong independently, welcoming newcomers and returning readers alike.” —Literary Titan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kellye Abernathy’s passions are writing and serving trauma survivors as a yoga teacher and practical life skills advocate. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary English Education from the University of Kansas. Her home is in land-locked Plano, Texas—where she’s dreaming of her next trip to the sea!

 

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Synopsis

 

Bold statements, compelling quotes, and thoughtful prompts lead young Black girls on a journey of ancestral wisdom and self-discovery in this beautifully illustrated guided journal.

I AM a voice for my people.  I CAN create my own opportunities.  I WILL live with hope.

These and other powerful mantras will enlighten, engage, and empower young Black girls to embrace their connection to a long, unbroken line of historical and contemporary Black women who have inspired people through the centuries and across continents. The courage, integrity, humanity, passion, and intellect that flows through the lives of these foremothers is each girl’s to discover, inherit, and enhance with her own accomplishments.

Meaningful quotes and biographies provide real-life examples of how readers can implement what they learn in their own lives. And guided questions and prompts lead girls through a process of self-reflection that acknowledges their own potential to inspire and lead.

 

 

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Review

 

I was sent an online version of the book to look through, and I wanted to share my thoughts on what I saw in the book.

This book combines a journal and the history of various influential and historical African American women. There are actors, scientists, astronauts, businesswomen, and more. There are journal prompts after each individual asking probing questions on how one might achieve the same as these women, what fears one might have, why you love yourself, and more. I appreciated that the women portrayed in this book covered a wide range of ages, including younger women who have made their mark in this world. I have to admit, I started to feel old when I saw some born around the time I was finishing high school!

While the target audience is young black women, I think any young woman would benefit from the history within the pages and the journal prompts. I learned about many women I had not heard of and their contributions to society and the world through their efforts. The journal prompts gave me a moment to reflect and wonder how I might answer the questions when I was younger and how the answers might change today as I am older.

This book is worthy of many young readers, and we give it 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

About the Authors

 

Dr. Cynthia Jacobs Carter works in philanthropy at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. She is the author of the National Geographic books Africana Woman: Her Story Through Time and Freedom in My Heart: Voices from the National Slavery Museum, which was nominated by the NAACP Image Awards for Best Literary Work. Cynthia’s gift for storytelling brings alive the Black female experience for women of all ages. Having six granddaughters helps inspire her to celebrate young women. Holding a doctorate in educational leadership and a master’s degree in international education from George Washington University, Cynthia has connected especially with young women as an instructor and lecturer in Africana Women’s studies at GW and Georgetown Universities. While working in philanthropy at Howard University, she was curator for the exhibition “Women of the African Diaspora,” which toured the White House, the World Bank, and George Washington and Georgetown Universities. Cynthia serves with several local and national organizations and their boards, including The Links, Incorporated. As a development officer she has grown philanthropic programs at Africare, the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, and at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, where she founded the Harriet Tubman Legacy Society.

 

 

Ruth Chamblee is a publishing and marketing professional who leads the Content Marketing Strategy & Promotion team for National Geographic Kids Books. Her early career included brand management marketing at Richardson-Vicks, a division of Procter and Gamble, and membership marketing for the Smithsonian Institution Books and Recordings divisions. For more than three decades she has designed and carried out multifaceted strategic marketing initiatives for countless National Geographic books, and her guidance has helped bring new voices to and fill key niches in the children’s book market. She is a board member of the Children’s Book Council and Chairman of the Board for Every Child a Reader. Her vision for I Am, I Can, I Will arose from her realization that knowing and honoring our ancestors can contribute to self-awareness, self-empowerment, and self-love for her, her daughter, and all little Black girls.

 

 

Synopsis

 

This book, in a comprehensive manner, provides an overview of the challenges of increasing crop or agricultural productivity to meet the demands of a growing population, linking descriptions of physiological, ecological, biochemical and molecular activity in plants with their tolerance and adaptation to natural environments. In the case of plants, a stress is an adverse condition or substance that affects or blocks a plant’s metabolism, growth, or development.

The threat to productivity in crops and agriculture due to these stresses cannot be overstated, nor overlooked, especially in light of climate change.

