Aurea Mediocritas

 

 

 
Aurea Mediocritas: A Book of Short Stories
Short Stories
Date Published October 2019
Publisher: Page Publishing
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The term, Aurea Mediocritas, refers to the golden mean, a balance between two extremes. ­ e characters in “Queerious”, faced with insurmountable odds in a society unaccepting of same-sex relationships and the hidden secrets which have divided the family.
The story “In a Nutshell,” features an expedition in the Amazon, where an ancient ritual amulet is discovered by a young boy. He makes a wish on the amulet and rapidly began to age twenty-five years older. The boy’s father makes a bargain and faces the consequences of his sacrifice at a price too dear to pay. The father desperately searches to find a balance between dealing with his own demons and striving to save his son.
In “For the Sake of my Enemies,” a young Japanese girl immigrates to the USA and joins the international police task force she was assigned to a US Federal case. On an assignment in Japan to bring back a crime boss who has ed from prosecution, she unravels an old Japanese cold case and found the man who killed her father and brother. She struggles to and balance, revenge or her mission.
About the Author

Gaston D. Cox, a famous American writer, graduated from Irvine University College of Law and now lives in China. He fled the United States and came to China because of his wounds. First, he worked as an English teacher at Qiqihar University, then he transferred to Shanghai because he was not tolerant of the cold. He has been a university professor, legal adviser and medical representative for several years. Although a seven-foot man is a strong man, I have a delicate and sensitive heart. When I came to China, I was inspired and fell in love with writing. I published many books. The words are passionate and popular with many Chinese fans. His representative works include Cries of insanity, Aurea Mediocritas, Sounds of Silent, The Seventh Plague, and Life Cubed.

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Shadytown

 

 

Middle Grade Paranormal Suspense
Published Date: January 24, 2020
Publisher: INtense Publications LLC


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Evil spirits have begun arriving in Sean’s small suburban hometown. The ghost of his Grandmother tells him it is up to him to stop them. To help him in this struggle she gives him a Celtic Cross necklace handed down through the generations that open hidden doors, and a pet rattlesnake. Also, his middle-school classmates – Aaron, Tammy, Maeve, and the twins Sam and the Sham – rally around him. But as more and more evil spirits gather Sean will need much more help than this to stop the destruction of not only his family but also his school and all of Shadytown. His Grandmother says help is coming But she is only a ghost stuck in a bog. Sean feels completely overwhelmed. And that’s before he even confronts the demonic tree in the field behind his house.
About the Author

Mike Sherer lives in the Greater Cincinnati area of southwest Ohio. His screenplay ‘Hamal 18’ was produced in Los Angeles and released directly to DVD. His paranormal suspense novel ‘A Cold Dish’ was published by James Ward Kirk Fiction. He has also published 4 novellas and 18 short stories. Links to all these are posted on his website: www.mikesherer.wordpress.com Also on the site is his ongoing travel blog ‘American Locations’, and information about his MG novel ‘Shadytown’, which is to be published January 2020 by INtense Publications.

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Lights Above Cass

 

Sci-fi Suspense
Date Published: January 2020
Publisher: Xlibris
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Lucia a self-aware Quantum computer recovered from the Roswell crash was brought to a secret base. Time on Earth and the completion of her mission will soon collide. She awaits the final codes to return home.
While investigating alien abductions the CIA uncover some of America’s ugliest social injustices. Several women return some meet their fate in other ways. Rose a minister’s daughter, Jacqueline a gay schoolteacher, Eve a deaf-mute farm girl, Molly a college student living on the edge and Rita an Army nurse are missing. To some, this book may read as a parable, to others a premonition.
Excerpt
No more secrets… no more lies,
 
Eyes once clenched tight now wide open.
 
