What Beauty

How might the Olympian Gods we know from reading change if we were to allow our imaginations to see their true ages? Time changes all people — even gods — and when their day-to-day mischievous lives no longer play a role in human affairs, what then do they become? New York sculptor Minus Orth has an idea. He'll explain this all, and give our imaginations the figures to uphold."I want to read this book. I must read this book." — Amazon Breakthrough Novel AwardMinus Orth's "eccentricities ... make him the iconoclast he is intended to be."— Publishers WeeklyNoted author Mark Beyer, along with Siren & Muse Publishing, bring you a story about obsession, identity, and art. How might the Olympian Gods change if we were to allow our imaginations to see their true ages? Time changes all people — even gods — and when their day-to-day mischievous lives no longer play a role in human affairs, what then do they become? The image of shriveled skin is too apt to ignore. And, above all, what do we associate with the aging of these gods within the condition of our modern times?Minus Orth has an idea which can explain this, and give our imaginations the figures to uphold. He is sculpting the mighty figures of myth — and the not-so-mighty — in an art cycle he has titled "Mythical Gods in Their Twilight" without the least irony. And his creations have not come without a price.Noted author Mark Beyer, along with Siren & Muse Publishing, bring you a story about obsession, identity, and art.Minus Orth walks dogs for a living and sculpts for his life. He has a girlfriend, Belinda, who’s itching to get married. His friend, Peter N, has reaped artistic success that’s both inspirational and a thorn. He plays poker with a quartet of exiled aristocrats. And at Minus’s art co-op, the residents live on the fringe of society. One day Minus crosses paths with Karen Kosek, best remembered as a culture critic of the 1960s. Karen dropped out of sight years ago. Now she dresses as a bag lady — ragged clothes, a garbage smell, and bulging plastic bags she carries as if they hold the secrets to the good life. Minus orchestrates a tenuous relationship with Karen, and discovers in her a woman who has not been trampled underfoot, but is burrowed deeper in society’s crust than anyone could imagine.Thus begins an odyssey in which Minus becomes obsessed with Karen’s past and present, obsessed with creating his sculpture cycle, and with the role artists play in society’s split personality. “Do you have what it takes to make something beautiful?” is a question that comes to the minds of many characters in this story. Their answers are hilarious, confused, self-delusional, virtuous, or simply truthful, because the people who create beauty are different from those who value beauty, and far afield from the powers able to help it flourish … or destroy it.
Views: 753

E'steem: Little Girl Lost

Little Girl Lost! When E’steem finds Melissa, a lost little girl wandering around Times Square, she runs afoul of Brimstone Jack, a demon pimp out to get a payday at the child’s expense. Can the Devilish Diva beat back Jack and his exotic army of demon dancers and help the lost little girl get back home?Adar Rahid has only been a general for two months, but his problems are already multiplying. He has his hands full with a father who wants to kill him and Helam Morgol, another general who is secretly laying plans to take over the Rarbon city government. When Adar interrupts a brutal attack he is quick to accuse Helam of being the orchestrator, but reconsiders after a confrontation with Helam leaves him wondering if Helam is just as much of a pawn as he. While events unfold Adar Rahid struggles to find a distinction between his methods and those employed by Helam Morgol as both take drastic actions to gain the upper hand. Readers are taken on an adventure between dueling generals in this tale of epic fantasy and science fiction. This action packed story is based in the War of the Fathers universe and happens twenty three years before the events in War of the Fathers. This is the second of four parts.
Views: 740

The Six Story Fault

Two smashed bodies are found at the foot of an elementary school. Bill McCoy is called of his current case, another murder, to investigate. He doesn’t know why - until he sees the bodies. One of them isn’t exactly human.Two smashed bodies are found at the foot of an elementary school. Bill McCoy is called of his current case, another murder, to investigate. He doesn’t know why - until he sees the bodies. One of them isn’t exactly human.“The Six Story Fault” is a solvable science fiction mystery set in a deeply detailed world. It is written in the vein of an Asimov robot story, and inspired by Alan Moore’s Watchmen.
Views: 738

