She was afraid of the truth. She was afraid of the lies. But mostly afraid she couldn’t tell the difference between the two anymore.
After escaping from the holy Sanctum, Ehla yearns for safety. In a realm where High Priests maintain absolute power through violence and manipulation, Ehla finds herself at the center of a rebellion she wants no part of.
And the more she learns about the One God, the Serpent, and the magical power of Song, the more she questions everything she thought she knew.
With the Sanctum’s shadow growing deeper, Ehla must make choices that will change her – and the realm – forever.
Packed with religious oppression, revolution, and self-discovery, this fast-paced, thought-provoking fantasy novel is perfect for fans of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Sabaa Tahir’s Ember in the Ashes series, and Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series.
About Dan Desai Martin
Dan Desai Martin
Dan Desai Martin is a fantasy author and communications consultant. After receiving a degree in Religious Studies from Berry College, Dan spent most of his career at nonprofit organizations trying to make the world a little better.
He is active with the Maryland Writers’ Association, and was an editor of the 2024 and 2025 editions of Emerging Voices: Poetry and Prose by Maryland Teens. When not reading, writing, or working, he enjoys traveling and spending time with his amazing wife, Rachana [pronounced RUTCH-na]. They live in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Thirteen-year-old Remmie McNeal emerges from cryogenic sleep on a distant world, expecting a new life with his family—only to find the adults still locked in their reconstruction creches, silent and unresponsive. The massive underground colony hums with machines, but the only ones awake are kids like him: scared, confused, and suddenly in charge.
With his quick wits, a loyal gang of friends, and an enigmatic, ever-changing creature dubbed the Wobblegong at his side, Remmie races to uncover the truth. Why did the system awaken only children between five and fourteen? What hidden glitch—or deliberate secret—traps the grown-ups in endless sleep? Strange signals flicker through the shadows, robots behave unpredictably, and whispers of a greater mystery echo in the vents.
This gripping sci-fi adventure delivers heart-pounding exploration, clever problem-solving, unbreakable friendships, and twists that will keep readers guessing until the final page. What force controls their fate? Can Remmie solve the puzzle before time runs out?
About James Pyles
James Pyles
James Pyles is a retired corporate technical writer and computer technology textbook author. Since 2019, he has had over seventy short stories and novelettes published in various anthologies and periodicals, mostly by independent publishers.
His most recent novel is the boy’s science fiction adventure story, A Wobblegong And His Boy, published by Raconteur Press. His previous science fiction novel,Our Legacy the Stars: A Tom Corbett Adventure, is a legacy space opera based on a 1950s SciFi television show.
Besides writing, James spends much of his time with his grandchildren, ages five to seventeen, and borrowing his son’s dog to play fetch.
A chat with science fiction writer Kathy Tyers (a New York Times-bestselling author for her Star Wars novel The Truce at Bakura) about Firebreak, the first book in a new trilogy in her popular Firebird series.
What would you sacrifice to save your family and your home world?
Lady Firebird Caldwell returns to the world of her birth, Netaia, intending to introduce her young sons to the noble Electors while her husband, Brennen, conducts a military inspection. When mysterious ships in distress suddenly approach the planet, the Electorate sends her to initiate first contact. Forced to work alongside a vengeful childhood enemy, Firebird uses everything within her power—even her passion for music—to negotiate, only to discover their alien technology threatens all the worlds she holds dear.
Facing ruthless betrayal, Firebird undertakes a deadly journey to salvage the mission. Brennen must make daring use of his telepathic powers to save human life in the galactic Whorl, including that of their young sons. But saving the worlds might force Brennen to give the order that would mean Firebird’s death. In a galaxy poised on the edge of ruin, survival may demand the ultimate sacrifice—from them both.
About Kathy Tyers
Kathy Tyers
Kathy Tyers is widely known for two Star Wars Legends novels: New York Times-bestseller The Truce at Bakura and New Jedi Order: Balance Point. Her hard science fiction novel Shivering World was long-listed for the Nebula Award and received the Christy Award in the Visionary category.
