Category Archives: News about the author

It’s time for the 6th Annual RRBC Writers’ Conference and Book Expo

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To all my writer friends and book lovers out there: Every year the Rave Reviews Book Club holds a Writers’ Conference and Book Exposition. Lucky you: it starts tomorrow, August 9th. You can learn new skills, plus if you visit each author’s booth, you might just win a prize! Here’s the official notice:

Hello, followers and friends!
Monday, August 9th, is the start of RRBC’s 6th Annual Writers’  Conference & Book Expo, and we’d like to invite you to drop by!
There will be games, prizes, surprises and other goodies, so be sure to visit each Author Booth, take a look around, then leave a comment for your chance to win each Author Booth’s door prize!  
There is a Scavenger Hunt Game to play, a 2 Truths & a Lie Game to play and more!  In each Author Booth, you will find a clue, and if you find the correct answer to all the clues and are the first to submit your answers, you could be the winner of an awesome prize!  
Of course, we’ll have our READING ROOM open and one of our members is going to blow you away showcasing their talent!  
If you’re into BINGO, purchase your BINGO cards and join us for a game or two!
And what we all wait for every year – our RAFFLE!  Yes, each year we raffle off (7) $100 Amazon gift cards and this is open to the public so go on and snag your tickets today!  Raffle tickets are only $5!  How awesome would that prize be?  Some of them also include additional goodies like other gift certificates, ebooks, and more!  Enter for your chance to win one or more of these $100 Amazon gift card gift baskets.  The more tickets you buy, the greater your chances of winning.  (Please do not purchase more than 7 tickets).
This year for the first time ever, we’ve added our BEST BOOK COVER CONTEST!  This contest is open to the general public so go ahead and enter your book cover(s) now!  Share your comments with us and let us know which one you think is best!
Click for a full ITINERARY OF EVENTS!  
The venue opens at 5 PM CT on Monday, 8/9/21.  We hope to see you there!  In the event of minor time delays, please check the sidebar of the RRBC website for updates.

What did I tell you? Sounds like a hoot and a holler if you ask me. If you stop by my booth, please say hello. Have a great week.

The Riddle of Satan’s Cube

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I am pleased to announce that my latest novel, Carl Prescott and the Riddle of Satan’s Cube will be launched in Kindle and paperback versions on Tuesday, June 30, 2020. Please check out the cover and back cover story below. I am also providing a link to the Amazon page in case you want a sneak peek. I sincerely hope you will find it as action-packed and riveting as I did.

Carl Prescott has been spirited away to Limbo, an emptiness of lost souls where the gods bicker and fight, but will not admit their failure. Even in this terrible place, our hero encounters oddly familiar spirits. When Aida and Sylvia come to help, Satan, the true Lord of Limbo, expels them to seal his ultimate triumph over God.

Carl Prescott and Aida Whitehall arrive in yet another universe with even more similarities to their own. This universe is almost dead, so they better hurry. The Sun will explode in days, and if they cannot stop Satan before then, the Cycle of the Universes will end, and Limbo will be our only future. Fortunately, Lord Zed arrives in time to help.

Satan’s Cube is a nonstop action adventure spanning all of creation from the beginning of time through its end, and beyond. Once again, the future will be determined by Carl Prescott’s actions. He must resolve the Riddle of Satan’s Cube, or existence will end, and we will all be eternally enslaved by the Evil One.

This story offers a unique look into the origins of existence itself. Of course, it is a fantasy, but I hope you read and enjoy it. All the best!

Carl Prescott and the Vengeful Gods #RRBC

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Book three in the Carl Prescott series arrives in just two weeks! At the end of book 2, Carl Prescott and the Demon Queen, our hero learned that even though it is not possible, the priest and priestess who had joined Sylvia in the group hug, did form a new universe. As book 3 begins, Carl learns that several of his friends and professors have been sucked through a wormhole and are now in the other universe. Carl Prescott volunteers to venture there as well in order to save them. Sylvia chooses to join him on his new quest. Here is the description from the back cover:

When Carl Prescott stopped Sylvia, the Demon Queen, from destroying our universe, he sincerely believed his life could get back to normal again. Yet the duties of the Invisible Hand never end. Somehow, the priest and priestess who helped Sylvia did form another universe, and many of Carl’s friends were sucked through a wormhole and are now stranded there.

