ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN DE MODE OCT-NOV-DEC 2022 (Vol V, Issue XXVIII) | Article Published on: 20th DEC 2022 | www.demodemagazine.com
'CULMINATION OF STARS' BY AUTHOR MARTYN VAUGHAN,
'ADVENTURES WITH AN INTERDIMENSIONAL PSYCHOPATH' BY AUTHOR WAYNE KEELER,
'MILK' BY AUTHOR MICHAEL OWINO,
'A VICTORY SONG: BENEATH THE VIEL' BY AUTHOR SARAH DICKENS,
'CRIMSON MOON: CASCADE WOLVES' BY AUTHOR MONICA A. KASTLE,
'WRAITH' BY AUTHOR RAYMOND BOLTON,
'LOST SOUL: BOOK 1 WAR OF DESTINY SERIES' BY AUTHOR THERESA VAN
SPANKEREN,
'NURSE DIARIES 2' BY AUTHOR AGNES VARONA OQUENDO,
'THE ULTIMATE SEASONAL LUNCHBOX' BY AUTHOR AUDREY SCHAERRER,
'HOW DEEP THE OCEAN' BY AUTHOR GLORIA LUCAS,
'SATURN' BY AUTHOR & POETESS SUSY GASCA,
'SPIRITS OF THE ICE FOREST' BY AUTHOR MAX DAVINE.
1. 'CULMINATION OF STARS: BOOK 3' - BY AUTHOR MARTYN VAUGHAN
The book is the third in the “Stars” Trilogy which began with “Doom of Stars”, continued with “Resolution of Stars” and finishes with “Culmination…”. The three books form a single narrative of how humankind responds to the threat of imminent extinction by the planet Jupiter being thrown out of orbit after a scientific endeavour is corrupted by the desire for wealth and power.
In the first book, the displacement of the giant planet destabilises the entire Solar system, with planets either colliding with Jupiter or being tossed into the Sun. Some people attempt to escape in spaceships powered by gigantic laser beams which propel the vessels into interstellar space.
The second book described the fate of those left on Earth, while “Culmination” follows the story of refugees on a starship—the Magellan— heading for Alpha Centauri, the nearest star. However, as the voyage takes over two hundred years we follow the story of several generations aboard the vessel. Characters come and go as mortality takes its toll on the inhabitants of the huge vessel, but we follow several lines of descent down the decades, seeing how they cope with problems that are a common lot of most of us, as well as other problems to do with being trapped inside a giant metal structure. They encounter many problems as the years roll by and finally seem on the verge of completing their escape and saving the human race. And then they encounter a terrible threat to all life in the galaxy. All seems lost, not only for the would-be colonists but all sentient life. But then unexpected help is received from the past.
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JOURNEY OF AUTHOR MARTYN RHYS VAUGHAN
Author Martyn was born in the World Heritage town of Blaenavon in the green valleys of south Wales, a town where the first steps in the Industrial Revolution were taken and which has the best preserved early iron works in Europe.
As a writer, I have always been interested in the impact of science and technology on our lives on this small planet. Science, and its application as technology, have transformed the world we live in and increasingly we see that all our problems and all our hopes are intertwined as the inhabitants of this one small oasis in an unfriendly universe. Increasingly what happens in one corner of the world will impact the quality of life in another, perhaps far-off, region. We are all familiar with the term “Butterfly Effect” which it is stated that a small change to conditions at one point in time can have huge ramifications later on. The Law of Unintended Consequences is evident everywhere we look in our recent history. A simple action of choosing a certain gas to cool refrigerators turned out to have devastating consequences for the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere-a layer which protect us from harmful radiation from space.
In “Culmination of Stars” I wanted to show how science is neutral regarding our lives—it can be used to improve and safeguard them, or it can be used to make them worse, and perhaps even end them. Chemistry can be used to create drugs to prevent many serious diseases but can also be used to create weapons of mass destruction; similarly, nuclear research can produce both power stations and bombs. Thus in the “Stars” trilogy, I envisaged a future which is even more dangerous than the one we currently inhabit, a world in which science can invoke powers and use abilities far beyond those we possess at present. Such a world could be a utopia for our species or it could be incredibly dangerous. The trilogy shows the Faustian scale of problems that our descendants will have to face: great powers to create—but also to destroy. It shows what might happen if desires that are all too human could interact with vast power to turn Utopia into Hell. How would we react? Undoubtedly, some would make every effort to escape, even if the destination was unknown and uncertain. That is the theme of “Culmination of Stars.”
OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF AUTHOR MARTYN RHYS VAUGHAN - www.martynvaughan.co.uk
Read Author MARTYN RHYS VAUGHAN's interview with DE MODE & about his upcoming books in the OCT-NOV-DEC 2022 GLOBAL ISSUE (MAGAZINE).
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2. 'ADVENTURES WITH AN INTERDIMENSIONAL PSYCHOPATH' - BY AUTHOR WAYNE KEELER
This first book of the Adventures with an Interdimensional Psychopath is as the subtitle suggests, this is only the introduction to the madness that these stories will hopefully portray. The main story revolves around the “male” and female leads, Wabbajack and Lily Extravagund. The story begins with Lily and the endless rut that she has found herself in after so many years of just letting things happen because she just accepted things were out of her hands.
