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The Amber Menhir Virtual Book Tour

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The Shadows of the Monolith: Book One

 

Fantasy, Grimdark Fantasy, Horror, Satire, Politics

Date Published: October 3, 2023

Publisher: Spinner Loom Press

 

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“A GRIPPING DARK FANTASY THAT IMMERSES YOU IN A WORLD OF DEADLY POWER
POLITIC AND CORRUPTION.”  Richard Moriarty – The Sun

 

With each new dawn, the celestial body known only as ‘Calamity’
draws closer – and with it the end of the world. Humanity’s only
hope from oblivion rests in the menhirs, towering bastions of scholarship
and imagination which cast long shadows across the lands. The scholars
within the menhirs devote themselves selflessly to the discovery of new
magic that will help avert the impending apocalypse … or so the
masses have been made to understand.

In a society divided between those with occult potential and lay
citizens, Tara Langcraw is recruited into the Amber Menhir with great
interest. The long-awaited heiress of a bloodline bearing the rarest of the
six magical disciplines, time manipulation, she is expected to flourish
within this noble citadel of learning, as are her friends and fellow
recruits, Roland Ward and Peony Bianchi.

They soon find, however, that those who fail to meet expectations, or who
dare to challenge the prevailing order, put more than their marks on the
line. For the menhir squirms with rivalries, and those who stand against the
status quo may not stand for very long.

The Amber Menhir tablet

EXCERPT

CHAPTER 2

Fast Friends

Countless rows of gnarled grapevines, some laden with fruit, glistened in the midday sun. Seeing them sent a pang of pride through Tara. Riding apart from the others, she drank in the hues of gold, crimson, and chocolate speckling the leaves. She adn’t ridden this far out from her manor in some time. Apart from fields and a few small vassal villages, there wasn’t much to see. 

Tara studied her fellow riders. The Architect and the menhir servants babbled amongst themselves, paying the heritage vines around them little heed. It was clear to Tara they knew little about winemaking; otherwise they would have been impressed. Ahead at the confluence of the Spring Road and the Langcraw estates, more menhir servants on horseback gathered, each of them clad in the customary grey robes. The servants adjusted their cowls as they spotted Tara and her escorts. Ms. Ash cued her horse to trot, passing by Tara to greet the other servants. Beside them rode a boy in plain trousers and a green shirt bearing scrollwork. He rode atop a workhorse; his considerable height and weight seemed to demand it. 

Tara took stock of the boy. Given his lack of scholar’s robes, Tara concluded he must be the promised Ward ascendant.

The boy twisted in his saddle and beamed at the riders as they approached.

“Ms. Langcraw, this is your first ascendant colleague, Mr. Roland Ward,” Architect Blanchet announced. 

Roland Ward boasted a tanner complexion than any field-worker Tara knew. A dense constellation of freckles and moles dotted his two helpings of brow.

“It’s good to meet you, T-Tara. I hope your ride was nice,” Roland offered. 

Tara wasn’t confident in how to respond. His odd breathing before words caught her off guard, and her skin went hot as she searched for words of her own. 

“I like your coat,” he added. 

Tara gave him a cool nod. “A pleasure.”

She kept her features still as she examined him. Ms. Ash and the others glanced between the two soundless ascendants. Tara found herself wishing, not for the last time, that she were alone. She took in a breath and shot the Architect a pleading look. 

“Well, there will be plenty of time for you to become acquainted later,” called Architect Blanchet. “We should be going, or we’ll miss dinner!” 

Roland’s face beamed again at the mention of food.

As the caravan headed east, Tara situated herself alone at its tail. 

She watched Roland Ward as he made small talk with each of the menhir servants and the Architect. After their second afternoon stop, it seemed it was her turn for Roland’s attentions. Tara spotted his approach and spared him a feeble smile. A huge grin split his face. Tara looked away, suppressing a sigh. 

“How’s your ride going?” he called, drawing his mount beside hers.

“Fine,” she replied. She studied the apple orchards lining the north side of the road. She wished to be alone, but she didn’t want to appear heartless either. At least, not before she had a better measure of Roland.

 

Roland grinned at her. “You seem like you m-might be thinking about something important.”

