In recent decades, most of us have witnessed increasing social and
political strife, tearing apart the very fabric of American society. This
polarization stems from decades of shifting ideologies, moving from a
foundational center-right perspective toward the left. Acknowledging the root
causes of this cultural shift and recognizing the depth of the problem is the
first step toward addressing it.
The divide we see today is largely driven by ideas that contradict the
founding principles of the United States. Deconstructing America explores
these forces through a series of interconnected, fact-based narratives,
revealing the key moments and influences that have contributed to America's
decline.
About the Author
After a long career as an entrepreneur working in the cycling and
fitness industry managing, owning, and consulting for numerous retail
establishments, it became natural to study the people, cultures, and social
environments in and around my working life. Once retirement became imminent it
afforded me the time and vigor to completely immerse myself in the social
sciences, including anthropology, sociology, social psychology, and history in
furtherance of understanding and writing about the complex world issues that
humanity faces.
Click on the
tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Literary
Thriller / Short Story Collection
Publisher: Tellwell Talent
Publication Date: February 3, 2026
Page count: 292 pages
SCROLL DOWN FOR GIVEAWAY!
SYNOPSIS:
Unsolvable
murders, and innocent suspects. It's time to bring in Steelside.
The Final
Scene
Two
talented performers take center stage for a heart-wrenching love song. Their
soaring voices deliver a dramatic aria for a scene that will never be
surpassed. Or will it?
The
Marathon Murder
Great human
sports achievements fill our history books with superhuman feats. Then comes
one runner to break all the records, plus anyone else in his way.
The
Pharmacy Incident
Advancing
the science of medicine gives us miracle cures for life-saving treatments. Now
Ed is hired to look into their dark closets and finds—do we trust them too
much?
There's
Death in Texas
A deadly
killer stalks the state of Texas, and no one knows he's coming except for fate
and a crack detective. Now, Ed must find the path to stop one of the most
deadly killers in North American history.
THE MARATHON MURDER Andre was late. He rushed into the house,
grabbed his TV remote, and clicked it on. A runner on a track appeared. “He’s
on the final straightaway,” a frantic announcer shouted. “Only a hundred yards
to the finish…sixty yards…forty yards…twenty yards… He’s crossed the tape!” The
runner staggered to a stop, hands on his knees, gasping to catch his breath. A
loud, cheering crowd soon drowned out the broadcast. “Attention,
ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer returned, his voice echoing throughout the
stadium. “I now have the official results.” The crowd finally quieted. “Hermando
Montregalo has just broken the world’s marathon record by six minutes,
forty-eight seconds!” A roar burst out from the stadium. The exhausted runner
raised his arms in victory— cheering fans on the field swarmed around him in a
frenzy of admiration. The
camera cut to the announcer in the booth. “Still yet to appear on this final
straightaway,” he went on, “is the now ex-world champion, Nigerian Ligajah
Lambafa. He won’t reach this finish for another incredible six minutes!” The
reporter removed his glasses and addressed the camera. “Sports
fans!” he announced. “This astonishing record will shock the track and field
world into disbelief. Today, we just witnessed an unbelievable human
achievement.” Andre
switched off the broadcast, threw the remote down, and stormed from the room.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Brad
lives with his wife, Norrie, in Oliver, BC, Canada's wine capital in the heart
of the Okanagan Valley. Norrie loves visiting all the many grape wineries
there. Alas, Brad can't drink wine; he's allergic to sulphates. "I don't
like the damn stuff anyway," Brad says. "Just give me a good dark
ale." He is a retired art director and designer, now writer. He has
published three short stories, which have won placement in a book of short
stories three years in a row.
Brad
was born in Oregon and grew up in the Willamette Valley. Later, as an adult,
after art training, he spent fifteen years working in his own studio in Dallas,
Texas. Brad then moved to Canada and worked for two major Canadian ad agencies
as a creative art director. There, he ventured into working on TV ads—it was
gruelling but fun. His client was Alberta's CP hotels, then he worked for a
dairy, producing ice cream. A dream job for sure. Later, Brad opened his own
freelance design studio. But he always wanted to write fiction stories. So, on
retirement, he has written three books.