That all changes when she meets wabbajack for the first time, in which he stood out so much, that she actually took her first step out of her rut, which led to her questioning her choices and life to the point that, she starts exploring, asking questions, stepping out of the bounds of her normal to the point where she winds up following Wabbajack on his adventures. Then once she leaves her world, she starts seeing things from the experiences of this interdimensional being where black and white don’t really mean much, it’s more of the grey as the worlds they visit don’t follow the normal sense of morality. There are reasons, logic, possibilities and cultural things that take place that is vastly different from our own. And understanding these is essential in exploring the unknown.
With the experienced guide, Wabbajack explaining the rules AND enforcing them, Lily still has some trouble adapting to her new life. But then you get to see how things are for Wabbajack's side of things where he is definitely not one of the most popular people around. Indeed, Wabbajack is not a chivalrous knight or gallivant hero, the general public treats him as a monster to be feared. Still, this is all the setup for their future adventures together. I hope you enjoy the book and the future ones of the series as well.
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THE JOURNEY OF AUTHOR WAYNE KEELER
The Author, Wayne Keeler, actually didn’t start writing for a good decade. The way this project started with a simple idea. That idea then grew and grew into the series that is taking its baby steps in this current present. Wayne always had a fondness for stories growing up, from Disney to Marvel to Mangas. However, in every story that Wayne heard, people mention, it wasn’t real. It never was. That didn’t make sense to him as how did people come across these stories? How did these stories seem so real, have such a premise that seemed rooted in possible concepts that we could perform be not real? This led to many questions, and after an existential crisis or two, began finding answers in science. Sure, some things were really out there as an idea, like a rubber pirate or alcoholic robots, but with technology advancing along the road it is, who’s to say one day, these things can’t be possible one day? Suffice it to say, Wayne began exploring ideas, concepts, and theories that could be used to explain such possibilities. The days that followed were no longer followed with, "not possible" but with, "how to get there?"
After all, space travel is just as real, genetics was real, and psychology was real. So, after studying and studying these concepts for quite a long while, the ideas formed a story themselves. Fusing together to craft a world and cast that didn’t just exist for the story, they were alive, performing actions that seemed alien or thoughts and conversations that were so out there were taking place. So, after much storyboarding and rough drafts, the author began writing. He also knew that there is more to writing a story than just writing it, there would be editing, illustrations, advertising, and publishing. Which he knew would be a task too big for just one person. So he managed to find other like-minded people who wished to not only leave a mark in the world but also inspire people to stretch their imaginations into the beyond and fuse it with the endless ambition to turn the impossible into possibilities that people could have only dreamed of, hopefully, just like when they planned to launch into space.
Read Author Wayne Keeler's interview with DE MODE & about his upcoming books in the OCT-NOV-DEC 2022 GLOBAL ISSUE (MAGAZINE).
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3. 'MILK' - BY AUTHOR MICHAEL OWINO
A top businessman and his female partner suddenly move their bloody and illegal art business to India. Interpol and the Danish secret agent Tom Halvorsen get approved 8 days to investigate freely inside India When the story takes a turn and starts to unfold in India the reader will now see the story from the point of the villain and through her eyes. Her name is Claire. She is a powerful woman and for several years she has been in a close love and work relationship with the main villain Gustav Kräsen.
We experience Mumbai from her perspective, and we get an insight into the corruption foreign companies trying to do in India. We experience how official India more or less is forced to turn the blind eye to financial crimes done by foreign companies. What to choose. A lot of money to the state of Mumbai, or go strictly with the law and risk the companies feeling better off elsewhere and then lose the investments?
The Danish investigator Tom Halvorsen had just arrived home, to his newly bought, small but cosy house. placed in one of the Prosperous suburbs in the northern part of Copenhagen. He was then told by one of his colleagues that there had just been a shooting inside Copenhagen, that had left his closest partner Olina deadly wounded. Instinctively he had known that it was some sort of revenge from Gustav Kräsens- The mighty and powerful CEO that runs and own the world’s biggest Diary firm, and for the last three year has been investigated by MI5 The German and Danish secret police for his role in -KUNST RINGE an illegal art business that operates in the shadows, among wealthy businesspeople all over the world. The stakes are high in this historical drama. You won't read many pages before you get sucked into this historical drama.
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THE JOURNEY OF AUTHOR MICHAEL OWINO
Since a very young age, Michael also has been a well-known musician in Denmark where his drumming ability in the 80 s soon get a large following in the New Wave movements and the post-punk music scene. In the mid-80s Michael stopped performing with his band Ballet Mecanique. Instead, he got himself a role behind the scenes where he signed up other artists and started to promote and sell music exclusively via the music company EMI.
During this period Michael travelled the world and simultaneous with his work he took a bachelor's in pedagogic and later a degree as an Asperger consultant. That led him to get a big knowledge of society and politics. From this educational background and fieldwork, he gained a specific interest in political decision-making and how a simple decision actually works after it is fully integrated into society. Michael began to get serious about writing in 2010 his writing career started late in life.
“I always knew that I was good at writing stories. I had written a lot of text music and so on but I had never written a book. While I had travelled a lot in Germany during my whole life and had some family members there I was starting to wonder – how on earth could these skilful and friendly people ever have been Nazis. As history always had been my great hobby I was starting to dive deeper into the question – I wanted to write a book about how it could happen what had turned those people into this disaster”
In between the work with the reach and writing the first draft of Caught in time. Michael took extensive writing classes at a school for two years and his teacher helped him to get to finish his debut novel Caught in time and a new trilogy and writer was born. Since then Michael's life had been all about writing.