The information covered in this book will be helpful in building strategies to counter the impact of stress on plants. The book also provides an overview of the essential disciplines required for sustainable crop and agricultural production for policymakers, scientists, academics, and students of plant science, agricultural science, environmental science, biochemistry, biotechnology, and related areas.

 

 

Amazon * Amazon UK * Cambridge Scholars

 

 

About the Author

 

Rishikesh Upadhyay was born, grew up, and lives in a small Nepali’ hamlet, Bhanjang Basti (erstwhile Bhanjyang Basti) via Mahadev Tilla, at Haflong, the district headquarters of North Cachar Hills (now Dima Hasao), India. He has an MSc in Plant Biochemistry, MPhil, and PhD in Stress Biology from the University of Assam, India, and a BSc in Botany from Haflong Government College, Assam University. He writes about plants, nature, and their environments and has spent the past decade working and teaching stress biology, biochemistry, eco-physiology, botany, and environmental sciences of plants. His works have appeared, been quoted, and cited in several international journals and books of repute.

 

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Bookbub * ResearchGate * Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

 

Set in the author’s homeland, Colombia, this is the heartbreaking story of Leonor, former child soldier of the FARC, a rural guerrilla group.

Paula Delgado-Kling followed Leonor for nineteen years, from shortly after she was an active member of the FARC forced into sexual slavery by a commander thirty-four years her senior, through her rehabilitation and struggle with alcohol and drug addiction, to more recent days as the mother of two girls.

Leonor’s physical beauty, together with resourcefulness and imagination in the face of horrendous circumstances, helped her carve a space for herself in a male-dominated world. She never stopped believing that she was a woman of worth and importance. It took her many years of therapy to accept that she was also a victim.

Throughout the story of Leonor, Delgado-Kling interweaves the experiences of her own family, involved with Colombian politics since the 19th century and deeply afflicted, too, by the decades of violence there.

 

 

Amazon

 

 

Excerpt

 

From Chapter 8

 

After Mercedes whipped her, Leonor lost track of the number of nights that she slept on the street. Having learnt the lesson from her father’s behavior, Leonor dressed like a boy, and she believed it was insurance against men touching her. But by her dainty hands and her walk, and by her small waist (and perhaps she already possessed that habit of hers, of coquettishly swaying her shoulders), it was easy to tell—even by her voice—that here was a beautiful girl.

On the street, Leonor met Redhead. He was a boy her age—she called him “el pelirojo”—because he had paprika-like freckles sprinkled on his cheeks and hair like the head of a matchstick. To know that Redhead—though lanky and feeble—kept a piece of a broken bottle within his grasp consoled Leonor. She was sure he would protect her, and so she followed his lead, and they squatted inside deserted buildings. With him securing the space, she was able to give in to slumber for a few hours.

Some days, Leonor and Redhead sold slices of watermelon at streetlights. They were employed by an old woman who had approached them. But Leonor was often starved, and she devoured the watermelon, its juices jetting down her chin and arms. The woman slapped Leonor when she came back without money, and so Leonor went car-to-car begging drivers for pocket change. Most cars were scraps of tin, spewing dark smoke. Once or twice, a luxury car, overdone with tinted windows, shiny hubcaps and immense headlights, circled the neighborhood. As Leonor approached the cars, the drivers rolled up the windows. She stood by the car windows, and the drivers looked elsewhere or pretended to fiddle with the radio. She caught glimpses of her reflection on the cars’ side-view mirrors, and she was repulsed by her tattered clothes and soiled face.

Redhead was shrewd, and one day, he returned with plates loaded with mountains of rice and arepas. By word of mouth, he discovered they would be offered food if they showed up at FARC camps located in Mocoa’s jungle periphery. Feeling faint, aware she could not go another day without food, Leonor ventured into FARC camps to be fed. She accepted seconds of rice, beans, and lentils, and soon, she helped herself to them. She became a regular at the encampments, and she began thinking of FARC members as friends and allies, compassionate to her situation. A FARC nurse disinfected the wound on her leg, from her mother’s beating, and covered it with bandages after white pus oozed from it.