This
one, based on Ed Steelside, is his favourite.
See what happens when an old-school senior officer who misses the street action
retires and opens his own private investigation office.
Edwin Steelside: Searching Out the Devil by Bradford
Bennett is a collection of short stories featuring the former head of detectives
turned private eye. This volume includes four intriguing and mysterious cases
for the new PI to solve.
Ed Steelside is an engaging protagonist for the series.
Divorced after his job as the head of Vancouver PD’s Homicide Detectives Bureau
kept him away from home and his wife too much, he’s considering getting back in
the dating game to get to know Molly, a smart, fast-talking, and saucy waitress
at his favorite coffee shop. He retired from the police department when, after climbing
the ladder, he discovered that most of his time was spent on administrative
tasks rather than solving crimes and pursuing justice for victims. Instead, he’s
opened his own private investigation office, and his stellar reputation is
starting to attract some big cases.
Each story is a self-contained case, and Ed conducts a
thorough investigation, following clues and his instincts. The police procedural
style employed puts the reader alongside Ed every step of the way as he puzzles
through the information he uncovers, leading to the final resolution. Suspects
come and go as the clues either rule them out or put them on a fast track to
arrest by his former colleagues, with whom he maintains a positive, mutually
beneficial relationship.
I recommend EDWIN STEELSIDE: SEARCHING OUT THE DEVIL to
mystery readers who enjoy their police procedurals in bite-sized chunks.
GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
Bradford
Bennett will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
The Purpose of Getting Lost: A Story of Finding Myself, a memoir by Tracy Smith, was an unexpected joy to read as I connected with and related to so many of her experiences, impressions, and emotions. Approaching 50 and an impending empty nest, the author comes to realize the person she’s become, or, rather, presents to the public and even family and friends, has drifted far from the real self she’d slowly buried in time and by the necessity of successive needs of others.
Wives and mothers adapt as needed to provide what is essential to those who depend on them, but in doing so, often lose contact with their own needs, desires, and feelings. Through travel and new experiences away from the life and persona she’d constructed, the author gradually peels off the hold the needs of others had on her and allows the real Tracy to re-emerge. Reading Tracy’s words felt like a comfortable yet deep conversation with that one friend who really gets me.
I recommend THE PURPOSE OF GETTING LOST to readers of women’s memoirs and travelogues.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy through WOW! Women On Writing Book Tours.
The opening's craziness and chaos made this an unputdownable debut!
Dead Focused and Hocus Pocused is the first book in veteran author Marcy Blesy’s new Empty Nest Mystical Cozy Mystery series and features retired elementary school teacher and newly-minted empty nester, Julianna “Juli” Tully, as she checks in for a week’s stay to help ease her past her feelings of uncertainty over her new phase of life. Craziness and chaos greet her at the Sand Bur Estate on the shores of Lake Michigan, the location of the “Empty Nest Retreat: Where You Take the Front Seat of Your Life Again,” which was gifted to her by her mother and husband, and is not the spa-like scenario that she’d been hoping for at all. Soon after her arrival, a staff member turns up dead, and as Juli was the last person to see them alive, she becomes the number one suspect in their murder.
Juli is such a relatable main character as she confronts the bewilderment that greets her upon arrival. She’s confused and turned off by the weird vibes she gets from the start, and feels singled out as the staff seems to focus solely on her during their sessions. The first person she meets there is Nelle, a high-energy sort, eager to please, participate, and support anything healing, but not exactly a relaxing individual to be paired with. Several of the other attendees were downright hostile to Juli’s presence, and when the chef is found dead, the tension really mounts.
