Coming of age can be hard for anyone.
For Blackmon Perry Stone it is life threatening

Metal Boxes

by Alan Black

Publication Date: September 20, 2013

Publisher: Alan Black

ISBN-13: 9781482774320

Genre: Science Fiction | Adventure | Space Opera

Print Length: 359 pages
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Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Coming of age can be hard for anyone. But for Blackmon Perry Stone it is life threatening. At 15, he barely manages to graduate from the empire's cadet training by a talent for unusual problem solving. He has trouble settling into navy life, but life becomes harder when he uncovers a ring of thieves aboard the huge ship. Life becomes difficult when they killed him. Stone is ejected into hyperspace in an escape pod without hyperspace engines. Fully expecting to die, he reconfigures the sub-light engine to escape the inescapable. To his surprise it works, but only well enough to do little more than crash on an uncharted planet. It will surprise him if he can make the engine work again, but not as much as it will surprise everyone else if he can come back from the dead.

Click on Cover for Dii's 5 Star Review
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Stone is back, still a bit of an awkward teen,
still capable of accidentally becoming a hero and savior

Metal Boxes

Trapped Outside

by Alan Black

Series: Metal Boxes - Book 2

Publication Date: August 24, 2015

Publisher: Alan Black

Genre: YA Science Fiction - Space Opera

Print Length: 313 pages
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The sequel to #1 best selling science fiction novel Metal Boxes. Blackmon Perry Stone hasn't gotten over his fear of being outside and he still hasn't settled into life in the Empire's Navy. After months of legal wrangling over his last assignment, he has been given a new assignment. He was looking forward to getting an new posting on a spaceship or a station. The problem is that his new job is on a planet. Worse, once there, the base is overrun by the enemy aliens and now Stone is trapped outside on a hostile planet, injured, and hunted by aliens bent of killing him.

Click on Cover for Dii's 5 Star Review
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What IS a Metal Box?
Here is the official definition gleaned from the words of Alan Black, himself
Metal Boxes: space stations, space ships, and intersystem freighters

WHY are they so important to these stories?
Blackmon Perry Stone never stepped into open air until after his twelfth birthday. His agoraphobia is rampant and ceilings are a must. When he joins the space navy he expected to spend his time inside navy ships. When he finds out he has to spend time outside of the metal boxes he is used to, he has more problems than just the people trying to kill him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alan Black is a multi-genre author who writes for young adults on up.

(Science Fiction, Christian, Humor And Comedy)

He's never met a good story he didn't want to tell.
I have been writing novels since 1997 when I started ‘Eye on The Prize’. My writing tastes are as eclectic as my reading preferences. I admit that I love writing much more than editing and the whole publishing process. Marketing of my novels leaves me as baffled as the whole string theory thing.
I was born in central Kansas, but grew up in Gladstone, Missouri, graduating from Oak Park Senior High School and eventually earning a degree from Longview Community College. I spent most of my adult life in the Kansas City area (with the exception of a few years in the U.S. Air Force), but my wife and I now live in sunny Arizona. The dry desert air stimulates my creativity more than the juicy air in Missouri (pronounced here as ‘misery’).
I am pretty sure my desire to write started in the second grade. I was given an assignment to write a short story about Greek mythology. My teacher took the time to call my parents. Although neither Dad or Mom remember the incident, it had an impact on me eventually leading me to finally write (and most importantly finish) my first manuscript. It took two years to complete ‘Eye on The Prize’. I have gotten faster since then, completing the last manuscript in three weeks.

One thing Alan LOVES to do is Connect with Readers Online and at Book Signings! Check his website for upcoming events ~ Chat him up at any of his links!
Website | Facebook | Amazon | Twitter | Goodreads

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"What we think in our hearts is the very essence of who we are and what we will become."

Rev. Steve Longely

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Grand Prize – Kindle Fire 7" Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB, Black

First Prize - $25.00 Amazon Gift Card

Second Prize (US Only) – An autographed copy of ANY of my books

Third Prize (US Only) - Autographed copy of Metal Boxes & Metal Boxes Trapped Outside

Fourth Prize (two winners)(Intl) – E-version of any of my books.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

MORE books by Alan Black

Click here to see them all!