Planet X91 The Beginning

Planet X91 the beginning is a sci-fi adventure series. Onboard shuttle number one in hyper sleep are Clay Silver 16, Florian Fawkes 15 Josh Quinn 12. They wake five minutes before they crash. The three have to be a team to survive. What dangers will they discover? Will they be rescued? One bad mistake and the newest human colony of three will be extinct. Two questions remain. Who did it and why?Clay, Florian and Josh make a pact to vote on everything they do. To guarantee Florian survives, her safety is put first. Every move they make has to be planned. The building they landed near turns out to be a spaceship. Reading the ledger on what species of animals were on board the craft the trio uncovers the secret of what had been in the cages. For twenty years the animals have roamed free. Now they are hungry for human blood. Abandoned and alone the three young adults have to fight to survive.
Views: 734

Legendary Blue Diamond

Legendary blue diamond is set in Australia mid 1800’s when bushrangers and the gold rush were active. Jessica Hayes steals her blue diamond from under the nose of her husband’s murderer. Bushrangers steal the diamond from her. She sets out to get it back and enlists the help of an aborigine man, Lightening Dawn. They fall in love. The bushrangers want the diamond back and threaten their lives.Some say the legendary blue diamond commenced in Australia in 1850 when a man who had skin, the colour of the night sky and a woman who had skin the colour of the sun were united as one. Jessica Hayes was robbed. Her blue diamond ring was stolen from her finger and she sets out to get it back. Lightening Dawn is an aboriginal black tracker. Together they set out to get it back. Soon they come face to face with the bushranger. He warns Jessica he’ll stop at nothing to take back what she stole including her death. On the trail of the blue diamond Jessica and Lightening Dawn fall in love. Will love triumph?
Views: 726

The 2084 Precept

What would you do if you met a businessman in a London coffee shop who made you a ridiculous offer of €500,000...merely for you to participate in a series of interviews? Would you assume the offer to be that of a deranged person, a fraudster or a joker? And irrespective of that, for €100,000 in advance and non-returnable, would you attend an initial meeting? Well.....would you?THE 2084 PRECEPT (A Novel)"Only two things are infinite, the universe and the stupidity of the human race, and I'm not quite sure about the former."Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)"Forgive them, for they know not what they do."Jesus Christ (The Christian Bible, Luke 23-34)What would you do if you met a businessman in a London coffee shop, who made you a ridiculous offer of €500,000...merely for you to participate in a series of interviews? Would you assume the offer to be that of a deranged person, a fraudster or a joker? And irrespective of that, for €100,000 in advance and non-returnable, would you attend an initial meeting? Well.....would you? And if you did attend the initial meeting, and your interviewer claimed not only to be a successful businessman but also a discharged inmate of an institution for the mentally ill? And if he was suffering from the delusion that he was an extraterrestrial student, and that he wanted to interview you for his thesis on the dominant lifeform on this planet? And if the €100,000 advance turned out to be real? Would you report him to the authorities as a deranged person in dire need of care?Or if you postponed reporting him, and the ensuing payments were also real and continued to flow, what then? And would you stop if subsequently questioned by an obscure department of the national security forces?Interesting questions for cynical business consultant Peter O'Donoghue. Would you have done as he did?
Views: 706