Tara did not answer. He hadn’t really posed a question.

“Maybe you’re worried about your aptitudes?” he asked. His face twisted up with concern, which only made Tara want to vanish even more. Was he pitying her? “I w-worry about mine too. My family says 

that’s normal for ascendants.”

Tara rolled a shoulder to relieve some tension from the long ride and insipid conversation.

“Do you think you’ll be like the rest of your f-family?”Tara sighed. “Whatever do you mean?” 

The boy’s eyebrows shot up. “I mean . . . you know,” he stumbled. “With your aptitudes.” 

“You are not making sense,” Tara replied, with a bit more iciness than she intended.

“I mean, the aptitudes we’re supposed to learn at the menhir,” he clarified. “The th-th-thaumaturgical kinds.”

Tara turned away from him and suppressed another sigh. “My bloodline is strong. I will develop the same aptitudes as my mother, grandmother, and so on. It is why I am here.” 

Roland scrunched up his face. “You’ve never thought it might work out different?”

“No, Roland,” she assured him. “My family has transmitted their aptitudes with absolute fidelity. Our records go back thousands of years. Ask Architect Blanchet to see them, if you’re doubtful.” 

He blinked at that. Perhaps he was worried for himself? Perhaps he wanted to develop a sense of solidarity with her? Tara could not be sure. 

“S-some ascendants show different aptitudes than their parents,” said Roland. “I’ve heard some ascendants don’t show any thaumaturgical aptitudes at all.”

Tara had never heard of one of the Wards being denied full admission to the menhir for thaumaturgical barrenness, though the phenomenon was not unheard of. Still, Roland’s concern suggested his lineage might not be as firm as his family projected.

“I suspect those kinds of ascendants stem from poor developmental environments. That is not the case with the Langcraw line,” said Tara, letting an edge creep into her voice. “Do you have any other personal questions for me?”

He barreled on, “Will you really live forever?”

Tara groaned, then hated herself for doing so. “Nobody knows how long they will live, Roland. Not you, not me. I may be thrown from this horse and sever my spine. We could be killed by bandits from the Independent Cities. It’s the same for all of us.” 

She gave him a stony look, hoping his curiosity might be stayed. “Not like that.” He chuckled. “I mean, you know, if nothing bad happens to you, won’t you just go on living?” No one had ever conveyed to Tara how the typical noble knew about the Tilters of the Hourglass. Larus seemed to understand the gist. Langcraw servants had to. Generations of servants grew and died, While Eva Langcraw remained unchanged. It was not the sort of thing people overlooked.

“You’ve g-got to tell me!” Roland pleaded. He sounded like a child.

“Not exactly,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Assuming I manifest the aptitudes of the Tilters, I will age slower than most, but parts of me will age more than others.” 

Tara scowled at herself. She hadn’t meant to reveal the last bit. How soon she forgot her mother’s warnings. 

“What about you?” she parried.

“Oh,” he replied with a shrug, “my f-family are farmers. We’re Weavers of the web through and through.”

Seeming satisfied with the fruits of his interrogation, Roland took to ferreting out bits of lunch from his teeth with his tongue. When that failed, he made obnoxious sucking sounds to excavate the stubborn bits. After a long while at that, Roland turned his attention back to Tara.

 

About the Author

JONATHAN N. PRUITT

The Amber Menhir, book one of The Shadows of the Monolith series, marks the
debut of high fantasy author Jonathan N. Pruitt. A lifelong educator who has
taught around the world, Pruitt enjoys spinning spellbinding tales of dark
magic and political intrigue. When not toiling away on writing projects,
Pruitt can be found traversing about the great outdoors. For more
information, visit www.TheShadowsoftheMonolith.com.

 

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The Amber Menhir Blitz

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The Amber Menhir cover

The Shadows of the Monolith: Book One

 

Fantasy, Grimdark Fantasy, Horror, Satire, Politics

Date Published: October 3, 2023

Publisher: Spinner Loom Press

 

photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

 

“A GRIPPING DARK FANTASY THAT IMMERSES YOU IN A WORLD OF DEADLY POWER
POLITIC AND CORRUPTION.”  Richard Moriarty – The Sun

 

With each new dawn, the celestial body known only as ‘Calamity’
draws closer – and with it the end of the world. Humanity’s only
hope from oblivion rests in the menhirs, towering bastions of scholarship
and imagination which cast long shadows across the lands. The scholars
within the menhirs devote themselves selflessly to the discovery of new
magic that will help avert the impending apocalypse … or so the
masses have been made to understand.

