BLACK GROTTO: Description & Chapter 1

BLACK GROTTO 

DESCRIPTION

Black Grotto takes place in Scotland and begins in the year AD 500 when a great Druid prophet named Erin travels with his scribe to a primordial and sacred cave high up in the Three Sisters. At the age of eighty, he is guided there by his dreams in order to finally reach the zenith of his prophecies.

The story then moves forward in time to AD 2022 where a young Druid named Bea Bauman is coming of age. It is a very special day and one where her mother and father finally share with her the true story of her birth.

What she learns that day completely changes her life, and she sets out alone on a long journey across the width and breadth of Scotland. Her wanderings are filled with danger, magic, and overpowering discoveries. They take her to ancient Druid places of power, places of raw and natural beauty, of history and lore, and introduce her to Anu Grenn and Willam Brodie - her unexpected mentors.

 But as all of this is happening, a Druid priestess named Brenna is secretly observing Bea. She is biding her time and preparing to connect with the earth’s darkest magic at just the right moment in order to bring the world to its knees. She pursues Bea and her destiny without mercy as the world lurches, unknowingly, at the edge of a cliff. The forces of light and darkness are in the balance… Which will it be?

If you'd like to read the first chapter of Black Grotto, you can do so by clicking the link below.

Chapter 1

Back From My First Long Break From Writing

Cave of Dreams 

Changes in Style

Today, after six weeks of R&R from writing, I've gone back to work on my new fantasy novel, Cave of Dreams. In sequence, it comes after Beatrice, but it is being written so that you can read it without having read the first book. 

This really was my first long break from writing since May of 2013. Since that time, I've been writing about six to eight hours a day, five days a week. The break that I just took was sorely needed.

Today, though, I re-read Cave of Dreams to the middle of the ninth chapter. The change in the style of my writing is obvious. I take more time to picture more moments, painting as vivid a picture as I can of what's happening so that the reader can clearly "see" the story. Also, I'm slowing down so that the important and interesting details are portrayed. I believe both of these writing techniques are adding depth and texture to my work.

I had a great time reading the book again today, and tomorrow I'll get back to work and complete the ninth chapter.

Also, this book has more character descriptions, and I think I'm doing a better job of helping the reader understand the characters, not only by describing them better, but also by crafting the words they use in conversation in such a way as to indicate more about them.

I'm very excited about the Cave of Dreams and hope it will be my best work to date when completed.

WOW! THE CHOSEN COVER IS DONE!

THE CHOSEN cover is finished. I'm very pleased. Greg Opalinski did a fantastic job, as always.

If you click on the image above, you can see a larger version of the cover. 

I still have a bit of editing that I have to do, but the book should be published on Amazon in America, all over Europe and parts of Asia soon.

To see the chapter titles, a description of the book, and be able to read an excerpt of chapter's 1-2 click on the BOB'S BOOKS tab at the top of my blog.

THE CHOSEN: Book Description

THE CHOSEN

The editing for The Chosen will be completed within the next two days, and Greg Opalinski is working hard on the cover. He should be done in a couple of weeks. I hope to have The Chosen published on Amazon by the middle of March.

In this entry, I am including the first Description of the book, which is below. It won't be long now, and it will be ready to publish!

Book Description

In the future, the Earth is dying and is abandoned by The Chosen, an elite and powerful, corporate upper-class. Most of their descendants have settled in lifeglobes on various rocks throughout the galaxy, and their original society and culture has been lost and forgotten.

That is, on every outpost except M-78. On that rock-strewn, resource-laden planet, The Chosen’s way of life has remained in tact for over five centuries, and Harlequin has been their leader ever since leaving Earth.

But now, Harlequin is determined to locate another Earth-like planet to inhabit and exploit. She succeeds, and not only does she learn about a magnificent planet called Loon, but at the same time, discovers that Earth has reset itself. The Chosen may be able to reinhabit their ancestral home.

This sets up a struggle between two extremely divergent cultures: one where reason, science, and social awareness have created a society in tune with their world and with each other; and that of The Chosen, whose main philosophy is centered on the acquisition of wealth and power at any cost.

In The Chosen, these two societies and the unique individuals who inhabit them, tell a story of two worlds on a collision course, with the result being a galactic conflict whose outcome will impact the human race for eons to come.