Sunday, September 29, 2024

THE VORTEX - 2 CHAPTERS LEFT TO WRITE!

 

"Vortex bw" by ahisgett is licensed under CC by 2.0



I am currently working on the third and final book of the Alban Saga trilogy, entitled The Vortex, and I only have two chapter left to write.

I just completed Chapter 29. It's title is "Uprepared," and I started Chapter 30, "Ascension." 

Below, I've included an overall summary of the book. 



BOOK SUMMARY

 

The Alban Saga is a fantasy trilogy made up of BeatriceBlack Grotto and the new book that I’m writing entitled The Vortex. All three books take place at real locations in Scotland, with actual Scottish history woven into their plot lines. The Vortex begins just as Black Grotto ends. Bea Bauman, a young Druid Priestess, is brought into the future by an ancient prophet named Erin. She cannot resist his call. He reaches for her from the center of the Vortex inside the Black Grotto, and she takes his hand, leaving her family and friends behind as she travels with him through time and space.

 

Just as Bea enters the Vortex, Aran Brodie, who has become a close and dear companion, cannot let Bea go alone into the void. He jumps in after her. For a time, they travel together inside the violent maelstrom, but they cannot maintain their grip on one another and become separated and lose consciousness. When Bea finally awakens, she finds herself at the Stones of Calanais in the year 2026 - three years in the future - staring into the eyes of Erin the prophet. In the meantime, Aran Brodie is expelled from the Vortex at the same location as Bea, but his exit casts him over 4500 years into the past where he finds himself surrounded by primordial Druids in search of a human sacrifice.

 

As all of this is going on, another character from the previous books also finds herself at the Stones of Calanais in the year 2026. Her name is Obsidian. For years now, she has been an acolyte in the grove of an extraordinarily powerful Druid Priestess named Brenna. Brenna brought Obsidian with her to this time and place to help her battle her nemesis, but Brenna is overcome and vanishes. Saddened and distraught, Obsidian is left alone without a way to return to her own time. She wanders aimlessly for days, but then remembers something that Brenna once shared with her. A Druid, even more powerful than Brenna, lives somewhere near the Stones of Calanais. She is called The Keeper. Obsidian sets out to find her in the hope that she can bring Brenna back and restore her to her former greatness and power.

 

The Vortex carries forth the story of the Alban Saga, weaving the plot lines of the three books into a surprising and volatile romp through time, space, and Scottish history. This dangerous and risky journey will either end in the past being completely reshaped, leading to a malevolent and dire future, or… the current timeline will remain untouched and safe for the development of humankind. Bea Bauman will be at the center of this struggle. She will attempt to unravel and countermand whomever or whatever is trying to alter history, while also dealing with her feelings for Aran, her fear for his survival, and having to navigate the treacherous intricacies of traveling through time and space via The Vortex.



Saturday, September 21, 2024

Just Added Another Country & Updated the Other Countries' Category

   

Readers Around the World

  

I want to say hello to everyone around the world who is reading my blog! Readers from Venezuela are the latest. They are the 86th country on the list! Welcome! 

The OTHER category is for all countries not specifically listed in the database for this blog but still counted. I'm giving those a prominent spot at the top of the list with the number of pageviews as of the day I post this entry. Plus, I've included you in the number of countries with the plus sign: 86+.

Here's a complete list of the countries:
  • Other - not listed in the database by name
    • 3870 pageviews as of 21 September 2024
  • United States
  • Poland
  • Ukraine
  • France
  • Turkey
  • Germany
  • Denmark
  • China
  • Russia
  • United Kingdom
  • Spain
  • Netherlands
  • Belgium
  • Romania
  • Taiwan
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Italy
  • Canada
  • Brazil
  • Indonesia
  • Mexico
  • Vietnam
  • Thailand
  • Colombia
  • Austria
  • Macau
  • Ireland
  • India
  • Singapore
  • Moldova
  • Pakistan
  • Netherlands Antilles
  • South Africa
  • Philippines
  • Czech Republic
  • Finland
  • Malaysia
  • Kenya
  • Australia
  • Estonia
  • Japan
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Greece
  • Nepal
  • Bangladesh
  • Switzerland
  • Hungary
  • Portugal
  • Slovenia
  • Bulgaria
  • Israel
  • Mongolia
  • Puerto Rico
  • Iraq
  • Latvia
  • Serbia
  • Sweden
  • Georgia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Iceland
  • Croatia
  • Egypt
  • Algeria
  • Turkmenistan
  • Cypress
  • South Korea
  • Ecuador
  • Kenya
  • Ethiopia
  • Kazakhstan
  • Armenia
  • Morocco
  • Uzbekistan
  • Madagascar
  • Belarus
  • Mozambique
  • Albania
  • Haiti
  • Zimbabwe
  • Uruguay
  • Fiji
  • Afghanistan
  • Guinea
  • Panama
  • Hong Kong
  • Venezuela

 

Thursday, September 5, 2024

My Blog is Being Read in 85+ Countries + OTHER Category Update

  


Readers Around the World

  

This is an OTHER category UPDATE. The OTHER category is for all countries not specifically in the database for this blog, so I'm giving those a prominent spot at the top of the list with the number of pageviews as of the day I post this entry. Plus, I've included you in the number of countries with the plus sign: 85+.

