Untethered Realms Welcomes Graeme Ing

EMERGENCE

A new sci-fi adventure by Graeme Ing

Hello everyone, Graeme here.

I’m a huge fan of a particular sub-genre of sci-fi which inspired this book, but it would be a complete spoiler to say which, sorry. :) Let me know if you figure it out after reading the book.

I had another goal when writing Emergence too. I’m particularly fond of books that keep you guessing. Where things are not what they seem, and you suspect that from the beginning. Have you read that type of book? Like the layers of an onion.

You find yourself attempting to figure out the true reality, and form a theory. Then there’s a revelation in the book that either confirms or betrays your theory. At this point, you’re like “Oh, okay, I think THIS is happening.” Then the author drops another bombshell. “Oh! No, I bet it’s THIS.” And on it goes, you trying to predict the final revelation. It’s exciting to wonder if you interpreted the clues correctly.

It’s this type of mystery that I set out to capture in Emergence, though it’s more an adventure tale than a true mystery. And it was a huge challenge for me to pace the revelations, without doubt the toughest book I’ve written so far. I hope I pulled it off, but only you, dear readers, can answer that. :)

A dying world has many secrets.

Porl's world is dying. Crops fail. Birds fall from the sky. Is this a repeat of the Cataclysm that decimated the Ancients’ world a thousand years ago?

Porl loves to fix things and is compelled to solve the mystery - and save his people no matter the personal cost. Disobeying the will of the town Elders, Porl uncovers a secret they want hidden. When caught, the Elders banish Porl into the wilderness, alone against the savage Mad-Ones.

As the Mad-Ones hunt him, Porl discovers the world isn't what he believed. The more he learns about the mystical Ancients, the more he unravels an incredible reality he never imagined.

Nothing is what it seems. The harshest truth he uncovers is that in seven days everyone he loves will die. Yet the final secret of the Ancients, on how to save his people, still eludes him…

Buy on Kindle

(Paperback coming soon)

If you want to contact me, I love discussing books and hearing recommendations.

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Book Review: Disposal (Pop Travel #3) by Tara Tyler

Blurb:

In the future, many problems are the same, but cool gadgets make chasing the bad guys more fun.

Cooper and Geri are finally in a good place, but their bliss is short-lived. When Cooper's rebellious nephew Jimmy comes down to stay with them in Atlanta for a summer internship. Now he thinks he's found the girl of his dreams in a fiery, exotic beauty. Pursuing her against all words of warning into a dangerous underground world, he ends up getting kidnapped by her powerful Drug Lord father. Geri tracks him down, but gets herself kidnapped as well.

Now it's up to Cooper to use all his resources to save them, including the hot homicide detective Geri secretly despises, and the latest sketchy gadgets his genius friend Hasan needs field-tested. Sure, why not? Cooper will try anything to get his family back.

Christine's review:

In this third book of the thrilling Pop Travel series, Cooper and Geri's home life is disrupted by a visit from Jimmy, Cooper's unruly nephew. Jimmy pursues a beautiful young woman whose father turns out to be a drug lord. He finds himself kidnapped, and when Geri goes to save him, she ends up in the drug lord's clutches too. Cooper enlists the help of his genius friend Hasan to find them, but will he end up captured like his family or worse?

This sci-fi series is so much fun. It's a fast-paced ride in the not too distant future where people can travel through teleporters and still sometimes get a little sick from it. Cooper and Geri are a wonderful team. Neither of them will back down and will do anything to save those they care for. Of course I still love the parts with Hasan. His geeky quirkiness and immense intelligence have him coming up with all sorts of strange gadgets. Most untested, of course. Cooper gets the fun of that!

I highly recommend the Pop Travel series to sci-fi and thriller fans alike.

Buy the book here!

Read, Write and Relax

Congratulations! If you're reading this, then you survived 2017 and the holidays. I don't know about you, but by the end of the year I'm ready to wrap it up and move on. Completing another year is quite the accomplishment, and moving into a new year brings a special kind of hope for the future.

As a writer with a day job, I'm busy juggling and balancing things in my world. The day job satisfies my financial needs, while the writing life satisfies my soul. Both are necessary to my happy existence. Inevitably I get to the point in the new year when things get hectic. Sometimes I'm so busy reacting to the next "thing" that comes my way that I forget to breathe. Then anxiety sets in. For someone who once suffered from Panic Disorder (it's a real thing), it's not the way to go.

The world is such a busy place these days that we're all in a mad dash to get things done. The good news is that people have recognized the human need to decompress. And in typical modern fashion, we're only fingertips away from instant gratification. So I went in search of some quick go-to options for de-stressing and decompressing. 

I find the sound of running water soothing (as long as it isn't a broken pipe, overrunning toilet or flood!) And I adore rain! There's actually a name for people who love rain: Pluviophiles.

But it doesn't have to be rain. I love the sound of ocean waves too. Preferably from a hammock, sort of like this one... 

~~~~~~~~~~HERE ARE SOME APPS YOU CAN TRY~~~~~~~~~~

If you love the sound of water, try one of these:

Rainy Mood or Ocean Sounds

You can meditate anytime you have a few free minutes at either of these apps:

Headspace or Calm.com

Or, if you don't go in for meditation, but need to unwind, try these breathing exercises:

Breathe2Relax

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are so many apps these days to help with stress and anxiety. There's even a Psychiatrist app! 

I'm not a great one for exercise, but a short walk helps me to unwind and gets my creative juices flowing. I get my best ideas during walks. 

BUT, of course my favorite way to relax is snuggling down and getting into a good book (sometimes with whisky and chocolate!)

What is your go-to technique for relaxing?