The first two books of the trilogy are already released in Danish, with the first one already being translated into English by a lot of online readers. His second book, The Attack on the Ferris wheel, is soon to be released in English as well, while the third book in the series, is on the way. A lot of exciting new stories and adventures.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF AUTHOR MICHAEL OWINO - www.michaelowino.com
Read Author Michael Owino's interview with DE MODE & about his upcoming books in the OCT-NOV-DEC 2022 GLOBAL ISSUE (MAGAZINE).
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4. 'A VICTORY SONG: BENEATH THE VIEL' - BY AUTHOR SARAH DICKENS
Sarah Dickens' first book, "A Victory Song: Beneath the Veil," has three main themes that comprise the book: an emotionallystraining relationship with her mother, her relationship with her ex-boyfriend, and seasonal friendships. All of these themes point to Sarah's relationship with her Lord, Savior and God, Jesus Christ, as she goes through hard times and difficult circumstances related to her bipolar disorder diagnosis.
All of these themes test Sarah's faith in God through Jesus Christ as she goes to see a Christian counsellor at First Baptist Atlanta, her church, in order to confront the challenges related to Sarah's mental health diagnosis and learn and develop spiritual disciplines that Sarah talks about in depth in this book for Sarah to be able to walk in the victory that is of Jesus Christ in spite of her mental health diagnosis. Sarah's relationship with her mother is described by Sarah as emotionally straining because her mother is diagnosed with a mental illness too and puts a great deal of stress on Sarah, as well as other feelings to accompany these feelings of stress.
Sarah's relationship with her ex-boyfriend points Sarah to come back to the Lord right after the breakup happens in a most profound way which is explained in this book. Sarah's seasonal friendships in the time that she was friends with them point her back to the Lord right after the breakup with her ex-boyfriend and put her back in a strong relationship with God as she makes the choice to put the past of her relationship with her ex-boyfriend behind her and move forward in her relationship with God in this season of healing in Sarah's life.
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THE JOURNEY OF AUTHOR SARAH DICKENS
Sarah Dickens has loved to write since she was in Kindergarten. When she was in the second grade, Sarah created a picture storybook with coloured illustrated images that she made in her second-grade class and the coloured images and writings of this book were put inside an actual bound book. When she was in the fifth grade, she would write stories and have her fifth-grade teacher read them to the class after she was finished writing them. Ever since she was in Kindergarten, Sarah always wanted to be an author and even told her Kindergarten teacher when her Kindergarten teacher asked her, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" that she wanted to be an author! This statement that Sarah made to her Kindergarten teacher was put inside a book with the other hopes, dreams, and aspirations of her other Kindergarten colleagues.
Many years later, in her young adult years, Sarah attended a women's conference, where she was asked to stand in front of the attendees of the conference and state her dream. She stated to the crowd, "I am going to write a book," and she wrote her first book, "A Victory Song: Beneath the Veil," after coming into contact with her book coach there. Her book took about five years to write after intense feedback from those in Sarah's community and was released in February 2022. In Sarah's free time, Sarah enjoys blogging on her blog, "Sarah's Walk With Jesus," in her spare time along with taking walks in nature and journaling in her notebook and pen in order to come up with ideas for her future writings. Sarah's book, "A Victory Song: Beneath the Veil," has impacted many in her community and those throughout the world that have read it. Her journey, as an author, has been one of great courage and strength that has been continually demonstrated throughout her first book and future writings to come ahead. Sarah is in the process of writing a second book that is to be a follow-up of her first book, "A Victory Song: Beneath the Veil," in her series of books that she is creating. She is hoping to publish it, on her journey as an author, by 2024.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF AUTHOR SARAH DICKENS - www.sarahadickens.org
Read Author Sarah Dicken's interview with DE MODE & about her upcoming books in the OCT-NOV-DEC 2022 GLOBAL ISSUE (MAGAZINE).
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5. 'CRIMSON MOON: CASCADE WOLVES' - BY AUTHOR MONICA A. KASTLE
Clio Hyde, an emergency room doctor at Celestial Medical Center, treats the injured, helps the weak, and upholds the canons of the pack. She thought she had seen it all, witches, elves, and fairies— until a victim of an assassination attempt is brought in with an unusual wound to prove her wrong. Clio calls the pack’s police force, the Enforcers, to investigate and comes face to face with Captain Wolt, his rich cinnamon eyes, and unyielding will. Her carefully crafted world starts to unravel when she’s drawn into the investigation and begins to rely on the captain’s strength. Clio finds herself wanting more and fearing getting hurt.
Captain of Enforcers, Ansel Wolt, has a lifetime of secrets he has kept from the Cascade pack. Motivated by the ghosts haunting him he builds walls of protection and navigates through life untethered. His defences are threatened when an enemy from his dark past targets those around him, endangers his relationship with Dr Hyde and leaves death in their wake. Ansel must protect his pack, but it means risking exposing his lies and losing their trust.
Can he find his enemies before the territory and those close to him pay the ultimate price? Will Clio and Ansel’s desire for one another survive the threats surrounding them or will they become the next victims? The story is full of paranormal, romance and mystery. The length of the novel is so long that one could binge-read it on weekends. The language used in the book is easy to understand. The storyline is fascinating and DE MODE strongly recommends this book to its fellow readers.
