Thursday, January 27, 2022

The Road to Alexander

 What do you do when the past becomes your future?

The year is 2089, and time-travelling journalist Ashley Riveraine gets a once in a lifetime opportunity to interview her childhood hero, Alexander the Great. She expects to come out with an award-winning article, but doesn’t count on Fate intervening.

Alexander mistakes Ashley for Persephone, goddess of the dead, and kidnaps her, stranding her in his own time. Being stuck 3000 years in the past with the man of her dreams wouldn’t be so bad if the scientists of the Time Institute hadn’t threatened to erase Ashley from existence if she changes history.

Ashley must now walk a tightrope, caught up in the cataclysmic events of the time, knowing what the future holds for the people she comes to love but powerless to do anything to influence it.

Join Ashley on her hilarious, bumpy journey into the past as she discovers where her place in history truly is…

https://www.amazon.com/Road-Alexander-Time/dp/1786154676

***

When they find out I wrote a book, the first thing people ask me is, “What’s it about?” I tell them it’s about a modern woman who goes back in time to interview Alexander the Great and gets kidnapped by him thus stranded in 333 BC. 

When Ashley, a modern woman from the future, travels back in time and meets Alexander the Great, she has no idea what will happen. Alexander mistakes her for Persephone, goddess of the dead, and wrenches her from the blue light of the tractor-beam. It doesn’t help her that the beam had been set up under a pomegrenate tree, and that she had been kneeling on the ground crying a minute before because her interview had been such a dismal failure. Alexander sees her, realizes who she is, and decides to “save” her, thus condemning her to live in the past. She must learn to survive in a time with no decent shampoo, no teleport station, floating vid screen….she’s stuck in the past and she’s terrified – but she’s tough. Alexxander has pledged to protect her, but she has to contend with his other wives, his insane mother, his army generals – and someone who does not want her around.

***

Excerpt from The Road to Alexander:

Alexander brooded as we walked. Several times he made as if to speak, but each time he fell silent. At first, I wondered if he were thinking about the men he’d lost, and their families’ grief when the news arrived. Then I saw him looking at me out of the corners of his eyes, and I realized he was thinking about what Darius had said. I reached out and touched his arm lightly, meaning to comfort him, but he flinched. “All right, that does it!” I stopped in the middle of the path and folded my arms across my chest. “We have to talk about this. It will do no good for you to go on sulking.” He spun around and faced me, his eyes blazing. “Sulking? Sulking, am I?” “Yes.” I glared back at him, but I couldn’t stay angry long. My eyes softened. “Oh Alex, I’m sorry. I never should have said anything to Darius. It was a mistake, I admit. I regret it and I wish you had never made me do it.” “Made you do it? I made you do it?” His anger was terrible to behold. “I told you not to!” “You nodded!” I was furious. “You nodded your head like this!” “That means ‘no’!” He sputtered. “Everyone knows that!” “I forgot,” I said miserably. “I’m sorry. Where I come from that means ‘yes’.”

“Where do you come from?” I shook my head. “That means no, where I come from. And I can’t tell you.” We stared at each other. Alexander’s face was paler than usual, his forehead damp. “The gods are playing with us,” he said slowly. “Perhaps it’s true.” I couldn’t face him any more and I turned my head. “Oh, no, you don’t.” He took my chin and made me look into his eyes. “How do you know he will die by the hand of someone he trusts?” I shivered. I would have to tell him, and by doing so change the course of history. A sharp pain was starting in my toes and I wondered if it was the erasure that was beginning. In a moment I would disappear. Probably writhing in horrible pain. I glanced down, expecting to see my feet disappearing but no, it was just Alexander, standing on my foot. “You’re on my foot,” I said, pointing. He cursed and stepped backwards. “I need to know. Are you really an oracle?” I shook my head. “No, I’m not. I’ve never even seen an oracle, and I don’t know what they do, or how they act. When I was in the palace, all I could think of was my baby, and that Darius had kidnapped him. I was angry. I said something I regret. If it turns out to be true, we’ll talk about it then. Right now I’m just glad to be out of there and away from him.” “He was a great man,” said Alexander. “But you’re a greater one.” I touched his face and then pulled him towards me and kissed him. “And you’re the best kisser in the world. Who taught you?” He opened his mouth to speak then snapped it shut. “My mother was right. All women are sorceresses.” My mouth twitched. “For once, she was probably right.” I linked my arm through his, and he didn’t pull away. He was not convinced and was still angry, I could tell. He hadn’t forgiven me, and I knew it was only a matter of time before I’d have some serious explaining to do. Bleakly, I wondered what I could invent.

