"Talent Storm" by Brian Terenna

FREE plus EXCERPT

Talent Storm

by Brian Terenna

Author Brian Terenna stops by to share an excerpt from Talent Storm, which you can get FREE from 18 to 20 May. Don't miss out!

Description

Hundreds of years after the Great World War, America is a distant memory. In the ashes, new civilizations have risen up from the Wilds. Locke’s Coalition and Liberty Kingdom, bitter enemies, have been at peace for seven years. War is never far from politicians’ minds, though, especially when one is the tyrant Archduke Goldwater. For all of human kinds’ positive traits, the character flaws of corruption, greed, anger, and revenge are etched into our DNA.

In the new world, little technology remains and advanced weapons are in short supply, but today’s soldiers fight with innate power. They fight with Talent ... the psionic powers that develop in a random few.

A young Coalition citizen, Jaden Stone, dreams of graduating, having fun, and falling in love. As if his hard-nosed uncle, schoolyard bullies, and exams weren’t hard enough to handle, he discovers that he wields Talent. He’d now be forced to serve in the military, forced to train and fight, all for an organization that killed his parents.

Will Jaden work hard for his people or will his desire for leisure win over? He’s forced to decide when a tragedy shakes his core.

Book Video

Excerpt

Ben turned away from me before picking up a few small rocks. “Let’s see if you’re any stronger from lifting all those weights. Maybe you’ll beat me for once.”

Nodding and smiling, I pointed at him. “You first.”

Ben stood, then stretched, his back popping as he rotated his torso. Hefting a rock, he wound up and then threw it. The projectile crossed the wide creek and bounced in the distance before skidding to a halt. Lips pressed in a straight line, I shook my head, annoyed. He topped his last week’s throw by a yard; he always beat me. He turned and smiled, stretching his long toned arms above his body.

I shrugged. “Eh, an all right throw,” I said with a wry smile.

Ben faced me, his eyes crinkling. “Riiiiight,” he said, while slowly bobbing his head. “Okay… beat me then.”

Images of my uncle’s flushed-face appeared before me, fueling my strength. I gritted my teeth while drawing back my arm. In a flash, I whipped my arm forward, releasing the rock. It sailed over the creek, whizzing through the air. With a loud crack, it slammed into a birch tree, punching a hole through the trunk. My jaw dropped halfway to the ground.

Out of the corner of my eye, Ben wavered, looking like he’d topple over. He shook his head, his hazel eyes wide. “Wowww… how did you do that?”

What had just happened? I lowered my head to stare at my hands, turning them over repeatedly.

“Jaden?”

I slowly raised my eyes to fixate on the hole again.

“Jaden? Hello… Jaden.”

“What?” I asked, just realizing Ben was speaking to me.

Ben patted my arm quickly, conferring a sense of urgency. Reluctantly, I tore my eyes away from the hole to face Ben.

He leaned in close, shaking. He spoke in a low voice, eyes darting side to side. “I think it was green.”

“What?” I shook my head, attempting to re-ground myself in the world. What was going on?

Now, he spoke louder, emphasizing with his hands in rapid motion. “The rock… it was green. It glowed green. Don’t you see? You’re one of the Talented.”

[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]

Praise for the Book

"I have to say that Talent Storm was a fantastic read. I thought that the story and plot were original and well developed, and the characters had a great deal of depth and accurately depicted the complexity and at times ugly side of human nature. Once I started reading Talent Storm, I had a difficult time putting it down. I was really able to visualize myself fighting for survival in the post-apocalyptic world created by the author. The novel also touched on many of the contemporary social, political, educational, and military issues facing our world today which kept me engrossed from beginning to end. I would recommend this book to anyone." ~ Ken

"I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in SciFi/Fantasy, especially ones dealing with post-apocalyptic power struggles. I can't wait to read more from author Brian Terenna." ~ Matthew T.