Some nights, Leonor lingered by the fire in the middle of camp while someone strummed a guitar and others sang. It was then she was able to sleep uninterrupted, without worrying whether Redhead and his broken glass were watching over her.

Members of the FARC intermingled in the daily life of her town and of the entire area, and many of them were people she knew. Some locals wore FARC fatigues, others didn’t—but nearly all of Mocoa’s residents were sympathetic to the group’s Communist roots. For Leonor and for many teens in Colombia’s southern communities, the FARC camps offered diversions. There was booze, and sometimes there was dancing, and there was also the thrill of being allowed to handle a gun. The camps were akin to a right of passage, a way to rebel against parents.

Mercedes kept the door of their home locked. When Leonor strolled by, Sergio rushed to the window and waved kisses at his sister.

 

 

About the Author

 

Paula Delgado-Kling holds degrees in comparative literature/French civilizations, international affairs, and creative writing from Brown University, Columbia University, and The New School, respectively. Leonor, for which she received two grants from the Canadian Council for the Arts, is her first book. Excerpts of this book have appeared in Narrative, The Literary Review, Pacifica Literary Review, and Happano.org in Japan. Her work for the Mexican monthly news magazine Gatopardo was nominated for the Simon Bolivar Award, Colombia’s top journalism prize, and anthologized in Las Mejores Crónicas de Gatopardo (Random House Mondadori, 2006). Born in Bogota, Colombia and raised in Toronto, Canada, Delgado-Kling now resides in New York City.

 

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Synopsis

 

On paper, Zoe Zeng has made it in New York’s fashion world as a fashion columnist at Chic. But life in New York City isn’t as chic as Zoe imagined. Then one day, Zoe receives a job offer at FitPick, an app startup based in Silicon Valley. With her current career at a dead end, Zoe accepts the offer and swaps high fashion for high tech, haute couture for HTML. She soon realizes that in an industry claiming to change the world for the better, not everyone’s intentions are pure. With an eight-figure investment on the line, Zoe must find a way to revamp FitPick’s image despite Silicon Valley’s elitism and her icy colleagues. Or the company’s future will go up in smoke—and hers with it.

 

 

Amazon * B&N * Kobo * Bookshop

 

 

Review

 

I stayed up way too late trying to finish this book! I didn’t make it and had to finish up the next day. Yes, it was that good!

This book reminded me that while women have come a long way in this world, there are plenty of men out there who still try to hold us back. This book may hit some trigger points for people, but everything that happened is what you see in this world today. It is a shame that we haven’t moved past the point where people do not treat each other respectfully and only look out for their own interests.

Zoe is young and has a lot to learn, but that doesn’t stop her from jumping into a new career across the country. I appreciated her zeal for the job and also for championing the underdog in the influencer world. She may have been naive at various times, but I think her inexperience was actually a plus in this situation. She could think outside the box. Plus, fashion is her world and she knew what would or wouldn’t work.

There are friendships that are formed along the way for Zoe, and even some interoffice romance. Zoe is true to herself, or at least does her best, and seeks out the same in those around her. She has to navigate a few sticky situations but does it gracefully and without too many blunders. She is a character that I really admire, even when she is having a pity party.

While I have had a bit of a reading slump so far this year, this book engaged my soul and reenergized my love for reading.

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Born and raised in Singapore, Kyla Zhao graduated in 2021 from Stanford University with an MA in Communications (Media Studies) and a BA in Psychology. Right now, she works in marketing at a tech company in Silicon Valley, California.

Besides novel writing, Kyla has an extensive magazine editorial portfolio. Previously, she was a fashion and lifestyle writer at Vogue Singapore. She has also written for the Singapore editions of Harper’s Bazaar and Tatler, covered the Asian Television Awards, and interviewed personalities such as singer Nathan Sykes.

Above all else, Kyla hopes to champion Asian representation in her works and write the characters of color that she rarely got to read about when she was young.