***

Herewith is a recipe for lentil soup, the perfect Greek recipe for Alexander’s army dish – & don’t forget the garlic! (Serve with flat bread & a salad made of mixed greens.)

Ancient Greek Lentil Soup 

1 lb lentils 8 cups broth (Use vegetable broth, but if you prefer you can use chicken broth – make sure it’s not too salty) 1 leek (or two or three – clean carefully and slice) 1 carrot, sliced (idem – if you want to add more carrots go ahead! You can throw in a parsnip or a yellow beet if you like!) 1 stalk celery, chopped 1 small onion, chopped 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 1 tbsp honey, olive oil, salt and pepper, 12 coriander seeds**

Rinse the lentils thoroughly, then put them into a pot with the broth to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until lentils are tender (about 45 min – 1 hr). Skim the top, add the vegetables, and simmer until cooked through. If the soup seems too watery, sieve some of the water out (or add cornstarch, although that didn’t exist back then!) Now add the vinegar and honey. Pour into serving bowls and add a good dollop of olive oil (about 2 tbsp per serving), sprinkling on coriander seeds and salt and pepper to taste. And don’t forget to count out exactly 12 coriander seeds! 

* Recipe from Meals and recipes from ancient Greece by Eugenia Salza Prina Ricotti ; translated by Ruth Anne Lotero, J. Paul Getty Museum, cop. 2007. Original title: L’ arte del convito nella grecia antica. – Rome : Erma di Bretschneider, 2005

Buy The Road to Alexander 

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

The Descendants by Destiny D Hawkins

 

The Descendants

by Destiny D Hawkins


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GENRE: Dark Dystopian Fantasy

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BLURB:


Fail the tests and become a slave. Display defectiveness and be put to death.


Monroe Academy was built to separate the weak from the strong. Pass the biyearly leveling and be released into society upon graduation. Fail to be promoted and be stripped of rank and forced into servitude. That was a rule that applied to all but Rayah Bardeau. A student of Monroe Academy, branded as a Null because of her absence of Lighter energy.

With her mother standing as a slave in her place, Rayah was given until the age of twenty to make level six, but at nineteen-years-old and with only eight months until her twentieth birthday, she was only a mere level one. The same level she’s been since she was ten. With the stress of her upcoming test, the loss of a friend, and the constant wrongdoings towards her, Rayah could only dream of escaping from Lytonia, and escape she did. Only, when she awakened in her dorm, she couldn’t distinguish if she had only dreamt of meeting Soren, a wild and adventurous defect in the Wild Lands, or if she had somehow used her Lighter Form to get there.

But only the elite ― the most powerful of Lighters ― could tap into their Lighter Forms. Right? And what was the dark energy she used when she and Soren were attacked by Depleters? Was Rayah really as powerless as she thought? Was she a defect? And if she used dark energy, could she call herself a Lighter at all?

Bestselling author Destiny Hawkins brings you the first installment of a gripping dark fantasy where a powerless girl must survive in a society that doesn't accept the weak...or the defective.

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Excerpt :

Gone. One minute Tristan was here, and the next he wasn’t. Only two days ago we watched the two moons rise, and it was only two days ago when we almost kissed, but this morning he was taken away from me, and I will never see him again. Once a student was made into a slave, it was forbidden for them to ever see their friends or family again, and that was exactly what Tristan was going to be transitioned into in only a few hours. They were going to strip him of his rank, disregard that he was born into the vex class, and put a collar around his neck that could kill him with the push of a button.

This morning two officers marched into Tristan’s dorm and dragged him out. I stood there, shocked, as he kicked and screamed, begging for a second chance. He was a level five vex, which would have been alright if he hadn’t turned twenty today.

At the age of twenty, a student of Monroe Academy was to be tested on their lighter abilities and hopefully advanced up to level six. Ever since Tristan was enrolled ten years ago, he’d never had trouble leveling up, but this time he struggled to get his powers to strengthen. This time, the council didn’t believe him strong enough to earn a level six patch, and now he had to serve his nation in another way. He had to serve the high class vexes and ensure their happiness. The happier the people, the lower the chances of there ever being chaos in our world again.

At least that’s what we were taught.


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AUTHOR Bio and Links:


Destiny Hawkins is a multi-genre author with a dark imagination and a love for magic.