The Stolen Days of John Mann

Part 1 of All The Days of John Mann. Long years after the virus made the leap, Choke survivor John Mann vows to track a taken boy whilst he himself is hunted by those who would use him, either as source for a vaccine, or as weapon.Part 1 of All the Days of John Mann.Long years after the virus made the leap, the people of England live in scattered communities, the threat of slow starvation and swift outbreaks of the choke darken their days. What is left of society teeters always on the brink of collapse and a rag-tag military barely keeps order.John Mann, preacher and healer, travels the byways plying his trade amongst the old and the sick, keeping to the shadows, always watching the road at his back.John Mann is haunted, the only known survivor of exposure to the virus and perhaps the sole source of a vaccine. But he is hunted by many who would use him, not to save lives but to bring a choking end to those who would oppose them.John Mann now finds himself bound by a promise to track a taken boy, a promise that will force him back out of the shadows, onto the grid, and into a fugitive life once more.John Mann is an outlaw, to be feared and betrayed, and when cornered he will visit a terrible justice on anyone who threatens what he holds dear.
Views: 703

Kid Palomino

Outlaw Bill Carson and his gang ride into the quiet settlement of Fargo knowing that the Sheriff and his deputies are out of town. Carson has inside information about the bank and banker, which the ruthless killer intends to use to his advantage. What Carson and his equally blood-thirsty gang do not know is that the deputies have arrived back early. Kid Palomino and his fellow lawman Red Rivers notice the strangers in town and decide to find out who they are. All hell erupts as the lawmen confront Carson and his gang. The Kid and Red give chase.....
Views: 698

Forest Wisdom

Living green requires more than recycling. The people of the forest were set in their ways. They had strict rules and believed in harsh punishment. When two children go astray, judgment is pronounced, but who is guilty? The answer will make you think again about living green, and seeking a sustainable lifestyle.“I didn’t discover the plot to murder me until it was too late. I never saw it coming.” –Regina RothSince she was a child, fifteen year old Regina Roth has been the victim of disturbing reoccurring nightmares of a house, and a murder. In the summer of her sixteenth birthday Regina leaves her posh life in New York for her mother’s hometown in Texas to bury her mysterious grandmother. Life takes a tumultuous turn for Regina the moment she arrives in Lee. Regina discovers the small town of Lee is literally the scene of her nightmares. Haunted by a vengeful ghost and the lies told by her parents, Regina has no choice but to accept her new life in Lee. After a shocking incident leaves her shaken with fright, Regina is forced to discover the secret behind her dreams. With the help of Linguistics professor, Dr. William Greer, Regina uncovers the horrifying answer.Regina is a terrifying tale of the horrors that lie inside our loved ones and the lengths they go to hide their secrets. And a plan created long ago by an evil family is finally set into motion.
Views: 697

The One Armed, Three Legged Chair

The One Armed, Three Legged Chair, a fantasy adventure that will transport you into a world only dreamed of. After magically giving Zair. a brave and curious bird the power of speech, the Omach brings an old rickety chair to life. Shortly afterwards, the Omach is confronted with his mysterious past along with an angry wizard determined to destroy the chair at any cost!The One Armed, Three Legged Chair, a fantasy adventure that will transport you into a world only dreamed of. There you will meet the Omach, who will entrance you with his 'wizardarious' concoctions and incredible creations. After magically giving a brave and curious bird named Zair the power of speech, the Omach brings an old rickety chair to life. Not content with that, the chair demands a mouth, an ear and an eye... Thus begins the adventure of their lives. The Omach is confronted with his mysterious past along with his evil brother, an angry wizard determined to destroy the one armed, three legged chair at any cost. Banding together, the Omach, Zair and the other birds from the meadow battle the dark forces and the power of the bleeding heart. After facing fire, death and destruction, the power of love and brotherhood prevails. Peace comes to those who need it most and beauty is restored to what was once dead and ugly!
Views: 691

E'steem: Demons Anonymous

Bad girl gone good! Good girl needs help! Approached by the handsome rogue demon Claudius, E'steem is asked to speak at Demons Anonymous, his support group for demons who have left Lucifer's Legion. But when Lucifer and D'lilah learn about her plans to speak to his demons about Christ they plan to crash the party and crucify Claudius. Can Hell's former harbinger save Claudius' soul from the wrathBad girl gone good! Good girl needs help! Approached by the handsome rogue demon Claudius, E'steem is asked to speak at Demons Anonymous, his support group for demons who have left Lucifer's Legion. But when Lucifer and D'lilah learn about her plans to speak to his demons about Christ they plan to crash the party and crucify Claudius. Can Hell's former harbinger save Claudius' soul from the wrath of their former lord?
Views: 688

