Books Tagged With author - american

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Summary: “IMMORTALITY BYTES: Digital Minds Don’t Get Hungry” — Genre: Science Fiction/Humor/Heist-Thriller Tagline: “Living forever... it's almost worth dying for.” One-line Story Pitch: “When an idealistic hacker’s ex-girlfriend nears inventing digital immortality, an indicted tycoon compels him to steal it.” Accolades: • Winner “Best Sci-Fi: Cyberpunk” — 7th Annual American Fiction Awards (2024) • Winner “Best Science Fiction” & "Best Political Fiction" — American Writing Awards (2024) • Winner “Best Humor/Satire” — Storytrade Awards (2024) • Semifinalist — Chanticleer's Cygnus Award for Best Science Fiction • Triple Finalist: Best Sci-Fi, Best Humor/Satire, & Best First Novel — IAN Book of the Year Awards (2024) Back Cover Blurb: In a not-so-distant future dominated by AI, universal basic income, and “subtirees” living pod-bound lives of leisure, idealistic, semi-slacker hacker Stu Reigns dreams of more. When Stu’s brilliant ex, Roxy Zhang, develops digital immortality, the world’s powerful elite scramble to secure their eternal existence. Enter Chuck Rosti, a merciless, terminally ill tycoon made more dangerous since he’s on the brink of conviction for massive fraud. His plan? Coerce Stu into helping get Roxy’s groundbreaking invention so “Feds can incarcerate my corpse.” Caught between a sick billionaire, a Russian mob, digital mind clones, and a shrewd, devout Southern matriarch, Stu gets tangled in a twisted, high-stakes, ‘inverted heist.’ But as betrayals mount and revenge includes murder, Stu and new allies must race to save lives and seek justice in humanity’s digital immortality. Fans of smart cyberpunk, like Neal Stephenson’s Snowcrash, or sci-fi with humor, as in Andy Weir’s The Martian or John Scalzi’s Redshirts, will love Immortality Bytes. Book Trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul3KA2zT0aw Reviews: 1)  “Feels like an American Douglas Adams” — San Francisco Book Review 2) “A supercharged, high-stakes cyberpunk thriller.” — VERDICT:✓GET IT — Kirkus Reviews 3) “Perfect for anyone looking for a fun, easy read that combines sci-fi elements with a bit of social satire. Abrams’ sharp, witty prose and inventive world make it well worth the ride, especially for fans of snappy, humorous sci-fi." — 5-Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — Manhattan Book Review 4) “Dark humor and crisp dialogue drive the twisty storytelling” — ✓EDITOR'S PICK — Publishers Weekly's Booklife Reviews https://linktr.ee/immortalitybytes

Word Count: Click here to reveal99000 (Click here to hide)

Summary: Gavin Booker, a school librarian at Cooper Road Elementary, Raleigh, Northern Carolina, leads an orderly, normal life. Work, jogging, friends from work, his son every other weekend. Gavin is also a secret. He is a hybrid, or part-fairy, and in the Columbian Empire, hybrids are under an automatic death sentence. Magic is illegal. So is loving another man, another capital crime. Fairies are locked away in ghettoes, magical beasts, such as gryphons, unicorns, and pegasi are kept in zoos. The others, the tree and water spirits, the talking beasts, fauns, and the rest, are in hiding. This is the world in which Gavin grew up. He survived, thanks to his mother. He can never forget he is different: ministers preach against people like him constantly; hating the other is a part of every school’s curriculum.   But now, things are changing fast, and apparently, for the worst. Earthquakes, volcanoes, killer storms are all frequent occurrences. The medicine Gavin takes to suppress his body’s glowing, isn’t working. The spells cast by his doctor, a witch, are losing their power. If anyone finds out what Gavin is, he is dead. Under threat, the Empire always goes after its marginalized people. Can Gavin survive the coming catastrophe? Will he ever recover from losing the boys he loved? Can he find the fairy man who has haunted his dreams all his life before it is too late? Can his scarred heart ever heal?

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Even the grittiest blue collar city has a spark of magic under the surface; but in Baltimore, graffiti holds secret messages and artists are the spellcasters. Abandoned buildings hide ancient beings, and at the local club, you might find yourself rubbing shoulders with menacing and otherworldly creatures. If you know how to look, of course.