Chasing Harpo, Eye on the Prize, Other Times & Other Worlds Anthology

Metal Boxes, Metal Boxes - Trapped Outside (Metal Boxes Series)

Empty Space, Titanium Texicans, Chewing Rocks, Steel Walls and Dirt Drops,

The Friendship Stones, The Granite Heart, The Heaviest Rock and The Inconvenient Pebble, Jasper's Courage (An Ozark Mountain Series)

A Cold Winter

&

How to Start, Write, and Finish Your First Novel

Books to curl up with: Good Tuesday all

Books to curl up with: Good Tuesday all: Good Tuesday all , today I am going to review a book that was suggested to me by a friend . She told me that I will be blown away by this bo...

Good Tuesday all

Good Tuesday all , today I am going to review a book that was suggested to me by a friend . She told me that I will be blown away by this book. The book is A COIN FOR CHARON (  MARLOWE GENTRY book 1) by Dallas Mullican

                                         BOOK BLURB

Gabriel isn’t murdering anyone―he’s saving them.

The media has dubbed him the Seraphim Killer. He believes the gods have charged him to release the chosen, those for whom life has become an unbearable torment. Gabriel feels their suffering—his hands burn, his skull thunders, his stomach clenches. Once they are free, he places coins on their eyes to pay Charon for passage into paradise.

Detective Marlowe Gentry has spent the past two years on the edge. The last serial killer he hunted murdered his wife before his eyes and left his young daughter a mute shell. Whenever she looks at him, her dead eyes push him farther into a downward spiral of pain and regret. He sees the Seraphim as an opportunity for revenge, a chance to forgive himself―or die trying.

Gabriel performs the gods’ work with increasing confidence, freeing the chosen from their misery. One day, the gods withdraw the blessing―a victim he was certain yearned for release still holds the spark of life. Stunned, he retreats into the night, questioning why the gods have abandoned a loyal servant. Without his calling, Gabriel is insignificant to the world around him.

He will do anything to keep that from happening.

                                                             MY REVIEW
 
      One word for this book is WOW , I can not believe that this book is this authors debut novel. I was blown away with the way the author tore at my emotions. There hasn't been an author in awhile that has taken me to the pits of hell and pulled me back out. This book will leave you in a big puddle of emotions . Trust me I  cried , I was disgusted and I even let out a chuckle or two and then there was the night I couldn't sleep , well you will have to read the book to find out.
  Dallas has created a story that goes beyond the story of the serial killer . He dives into the people that are dealing and the people trying to stop him. In this story we have four main characters. Gabriel a young man , down on his luck but helps out others but also there is a dark side to him . He is quiet and helps people but his dark side is really dark. He thinks he is doing the Gods work and when he murders, he thinks he is saving them. He thinks if he does enough that he will become one of the gods. As you read you start Gabriel's story , you start to feel sorry for him. He has been through so much and you start to wonder if he can be saved. Then there is Becca  Drenning, this is a character I kind of wanted to slap a few times , well because I understand where she was coming from , she was an abused woman and it hurt me to read what she went through. But you see her grow and bust out and come into her own as the story progresses . As she fights to stay alive she falls for Detective Marlowe who is such a tortured soul. He has had a really bad two years after seeing his wife die. He can't process all that has happened . But, he struggles through each day to try and catch the killer . You see him fight with his inner demons through out the book and you want to cheer for him. The final tragic soul that we hear from is Max, now this poor man has no luck at all and you just want to wrap him up in a blanket give him hot chocolate and keep him safe. They all have their stories in the book, but as you read they all come together in an ending that blew my socks off . Didn't see it coming
   I must say this book is very well written and the writer takes us on such a journey. The plot is well developed and the characters are so complex. You will be sucked in by the end of chapter one. I was reading well into the night. This book will make you think. What would you do if placed in the situations these characters are in ? How would you change the circumstances if you could? Trust me you will be so engrossed in the characters and the story will blow you away . If this is his debut novel I can't wait to read the other books he will write. So if you want to be blown away by a book check it out . You will not be disappointed.