However, things at the Sand Bur are not what they seem, and Juli decides to stick it out to uncover the strange goings-on and, later, clear her name of the murder. While I wanted to rescue Juli myself from the sheer chaos at first, it was the quirkiness of the situation that begged for explanation that hooked me. The author tells a compelling story with relatable characters, and I just had to find out how everything would resolve.
I recommend DEAD FOCUSED AND HOCUS POCUSED to cozy mystery readers who enjoy paranormal and supernatural elements in their stories.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.
Are they the three foretold who will make the truth of prophecy?
The Carnelian Throne
The Silistra Quartet Book 4
by
Janet Morris
Genre: Dystopian Epic SciFi Fantasy Romance
***** "Engrossing characters in a marvelous
adventure." -- C. Brown, Locus Magazine
***** "The amazing and exotic adventures of the most beautiful courtesan
in tomorrow's universe." -- Frederik Pohl
***** "The best single example of prostitution used in fantasy is in Janet
Morris' Silistra series: High Couch of Silistra (originally entitled Returning
Creation), The Golden Sword, Wind from the Abyss, and The Carnelian
Throne." -- Anne K. Kaler, "The Picara: From Hera to Fantasy
Heroine."
"[...] today I thought I'd look at one of the most successful fantasy
debuts of all time, a series that became a huge international hit with its
first release, launching the career of one of the most prolific fantasy writers
of the late 20th Century: Janet Morris' The Silistra Quartet.
"The Silistra Quartet began with Janet's first novel,
High Couch of Silistra [...] from Bantam Books in 1977 [, ] the far-future tale
of the colony planet of Silistra, still recovering from an ancient war that
left the planet scarred and much of the population infertile. With a
dangerously low birth-rate, it's not long before the human colonists of
Silistra develop a new social order, with a hierarchy based on fertility and
sexual prowess.
-- John O'Neill in Black Gate Adventures in Fantasy Literature
Estri was a god, and the daughter of light.
Chayin was a god, and the son of darkness.
Sereth was hase-enor, the son of all flesh.
Lovers and friends, could they be the prophesied three
who would wield the Sword of Severance, Se’Keroth,
and bring light out of dark?
“One from the east, born of ease and destined,
“One from north of south, divine, exempt of question;
the third from out the west,
Astride a tide of death,” quoted Chayin. He was not
smiling. It is a long epic. All has been foreseen. We
all know that tale’s end.”
— Estri Hadrath diet Estrazi, in “Wind from the Abyss.”
“Gate!”
he bellowed over the storm, his dripping lips at my ear. The deluge had made us
sparing of words. Under leathers soaked to thrice their weight, I shivered in
spasms. Arms clutched to my sides, I stared into the rain. The driven sheets
slashed me for my audacity. Lightning flared, illuminating the riverbank white.
A moment later, the bright noise cracked through my head. The hillock trembled.
Over
the gate danced the lightning. Its crackling fingers quested down thick-crossed
slabs of iron, seared flesh. Emblazoned as they tumbled were those six-legged
amphibians, their streamered tails lashing, scaled, fangful heads thrown back
in dismay. I saw their afterimage: beryl and cinnabar, aglow upon the storm.
Then their charred remains splashed into oblivion, spun away on the fast
current.
“Down!”
One man shouted, the other shoved me, and as I staggered to kneel in the
sedges, the god that washed this land shook it, grumbling. I crouched on my
hands and knees on the bucking sod, between them. Little protection could they
offer up against shaking earth and searing sky, not even for themselves,
without divorcing themselves from the reality they had come here to explore.
And that they would not do.
Wind from the Abyss is the third volume in Janet Morris'
classic Silistra Quartet, continuing one woman's quest for self-realization in
a distant tomorrow.
Aristocrat. Outcast. Picara. Slave. Ruler .... She is
descended from the masters of the universe. To hold her he challenges the gods
themselves.
Praise for Janet Morris' Silistra Quartet:
"The amazing and erotic adventures of the most
beautiful courtesan in tomorrow's universe." -- Fred Pohl
"Engrossing characters in a marvelous adventure."