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Summary: Genevieve doesn't know if her unhappiness and feelings of not fitting in are different from anyone else's on her college campus. Recovering from a break-up and struggling with depression, she takes comfort in her impulsive sketches of strange creatures to try to escape the dark cloud that looms over her. But the truth is her place in this world is a lot more complicated than she could ever imagine. With two strange men following her, vines that engulf her dorm overnight, and a cactus that overruns the campus library, she is forced to face the possibility that her origins are more mysterious than the fact that she was abandoned as a baby. Especially as a powerful urge takes hold of her to draw something new and frightening. Can it be that her reality is stranger than her imagination? The one thing she can't imagine is that her happiness and talents just might be the key to save or destroy an invisible world.

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Summary: "You can't keep running from your past, especially when it has four legs and fangs." In the exciting second installment of Tales of a Gay Witch, we return to Jason and his friends six months later as they are coming to terms with the events of last year. Jason thought he could move on with his life after Damien left in search of information about his mother, after finding out she might be alive after all, but is struggling to adjust to life without him. He is persuaded to go out and meet up with his friends at his favorite night club 1470 West, where he meets a handsome young man named Mickey. That same night, Jason is informed by Detective Miller, now a good friend of his, to be on the lookout for Jo’s ex-husband Rex, who might be coming their way. There have been a number of sexual assaults and murders targeting young lesbian women up in northern Ohio, and Rex is suspected of being involved. Jo’s ex-husband was always a nasty, abusive piece of work, but to make things worse Rex is a werewolf and an alpha to boot. It’s up to Jason to rally his friends again, as he is tasked with protecting the people he cares about, before it’s too late…

Word Count: Click here to reveal118,235 (Click here to hide)

Summary: What if you could suddenly foresee disaster and the end of civilization? In Seattle, an unremarkable earthquake ripples through the city on a sunny April day, barely registering for most residents. Yet, for five individuals, it becomes a seismic turning point, forever altering their lives. Somehow that fateful quake unleashed an extraordinary gift: the ability to peer into the future. What they witness in their visions is nothing short of apocalyptic—a civilization in ruins, ravaged by destruction and lawlessness. As resources dwindle, humanity descends into chaos, turning on itself in a desperate struggle for survival. With this grim foresight, the five new oracles, among them a cheerful and charismatic physics teacher, a brilliant neurodivergent six-year-old, a struggling artist, a deeply religious retired nurse, and a nervous real estate agent plagued by anxiety, must somehow awaken others to the impending catastrophe and guide them to safety. Time becomes their greatest adversary. Only by joining forces and acting swiftly can they hope to save themselves and those trapped within the confines of the city. The first book in Gordon Bonnet's “Arc of the Oracles” trilogy, “In the Midst of Lions" is an enthralling tale that intertwines ordinary lives with extraordinary circumstances. Can these five individuals defy the grim prophecies they bear witness to and inspire others to follow them to safety? As the clock ticks away, the answers lie in their unity, resilience, and unwavering determination to reshape destiny.

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Summary: In Sacrum Umbra you were treated to tales from the shadows, the literary darkness that lives within all of us. Here you will find tales of another sort, the type you might find in the less wholesome end of the collective unconscious and the very depths of the gut. From stories of childhood gone horribly wrong to sex and madness with an impossible cost, this is where you'll find the more gruesome end of the spectrum.

Word Count: Click here to reveal78000 (Click here to hide)

Summary: “A must-read for fans of strange, surreal horror.” —The New York Times In a frozen tundra, one man fights for redemption as monstrous creatures ravage a community already struggling to survive. Sebastian Pana is a “sin-eater,” a shaman-like figure who can absolve the dead of their transgressions before they move on to the afterlife. But when Sebastian’s small arctic town is invaded by hideous, otherworldly beasts, he must wage battle with them the only way he knows how: by unleashing the power of sin itself. From an author who has been compared to Lovecraft, Bradbury, and Gaiman, Incarnate is a masterpiece of contemporary arctic horror—both an epic confrontation between the forces of good and evil and a profoundly redemptive tale about our eternal quest for forgiveness.

