Sunday Story - Out of my Window by Lisa Williamson

Image courtesy of Victor Habbick / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

For the second Sunday Story we travel back in time to September's short fiction contest and revisit the winning story by Lisa Williamson, one about the future inspired by that month's neon city image.

Out of my Window by Lisa Williamson

https://suteko.wordpress.com/

I sit looking out my window at the blue lights of the city about me.  How things have changed in my life.  Once I looked out my window and it was filled with green and air, wood and animals.  As I grew older first the animals disappeared, feeling from the advance of man.  Then the tree disappeared, taken down to make homes for invading man.  Slow this city grew, from a few buildings to acres of people stacked on top of each other.  

I stayed; I was not sure why I did.  Watching how the land became a town and then a city.  As the years passed those who lived here changed too.  They started out brave and brash, talking loudly as they hid their fear of the unknown but slowly their voices grew quieter as more and more came here.

Now the blue lights of the city block out the lights of the night sky.  The city stopped growing out and started growing up.  The higher in the city you were the better your position but I stayed here, in the place I was when man found my land.  If I wait long enough do you think they might fly away into the sky?

I can only hope it will be so.  For they have covered my land in so much steel and concrete.  It is hard to breath in this bright new world.  They have cut down all my trees, filled my streams and chased away my animals.  Yet I still remain.

I will be here when mankind finally leaves my world.  My fondest wish is that there would be something left for me to nurture; to have something to bring to blossom and return the world to green.

Book Impressions - Remission Praxis by Mike Freeman

This is the second book in the author's Contact series, I enjoyed the first book it started with some fascinating alien discovery and ended with decent sci-fi action. This sequel is almost mirror of that with the action starting from the first page with the more interesting alien discovery coming near the end.

For me the first book had a better balance between the two thread, it also mixed the human politics making for a more complex, but also more satisfying. This second book is a simpler affair as most of it comprises a battle for survival. The author writes the action well, so while it lacks some of depth evident in the first book it is an entertaining read.

Things pick up towards the end and we learn a bit more about the alien race at the centre of the story and it's here that the book really shines. The action might be well written, but the more cerebral discoveries are a joy to read and I would have liked to have seen more of that. I've purchased the next book in the series so I'll soon find out!

Click image to purchase from Amazon

Abbott threatens all...

The Talmas has infiltrated the fanatically religious Gathering as their prophesied Redeemer. The seemingly invulnerable Diss weapon has been unleashed and consumes all before it.

Hopelessly outmatched, the Alliance survivors must gain control of the Diss to stop Abbott destroying the remaining ships then targeting humanity. What they don’t know is that Abbott is coming straight for them.

REMISSION PRAXIS is a hard hitting space opera/ scifi adventure. It is the SECOND book in the Contact series.

Rated [R]. Violence, sex, profanity.
US English. 121,500 words.

Click here to purchase Remission Praxis from Amazon (it's an excellent read)

Only One Week Left To Enter May's Short Fiction Contest

We're about to enter the last week of May's short fiction contest, I know many of you like to wait until the last minute, but you only have until next Sunday! The rules to enter are simple, write a story of no more than 500 words inspired by this month's image and then submit it through the form provided on the competition page. The winning story will win a £50 Amazon gift card, with prizes for second and third places as well. And unlike many competitions like this there's no entry fee, so there's no excuse to not take part :-)

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/may-short-fiction-contest.html

Even if you don't win, you'll have a story that you can share on your own site!

If you haven't read the winning stories from April's contest yet then you should check them out, There are three great stories for you to enjoy:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/april-short-fiction-contest-winners.html

I'd also like to thank everyone who has supported the competition, whether it is by entering, reading the stories, or by sharing the links. Your support is much appreciated and the stories deserve to be read by a wider audience so please continue to share the links.

Book Shout Out - Second on the Right by Elizabeth Los

Spawned from an ancient promise, treachery and intrigue follow the protagonists through our world and one lost to the waves. Bound by an invisible bond, they are thrust into a fantastical world of pirates and demons.

James Benedict is a just man haunted by evil. Pushed to the edge, everything stripped from him, a new man arises . . . a man whose name strikes fear into the hearts of all who hear it: "Captain Hook".

Eileen Davis was a timid woman. Through a fateful cruise she finds herself in the company of the Captain of the Mistral Thief. With his guidance, and the meddling of the local barista, she eventually finds her inner strength.

Will the two of them unite through time to fulfill the promise of their ancestors or will tempers ignite leading all to failure?

Excerpt:

Eileen woke with a start. Carefully, she peeled back the privacy sheet. A lump caught in her throat. The cabin door was open. She frowned. In the dim moonlight, a shadow stood just within the captain’s quarters. It moved. Her heart raced. She blinked, then stared. The dark silhouette glided silently. She watched, unbelieving. The shape loomed over the captain. She released the sheet.