"There were some exotic plot twists that kept me engaged to the very end of the book. In particular, the ending was satisfying. Fight scenes abound in the book and the action is endless, although there was plenty of romantic elements as well. The science part of the fiction was accurate and the fiction part of the science, a real possibility in a future world. Good job, Mr. Terenna." ~ B. James Hobbs

"Talent Storm made me wish I had talent for reading faster. I couldn't put it down. The battle scenes were so well written I'm already watching the movie (which surely some smart Hollywood producer will snap this up) in my head. It's like the Hunger Games and Harry Potter got together and had a baby that goes around and bullies Twilight. Adult readers especially will appreciate a mature fantasy read. Please write another book Brian!" ~ JScramo

"In a word amazing. I could not put this book down. It had all my favorite things; action, adventure, romance. The changes in Jaden from boy to man, from selfish to putting others ahead of himself came naturally. I won't give away the story. READ IT! This book needs to be a movie. Brian Terenna, I cannot wait for your next book." ~ Isabel book girl

About the Author

Brian Terenna grew up in Doylestown, Pennsylvannia, reading fantasy and science fiction. He is now a fantasy, science fiction, and paranormal romance writer. Talent Storm is a dystopian post-apocalyptic fantasy. His second novel, Kissing the Intern, is a multicultural romance.

Brian runs a book review blog and a Youtube meditation site. He is an avid chess player, a vegetable gardener, and he meditates regularly.

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"All My Sins Remembered" by Adam Stanley

REVIEW

All My Sins Remembered

by Adam Stanley

All My Sins Remembered is the first novel by poet Adam Stanley.

Description

The years is 2009, and Andrew White has just had his last argument with his first love, Leigh Mallory, whom he has not seen in almost ten years. In the sultry heat of a July, Atlanta night, he sweats out his sins and his regrets in a cheap motel, somewhere just off I-75. He has been in love with her for twenty years, and there have been many casualties along the way, including his own body, mind and soul. His only salvation lies in his enduring love of art, and the realization that maybe there is more to life than Leigh Mallory.

Excerpt

It was true, I had been searching for peace, or at least what I thought was peace. Starting that night after Graduation, when I drove away from Aventine for the first time, alone, and headed south to Key Largo in a car that that seemed empty without Leigh, my life has been one endless search. I have never stopped. And whatever it was I was looking for, I was always moving too fast to notice whether or I had found it or not.

I made up excuses to keep moving. For as long as I can remember, I have been looking for an abstraction that I have always called happiness. In summer I long for the snow. In winter I cry for the sun to return; in the autumn I watch the same leaves die that I watched come to life in the spring, and each season they are equally beautiful. For as long as I can remember, I have been looking for happiness, which is really nothing more than an abstraction; a kind of dream to keep you going year after year; an antidote against the sadness of reality; a lie that keeps you alive. I wait and wait, but there are too many tomorrows, and not enough todays.

Every six months I packed my car and made another impulsive move to an adjacent state. Following a lover or a dream, it always seemed just a few more miles down some Southern interstate, where the only difference was the vegetation, and a slight rise in humidity with every inch I drove further south on the map. Too often I found myself alone on some endless road, all the bridges I had spent so much time building, burned and left behind. Like that morning I had when I woke up in Nashville, alone, and hung-over, not sure what I had done wrong but it must have been bad because when I got up and looked in the mirror, both of my eyes were black and my face was caked in blood. Just like all the other times, I got in my car and drove south as fast as I could. This time it was a cousin in Mobile. Later, while I sped down interstate 65, I remembered bits of the night before. I had gotten very drunk and hit on this guy’s wife and he pulled a gun.

That’s all I remembered as I drove on, the lights from Montgomery fading in the rear-view. South Alabama was nothing but darkness and with the windows down I could smell the invisible cotton fields and rolling pastures strong with the acrid scent of manure in the warm, early spring air. As I drove on, radio stations passed away; old Country dissipated into static, then fluctuated for an hour or so between a screaming Pentecostal preacher, and a wavering Bach string quartet, before the Classic Rock station in Mobile took over for good.

This was not the first time I had taken this escape root [sic]. No matter where I was going, the desolation of these flat, lonely highways was unavoidable. Every time I ran from something, I was always driving in Alabama, and just like every other time, I always ran out of road.

