Author Archives: Marcha's Two-Cents Worth

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About Marcha's Two-Cents Worth

I'm a science fiction author of the Star Trails Tetralogy, retired after two decades working at NASA, defected from my physics training to become a professional astrologer, and various other acts of rebellion. More recently, I've teamed with Pete Risingsun in writing "The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon: Cheyenne Spirits" which was released in July 2020 with more to come.

“The Student and the Slave”– An New Adventure Novel with a Giveaway!

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StudentSlave

Take a look at this exciting new young adult action and adventure novel, The Student and the Slave, now available for purchase! This is the third book in the Krillonian Chronicles, after The Collar and the Cavvarach and The Gladiator and the Guard.

The series is set in an alternate world that is very much like our own, with just a few major differences.  One is that slavery is legal there.  Slaves must wear metal collars that lock around their neck, making their enslaved status obvious to everyone. Another difference is the popularity of a martial art called cavvara shil.  It is fought with a cavvarach (rhymes with “have a rack”), a weapon similar to a sword but with a steel hook protruding from partway down its top edge.  Competitors can strike at each other with their feet as well as with the blades.  You win in one of two ways: disarming your opponent (hooking or knocking their cavvarach out of their hands) or pinning their shoulders to the mat for five seconds.

cavvarach

Cavvarach

First, a Little Information about Books 1 and 2: 

The Collar and the Cavvarach

Book 1: The Collar and the Cavvarach

Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is desperate to see his little sister freed. But only victory in the Krillonian Empire’s most prestigious tournament will allow him to secretly arrange for Ellie’s escape. Dangerous people are closing in on her, however, and Bensin is running out of time. With his one hope fading quickly away, how can Bensin save Ellie from a life of slavery and abuse?

Click here to read chapter 1 of The Collar and the Cavvarach.
Click here to read about life in the Krillonian Empire, where the series is set.

Book 2: The Gladiator and the Guard

The Gladiator and the GuardBensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is just one victory away from freedom. But after he is accused of a crime he didn’t commit, he is condemned to the violent life and early death of a gladiator. While his loved ones seek desperately for a way to rescue him, Bensin struggles to stay alive and forge an identity in an environment designed to strip it from him. When he infuriates the authorities with his choices, he knows he is running out of time. Can he stand against the cruelty of the arena system and seize his freedom before that system crushes him?

Click here to read about life in the arena where Bensin and other gladiators are forced to live and train.

StudentSlaveAnd now, The Student and the Slave, with another awesome cover by the talented Jack Lin!

Book 3: The Student and the Slave

Is this what freedom is supposed to be like? Desperate to provide for himself and his sister Ellie, Bensin searches fruitlessly for work like all the other former slaves in Tarnestra. He needs the money for an even more important purpose, though: to rescue Coach Steene, who sacrificed himself for Bensin’s freedom. When members of two rival street gangs express interest in Bensin’s martial arts skills, he realizes he may have a chance to save his father figure after all … at a cost.

Meanwhile, Steene struggles with his new life of slavery in far-away Neliria. Raymond, his young owner, seizes any opportunity to make his life miserable. But while Steene longs to escape and rejoin Bensin and Ellie, he starts to realize that Raymond needs him too. His choices will affect not only his own future, but that of everyone he cares about. Can he make the right ones … and live with the consequences?

Click here to order The Student and the Slave from Amazon for $2.99 a discounted price of just 99 cents through November 31st!

Read an Excerpt:

In this excerpt, Bensin meets a character he encountered earlier in less than favorable circumstances.

 In the parking lot, Bensin noticed a man who seemed to be watching him. Choosing not to make eye contact, he quickened his steps as he crossed toward the buildings. 

He bought his envelopes, addressed one of them at the counter, slid the folded letter inside, and stuck it in the mail slot. Now we just have to wait for Officer Shigo to reply. Then he and Ellie could contact Coach and start to figure out a plan for freeing him.

When he stepped out of the post office, the man was standing just outside the door. “Hey.”

Instinctively, Bensin jumped back to gain room for self-defense. There was something about the man’s burly build and the way he was sizing Bensin up with his eyes. And the silver threads spiraling their way through his dreadlocks. 

Bensin brought his arms up, ready for action. “What do you want?”

“Take it easy.” The man backed away a step or two, hands raised to show he wasn’t a threat. He grinned. “You’re a good fighter. Where’d you learn those skills?”

“In the arena. I was a gladiator back in Jarreon.” It wasn’t something Bensin would normally boast about, but if his violent past discouraged a gang member from attacking him, so much the better.