She enjoys working on her graphic designing business : Vibrant Designs LLC, writing, listening to music, reading, and of course watching some anime! Her favorite genres to read and work in are Fantasy, LGBT, Paranormal, Romance, Dystopian, Sci-fi, and young adult.

Destiny loves creating stories and building worlds that both teach and entertain! When writing she sticks to her slogan: Where beauty can be found in darkness.

Get ready for The Unbroken, Book Three of The Descendants Series!

LINKS:

JOIN FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/lytonians

INSTAGRAM: thehealthy_artist or https://www.instagram.com/thehealthy_artist/

WEBSITE: https://www.authordhawkins.com/

BOOK DOWNLOAD LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Descendants-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01M5I53AJ/

YOUTUBE TRAILER LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNmTSdOx6kg

BLOGGER BOOK REVIEW LINK: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/udlveeqx72

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Descendants-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01M5I53AJ/

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:

Destiny D Hawkins will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Tuesday, January 25, 2022

The Democratization of the Private Market by Carine Schneider

 



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Carine Schneider will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Facebook, Uber, Robinhood: all were private companies at some point. Historically, there has been no way for investors to easily buy and sell shares in private companies. With the introduction of blockchain technology, digital securities, and decentralized financial solutions, the ability to grow the private market is on the horizon. Regulators around the world are rushing to catch up and understand how to protect investors who want to participate in this market. This book reviews the regulatory, technical, and societal challenges to open this asset class to more investors in the future.








Read an Excerpt

In order to understand more about the market place to sell shares, I spoke with Brian Smith, formerly a wealth management adviser with Morgan Stanley who is presently the CEO of RedCrow and The MainStage. He says: When asked, “Shouldn’t everyone be given a chance to invest?” I believe financial advisers certainly need to be educated and aware of these opportunities in order to support and help their clients. Like any traditional asset allocation and portfolio management, depending on your time horizon as an investor, and your risk tolerance, there are percentages within a portfolio that makes sense for different types of investors to be investing in the private equity world. One thing that makes it a little bit more exciting is that there’s so much to invest in, in all different fields. So, if you’re a doctor and you like healthcare innovation, then maybe you could have the ability to invest in companies like those found on the RedCrow platform. If you’re somebody who made a lot of your wealth and money from real estate, and you understand that world, then maybe there’s a real estate platform where you can get involved with some early investments in some different properties. Everybody has to be accredited to be able to invest in the companies that are on RedCrow. However, we just recently started adding Reg CF deals. So, what we’re doing now is helping to co-promote these investment opportunities, where the non-accredited investors within the Red Crow ecosystem can come to RedCrow, see the tile on these Reg CF deals, and when they click the tile, it’ll bring them directly to either Republic or WeFunder where they can go and invest as far as the deals we oversee. Private company liquidity is super important. I don’t want to see bad companies out there trading on a secondary market, and they’re just people trying to flip out of their stock because they realize it’s not going anywhere. So, I think that’s going to take some more regulations. I’m starting to see some organizations out there that are trying to be like a Morningstar for private companies and give them a rating. And I think those can only help in the curation of what a good deal is.”

About the Author:
Carine Schneider, FGE (Fellow of Global Equity) is an experienced and well-connected leader in the private market and global compensation industry with deep experience working in consulting, technology, and financial services. She is the President of AST Private Company Solutions (AST PCS). She was named one of the 100 Influential Women in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley Business Journal and one of 17 “Women to Watch” in 2017 by Brown Brothers Harriman Center on Women and Wealth. Carine was formerly the President, Nasdaq Private Market and has been the founder and CEO of Global Shares, CEO of Certent, and Partner at PwC. She has also held senior level positions at Morgan Stanley and Willis Towers Watson. She was the founding Executive Director of the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals (NASPP) and founded the nonprofit Global Equity Organization (GEO) where she is now Chair Emeritus, after serving as Chair for eighteen years. She 103 started her career as Manager of Shareholder Relations at Oracle Corporation where she assisted in the IPO. Ms. Schneider was born in The Netherlands and received her degree in psychology and sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is a frequent speaker at conferences around the world, including at President Obama’s 2016 Global Entrepreneurial Summit, and has authored various articles and chapters in industry publications. She currently serves as a member of the Board of Professional Business Women of California (PBWC). In 2019, she received the UK ProShare Award for Service to Employee Share Ownership.

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Picasso's Lovers by Jean Mackin

  This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions . Jeanne Mackin will award a randomly drawn winner a $25 Am...