It was water that stopped me every time. The ocean was the inevitable end to all my journeys. Whether it be the wild, reptile infested outcroppings of bayou and wetland that lie hidden like an Eden just south of New Orleans, beyond the iron bridge, where the Big River pours out its soul into the Gulf; or Biloxi, sitting entranced by a black jack dealer whose hand’s fluttered gracefully as a bird, watching the water in quick glances through the windows as he shuffled the cards like a magician. Pensacola, the beaches white as frozen tundra, sandbars rising in the green waves like humpback whales.

There were even bolder attempts to lose myself in the illusion of distance. I spent a few months in Europe, living on trains and in hostels. But no matter how far I traveled, the past was always close enough to feel its warmth on my face, its chill in my bones, its beauty and sadness brighter and clearer than it had ever been. Once, while waiting for a ferry to cross the English Chanel, I stood on the edge of a giant white cliff looking into the ancient turbulence filled with rusting Spitfires and cannon-blasted Spanish Galleons; I thought of Leer, and how we take the plunge into maturity and finally senescence, like a proud, blind King who is no better than his fool as he wades into the deep waters of death.

On the flight back to Atlanta, from France, I woke up and the clouds below looked like sand dunes or snow, and buried under them was the Atlantic. Everyone else was sleeping. The sky was very blue. The blue got darker and darker until it looked like night, like a sketch of the stratosphere I had seen in a science book in third grade.

Closest to outer space I will ever get; nearest to heaven I’ll ever be.

Some of My Favorite Lines

There are so many great lines in this book, including those in the images featured in this blog post. You can also check out the author's Facebook page and Tumblr blog for more images and quotes.

"The past is a dangerous place. Lately, I have been going there way too often - but there is nowhere else to go."

" ... she was his reason for living, and had been since he was fifteen."

"Like sound, not all silence is the same."

"Dying can be a very slow process."

"Even if someone would have told me that all those smiles would turn into wrinkles, I would have smiled anyway. A smile is worth it. You are going to grow old anyway, why not do it while smiling."

"She had loved heroin more than her own child."

"It is sad how someone can mean so much to you, and be such an important part of your life, and then, because of time, or other uncontrollable circumstances, you never see them again."

"Not all flowers are snipped as cleanly and perfectly by the careful hands of a florist as the fairytale ends of long-stem roses. The rarest, and most hauntingly beautiful wildflowers are ripped from the earth in a frenzied moment of passion, pulled up by their roots, with no thought of consequences or the possible aftermath."

My Review

By Lynda Dickson

The title, a quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet, is extremely apt and sets the mood for this poignant story. Andrew is a man haunted by many things, but mainly by his obsession for Leigh Mallory, his first love. Abandoned by his drug-addict mother at the age of four, his life has been marked by one disappointment after another. Now approaching forty, he sits drinking in a seedy motel and recalls his loves, his losses, his regrets, and the sins of his youth. He also contemplates suicide.

I have been following the author on Tumblr for a few years and was excited when I found out his book had finally been published. Unfortunately, I was in for a big disappointment. There is no doubt that the author knows how to write. The language is rich and beautiful and compels one to keep reading, even though the plot is barely existent and the book consists mainly of the stream-of-consciousness musings of a middle-aged drunkard. But that's not my complaint. Those of you who follow my reviews will know that nothing annoys me more than poor editing. Unfortunately, this is one of the worst-edited books I have come across. I would go so far as to suggest that no one other than the author read the manuscript before it was published; it doesn't even appear as if the author himself re-read it. It puts me in mind of Chuck Wendig's quote referenced in one of my recent blog posts: "Just yarf it up". The author did just that, but then he didn't clean up after himself.

Formatting and proofreading problems include: no paragraph indentations, overuse of commas, lack of apostrophes, incorrect punctuation in speech, incorrect word usage, spelling mistakes, lack of capitalization, inconsistencies with names (Corey/Cory, Rachael/Rachel), repetition. Other problems: the narrative jumps around with not enough indication of time and place, making it extremely difficult to follow; there are too many characters, making it hard to keep track of who is actually important to the story; I couldn't follow the action in the New Orleans incident, a pivotal event in Andrew's life; there isn't enough character development to explain Andrew's obsession with Leigh Mallory. It's a great shame there are so many problems with this book because the writing is beautiful, the narrative is compelling, and the story is heart-felt. My note to the author: get your book edited and republished.

Warnings: coarse language, drug use, alcohol abuse.