Taken Back

"Taken Back" is a short story from the perspective of a young man who suddenly finds himself drafted into the Vietnam War. He finds himself struggling to come to terms with his fears and discovering what "home" really is."When a politician spends a million on himself, we rally and call him a thief. But when a cardinal spends the same amount on his wardrobe, we kneel down and kiss his hand."Atheism: Is it simply a new fad, or the natural path to enlightenment? Have you heard of Honor Killing? Did you know the Bible promotes sexism, gay intolerance and glorifies slavery? And if God truly is omniscient and omnipotent, then why does He allow the Devil to exist? Was it just a mistake? Or does God have a deeper plot set out for Lucifer, once the best and brightest of the angels?These are just a few of the topics discussed and explored, all the while telling the epic tale of a fallen angel on his path to redemption.
Views: 684

Wear Your Helmet

Poems 2016After Dr Trevor Guzmán had packed his meagre belongings into the boot of his dark blue Ford Capri he bid farewell to Potchefstroom. On the road to Johannesburg he picked up a hitchhiker. Little did he know that his life was going to change in the most unimaginable way.Three Days in Phoenix seems to be on the surface a simple fictional narrative. It embodies a number of themes which have intrinsic poetic value. It involves a journey in which the destination changes, it involve identity formation and identity plasticity in which the possibility of identity transformation reaches the realm of the unanticipated. It deals with the religion and the magic of religion and it deals with religious conversion and the probabilities and uncertainties associated with conversion. But it also deals with the work of contingency in shaping lives in unexpected and unanticipated ways. It invites us to entertain possibilities which are life changing and liberating . It states that we are free or we can find kinds of meaningful freedom in our unfreedom.Three Days in Phoenix, like Jonah in the belly of the fish, Phoenix transformedTrevor into new person. Three Days in Phoenix is an unforgettable experience in the world of Magic Realism.
Views: 679

The Tree

A prequel to a new book coming out in March 2013 called Dreamweaver. The tree introduces you to the town of Stale and a character called David.Recently single and depressingly lonely, Sylvain Jones finds himself spying on his best friend, whose wife suspects him of cheating. But a seemingly simple task has shocking results, and leads Sylvain to question whether the person he has known for thirty years is hiding a horrific secret behind his façade as a boring, middle class lawyer. As he tries to find the truth, he starts to realise that he is in the middle of a conspiracy so huge it threatens everything he has ever understood and believed in. Can he find the courage and the will to fight it, or will he allow it to destroy his loved ones, his sanity, and ultimately, take to a truth that is far more sinister than he could have imagined?
Views: 674

All About Nikki- The Fabulous First Season

She thinks it's her world. Unfortunately, we have to live with her.Sixteen-year-old Nikki Desmond is the product of too many, too much, and too little. Too many boarding schools, too much money, and too little discipline. After being expelled from a fourth prestigious New York boarding school, her mother sends her to Los Angeles to live with her father.In the screenplays for the fabulous first season of this teen sitcom, Nikki adjusts to life on the west coast while her father works towards correcting her surly, racist, and rude behavior with a combination of tough love, humor, and life lessons.Along with the first three episodes from the internationally popular sneak preview eBook, The Fabulous First Season includes:13 complete episodes from the fabulous first season in the proper screenplay format.Extras Including:Screenplay BasicsTV Episode BasicsCharacter descriptionsAuthor notesPresented like a DVD box set with pages, All about Nikki- The Fabulous First Season is a book designed to show Young Adult and independent readers who watch cable sitcoms on Disney and Nickelodeon how to write their own screenplays.
Views: 662