 

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Synopsis

 

After his mother’s death, seventeen-year-old Jubilee Walker asks to join a scientific expedition led by Major John Wesley Powell, a family friend. Powell initially refuses, but Jubil’s persistence and resourcefulness eventually win him a place on Powell’s crew. However, Jubil’s plans for a life of adventure are complicated by his deepening feelings for his best friend, Nelly Boswell, who is reluctant to spend her life with a man who insists on such a dangerous lifestyle. How will Jubil navigate the hardships and lawlessness of the American West? And will he be forced to choose between a life of adventure and the girl he loves?

Jubil’s story draws on the real-life adventures of naturalist, college professor, and one-armed Civil War veteran Major John Wesley Powell during his Colorado River Exploring Expeditions. Powell became the first explorer to summit Longs Peak in the Colorado Rockies and navigate the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, fixing his place in history as one of America’s great explorers.

 

 

Amazon

 

 

Win a copy on Goodreads (ends January 18th) 

 

 

Excerpt

 

CHAPTER 1

 

In late February, while winter still had a grip on the prairie, Jubilee Walker’s mother fell ill. She was still able to suffer through her work around the farm, but Jubil lay in bed listening to the sound of her cough, staring at the rafters above his loft. In spite of having spent the day cleaning out the barn and the livestock pens, he was not sleepy. In a few hours he would be at it again, splitting and stacking firewood—a never-ending chore. It was not the hard work of farming that weighed on Jubil’s soul but the monotony of it, and constantly being at the mercy of the weather. But then again, unpredictable weather was the only thing that broke the monotony of the chores that went on every day of the year, year after year.

He opened the door to his imagination and allowed it to roam as freely as his saddle horse, Star, turned out to graze without halter or bridle. One of these days, he was going to saddle up Star, taking nothing more than his rifle, a bedroll, and whatever he could pack in his saddlebags and ride west toward whatever adventures lay in his path. Following only his instincts, he would see as much of the world as he could before settling in any one place. How he would earn his daily bread was unclear, but he would hunt, fish, and live by his wits—and take a job now and then to earn a little travel money. That method had worked fine for his uncle Pete for many years until duty called him to the farm and then to war. Jubil’s path would become clearer once he was on it.

His mother coughed again, and his daydreams snagged on reality. He couldn’t imagine telling her that he was leaving her to run the farm on her own so he could ride carefree across the country in search of adventure. He would not lie here pining for a life that drew him away from his responsibility to her and to the memory of his father.

The other complication in this imagined life was Nelly Boswell. He had never spoken of his changing feelings for her and was unsure whether he ever would, but even if she didn’t feel the same, he was not anxious to live his life alone. It was unclear how he might be a husband to Nelly—or anyone else—and a father to their children while living a life of unfettered freedom and adventure.

He rubbed his eyes and told himself, Stop these foolish daydreams. His life was on this farm. If he married, his wife would come to live there with him and his mother, and that was that. He reached for the dime novel atop the stack sitting next to his bed, thinking it might help him sleep, but he had read it, and all of them, more than once. He tossed the book aside and blew out the lantern.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

TIM PIPER: Tim Piper is retired from a long career in Information Technology and has been a lifelong hobbyist musician. In his earlier days, he was an avid hiker and backcountry camper, but his adventures these days are less strenuous and more comfortable. He lives in Bloomington, Illinois, with his cat, Maggie, who is no help with his writing but is a stellar companion. He began his education at Illinois State University as an English major, but life circumstances put him on a more pragmatic path, and he graduated with a BS in Business Admin, a degree he finds appropriately named.

 

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Vanilla Chai and A Vanishing Victim: A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Sleuth (A Waterwheel Cafe Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – Cotswold, England
Kanga Press (January 5, 2024)

 

Synopsis

 

A missing child. A half-baked ransom demand. Can a community cop sift through clues and rescue the tot before teatime?

Sergeant Keya Varma’s culinary dreams come true as she joyfully opens her own café. And attending her sister’s wedding is the cherry on the cake. But her excitement sinks like a souffle when a customer’s little boy disappears.

Shaken as well as stirred into action, the part-time police officer joins the search, but she’s shattered when even a ransom payment doesn’t bring the rug rat back home.

For Keya, justice is served with a side of scones, but can she save the child before the clotted cream turns sour?

