It’s summer, and I’m stretched out on a windowsill in my bedroom with the sunlight warming the fur on my back. It’s quiet except for the drone of traffic on the Henry Hudson Parkway and the occasional whir of a helicopter flying along the river.
I once shared this bedroom with my friend Gato-Hamen, the High Priest of Amun-Ra. He and I had fled ancient Egypt on his magic boat. It was only supposed to carry us to a foreign land, but it took us through time as well as space here to Elena’s house in twenty-first century New York City.
Elena’s late father had been a renowned Egyptologist, and she immediately recognized us as ancient Egyptians. She was surprised we were speaking English. We explained that the prayer which had launched the magic boat also gave us the power to speak the language wherever we arrived.
She was also surprised that I, a cat, could talk and walk like a man. That would be explained later. Overjoyed at the prospect of excitement in her life, she invited us to stay with her.
Now the High Priest shares her bedroom, and I share this one with their child, who’s the reincarnation of the Pharaoh I loved thousands of years ago. He’s on the floor, playing contentedly with his building blocks. It’s hard to believe he’s already a year old.
Elena is reading and keeping an eye on him. “Wrappa-Hamen, are you recharging?” she asks, as she always does when she sees me basking in the sun. “You lazy old cat!”
“Lazy, yes. Old, not yet,” I reply, too drowsy to say more.
When I first met the Pharaoh, he was sixteen, and I was a stray tomcat. I’d wandered into in a looted tomb and was kicked by the Vizier, his uncle. I spat a cat amulet at him, hitting him on the forehead. He accused me of trying to kill him. The High Priest arrived and tried to reason with him.
Then it happened. I suddenly had human powers! I stood upright, walked over to the Vizier, and debated with him. The Pharaoh entered the tomb to hear me wise-cracking and laughed for the first time since his parents’ death. He took me to live with him at court, and we became inseparable.
A year later the Vizier poisoned him and accused me of the murder. He was going to put me to death when the High Priest rescued me. We fled Egypt on the magic boat and ended up in Elena’s living room . . .
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FEATURED: Sexting the Boss by Liz Archer
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FEATURED: Gigia And Me! by Jasmine L. Quan
The cosmic threads, or perhaps a touch of serendipity, wove a
tale that ensured the very first feline I stumbled upon online bore
an uncanny resemblance to the cat of my dreams: a tabby, known
as the European Cat or Soriano in Italian. Her entrancing stares
locked onto mine through the screen, casting an almost hypnotic
spell. In the sole online snapshot, she perched atop a shelf, striking
a pose that would be her signature style.
Ever since the inexplicable vanishing of Sisi, that untamed
marvel of a cat in South Africa, I had yearned for a kindred creature
like her. In this new feline–also female–I glimpsed a rekindling of
my wild Sisi’s soul.
FEATURED: Conficts Within by Elton Young
“If you don’t define yourself, someone else will. One of the best and most important ways to manage or resolve conflicts within is by firt knowing who you are, where you stand, and to whom you belong. I call this self-identification… Ask yourself, What wreckage in my life must be cleared? Is it the bitterness of my divorce or the death of my soulmate? Is my debris covered with wrong decisions that led to unintended outcomes? Could my refusal to forgive have done more damage to me than to the person I resent and refuse to set free? Am I still holding on to past betrayals that hinder my ability to express and receive love? In every new relationship, do I bring with me unhealthy emotional baggage and wounds from my past? If your wreckage continues to define you, your desire to create and maintain a healthy atmosphere for productive change will be hindered, producing more unanswered questions. Questions like: Why can’t I reorganize my life and move beyond the devastation of my divorce? Why can’t I shift power struggles to cooperative problem-solving? If your questions are not understood, confronted, properly managed, or resolved, your past will continue to dictate your present and fill your future with many more questions and uncertainties. Instead of managing or mastering conflict, the conflict will manage or master you.”
