Stories I Stole from Lord Byron’s Bastard is a collection inspired by Venetian history. The fictional character, Alexis Lynn, wrote these stories in the novel Will Write for Wine by Sara W. McBride, but they are fun stand-alone adventures to be enjoyed with an excellent glass of Italian wine.

https://www.puckpublishing.com

Giveaway

In addidtion, to the awesome guests posts, interview, and reviews at each tour stop, Sara is offerin a chance to win a digital copy of each book, Will Write For Wine & Stories I Stole From Lord Byron’s Bastard. Leave a comment and click on the link below to enter for a chance to win:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d9280cae1/?

Inspiration for the story ‘The Secret Vault’ – Guest post by author Sara W. McBride

What inspired the story, “The Secret Vault?”

            The story, “The Secret Vault,” was inspired by Venice’s Jewish Ghetto. But how did I get from the elevated ramparts of Soave castle to Venice’s Jewish Ghetto? The history behind this short story spans decades, but the story takes place in less than 72 hours. This was definitely the most challenging story to write in the collection and it also had the double duty of leading to an argument between the two main characters in the novel Will Write for Wine, where Alexis Lynn is the “author” of these stories.

          On my first visit to Venice in 2005, I was shocked by the fact that the leading cosmopolitan trading city of the Renaissance, with its extreme religious tolerance—by 16th century standards—established the first Jewish ghetto. Actually, the first was in Frankfurt, Germany, but the second was in Venice, and the Venetian ghetto became the template for all other ghetto’s around the world. The word “ghetto” was founded by Venice, as ghèto was the word for the copper foundry that originally stood on the small seven acre island in the Cannaregio district, which in 1516, became the Gheto Novo, or New Ghetto.   

In the 15th and 16th century, Venice was a safe haven for Jewish refugees escaping many parts of Europe, including other regions of Italy. Jews were allowed to operate businesses in Venice, but were not allowed to reside in Venice. Why?

In this story, I speculated that the patricians, the noble families of Venice, often led by Francesco Cornaro’s father, Giorgio Cornaro (1452-1527, aka: Corner), might have had personal financial reasons for suppressing Jewish freedom. The wealth of the Cornaro/Corner family was created by their money-lending practices, amongst other pursuits. I speculated that if Giorgio Cornaro’s son, Francesco, returned with a story of military loss and murder, orchestrated by a Jew, then it might persuade the other members in the Council of Ten to continue their suppression of Jews and oppose residency.

However, in 1516, the Jewish community in Venice negotiated for residency within the city of Venice, and the Senate designated the old copper foundry, the ghèto, as a Jewish residence, and the bridge gates surrounding the island were locked each night. It was an interesting way to simultaneously include and exclude the Jews from Venetian society. After only twelve short years, the Jews felt secure enough in their new residence to build synagogues, so even if they had to wear a yellow insignia or hat to distinguish themselves from Christians, Jews embraced their city residence. Their community grew, and they created more living spaces by building upwards on their small prison island.

I speculated that the old Venetian Patrician families were not anti-Semitic, but felt financially threatened by some of the Jewish merchants and moneylenders. Many of the Patrician families owned and operated banks. Several other powerful families had amassed enormous debts, and some were indebted to Jews. Suppressing the Jews meant maintaining power within the wealthy Patrician class.    

So how does Soave Castle fit into this and does it really have secret tunnels?

The fabulous Castle of Soave really did have a tunnel connecting its main keep to a wine vault. Whether an additional tunnel led from the vault, under the city wall, and eventually opened in a monastery a half mile away, is speculative based on other European castles where such escape tunnels existed.

The general outline of the events in this story is true. Maximillian I, who the Warrior Pope, Julius II (Papal reign 1503-13–the Pope who tortured Michelangelo under a famous ceiling), declared as the Holy Roman Emperor without a proper church coronation, led the League of Cambria, essentially armies gathered from Europe, against Northern Italy. Soave Castle was a stronghold protecting the Veneto region and Venice from invasion. The castle is a gorgeous sight to behold, especially at sunrise or sunset. You should check it out and partake in some excellent wine tasting within the walled city of Soave.

