Aquila et Noctua a historical novel - New Release

By P. J. Mann

There is a new release on Mann's house, and that doesn't just mean that I have written a new novel, but I have also experimented something new, a historical fiction.

Aquila et Noctua (The Eagle and the Owl) comes from a story I wrote many years ago and brings me back to one of my loves in life: History, and particularly the history of Ancient Rome. 

The story tells about a young slave, Saul, coming from Jerusalem, and the complicated relationship he will develop with his masters and with the other slaves, who will become a sort of surrogate family; the one he lost once he was enslaved.

Once again, like in my debut novel "A Tale of a Rough Diamond," we have the themes of envy, jealousy, conflictual relationships within the family, and wisdom.

Wisdom is depicted in this case like the Noctua (Owl), and like in nature happens, the owl is going to bring wisdom, with sudden chaos.

The Aquila, (Eagle) represents the Roman Empire and the family who will purchase Saul. 

There is going to be a Release party on my Facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/events/2225782511045126/

It is scheduled for Sunday 1.9  at 10:00 AM EDT and there will be other authors to help me celebrate the release. If you have more questions about this new release this is the right time to have them answered.

EXCERPT:

​The sun shone brightly in the sky on that late summer day. The successful campaign in the territories of Palestine brought new glory to the Empire and filled every corner of the city with celebrations.
The massive military action, planned by Emperor Hadrian, had brought about the final defeat of the rebellious Jews in the third Jewish revolt.
Jerusalem was renamed Aelia Capitolina in honor of the victorious emperor and as an ultimate humiliation to the rebels. The prisoners were sent all over the Empire to be sold as slaves while the Roman generals and commanders were decorated in the public square of the Forum.
It was a joyful period throughout all of Rome, and it should have been no exception for Marcus Tiberius Numida. However, something weighed heavily on his mind and alienated his soul from the revelry.
He wandered through the streets of Rome, not paying attention to where he was going until he found himself in the slave market in the Forum.
Several specimens of males and females, crammed into cages, peered from between the bars, waiting to be yanked out and pushed to line up behind the merchant. Their eyes revealed fear and confusion
Each merchant touted the good properties of each slave they were selling, wildly gesticulating to underline their words to attract customers, as crowds of curious people and potential buyers gathered around.
The sobs of the waiting slaves and the clang of their chains against the bars, combined with the din of the curious onlookers and the raucous voices of the merchants. The stench of bodily fluids melded with the scent of food that was sold in the square.

To pre-order the novel, please follow this link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VXB2QFR

Author link: https://pjmann2016.wixsite.com/pjmann

Other books: https://pjmann2016.wixsite.com/pjmann/books

I hope I have attracted your attention and see you soon at the release party!

Stay tuned!

Deadly Deception -The Devil's Deal-

By P. J. Mann

With this book, we arrive at the end of the trilogy, where we are going to meet some new friends and as well some old friends. As the investigation in Tbilisi, reached a sudden and unjustified stop, Lieutenant Avaliani and detective Sheen, will start to collect all the pieces of the puzzle scattered in front of their eyes.
The murder of the prostitute in Tbilisi (Book I) finally, finds its connection with the mysterious disappearances, and everything seems to gravitate around the figure of Dr. Wright. For this reason, all the former patients will be brought back to reconstruct the facts to get a clear idea of the dynamics of the events. Yet, they soon will realize that the murder and disappearance are just the tip of the iceberg in a case that becomes more and more complicated.
Blurb:
Julius feels like he’s losing the grip with his life; grappling with low esteem, overwhelming nicotine addiction, and a complicated relationship with an overbearing father.
As he finds himself in the studio of the eminent psychiatrist Dr. Wright, Julius is proposed to leave for a two weeks’ experimental therapy to get rid of his addiction.
At the same time, Detective Bochorishvili of Tbilisi Police Department and his cousin Lieutenant Avaliani of the Bureau of the Investigative Services in Boston start to reconsider an old case involving a patient of Dr. Wright, and the web of shadows spreads from the Georgian capital to Boston and begins to whirl in a vortex around the figure of Dr. Wright.
Suspicions rise and fall, spies lurk in the darkness, and mysteries call out to be solved before more individuals meet their fate at the ambitious hands of evil.
Closing the trilogy The Devil’s Deal will bring to light a question; will justice triumph, or will it be another Deadly Deception?