Kathy’s ongoing Firebird series is adventure-romance space opera reminiscent of Star Wars 4, 5, and 6. Firebreak, the first book in a new Firebird universe trilogy, is a 2026 release. Two additional Firebird Interlude Trilogy novels are scheduled for 2027 and 2028.
At home in southwest Montana with her husband William T. Gillin, Kathy focuses on writing, music, and short-season vegetable gardening.
A chat with award-winning novelist, screenwriter, journalist, and media entrepreneur Roger L. Simon about Emet, the first book in a thrilling new series.
A rabbi who doubts. A city on edge. A truth older than memory rising from the earth.
When Nashville is shaken by the brutal murder of a young woman visiting from New York, Rabbi Benjamin “Ben” Golub—a reluctant spiritual leader whose faith has long wavered—finds himself drawn into a crisis far larger than grief and consolation. The crime unmoors his congregants, ignites simmering fears, and pulls the rabbi into the orbit of two people connected to the victim: Ed, a Serbian-born sculptor with a past marked by war, and Tamara, a sharp-witted New York publicist fleeing her own heartbreak.
But when a freak tornado hits the city, exposing strange phenomena in the rabbi’s own backyard, Ben confronts something he never expected: evidence that an ancient Jewish legend may be more than myth. What begins as a whispered joke—a lump of mud shaped like a man—soon reveals a terrifying capacity for action.
As violence escalates, anti-Jewish hatred rises worldwide, and the rabbi’s private doubts collide with what he witnesses, Ben must decide what he truly believes—and what he is willing to unleash. Because the line between protector and monster is thinner than anyone imagined. And truth—emet—has consequences.
Emet is a gripping, unsettling novel about faith, fear, justice, and the supernatural forces that emerge when an ordinary man is pushed past the limits of reason.
Advance praise for Emet
“A thriller that’s as fast and furious as it is thoughtful and smart.” – New York Times bestselling novelist Andrew Klavan
“A thrilling page-turner with a satisfying ending.”- Glenn Reynolds, American legal scholar and founder of Instapundit
“A tour de force full of . . . wit and wisdom and positivity amid peril.” – Kurt Schlichter, novelist and Townhall columnist
“(Emet) doubles as a political and religious commentary, making it even more captivating and enlightening . . . (it) screams for sequels and an equally riveting television streaming series.” – David Limbaugh
About Roger L. Simon
Roger L. Simon
Roger L. Simon is an award-winning novelist, screenwriter, journalist, and media entrepreneur whose career spans more than five decades across literature, film, and cultural commentary. He first gained prominence with his bestselling Moses Wine detective series, beginning with the 1970s breakout hit The Big Fix, which became a cultural touchstone and later a Hollywood film starring Richard Dreyfus. Simon wrote the screenplay, beginning a career in Hollywood that also saw him write, among many others, Bustin’ Loose (with Richard Pryor), Scenes from a Mall (with Bette Midler and Woody Allen), and the Paul Mazursky-directed Enemies, A Love Story, for which Simon was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. A Better Life, for which Simon wrote the story, was released in 2011; its lead actor, Damien Bichir, was also nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award. Simon also directed the independent feature Prague Duet, starring Gina Gershon and based on a screenplay he wrote with his wife, Sheryl Longin.
Simon has taught screenwriting at Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute and at the American Film Institute. He is a former president of the PEN Center USA West, former vice-president of the International Association of Crime Writers, and a former member of the board of the Writers Guild of America.
Simon has become a leading voice in political and social journalism, co-founding PJ Media, one of the earliest and most influential digital platforms in the online commentary landscape. His work has appered in major publications worldwide, and he is known for his sharp intellect, fearless critique, and his ability to fuse narrative craft with cultural insight.
Emet launches a provocative new series that confronts the spiritual and geopolitical dangers facing Christians and Jews in the modern world. Simon, 82, calls this creative resurgence “remarkably optimistic” and feels this is arguably some of his most ambitious work to date.