  In a society divided between those with occult potential and lay
citizens, Tara Langcraw is recruited into the Amber Menhir with great
interest. The long-awaited heiress of a bloodline bearing the rarest of the
six magical disciplines, time manipulation, she is expected to flourish
within this noble citadel of learning, as are her friends and fellow
recruits, Roland Ward and Peony Bianchi.

They soon find, however, that those who fail to meet expectations, or who
dare to challenge the prevailing order, put more than their marks on the
line. For the menhir squirms with rivalries, and those who stand against the
status quo may not stand for very long.

 

JONATHAN N. PRUITT

The Amber Menhir, book one of The Shadows of the Monolith series, marks the
debut of high fantasy author Jonathan N. Pruitt. A lifelong educator who has
taught around the world, Pruitt enjoys spinning spellbinding tales of dark
magic and political intrigue. When not toiling away on writing projects,
Pruitt can be found traversing about the great outdoors. For more
information, visit www.TheShadowsoftheMonolith.com.

 

Contact Links

Facebook

Instagram

 

Purchase Links

Amazon

Kobo

 

 

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Boulong’s Cheese Blitz

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Humor, Comedy, Satire

Published: September 30, 2021

Publisher: Black Rose Writing

 

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The introduction of a successful vaccine against Covid has produced the
unintended side effect of rendering all gunpowder in the world inert. Every
weapon from a six-shooter to an atom bomb is now useless. However, on a
fifty-seven-acre island in the middle of the Doubs River that divides France
and Switzerland, a dairy farmer’s prized cheese spread has gone into short
supply and the world is about to go to war over its loss.

 

“Boulong’s Cheese” is spitfire humor, biting satire, and just
what the world needs now that the end of the pandemic is in sight. It pits
the Queen of England against the new, bald President of the United States,
and gives the Pope a way out of an embarrassing video. All the while,
Boulong, the producer of the world’s most desired dairy products,
tries to deal with his pregnant girlfriend and missing son.

Boulong's Cheese tablet, paperback

About the Author

Ricky Ginsburg

Ricky Ginsburg is one of those writers who sees a flock of birds heading
south for the winter and wonders what they talk about on their journey. His
portfolio consists of nearly 400 short stories, more than half of which have
found their way into various magazines, both paper and electronic, and seven
novels, half by Black Rose Writing and the other half self-published. While
much of his writing has elements of magical realism and humor, he also has a
serious side, but keeps it in a small plexiglass box under his desk.

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Snatch 2&20 Blitz

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A Satirical Romp through the Wall Street and Silicon Valley Swamps

Satire, Literary Fiction

Published: April 2020

 

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Would you sell your soul to a sociopathic hedge fund titan for tens of
millions in dirty cash? What about your sexy wife? What if it meant cozying
up to a neurotic and lecherous tech entrepreneur while risking your freedom,
and maybe even your life?

Snatch 2&20 is a satirical memoir parodying the author’s past
life as a hedge fund manager. It should not only be of interest to the fans
of the hit TV shows Billions and Silicon Valley, and books like The Wolf of
Wall Street and Liar’s Poker, but to anyone who wants an
insider’s take on the rotten core of our delusional plutocracy in this
second Gilded Age.

If you just say no to innuendo, then please enter with caution (as the
strumpet said to the stiff). But just remember that, in this case, the only
thing more offensive than the jokes is the truth they pillory- the
corruption of our financial elites and the system that enables them, the
ludicrous hype surrounding technology companies and their founders, and the
blatant hypocrisy of pretty much everyone. It is also, perhaps, one
man’s journey to find a grain of meaning in the castle of sand that is
his life.