FEATURED: The Pharaoh’s Cat by Maria Luisa Lang
Water is filling my ears. Â
“Useless beast. I should cut . . . tail. Drowning’s too good . . . you . . .”  Â
Egyptians revere cats, but there are exceptions. Â
A week ago the brute snatched me from the streets, put me in a sack, and brought me on board to protect the load of grain he’s taking down the Nile to Waset. Â
Cats hunt rats, but there are exceptions.
Which the brute realized this morning. He picked me up by the scruff of my neck and threw me over the side. Â
If I never see a boat again it will be too soon . . .
I swim toward the river bank. Exhausted, I lie on the shore and let my fur dry in the warmth of the sun. Now that I’m free, I intend to resume roaming from village to village, seeing new things, meeting new cats, tasting new foods. But first I’ll eat the perch I caught during my swim.
I’m licking the smell of fish off my paws and face when I spot a pyramid in the far distance. I’ve heard a lot about them, but I’ve never seen one before.
I can’t take my eyes off it. It seems to be beckoning me.
It’s my destiny to go there!
Tail on high and a heart full of expectation, I begin walking.
FEATURED: Embers of Shadow, Ages of Malice, Book III by Lloyd Jeffries
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Featured Post: Ecstasy as Medicine: How MDMA therapy Can Help You Overcome Trauma, Anxiety, and Depression…and Feel More Love by Jonathan Robinson
Jonathan Robinson’s practical methods have reached over 250 million people worldwide, and his work has been translated into over 46 languages. He’s a multiple New York Times best-selling author and motivational speaker from Northern California and has made numerous appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, and other national TV talk shows. Articles about Jonathan and his work have been in USA TODAY, Newsweek, and the Los Angeles Times, as well as dozens of other publications. He’s spent over 35 years studying practical and powerful methods for personal and professional development— to share insights with you!
FEATURED: The Future Kingdom: Recalibration by Brian Ming
After what seemed like hours of applause and praise accompanied by waves of light, Jesus quieted the crowd. “For your listening pleasure and enjoyment, here is My beloved son. The one and only Johnny Cashlesslove!”
The former rock star of Age Past walked onto the stage. At the center of the stage, he and the King embraced for a long time.
Jerome noticed how young—and vibrant—the man appeared. He couldn’t place it. Yes, he looked healthy and whole and even somewhat like his old young self. But more than that—What’s the right word? He looked—humble. There, in the embrace of the King, the singer looked content. Like nothing except the King’s embrace matters.
Johnny trembled. “You’re worth every possession, my King. Everything.”
Jesus expressed His love and how much He enjoyed Johnny’s music and lyrics. Most importantly, He loved Johnny for who he was—period.
Johnny again tried to express his gratefulness, but only meaningless babble came out.
Jesus laughed. “I know. I know. I can’t wait, son. You were meant to sing it for Me—not speak it. Grab your guitar and get going.”
Jerome smiled over at his cousin, Sam, and the rest of his friends. “Here we go.”
As applause filled the atmosphere, visible praise and light reverberation reached out and struck the musician. Instead of being absorbed by Johnny’s body, the light ricocheted toward Jesus and the throne of God.
“Hi, I’m Johnny Cashlesslove.” His famous introduction sounded clunky with the longer last name. Everyone still laughed and applauded.
Johnny sang some of the popular songs from Age Past. Many of the lyrics he’d penned were dark and depressing—matching his life at the time. At one point, Cashlesslove peered at God’s throne. “I felt you there with me during those difficult times.”
Near the end of the concert, he dismissed the band and stood alone with his guitar under a single spotlight in the middle of the Articomb stage. With head down and the world watching, he picked his guitar strings. Overcome with emotion, the singer lifted his head and turned toward Jesus.
“I did thousands of concerts in my career in front of millions of screaming fans.” His voice broke. “I’ve been waiting a long time to sing this song to the only audience I care about, the only audience that really matters—You.”
Facing King Jesus, whose throne sat in perfect symmetry with the throne of God, he played and sang a beautiful rendition of You Are So Beautiful to Me. No one familiar with his music in Age Past had heard an emotional performance like this—so elegant and heartfelt.