About the Author:

Annie Douglass LimaAnnie Douglass Lima spent most of her childhood in Kenya and later graduated from Biola University in Southern California. She and her husband Floyd currently live in Taiwan, where she teaches fifth grade at Morrison Academy. She has been writing poetry, short stories, and novels since her childhood, and to date has published fifteen books (three YA action and adventure novels, four fantasies, a puppet script, six anthologies of her students’ poetry, and a Bible verse coloring and activity book). Besides writing, her hobbies include reading (especially fantasy and science fiction), scrapbooking, and international travel.

Connect with the Author Online:

Email: AnnieDouglassLima@gmail.com

Blog: http://anniedouglasslima.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnieDouglassLimaAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/princeofalasia

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/ADLimaOnGoodreads

Amazon Author Page: http://bit.ly/AnnieDouglassLimaOnAmazon

LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/ADLimaOnLinkedIn

Google+: http://bit.ly/ADLimaOnGooglePlus

Now, enter to win an Amazon gift card or a free digital copy of the first two books in the series!

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“Immortal: The Soulmate” by Terra James

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TheSoulmate

This suspenseful sequel was another great page-turner, which picked up where “The Chosen” left off. While unconventional, the author’s technique of writing each chapter in a different character’s first-person viewpoint works nicely for understanding the characters and their motivation. More insights into the different cultures, particularly the link between Emmaline as a witch and Dravon as a vampire were illustrated, as well as a closer look at the Fae, with a bit more magic introduced.

One of the best parts of this series is the way the author gradually takes you into a fantasy world, which eventually feels normal with its supernatural population of witches, vampires, werewolves, and fae, and how these different cultures interact. There’s a great lesson and analogy in this story for human races in general with regard to getting along, that it’s together in cooperation that great power is achieved. However, there will always be opposing sides of good and evil, so nothing is ever simple.

I especially liked Sadie’s blessings as a healer where she used another language. I didn’t bother dropping it into Google Translate to find out if it was real or not, but it looked convincing and added a really nice touch of authenticity.

This is an excellent story with engaging characters. The cliffhangers are done skillfully, i.e., in a way that makes you want to find out what happens next without making you growl at an abrupt non-ending. It was suspenseful enough for me to keep reading, but my emotional involvement was fairly low. If a book can make me both laugh and cry it will easily earn five stars. This one didn’t do either, but it’s generally imaginative and well-written so I’ll give it four and a half.

Pick up a copy on Amazon here.

A Very Elegant Conversation with a Vampire

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aperilousthirst

5stars

Review of “A Perilous Thirst” by Rhani D’Chae

This short story is as elegantly written as its cover implies, taking you straight into the mind and very cold heart of a traditional vampire. We’ve had an “interview” with a vampire sometime back, but this is a “conversation” with a vampire, or perhaps, “seduction” by a vampire. And what an entrancing and enlightening one it is!

This is not a friendly, warm, fuzzy, and moral creature, even though he states that he has never forced himself on anyone. Nonetheless, he is of the human blood-sucking type from which nightmares derive. This is one who has lived for thousands of years, has amassed plenty of money, has sophisticated manners as well as tastes, and is now living in Tacoma, Washington in 1987.  As the story begins, he has not indulged his sordid nature for four months and the lack of nourishment is agonizing. He’s in a bar, perusing the potential menu items, while explaining his dilemma and buying drinks for–you!

He explains the reason for his abstinence is not only because he’s gay, but due to his concern with contracting HIV. This is a horrible fate for vampires because they cannot die, but nevertheless waste away if they become infected. Thus, he is extremely cautious in choosing his next victim. He finds one whom he gets drunk and offers to take home, continuing his soliloquy as he returns to his own residence.

The writing is no less than literary in caliber, tastefully done, and amazingly unoffensive, given the topics under discussion. Yet there are bits of subtle, albeit dark, humor, such as referring to his catches as “tv dinners”, a reference to fang-sized condoms, and noting he prefers to live alone not only to more easily conceal his true nature but because “the young men of today tend to equate cohabitation with a ‘relationship’, and so while I am simply attempting to keep my sustenance close at hand, they are picking out bedroom furniture and embroidering our initials onto the bath towels.”

If you’ve been indulging in the usual vampire fare out there these days, much of which is clever and entertaining, you nonetheless should spend an evening with a real vampire, one who could easily have been one of Count Dracula’s contemporaries. This was the perfect read for Halloween and offered a fascinating glimpse into a true vampire’s persona and character. It was chilling, yet fascinating, and truly one of the best pieces of outstanding writing I’ve seen in a long time.