From the history page of the castle’s website:

https://www.castellodisoave.it/en

It was the year 1509 when the army of the Lega di Cambrai, led by imperor Massimiliano I° d’Asburgo, defeated the fortress resistance.

Short after, the castle was regained by Venetians guided by Paolo Gradenigo, but just until the spring of 1510, when the imperial troops reconquered it.

In September of the same year, Soave’s people, led by Antonio Marogna, revolted and after, as chronicle states, ‘having chopped to pieces’ the imperial guards they handed over the fortress to the Venetians by opening its doors.

Massimiliano I, d’Asburgo (aka: Maximillian I of the house of Habsburg) passed the “Imperial Confiscation Mandate,” which ordered the destruction of all Jewish literature apart from the Bible. So, did a Jew really work for him? Yes!

The character of Abraham is a real figure from history. Abraham ben Moses Jaffe of Bohemia (1450-1535) was a prominent 16th century Bohemian Jewish banker and money lender and lent money to European and German royalty and nobility—like the House of Habsburg—in exchange for social privileges. He is known to have leant money to Maximilian I during the League of Cambria wars. It is also true that Abraham’s mother, Margolioth bat Samuel HaLevi, was considered an extremely educated woman, and so respected in the Jewish community that some of her descendants, like Abraham’s brother, adopted the second surname Margolioth.

Instead of following his mother’s example of studied wisdom, in 1512 he persuaded the King of Poland to pronounce him Prefect over the Jewish community and to become the tax collector for the Jewish poll tax in Poland. This enriched both the King and Abraham. The Jewish community of Kraków was so disgusted by Abraham’s mistreatment of his own people, they banned him from their society.

For the story, I speculated that Abraham was a man who solely protected his own self-interest and not that of the Jewish community, as his historical actions demonstrated shortly after the battle at Soave in 1510.

While visiting Venice or Northern Italy, I highly recommend a day trip to Soave. The landscape is breathtaking and the wine is delicious. And perhaps you’ll meet a ghost from one of the many bloody battles fought within Castello di Soave.

Stories I Stole From Lord Byron’s Bastard

“If you’re wondering about the story that made Manu so angry he banished me from Venice, it’s in here.” –Alexis Lynn

Get ready for a fun evening of stories inspired by Venetian history. Thrill to the adventures of money-laundering plague nuns, a pregnant Renaissance man, a demonic Doge at the Devil’s Bridge, and other tales of ghosts, art, and love. 

Following in the footsteps of Lord Byron’s obsession with Venetian history, Alexis Lynn wrote these stories in the novel, Will Write for Wine. We proudly share these standalone stories with you over the objection of her paramour Manu, a modern-day Casanova and illegitimate descendent of Lord Byron himself. 

So, pour yourself a glass of your favorite vino, let your dog or cat curl up at your feet (or let your cat do whatever it wants), and settle into these mostly … partly … somewhat true tales. 

In vino est fictio.

Purchase Link:https://www.amazon.com/Stories-Stole-Lord-Byrons-Bastard-ebook/dp/B0B27TS5GL

Will Write For Wine

Alexis Lynn is tired of living for others. She chucks her twenty year scientific career, and possibly her marriage, to write full time in Venice, Italy. But when Alexis gets involved with a flirtatious Venetian, a man who champions her writing, events spiral out of control. The old Alexis knows she should salvage her marriage, but the new Alexis is quickly falling for the charms of this modern day Casanova. And she doesn’t know which Alexis will prevail. This is going to require a whole lot of wine.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Will-Write-Wine-Alexis-Novel/dp/0990767043

About Sara W. McBride

Sara W. McBride, like many modern-day biological researchers, invents new swear words to sling at million-dollar machines while locked in a dark hole of a decaying academic hall. This has caused her to witness ghosts and create a romantic fantasy life within her head, which she now puts down on very non-technological paper with her favorite Jane Austen style quill pen. 