Excerpt:

It was late evening on Christmas Eve; Gabriel was alone drinking a whiskey in his usual pub. He wasn’t out for fun; he was there for business.

Dirty business, he thought with a smirk on his face as he sipped his whiskey. He looked around the semi-empty pub, which generally at that time of the evening would have been full of people.

But Christmas was different than the other holidays, and many people preferred to spend the evening at home with the whole family gathered together at the dinner table.

Christmas never really meant anything to him, just another day where people who do not have a companion either keep themselves busy with their job, stick with the family or consider suicide, he thought.

He was also going to spend that day alone, but rather than thinking about suicide or spending time with the family, he preferred to keep busy with his business, whatever it meant, and on that particular cold, foggy night, his business was finding a victim for Dr. Wright’s research.

He sipped the last of his whiskey and stood up from the chair, grabbing his leather coat ready to start his job.

With a sigh and not a steady thought in his mind, he started up the engine of his car and, slowly he started to drive towards Lyndhurst Street, at the corner with Washington Street, where at night, would have been populated with drug dealers and prostitutes.

“The Hell Zone,” he grinned as he slowed down his ride looking for the right target when he finally spotted her. “Believe me, baby, maybe it is better this way. Life is only sorrow, and for people like you it might be more humane to die soon,” he whispered as he pulled over and rolled down the window.

Links to the book:
ebook on Amazon.com : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SKJQ4LH

paperback on Amazon.com : https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Deception-P-J-Mann/dp/9526915941

Links to the complete trilogy:

Amazon.com : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07M6T64MF

Follow the author:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paperpenandinkwell 

Website: https://pjmann2016.wixsite.com/pjmann

amazon author page: www.amazon.com/author/pjmann

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/p-j-mann

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16064775.P_J_Mann

Blog: www.paperpenandinkwell.blogspot.com

Why Poetry?

Journey taken to become a misfit

My newest book, Why Poetry?, came about at the suggestion of my friend and fellow author Erika Szabo.  She is very determined to make me write in full sentences.  It is just a short book, she wanted 6000 words but that did not happen.  Luckily she allowed me to add a few poems to emphasize my choices. 

Sometimes what we do, we have no say in.  I cannot recall making a conscious decision to write poetry.  I just know that I always have.  I think our talents are similar to our likes and dislikes.  I don't remember when I decided chocolate was awesome nor do I recall deciding escargo was something I would never try.  Both of those are now just facts about me.

A funny thing happened on the way to publication of this book.  Erika shared with me the cover she designed (isn't it beautiful?).  Well, I thought it was gorgeous and In read the piece of poem on it.  It sounded so familiar.  I asked her 3 times where she found it because I could not place who wrote it, I just knew I recognized it.  I think she thought I was kidding when I asked because after the third inquiry she finally answered---It was mine.  That did explain why it sounded so familiar.  Here is the poem in its entirety.  I wrote it for my sister Rae Jo. It is the final poem in a set based on her three favorite lines,  A river of hope, An ocean of regrets, and A waterfall of faith.

A WATERFALL OF FAITH

Life is such a hard road to travel

Potholes and pitfalls litter the way

Sadness and heartache fill the horizon

Hiding the laughter and love from view

My body trembles as I raise my foot

Another step into the abyss that is the future

My will is slowly fading as burdens increase

Family estranged, my health declining

What is the point of it all

Why do I still try so hard to live

Then I look up into the dark sky

The sun's rays peeking through the clouds

Showing me beauty I had forgotten

God's love pouring down from the Heavens

Washing away my woes and anger

In a waterfall of faith

© Cindy J. Smith

While writing this short piece, I noticed tiny nudges that did lead me on.  Nothing obvious at the time, just some gentle prodding.  The end result is what stands before you  A Poet, A Misfit in every sense of the word.