-- Charles N. Brown, Locus Magazine.
"The best single example of prostitution used in
fantasy is Janet Morris' Silistra series." -- Anne K. Kahler, The
Picara: From Hera to Fantasy Heroine.
“Morris, so good at giving us characters we can identify with, characters we can love and hate, strikes at the very heart of the human condition and the duality of humanity — both good and evil. Her prose is lean and spot-on, every word carefully chosen to enhance the milieu of her imaginary world and advance the plot, giving us access to the thoughts, emotions and machinations of the people whose stories she is presenting to us. Once again, she gives us a “thinking man’s” science fiction/fantasy that explores the nature of power and sexuality, and how they can be used, misused and abused. This is a brilliant, mature and very adult novel that will not only leave you thinking about your own place in the universe, but questioning the very nature of existence.” – Goodreads reviewer
This Perseid Press Author's Cut Edition is revised and
expanded by the author and presented in a format designed to enhance your
reading experience with larger, easy-to-read print, more generous margins, and
covers designed for these premium editions.
Wind from the Abyss starts with this . . .
"Since, at the beginning of this tale, I did not
recollect myself nor retain even the slightest glimmer of such understanding as
would have led me to an awareness of the significance of the various
occurrences that transpired at the Lake of Horns, I am adding this preface,
though it was no part of my initial conception, that the meaningfulness of the
events described by "Khys' Estri" (as I have come to think of the
shadow-self I was while the dharen held my skills and memory in abeyance) not
be withheld from you as they were from me. I knew myself not: I was Estri
because the girl Carth supposedly found wandering in the forest stripped of
comprehension and identity chose that name. There, perhaps, lies the greatest
irony of all, that I named myself anew after Estri Hadrath diet Estrazi, who in
reality I had once been. And perhaps it is not irony at all, but an expression
of Khys' humor, an implicit dissertation by him who structured my experiences,
my very thoughts, for nearly two years, until his audacity drove him to bring
together once more Sereth crill Tyris, past-Slayer, then the outlawed Ebvrasea,
then arrar to the dharen himself; Chayin rendi Inekte, cahndor of Nemar,
co-cahndor of the Taken Lands, chosen son of Tar-Kesa, and at that time Khys'
puppet-vassal; and myself, former Well-Keepress, tiask of Nemar, and lastly
becoming the chaldless outlaw who had come to judgment and endured ongoing
retribution at the dharen's hands. To test his hesting, his power over owkahen,
the time-coming-to-be, did Khys put us together, all three, in his Day-Keeper's
city -- and from that moment onward, the Weathers of Life became fixed:
siphoned into a singular future; sealed tight as a dead god in his mausoleum,
whose every move brought him closer to the sum total, obliteration. So did the
dharen Khys bespeak it, himself. . ."
The further adventures of
the most beautiful courtesan in the galaxies of tomorrow.
She had the power to create planets. The sixty carved bones
of the Yris-tera foretold her ancient fate. Her heritage of power took her
beyond time and space and stole from her the one man she loved.
Enslaved on the planet Silistra, tomorrow's most beautiful
courtesan unleashes the powers of the gods.
What readers
are saying:
“Pure excellence…. A heroic quest of the highest
calibre.” - Goodreads
“This is a book which makes one’s blood sing and one’s
mind ponder. I loved the first in the series and enjoyed this as much, perhaps
more. The ending leaves the reader desperate to know what happens to Estri next
– courtesan, slave, warrior, lover, rebel. What is next for our heroine?” –
Goodreads
“Call it what you like: science fiction, space opera,
sword and planet or erotic fantasy . . . The Golden Sword is all these things,
and so much more. A highly intelligent and sensual novel filled with ideas and
revelations, this is a gripping story that explores human sexuality and the
role it plays in politics. Although the memorable characters are bisexual, toss
away all your preconceived notions, for there is a humanity, a strength of will
and determination, a realism and depth of emotion to these characters that will
have you thinking twice about all you know and all you think you know. This is
a book for mature and discerning readers who like some meat on the bones of the
books they read. Janet Morris led the way for all the science fiction authors, both
male and female, who came after. “ – Joe Bonadonna, Goodreads
One woman's mythic search for self-realization in a distant tomorrow...