Not too late… don’t hesitate…
 
It’s up to you… it’s up to me,
 
What each of us chooses to see.
Once the helicopters reached where they last detected the unidentified craft, the copter pilots set down in clearing approximately a half-mile from the site. Air Force military boots hit the ground running; trained military canines led the way through the pitch dense forest. Unsure of what they would find when they got to the craft landing site, Sergeant Trevon Loch’s special team of men and women were trained to fight and were ready to give all for their country.
As the soldiers closed in on their prey the dogs cowered. Their ears no longer perked up and their tails hung down flat against their hind legs which were very unusual behavior for these brave beasts. They were trained by soldiers to obey orders as any other soldier normally would. The dogs were to attack first unless otherwise ordered to stand down.
Tonight, a sense of eeriness settled upon the squadron of soldiers. They were not used to being in this posture here in the mountains on US soil. Neither were the German Shepherd’s they had brought along. If the craft landed near this area, there were no lights to identify its specific coordinates. The soldiers wore camouflage uniforms with their faces painted to help them blend in with the forest vegetation providing extra cover under the full moon. Except an occasional owl, coyote, soldier snapping dead twigs under their boots or intermittent panting of the dogs all remained quiet in this part of the forest. They knew they were close from the coordinates received from tactical command.
 Sergeant Trevon Loch motioned his platoon with special hand signals to stop, get down and listen. Time passed quietly and at a snail’s pace. His troops were disciplined they could wait out any enemy no matter how long it took. Tiny hairs on the back of his neck stood up giving him a chill. Sergeant Loch knew exactly what that meant from being in Kuwait. Over there he had a sixth sense about hidden bombs. They would stay put until he understood the danger clearer and was able to devise a safe plan of attack.
Without warning, light emanating from under the ship created sparks from the hidden craft. The heat it generated intensified, creating sizzling mounds of dry grass and leaves under it from the intense heat. Within seconds it left behind only minute orange glowing bits of disintegrated cooling ash. A deafening whirring noise created a sense of chaos among the dogs and the soldiers. The obsidian sphere rose two hundred feet in the air within seconds, rotating in a circle. Trapezium-shaped four-sided lights none of which were parallel blinked randomly near the expansive windows of the craft. The occupants inside appeared more frightening than the soldiers expected in the time they were able to lock eyes on the aliens inside the spacecraft and wrap their heads around what they were witnessing.
Before the soldiers were able to fire their weapons to get off a warning shot, the craft vanished. Sergeant Loch identifying a form left behind ordered, “Hold your fire.” Attempting to refocus his eyes from the blinding light Sargent Trevon Loch noticed a single silhouette standing in the center of the field directly under the light of the full moon.
The human form was easy to recognize since it was aided further by the fading glow of embers lighting the field. It was a young woman. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties. Her shoulder-length blonde hair appeared as if it were floating in the air due to the updraft created by the craft. She was wearing a mid-century cotton house dress. Sergeant Loch immediately noticed when he approached her that she was missing her shoes. There was no way that she had walked here barefoot this late at night on her own. He knew instantly that she must have been aboard the craft. The young woman stood quietly gazed off into the darkness of the forest, unaware of her current surroundings or the soldiers quietly approaching. Her pale skin and stone-like statue resembled a concrete statue one would normally see when visiting a park. As Sergeant Loch came closer, he noticed two other females lying on the ground, hidden by her shadow.
About the Author

Marilyn Brokaw Hall, author of Mothman’s Vengeance and The Ring Master’s Secret: A tale of Witchcraft and Deception graduated from Rio Grande University. She grew up in southeastern Ohio and is fascinated by tales involving myths, legends, and supernatural phenomena. Marilyn uses Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky as the backdrop for the diverse and complex characters she loves writing about in her novels.

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The Lost Train



Action Adventure Thriller
Date Published: 2/20/20
Publisher: Golden Acorn Press
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A former MP, Will Stattin, is called to Europe to investigate the theft of several paintings. He learns that the paintings are part of a series of nine pieces of art, all with a clue that ultimately leads to a train that disappeared from Konigsberg, Germany in late 1944 full of gold, art, and priceless artifacts. He quickly learns that he is not the only one after the paintings. Now it is a race across Europe to find the paintings and the lost train with the help of the beautiful and savvy museum agent, Giovanna Rossi, before the hunt turns even more deadly than it already has.
About the Author

Seth Crossman is a minister, speaker, and writer who lives in Upstate New York. His own adventures have taken him across the globe and stirred his desire to write fast-paced, provocative thrillers that keep readers turning the page. He has three boys that he wants to inspire with a sense of adventure and courage to overcome whatever obstacles get in their way.

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Jungle Beauty Goddesses: Dirty Ball

 

Jungle Beauty Goddesses Book Series 3 of 7
Fantasy, Fiction, Mythology, Erotica
Date Published: November 9, 2019

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Dirty Ball by Cassandra George Sturges is the third book in the fantasy fiction mythological series Jungle Beauty Goddesses, preceded by book one, Pretty Blue Ball, and book two, Aquatic Ball. In this installment, the Jungle Beauty Goddess Afar is the star as her journey goes from youth through her evolution as an independent and dynamic deity—Goddess of Earth—and how she wields such an extraordinary responsibility and uninhibited power. As she sculpts and molds and creates, she finds that the one thing she cannot control is the free will of her creations…not their emotions, not their hearts. She also steps back and lets her children (the people of Earth) rule themselves, watching as they rise and fall by color and continent alongside her reluctant partner, Mada.