About the Author

Adam Stanley has been publishing poems and short stories for the last twenty years. Some of his credits include, "The Old Red Kimono", "The Prairie Schooner", and "Chum". He is an amateur musician and music lover, and his works are often imbued with a musicality that he still retains from his days as a rock musician and a student of Classical piano. He lives in rural Georgia. All My Sins Remembered is his first novel.

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"Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula" by Elise Stokes

FREE Kindle Edition

Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula

by Elise Stokes

Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula is the first book in the Cassidy Jones Adventures series. It is currently available FREE from Amazon. It is also available from Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.

Two more books in the series are also available: Cassidy Jones and Vulcan's Gift, Book Two and Cassidy Jones and the Seventh Attendant, Book Three. The fourth book, Cassidy Jones and the Luminous, will be released in 2014.

Description

One Girl. One Accident. One Incredible Superhero.

Cassidy Jones is your typical fourteen-year-old - that is, until a seemingly harmless accident in the laboratory of a world-renowned geneticist turns her world upside down.

Discovering incredible strength, speed, and enhanced physical senses that defy logic, Cassidy embarks on an action-packed adventure that has her fighting for answers ... and for her very life.

Excerpt

I wrenched open the tailgate and dove out head-first. My hands made contact with the rocky dirt and I flipped up, landing squarely on my feet. Silver Tooth already had the gun on me.

My eyes zeroed in on a jagged-edged rock at my feet. In one fluid movement, I reached down, grabbed the rock, and hurled it toward the gun. My movements were so quick that Silver Tooth didn’t realize what had happened until the rock tore through the top of his hand, embedding in the thin flesh.

Letting out a piercing scream, Silver Tooth dropped the gun. Diving forward, I had it in mine before it hit the ground. When he looked up, he was looking down the barrel of his own weapon.

Though in pain, he kept his voice even, menacing. "Who sent you?"

I couldn’t very well answer in my young female voice, so I kept silent, clasping the gun that I had no idea how to shoot.

Peripherally, I saw one man’s hand move toward his holster. Before his hand moved a fraction of an inch more, I turned the gun on him. His hands flew up in the air in surrender. I moved the gun to the other man, who mimicked his friend, raising his hands in the air. Silver Tooth flinched. The gun moved back to him. Silver Tooth laughed low. Holding up his limp hand, he asked me, "Do you mind?" Taking my silence as consent, he savagely ripped the rock from his flesh.

Perspiration beaded on his forehead. "Why don’t you tell me what you want," he said steadily.

I kept quiet.

He lifted his chin toward Ben. “Do you want him?”

Still, I didn’t respond, at a loss of how to cross this bridge.

"The silent type, eh? How about I do the talking. You want what we all want: the assassin."

Who is the assassin?

His lips lifted, revealing the silver tooth. "No reason we can’t share, eh? Be partners. Together, we take these Kings out of the equation." Smiling, he waited.

After seconds of silence, his face contorted in frustration. "Do we have a deal or not? Talk!"

Well, I certainly couldn’t do that, and I wasn’t using the gun in my hands. Simultaneously, I tossed the gun behind me and kicked Silver Tooth square in the chest. I could hear the wind leave his body. He flew backwards and landed on his back, gasping.

Adrenaline rushed through my veins. The night sky brightened, revealing everything around me in a new light. I perceived every physical detail of my adversaries, breathing in the smell of their skin and hair, tasting their fear on my tongue. Time and space slowed. Everything slowed but me.

Book Trailer

Review

By Carla Aoyagi

Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula is one of the most creative books that I have ever read- the depth of imagery that Elise Stokes words weave put her book on par with a graphic novel, the depth of feeling and expression and thought that is expressed is equal to some of the more classic novels.. all the while keeping it engaging for all levels- appropriate for ages of kids preteen to adult, with varying occupations and interests. (I'm a 27 year old mother of two little girls with a degree in engineering and a job in graphic design! and my cousins, boys and girls, ages 13-18 love it!)

Definitely a must read!