In order to rescue their friends, Carl and Sylvia must venture through the wormhole to enter the false universe. Their journey is fraught with danger as the God King and God Queen are not alone. Even though Carl carried Sylvia, Gabriel, and Constance out of the gravity wave, somehow they are in the false universe too. Another riddle that must be resolved before they can escape back to the real world.

The action and danger become more intense as Carl endures one outrageous challenge after another. To make matters worse, the existence of the false universe contradicts physics, and has already begun to come apart. Hopefully, Carl and his friends will not fizzle out of existence along with it.

This is how I would explain the plot:

Vengeful Gods takes a first peek into the possibility of another universe. Many friends of our hero have passed through a wormhole and become prisoners of the gods who created the false universe. Since they were not truly God, their creation has an expiration date that approaches quickly. The task becomes more complicated as Carl learns the truth of the false universe. In order to fulfill his obligation to Emmanuel, he must find a way to bring everything that slipped through the wormhole back home. Otherwise, anything remaining will cease to exist, including him and his friends. To make things worse, the gods of the false universe do not foresee their coming extinction, and will do anything to stop and destroy their only chance for survival. 

Carl will face his worst fears, but Aida, Grace, Barbie, Burt, and Sylvia will be there to help and provide some much needed perspective. Even though Carl Prescott has crossed the Rope Bridge and accepted the truth of physical reality, now he has to learn what that truth means for him and existence itself.

As with all the books in the series, Vengeful Gods is action packed and full of surprises, many of which are unpleasant. Old and new friends, including the Rope Bridge, will be there to help. But even when his journey ends, it begins again.

This series is all about discovering the true nature of our existence and connection with the Most High. At this point, I believe book 4 will be the last in the series. Keep an eye out for Carl Prescott and the Riddle of Satan’s Cube.

Spotlight Author for the Rave Reviews Book Club

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I am honored and humbled to be named July Spotlight Author for Rave Reviews Book Club. #RRBC is the home of incredible readers and writers who adore the written word as much as I do. If you are an author and looking for the best support and camaraderie around, check us out and join the fun. You won’t regret it. I certainly have enjoyed by five years of membership.

Here is an excellent example of the support they continue to give me:

#RRBC, and especially our great president, Nonnie Jules, thank you so much for all you do for aspiring writers like me.

A Tale of Three Stories

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Now that my new novel, Carl Prescott and the Demon Queen, has been published, I started thinking how that story relates to my earlier books. In Demon Queen, the hero turns out to have been in romantic relationships with the demon queen through many prior lives. Oddly enough, two of my earlier novels were quite similar in that regard.  

Most recently, The Old House: An Everlasting Love Story was the story of Simon Peter Carter who turns out to be the reincarnation of his great grandfather. He had been married to Hannah (Cassandra in previous lives) over and again. In that story, both were normal humans.

A bit earlier, I wrote Hand of God. The Angel Constance and the protagonist have been in love for all time, although Josh had no recollection of those lives.  

So, three totally different stories with a common thread. Even though all the stories are action-packed, and frankly terrifying in many ways, it turns out that I am a romantic at heart, counting on love to protect the hero and ensure his ultimate victory.  

Anyway, I thought it was interesting, and certainly something I never planned. If you read any of my stories, please let me know what you think. Thank you for joining me on this adventure.

Site Update and My Twentieth Book

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I have changed the layout of this website to focus more on my blog, which of course you can tell as this is now the home page. You will also note the menu item for “The Books”, which will take you to the new bibliography of my stories to date. I plan to start posting all of my reviews of other author’s books. We writers have to stick together and help the public know about the wonderful tales we are crafting every day.