Her sensuality was at the core of her world, her quest beyond the civilized
stars.
Aristocrat. Outcast. Picara. Slave. Ruler.
"Engrossing characters in a marvelous adventure." - Charles N. Brown,
Locus Magazine
"The amazing and erotic adventures of the most beautiful courtesan in
tomorrow's universe" - Frederik Pohl
"The best single example of prostitution used in fantasy is Janet Morris'
Silistra series... Estri's character is most like that of Ishtar who describes
herself as "'a prostitute compassionate am I'" because she
"symbolizes the creative submission to the demands of instinct, to the
chaos of nature ...the free woman, as opposed to the domesticated woman".
Linking Estri with these lunar and water symbols is not difficult because of
the moon's eternal virginity (the strength of integrity) links with her changeability
(the prostitute's switching of lovers). [...]
Morris strengthens the moon imagery by having Estri as a
well-keepress because wells, fountains, and the moon as the orb which controls
water have long been associated with fertility, [...] In a sense, she is like
the moon because she is apparently eternal, never waxing or waning except in
her pursuit of the quest; she is the prototypical wanderer like the moon and
Ishtar. She is the eternal night symbol of the moon in opposition to the
Day-Keepers [...]
At her majority (her
three hundredth birthday), she is given a silver-cubed hologram letter from her
mother, containing a videotape of her conception by the savage bronzed
barbarian god from another world. [...] If Estri's mother then acts as a bawd,
willing her lineage as Well-Keepress to her daughter, then Estri's
great-grandmother Astria as foundress of the Well becomes a further mother-bawd
figure when she offers her prophetic advice in her letter: "Guard Astria
for you may lose it, and more. Beware of one who is not as he seems. Stray not
in the port city of Baniev ...look well about you, for your father's daughter's
brother seeks you". Having no brother that she knows of does not stay
Estri from undertaking the heroic quest of finding her father." - Anne K. Kaler, The
Picara: From Hera to Fantasy Heroine
Bestselling author Janet Morris began writing in 1976 and
published more than 30 novels, many co-authored with her husband Chris Morris
or others. She contributed short fiction to the shared universe fantasy series
Thieves World, in which she created the Sacred Band of Stepsons, a mythical
unit of ancient fighters modeled on the Sacred Band of Thebes. She created,
orchestrated, and edited the Bangsian fantasy series Heroes in Hell, writing
stories for the series as well as co-writing the related novel, The Little
Helliad, with Chris Morris. She wrote the bestselling Silistra Quartet in the
1970s, including High Couch of Silistra, The Golden Sword, Wind from the Abyss,
and The Carnelian Throne. This quartet had more than four million copies in
Bantam print alone, and was translated into German, French, Italian, Russian
and other languages. In the 1980s, Baen Books released a second edition of this
landmark series. The third edition is the Author's Cut edition, newly revised
by the author for Perseid Press. Most of her fiction work has been in the
fantasy and science fiction genres, although she has also written historical
and other novels. Morris has written, contributed to, or edited several
book-length works of non-fiction, as well as papers and articles on nonlethal
weapons, developmental military technology and other defense and national
security topics.
Janet said: 'People often ask what book to read first. I
recommend "I, the Sun" if you like ancient history; "The Sacred
Band," a novel, if you like heroic fantasy; "Lawyers in Hell" if
you like historical fantasy set in hell; "Outpassage" if you like
hard science fiction; "High Couch of Silistra" if you like far-future
dystopian or philosophical novels. I am most enthusiastic about the definitive
Perseid Press Author's Cut editions, which I revised and expanded.'