Books to curl up with: Good Monday all it is reveal day

Books to curl up with: Good Monday all it is reveal day: Happy Book Birthday to Faerie's Ring! Faerie’s Ring Sedona Series, Book #1 Author: Jaylee Austin Publisher: Roa...

Good Monday all it is reveal day

Happy Book Birthday to Faerie's Ring!

Faerie’s Ring

Sedona Series, Book #1

Author: Jaylee Austin

Publisher: Roane Publishing

Release Date: November 9, 2015

Keywords: Fantasy, Fae, Faeries, Paranormal, Romance, Demons, Vortex, Realms, Magic, Sidhe

A fallen demon invades Lara Clint’s beloved city of Sedona and a strange voice calls for her to awaken to her destiny. A demon catcher, she is summoned to capture and reignite the flame of the iris, stolen by the son of Vobris, God of Light. Ironically, her own secret binds her to the demon. Rafe Avery, a sidhe warrior and protector of dreams, is challenged to remove the black rose of darkness and help the one chosen to replace the white iris. Time has run out. The gates of Elysium and the magic portals will close to humankind, leaving them to the mercy and control of the revenge-seeking demon. A hot attraction ignites between the human and fae as they struggle to accomplish their goals. Lara’s secret threatens to destroy all their lives. Is Rafe’s love strong enough to break evil bonds and bring the darkness to justice?

PURCHASE LINKS

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a Rafflecopter giveaway Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code. No purchase necessary, but you must be 18 or older to enter. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter, and announced on the widget. Winner well be notified by emailed and have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Roane Publishing's marketing department.

Books to curl up with: GOOD TUESDAY ALL

Books to curl up with: GOOD TUESDAY ALL: Good Tuesday everyone. Today we are going to review . A DISTANT VOICE by Birdie Blake                               BOOK BLURB In life y...

GOOD TUESDAY ALL

Good Tuesday everyone. Today we are going to review . A DISTANT VOICE by Birdie Blake 
                            BOOK BLURB

In life you don’t find your voice. It finds you.

Violet Hayes knows how to survive the year living with her grandmother in the small town of Wandorah, Tennessee.

• Make Rose happy
• Don’t sing or play guitar
• Avoid Sally Shaw
• Ignore Carter Jenkins

It seems simple enough, right? Wrong.

• How do you keep a depressed sister happy?
• How do you deny yourself your dream?
• How do you avoid a friendship?
• And how do you ignore a boy when he’s everywhere you turn?

Violet’s to-do list just became a whole lot harder.

                              MY REVIEW

 This story revolves around Violet Hayes. Her life has been turned upside down . Her dad left them and now her mother won't get out of bed and her older sister is in a deep depression. They move to a small town in Tennessee to live with their grandmother. Violet fights tooth and nail when she enrolls in school. She doesn't think she needs friends an when a boy walks into the picture she fights him and doesn't want a relationship. But she can't live with just Rose as her friend .  Her whole life gets thrown for a loop.
   This story is a great coming of age story. What would you do if all you had was a mother and sister battling the dreaded disease of Depression. You would do anything to help them out, even give up on your dreams . That is what Violet does, she thinks that she is enough for both Rose and her mother. Violet is a fighter but also flawed, you see her fight to keep her family together and you see her fighting the new friendships that are forming in her new school. She does a lot of growing up as you read along . She goes through so much and grows up. Carter is a great character , he helps Violet realize that she needs to have a life outside her family. They fight like cats and dogs and become friends. Then we see them blossoming into so much more. Carter helps Violet follow her dreams and finally find her voice, I really liked all the characters that Violet encounters , they all seem to push her and help her realize that there is more to life then her sister and mother .
   This book is a good book for teens and young adults . They do touch on some very dark issues like depression and what it does to a family. The author handles this situation with great ease and honesty. She doesn't pull any punches when it comes to what happens when a person suffering through the disease . It all shows us a young woman growing up and finding her way in the world . Not knowing what to do when she is faced some tough decisions. You will shed some tears and smile and shed some more tears. But over all you will enjoy this read . So if you want a good read check it out