 

Snatch 2&20 tablet

Praise for Snatch 2&20:

 “Snatch 2&20″ is a remarkable debut novel by Luke
Fellows and one I highly recommend. If you’re looking for an entertaining
escape and enjoy a little zing in your reads, this one scores off the charts
in originality, entertainment value and excellent writing. Well done…Among
the top stories I’ve read so far this year.” – Reader Views

“A raucous story told by a brilliant mind becomes something both
satirical and insightful in Snatch 2&20 by Luke Fellows…the novel
sings like a satirical sword cutting through the worlds of finance and the
realms of human folly, making Snatch 2&20 a timely caper that is both
amusing and insightful from start to finish.” -Self-Publishing Review.
4 stars out of 5.

“In this gloriously sardonic book…the descriptions and dialogue are
consistently pithy and snarky…Overall, this novel will be a riotous ride
for readers…Fast-paced and often hilarious fiction” – Kirkus
Reviews

“Complex, witty, dramatic, thought-provoking, and filled with business
and social inspection…Snatch 2&20 is engrossing, unexpected, and hard
to put down…” -Midwest Book Review

“Snatch 2&20 is just wild enough to support its destructive,
incongruously wholesome conclusion…a clever, cynical novel about the
absurdities of capitalism and the people who prop it up.” 4 Stars out
of 5- Foreword Clarion Reviews.

About the Author

 Luke Fellows is a forty-something recovering hedge fund manager. Born in
London, and educated at St. Paul’s School and Oxford University, he
sacrificed his love of Classics for a Wall Street career, moving to New York
City in 2000. After a sojourn at Harvard Business School, he made the leap
to Silicon Valley, where, in 2008, he co-founded a technology-focused hedge
fund, retiring as soon as his partners could practicably get rid of him.
Despite his best efforts to escape the bubble, he still lives with his wife
and three daughters near Palo Alto, CA. Snatch 2&20 is the first novel
he is admitting to.

 

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Matching Configurations – Book Tour

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QUANTUM
ROOTS III
Fiction,
Light Sci-fi, Satire
Date
Published:
March 2019
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Olan
Chapman returns in this third edition of Quantum Roots, as Calvin Cannonball
Cooper, a vigilante from yesteryear who uses powder guns, throwing knives and
cannonballs to neutralize the bad guys of today’s society.
History
books fail to mention Calvin Cooper, but this defender of the weak and  helpless, went down with Jim Bowie, Davy
Crockett and William B.Travis in that 1836 slaughter we remember as The Alamo.
Acknowledged
or not, Cooper lives again each time Olan Chapman dons a cavalry outfit, found
in a New England attic overlooking the sea.
Matching
Configurations is based on a belief that any quark assembly that spins through
a series of worm holes, must format with a matching configuration triggered
from this side of the Time Wall.
This
296 page novel contains some adult material not suitable for readers under 18.
EXCERPT

CHAPTER 1 

The intruder slipped into the masquerade party unnoticed, an easy feat in a noisy room filled with zany people and daffy costumes. 

Mickey Mouse was there, and Donald Duck. 
As was Bugs Bunny, Bat Man, the Green Lantern and a host of other rubber faces. The intruder wore a black head stocking to cover a black mustache and two evil eyes, spaced too close together. His name was Muhammud Dym Lyt Farouki. He had a picture of a camel painted on his car top, and a Luger tucked in his black waistband. He was here on a holy mission to kill women and baby infants. 

“I don’t see any children,” he whispered to a woman dressed as Xena-Warrior Princess. 

“This is an adult party” said the woman. 

“Allah will be angry,” replied the intruder. 

“I’m sure you can find your way back to your camel,” said the woman. 

World wars have been started with less fuel. The intruder pulled the Luger and aerated some mildewed ceiling tiles. 

Bedlam continued. 

The terrorist walked calmly to a roped off dance floor and targeted a be-speckled senior dancing with his wife. He shot the senior through the head. 

Screams filled the air as blood squirted to the floor. Party goers stampeded to the exits of this fire house second floor, only to find the stairwell doors locked. The terrorist fired more shots into the ceiling. 

All fell silent. 

“Thank you for your attention,” said the camel jockey, “I will now have all men drop to your knees, and all women line up against the wall for execution.” 