**Get 10% off signed copies at ChangingEarth.com with the code
ChangingEarth **
Day After Disaster
The Changing Earth Series Book 1
by
Sara F. Hathaway
Genre: Postapocalyptic Family Drama Thriller
When a mega-quake buries Sacramento in toxic floodwaters,
Erika Moore emerges from a bomb shelter—burned and alone, she’s desperate to
find her husband and son. A country girl with a martial arts background, she
fights to survive a lawless Sierra Nevada, battling gangs and saving a lost
girl, Star. In a The Road-like wasteland with The Last of
Us grit, every choice tests her: help others or herself? Desperate to
reclaim her family, she presses on—until disaster strikes again. With raiders
and waves rising, her reunion teeters on ruin. A post-apocalyptic tale of
courage and chaos—will she outrun the next catastrophe?
Jane stood there watching her go. Just as Sam closed the
gate behind her, Jane heard Doug’s crew coming down the side of the mountain
from the right-hand side.
Moving the gate was a slow process. It slammed with a bang as people flooded down the
mountainside. There was no way to open it again in time to get Jaclyn safely
inside before the attackers ascended upon them.
Jane screamed to Jaclyn, “Run, Jaclyn, run and hide! They’ll
catch you!”
Jane was frantically pulling the gate open. Jaclyn started
to run along the river's edge, where the flowing water pulled back the mud and
left less slippery stone. Thinking fast, Erika ran to Artaz. Star was already
mounted, and Erika jumped up in front of her.
“Whatever you do, don’t
let go!” Erika yelled while driving her legs into Artaz.
Artaz leaped forward. In a flash, they flew around the edge
of the wall, splashing through the river. They hit the beach and galloped. The
mud flew in the air as they pounded along the river bed. Then, she saw Jaclyn
running in fear as fast as she could. Artaz was soaring now; his hoofs were clacking across the rock. Somehow, he
found solid footing every time. Erika was a short distance from Jaclyn. They
were going to make it. Then, all of a sudden, a truck came into her view from
her left. The engine roared as the truck bound across the mud. They were
closing in on Jaclyn! Erika realized she would never make it before the truck
and pulled back hard on Artaz, causing him to come to a sliding stop.
As Artaz spun around on his heels to scamper back to the
compound's safety, Erika heard Star scream, “They have her.”
“There’s nothing we can do now except get out of here,”
Erika shouted. She was out of her head to be running after Jaclyn. All that
would come of it was her and Star getting captured as well. Then she heard the
men from the truck shouting.
“There it is! The horse. That girl is riding it. Get it!”
They quickly turned and started chasing Erika down, but before they could get
their truck rolling through the deep muck, Erika was back around the wall,
galloping toward the bridge.
Erika raced across the camp. They tied Jaclyn up like an
animal in the back of the truck. The men were laughing at her and hitting her.
She screamed in horror for someone to help her, but there would be no help. She
would become another victim in a world that no longer had sympathy for the
defenseless.
Erika could not help her now. Too much time was wasted
already. The giant hooks were pulling on the walls. Some were starting to fall.
She watched Sam and Jane retreat to the designated point for the final attack.
The marauders were shooting guns and throwing spears at Jane and Sam. Jane and
Sam were firing back, but their ammo was limited, and Erika knew it. Sam ran
back to the cover point. Erika was forgotten in the fray. The bridge would be
blown, and Erika was on the wrong side!
She dug her heels deep into Artaz. They galloped toward the
bridge. She could see Jane getting ready to hit the switch, but in a second,
Jane was standing there with a spear directly through her eye, and it was
coming out the back of her head. Screaming for Jane, Sam shot the spear thrower
dead in his tracks. Sam went to fire again, but the only sound was: click. . . click. He was out of bullets and the marauders were closing in.