You can pick up a copy on Amazon here.

“Elon Musk: 199 Best Quotes” Only Scratches the Surface

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199BestQuotesElonMusk

As an Elon Musk fan, I enjoyed reading this collection of quotes. I was a little disappointed that so many were redundant, but there were nonetheless some jewels. I recently read Musk’s biography by Ashlee Vance, which I highly recommend, and this book of quotes was a nice refresher, though there are many sides of Musk that weren’t reflected. He is far more complex than these would indicate. If you’re really interested in getting to know who and what he is and how he got there, I you need to read Vance’s biography.

Some of my favorite Musk characteristics are his “If you want something done right, do it yourself” philosophy and his “if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem” management view. I was definitely impressed with the fact he’s the father of 5 boys, a set of twins and a set of triplets, for which he has shared custody with his former wife, and that he’ll take them to work with him. There’s also the matter of his indomitable spirit that kept him pressing forward in spite of various failures. Having been bullied to the point of hospitalization as a child, he has definitely risen above that, definitely demonstrating that “the best revenge is to live well.” None of this was covered by these quotes.

My personal opinion of Musk is that we need more people like him in this world of entitlement where so many are sitting around waiting for a handout or the world to come to them. He is the ultimate self-made man whose primary goal has not been money, but the good of the planet and humanity. While this quote book is a nice introduction, it barely scratches the surface of what he has accomplished and how, much less his very humanitarian motivation. The quotes included match the title and are nicely documented (which takes up nearly half of the book), but if you really want to learn about him, this is only a drop in the bucket.

You can pick up a copy of the quote book here and Vance’s biography here.

“The Empire”: Sci-Fi Thriller Extraordinaire from JRD

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TheEmpirecover

This complex sci-fi thriller is loaded with twists, turns, and entanglements between worlds, cultures, and religions. Dizon has created a fascinating universe full of convincing conflicts which reflect those facing the world today, but elevated to spacefaring civilizations. While hard science fiction focuses on advanced technology and its applications, political science fiction looks at a future based on extrapolating Earth’s vices into a dystopian nightmare that encompasses entire planets as opposed to countries.  If there were ever a case against space colonization, that is certainly it. If we can’t even get along with our fellow earthlings, what business do we have venturing out into space? Allegedly, the ETs are against us attaining the ability for interstellar travel for that very reason and this novel certainly provides a case in point.

To sum things up, Styrena Stone, daughter of the president of what is an interstellar remnant of the USA, has been kidnapped by terrorists who have a devious political agenda. They want her mother to sign a non-aggression treaty so they can proceed unencumbered with their intent to conquer other worlds. There are two individuals determined to rescue Styrena, Von Kilgore, former member of the Global Intelligence Agency, and Grav Drachna, rogue starship captain and general bad boy. As you would expect, these two aren’t exactly on friendly terms. Intricate schemes are made by both sides, along with a host of political schemes and conspiracies which come together in a nail-biting climax that holds plenty of context for a sequel.

Dizon’s subtle humor had me in stitches from time to time, largely related to his character naming convention, which I won’t spoil by revealing. His writing style is crisp and moves at lightspeed. I would love for him to include a dramatis personae to help keep everyone straight, since there are so many characters involved, each with his or her own agenda, both political and personal. The author’s ability to create vivid characters, each with a strong personality and motivation is what adds depth and suspense to Dizon’s stories, adding the potential for plenty of surprises.

Setting all this intrigue against a futuristic interstellar backdrop will draw in science fiction fans as well as those who are already hooked on Dizon’s ability to create unforgettable characters immersed in suspenseful situations. I can’t wait to see where this potentially epic story goes next.

You can pickup a paperback on Amazon here or an ebook at Barnes & Noble here. The electronic version is also available on Smashwords and most online retailers.

Immortal: The Chosen

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TheChosen

This fast-moving story gets this series off to a well-written, suspense-filled start. While I’m not that much of a vampire fan, I was nonetheless taken in by the strong characters and interesting plot that gives the vampire/werewolf/witch culture an interesting new twist. Great fiction begins with convincing characters with whom the reader can connect, and the author did a great job of populating her tale accordingly. This was achieved by getting inside each one’s head by switching the point of view for each chapter.

While such a technique can be confusing, this was done effectively and allowed the reader to get to know the thoughts and feelings of each important member of this intriguing story. This method was much more intimate than an omniscient view point, which often weakens the reader-character connection. This method worked very nicely and reminded me of piecing together a mystery by reading the journals of each character.