A chat with bestselling and prolific author John Van Stry about his career and his newest novel, Lock & Load, Book 3 in the Valley of Fire trilogy set in is popular Wolfhounds universe.
In the heart of the Fire Nebula, war rages across the stars.
Crown Prince Wolf Alexander-Morgan and Princess Mariella, forged in the crucible of combat and mech warfare, stand at the forefront of a desperate counterstrike against a ruthless empire that has already struck at their homeworlds. With elite squadrons, aging battleships revived from slumber, and hard-won alliances hanging by a thread, they prepare to carry the fight straight to the enemy’s stronghold.
But victory demands more than firepower. As hidden truths surface, old grudges resurface, and the line between ally and threat blurs, Wolf and Mariella must navigate treacherous politics, overwhelming odds, and the weight of their own destinies. One wrong move could doom their kingdom—or end the war in flames.
Pulse-pounding space battles, brutal ground assaults, and the clash of crowns await in the explosive conclusion to the Valley of Fire trilogy. In a galaxy where loyalty is tested in fire, some legends are born… and others are extinguished.
About John Van Stry
John Van Stry
John Van Stry holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE). During his college years, he joined the United States Air Force and gained some flying experience. His early career included work in robotics, followed by positions as a Flight Test Engineer in the aerospace industry at Grumman Aerospace, General Dynamics, and Lockheed.
During this time, he acquired a cougar and relocated to Oregon. After leaving aerospace, he transitioned to the medical devices sector as a Quality and Test Engineer in a research and development group, then at Tektronix, before entering contracting, drawn by the financial incentives. By then, he owned several big cats, incurring substantial feed costs that necessitated a dedicated account with a wholesale meat supplier and the purchase of a van for hauling.
He later moved to California, and now resides in Texas. In his roles in quality assurance and testing, Van Stry has been fortunate to engage with cutting-edge technology, witnessing extraordinary innovations and collaborating with brilliant engineers—as well as a few challenging personalities.
Writing has long been a personal pursuit for Van Stry, with contributions to various fanzines and small press outlets. Upon receiving a Kindle as a gift, he entered the world of independent publishing. This proved wildly successful, and in 2015, tired of all the travel associated with contracting, he became a full-time writer.
Phil Beans has a lot on his plate. A dead professor. A cheating husband. A missing graduate student. A mysterious Umbrella Guy. And a suicide that doesn’t make sense.
For the ambition-challenged and exertion-adverse private investigator, Phil Beans, who is usually content to use his time-traveling skill working straightforward divorce cases, solving each of these seemingly disparate crimes seems like a lot of work, and (maybe) not worth the effort.
But he’s made promises that he must keep, so Phil sets off on his mission of discovering the truth about these crimes, and maybe even gets the girl in the end, as a bonus.
Full of Beans is author and scientist Mark Wilson’s highly engaging new time-bending novel in the Back-in-Time book series, set in Oxford, England. Tightly woven and a fun story, it is filled with eccentric characters, engrossing plots and subplots, and a detailed sense of place that will keep readers hooked from the first page to the last.
About Mark J. Wilson
Mark J. Wilson
Mark J. Wilson lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Carrie, but he was born and brought up in Reading, England, and his favourite place in the world is in the Cotswolds, just down the road from Oxford (where most of Full of Beans is set).
Mark went to college in Canterbury, where he earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry. He has worked in biopharmaceuticals for the last 35 years or so, but is now working in gene therapy, helping to develop a much-needed cure for Rett Syndrome.
He worked in Nottingham and Cambridge before moving back to Reading, them moved to the United States in 2009, living in North Carolina for seven years before moving to the DC area.
Growing up in Reading gave him a fascination with trains and planes, since, in his words, “there wasn’t much else there to interest a kid.” He loved hanging around at the west end of Platform 5, and when Concorde would fly over. His dad gave him a lifelong passions for astronomy, physics, chess, cooking, and model-making. He loves model trains, and over the years, in his spare time, has also been a watercolor artist and a music producer. He particularly loves electronic dance music.