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THE JOURNEY OF AUTHOR MONICA A. KASTLE
M.A. Kastle, Monica grew up in a small, rural town surrounded by mountains in Northern California. Their beauty, unpredictable terrain, and wilds combined with a love for fantasy and horror ignited her passion for writing as well as photography. As a child, if she didn’t like the ending of a movie or television show she would grab her notebook and pencil and spend hours rewriting it. Her first stories included detectives, microfilm, and ghost towns. Later she began writing poems where she weaved fairy tales with dragons and magic. In high school, she bought her first camera and set about to capture the landscapes of the area. She also studied Greek and Norse mythology, watched countless black-and-white creature films, and became a devout fan of Noir. Her early influences were Richard Adams, Michael Ende, and Robert E. Howard.
After high school, Monica left the mountains in search of adventure. Armed with her camera and notebook, she has lived on both coastlines, wandered throughout the US, and travelled abroad. Her journeys have taken her to incredible places where she met amazing people and was grateful to listen to their stories. The experiences have encouraged her inspiration, given her a plethora of writing material, and enriched her imagination.
After years of submitting stories, she finally took the plunge and independently published Bone Chimes, the first book in the Cascade Saga, an urban fantasy series. Her short horror stories have been published in Women in Horror Annual, first edition, Fantasia Divinity Magazine, and The Sirens Call. She is the author of Tales of Woe, a collection of short horror stories, A Curse Revisited, a novella, and the urban fantasy series Cascade Saga. Bringing characters from the Cascade Saga to the series Cascade Wolves, she opens a new world of adventure. A dark urban fantasy series Moonlight Territory weaves intrigue, noir, and romance in the mountains of Northern California.
Soon to be released is Crimson Steel, the second book in the Cascade Wolves series. Monica writes in sunny Southern California surrounded by her family, notebooks, camera, and her writing partners, two German Shepherd dogs, Liska and Helden. She is a member of the California Writers Club, High Desert Branch.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF AUTHOR MONIKA A. KASTLE - www.kastlenovels.com
Read Author Monica A. Kastle's interview with DE MODE & about her upcoming books in the OCT-NOV-DEC 2022 GLOBAL ISSUE (MAGAZINE).
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6. 'WRAITH' - BY AUTHOR RAYMOND BOLTON
Infuriated over the late-night attack that has left him and his children murdered and his wife in an ICU, fighting for her life, Warren returns to the world of the living to take revenge against the trio of street thugs who attacked them, and also against Jordan, his business partner, who has embezzled their investment firm’s assets.
A spirit returns to the world of the living with a vendetta against the men who killed him and an old colleague in Bolton’s horror novel. Warren has a drinking problem, a marriage on the rocks, and a life on the brink of disaster. It’s cut short when a ‘trio of street thugs’ nearly kill his spouse and succeed in murdering him and his two children. Warren’s final rest is short-lived, however, when he reawakens as a ghost bent on murderous revenge. His targets aren’t just his assailants, but also his former business partner and friend, Jordan, who, it turns out, has been having an affair with Warren’s wife and embezzling from the company for the past three years.
Warren compares Jordan’s financial scheming to convicted fraudster Bernie Madoff’s—an effective juxtaposition that helps to get readers on the undead hero’s side. There’s a delicious playfulness to Bolton’s tale of haunting, which is sprinkled with campy, italicized lines, such as ‘I’m ba‑ack,’ which the protagonist delivers to his colleague-turned-enemy. This expertly paced novel of gruesome vengeance will provide readers with a sense of unseemly pleasure as they watch it all play out. Behind all the ghostly drama, however, is an intriguing exploration of what it means to become someone—or something—else. Other ghosts act as foils to Warren’s retributive desire, casting the novel as a dialogue on what it means to indulge a desire to even the score.
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THE JOURNEY OF AUTHOR RAYMOND BOLTON
Raymond Bolton began writing his debut novel, Awakening, an other-world science-fiction/fantasy, in the late 1990s. In 2013, he entered it into the Pacific Northwest Writers Association's annual literary competition, competing with more than 950 other manuscripts, where it became one of eight finalists. That success convinced him that he ought to self-publish it.
In 2015, he learned that WorldCon was coming to Spokane, Washington. Deciding to see what the event might hold in store, he brought his two extant English language titles, Awakening and Thought Gazer. Because he had previously been encouraged to have Awakening translated into Spanish, and since WorldCon is an international event drawing attendees from several nations, he brought a handful of copies of El despertar. He had no way to anticipate that the publicist for WordFire Press, one on the conference’s attendees, would be a native Spanish speaker who would fall in love with it. That happy coincidence led to him signing a contract in 2016. Since then, the first two titles have evolved into a quartet with the addition of Foretellers and Triad.
Along the way, he has earned the endorsements of the late Mike Resnick, who holds the record for Hugo Award nominations, and who calls his work “well thought out”
El despertar has also shone. In 2019, at the International Latino Book Awards held in Los Angeles, California, it won two silver medals: one for Best Science Fiction Novel In Spanish, and the second for Best Translation From English Into Spanish. Since then, Raymond has struck out in new directions. His Young Adult science fiction novel, entitled Folder, was an award-winning finalist in the International Book Awards.
Wraith, his first foray into horror, won the endorsement of Michael R. Collings, who was named Grand Master at the 2016 World Horror Convention. Its Readers’ Favorite 5-star review calls it, “Dark and haunting, Wraith by Raymond Bolton is an extraordinary supernatural thriller. Seeing the world from the dead man's perspective is an original and fascinating variation of a ghost story. Well-written, it is a mesmerizing story that is unforgettable.”
OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF AUTHOR RAYMOND BOLTON - www.raymondbolton.com
Read Author Raymond Bolton's interview with DE MODE & about his upcoming books in the OCT-NOV-DEC 2022 GLOBAL ISSUE (MAGAZINE).
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7. 'LOST SOUL: BOOK 1 WAR OF DESTINY' - BY AUTHOR THERESA VAN SPANKEREN
Julia is the daughter of a wealthy family living in 16th-century London. She and her siblings grow up alongside the son of a servant's son, Adam, and she falls in love. Julia's family would not allow such a union, and she is heartbroken when they force her into an arranged marriage. Although her heart longs for Adam, she does what she must. Her husband is neither kind nor merciful, and Julia struggles to keep safe those she cares about and herself.
When tragedy strikes, a stranger arrives and offers her a deal that could forever alter her destiny. The agreement would give her what she has been denied and grant her fondest wishes: the freedom to do as she pleases, and a reunion with her one true love. There’s only one catch. Accepting the deal would also mean joining the Vampire Resistance to fight the King.
Lost Soul is the first book of the War of Destiny, and deals with the difficult topics of domestic violence, and the effects it has on the survivor's physical, emotional, and mental health. It has trigger warnings for some scenes of graphic violence.
Book 5 of the series, currently untitled, is scheduled to be out sometime next year. The other books in the series, War of Destiny 2: Pursuit into Darkness, War of Destiny 3: Between Darkness & Light, and War of Destiny 4: Fallen Soul have trigger warnings for scenes of depression and self-harm relating back to the events of Lost Soul and the way Julia deals with other issues and the choices she makes. Throughout the series, Julia learns she may be able to escape her abuser, but not the effects of what she has been through.
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THE JOURNEY OF AUTHOR THERESA VAN SPANKEREN
Theresa Van Spankeren has been learning to be a word master in one way or another since she was a little girl. Born into a family with a love of reading, she struggled at first to keep up with her peers and other family members. She owes learning the first blocks of reading and writing to her amazing teachers in elementary, jr high, and high school. Once she learned that, she took to trying to create her own stories based on some of her favorite books at the time, such as The BabySitter's Club. Nowadays, it would be called fanfiction, but to seven or eight-year-old Theresa, it was just stories. She also tried to write mysteries, but discovered they were a lot harder to write than to read!
She majored in Business Writing at Elmhurst University and graduated at the start of the Great Recession. She took a variety of writing courses during her time at Elmhurst, including several creative writing courses. She never found a full-time position using that degree, but she's held a variety of positions over the years, including test grading through Measurement Inc. and Pearson Education, several ghost-writing positions for self-help websites, and most recently worked retail at Harbor Freight. Currently, she has started a job at an IT helpdesk.
She never gave up her love of writing and pursued it throughout those years. She wrote the original draft of War of Destiny 1: Lost Soul in her senior year of high school. After trying to query it to agents, she learned about self-publishing from a seminar at her local library. She subsequently published four additional books in that series and is working on more.
Theresa Van Spankeren lives in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois with her husband and pug. She has been writing since an early age and came up with the idea for the War of Destiny series in high school. She is also an avid reader of multiple genres. When she isn’t reading or writing, she enjoys hiking and swimming. She also loves checking out local haunted places. The writers who have had a large influence and inspiration include Christopher Pike, Karen Robards, L.J. Smith, and Stephen King. She was also inspired by "The X-Files", "Witch Hunter Robin" and "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer".
OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF AUTHOR THERESA VAN SPANKEREN - www.tvanspankeren.wixsite.com
Read Author Theresa Van Spankeren's interview with DE MODE & about her upcoming books in the OCT-NOV-DEC 2022 GLOBAL ISSUE (MAGAZINE).
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8. 'NURSE DIARIES 2' - BY AUTHOR AGNES VARONA OQUENDO
Nurse Diaries 2 is a highly requested sequel to Nurse Diaries that was released in 2020. This fictional medical novel is a continuation of the diverse captivating stories that explore the varied behind the scene scenarios that will inevitably make you laugh, cry and ultimately awaken all of your hidden emotions from every chapter. Each heartfelt story is disclosed from a nurse's perspective but gives a raw personal view from the notable players involved. The veteran float nurse opens her heart as she recalls stories from her long career spanning over four decades.
The message of this book can be summed up in this quote from the author herself: “The outside world cannot and does not see that nursing is so much more than just the physical care we render to our patients. We care for the entire person: physically, emotionally, psychologically, and even spiritually.”
This is a collection of fictional stories derived from the author’s personal experience as a nurse. Although I have no experience in the medical field I was curious to read this book, and I was pleasantly surprised. It provides insights into the day-to-day life of hospital nursing staff and the physical and emotional strain it often takes on them. Told at times with a touch of humour, and at times with heartrending emotion, they paint vivid and authentic images of both the characters and the events. Some of the prose can be a little too technical for readers who are not familiar with medical terminology, but the author weaves it cleverly into the narrative in a way that doesn’t distract from the story. If you are in the medical field, you can definitely relate to these stories, and if you are not you can now see a different side of all the workings going on within the hospital setting and its staff, understanding it’s not always what you see and what you don’t see!! A great read for all!!
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THE JOURNEY OF AUTHOR AGNES VARONA OQUENDO
Agnes Varona Oquendo, RN, Author is a native New Yorker who has worked many years as a nurse. She describes her most vital life role as mother, and now grandmother; most notably known to her immediate family as Mimi. As a longtime strong advocate for women’s health and education, it inevitably drew her attention to becoming an avid long-distance runner and athlete, loving and learning a humbleness for the sport.