Indulge in the Waterwheel Café cozy mystery series, where Keya Varma mixes crime with coffee and crêpes. If you crave appetising characters, a dash of humour, and a dollop of English charm, you’ll devour Victoria Tait’s delicious tale.

Bake your way into intrigue with Vanilla Chai and a Vanishing Victim today!

 

 

Amazon

 

 

Guest Post

 

What I’ve learned from working on the investigation in Vanilla Chai and a Vanishing Victim

 

by Sergeant Keya Varma

 

Hiya, I’m Sergeant Keya Varma, part-time police officer and full-time café owner – although with major cases like the one in this book, I have to rely on my family and friends to run the café while I work the investigation with my colleagues from Cirencester Police Station.

This story involves the abduction of a young boy. Spoiler alert, he is returned safely and is not harmed. I’ve worked many murder cases, but I think this one, probably because it involved a child, was particularly distressing.

Child abduction is a difficult subject, but that doesn’t mean it should be ignored.

Even before the case, I’d been considering the issue as my colleague, Inspector Sue Honeywell, and I had been instructed to convey the government’s new message “Clever Never Goes’ to primary school children in the Cotswolds.

This is a change in tactic from the old warning of ‘stranger danger’, and that children shouldn’t talk to, take things or go with anyone they didn’t know. But that cautionary advice it is still relevant. In the UK, there are over 200 attempts per year that we know of, where strangers attempt to abduct children, and worryingly around 50 of them are successful.

But this slogan is now considered outdated, as the majority of strangers do not want to harm children, whereas most abductions are undertaken by people the children know. We have been teaching children about situations they need to be aware of, and most of them are wary about accepting anything from strangers.

But many children, especially girls, love to pet people’s dogs or horses, and if an estranged parent turns up and offered to take them to McDonald’s, or for an ice cream, would they say no?

And considering parents, don’t they have the right to see and spend time with their children? During this case, Inspector Honeywell was also dealing with a difficult situation where a convicted murderer from a previous case wanted to see her children. But her former husband had moved back to his parent’s house in France with their daughters.

A mother, even one in prison, retains parental rights regarding her children unless they are legally adopted. And a parent who takes a child abroad without the other parent’s consent is breaking the law, as set out under the Child Abduction Act 1984.

Interestingly for me, when I look back on the case in Vanilla Chai and a Vanishing Victim, one parent leaving the other and taking a child elsewhere in the UK, even the northernmost point of Scotland, would not be breaking the law, even though it could make access to the child for the other parent extremely difficult.

However, while not illegal, the courts may require the child to stay with the parent who doesn’t move, especially if it is considered their education will suffer.

The conclusion I have is that once marriages or relationships tour sour, it is difficult for all involved, but that doesn’t mean the families should stay together. I do sometimes wish the adults would communicate better, but there are so many pressures in modern day life.

Perhaps if people stopped chasing the accumulation of more ‘stuff’ or comparing themselves with others, then they’d be more content in their lives and their relationships.

But in the end, what tears me apart is that it is always the children who suffer on some level. But sorting out this societal problem is above my pay grade. I’ll continue to perform my duties as best I can, protecting all people, as well as trying to bring some joy into their lives through my Waterwheel Café.

I hope you enjoy Vanilla Chai and A Vanishing Victim, while considering the messages conveyed in the story.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Victoria Tait was born and raised in Yorkshire, England.  After following her military husband around the world, she drew on her life’s experiences, and a love of Agatha Christie, Father Brown, and Murder She Wrote, to write British based cozy mysteries.

Her determined female sleuths are joined by colourful and quirky teams of helpers, and her settings are vivid and realistic.  As you’re compelled to keep turning the pages, you’ll be irresistibly drawn into a world where you’ll experience surprises, humour, and, sometimes, a tug on your heartstrings.

Do you like tea, mysteries, and books? Then why not join Victoria’s TeaCozy Club for regular news and updates, and download the free prequel to the Dotty Sayers Antique Mysteries series as a gift by visiting her website

Who doesn’t like tea, cake, and a slice of murder?