FEATURED: A Measure of Rhyme, Ages of Malice, Book II by Lloyd Jeffries
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Featured Post: Keystone P.D. by Robert Ambros
Robert Ambros was born in Passaic, New Jersey in 1959. His first novel, The Brief Sun, was based on his parents’ WWII experiences in Siberian labor camps and won the 10th annual Writer’s Digest International Book Award for best genre fiction. His second historical novel, When Eagles Die, explored the effects of posttraumatic stress disorder on future generations. This was followed by a murder mystery in a WWII setting, Griffith Stadium. He lives in Central Florida.
Featured Post: The Injustice of Valor by Gary Corbin
Gary Corbin is a writer, editor, and playwright in Camas, WA, a suburb of Portland, OR. Raised in a small town in New England, Gary has also lived in Louisiana (Geaux LSU Tigers!), Indiana (Go Hoosiers!), and Washington, DC before settling down in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
Join Gary’s mailing list (http://garycorbinwriting.com/about-gary-corbin/contact/) and be the first to be notified of free preview editions, 99 cent specials, free book promotions, and exclusive content.
Gary’s nine novels comprise three hit series featuring page-turning plots, flawed but lovable protagonists, and bad guys you love to hate.
His most recent works, the Valorie Dawes Thrillers, feature Valorie Dawes, a rookie policewoman with a #metoo past pursuing perpetrators of crimes against women in Clayton, CT. Val’s intuition, courage, and relentless hunger for justice sometimes pushes her close to–if not over–the line. Books in that series include A Woman of Valor (2019), In Search of Valor (2020), A Better Part of Valor (2021) and Mother of Valor (2022) follow Val’s path in pursuit of rapists, kidnappers, torturers, and sex traffckers. The fifth novel in that series, Under the Banner of Valor, is expected to release in Winter 2023/24.
Gary’s Lying Injustice Thrillers, his first series, is also his most decorated. Lying in Judgment, features Peter Robertson, a man serving on the jury of a murder trial–the murder that he committed. An Amazon.com best-selling legal thriller, Lying in Judgment selected as Bookworks.com “Book of the Week” for July 11-18, 2016, and was the feature novel on Literary Lightbox’s “Indie Spotlight” in February 2017. The sequel, Lying in Vengeance, released in September, 2017, explores the aftermath when a fellow juror blackmails him in hopes of forcing him to kill again–or be exposed for his first heinous crime.
Gary’s second novel, The Mountain Man’s Dog, came out in June 2016, kicking off the Mountain Man Mysteries series. Forester Lehigh Carter fears only two things: dogs and women. But when he rescues an injured dog on the highway and brings it into his ex-fiancee’s vet clinic, his fears collide, leading to an unwelcome deep dive into the worlds of romance, politics, pet ownership. The sequel, The Mountain Man’s Bride, was released Feb. 8, 2017. The third book in the series, The Mountain Man’s Badge, was released in June, 2018.
All of these mysteries are available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.
Gary’s plays have enjoyed critical acclaim and have enjoyed several productions in regional and community theaters. His writer’s reference, Write Better Right Now: A Dozen Mistakes Good Writers Make-And How to Fix Them, is available exclusively on Kindle.
Gary is a member of the Willamette Writers Group, Northwest Editors Guild, 9 Bridges Writers Group, PDX Playwrights, the Portland Area Theater Alliance, and the Bar Noir Writers Workshop, and participates in workshops and conferences in the Portland, Oregon area.
A homebrewer and coffee roaster, Gary loves to ski, cook, and watch his beloved Red Sox and Patriots. He hopes to someday train his dogs to obey. And when that doesn’t work, he escapes to the Oregon coast with his sweetheart.
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FEATURED: Mile High Daddy by Liz Archer
About Featured Book: Mile High Daddy by Liz Archer It started with the mile high club… And ended with a forced marriage and two babies in my belly. I first met Mikhail Ivanov on a plane. He was the stormy-eyed stranger seated next to me, Calming me during a bumpy...