As an impressionable young girl, she was helplessly lost within a fantasy realm of books while spending all her free time within the cryptic walls of the local public library. For well over the span of four decades, her primary focus evolved around family, running and a very long career as a clinical nurse and then as an educator. Although her life was quite full and very busy, she still found herself longing and craving to rekindle that once-forgotten dream of writing a book. In 2001, she survived cancer. In her desperation to help those find hope in coping with a similar circumstance, she shares her own story in her first self-published book, “Running Against Cancer,” released in 2018.
“Running Against Cancer,” is a depiction of her own personal experience in receiving the devastating cancer diagnosis, the despairing, disfiguring treatment and the recovery that eventually lead to an actual run from New York to Miami for breast cancer lasting 38 days. Since then, she describes herself as a multi-genre author after releasing four more diverse fictional books; My Shorts, Dark Whispers of a Serial Killer, Nurse Diaries and Nurse Diaries 2. She has been notably quoted, “Authorship has been a girlhood dream for me, and now I can proudly add the title of multi-genre author to my repertoire.”
Nurse Diaries is a fictional novel that shares a very small fragment of one nurse's professional experience, nurse life and times during her long nursing career, as she recalls it. After working in the field for over four decades, Angela remembers it all as if it were yesterday; the memorable, the good, the not-so-good, the sad, and the very ugly during her journey down memory medical lane. This book will uncover many raw, deep emotions translated through her stories.
Read Author Agnes Varona Oquendo's interview with DE MODE & about her upcoming books in the OCT-NOV-DEC 2022 GLOBAL ISSUE (MAGAZINE).
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9. 'THE ULTIMATE SEASONAL LUNCHBOX' - BY AUTHOR AUDREY SCHAERRER
More than 50 lunchbox recipes for the whole family made with seasonal produce. The book also contains food fun facts and curiosities to Inspire fun and bonding in the kitchen. All the Recipes are made by a qualified nutritionist and mother Audrey Schaerrer.
A book aimed at both parents and children to read and create healthy food together. Like many working parents, professional nutritionist and mother Audrey Schaerrer found that at times cooking dinner to be a dreaded chore between battling long working hours, homework and bedtimes. Not to mention finding time for quality time. One day she asked her daughter Sophia, 11, to help her cook dinner and it became a game. Sophia would read facts whilst her mother prepared a meal. What had been a chore became a special bonding time that Audrey looked forward to.
Audrey began to experiment, moving from cooking dinner together to creating a delicious, healthy and nutritionally balanced packed lunch with the leftovers from the night before, which her daughter loved. In a way extending the bonding connection and good memories of the evening to school and office lunch times. The Ultimate Seasonal Lunchbox includes more than 50 fun, healthy and delicious lunchbox recipes. This is the first publication in a series of four, each characterised by a particular season. The present publication is inspired by autumn. Winter, spring, and summer will be following. Some recipes in this book include Japanese-style autumn noodles, mushroom pie, as well as chickpea and sweet potato patties.
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THE JOURNEY OF AUTHOR AUDREY SCHAERRER
Audrey Schaerrer attended the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) in Indianapolis, United States of America, and qualified in Fitness Management, Nutritional Therapy and the Science of Exercise. She has been practising as a nutritional therapist and food specialist in Europe for over twenty years. Audrey is a mother to an 11-year-old girl.
Audrey’s mission is to help busy parents and individuals lead a healthier lifestyle with fuss-free, varied, delicious meal plans and products, to introduce delicious foods that enhance physical and mental health, as well as general well-being, and to help clients look after their health naturally, lowering cholesterol, controlling blood pressure, and properly tackling functional gastrointestinal disorders using a naturally healthier lifestyle.
Audrey’s view is that, like medicine, food can help avoid many illnesses in adults and children including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression, Cancer and heart-related illnesses.
Her core belief in raising children through example has driven her to write this book and create an online nutrition platform which is accessible to all persons who wish to enjoy a healthier lifestyle.
Affected by childhood bullying around her weight, Audrey felt passionate that cooking with our children and talking to them about food will help to instil healthy relationships with food and our bodies in a society where toxic narratives with both are still prevalent. All the recipes make a completely balanced and nutritious meal to enjoy at dinner time or packed for lunch in a portable box.
In Audrey's book 'THE ULTIMATE SEASONAL LUNCHBOX', the recipes are carefully chosen to excite both parents and kids. Some recipes include Greek pitta pockets, Vietnamese stir fry noodles, hoisin duck rolls and rainbow confetti slices. This lunchbox cookbook has a variety of healthy, tasty recipes with easy-to-follow instructions. At the start of the book you find out a little more about the seasonal products that are available in autumn (the season of this book), it goes in-depth about a few of the products and their benefits
OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF AUTHOR AUDREY SCHAERRER- www.eatfitmalta.com
Read Author Audrey Schaerrer's interview with DE MODE & about her upcoming books in the OCT-NOV-DEC 2022 GLOBAL ISSUE (MAGAZINE).
Download/Order the full issue here.
10. 'HOW DEEP THE OCEAN' - BY AUTHOR GLORIA LUCAS
How Deep the Ocean paints the portrait of a widow beginning a year after her husband’s suicide. Drawing from personal experiences, Gloria Lucas crafts an intricate story of loss and the impact of trauma.