About the Author

Elise Stokes lives with her husband and four children. She was an elementary school teacher before becoming a full-time mom. With a daughter in middle school and two in high school, Elise's understanding of the challenges facing girls in that age range inspired her to create a series that will motivate girls to value individualism, courage, integrity, and intelligence. The stories in Cassidy Jones Adventures are fun and relatable, and a bit edgy without taking the reader uncomfortably out of bounds. Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula, Cassidy Jones and Vulcan's Gift, and Cassidy Jones and the Seventh Attendant are the first three books in the series. Book Four, Cassidy Jones and the Luminous, will be released in 2014.

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"Talent Storm" by Brian Terenna

NEW RELEASE

Talent Storm

by Brian Terenna

Description

Hundreds of years after the Great World War, America is a distant memory. In the ashes, new civilizations have risen up from the Wilds. Locke’s Coalition and Liberty Kingdom, bitter enemies, have been at peace for seven years. War is never far from politicians’ minds, though, especially when one is the tyrant Archduke Goldwater. For all of human kinds’ positive traits, the character flaws of corruption, greed, anger, and revenge are etched into our DNA.

In the new world, little technology remains and advanced weapons are in short supply, but today’s soldiers fight with innate power. They fight with Talent … the psionic powers that develop in a random few.

A young Coalition citizen, Jaden Stone, dreams of graduating, having fun, and falling in love. As if his hard-nosed uncle, schoolyard bullies, and exams weren’t hard enough to handle, he discovers that he wields Talent. He’d now be forced to serve in the military, forced to train and fight, all for an organization that killed his parents.

Will Jaden work hard for his people or will his desire for leisure win over? He’s forced to decide when a tragedy shakes his core.

Excerpt

Ben turned away from me before picking up a few small rocks. “Let’s see if you’re any stronger from lifting all those weights. Maybe you’ll beat me for once.”

Nodding and smiling, I pointed at him. “You first.”

Ben stood, then stretched, his back popping as he rotated his torso. Hefting a rock, he wound up and then threw it. The projectile crossed the wide creek and bounced in the distance before skidding to a halt. Lips pressed in a straight line, I shook my head, annoyed. He topped his last week’s throw by a yard; he always beat me. He turned and smiled, stretching his long toned arms above his body.

I shrugged. “Eh, an all right throw,” I said with a wry smile.

Ben faced me, his eyes crinkling. “Riiiiight,” he said, while slowly bobbing his head. “Okay… beat me then.”

Images of my uncle’s flushed-face appeared before me, fueling my strength. I gritted my teeth while drawing back my arm. In a flash, I whipped my arm forward, releasing the rock. It sailed over the creek, whizzing through the air. With a loud crack, it slammed into a birch tree, punching a hole through the trunk. My jaw dropped halfway to the ground.

Out of the corner of my eye, Ben wavered, looking like he’d topple over. He shook his head, his hazel eyes wide. “Wowww… how did you do that?”

What had just happened? I lowered my head to stare at my hands, turning them over repeatedly.

“Jaden?”

I slowly raised my eyes to fixate on the hole again.

“Jaden? Hello… Jaden.”

“What?” I asked, just realizing Ben was speaking to me.

Ben patted my arm quickly, conferring a sense of urgency. Reluctantly, I tore my eyes away from the hole to face Ben.

He leaned in close, shaking. He spoke in a low voice, eyes darting side to side. “I think it was green.”

“What?” I shook my head, attempting to re-ground myself in the world. What was going on?

Now, he spoke louder, emphasizing with his hands in rapid motion. “The rock… it was green. It glowed green. Don’t you see? You’re one of the Talented.”

Book Trailer

Review

By Ken

I have to say that Talent Storm was a fantastic read. I thought that the story and plot were original and well developed, and the characters had a great deal of depth and accurately depicted the complexity and at times ugly side of human nature. Once I started reading Talent Storm, I had a difficult time putting it down. I was really able to visualize myself fighting for survival in the post-apocalyptic world created by the author. The novel also touched on many of the contemporary social, political, educational, and military issues facing our world today which kept me engrossed from beginning to end. I would recommend this book to anyone.

About the Author

Brian Terenna grew up in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, reading fantasy and science fiction. He is now a fantasy, science fiction, and paranormal romance writer. Talent Storm is his first fantasy novel. Brian is also a voracious reader and book reviewer, an avid chess player, and he meditates regularly.

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