What if a virus could rewrite not just your biology, but your very sense of reality?
In Mindweavers II: Attack, Paul Michael Privateer delivers a razor-sharp, genre-defying techno-thriller that fuses the urgency of Contagion with the cerebral intensity of Black Mirror and the geopolitical paranoia of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. This second installment in the Mindweavers series takes you deep into a world where genetic warfare, ecological collapse, and cognitive manipulation converge into a single, terrifying threat.
When a bizarre mass whale stranding rocks the Atlantic coast during a global security summit, a rogue team of Interpol specialists uncovers a viral intelligence capable of mutating across species and consciousness itself. As the storm surges and world leaders gather, the narrative races through autopsy labs, military lockdowns, digital forensics, and quantum neuro-hacking, building to an explosive confrontation that asks: What happens when the next war is not over territory, but over thought?
If you loved The Three-Body Problem, 12 Monkeys, or the philosophical tension of Annihilation, this book will haunt you. It’s a mind-bending plunge into bioethics, machine sentience, and the future of human identity. Fans of speculative thrillers, climate fiction, and political intrigue will find Mindweavers II both terrifyingly plausible and addictive.
About Dr. Paul Michael Privateer
Dr. Paul Michael Privateer
Dr. Paul Michael Privateer is a former Strategic Air Command missile specialist turned academic who crafts genre-bending fiction about the terrifying line between human and machine. A professor at Georgia Tech and Arizona State University, and guest professor at MIT, his commentary has appeared in The New York Times and on NPR, CNN, and the BBC.
His Mindweavers series draws on real-world expertise in military tech and data science to create a dark vision of genetic warfare. Privateer turned to fiction because he realized some truths need to be dramatized, not just analyzed.
Every year, hunters ride into the cursed woods of Magnolia Manor chasing fortune.
Most never ride out.
September Zamfir isn’t after treasure. He’s running from a past that hunts him harder than any monster, and walking straight into the one legend no blade has ever ended.
But the beast is no mindless killer. Behind silver fur and porcupine spines is Verity: a young woman chained to an ancient curse, guarding the only family she has left.
When Sept offers the one thing no hunter ever has—help—she has to decide whether to trust the young man who sees through her claws . . . or condemn them both to the darkness that made her.
About TC Ross
TC Ross
TC Ross is an illustrator and urban fantasy author who also dabbles in related historical fantasy, romantic comedy, gaslamp, horror, and short stories.
She resides in Texas with her family, feeding the Fae and watching out for shifters. Hopefully, they never find her.
A conversation with author Peter McChesney about his upcoming debut science fiction novel Quinto’s Challenge, which asks the question, “What if science and religion collided and resurrection became a reality?”
For fans of Andy Weir, Blake Crouch, and The Three-Body Problem comes a bold, futuristic, genre-bending debut challenging the conventions of religion, science, and political power.
On the 100th anniversary of JFK’s challenge to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to the Earth, visionary US President Vince Quinto challenges America with an even more audacious goal: finding a way to conquer death before the century is out—by developing the scientific means to achieve resurrection.
As the 21st century draws to a close, advances in genetics, quantum physics, and artificial intelligence converge to make Quinto’s Challenge possible. The final breakthrough—hailed as the Theory of Everything—is made by Deeley Carr, a young, shy quantum physicist recruited to work on a top-secret US government project.
However, those privy to this highly classified science quickly realize that the power to bring about immortality is a double-edged sword—if it falls into the wrong hands, it would become the ultimate weapon of surveillance and control, a tool for the subjugation of all.