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Summary: “Pain is pain. It all hurts the same.” Inflicted with dark desire, one man chooses between idyllic pretense and disturbing reality. Haunted by the silence of deep space, an engineer chases an eerie melody. Torn between penance and pride, a dishonored prince challenges the course of history. Suffering cracks our hearts and splinters our minds. It scars and alters us in irreversible ways. Yet while pain breaks us apart, it also binds us together. Our broken pieces can never rejoin as they once were, but they fit together to create new and distinctive wholes. Like the Japanese art of kintsugi, we can fill the velvety darkness of our scars with gold. Inflicted with life, an intelligent machine questions the illogic of family. Tempted by the desire to die, a shop clerk confronts the promise of his life. Offered the chance to transform his disfigurement, a ruined being looks to the smallest of lives for acceptance. An amalgamation of science fiction and fantasy subgenres, Inflicted invites you to peer into your own pain, examine your scars, and remember you are not alone. Pain binds us all, and how we face our brokenness redefines us. Immerse yourself in the brokenness of others and come away with a new understanding of self.

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Summary: See all formats and editions For thirty years, Rebeka’s people have fought the Earthmen who invaded their planet. Now Rebeka’s father has devised a plan to bring about a peace: Offer the Earthmen a cease-fire and cement it by giving his daughter to their leader as his bride. At first skeptical, Governor Philip Hamilcar is swept away by lust when he meets Rebeka but soon finds he has a rival for his wife’s affections in Darius Marx, Rebeka’s android bodyguard who possesses the abiilty to experience human emotion. Rebeka doesn’t want an alien husband but she’s given no choice, for she has been included in her father's plans for their people's freedon. Once married to Philip, she is to kill him and break the Earthmen’s rule forever. When she and Philip fall in love, Rebeka had to make a choice: her husband or her people.

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“Is blood thicker than water?”

The answer seems obvious until a half-millennium-old blood feud ignited between twin brothers of a 16th century Scottish Reiver clan revisits violence generation to generation, pursuing their descendants from island to island and finally onto a new continent ,where the familiar proverb is ultimately pitted against this fluid tale of guilt, blood, water, and time.

Rich with magical realism, Is Blood Thicker taps millennia-old folklore to spin a modern fable of love, pain, and family wisdom consumed by a lived code:

‘Drink, Pray, Fight, Feck’ … and a fox.

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Summary: Time is running out. After saving the world twice, Xander, Jameson and friends plunge headlong into a new crisis. The ithani―the aliens who broke the world―have reawakened from their hundred millennia-long slumber. When Xander and Jameson disappear in a flash, an already fractured world is thrown into chaos. The ithani plans, laid a hundred thousand years before, are finally coming to pass, and they threaten all life on Erro. Venin and Alix go on a desperate search for their missing and find more than they bargained for. And Quince, Robin and Jessa discover a secret as old as the skythane themselves. Will alien technology, unexpected help from the distant past, destiny and some good old-fashioned firepower be enough to defeat an enemy with the ability to split a world? The final battle of the epic science fiction adventure that began in Skythane will decide the fate of lander and skythane alike. And in the north, the ithani rise….

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Summary: Hoax animals and a consulting vampire on the prowl—Jason never thought having a cop boyfriend would be this hard. All Animal Control Officer Jason Shen ever wanted was a quiet life of rescuing lost kittens and helping animals in need. Having a paranormal cop boyfriend guarantees an end to the quiet part. What at first seems a random encounter with jackalopes in the park might be more than chance and when State Paranormal sends a handsome, charming vampire to consult with the Seventy-Seventh, he finds his relationship with Alex on shaky ground. Officer Alex Wolf hoped his humaning skills were improving but now he can’t unravel the strange politics at State Paranormal or why Jason’s family seems to hate him. There’s no time to puzzle things out either. Bizarre animals are loose in the city, Jason’s acting strange, and is the vampire captain from State flirting with him? Wolf’s going to have to keep his head in the game if he’s going to have any chance of putting the pieces together and keeping the city safe from the strange critters terrorizing its streets.