Why Poetry? is available at your favorite digital store.  If you take the time to read it, I hope you enjoy the journey.


Find Cindy on her:

Blog:
https://cindysvoices.blogspot.com/

Website:
http://carternovels.com/author-cindy-j-smith.html

Twitter:  @cindysvoicesFB:  https://www.facebook.com/CindysVoices/

GOODREADS:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6505989.Cindy_J_Smith

Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/cindyjsmith1/

365 narration by Karina Kantas https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d0UNM-QtpvOBS84qlAr9fiEK6by7QkwG/view

https://www.ebooknetworking.net/blog/bookshelf/?bs=bCdYOpgww

Our Guest Today is Author D. Fischer #ourauthorgang

Hey everyone. D. Fischer here with my guest post. 

I'd like to take just a moment and thank Our Author Gang for hosting this.

I'm just going to jump right into it. I'm an author of multi-genre's but have been focusing on Epic Fantasy recently. I grew up in eastern Iowa, and moved to western Iowa when I met my husband. We have two kids, a toddler and a first grader (if you ask him, the grade counts more than the age).
We're a pet-loving family, with two dogs who are obsessed with socks, and a fat cat who adores me (I'm a dog person, so you can imagine my dismay).

Growing up, I always wanted to write something. Anything really, I didn't care what. I loved using my imagination. I'd start a book, begin an outline, and a few chapters in, I would stop.

Eventually, writing a book entered my "bucket-list." Last year, my husband was away on business and only home on the weekends. I grew bored with all that time to myself after my kids would be tucked in, fast asleep. Characters started forming in my head, plots started mixing, and worlds would be built upon those platforms.

Last January, we didn't have a computer. We had a tablet. It was difficult, but I wasn't going to let that hold me back from bringing my imagination to screen. I started clicking away.

In April of last year, I published my first book, A Gifted Curse (The Cloven Pack Series). Since then, I have 8 published books, and 9 published co-written books.

As I mentioned before, my most recent works is Epic Fantasy. I fell in love with that genre, without actually meaning to. I've never read Game of Thrones (besides the first chapter), or Lord of the Rings. In fact, I had no idea that's what this book's genre was until after it was written. A dear friend was kind enough to tell me.

This new series is called Rise of the Realms. There is 5 lead characters, some of them supernatural, and some of them human (for now ;) ). None of these characters know each other, but their fates and circumstances keep crossing. There's tie in after tie in, until everything comes together at the end of the first book. Well... not everything. Many subplots will be delivered in the second book - which I'm currently working on. Did I mention there is a dragon? Ghosts? Vampires? Shifters? Angels? This series basically has it all. What you don't see in the first book, you'll see in the second. Several new supernatural species are entering into the fold.

Reborn, the first book in the series, was difficult for me to write. I've never written a book this complicated, and I don't like to outline (I never follow it anyway). Besides finding the crossing fates of difficulty, there was a few times I grew too involved with this book. For example, to write a certain section for Eliza, I forced myself to listen to a song for several hours. The same song. Over and over again. I went a little nuts afterwards - I call it the 'writers doom and gloom'. I totally understand why writers from the past enjoyed that alcohol so much. Thankfully, I had wonderful author friends who pulled me out of that dark place my brain submerged me, and a supportive husband who understood.

I'm proud of this book. It's my baby. I hope you find the time to sit down and read it, and I'm excited to hear what you think.

Reborn (Rise of the Realms: Book One) can be purchased here:
https://www.amazon.com/Reborn-Rise-Realms-Book-One-ebook/dp/B07839PHJ5