Her first novel in the Alexis Lynn series, Will Write for Wine, and the companion short story collection, Stories I Stole from Lord Byron’s Bastard, both set in Venice, Italy, were recently released by Puck Publishing. She’s hard at work on the second Alexis Lynn novel, a Regency mystery series, and a haunted play. She strongly feels the world needs more haunted plays.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, June 27 – Opening Day Post – Writing to be Read – Guest Post: Inspiration for the Devil’s Bridge” & Review of Stories I Stole From Lord Byron’s Bastard

Tuesday, June 28 – Showers of Blessings – Guest Post: Inspiration for “Stealing Georgione’s Mistress”

Wednesday June 29 – Carla Loves to Read – Guest Post: Inspiration for “The Masked Kiss”

Thursday, June 30 – Writing to be Read – Guest Post: Inspiration for “A Dowry for Safron” & Interview with Sara W. McBride

Friday, July 1 – Zigler’s News – Guest Post: Inspiration for “The Pregnant Man” & Review of Stories I Stole From Lord Byron’s Bastard

Saturday, July 2 – Annette Rochelle Aben– – Guest Post: Inspiration for “The Haunted Palazzo”

Sunday, July 3 – Roberta Writes – Guest Post: Inspiration for “The Secret Vault”

Monday, July 4 – Wrap-Up Post – Writing to be Read – Guest Post: Inspiration for Will Write for Wine & Review of Will Write for Wine

What Amazon says

THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING WORLDWIDE PHENOMENON
READERS’ MOST LOVED BOOK OF 2021
WINNER OF THE GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD FOR FICTION

‘BEAUTIFUL’ Jodi Picoult, ‘UPLIFTING’ i, ‘BRILLIANT’ Daily Mail, ‘AMAZING’ Joanna Cannon, ‘ABSORBING’ New York Times, ‘THOUGHT-PROVOKING’ Independent

Nora’s life has been going from bad to worse. Then at the stroke of midnight on her last day on earth she finds herself transported to a library. There she is given the chance to undo her regrets and try out each of the other lives she might have lived. Which raises the ultimate question: with infinite choices, what is the best way to live?

My review

Nora Seed is a sad and depressed thirty-something woman who has a multitude of regrets about the choices she made in her life. She feels alienated from her brother and best friend as a result of past decisions that impacted on them as well as herself. She believes that they bear a grudge against her and she is weighted down by a huge burden of guilt. In addition, she feels guilty about breaking off her engagement a short time before the wedding and secretly questions whether she did the right thing.

On the day the story starts, a series of negative events in her personal life push Nora over the edge and she decides to take an overdose of pills and end it all.

Nora wakes up in the “Midnight Library”, a place for souls suspended between life and death. In the Midnight Library, Nora becomes reacquainted with Mrs Elm, the librarian from her days at the local primary school, and a person who gave her a lot of emotional support when she most needed it. Mrs Elm also gave Nora some advice on her future career and life decisions at the time. Mrs Elm’s role in the library is to offer the same sort of counselling and support to Nora as she explores her options prior to the ultimate death or survival of her body. She also points out that if Nora dies, her time in the Midnight Library will end and her ability to make a choice to live will also end.

Mrs Elm explains to Nora that the Midnight Library contains a book of regrets which sets out all of the decisions, big and small, that Nora has made and come to regret at the time of her death. She also points out shelf after shelf of books which all contain different variations of Nora’s ‘core’ life which pivot on a change in her life decisions. There are thousands and thousands of different lives that Nora could have lived, some greatly different from her core life and some not as different, depending on the nature of the life choice made the precipitated the change in direction.

Nora is tasked with trying out different lives until she finds the one she thinks is the ‘perfect’ life for her. When she finds it, she will be able to stay in that life and will eventually assimilate into it.