One year after Mia’s husband completes suicide, guilt and loneliness continue to follow her the everyday. Austin’s loss takes up all the negative spaces in her home. It presses heavily against her as she navigates to being a single mother while climbing the corporate ladder.
She does her best to pretend everything is better but she can’t help but feel she’s doing everything wrong. In this story, Gloria takes an unflinching look at mental illness, trauma, and healing in the aftermath of the unthinkable. The story also outlines how children’s grief can look like, as many mistakes their struggles for the simple actions of a misbehaving child.
In this story, Gloria takes an unflinching look at mental illness, trauma, and healing in the aftermath of the unthinkable. The story also outlines how children’s grief can look like, as many mistakes their struggles for the simple actions of a misbehaving child. Tantrums are labelled as the symptoms of a spoiled child, not the cries for help of a hurting one. Difficult behaviour can be judged by outsiders as proof parents are not disciplining children as they should instead of behaviour that is caused by deep trauma and grief. Many times, difficult behaviour is simply the outcome of children having a difficult time.
Loss is almost universal and so many are touched by it. How Deep the Ocean explores this experience through a lens that is truthful but also one that is optimistic. While it dives into many difficult topics it also shows the power of love, friendship, and healing.
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THE JOURNEY OF AUTHOR GLORIA LUCAS
Gloria Lucas began writing shortly after discovering her love of reading. She grew up as the oldest of four in a single-parent household. Her mother usually left for work before she and her siblings climbed onto the school bus and returned late in the evening. Reading was an escape and writing was a natural next step. In middle school, when tasked to interview someone in a coveted career field, she chose an author. However, doubt handed her realistic goals and, due to growing up below the poverty line, she put aside the idea of becoming a novelist and instead decided to enlist in the United States Navy.
Even so, she never fully gave up writing and privately penned poems and short stories about the people she met and the experiences she led. She would meet her husband in the military and they would go on to have two children. His death led to an early departure and she would end up serving seven years in the Navy. Afterwards, due to a series of circumstances, she would end up being a birth doula, midwife’s apprentice, and eventually a medical assistant and patient educator in a full-spectrum women’s clinic.
Her first novel, How Deep the Ocean, is inspired by the events of her husband’s suicide and her subsequent life afterwards. Gloria regards reading as an escape and adventure from real life, whereas writing she sees as cathartic. It took her almost a decade to feel brave enough to begin writing for the public eye and initially only published personal essays. Many exist on the Medium online platform. One of her first essays was on her experience with severe prenatal prenatal depression and anxiety. Her first published short story 'The Man Who Turned into a Mountain' was accepted by Palaver Journal. It is available as a free download on her website. Her foray into romance was short-lived and her contribution exists within the limited-edition anthology Fiesta Nights. Gloria enjoys writing about trauma and the human condition. Some samples of her work can be found on her blog. She holds an MBA in Healthcare Management and works in the healthcare industry. When she isn’t writing, one can find her hiking portions of the Appalachian trail with her fiancé, playing with her four children, or watching cheesy paranormal videos on YouTube.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF AUTHOR GLORIA LUCAS - www.glorialucas.com
Read Author Gloria Lucas's interview with DE MODE & about her upcoming books in the OCT-NOV-DEC 2022 GLOBAL ISSUE (MAGAZINE).
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11. 'SATURN' - BY AUTHOR & POETESS SUSY GASCA
Susy Gasca has written a brilliant debut poetry collection that compels readers to reflect and take a meaningful approach to their life. The collection, “Saturn” is an assembly of poems that embrace the concept of self-love during difficult experiences. The work is powerful and filled with intense emotions which are conveyed through a kaleidoscope of experiences in the form of free verse poetry. Each poem tells its own story but the collection flows effortlessly to demonstrate the complexity and unison of life’s journey. Throughout the anthology, readers get to witness rebirth and a heartbreaking love story between Saturn and the Moon which is a revival story in many ways.
Heartstrings are tugged as love in its purest form is put to the test in the form of the Universe’s Saturn and the Moon. This love will mould, challenge, and propel the reader into a first love meets true love whirlwind adventure. Bringing out the highest and lowest versions of each lover can be relatable to any human that has ever loved. “Saturn” exemplifies that love isn’t always simple, it’s a decision to be fought for and a decision teaching one to stay. Separation is trivial when it comes to a lifetime bond that is meant to last.
Gasca’s approach to the human condition will have readers contemplating their lives and choices. The collection will hold different meanings for each reader but permeates with the foundational aspects of life including love, growth, and happiness. “Saturn” is a safe place to question important elements within our own perceptions of human existence. It gently challenges the exploration of beliefs while stepping into the shoes of the writer. “The recurring LBGTQ+ themes presented in “Saturn” will resonate with those who struggle and have been marginalized. The book is a rallying cry that celebrates diversity, inclusion and most importantly Self-Love.”
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THE JOURNEY OF AUTHOR SUSY GASCA
Susy Gasca is a Hispanic woman in her twenties residing in the state of Arizona USA. She grew up in a conservative Christian household and is an active member of the LGBTQ+ community. She enjoys volunteer work during her spare time. She also works as a full-time nurse and enjoys helping, educating, and caring for patients. Prior to becoming a published writer, Gasca was a college student for years and decided to keep that learning mentality as she navigated different avenues. She enjoys reading literary fiction, poetry, contemporary fiction, and many other genres.