Erika jumped off a galloping Artaz and rolled over to the generator. Artaz hit
the brakes quickly on the bridge when he felt Erika jump. Star instinctually
moved up and gripped the reins. Yanking on one rein, Star wheeled back around
toward Erika. A group of men were closing in. She hit the switch. As she looked
back, she saw Artaz with Star at the reins.
Erika leaped up in front of Star, and they tore across the
bridge that was blowing up almost underneath them. They turned to get Sam and
saw a bullet rip through his chest. Debris rained down on them as the bridge
and the men exploded.
Artaz was now in a wild gallop, completely panicked from the
barrage of gunfire aimed at them. He barreled up the hill uncontrollably. Star
suddenly clenched Erika tightly and screamed. Artaz shied violently, and it
took all of Erika’s strength to stay seated in the saddle. He dodged left and
right, fear fueling his wild scramble up the mountainside. He ran like never
before. Halfway up the hill, he collapsed into a lifeless mass.
During the crash, Erika and Star were launched through the
air. They were knocked unconscious. All that could be heard was the quiet of an
unbelievable night. As Erika lay there somewhere between reality and
unconsciousness, she told herself, this is all just a horrible nightmare, and I’m going to wake up. What is this
life?
**Currently getting
made into a tv series!**
The Lost Vegas Years
The Changing Earth Series Book 1.5
In the wake of the Great Quake, Las Vegas lies in ruins,
transformed into a federal refugee camp where survival is a daily struggle.
Amidst the chaos and despair, Erika Moore fights to protect her family from the
government's iron rule. With her husband Vince by her side, they must navigate
a world filled with danger and betrayal. As their defiance sparks whispers of
Erika being the camp's "Savior," each act of resistance threatens to
tear their family apart.
But Erika is not alone in her fight. Vince, the camp's quiet hero, builds
aquaponics gardens to feed the starving, a symbol of resilience in the face of
oppression. As the government pushes for extreme measures and family adoption
programs, Erika and Vince's covert training and unwavering determination become
their greatest weapons. From the ruins of Sacramento to the dusty streets of
Vegas, their family's bond is tested by loss, sacrifice, and a rising
revolution that could destroy everything they hold dear.
For fans of post-apocalyptic thrillers like The Road and The Hunger Games, The Lost Vegas Years is a heart-pounding journey into a world of survival,
resistance, and unbreakable spirit. In the midst of a dystopian nightmare, one
woman's fire and one man's roots may be the key to saving their family and
sparking a revolution. Don't miss this gripping installment in The Changing
Earth series.
If you enjoyed The Road and The Hunger Games, you'll love The Lost
Vegas Years.
Nine years trapped in a FEMA camp have crushed Erika
Moore—once a legendary survivor, now a shadow haunted by a failed riot and
iron-box torment. Her family—husband Vince and their kids—is her lifeline in a
world of forced infertility and despair. A rescue squad gig offers escape, but
betrayal and floods unravel her fragile hope. In a The Handmaid’s Tale-esque
nightmare with The Last of Us’ brutal edge, Erika battles a tyrannical system
to free her loved ones. Every step risks everything—submission or salvation.
This post-apocalyptic clash of grit and defiance hooks like a dystopian
thriller—can Erika shatter the walls? Dive into the next chapter of survival.
Erika and Vince Moore lead their family north through a
quake-scarred Sierra Nevada, nature reclaiming the ruins, fleeing feds and
mercenaries for freedom. Hunted and frail, a drifting haven spares them
starvation’s grasp—but storms and peril nearly claim young Daniel. In a Station
Eleven-like world of fragile renewal and The 100’s fierce
survival, Erika fights on as Vince teeters on death’s edge from brutal wounds.
Her spirit snaps, marching toward doom to shield her own. Allies Bennet and
Virgis offer refuge—until she’s summoned to a governing board to unveil a
decade of horrors and a new quake looms. This post-apocalyptic tale of grit and
sacrifice hooks like a rebel’s stand—will Erika break the chains? Dive deeper
into the fight.