I enjoyed the Nora’s journey in this book and watching her gradually come to terms with the outcome of her past decisions and how her life could have been different. It was fascinating to watch her realise that there is no real ‘perfect’ life and that every life choice comes with a set of pros and cons which you have to live with. It was also interesting to witness her reaction to the realisation that her life choices impacted on other people around her, not only the major players in her life, but also the smaller players, for example, her elderly neighbour, and a teenage boy she was teaching to play the piano.

I thought it was very clever how the author used the different ‘life’ backgrounds to illustrate these fundamental thoughts about life and it was fun to contemplate all the different variations a single life could take based on decisions and their knock on effects. I really appreciated this book and it has given me food for thought for my own life.

This book has an uplifting ending and is an insightful voyage through the thought processes and emotions of the main character as she comes to terms with her real thoughts about her life.

I have never suffered from depression so I can’t comment on the accuracy with which depression is depicted in this book. The descriptions of the hopelessness instilled by depression and the feeling of not being able to escape your own thoughts and emotions seem well done to me, but I do think that depression isn’t something that could easily be resolved through a realisation of the greater meaning of life. I am of the view that chronic depression is an illness and is very difficult to address. As a result, that part of this book did seem a little white-washed to me and it is the reason I gave the book 4 stars and not 5.

Otherwise, this is a great and through provoking story and I enjoyed it very much. 

A few quotes I enjoyed from this book:

“It is not the lives we regret not living that are the real problem. It is the regret itself. It’s the regret that makes us shrivel and wither and feel like our own and other people’s worst enemy. We can’t tell if any of those other versions would have been better or worse. Those lives are happening, it is true, but you are happening as well, and that is the happening we have to focus on.”

“If you aim to be something you are not, you will always fail. Aim to be you. Aim to look and act and think like you. Aim to be the truest version of you. Embrace that you-ness. Endorse it. Love it. Work hard at it. And don’t give a second thought when people mock it or ridicule it. Most gossip is envy in disguise.”

“Of course, we can’t visit every place or meet every person or do every job, yet most of what we’d feel in any life is still available. We don’t have to play every game to know what winning feels like. We don’t have to hear every piece of music in the world to understand music. We don’t have to have tried every variety of grape from every vineyard to know the pleasure of wine. Love and laughter and fear and pain are universal currencies. We just have to close our eyes and savour the taste of the drink in front of us and listen to the song as it plays. We are as completely and utterly alive as we are in any other life and have access to the same emotional spectrum.”

Purchase The Midnight Library

Amazon US

PS, I’m not crazy about this cover, what do you think of it?

2022 has been a very busy year for me, both from a work perspective and from a writing perspective. A lot of work and no-one to help me, combined with contracting Covid-19 in March and taking a month to recover, have resulted in my putting my draft novel on hold in the short term. I am just returning to The Soldier and the Radium Girl now, 3 and 1/2 months after I was diagnosed with Covid.

I may not have felt included to work on my novel, but I have not been idle. I have been working on a number of poems, short stories, and a children’s book, all of which will be published over the course of this year in some form or another.

Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships, WordCrafter Poetry Anthology

I have six poems in Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships a poetry anthology I edited and compiled together with author and publisher, Kaye Lynne Booth.

UBL: https://books2read.com/u/3kP8aK

If you would like to read an ARC copy of Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships, please email me at sirchoc[at]outlook[dot]com.

Ask the Authors 2022, A WordCrafter Writing Reference Anthology

I contributed an essay entitled My Writing and Publishing Journey and answers to most of the questions posted about writing and publishing, to Ask the Authors 2022, compiled and edited by Kaye Lynne Booth. You can find out more about this Writing Reference Anthology here: https://writingtoberead.com/2022/06/25/ask-the-authors-2022-book-blog-series-editing-revision/

UBL: https://books2read.com/u/3LnK8e

If you would like to read an ARC copy of this book, please email me at sirchoc[at]outlook[dot]com.

MEMORIES OF MOM: Rave Soup For The Writer’s Soul Anthology, 2022

I contributed a story entitled The New Baby to this Memories of Mom Rave Soup for the Writer’s Soul Anthology 2022 compiled and edited by author, Nonnie Jules.