I would also like to announce that my twentieth book will be published on Tuesday, May 28, 2019 in both Kindle e-book and paperback formats. Here is the title and link to its page: Carl Prescott and the Demon Queen. This is the second book in my young adult fantasy series about a group of friends with incredible talents who venture to the Bertrand Aloysius Thorndike Educational Institution to learn how to use and control their abilities. Here is the Amazon link where you can preview it as well. And what good would a new book spiel be without the cover?

Welcome to “SONGS OF HEARTSTRINGS” Blog Tour! @MHurdle112 #4WillsPub #RRBC

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It’s time to hear from another amazing Rave Reviews Book Club author, Miriam Hurdle. Just sit back and enjoy her poetry.

“Songs of Heartstrings” Blog Tour

Day 1

From the Author

This is Day 1 of “Songs of Heartstrings” Blog Tour. I want to thank 4WillsPublishing for setting up the tour and my host to have me here.

This poetry collection includes nine themes: Songs of Nature, Songs of Dissonance, Songs of Physical Healing, Songs of Marriage, Songs of Parenthood, Songs of Tribute, Songs of Reflections, Songs of Challenge, and Songs of Inspiration. Each of these themes covers various aspects of my life experience. Many poems are illustrated with my photos and watercolor paintings.

Songs of Heartstrings received a 5-Star review from Readers’ Favorite: https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/songs-of-heartstrings?fbclid=IwAR092vCKbtTdbUea6kW90qdVvrvxYHpUdkpCueW7XtcUzKNMzukisBgVBfs

 Other book reviews are available on Amazon: http://wwAmazon.com/dp/B07K1S47W9 

The introduction:

Songs of Heartstrings is a poetic memoir. It comprises nine themes:

Songs of Nature – Lessons learned from observing the surviving power in nature.
Songs of Dissonance – Survival of ten years in the agonizing, painful, helplessness and distressful relationship.
Songs of Physical Healing – Experience in an invasive melanoma cancer, the faith and hope along the process of aggressive chemotherapy and treatments.
Songs of Marriage – The giving and receiving of love in a mutual respect and committed marriage.
Songs of Parenthood -The reflection of having a premature baby, the joy and fulfillment of parenthood.
Songs of Tribute -Remembrance of parents’ tender love for each other, and a true friend’s untimely death.
Songs of Reflection -Thoughts on the daily walks, value of life and the power of music.
Songs of Challenge -Poems written in response to Colleen’s Poetry Challenge.
Songs of Inspiration -Insight on the finite human being and gratitude toward the Maker.

Highlighted poems from Songs of Nature: Echo of the Earth and Cocoon – Butterfly

On May 18, 1980, Mt. St. Helens in the Washington State, U.S.A was erupted. It was a major eruption among the 48 states since 1915. The ash drifted over many states and could be seen as far as Chicago. The evacuation was announced before the eruption. Mr. Harry Truman, the caretaker of a resort lodge refused to be evacuated. He preferred to die with the mountain, so he, along with five residents, died with the mountain.

I was in Seattle when Mt. St. Helens wad erupted. It was my desire to hike Mt. St. Helens and see what it was like years after the eruption. My family and I went back to visit on September 10, 2016. The mud and debris still filled the river. The bottom of the mountain had some signs of growth. I was amazed to see the life after such a devastation.

Echo of the Earth

Let me embrace the stillness as

the ocean reflects the light in the night.

Endure the suffering as

stones engraved with carvings.

Remember kindness as

the dried field once flooded with rain.

Forgive the self as melted snow

came and drained.
Die to the desire as

leaves withered and returned to the earth.

Open to a new life as

seeds rise in spring search.

Be content with the humility as

blossoms unfold the new beginning.

Acknowledge the limitation as

ants crawl on the ground feeding.

Take courage in independence like

the trees stand alone.
Treasure the caring as

mothers secure and protect their own.

Be grateful for the freedom as

the eagle soars high in the sky.

Echo to the life miles

beneath the earth and bottom of the sea!

Cocoon – Butterfly

Sad and lonely,

Hurt and discouraged,

Lost with emptiness,

Trapped in anguish.

Where are you, Lord?

I’m everywhere, I’m here with you.

Help me, Lord.

I’m all powerful. Here’s my help.

It’s so dark. I can’t see.

Here’s my hand. Follow my lead.

I can’t move. I’m weak.

I’m almighty. I can carry you.

I feel something…

I know.

I see a dim light.

Yes.

I’m coming out.

That’s right.

I’m different. It’s a transformation.

I see.

I’m beautiful.

I made you!

Miriam Hurdle is a multi-genre writer. She writes poetry, flash fiction, and short stories and memoir. Her poems are included in Letters to Gaia, Whispers and Echoes Issue 2, Whispers and Echoes Issue 3, and Outcast and More Words.

She is passionate about poetry and her favorite poets are Robert Frost with his poems “The Road Not Taken,” and Linda Pastan with her poem “To a Daughter Leaving Home.”

She is a member of PoemHunter.com, and her poetry may be read on the websites.


Music has rooted in her life. Being a soloist as a teenager led her to taking voice lessons and to have ongoing singing engagements. She continues to sing soprano in choral groups. Lyrics have a major influence in the natural flow of her melodic writing. She writes memoir in the form of poetry.

Along with her brother, she took photos when the films were black and white. Photography is still her enjoyable hobby. Drawing and painting were fun activities as a child. Her favorite was to draw a Japanese girl with big eyes, long hair, small lips and chin. She resumed drawing and watercolor painting several years ago. In her poetry collection, photos and paintings are included to illustrate the poems.

She earned a Doctorate of Education from the University of La Verne in California. After two years of rehabilitation counseling, fifteen years of public-school teaching and ten years in school district administration, she retired and enjoys life with her husband in southern California.

Links to Purchase the Book:

Amazon Universal Link: http://smarturl.it/SongsofHeartstrings 

Amazon UK Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07K1S47W9  

Amazon.com Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K1S47W9 

Contact the Author:

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Miriam-Hurdle/e/B07K2MCSVW?ref=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000

Website: https://theshowersofblessings.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mhurdle112

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miriam.hurdle.1

To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the author’s tour page on the 4WillsPublishing site.  If you’d like to book your own blog tour and have your book promoted in similar grand fashion, please click HERE.  
Lastly, Miriam is a member of the best book club ever – RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB {#RRBC}! If you’re looking for amazing support as an author, or if you simply love books, JOIN US! We’d love to have you!
Thanks for supporting this author and her work!  

The Latest Novel Launches in Five Days

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My latest novel will be published in e-book and paperback on January 15, 2019. Carl Prescott and The Sleeping One is my first young adult fantasy and part one of a new series to follow the adventures of Carl and his friends. As with all of my stories, it focuses on the traits I value most: family, friendship, love, and faith.

Carl and his friends, Grace Mulligan and Burt Jackson venture far from home to attend the Bertrand Aloysius Thorndike Academic Institution, located in the Azores Islands in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. Thorndike is one of two schools on Earth that cater to the unusual talents of their students.

It is a tale of four students who discover their talents are far beyond anything they could have imagined. It is also a story of new love and enduring friendship.

The Sleeping One is also a book about good and evil. The second school believes that the talents should be used to enslave the world rather than help humanity. Headmaster Greenleaf and Professor Thorndike VIII recognize Carl’s growing talents and realize the fourteen year-old may stop their plans. Soon, the battle is joined and the future of Earth is in the hands of Carl Sandberg Prescott.

Follow this link to the book page on Amazon. If you decide to read the story, please let me know what you thought. Join the Adventure! #RRBC

The Revolution Series is Complete

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The last book in the series, 2125: Home of the Brave, will launch in less than two weeks, July 24 to be precise. This book closes the story on our hero, Jack Kennedy. The theme for the final book: The madness must end. He and his family have been trying to evade the cannibals who have taken over our country for four long years, since the evening of July 3, 2121, when he and Tom Wainwright wandered into the nearby Ottumwa Free City.