 

About the Author

Cassandra George Sturges is the author of “A Woman’s Soul on Paper,” “Success & Beauty is an Attitude,” “The Illusion of Beauty: Why Women Hate Themselves & Envy Other Women,” and “Why Racism is a Mental Illness.” For many years, she was an advice columnist for Today’s Black Woman Magazine and is currently a full-time psychology and sociology professor at a college in the mid-west. She is a high school dropout who graduated with her General Education Diploma and eventually earned five college degrees including two masters and a doctorate degree. In her late forties, she began making life-size fabric sculpture, cloth dolls that turned out to be the main characters in her Jungle Beauty Goddesses coming of age, modern creation Nubian Mythology fantasy fiction, sensuous, romantic series. She is the mother of two adult children, a grandmother, and for over 20-years has shared her life with her twin flame.

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Standing Our Ground

 

Monastery Valley, Book 4
Murder Mystery
Date Published: January 2020
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
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A cold-blooded murder. The victim: A fourteen-year-old boy. The shooter waits patiently for the cops and calmly explains his right to kill the boy. “I was defending my property.” Can Deputy Andi Pelton find the evidence to break through the killer’s stand-your-ground defense? Suddenly, Sheriff Ben Stewart almost dies and cannot campaign for re-election. Andi knows she must take his place—her nemesis, Deputy Brad Ordrew, runs unopposed and he’s promised to fire her when he’s sheriff. Can she stand her own ground to stay in Monastery Valley while she tries to solve the murder and defends herself against scurrilous political ads paid for by a mysterious stranger?
Other books in the Monastery Valley Mystery Series:
 Climbing the Coliseum
Monastery Valley, Book 1
It’s the rugged Monastery Valley of Montana. High on the cliff called the Coliseum stands a man, deciding whether to live or die. In the valley below, Grace Ellonson, fourteen, will be abandoned by her mother. Where has Grace’s mother gone, and why has she left her daughter behind? A rancher will be seduced into a racist and anti-government conspiracy—who’s leading the conspiracy and what are his plans? Depressed psychologist Ed Northrup and Monastery Valley newcomer deputy sheriff Andi Pelton struggle to unravel these mysteries before they explode in a violent collision. And amid the chaos, Ed, Andi, and Grace must face the most formidable decision of their lives.
 Nobody’s Safe Here
Monastery Valley, Book 2
When cattle baron Magnus Anderssen collapses mentally, psychologist Ed Northrup struggles to find the cause – a terrible event buried in Magnus’s past leaving him veering between suicide and murder. Meanwhile, Deputies Andi Pelton and Brad Ordrew clash as they investigate Jared Hansen, a boy caught with rifles and a paranoid plan to kill his schoolmates. Their problem? Jared, a great kid, a school leader, has no previous problems. Ordrew’s convinced Jared’s a mass shooter-in-waiting, but Andi’s not. Ed joins their search for whatever caused his radical transformation from great kid to psychotic killer. It’s a race against time: Magnus grows more irrational and homicidal, Jared’s insanity may not be controlled before it’s too late, and Ed’s risky plan to save the boy may destroy his relationship with Andi. Nobody’s Safe Here, a psychological thriller, tells the story of a community of ordinary, decent people facing terrifying mysteries.

 

 

 

The Bishop Burned the Lady
Monastery Valley, Book 3
A mysterious fire in a remote forest clearing; a woman’s charred bones; unexplained tracks in the rutted road—the only clues Deputy Andi Pelton has to what happened. Then she meets an old man living alone in a forest compound that obviously houses many people. Sex trafficking in the Montana wilderness? As Andi and psychologist Ed Northrup struggle to solve the brutal and fiery murder, Andi faces a fear she didn’t know she had. The horrors they unearth lead them deep into the appalling reality of prison gangs and a cult led by a malign Bishop—and threaten to overwhelm Andi and Ed’s romance and her growing bond with her “step-girlfriend,” Ed’s adopted daughter, Grace. Will that center hold when Andi finds the killer holding a knife against her throat? And if it does and she succeeds, will she be able to face her greater fear?
About the Author

Bill Percy, an award-winning novelist, draws on his experiences as a psychotherapist to write vivid, engaging tales of people confronting painful and challenging mysteries. His previous novels in the Monastery Valley series, Climbing the Coliseum, Nobody’s Safe Here, and The Bishop Burned the Lady, were finalists or distinguished favorites in multiple book award competitions. Bill lives with his wife, Michele, in Hope, Idaho, above the shore of idyllic Lake Pend Oreille in the shadow of the rugged Cabinet Mountains.