Once Upon an Ever After, A WordCrafter Fantasy Anthology

I contributed a short story called The War Babies to this interesting WordCrafter fantasy anthology, compiled and edited by Kaye Lynne Booth.

My story features the British women, nicknamed ‘the canary girls’ who worked in munitions manufacturing trinitrotoluene shells during the First World War. In accordance with the them of this anthology, my story also has a strong link to a well-known fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson called The Storks.

This anthology is available for pre-order here: https://books2read.com/u/mKdWGV

You can learn more about it here: https://writingtoberead.com/2022/06/24/once-upon-an-ever-after-available-for-digital-pre-order-now/

Visions, a WordCrafter Anthology

I contributed a short story called The Bite to this anthology which will be available later this year. My story was the winning entry for 2022 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest which is incredibly exciting for me. You can read more about it here: https://writingtoberead.com/2022/06/10/and-the-winner-is/

Lastly, I have a new children’s book coming

While I had Covid, I wrote a new children’s book called Haunted Halloween Holiday. This book is approximately 3,600 words in length, so a lot longer than my children’s picture books, and also includes a number of fun limericks about the various characters.

Haunted Halloween Holiday includes some of my fondant and cake art, including my Haunted Halloween Holiday Hextravaganza creation which one first prize in a gingerbread Halloween competition last year.

The photographs of the moon which form the background for some of my artwork in this book were taken by talented photographer Wayne from Tofino Photography, Professional Wildlife, Landscape and Seascape Photography. You can view some of Wayne’s amazing pictures in his gallery here: https://www.gotofino.com/tofinogallery/

Lovely blogger and good friend, Bella Shah from Thoughts ‘n Life blog assisted me with compiling the illustrations. You can find Bella here: https://thoughtsnlifeblog.com/

This book is due for publication by TSL Publications in August 2022.

This is the cover:

Welcome to Thursday Doors, a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time).

You can join in this weeks challenge here: https://nofacilities.com/2022/06/23/carnival-doors/

This week, Dan has linked up with Cee from Cee’s Photo Challenges. Her challenge is doors in B&W. You can join in here: https://ceenphotography.com/2022/06/23/cbwc-doors-and-drawers/

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, a great adventure took place …

Well, not that long ago and not another galaxy, but in 1995 I went to South Korea, and for me, it was a great adventure.

These are a few pictures, in black and white, from that trip. of course some of them include doors.

The above pictures were taken on the streets. The first picture is of a street vendor. The second picture is of a roadside shop (both pictures have doors if you look carefully). The last picture is of a stall selling pigs heads.

This final picture, is of me outside a ski resort wearing a ski suit.

Welcome to Thursday Doors, a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time).

You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2022/06/16/squires-tavern/

It is quite cold in June in South Africa. Colder than most people think it gets in this country because it has been labelled Sunny South Africa. It is true that it can be hot in the day time during our winters and the sun usually shines, but the nights are very cold and we get sub-zero temperatures and frost. Our houses are not designed for cold weather so it can be quite a miserable three months for many people. I am always thankful that we have a lovely fireplace and I know how to build excellent fires. This supplements our electric heaters.

Anyhow, the cold weather this week reminded me of my family’s trip to the UK in December 2009/Jan 2010. It snowed heavily that year and the Eurostar got stuck in the tunnel. We were on the train before the one that got stuck and I am so grateful we got through okay. My boys are three and six then and it wouldn’t have been fun at all stuck on a cold train in the dark.

During this trip, we went to Leeds Castle. That was the day it started to snow and we had a lot of fun as it was the first time my boys ever saw snow.

This is what Historic UK has to say about Leeds Castle:

Leeds Castle in Kent, England, has been called the “loveliest castle in the world”. Listed in the Domesday Book, this castle has been a Norman stronghold, a royal residence and a royal palace. It’s situation is stunning, set on two islands in a magnificent lake.