Erika and Vince Moore trek south to warn of a looming
disaster, risking all to save her mom and friends in a crumbling Las Vegas.
Hunted by feds and mercenaries, they rally with a Texas militia through
hurricanes and heartbreak—until a vengeful shadow from Erika’s past strikes. In
a The Passage-like sprawl of ruin and resolve, with Snowpiercer’s relentless
fight, Erika battles storms and betrayal, her spirit forged in sacrifice as
foes close in. Allies crumble, cities teeter, and a desperate stand looms. This
post-apocalyptic epic of grit and loyalty grips like a survivor’s last cry—will
Erika save her own against the next calamity? Dive into the battle’s fierce
soul.
Riding rebel victories, Erika Moore guides her family to a
Denver homestead, a fleeting calm eclipsed by a brewing disaster. Hunted by
feds and bounty hunters, her cover shatters amid betrayal and bloodshed—old
bonds strain and new threats surge. In a Parable of the Sower-like
weave of raw resilience, with The Walking Dead’s brutal chaos,
Erika fights to safeguard her own as the West frays at the seams. A desperate
clash for the city tests her soul, with ruin closing in. This post-apocalyptic
epic of courage and survival grips like a rebel’s last breath—will Erika defy
the dark days? Dive into the fray of loyalty and loss.
Bound in a bounty hunter’s den, Erika Moore grips a shred of
defiance, her spirit bruised yet fierce. Hunted by feds and a merciless captor,
she mourns her lost family—until echoes of their resistance stir her fight. In
a The Road-like sprawl of stark desperation, with Swan
Song’s epic struggle, Erika endures TJ’s mind-breaking torment, her
will forged as he twists her soul. A storm churns outside, hinting at
salvation. This post-apocalyptic tale of grit and redemption cuts like a
survivor’s final plea—will Erika pierce the endless night? Dive into the
tempest of loyalty and ruin.
Arriving in Dallas, Erika Moore battles the mental scars TJ
Swenson left behind, her mind grasping for clues of the past while facing the
present. With Vince at her side, she claws toward recovery as a fractured
resistance wavers—still haunted by TJ’s relentless glare. In a Station
Eleven-like weave of fragile hope, with The Book of Eli’s unyielding
resolve, Erika defies cravings to rally her people, her son Dexter rising to
steady their cause. A northern refuge offers peace, but peril stalks their
path. This post-apocalyptic tale of grit and renewal lifts like a survivor’s
quiet cry—will Erika reclaim the horizon? Dive into a fight for family and
light.
Erika Moore stands fierce in Pine Springs, a rebel leader
hunted by TJ Swenson, a tyrant who claims her soul. With Vince and their son
Dexter at her side, she guards a fragile west against an ice age and TJ’s iron
grip. In a The Walking Dead-like clash of brutal stakes, with The
Hunger Games defiant spirit, Erika strikes at TJ’s core, her family
chasing secrets to shatter his reign. A last stand looms as ruin encroaches.
This post-apocalyptic epic of grit and defiance roars like a survivor’s final
cry—will Erika forge freedom from the bitter end? Dive into a saga of rebellion
and resolve.
Sara is an author, a fighter, a mother, and a wife. Her
writings’ central philosophy is that anyone can be confident in any
survival situation with the right skills and mental attitude. She wants people
to learn through a fictional experience just how fragile our manufactured
society is.
She practices these philosophies by training in various
martial arts disciplines and homesteading with her family. Sara graduated
from the California State University of Sacramento with a Bachelor of
Science in Business Administration and published her first novel in 2014. She
hosts self-defense seminars and avoiding abductions and sexual assaults.
Sara currently lives in the piney forest of east Texas. As a
happily married woman with two boys, she delights in quality family time
hiking and camping. Besides writing and fighting, she raises chickens,
tends to her garden, and works as an insurance agent during the week.