Advance Praise for Quinto’s Challenge
“Lovers of science fiction novels with a touch of political intrigue and suspense will find Quinto’s Challenge by Peter McChesney an enthralling read.”–Readers’ Favorite
“In Peter McChesney’s sweeping science fiction novel Quinto’s Challenge, a brilliant young outsider’s theories change the trajectories of physics and philosophy.”–Foreword Reviews
“A compelling SF saga that focuses on the humanity behind big tech.”–Kirkus Reviews
About Peter McChesney
Peter McChesney
Born and raised on the beaches of eastern Australia, Peter McChesney is a dual US–Australian citizen whose path has taken him from academia to corporate America—and now, to storytelling. His passion for writing began early, especially after his parents bought him an Amiga 500 computer, which he used not only for games but also to craft stories and fuel his imagination.
He holds degrees in Writing and Publishing (Western Sydney University), Law and Constitutional Studies, and a master’s in Political Science (both from Utah State University). Each of these disciplines now finds expression in his fiction—particularly in his enduring fascination with America’s founding era and the novel’s geopolitical themes.
Peter has worked as an adjunct instructor in US history and political science, with most of his career spent in business-to-business software sales. He also led several teams that trained some of the world’s most advanced artificial intelligence.
Quinto’s Challenge is his debut novel and the first in a planned series that will explore the ethical, societal, and existential consequences should science ever advance far enough to make human resurrection possible. The story examines the tension between spiritual ideas and scientific ambition, reflecting Peter’s own formative influences from both faith and reason.
He lives in the United States with his family and dog—and still enjoys gaming when time permits.
Investigative journalist Sarah Moore has exposed government corruption for years. Still, nothing prepared her for what killed her father: $47 trillion in unaccounted federal spending hidden across seventy years of black budgets.
Her father, David Moore, a government accountant, discovered the pattern in 2009—the same representatives approving secret budgets, the same shell corporations receiving them, the same suppressed technologies that would have eliminated scarcity. He died of a “heart attack” at fifty, alone in his office at 2:17 AM.
Sarah follows the money to 127 phantom corporations, 6,000 coordinated elites, and 847 murdered researchers whose discoveries would have freed humanity from controlled resources. Then Victoria Sterling contacts her with the answer:
In 1954, world leaders agreed with an extraterrestrial species called the Greys—not for technology, but for permission to manage humanity as property. Sterling, a former architect of this control system, explains there’s no grand conspiracy—just thousands of people worldwide who believe they own everyone else, coordinating through a shared worldview rather than direct communication. They’ve suppressed cures, buried innovations, and murdered whistleblowers, all while convincing the “owned” to defend the systems harming them.
The cruelest part: people have been taught to root for their oppressors, by becoming ‘fanatical’ in trusting the shiniest marketed bulbs.
On October 17, 2026, Sterling stands at the Washington Monument and reveals everything with irrefutable documentation that will change the course of humanity.
About Sal Amato
Sal Amato
Sal Amato is an actor, writer, producer, and now novelist whose career has been defined by an insatiable curiosity about human nature and the stories we tell ourselves. With a long career that included attempts to develop streaming media platforms in the mid-’90s to 2000s, and a music industry insider with moderate success, Sal has never felt he’s achieved what he set out to do, but that has never stopped him.
As a performer, Sal began his journey in 1978 doing a Betty Crocker commercial. From there, he’d move on to movies (Bad Boys 1982) as well as being one of the youngest members ever at The Second City, one of the most prestigious comedy institutions in the world where he would learn the craft under the late, famed Don DePollo As time went by, Sal developed his voice performing stand-up and improvisation, learning to read audiences and craft narratives that resonate. With very odd jobs along the way, including a DJ, broadcasting, and working at grocery stores, Sal continued to try to find his way, never giving up. This foundation led to a moderate success in acting in both film and television, with appearances in The Untouchables, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Chicago Overcoat, Where It Gets You, Chicago Fire, The Big Leap, and numerous other productions, including commercials.
As a creator, Sal expanded beyond performance into writing and producing. His animated series Bakers In The Burbs, a project blending comedy with social observation, has been optioned by a production company actively seeking placement on major streaming platforms.
When not writing, Sal continues to work in entertainment, bringing stories to life across multiple platforms and as an analog-to-digital transfer specialist.