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Summary: Morgorth and Aishe must contend with a deadly threat that could spell disaster for their world. Payshthas were the first of the Mother’s intelligent children. It is rare for true friendship to form between them and another species—which makes Morgorth’s bond with Enfernlo unique. And it is due to their friendship that Morgorth doesn’t hesitate to answer Enfernlo’s plea for help. A thief has stolen something vital from Enfernlo’s colony—a stone of power. Their hunt for the stone leads them to a war torn kingdom, and Aishe can hardly stomach what he sees. The devastation urges him to assist however he can, no matter the risk. Meanwhile, Morgorth is faced with reminders of the monster he used to be, and contemplates how far he’s come, and yet how far he still has to go. And when his estranged mentor joins them on their search, Morgorth is forced to confront his resentment and sense of betrayal, and use Master Ulezander as a tool to save the payshthas. Forced into a deadly quest where trust is in short supply, and faced with challengers for the stone, Morgorth must put his faith in those he loves and in himself... and become a champion not just of the Mother but for Karishian itself.

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Summary: Julian “Lackland” De Portiers is the last good knight in Waldeyn. Everyone knows he’s brilliant… …Everyone knows he’s mad. How does a Hero gracefully retire from the business of saving the world? Once upon a time, Julian "Lackland" De Portiers had the strength to save what mattered most. Once he had companions and twice, he fell passionately in love. One terrible night in the forest, everything changed. Who will rescue the rescuer when darkness falls, and the voices begin?   Julian Lackland is an enduring tale of confusion, sorrow, and triumph set in an alternate medieval world.

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Summary: Never look a mannequin in the eyes! Edi has collected antiques and ghost stories for as long as they can remember. Some old objects buzz with history, and when Edi touches them, they see fragments of the item's story. But are the visions real? Edi desperately wants to believe in the supernatural until a mysterious ghost transforms their mom into a mannequin. Helped by Delilah, a thirteen-year-old psychic, Edi researches local hauntings to untangle how and why their mom became a mannequin. When Edi finally employs their ability to see an artifact’s history, they learn the terrifying truth. The ghost that turned Edi’s mom into a mannequin wants to resurrect herself, and she doesn’t care how many people she murders in the process. If Edi doesn’t put her spirit to rest by the end of the summer solstice, dozens of people will be forever mannequinized, including Edi and Delilah’s moms. Find out what happens in Junk Junction by Sara Codair!

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Summary: With a click, the bread fell into the toaster. One circuit fired the heating coils. Others monitored bread temperature and color. Yet another circuit was quite unlike all the rest— as exotic as it was sinister; when it activated, 368 people would die. In the 22nd century, the justice system is airtight in the domed city of Arcadia. Human error has been removed. Yet somehow, a well-intentioned young kleptomaniac named Rainville falls through the cracks and is wrongfully convicted of mass murder. He is exiled to Wychwood Prison, a crumbling necropolis beyond the dome where the dead outnumber the living, where the inmates are also the guards. News of the crime follows him, and he becomes a marked man. Rainville’s only hope for survival is becoming the first inmate in history to escape Wychwood. Can he do it? The fate of Arcadia depends on it.

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Summary: In the third installment, Damien's past resurfaces, unwilling to remain buried. As Brian approaches his eighteenth birthday and prepares to return home, the unsettling events of the night at the warehouse continue to haunt them. When rumors of a pair of ghosts sighted near the Ohio River prompt Damien, Pat, Brian, and a friend from Pat's past to investigate the paranormal activity, it becomes clear that all paths lead back to the warehouse and the red-haired vampire and their mysterious hooded friend. Will the gang succeed in aiding the restless spirits to find solace, and unravel the secrets that lie ahead?

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Summary: Rose Titus, author of The Vampire Next Door Trilogy, now brings together a collection of her best short stories. Here in this book you will find tales of vampires, werewolves, witches, ghosts, space aliens, and even a few angels. These stories answer questions such as where do we go after we die? What is the future of this planet? And what is the future of humanity? There are also stories of young runaways, old hippies, worried mothers, troubled families, love gone horribly wrong, selfish billionaires, people who find themselves suddenly homeless, old men with their recollections of days gone by, and girls gone wild! There may even be a murder or two.

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Summary: When high school teacher Chris Franzia comes home on the last day of school, he finds two FBI agents waiting for him. A string of seemingly unrelated murders has left them baffled, and they can find only one commonality. All five victims shared a college class with Chris thirty years earlier... and now he may be next. Struggling with the sheer impossibility of the situation, Chris’s skepticism fades after a series of failed attempts on his life makes things deadly clear. Thus begins a harrowing cross-country race, forcing Chris to put together the pieces of his past while staying one step ahead of his mysterious assailants. Can he make the connection in time? And will the deadly picture of reconstructed memory be worth the price of knowing?