This particular Halloween gala was a staff party for employees of a small, New England computer firm. Mostly, the men had bookkeeper bellies and the women were anything but jocks. 

There wasn’t a hero in sight. 

Then, as the men knelt on trembling knees and women cowered against a stolid wall, deliverance appeared in the form of a U.S. Cavalry soldier. The terrorist was just about to execute the first woman in line, when the new comer came out of a nearby men’s room. He was dressed in blue and navy garb, with a flat brim stetson hat. A powder pistol hung from his right side, a throwing knife hugged his left thigh. 

The two men locked eyes. 

“Drop to your knees,” ordered the terrorist. 

“Fuck you,” said the soldier. 

The terrorist raised his pistol. 

Witness accounts would later vary on details, but the bottom line was written in blood. The cavalryman’s dagger went from it’s scabbard through the terrorist’s throat in a move second only to lightning. Not one witness could swear they saw the draw or the under hand throw. 

The men did testify that the terrorist’s broken ribs came from revengeful kicks to rectify being shamed to their knees. 

The cavalryman vanished. 

Other
Books in the Quantum Roots Series:
 photo Quantum Roots_zpsyrprsmhb.jpg
Quantum
Roots: The Vigilante Sightings
Fiction,
Satire
 
Federal
agents, Alexis Grumman and Jeremy Wade track down a current day vigilante,
whose fingerprints match those of a Korean War veteran. Author Kyle Keyes uses
characters from two previous novels, to promote a theory that particle energy
formats with a quantum root system, that can bypass time and space. Keyes
believes that such fiction could turn to fact as we move into the age of
quantum mechanics. Adventure fans everywhere should delight in this fast paced
action story, that brings yesterday’s gun play back to settle cyber-age
injustice. Synopsis: Jesse Joe Jacks was born sometime during the snow blizzard
of 1923. The Lower Elk County, game warden died from a lightning strike on July
23, 1959, while wearing a sheriff’s star. Olan Chapman came to life in August
of 1974 and found a computer career with a center city, electronics firm.
Chapman drinks heavy and is haunted by flashbacks of an older sister, lost to
an unsolved case of gang rape and murder. Jacks loved nature and lived to
protect wildlife. He stood tall and fought to uphold justice. Jacks was also a
crack shot with a firearm – any firearm. Chapman attends the theatre, plays
piano and at one time led a march against the National Rifle Association. Both
men have the same fingerprints, much to the chagrin of Lt General Alexis
Grumman who heads the federal department for para-normal activities. Working
with special agent, Jeremy Wade, Grumman breaks open the case when Chapman’s
fingerprints also match those of the vigilante.
 photo Quantum Roots II_zpszzymhozv.jpg
Quantum
Roots II: Worm Holes
Published:
February 2017
Genre:
Fiction, Satire
 
In
this sequel to Quantum Roots, the meekish Olan Chapman faces danger as
vigilante Samuel Leroy McCoy, a US deputy marshal who upheld law and order in
1876, Dodge City.
The
metamorphous holds an eerie transformation, cloaked with rolling sagebrush and
horse whinnies from yesteryear, which causes DPA Director, Alexis Grumman to
rethink the validity of worm holes.
“Creation
is a worm hole,” replies Dr Norman Daly, “Atoms require hadrons to form a
nucleus, and each hadron comes through it’s own worm hole. Two quarks form the
bi-dimensional plane needed to support the hole. The remaining quark squeezes
through this hole, after which the first two quarks follow to shape the hadron
to a given genetic, configuration. The hole then closes to divide time from timeless.”
The
gunfighter is wanted for multiple killings, a consequence that keeps the
slender computer wizard on the run from authorities – and domineering wife, Ivy
Chapman.
As
in Quantum Roots, aka The Vigilante Sightings, Quantum Roots II is based on mounting
evidence that people form from recycled energy.
 photo Matching Configurations print front and back_zpslfy2igkr.jpg


About
the Author

 photo Matching Configurations -Author-Kyle-Keyes_zpsby6txocd.jpg

Kyle
Keyes is widowed, has two children and an armload of grandchildren and great
grandchildren. When Keyes isn’t at work, he can be found in the nearest sand
trap, hitting himself in the ankle with a sand wedge.
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