Featured Post: Welcome to the Sullyverse by K.C. Sivils
U.S.A. Today and Amazon Best-Selling author K.C. Sivils is the creator of the scifi crime noir series of Inspector Thomas Sullivan novels as well as the southern noir series of stories centering around the private investigator James Benoit “Heat” Heatley.
A long time fan of crime noir and science fiction, director Ridley Scott’s adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s sci-fi classic Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep into the masterful Harrison Ford vehicle Bladerunner encouraged Sivils to consume as much of both genre’s as possible in his younger years.
A fan of past noir masters such as Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, Sivils also enjoys the current generation of storytellers like Matt Abraham, Jeff Edwards, Renee Pawlish and Alex P. Berg. In addition to his aforementioned series, Sivils is also the creator of the Agent Nelson Paine Historical Mystery series set during WW II and the early years of the Cold War.
Sivils and his wife Lisa are the parents of three grown children and two four-legged furry children, Bella, a Golden Retriever princess and the grumpy Mr. Darcy, a miniature poodle.
Featured Post: A Shadow’s Whsiper by Jack Gibbons
Jack Gibbons is a 27-year-old sports lecturer with a passion for storytelling. I’m a lifelong fan of fantasy. I have just published my debut novel, A Shadow’s Whisper, now available on Amazon.
When not writing or teaching, I can be found devouring books by Brandon Sanderson, Robin Hobb, and Mark Lawrence—always chasing that perfect blend of epic worldbuilding, deep character arcs, and a touch of darkness.
Featured Post: An Ounce of Prevention: Raising Your Body as a Temple With the Five Pillars of Health by Habib Khan
Dr. Habib Khan is a board-certified neurologist and sleep specialist dedicated to improving patients’ quality of life. As the director of the Arizona Institute of Neurology and Polysomnography in Casa Grande, Arizona, he leads a team committed to patient-focused care. With expertise in treating neurological conditions such as chronic headaches, epilepsy, dementia, and neuromuscular disorders, he also specializes in sleep apnea, insomnia, and age management medicine. Dr. Khan trained at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and completed his sleep medicine fellowship at SUNY Stony Brook. He is a member of esteemed medical associations, including the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Passionate about preventive care, he designs personalized treatment plans to enhance overall wellness and longevity. For expert neurological and sleep care in a welcoming environment, visit Dr. Khan at the Arizona Institute of Neurology and Polysomnography.
Featured Post: Busting Business Bullshit: From Corporate Nonsense to The Rise of The 20% Company by Philip Armstrong Feyng
I dedicate this book especially to my grandfather,
Pop, who was my consistent, shining light in the dark
ness when growing up. I wasn’t always the man I
could have been and certainly nowhere near the
man he was, and perhaps on the day this book goes
out to the world, I will be one step closer to the man
he raised me to be.
To my children: embrace truth, live a life of truth and
light, and follow your dreams a lot younger than I
was ever brave enough to do. You are the best thing
that has happened to your mummy and me. I like the
thought that one day, you will read this, and, who
knows, maybe this book helped change the working
world you will experience. Now there’s a thought…
Featured Post: Make Every Day A WINSday: Overcome Your Obstacles – Re-Brand Yourself – Win Every Day Of Your Life by Freddy Fri
Freddy Fri is a life champion. He is also an entrepreneur, author, speaker, voice-over talent, basketball coach, international underground hip-hop artist, and motivational lyricist. Freddy is a man who wears many hats, all of which fit under one umbrella—LIFE MINDSET TRANSFORMER!
Freddy is a master at transforming, reinventing, and changing not only his persona but the lives of others. For years, he’s been known by many throughout the world as Playya 1000 (which means a playya of this game of life with a thousand ways to make a positive impact on the world), a hip-hop artist extraordinaire. But he has since decided to reinvent himself and combine the power of story, spoken word, and hip-hop to become the triple-threat life transformer—Freddy Fri, your PushaMan, whose mission is to push you to achieve the greatness you have within.