"From the Dark to the Dawn" book review

  From the Dark to the Dawn by Alicia A. Willis is an intriguing novel that follows a well-used premise. It avoids clichés and delivers crisp life-like characters. And it stands as a sparkling fresh take on Roman history.
The story opens with a young Britain—Phillip—being captured by the Roman Empire. Phillip becomes a slave and is sold to a Roman named Marcus. This story follows these two men as they endeavor to survive a turbulent time in brutal Rome.
   For all its merit, the novel had some weaknesses. It lacked a lot of action considering the period. But it almost compensated with its dramatic and emotional plot.
There are some intense Christianity lessons in this novel which could be thought of as preachy. And unfortunately some of the premise has been used before (see Beric the Britain by G. A. Henty). But the novel keeps to itself enough to retain the sense of discovery and freshness that it wields.
   Miss Willis crafts the characters well—even the evil ones. You can’t help but sympathize with the good and bad, hoping that it will turn out okay in the end. The plot has some good twists that are very original.
   In other words, I liked it. I couldn’t help but cry at parts, smile at others, and love the characters by the end. I couldn’t stop reading and stayed up late a lot while reading this book.

8 stars out of 10!

While You (and I) are waiting for news about my book, here is a trailer of a book that a friend of mine has written.

While you're waiting for news about my book X-ality, feel free to watch this video. From the Dark to the Dawn  is coming out on July 18th. Check it out! I've read it and have posted my review on Goodreads and Amazon. I may release the review here on my blog in a few days. I'll keep you posted. =D

My Book is Getting Published . . .

It is official. I was #1 and won the CrowdScribed contest with 42000+ votes. Thank you so much for doing so much, sacrificing time, and everything else to help make this a success. Thank you. God be Praised.
P.S. Please share this to everyone that you told about my book. I can't reach everyone that has been helping, so I would appreciate it. They deserve to know.
P.P.S. This means that I'll be mentored by Jerry B. Jenkins and my book is GOING TO GET PUBLISHED.

Book Excerpt

 https://www.crowdscribed.com/challenges/74

Here is a preview/excerpt from my book. If you think this has potential and you haven't gotten around to voting my book up please do by clicking the link above. REMEMBER that you can cast your vote DAILY for my book NOT JUST ONCE! See *Update for my Book* for details.

                                                   X-ality

                                               Daniel Kuehn

                                                       Chapter 1

                                                           Dead

Yellow eyes in the dark. Screams rang. A rippling growl echoed in the night . . .

Jason Sorn gasped, blinking away the strange mental sounds and images. Where did that come from? He frowned and shook his head. Weird.

Jason sat at a table in a food court beside a Starbucks. The warm, kind, and sweet-sour smell of coffee grounds pervaded the air like quiet memories. Childish laughter surrounded him with feet pounding on the hard floor, and voices echoing in the large expanses of the mall.

“You okay?”

Jason jumped in his chair. He’d forgotten that his best friend Shane still sat across the table from him. Shane, a ginormous quarterback, grinned back at him. His dark brown eyes twinkled. “What’s wrong with you? You look a little—what’s the word—disgruntled?”

Jason smirked. “The football player has cracked open the dictionary!  Congrats on your first step to getting a brain cell. ”

Shane didn’t answer at first. He slurped up more Mocha Frappuccino from his cup and then rolled his eyes. “Hey, I like words. You know I’ve gotten straights A’s in English.” He was a quarterback through and through, but the strangest part of Shane’s personality was his love for words. He could be practicing football, laughing with his friends, and then later be in a corner reading a book during the same day.

Jason shrugged, chuckling. “Yeah, yeah, I know. In all seriousness though, I’m fine. So, where were we?” He wasn’t really fine, but how could he tell his best friend he’d just about jumped out of his skin over some yellow eyes and a scream in his head?

“I was trying to tell you that Kiera likes you,” Shane said.

“She doesn’t.”

“How do you know she doesn’t?

“Well, how do you know she does?”

“She always sits by you. You should see how she looks at you when she thinks no one’s looking. That’s evidence or I’m crazy!” Shane said triumphantly. He acted like a quarterback in football

 A blaze of yellow flashed. A sudden scream—

Chills raced up Jason’s spine as the sounds and images invaded his mind. His heart began to pound. He wiped his clammy forehead with the back of his hand. His skin felt hot. Do I have a fever?

Shane was still talking. “Of course, Kiera’s not a blond—which I prefer—but she’s cute, really cute.”

Jason tried to push the creepy images from his mind. “Sure, whatever you say, Miss Matchmaker.”

Shane looked offended. “I’m not a matchmaker! And I’m definitely not a ‘miss’.”

“Well, you’re acting like one.” Jason laughed, trying to brush the troubling images aside. Where did the thoughts come from? Jason started a mental tally of all the creepy movies he’d seen.

World War Z?

No.

 Aliens?

 Definitely not.

Just then, Jason’s iPhone buzzed. Fishing it out of his pocket, Jason glanced at the screen. It was a text from his mom.

YOUR FATHER AND I ARE DONE LOOKING AROUND THE MALL. MEET US @ THE CAR IN FIVE.

Jason looked at the time the message was sent. Twenty minutes ago! He got to his feet, jammed the phone in his pocket, and hurriedly grabbed his untouched Frappuccino off the table.

Shane stood up in surprise. “What’s up?”

“We need to go,” Jason said. “My mom told me to meet her at the car twenty minutes ago. My stupid phone is acting up again. It didn’t receive the message until now.”

Shane grabbed his green backpack from the floor and fell in line with Jason. He swaggered, tall, and strong with his brown hair and dark eyes finished the good looking package. Jason nervously checked the time again and hurried on.

Five minutes later, they reached the exit. The automatic doors slid open and the warm night air rushed into Jason’s face. The sounds of the mall became muffled as the doors shut behind them.

Jason fished his phone out of his pocket, checking for new texts from his mom. Nothing. Then he heard Shane gasp. “Wow.”

“What?” Jason looked up and stopped. The mall parking lot was crowded with cars and people. Cameras flashed. Reporters shouted behind yellow caution tape.  Gaping, Jason slipped his phone back into his pocket.

In the middle of this confusion, paramedics were hurriedly lifting two bodies onto gurneys. Jason couldn’t see anything from behind the paramedics. He stood on tiptoe and strained to make out the figures being carried away. His gaze caught a bare, slender hand hanging limply off one of the gurneys.

A diamond bracelet hung around the wrist.

Then the world stopped spinning for Jason. The flashing lights burned his soul like fire and he forgot to think—to breathe.

“Mom!” Jason cried. That’s her favorite bracelet! His heart plunged to his stomach, and he took off running. 

“Jason! Stop! What do you think you’re doing?” Shane shouted behind him.

Jason ignored him. He pushed through the crowd and ducked under the yellow tape.

A police officer stepped forward. “Hey! Stay back!”

Jason took no notice of the officer. He raced past him and reached the gurneys, shaky, and suddenly covered in sweat. “Mom! Mom!”

A paramedic was laying a white sheet over the woman’s face. It took Jason a full second to realize what that sheet meant. She’s . . . dead? Jason froze, stunned. His eyes flicked to the other gurney, where his father lay. His father’s bright blue eyes stared back at him blankly. His eyes sucked Jason’s mind into to their deep blue chasms. Another paramedic laid a white sheet over him, cutting Jason off from those blue depths.

No! No! No!

Jason stood upright, numb. A strong hand gripped his arm. “Hey kid, get back behind the caution tape!”

Jason turned, slowly. A police officer towered over him. His green eyes flashed. Normally Jason would’ve felt daunted by this tower of flesh but right now he just didn’t care. Nothing really mattered anymore. 

“Th-they . . . they were my parents,” Jason said.

The officer faltered, stood silent for a moment, and then his grip on Jason’s arm loosened. “You’re their son?”

“Yeah, I—I’m Jason . . . Sorn.”

The officer nodded. He took a deep breath and pinched his nose with his thumb and forefinger as if to think. “I’m Officer Yates.” He stopped to look at Jason again. “I’m very sorry for your loss. I—”

“How did this happen?” Jason interrupted, a lump beginning to grow in his throat.

Officer Yates’ jaw muscles twitched. “We don’t know. We got an anonymous call and found them in the alley over there.” He pointed to a dark opening between two buildings. “We got to the scene just as your mother died. She kept saying something about ‘a dark face’ and ‘glowing yellow eyes.’ That’s all I know, I’m sorry.”

Through his muddled and numb mind, Jason began to wonder. Glowing yellow eyes. A dark face. How can I know this?

Jason caught a glimpse of Shane pushing through the crowd. “Jason!”

Jason didn’t answer. Yates began to lead him away from the gurneys. He didn’t have the energy to resist, or talk, or anything. Cameras flashed. Shouts echoed loudly in Jason’s ears.

Shane ducked under the tape but was stopped by a female police officer. “Stay back, sir!”

“I’m a friend.”

“I don’t care, stay back!”

Shane ducked back under the yellow tape and waited. Shane’s eyes met Jason’s. Neither one spoke.

Jason couldn’t help looking back—just one more time. The bodies were still lying on the gurneys. The flashing lights burned his parent’s forms into his soul. Tears filled his vision. They’re gone.

*Update For My Book* The Contest . . . The Link . . . And You . . .

It has been many a moon since I blogged last. Whoops.

Well, I have good and bad news folks. The bad news is that I've been waiting for quite a while for anything to happen. No publishers have contacted me even though I've taken some lengths to get their attention.
The good news is . . . I've submitted my book to a website called CrowdScribed.com. Its a competition to get the most votes. Whoever gets the most votes will get their book published and Jerry B. Jenkins becomes his/her mentor as they edit the book.

Its a $5,000 package. This is what it includes:

• One-on-One Mentoring by your choice of Celebrity Mentor
• Editorial review and treatment of your manuscript
• Professional cover design and interior
• A personal marketing representative to help with getting the word out about your book
• A publishing contract with CrowdScribed, including distribution through the largest distribution network in the world

I've gotten 183 votes so far. I've contacted friends and family on social media and have them gotten them to spread the word. But the thing is, I need a lot of help. The contest ends in 11 days. I am in 3rd place right now. The 1st slot goes to a book that has nearly 2,000 votes.
I'm in this for the long haul of 11 days and counting. Please contact friends and family through social media, email, blogging, etc. And once you've convinced someone to vote, encourage them to pass it on. If you "just" vote this will probably fail. But if you takes some lengths to help this could be a movement. Here is the link:https://www.crowdscribed.com/challenges/74
It is all up to God. But could you consider doing your part? Its a race of 11 days. . .

P.S. By the way, the link has a full synopsis of my book in case you are dying to know what happens in my book.

The Moon

  I just thought I would post a excerpt of a book idea I had. It's short and sure it's a rough draft but I enjoyed writing it. I have no idea where to go from here but I thought it would be enjoyable to let others read it. Please feel free comment:




                                                                    THE MOON






  The Moon. That is the first thing I see. The pale orbs light fills my soul with a solemn wistful warmth.
  I'm lying on my back, on hard ground. Cold air whips around me with soft sighs.
Where am I? I sit up and look around. Tall black pines surround me on every side. The trees filter the light of the moon into beams.
  My mind starts to spin. How did I get here?
  Silence surrounds me like a shroud. The loneliness of the forest gnawed at my being and the darkness grips my throat in fear. Who am I?
  I sit up . . . and gasp. All my senses  are heightened, well, I can't remember anything different. But maybe I do; I just don't know.
  The wind is cold. I don't feel its bite, even though I'm naked except for a brown cloth that hangs from my hips down to to just above my knees. 
  Dry snow crunches under me as I stand up on bare feet and gingerly take a step. It isn't cold to my skin. I look down at my feet confused. I shrug. It doesn't hurt and that's all that matters, I guess.
  I stop, listening to the night air. I can hear human laughter far away among the pines. One man's voice is uniquely deep.
  Then I hear the deep chested growl behind me. 



 

*Update*: My Book

   Thank you for waiting so patiently for news about my book. After WinePress Publishing closed their doors, my family and I have been looking for another publishing house. You can imagine how crazy things got when I began talks with Deep River Publishing. But due to financial issues the negotiations are on hold and I'm looking for another publisher . . . again.
  
   But God has been extremely merciful. A family member of mine who was the first person to point me toward WinePress, requested to read the latest copy of my manuscript. After I sent it to her, she didn't respond for a few months and I had totally forgot about it. Well, lo and behold, she contacts me today saying that she not only read the manuscript but passed it on to three publishers and is waiting for them to reply. Also, I've been preparing a proposal letter to post on ChristianManuscriptSubmissions.com.

   ChristianManuscriptSubmission.com is a epicenter where top Christian Publishers come looking for new books. Since the proposals are all cataloged its easier for Publishers (and agents) to find types of book they're looking for.
   So in other words, God has been showing me different ways to get my book out in the open and has been doing most of it without my knowing it.