He doesn’t know. He’s still asleep. I have to do something. But what? Her thoughts rattled through her mind. She had to be quick.

As quiet as possible, she slipped from her hammock. Her stocking feet made no sound. She crouched. Her fingers slid down her leg until they found her dagger. She removed the blade. Her hand trembled as she pulled back the sheet. Squinting, she could make out the shape. She rose. The floor creaked under her shifting weight.

Red eyes stared at her from across the room. They seemed to float in midair. She held her breath. The hairs on the back of her neck rose. She blinked. The eyes grew larger. She looked to the door. When she looked back, the eyes were closer. She panicked. The shadow lunged towards her.

Eileen screamed. “Captain! Captain, wake up!” She stomped on the floor boards and yelled, “Smythe! Anyone! The captain’s in danger!”

The creature howled.

Eileen swung her dagger at the intruder. He slid to the right. She slashed. He slipped to the left. She thrust. Her blade met air. He moved with little effort. And now, he drew closer. She slashed haphazardly. She hit nothing.

The shadow hissed. She felt a rush of wind. The creature flew at her. A powerful blow to the chest, her back slammed into the wall. She tried to defend herself. Another rush of wind and her dagger was knocked out of her hand. Her head hit the wall. Sliding to the floor, she felt cold. She heard a raspy inhalation. Looking up she was met with red eyes that glared at her. A cold breeze wrapped around her. She tried for her dagger, but it was gone. As she struggled for breath, her hearing diminished. The shadow loomed over her. Eileen’s vision tunneled until darkness enveloped her and there was nothing.

Buy Links

Createspace: https://www.createspace.com/4427270 (available on May 9th)
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/406005
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18459893-second-on-the-right
Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1492340480/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1492340480&linkCode=as2&tag=phasespacenet-21
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/second-on-the-right/id816649885?mt=11
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/second-on-the-right-elizabeth-los/1114086375?ean=2940045682244

Author Bio

Elizabeth uses writing as therapy, her release from everyday stress. At night, after work and once the children are finally tucked in bed, for the fifth time, she sits at her laptop and lets her imagination flow.

Elizabeth has produced short stories, one of which will be published in an anthology. She’s had fun writing a Sherlock Holmes fan fiction story, A Case of Need, based on the BBC’s Sherlock. By July 2011, her first novel, Second on the Right, had been completed. She spent several years polishing the story in order to provide a high quality product to the public. Second on the Right is her first professional novel.

Author Links (Website, Facebook, etc)

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SantaFlash
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/santaflash
My blog: http://www.elizabethlos.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorELos
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6624486.Elizabeth_Los
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Los/e/B00AHIFXZ2/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_6?qid=1398118628&sr=8-6

Youtube audio excerpt: http://youtu.be/Z3rU6mDNVXY

Rafflecopter restricted to USA and UK.

Guest Author Interview - Terrence J Goodchild

Terrence J Goodchild, author of 'Dam Head Farm' joins me in today's guest author interview, discover more about him and his writing below:

Please introduce yourself, who are you and what do you do?
Terrence J Goodchild, I was born in Manchester in the UK, worked in the construction industry and then in the Automotive trade and ran my own business, Came to Australia in 1988 with my wife and daughter, where I worked for Mercedes Benz, Lada Australia, Kenworth and then International Iveco, we now have farm in The Tamar Valley in Tasmania.

What first inspired you to start writing?
When I lived in the UK my brother and I were put in an orphanage, he was seven and I was ten, the time was very traumatic and since then I have had nightmares and dreams, now I put them into stories and then into books, my first novel was Jacob Foley which is about an orphanage and what went on, and every time I have a dream a new book appears.

If you could write anybody's biography, whose would it be and why?
I would write a biography about Barack Obama, as he is the one who really has inspired a Nation, being the first black American president after all the black slaves and immigrants have been through, he must rank as one of the best, you never know the next president may be an American Indian, won’t that be something.

What is it about your stories that makes them stand out?
I hope what makes my stories stand out is there are a lot of truths in them as each one is a story about a part of my life, the people I have met and places I have travelled to.

What was the last book you enjoyed?
The last book I enjoyed was Tobias and the Angel, by Frank Yearby 

Every author loves receiving a good review, what has been your favourite so far?
I have only had one review, Dam Head Farm, four stars as I don’t really know how to get reviews.

What is the best piece of writing advice you have received?
The best advice I received was, write for you and if one person in the world reads it then be proud of that book.

What are you working on at the moment?
The book I am writing on at the moment is of course a dream, The Soul of Gordy Fitzsimmons, my 13th book, it is supernatural themes in a house bought by a brother and sister to turn into a night club.

Tell us about your latest work and how we can find out more.
My latest book is the second book of Dam Head Farm, it is called Dam Head Farm The Return, and is on Amazon, and is a crime thriller.

My web page is www.tezmannovels.com there is an about me page if you wanted to read it

Books by Terence J Goodchild on Amazon: