Political Thriller

Date Published: June 17, 2022

Publisher: Mindstir Media

 

“Over my dead body would I ever leave him and return to the
agency.” Norma remembers those words that now prove to be untrue as she
rejoins Atropos-a covert government organization-after so many bloodless
years. She has just carried out her first mission back, suspiciously without
her team. Something tells her things are not what they seem and betrayal is
imminent.

It turns out a devastating weapon created by the agency may soon be
decommissioned, and things need to change. Norma is beginning to speculate
that it isn’t her skill set that the agency wants, Instead, accepting her
back was their way of gaining access to a more lethal successor.

Is her gut feeling right? Will the agency soon turn on her? Norma must
escape the clandestine smoky mirrors of Washington DC and see clearly before
it’s too late.

From CHAPTER 1 

World Renaissance Hotel, Washington, DC 

April 8, 2009, 12:52 a.m.  

At one time her team would be huddled, waiting impatiently as Otis crept loudly down the steel shaft. Moans and groans sound from exhausted bodies that have felt less painful days. She can hear brags about whose bullet discharged faster or more accurately and whose knife was stuck decisively between the eyes of his or her dead target.  

Yet tonight, wounded, she stands alone.  

Where are they?  Norma thinks, knowing they have been briefed and are impatiently awaiting her return. The sight of their excitement days earlier near her father’s gravesite was confirmation for Norma that she had officially returned and that they are exultant to have their warrior back.  

Where the hell are they?  

With a painstaking breath, she steps into the elevator and suddenly stops for a second to observe the differences from days past.  

The floor, once egg-shell linoleum, is now polished ivory marble; and as she scans upward, she takes note that the old oak panels have been replaced with shiny, stainless-steel, and mirrored glass. Her head shakes as she’s taken aback.  

“Un-fucking-believable,” Norma says, observing the copious amount of red-, white-, and blue-collar money that has been spent for such lavish renovations.  

First, there are the imported marble floors, which were laid seamlessly under an immense crystal chandelier, which dangles from a masterfully carved ceiling in the foyer. Then there is the hall way she just passed and a richly carved mahogany desk at check-in. Now this brilliant steel elevator shaft?  

Ridiculous!  

She gags over the speculated cost. Talk about a gross hybrid of splendor and security. I’ll swallow security,   but this, she thinks. She could expel a few profane words to describe such a waste of American tax dollars.  

Norma would commend that every wall and window in this hotel be the absolute best in its class… bomb resistant, bullet resistant. Hell, she’d even go for the thermal cloak from an eye planted firmly against a sniper rifle from someone pining to spill her blood all in the name of, in her opinion, misguided vengeance. After all, this “hotel” she is in houses some of the world’s finest in their class. Agents belonging to covert teams which begin with letters that sounds off like the Alphabet Song, C, D, E, F,… 

Stop! Go back to the letter that starts the song and why she is here… A.  

Atropos, a government agency name that is certain to never be heard streaming through a digital broadcast, through radio waves, or read from any book. Face or not, it would nevertheless not be seen on any big screen coming this summer to a theater near you. You can be certain you will never see some A-list actor reading a deathly blood-riddled script to portray an assassin member of this A-team. Their story and their saga are to be forever protected by a code, a vow to protect their identity at whatever cost. And now, after renewed vows, Norma is part of the Atropos team she formed so long ago.  

Upon a closer look into the elevator, she notices the likeness of design and material used. It resembles the one constructed in her home. Her mind wonders, who contracted this?  As her gut identifies her trusted engineer’s blueprint, which was designed for her a few years back. To be exact, if she were to take away the obvious prying mirrors, it would be identical. She sighs.  

Not the time says the watch on Norma’s wrist as it pulsates that it is time to get moving. She struggles with the years that have noticeably lapsed. Fuck, two decades, two bloodless decades, and now here I am.  

All that has changed is definitely notable, remarkable indeed. Still, for Norma this hotel, this elevator, the spring DC air, which is stirring about with scents of cherry blossoms and cab exhaust, bring on a sense of familiarity that can be described only as eerie to her, as if banshees rush through the cold breeze that’s been stalking her since she left the agency. They whisper to her of days past. Sssshhhh—she wishes to silence such raucous ghosts— nor is it the time for you.  

 

Reviews

“‘The Atropos Maker’ is a fast-paced and expertly plotted
two-fisted political thriller focusing on corrupt international and domestic
organizations, secret weapons, and conspiracies,” wrote IndieReader in
their 4.8-star review.

 

“Stylishly written,” wrote Joe Kilgore – The US Review of Books.
“This is an engaging read that pushes the envelope of the thriller
genre. Author Lujan has chosen to steep her tale in an intensely
introspective tone. Burrowing deeply within the psyche and soul of her
protagonist, she paints a harrowing picture of how one individual musters up
the fortitude to go from victim to survivor to ruler of her own
fate—but not without the toll the harshest of life’s injuries
often inflict.

 

“The suspense in the book is irresistible,” wrote Pacific Book
Review in their Starred Review. “The author knows how to entice
readers by introducing subplots which increase one’s focus to finish
the book . . . ‘The Atropos Maker’ is a great read for those who
fancy thrillers, drama, conspiracy stories, military fiction and a great
plot.”

 

Other Books in the Series 

 

 The Atropos Maker II: A New Order

Atropos, an American black-ops agency, is on the hunt for a missing boy named Charlie. He has been kidnapped, disappearing deep into a child trafficking ring. Norma, the director of Atropos, quickly learns that someone they know is tied to the terrorist that are in the center of this ghastly ring of missing, innocent children. So begins the hunt as Norma takes the lead of Atropos once again to trot the globe, from Iraqi Kurdistan to the mean streets of urban America to search harrowing tunnels and bunkers in order to find Charlie before it’s too late? In the end, who will pay the ultimate price in order to complete their mission, and will the cost be too much?

 

The Atropos Maker III: The Awakening 

“Since I am an actress, I absolutely love to find books that I can see
visually in my mind… Step on this ride with me… The Atropos team is
exciting and fun and you are sure to enjoy the journey as much as I
did.”

– Mariel Hemingway, Oscar-nominated actress and author, and granddaughter
of Nobel Prize-winning novelist Ernest Hemingway

What is more terrifying than a covert mission to North Korea? Try raising a
12-year-old girl.

Elina struggles with the countless rules in her life, especially when they
keep her from a mysterious new boy who arrives at her school.

What is Alexander Veurr to do?

As the leader of Atropos-one of the government’s most elite tactical
teams-Alexander assigns retired agent Xavier to guard his budding daughter.
With Xavier’s skills and agency resources, what could possibly go
wrong?

A lot, it turns out. Elina goes missing and Alexander is exiled from the
agency. Two things become clear.

One- Someone in the agency is as crooked as a dog’s hind legs.

Two- Elina may be someone’s unwitting secret weapon.

The fate of Atropos is in the hands of a father and daughter in this epic
novel of parental fear and adolescent wonderment.

 

 

 

About the Author

N. J. Lujan was born in Washington, DC then raised in a small town of West
Virginia. Her first experience with journalism and writing complex,
thrilling stories was as a teenager when she was the R.O.T.C. (Reserved
Officers’ Training Corps) public affairs officer for her high school.
It was then she discovered her love for writing. After graduation she
entered the Army then later went on to enjoy a successful corporate career
while still fueling a passion for creating complex fictional stories. Today
she continues to use parts of her backdrop to vividly take you on a journey
that will leave you wanting for more.

N. J. Lujan, a accomplished ghostwriter, now lives in North Carolina and
splits her time between writing, work, family, and three very spirited pups.
To learn more, visit njlujanoffical.com.

 

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Science fiction and fantasy anthology

 

From vampires and werewolves to space exploration and time travel, you will
love these 12 original and diverse stories because they were selected by
some of your favorite authors.

 

In the world of speculative fiction…

Your favorite authors…

Have selected best new voices of the year.

24 Award-winning Authors and Illustrators

3 Bonus Short Stories by Kevin J. Anderson • L. Ron Hubbard • S.
M. Stirling

Art and Writing Tips by Lazarus Chernik • L. Ron Hubbard •
Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Edited by Dean Wesley Smith • Jody Lynn Nye

16-page color gallery of artwork • Cover art by Tom Wood

 

Check out the stories Brandon Sanderson, Orson Scott Card, Nnedi Okorafor,
Robert J. Sawyer, Kevin J. Anderson, Jody Lynn Nye and others chose as the
best of the best.

Be amazed. Be amused. Be transported … by stories that take you by
surprise and take you further and deeper into new worlds and new ideas than
you’ve ever gone before….

Twelve captivating tales from the most exciting new voices in science
fiction and fantasy accompanied by three from masters of the genre.

 

A miracle? An omen? Or something else? One day, they arrived in
droves—the foxes of the desert, the field, the
imagination….—“Kitsune” by Devon Bohm

When a vampire, a dragon and a shape-shifting Chihuahua meet on a beach in
Key West, fireworks go off! But that’s just the
background.—“Moonlight and Funk” by Marianne Xenos

The Grim Reaper, trapped in an IRS agent’s dying body, must regain
his powers before he dies and faces judgment for his original
sin.—“Death and the Taxman” by David Hankins

In a metaverse future, a woman who exposes falseness in others must decide
what is real to her—the love she lost or the love she may have
found.—“Under My Cypresses” by Jason Palmatier

Vic Harden wasn’t lured by glory on a daring mission into the reaches
of outer space—he was ordered out there by his
editor.—“The Unwilling Hero” by L. Ron Hubbard

Dangerous opportunities present themselves when an alien ship arrives in
the solar system seeking repairs.—“White Elephant” by
David K. Henrickson

With her spaceship at the wrong end of a pirate’s guns, a former war
hero must face down her enemies and demons to save Earth’s last best
chance for peace.—“Piracy for Beginners” by J. R.
Johnson

Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I., faces one of his funniest and most perplexing
cases ever—an enlightened ogre, a salamander with low self-esteem, and
a raging fire dragon terrorizing the Unnatural Quarter!—“Fire in
the Hole” by Kevin J. Anderson

Years after the Second Holocaust, the last surviving Jews on earth attempt
to rewrite the past.—“A Trickle in History” by Elaine
Midcoh

When I said I’d do anything to pay off my debts and get back home to
Earth, I didn’t mean survey a derelict spaceship at the edge of the
solar system—but here I am.—“The Withering Sky” by
Arthur H. Manner

High-powered telescopes bring galactic life to our TVs, and network tuner
Hank Enos figures he’s seen everything—until the day an alien
boy stares back.—“The Fall of Crodendra M.” by T. J.
Knight

Knights, damsels and dragons, curses and fates foretold—the stuff of
legends and stories, but unexpectedly perverse.—“Constant
Never” by S. M. Stirling

Determined to save his wife, Tumelo takes an unlikely client through South
Africa’s ruins to the heart of the Desolation—a journey that
will cost or save everything.—“The Children of Desolation”
by Spencer Sekulin

When a terrorist smuggles a nuclear weapon into London, a team regresses in
time to AD 1093 to assassinate a knight on the battlefield, thereby
eliminating the terrorist a millennia before his
birth.—“Timelines and Bloodlines” by L. H. Davis

The Grand Exam, a gateway to power for one, likely death for all
others—its entrants include ambitious nobles, desperate peasants, and
Quiet Gate, an old woman with nothing left to lose.—“The Last
History” by Samuel Parr

 

You will love this collection of the best new voices in science fiction and
fantasy because, as Locus magazine puts it, “Not only is the writing
excellent…it is also extremely varied. There’s a lot of hot new
talent.” 

 

 

 

 

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Books a Million

Bookshop.org (to support Indie bookshops)

 

 

Historical Fiction

Date Published: November 4, 2022

This fast paced novel opens with brothers Yaakov and Lazer’s daring escape
from the back of a Nazi vehicle en route to their execution in occupied
Poland. Surviving alone in the woods until the war ends, the brothers return
to their hometown in search of Wilus Chomelstien, the mayor that had
informed the Germans of their plans to organize an armed resistance. The
brothers want Wilus to pay for his disloyalty. But the outcome of their
meeting with Wilus will haunt them and their descendants far into the
future.

 

 

  About the Author

 

I am a retired senior executive for a fortune 100 company. Years ago my
first novel (Ezekiel’s Vision) was launched via a conventional book
publisher.  My new self-published novel is titled: OF LESSONS
LOST.

Purchase Link

Amazon

A Luscious Delights Mystery

Cozy Mystery

Date Published: January 16, 2023

Publisher: Wild Rose Press

 

 

Roxy Constantine is the jam queen of Shavano, Colorado. But her social life
is a bust, and she’s still recovering from a bad experience as a line
cook in Denver. Things improve when she meets tasty local chef Nate
Robicheaux, but she’s also fending off the attentions of another
local, Brett Holmes, who won’t take no for an answer. When Brett
threatens to derail Roxy’s career, the two have a very public fight. A
few days later, Brett is found murdered in his restaurant kitchen, and
suddenly Roxy’s a prime suspect. Now Roxy must find the truth about
Brett and his murderer before the town of Shavano decides her reign as jam
queen is over for good.

 

About the Author

Meg Benjamin is an award-winning author of romance. Meg’s Konigsburg
series is set in the Texas Hill Country and her Salt Box and Brewing Love
trilogies are set in the Colorado Rockies (all are available from Entangled
Publishing). Her new cozy mystery series, Luscious Delights, concerns a
jam-making sleuth based in the mythical small town of Shavano, Colorado.
Along with contemporary romance, Meg is also the author of the paranormal
Ramos Family trilogy from Berkley InterMix and the Folk trilogy from Soul
Mate. Meg’s books have won numerous awards, including an EPIC Award, a
Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Holt Medallion from
Virginia Romance Writers, the Beanpot Award from the New England Romance
Writers, and the Award of Excellence from Colorado Romance Writers.

 

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Thrillers & Suspense

Date Published: Sept 9, 2021

As the son of a crofter family young Berend Bouters natural talent finds
him in the prestigious Art Academy of Amsterdam. It is early 1900.
Everything points to a successful career as an artist, he works along
Mondrian, becomes part of the Barbizon movement, until life throws him a
curve ball. During the First World War, Holland remains neutral, Berend
becomes the owner of a barge and during heart-stopping escapades, smuggles
goods to occupied Belgium for which he is richly rewarded. When the war is
over, authorities confiscate all his belongings. To rebuild his fortune, he
ingeniously schemes to adopt a new identity though Switzerland, he becomes
Baron Fernando Del Muntanyes, the famous Antiquarian. But when he becomes
involved in the greatest art heist of the century, the theft of a 15th
century panel of The Adoration of the Lamb from the St.Bavo cathedral in
Ghent, he is relentlessly pursued by the police. Ultimately with the
Sicilian mafia and the Belgian police on his tail he spectacularly escapes
on board of the Hindenburg Zeppelin to America. It seems to give him a new
start, will it?

About the Author

As an adventurer, business man and art-historian, Alfred Balm is a man of
many talents. After building a multinational business conglomerate he
decided to follow his passion and obtained a degree in Art History. His
passion for art and his experience of growing up in Nazi occupied Holland
resulted in captivating accounts of what might have happened to one of
Holland’s national treasures. His personal experience and his knowledge of
art history add additional depth and facts to an excellent work of
fiction.

  

Contact Link

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Historical Fiction

Date Published: November 4, 2022

This fast paced novel opens with brothers Yaakov and Lazer’s daring escape
from the back of a Nazi vehicle en route to their execution in occupied
Poland. Surviving alone in the woods until the war ends, the brothers return
to their hometown in search of Wilus Chomelstien, the mayor that had
informed the Germans of their plans to organize an armed resistance. The
brothers want Wilus to pay for his disloyalty. But the outcome of their
meeting with Wilus will haunt them and their descendants far into the
future.

 

 

About the Author

 

I am a retired senior executive for a fortune 100 company. Years ago my
first novel (Ezekiel’s Vision) was launched via a conventional book
publisher.  My new self-published novel is titled: OF LESSONS
LOST.

Purchase Link

Amazon

Historical Romance, Regency Romance, Sweet Romance, Romantic Suspense

Date Published: January 5, 2023

 

 

In this sweet, and thrilling Regency romance by USA Today bestselling
author Meredith Bond, lives are in danger.. and hearts are on the
line.

Someone is trying to kill Prince Nikolas, heir to the crown of
Aachen-Düren, and he wants to know who. After barely escaping from
Oxford University, where he is studying, he is bound for London hoping with
only a beard and shabby clothes will provide enough of a disguise. After a
week of surveilling his uncle—the only person who would benefit from
his death—he discovers his life has been saved twice by the most
lovely spy.

The man in black is the worst spy Hope Clemens has ever encountered. After
saving his life—twice—she decides it’s time to discover
who he is and what he’s after. She’s not surprised when he gives
her a false name. Claiming to be a prince is so unbelievable that it’s
amusing. He could, however, be extremely useful, and she can’t say she
minds sticking close to the handsome man.

With lives in danger and hearts on the line, can Nik and Hope learn to
trust each other before it’s too late?

Hidden identities, a princess on the run, and three lives at stake…
despite this, these royals and rebels must learn to trust and open
themselves to a lifetime of love.

 

About the Author

USA Today Bestselling author Meredith Bond’s books straddle that
beautiful line between historical romance and fantasy. An award-winning
author, she writes sweet, fun, traditional Regency romances, medieval
Arthurian romances, and Regency romances with a touch of magic. Known for
her characters “who slip readily into one’s heart,”
Meredith loves to take her readers on a journey they won’t soon
forget.

 

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Mystery

Date Published: December 15, 2022

 

 

SUSPENSE, MYSTERY, WINE, and FAMILY DRAMA in this cozy mystery set in
France, number 18 in the series.

Stretched thin between her sisters in the US and her new life in France,
Merle Bennett is feeling the strain of obligations. That is even before
Pascal’s grape harvest goes sideways, her father falls ill, and her older
sister shows up in France unexpectedly. Her son Tristan and sister Stasia
then inexplicably disappear.

Asking questions like ‘how do you make everyone happy’ and ‘do they even
want to be helped,’ Merle muddles through, trying to keep her head above
water and panic at bay. Can she keep hope alive and her seemingly idyllic
life in a French vineyard at least a little bit charming? Is that too much
to ask for?

Join Pascal and Merle for another adventure in France, roaming the
vineyards of the Bordeaux wine region, struggling with things they do not
yet understand. Will the neighbors stop harassing them? Who sabotaged the
harvester? Where are Tristan and Stasia? Can they harvest the grapes before
they spoil on the vines?

This installment of the Bennett Sisters Mysteries follows closely on the
events of Château des Corbeaux, recommended but not required reading
beforehand!

About the Author

Lise McClendon writes fiction in Montana and California. She is the author
of numerous novels, short stories, and articles since her start in 1994. She
has served on the national boards of directors for Mystery Writers of
America and International Association of Crime Writers/North America.
Published by Walker & Co. and St. Martin’s Press, she now runs Thalia
Press. Her bestselling Bennett Sisters Mystery series is now 18 books
strong.

 

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