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Every Minute

 

Book 1 of Music, Love and Other Miseries
Contemporary Romance
Date Published:  12/31/19
Publisher:  Totally Bound Publishing
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Introverted teacher versus unstoppable violinist. She wants to be alone. He wants her heart. Let the games begin…
After the unexpected death of her musician brother, third-grade teacher Adara buries her grief, avoids all music and vows to exist without attachments. Social solitude works perfectly…until she’s forced to share her classroom with the new music mentor, a man who rattles her carefully constructed cage and sparks emotions she prefers to keep chained.
Always up for a challenge, violinist Garret is a master of patience and persistence, and the minute he meets Adara, he knows what he wants. Her sharp humor and haunted eyes inspire him in a way he’s never felt before. He makes it his mission to chip through her shields and breathe her back to life—no matter how hard she resists.
Even as Adara struggles to keep Garret at a distance with each clash of wills, each smile he coaxes, each kiss he steals, her resistance crumbles. But when the past catches up with them both, they will discover that some promises are meant to be broken…and others are worth risking everything for.

Review

Freaking loved this book! I loved the angst and the bantering that the characters did. I couldn’t put it down, I literally stayed up til 3 in the morning to finish it!

Adara and Garret’s chemistry is off the charts, even when they wont admit it!

Great read. The writer is a magician with the way she describes her characters, relationships and holds to suspense. I’m hooked. Fantastic storyline with stunning characters.

About the Author
C.J Burright is a native Oregonian and refuses to leave. A member of Romance Writers of America and the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal special interest chapter, while she has worked for years in a law office, she chooses to avoid writing legal thrillers (for now) and instead invades the world of paranormal romance, fantasy, and contemporary romance. C.J. also has her 4th Dan Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and believes a story isn’t complete without at least one fight scene. Her meager spare time is spent working out, refueling with mochas, gardening, gorging on Assassin’s Creed, and rooting on the Seattle Mariners…always with music. She shares life with her husband, daughter, and a devoted cat herd.
 
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Twitter:  @CJBurright
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Shadytown

 

 

Middle Grade Paranormal Suspense
Published Date: January 24, 2020
Publisher: INtense Publications LLC


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Evil spirits have begun arriving in Sean’s small suburban hometown. The ghost of his Grandmother tells him it is up to him to stop them. To help him in this struggle she gives him a Celtic Cross necklace handed down through the generations that open hidden doors, and a pet rattlesnake. Also, his middle-school classmates – Aaron, Tammy, Maeve, and the twins Sam and the Sham – rally around him. But as more and more evil spirits gather Sean will need much more help than this to stop the destruction of not only his family but also his school and all of Shadytown. His Grandmother says help is coming But she is only a ghost stuck in a bog. Sean feels completely overwhelmed. And that’s before he even confronts the demonic tree in the field behind his house.
About the Author

Mike Sherer lives in the Greater Cincinnati area of southwest Ohio. His screenplay ‘Hamal 18’ was produced in Los Angeles and released directly to DVD. His paranormal suspense novel ‘A Cold Dish’ was published by James Ward Kirk Fiction. He has also published 4 novellas and 18 short stories. Links to all these are posted on his website: www.mikesherer.wordpress.com Also on the site is his ongoing travel blog ‘American Locations’, and information about his MG novel ‘Shadytown’, which is to be published January 2020 by INtense Publications.

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Claiming His Charge

 

M/M Rockstar Romance
Date Published: January 24, 2020
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Jordan Phillips, ex-military,he now co-owns a security company with his ex-team leader.
He works covert operations, removing marks from foreign countries where government forces cannot go.
The last thing he wants to do is babysit an opinionated rock star.
Dallas Munroe is the opinionated rock star.
After a death threat, his manager beefs up security, by hiring Jordan’s  company.
Dallas is not impressed. He feels the threat is a hoax and the last thing he wants is a guard shadowing his every move.
Will these two ever get along?
Who is behind the death threat, and is it for real?
Travel the cities of Australia as the band tours. Meet up with the stars from the Outback Australia Series when the band performs at a charity concert in Bourke and learn what part they play in events as they unfold.
About the Author

I live in sunny Queensland, Australia and retired after 37 years of Nursing.