About 2 years ago she picked up writing as a form of therapy. It helped her to express feelings and mitigate anxiety in a healing way. Gasca wants to continue to find ways to reach and help heal people. She is also very open about her own healing journey as can be witnessed in her writing. Within her community, she’s a mental health advocate.
Although, Gasca fully advises and supports the use of professional therapy to best aid those struggling with their mental health, “Saturn” is the writer’s rawest expression of emotional solo therapy. “Saturn” is also Gasca’s debut poetry collection as a published writer. Gasca published her debut poetry collection as a self-love act for herself in hopes that it may also reach and comfort others grappling with any of the pressures involved with human existence. The poetess writes so that the human condition may be explored by any person that has experienced emotion (man, woman, etc). The story of Saturn and the Moon is intended to be relatable to all people. Straight or gay, “Saturn” is Gasca’s take on the universal language of love, heartache, healing, and redemption.
In her spare time, she writes to unwind and understand. Free-verse poetry is the genre that she prefers when mitigating and expressing complex emotions and ideas. “Saturn” is the first of more books to come from Gasca. The next poetry collection is intended to be just as organic and raw as the debut. More information on the next novel to be determined soon.
Read Author Susy Gasca's interview with DE MODE & about his upcoming books in the OCT-NOV-DEC 2022 GLOBAL ISSUE (MAGAZINE).
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12. 'SPIRITS OF THE ICE FOREST' - BY AUTHOR MAX DAVINE
Spirits of the Ice Forest is Max Davine’s take on the historical Icelandic attempts to tame what is now Canada’s Newfoundland. Focusing on the latter years of the attempted conquest, it begins with the first expedition of King Lief Eiriksson Thorvald Eiriksson and the brothers Helgi and Finnbogi who, having battled a native family and fragmented into two clans, come to hostilities between each other. Seeing a chance to seize power and approximate her brothers’ familial prestige, bastard half-sibling Freydis Eiriksdottir brings about the massacre of Helgi and Finnbogi’s camp, only to be exiled when she takes it upon herself to massacre the prisoners taken thereafter.
Seeing the invaders weakened, the local indigenous tribe of Oonban calls upon other groups to come together and mount a full-scale raid on the Icelandic stronghold of Straumfjord. By the time they managed to gather a significant force, Freydis has bargained with her half-brother Lief to be sent back to what they call Vinland and, along with merchant lord Thorfinn Karlsefini, repels the native attack. Despite her unpopularity with her own people, she also wins Thorvald’s sword Gunnlogi and the chiefdom of the Vinland clans. Almost immediately, she announces her plans to conquer the natives. Defeated and demoralized, the natives attempt to go about their normal lives. Demsduit, the strong-willed daughter of Oonban, is honoured when she survives a bear attack.
This is the story of the last, desperate attempt by the Vikings to tame what is now Canada's Newfoundland under their formidable Chieftain Freydis Eiriksdottir, one of the most notoriously fearsome shieldmaidens to ever have lived. And of the three natives of those ancient forests, Shanawdithit, Madawaak and Demasduit, who led their people to rise against an overwhelming force. This is the tale of the Spirits of the Ice Forest.
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THE JOURNEY OF AUTHOR MAX DAVINE
Born in 1989 in Australia, Max Davine grew up reading and writing and worked after school with students at RMIT’s film school, helping with their projects. At age 18 he worked with a Los Angeles-based production company on several projects and in 2010 joined the Melbourne Actor’s Lab as a student of Peter Kalos. After three years of acting roles in theatre, film, and television, Davine published his first novel, Terra Domina, in 2012. Angel Valence followed in 2013 and The Red Legion and Off The Map both in 2014 before the bestseller Dino Hunt in 2015. During a three-year break, he earned a Master of Literature before returning to publishing in 2018 with Mighty Mary with Tamarind Hill Press. Spirits of the Ice Forest followed in 2021. Davine has also published A Patchwork Nation on the Mythrill App and executive produced the Giallo film My Cherry Pie in 2022.
Despite being criticized for the unflinching and often graphic manner in which violence and cruelty are portrayed in his works, Davine’s novels explore and portray, often in shocking details, the destructive consequences aggression and hatred have on the human mind and the peril of choosing acts of violence where the heart is concerned. They are known to juxtapose nature’s beauty with its brutality and be deeply nihilistic when it comes to human society and law. Davine’s novels are evocatively written even given the constant changes to his prose style over the years and are rooted in fastidious attention to historical detail, the result of often painstaking research. Despite the dark tone of his work, readers often find life-affirming sentimentality cocooned in the sometimes overwhelming bleakness of the work’s overall tone. Max Davine's writing style really suited this genre, whilst keeping the focus on the main characters the story still moves at a good pace.
Away from books Davine is also a volunteer firefighter and has served for a number of years in Victoria’s fire-prone Dandenong Ranges now trains new recruits; is a lover of the ocean and coast guard volunteer and training officer; and a teacher of creative writing and literacy, mainly to disadvantaged women. He also holds a Master of Andragogy, is a fan of historical fencing, and has co-written two television pilots.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF AUTHOR MAX DAVINE - www.maxdavine.com
Read Author Max Davine's interview with DE MODE & about his upcoming books in the OCT-NOV-DEC 2022 GLOBAL ISSUE (MAGAZINE).
Download/Order the full issue here.
[ Want more? Check out our list of 6 NEW BOOKS TO READ THIS SUMMER: DE MODE OF LITERATURE]