The Royal Manor was originally built in 857AD and owned by a Saxon royal family. After the Norman Conquest, work began on building the first stone castle on the site.

In 1278 the Castle became a royal palace for Edward I and his Queen, Eleanor of Castile. Major improvements were made to the castle during the reign of Edward I. The Barbican, constructed during this time, is unique in that it is made up of three parts, each having its own entrance, drawbridge, gateway and portcullis. The medieval Keep, incorporating the Great Hall, is called the Gloriette, in honour of Queen Eleanor.

Today, I am delighted to welcome poet, Ann Chiappetta, as part of her WordCrafter Hope for the Tarnished Book Blog Tour, with a guest post.

Here’s the tour schedule so you don’t have to miss any of the stops:

Day 1: Writing to be Read – Introduction and Review

Day 2: Patty’s World – Guest Post by Ann Chiappetta

Day 3: Writing to be Read – Interview with Ann Chiappetta

Day 4: Roberta Writes – Guest Post by Ann Chiappetta

Day 5: Zigler’s News – Guest Post by Ann Chiappetta and Review

Welcome Ann Chiappetta

Wow, this has been great. I am getting to know so many more people in the blogosphere, thanks to Kaye and the WordCrafter “Hope for the Tarnished” Book Blog Tour.

I am drawn to stories that include a  great supporting character, and like it even more when that character is a dog, horse, or cat. I don’t mean anthropomorphizing them. Just  allowing them to be what they are, an additional layer of meaning. Abbie’s love for and grief over the deaths of her beloved dog and cat  were part of  her emotional growth, and Angel healed  Abbie’s heart of some of the pain, along with those little devils in Pomeranian suits. It was a less graphic way for Abbie to experience death without it being the loss of her human family.

About Hope for the Tarnished

Young Abbie struggles to cope with the traumatic experiences in her life. Ripped from everything familiar after her parents’ divorce, she is dropped into a strange neighborhood and is emotionally abandoned by her unstable mother. Abbie is caught up in the cruel nature   of one sister’s addictions and often rescued by her other sister’s sense of familial responsibility and love.

The story takes place in the 1970s, revealing family secrets   and the shift of cultural norms as Abbie leaves her doubts in the past, embracing a bright future.

$11.50/3.99 Purchasing links: Amazon/Kindle Smashwords

About Ann Chiappetta

Ann is an artist and often refers to her love of words as a natural compensation after losing her vision in 1993. Once a designer of acrylic displays and furniture, Ann trained her creative senses to flow over from the visual to the literary arts. Years later, she has become a poet and author, honing her talent in various mediums, including web content for nonprofits, regular bylines for online literary publications, poetry, anthologies and guest editing in online literary journals, just to name a few projects of which she has contributed.

The author of five independently published books, Ann possesses a Master of Science in Marriage and family therapy from Iona College and an undergraduate degree from the College of New Rochelle, both located in Westchester County, New York.  A consultant and guest presenter, Ann visits schools promoting awareness and equality for people with disabilities.  She is the 2015 recipient of the WDOM Spirit of Independence award and the 2019 recipient of the GDUI Leiberg-Metz award for writing.

Find everything Annie on the web: www.annchiappetta.com

Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour here: https://writingtoberead.com/wordcrafter-quality-writing-author-services/wc-book-blog-tours-2/

What Amazon says

Axel Rivers can’t get his head above water. Throughout his life, he’s worn many hats — orphan, musician, veteran, husband, father—but a year ago, a horrific event he now calls The Bad Day tore down everything he’d built. Grief-stricken, unemployed, and drowning in debt, Axel needs cash, however he can find it.

Enter Kindred Eternal Solutions. Founded by the world’s six wealthiest trillionaires and billionaires, Kindred promises to create eternal life through mastering the science of human resurrection. With the technology still being developed, Kindred seeks paid volunteers to undergo tests that will kill and resurrect their body—again and again—in exchange for a check.

Axel signs up willingly, but when he undergoes the procedure—and comes back, over and over—what will he find on the other side of death?