In book one, 2121: Twilight’s Last Gleaming, they are forced to leave the only home they’ve ever known. As they discover how widespread the cannibal epidemic has become, they eventually arrive near the ruins of San Diego, California. But their successful escape is short-lived, when they discover the cannibal city of Los Muertos, built on the ruins of Los Angeles.

So dawns the new year and the next adventure, 2122: The Perilous Fight. In book one, cannibalism was about keeping the masses of people fed and controlled. This time, it is personal. One member of Oren Marshall’s family has made an epiphany. All of the problems the cannibals have faced are due to one person: Jack Kennedy. Henry Marshall was mayor in Ottumwa when Jack and Tom stopped by for dinner. He was HHS Director for Kansas City when the caravan from the co-op passed through. Henry is convinced that only Jack’s death can keep the cannibal dream alive.

After somehow surviving the maniac, events return to normal for the co-op farmers who have now resettled the Central Valley of California. The Orenite cannibals have been forced to flee their stronghold and head north. Peace has come at last, or has it? 2123: Dawn’s Early Light is a tale of personal vendetta, and the retaking of the United States by the cannibals. It also introduces the Olympians and their sentient robots. We discover that Oren Marshall was not the originator of the cannibal craziness. He is following the lead of his extended family. The robots will discover the horrors of the Clarksville slaughterhouse, and the massive human cattle-lot known as The Atlanta Society. It will end with the assassination of the sitting president, a cannibal as well.

Life turns normal as 2125: Home of the Brave begins. Not for long though. The collapse of the United States and Caliphate invasion has forced the remaining cannibals to the San Francisco Bay Area. Instead of one million, there are now ten million cannibals. They also have an army, nuclear weapons, and a plan to take over the world. In this fast-paced action thriller, old enemies become friends, the Olympians face extinction, and Jack Kennedy goes to war. The madness will end, but not before Jack faces the butcher more than once.

All e-books are on special during July. As a proud #INDIE #RRBC author, I hope you check them out.

A Few Words About the Revolution Series

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My latest series is called the Revolution series, and it is my first venture into the Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic genre. As far as I know today, there will be four books, two of which have been published, one is ready for publication, and the final book is still undergoing a final reread before editing, and cover design.  The original concept came from the last book I wrote before starting this journey, The Old House: An Everlasting Love Story.

The Old House is an interesting tale of soulmates who meet again in one life after the next, and more crucially how they met in their current life-times. The house plays a critical role throughout. The house have followed them too, with quite dramatic changes over the millennia to be sure. As Simon Carter opens each door, he finds passages to different time. In one, he discovers the horribly messed-up world of 2121. It is that world I try to recreate in the new books. A future Simon Carter also plays a role, although he is not a central character.

These books tell the story of Jack Kennedy, a boy born in 2107. In his world, America is in shambles. Long before he was born, the national debt became unsustainable, causing the currency and economy to collapse. Since the USA is such a large part of the global economy, the world economy collapsed as well. Now, the political and economic elites live in luxury in their domed city-centers, while everyone else lives in squalor. The domes are surrounded by weathered tenements where the workers eek out an existence. Further out, the poor live in miserable slums. The cities are walled to offer some protection, while the countryside is overrun by gangs and terrorists.

To be honest, there is some of my political view embedded in the story, but not much. Like many of my tales, the story is about fighting against seemingly impossible odds to survive and save the once great nation. Unfortunately for everyone else, the future depends on what Jack and his friends do.

Please check them out. Reviews are highly prized by me and other Indie authors. If you do read one or more, please do let me know what you thought.

And be on the lookout soon for 2123: Dawn’s Early Light. A few months from now, the finale, 2125: Home of the Brave will close it out. Thanks for your interest.

Karl (proud member of #RaveReviewsBookClub)