 

 

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Giveaway

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

 

The desert town of Rattlesnake isn’t a destination. It’s a last resort. Seventeen-year-old Jonah Guthrie’s aunt sold their home in New England and fled to this place to escape the humiliation of his dad’s indictment for embezzlement and subsequent disappearance.

While their late uncle left them a house and a silver mine, the house is in shambles and the mine is defunct. They’re almost out of money, so they have no choice but to stay in Rattlesnake. Then, Jonah discovers they’ve inherited something else. Her name is Catherine, and she’s been dead for over a hundred years. Now, she needs his help.

 

 

Amazon * Smashwords * Kobo * B&N

 

 

Excerpt

 

For a moment, the sun balanced on the tip of the tallest peak, then slipped behind the mountains, turning them black against the sky. They were out of options all except for going back to Old Cemetery Road and dealing with the property. From somewhere far out in the desert came the loneliest sound Jonah had ever heard. That high-pitched yowl caught him at the center of his stomach. Suddenly, he felt eyes on him from every direction, and the shadows grew teeth.

 

 

Review

 

This story will appeal to those who enjoy time travel and paranormal books.

Jonah and Allie, along with their Aunt Margaret, move from New Hampshire to Rattlesnake, Nevada. This is what some might classify as a dying town. I don’t remember the population, but around 500 sounds right. So you can imagine what sort of folks live here and what environment these newcomers might face. There is a bully that runs the town, with his son a bully at the high school. The townfolks are very closed-minded and do not like outsiders at all, save a few.

I enjoyed watching the story unfold, from learning to navigate a new high school to trying to figure out what this ghost needs help with. Both kids are dealing with more than they should have in their lives, not only with the move but with trying to come to terms with the allegations against their father. Margaret is trying to support their little family, but it is hard to gain acceptance from the local residents, which in turn makes it hard for her to find a job.

Jonah is a bit of a wild card. He isn’t afraid to go after what he wants or stand up to the local bully, Snake. He can also see a ghost that needs his help in finding something, but she doesn’t know what. It takes an unusual turn of events for Jonah to figure out what she needs help with and then try to assist 100 years in the future.

This story is fraught with emotions, from loneliness to fear to desperation. There is even a little romance in the story. It depicts what people might encounter if in a similar situation. There is a silver lining at the end. It will appeal to a wide variety of readers, not just those who like young adult or paranormal aspects in their novels.

We give this book 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Until about a year ago, my writing was all about what was real and current in the world. I’ve written about cutting (Sliding on the Edge, 2009), death of a parent (The Princess of Las Pulgas, 2010), illiteracy (Double Negative, 2014–voted as one of the top ten novels for YA), homophobia (Sudden Secrets, 2014), injustice (Not Guilty, 2019, and paraplegia (Shattered, 2021–finalist in the Indie Book Awards). Then suddenly…Rattlesnake, my first other-worldly YA.

It was probably a reaction to what was happening in my personal life as well as the world around me during the Covid shutdown, but I needed escape, and I thought others did as well, so I gave this story my best shot.

When I’m not writing, I’m hiking, traveling, or practicing yoga. I love to cook, and I love to eat. I love to talk with friends, and while I’m not a snob about it, I appreciate good wine—all of these seem to pair well of an evening.

I live on the edge of a forest and don’t hate cities, but I can only take them in short stays before I itch to return to where there are a lot of trees or an ocean.

 

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Synopsis

 

‘Dark Truth’, the second in a series of three novels, is a suspenseful mystery thriller full of intrigue that will leave you guessing right until the very end.

Private investigator Joe Wilde is hired by Tom and Marie Archer to investigate the disappearance of their six-year-old daughter Laura. Joe also takes on an unusual case for a client by the name of Jack Riley. Jack believes he was framed to make it look like he was cheating on his fiancée, Claire Brooks. Claire has been the target of disturbing vandalism. As Joe helps the police investigate Laura’s disappearance, he uncovers disturbing secrets concerning the Archers and some of their neighbors. Meanwhile, the attacks on Claire become more extreme. Fearing for her life, Claire also hires Joe. As Joe continues to investigate, he puts himself in great danger.