My review

I reviewed this book in my capacity as a member of Rosie’s Book Review Team. If you would like your book reviewed, you can contact Rosie Amber here: http://rosieamber.wordpress.com/.

I read a review of this book and I was sufficiently interested to pick it up myself. I was not disappointed. This plotline is unique and interesting; a whole new take on corporate exploitation, this time in the temporary state between death and moving on into a permanent afterlife.

Axel Rivers drew a poor set of cards when his parents were killed when he was a youngster. He spent his life going from pillar to post without having a proper family or home until he met his deceased wife, Shoshana, and they had a son, creating their own small family. During his younger years, his friend and fellow orphan, Malik, is the closest relationship Alex has to family, but since the death of his wife and son, Malik’s friendship has not been enough to stop Axel from sinking into a state of chronic depression.

Axel is alone, without a job or money, and with an enormous burden of guilt due to the deaths of his family. He decides to volunteer as a test subject for a programme run by some of the wealthiest individuals in the world. A programme that requires the volunteers to die by artificial means and be resuscitated every day for a week. Axel is fearful of dying, but he wants the money and also has his own agenda so he agrees to participate on the terms stated.

It quickly becomes apparent that all is not as it should be in this twilight zone between dying and moving on to the afterlife and Axel finds himself embroiled in one of the most ambitious planned corporate takeovers ever. With the help of a new friend, Brooklyn and her young daughter, Axel finds new meaning in life and the will to overcome obstacles in his attempted path to resolve this corrupt and power-driven situation.

The story is told in the present with flashbacks to Axel’s earlier life before and after his parents died, as well as the time with his wife and child. I thought this worked well and I found it easy to follow.

A thoroughly enjoyable science fiction novel with a page turning storyline.

Purchase Ending Forever

Amazon US

Welcome to Thursday Doors, a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time).

You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2022/06/09/doors-on-duff/

This is the door to my kitchen.

Can you see all my cookbooks on my bookshelf on the left hand side?

I walked through this door with an idea for a cake.

This is the door to my gas oven.

I opened and closed this door several times to make the cakes for my creation.

This is my creation: Lion Scream – Nature’s response to the sixth mass extinction and global warming. Thank you for the inspiration Rebecca Budd.

How did Rebecca inspire this cake? Rebecca has a blog called ChasingART, you can read her latest post here: https://chasingart.com/2022/06/10/fridaypainting-john-melhuish-strudwick-in-the-golden-days/, where she shares about famous paintings. One day, we had a discussion about The Scream by Edvard Munch.

This is what Wikipedia says about The Scream:

The Scream is the popular name given to a composition created by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch in 1893. The agonized face in the painting has become one of the most iconic images of art, seen as symbolizing the anxiety of the human condition. Munch’s work, including The Scream, would go on to have a formative influence on the Expressionist movement.

Munch recalled that he had been out for a walk at sunset when suddenly the setting sun’s light turned the clouds “a blood red”. He sensed an “infinite scream passing through nature”. Scholars have located the spot to a fjord overlooking Oslo and have suggested other explanations for the unnaturally orange sky, ranging from the effects of a volcanic eruption to a psychological reaction by Munch to his sister’s commitment at a nearby lunatic asylum.

The idea of this painting and nature screaming, gave me the inspiration for Lion Scream.

I modelled the lion’s expression and paw positions as closely as possible from the original painting.

You can see the river of blood from all the murdered elephants, lions, rhinos and other creatures. Behind the lion is an erupting volcano as nature protests against global warming.

What do you think? Does this cake represent what I aimed for?

As if this is not enough creativity for one post, I must share my younger son, Michael’s, latest poem. I thought it was very vivid. It’s called Downward Spiral by Michael Cheadle:

Today, I am delighted to welcome author Teri Polen to Roberta Writes as part of her book tour for The Insurgent.

Welcome to the book tour for the exciting sequel in The Colony series, The Insurgent by Teri Polen!