My only criticism, which is really quite minor but enough for me to give it four stars, is that toward the end there were quite a few names thrown around of late-breaking characters whose place in the story was a bit fuzzy. I suspect they will be more important in the next episode and this was simply an introduction. However, I tend to stick to the convention of minimizing reader confusion by not naming characters who do not relate directly to the plot (except in the case of red herrings, of course). This resulted in having to deal with a lot of faceless people with foggy identities as the story climaxed, a slight distraction that really didn’t add anything other than slowing things down as each new person was logged in, so to speak. Nonetheless, it did show the gathering of forces that would play an important part in the sequel, even though this could have been done without names.

While the ending was a cliffhanger, it was handled in such a way that it didn’t leave me gasping or frustrated, but could see the next volume coming together. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, liked the characters, and will definitely be reading the sequel.

Creative Fun for Halloween!

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halloweenwriting

If you’re looking for ideas for a Halloween-related story, either for yourself as an author or as a parent or teacher, this book is for you. Loaded with fun and appropriately creepy premises, there’s no need to look any further for inspiration. Teachers could easily use this jewel to spawn a creative writing assignment that students would actually enjoy. Great fun, not only for Halloween, but for coming up with stories around the campfire. Fostering a child’s creativity and imagination is highly recommended by educators and these clever ideas provide plenty of brain fodder. Don’t miss it!

Calling All Bibliophiles!

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2017 WC&BE Badges

Whether you’re an avid reader, an aspiring writer, or published author, there’s something for you at RRBC’s Writers’ Conference and Book Expo. It’s open now and will be online until October 30.

Come meet dozens of outstanding authors, many of which are award winners, learn about their often amazing backgrounds, and explore their many books. Most of us are sponsoring a giveaway and all you have to do to enter is leave a comment on our author page! Be sure to stop by my Author Page for a chance to win an 8 gigabyte USB card preloaded with the Star Trails Tetralogy, including my latest release, “The Terra Debacle.”

Don’t miss the raffle, which has some spectacular prizes. For only $5, you get a chance at a virtual gift basket worth approximately $100 in gift cards! You can sign up here.

While you’re there, be sure to check out my Astrological Services page to discover how astrology can be a writer’s best friend, whether it’s timing a book release or rounding out a character.

Hope to see you there!

Virtual #Fantasy Con is still in full sw

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Virtual #Fantasy Con is still in full swing! Games, #free book drawings, meet new friends & authors! facebook.com/events/1526260… #scifi #pnr

“Mr. Spaceship” is Mediocre Except for Context

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MrSpaceship

This little known short story by Philip K. Dick, one of the all-time great classic science fiction authors popular from the 50s to 70s, is an interesting read for its historical value, if nothing else. If someone wrote it today, I suspect it would receive little acclaim or attention. It’s actual publication date I don’t know, since its copyright is expired and now in the public domain, but I would guess the 50s. One reviewer on Amazon summed it up beautifully by stating it “reads as if in black and white Rod Serling mode.” The detail is indeed sketchy and in the context of today’s technology, beyond lean, the theme now a worn-out cliche. However, it presents interesting brain fodder at the philosophical level.

The basic premise is that a human brain is used as the control mechanism for a spaceship. Of course the brain goes rogue with its new “body,” i.e. the spacecraft. In a way, this is the antithesis of artificial intelligence, and apparently his pet philosophical question with regard to what actually constitutes consciousness and reality. At what point, if ever, does an augmented human lose its humanity and at what point does artificial intelligence attain status as a living being? Clearly this has a lot of relevance today as both scenarios move toward reality.

What makes this more interesting to me is the fact that Dick is the author of “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” from which the 1982 movie, “Blade Runner” came, with a new one, albeit a sequel, just released. He also wrote “Minority Report”, “Total Recall”, and various others, so he did put out some outstanding work.

Reading about him on Wikpedia gives me the impression this guy wasn’t wrapped too tight. He had a drug problem most of his life and various other issues. Perhaps he was a genius, which isn’t an easy cross to bear, and would explain the otherworldly, dystopian essence of his work, which reflected his unique view of life.

This short story is worth reading for its historical value, but certainly not his best work, which didn’t even earn mention in Wikipedia. A novel of his won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, showing he did put out some excellent, thought-provoking work. Clearly this really isn’t one of them. It has value, however, in the context of his other achievements, the Cold War climate during which it was written, and the many questions he posed, which have still not been answered, even as our technology brings us to the threshold of urgently needing to know.

You can pick up your copy on Amazon here. It’s free for Kindle and very reasonable for a print copy, if you’re so inclined.