 

 

Amazon US * Amazon UK

 

 

Excerpt

 

The conditions were near perfect; there was only a very gentle breeze. His location afforded him an ideal view of the occupant’s back garden.

He was situated on a small hill approximately 150 yards away — he was well concealed amongst some thick brush. He had been waiting patiently for nearly thirty minutes now and knew it was a case of when, not if his target came out into the back garden, especially given it was a lovely late summer’s night.

He looked at his watch; it was almost half ten — then out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw a silhouette move past the rear patio doors. He looked through the red dot sight of his rifle but there was no one at the patio door. He was glad he had recently invested in a bipod to rest his rifle on so he wouldn’t have to hold it. He wasn’t a bad shot but practising on static objects was one thing, trying to hit a moving target was a completely different proposition.

There was still no sign of movement but he was prepared to wait it out for another hour or two if need be — the pay off would be worth it. Just then he started to feel some light drops of rain on his forehead, this was the last thing he needed, if it turned into a full-on downpour that would pretty much end any hope of his target going outside.

The rain did get worse but fortunately it only lasted for fifteen minutes before it completely stopped. A few minutes beforehand his target had stood by the patio door briefly looking out across the garden, no doubt checking to see if the rain was beginning to ease. Now that the rain had stopped, surely she would be going out into the garden very shortly he thought to himself.

He got his wish soon after as just a couple of minutes later he saw the patio door slide open and his target walk slowly out onto the patio. She walked towards the end of the garden, when she was almost at the end she stopped and started looking around. He saw this as his chance — he looked through the sight and aligned the red dot right in between her eyes then gently rested his right forefinger on the trigger. He could feel the adrenaline starting to pump through his body; he needed to control his breathing so he started breathing gently through his nose.

‘On the count of three,’ he said to himself. ‘Three, two, one.’

On the count of one he exhaled and squeezed the trigger — a split second later his target slumped to the ground. He didn’t need to wait around to confirm the kill; he knew he had executed the perfect shot. He detached the rifle from the bipod then put them both in his sports holdall before making his way down the far side of the hill where he had parked his car.

 

 

About the Author

 

C.D. Steele is the author of the Joe Wilde mystery thriller series. There are at present two books in the series, False Truth which was published by The Book Guild on 28/04/21, and Dark Truth which was published by The Conrad Press on 15/11/23.

He works as an Executive Officer in the Civil Service, has a degree in Recreation Management, and lives in County Down, Northern Ireland.

 

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Synopsis

 

In the summer of 1914, 16-year-old Evan Sinclair leaves home to join the Great War for Civilization. Little does he know that, despite the war raging in Europe, the true source of conflict will emerge in Ottoman Palestine, since it’s from Jerusalem where the German Kaiser dreams to rule as Holy Roman Emperor. Filled with such historical figures as Gertrude Bell, T.E. Lawrence, Winston Churchill, Faisal bin Hussein and Chaim Weizmann, “Wages of Empire” follows Evan through the killing fields of the Western Front where he will help turn the tide of a war that is just beginning, and become part of a story that never ends.

 

 

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Excerpt

 

 

Prologue

 

 

April 18, 1911

Jerusalem

 

THE TEMPLE MOUNT was shrouded in darkness. It was the dead of night yet sounds of digging echoed within the Dome of the Rock.

Gunter von Wertheimer knew the sounds well—the steady scrape of a shovel, the bite of a pick, and the whisper of soil poured from full panniers.

Cloaked in a hooded robe, he stood in the shadow of the shrine and looked up at the sky. Among the bright points of stars, the constellation of the scorpion hovered over the Dome, the sharp stinger formed by a bright star the Arabs called Lasa’a, poised to strike.

As the digging continued, another sound whispered out of the darkness.

“It’s time.”

He knew the voice was that of his friend and fellow archeologist, Rahman B’Shara, a hulking shadow in the darkness.

“You know what you must do,” said Gunter.

“It’s strange, though,” Rahman murmured. “When Walker first came, I thought he was like the others—just another greedy treasure hunter, anxious to get his hands on the golden vessels hidden beneath the Foundation Stone. But once I joined the dig, I couldn’t believe how quickly it was progressing.”