About The Insurgent

If a megalomaniac threatened your family, would you give up your freedom for them? Would you give up your soul?

Asher Solomon is faced with that choice. And makes the ultimate sacrifice.

Exactly as Director Silas Reeves expected him to.

Unable to live as the Colony’s premier assassin, Ash retreats to a corner of his mind, ceding control of his body to the alter-ego he was engineered to be—Subject A36. As he’s unleashed to battle the Insurgents, the only family he ever knew, the tide of war shifts in Silas’s favor.

Combined with his expansion into new territories, the director is poised to take over the world.

But the Insurgents don’t give up easily. Not on their cause, and not on their people. With the help of a few double agents deep in the Colony, they stand a fighting chance at ending Silas’s reign.

In order to shut down the program, they face almost insurmountable odds. And their most dangerous foe—their former champion turned killing machine, A36.

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An extract – Asher

My legs collapsed, and I fell to my knees.  The throbbing in my head hammered against my skull.  Like my brain was trying to force its way out somehow.  It was agonizing, and my stomach twisted with nausea.  My lungs heaved, still short of oxygen.  I crawled over to what was left of the mattress and rolled onto it.   

I’m here.

Clutching my head, I searched the room for the source of the voice.  I still couldn’t see.  Someone could have easily slipped in while I destroyed the room. 

Give me control.

So close.  It was so close.  But where?

End your pain.

In my head.  The voice echoed in my head. 

It was him.  A36.

Through the crushing agony I gritted my teeth and struggled to force the word through my lips. 

“No.” 

But I felt him clawing his way out, inch by inch from the deep abyss inside me where I’d kept him imprisoned for my own sanity and the safety of others.

You have nothing left.

I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head.  But he spoke the truth.  All that held me together were the scars of everything I’d lost.  Everyone I’d ever loved.  

And scars could be easily ripped open.

My review

This is book two in The Colony series and it is even better than book one. Initially, I was a little cautious about reading this second book, firstly because a second book in a series can be a disappointment, and secondly, because I had fallen in love with Ash and Brynn as a couple and didn’t want any disruption of my ideas about their future together. I was most delighted with how the author handled this book and some of the difficult and complex emotional situations, and I was very satisfied with how everything came together by the end.

When faced with the potential murder of his girlfriend, Brynn, and his surrogate mother, Anna, and complete rejection by his surviving sister, Asher agrees to act as a killer for Silas Reeves, the director of The Colony. In order to undertake this murderous role, Asher retreats into a corner of his mind and allows A36, a genetically enhanced facet of his brain, to take over his body.

The Colony comprises a society of elitist people who are prepared to take genes from other people and children to enhance their own genetic defects and faults. The are also prepared to overlook the methods used to harvest these genes which result in the deaths of the ‘donors’.

The Insurgents have been successfully rescuing people and children from harvest centers but the defection of A36 to the side of The Colony, tips the scales against them. The outlook is bleak until help arrives in a few unexpected forms. The tide starts turning in the direction of the Insurgents again.

The book is written from the point of view of several characters and this technique enables the author to get into the minds of various people in different roles in this complex story and gain an understanding of their psyche and thought processes. It makes for a more compelling rendition of the story as the reader is often aware to planned events through the thoughts and conversations of one character, before other characters know about them or experience them. This keeps the tension high and the reader continuously engaged in the plot.

There is good character development with some of the characters from book one, and the careful unravelling of certain historical relationships adds a lot of intrigue to the story.

Ms Polen is a talented writer and has written two excellent novels in this series to date. 

About Teri Polen

Teri Polen reads and watches horror, sci-fi, and fantasy.  The Walking Dead, Harry Potter, and anything Marvel-related are likely to cause fangirl delirium.  She lives in Bowling Green, KY with her husband, sons, and black cat.  Her first novel, Sarah, was a horror finalist in the 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.  Subject A36 was voted one of the 50 Best Indie Books of 2020 at ReadFree.ly.  Visit her online at www.teripolen.com

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