My husband of 45 years, together with our elderly Jack Russell Terrier and extremely opinionated 26-year-old Cockatiel, enjoy exploring the country with our caravan.
When we are at home, which is a small rural village, we spend our time renovating our home.
I write a variety of stories including Western Historical Romance, Contemporary Romance, Male/Male, Ménage and Shapeshifter.
Each book has a strong focus on the storyline with romantic interest building throughout.
I explore real-life issues from kids on the streets to motorcycle war and put my own twist on each one.
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The Waking of Ghosts

 

Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy
Lost Souls Academy, Book 1
Date Published: 23rd Jan 2020
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There is an evil awakening.
At the Lost Souls academy, students aren’t your typical everyday alumni.
Rejects from clans, packs, and covens walk these halls, but there’s something more sinister haunting the academy.
A resident ghost has a new student, Zarya, on the fight to banish it. Will her actions cause more enemies at her new school than friends?
‘I’m coming for you.’
A message from beyond has Zarya fearful. Her skills are underdeveloped, but as a ghost hunter, she must stand and fight this new evil.
Can Zarya grow to be the ghost hunter she’s destined to be or will forces overpower her and bring chaos and destruction to the Lost Souls academy?
Excerpt
Confused, Zarya looked around. Leaves rustled on the surrounding trees in a chaotic movement, so she couldn’t see the direction of the source. The park seemed to darken in the afternoon light. Time slowed. Her senses sharpened as she engaged both her ghosthunting and witching abilities.
Another chilled rush of wind wrapped around her. Every muscle in her body fired on alert, ready to contract so she could spring into action. The problem was with nothing obviously there, she couldn’t fight back, let alone defend herself.
Adrenaline coursed through her body. Zarya ached to release the pent-up energy instead of being unable to do anything.
Snapping her head to the left, then the right, she scanned her surroundings, desperate to detect any anomaly. Her skin prickled as she realized she was the only person in sight. Zarya realized with a panic she was way too vulnerable there. That this might be some sort of trap, even though she was certain ghosts weren’t capable of that type of thing. The ghost was here somewhere, it had to be. It was the only logical reason why she saw nothing.
There was no vibe that this was a spell, so it had to be a ghost.
“Show yourself.”
Was that laughter in the air?
She glanced to the left where she thought the sound might’ve come from.
Nothing.
What the hell is happening?
“Chicken,” Zarya yelled out, struggling to keep her nerve. She summoned her magic, ready to block anything that might attack her, but again she was too slow.
A coldness wrapped around her neck. She gasped. Air pushed from her lungs. Unable to refill, she wheezed hard. Cursing herself for being so slow to react, she knew better than to have stayed exposed as she had on the ground.
Why didn’t I get up and run?
She knew damn well-running wasn’t her thing. She was a fighter through and through, and her style was to stay and fight. It was a good skill to have as a ghosthunter.
Zarya sensed the ghost was different than what she was used to. An old soul, perhaps? Confusion stirred. A spirit that had decided not to cross over. That was rare, and it was something to be concerned about. A ghost that was here by choice had more of an agenda than one who was confused and had unfinished business or simply wanted to bring chaos to people. A ghost-like this wanted more, to achieve something darker, to exert their will on others.
Her head began to spin from the lack of oxygen, and she couldn’t quite manage to fight back. It was as if she were frozen, held in the grip of this powerful spirit.
Zarya forced her eyes open, trying to see if it would show itself, to quietly challenge it to look at her. She only saw the park. Her vision began blurring. She commanded herself to stay conscious, but it was becoming too hard.
With the last slither of awareness, she conjured a spell, her lips moving quickly to build the magic she needed. Then she blasted the energy from her hand around her. The magic aimed to push away whatever it was harming her and to put up a protective barrier, so she could hopefully get her breath back before it attacked again.
She gasped a lungful of air as the grip around her neck released. Without missing a beat, she sent another wave of energy to build up her shield.
Then she felt it in her mind.
Before she could push it away, it spoke to her.
I’m watching you.
About the Author
Lilliana Rose is an Amazon Bestselling author, who writes romance in the subgenres of contemporary, paranormal, steampunk, and rural. She enjoys helping characters overcome problems or issues, and the misunderstandings that often plague relationships, to help them fall in love. Whether it’s city heels being replaced with country work boots, or some magic beyond this world, or cogs and gears and corsets, each story shows how love can prevail. She has over fifteen years’ experience in various education systems as a teacher, a skip and a jump from starting out in genetics research. It is all helpful for inspiring her writing. She has poetry, middle grade, picture book, novellas, and novels published under various pen names.
Check out more of her work at http://www.lillianarose.com and as an Amazon Author and her blog on inspirational creativity and wellness, Café Pondering http://www.cafepondering.com and Cultivating Creativity Workshops.
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