“Do you still believe he’ll break through in the next few days?”

“No. He’ll break through in the next few hours.”

“Because of the spiritualists and clairvoyants he hired?”

“More likely, it’s the unchecked access he’s had to dig for the last two weeks. Walker has a keen sense of which Ottoman officials to bribe—starting with the Turkish governor.” Rahman turned, stepped past Gunter and whispered, “There’s no time to lose.”

“Good luck, my friend.”

“Why do I need luck?”

“You know that better than I. His guards are well armed.”

Rahman smiled, his white teeth flashing in the starlight. “We have something more powerful than their guns.”

“Indeed. We have the power of the Temple.”

“In the end, yes, but I was speaking of a power of this world—the power of the mob.”

“And what a mob!” Gunter agreed. “Thousands of pilgrims in Jerusalem for the Feast of Nebi Musa! When they hear the Temple Mount has been desecrated by treasure hunters, Walker won’t need to enter the Temple to experience divine wrath.”

“Yes! The faithful will be quick to avenge this outrage.” Rahman bolted away, disappearing into the darkness.

Gunter knew he was heading to the Muslim Quarter beyond the northern edge of the sacred precincts. After a few seconds, he heard his voice calling out, echoing among the narrow lanes.

“Sacrilege! The Frengi are breaking the foundation stone! Sacrilege!”

Within seconds, two armed Turkish guards with torches shot out of the shrine and sprinted in the direction of Rahman’s voice.

Gunter flattened himself against the smooth tiles and watched as they came to a stop, apparently despairing as they heard the words Rahman was shouting.

“Arise to vengeance! The Turks have given over the Holy Mountain to the greed of infidels. Avenge the sacrilege! Arise!”

The guards ran back into the shrine and within seconds, Gunter heard the anxious voice of Montagu Walker.

“We must get out of here double quick! Hurry! Take whatever you can carry!”

As he waited in the shadows beneath the arches of the arcade, Gunter knew that Rahman had been the one best suited to infiltrate Walker’s scheme—to expose and stop him. Walker had hired Rahman as his consulting archaeologist to give his treasure hunt the patina of a legitimate excavation—Rahman, who could trace his ancestry in Jerusalem back for a hundred generations.

Though Gunter had also been born in Jerusalem, he was the son of German Templers, and never completely trusted by the local population; suspected of working for the Germans, or the Ottomans, or both.

But Gunter served no colonial empire. He, like Rahman, was a Guardian of the Temple Mount, an order that traced its origins to a time before the holy mountain had a name, a time cloaked in the

shadowed silence before history.

A line of flaming torches appeared along the northern border of the Temple enclosure. Shouts of execration filled the air.

Walker and his crew tumbled out of the Dome of the Rock, struggling with heavy sacks, shovels and picks that scraped and clattered on the paving stones.

“Leave that stuff!” Walker shouted. “Run for your lives!”

They rushed headlong away from the mob, frantically clawing past one another.

Gunter knew they were making for a gap in the southern border of the enclosure.

The mob surged forward in pursuit, the light of a thousand torches beneath the black sky.

Walker was finished.

The passages and chambers within the Temple Mount would remain sealed, as they had been for a thousand years.

But Gunter knew that others would come—drawn by the power and mystery of Jerusalem. And he also knew that the Guardians of the Temple Mount would be watching, and they would never rest.

 

 

About the Author

 

Michael J. Cooper emigrated to Israel in 1966 and lived in Jerusalem; during the last year, the city was divided between Israel and Jordan. He graduated from Tel Aviv University Medical School, and after a 40-year career as a pediatric cardiologist in Northern California, he continues to do volunteer missions serving Palestinian children who lack access to care. His historical fiction novels include “Foxes in the Vineyard,” set in 1948 Jerusalem, which won the 2011 Indie Publishing Contest grand prize, and “The Rabbi’s Knight,” set in the Holy Land in 1290. “Wages of Empire” won the 2022 CIBA Rossetti Award for YA fiction along with first-place honors for the 2022 CIBA Hemingway Award for wartime historical fiction. He lives in Northern California with his wife and a spoiled rotten cat. Three adult children occasionally drop by.

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