Here's a complete list of the countries:
  • Other - not listed in the database by name
    • 3850 pageviews as of 5 September 2024
  • United States
  • Poland
  • Ukraine
  • France
  • Turkey
  • Germany
  • Denmark
  • China
  • Russia
  • United Kingdom
  • Spain
  • Netherlands
  • Belgium
  • Romania
  • Taiwan
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Italy
  • Canada
  • Brazil
  • Indonesia
  • Mexico
  • Vietnam
  • Thailand
  • Colombia
  • Austria
  • Macau
  • Ireland
  • India
  • Singapore
  • Moldova
  • Pakistan
  • Netherlands Antilles
  • South Africa
  • Philippines
  • Czech Republic
  • Finland
  • Malaysia
  • Kenya
  • Australia
  • Estonia
  • Japan
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Greece
  • Nepal
  • Bangladesh
  • Switzerland
  • Hungary
  • Portugal
  • Slovenia
  • Bulgaria
  • Israel
  • Mongolia
  • Puerto Rico
  • Iraq
  • Latvia
  • Serbia
  • Sweden
  • Georgia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Iceland
  • Croatia
  • Egypt
  • Algeria
  • Turkmenistan
  • Cypress
  • South Korea
  • Ecuador
  • Kenya
  • Ethiopia
  • Kazakhstan
  • Armenia
  • Morocco
  • Uzbekistan
  • Madagascar
  • Belarus
  • Mozambique
  • Albania
  • Haiti
  • Zimbabwe
  • Uruguay
  • Fiji
  • Afghanistan
  • Guinea
  • Panama
  • Hong Kong

 

Monday, August 19, 2024

Update --- THE VORTEX: Book III Of The Alban Saga

 

"Vortex bw" by ahisgett is licensed under CC by 2.0


The Alban Saga series takes place in Scotland in the real world with fantasy incorporated within it. It also includes elements of mystery, time travel, and Scottish history, occurring at actual locales and famous sites across Scotland.


Book I of the series is Beatrice. Book II is Black Grotto, and the third and final book of the series is entitled The Vortex.

I just finished Chapter 28, titled "Una's Message," and started Chapter 29. It doesn't have a title yet, but I'd like to let you read the first few lines. I've included it below! 

I put the ellipsis in the last sentence so that I wouldn't give something important away. No spoilers!


Standing and leaning her shoulder against the door jamb, Bea stared at the open window on the far side of Fiona and Doug’s bedroom. The sun had risen just enough to allow its rays to pierce the opening and splay out across the room. It imbued all that it touched with the soft glow of early morning light, including the shrouded body of ... still lying across the bed.


Sunday, August 4, 2024

BEATRICE: Book I of the Alban Saga - New Review on Amazon




New review on Amazon for "Beatrice," Book I of the Alban Saga. Take a look below!

5 Star Rating
Engrossing

This was an engrossing read! Mystical, mysterious, with a totally unexpected and satisfying twist at the end. Set in beautiful Scotland. Loved it. Can't wait to read the sequel.



To learn more about Beatrice or any of my books, go to the Bob's Books tab at the top of this blog or read more reviews in the Book Review's tab.


Friday, July 26, 2024

Book III Of The Alban Saga: The Vortex - WORKING ON THE CLIMAX

  

"Vortex bw" by ahisgett is licensed under CC by 2.0

The Alban Saga series takes place in Scotland in the real world with fantasy incorporated within it. It also includes elements of mystery, time travel, Scottish history, and actual locales and famous sites within Scotland.


Book I of the series is Beatrice. Book II is Black Grotto, and The Vortex is the third and final book of the series.


I just finished Chapter 27, titled "FIRE & EVIL," so I should only have three or four chapters left to write. That means that I'm very close to the end and am definitely into the climax at this point, which is always great fun!


I don't usually like to include an excerpt from a chapter this close to the end of a book, but in this case, I think I can. So, below is a snippet from the beginning of Chapter 27!


As fall began to sweep across the Isle of Lewis, altering the circadian rhythms of every living thing, the temperatures dropped and the days became shorter. Summer's end always seemed to carry with it a bit of sadness, though autumn, in its own right, was still a magnificent time of year. It almost felt good to add an extra layer of clothing, cozy up to a peat fire in the evening with an elegant dram of whisky, and, because the nights were now longer and darker, it was also possible for the residents of Stornoway to view astronomical events unavailable to them during the long days of summer. The northern lights could sometimes be seen when the horizon was devoid of cloud or rain, coating the black canvas of the northern sky with vibrant brushstrokes of green, red, orange, pink, or yellow.


Furthermore, fall was typically a time when the locals had more time to relax and do things for themselves and with their families without having to deal with as many tourists. However, this autumn had not allowed them that luxury. It had been marked by the rise, once again, of the Stornoway Grove of Druids, led by their new High Priestess, Una Murray, and nothing had been the same in their small town since her arrival. And now, in a little over two weeks, it seemed that another event was to occur that, if the rumours were to be believed, could alter their lives even further. In fact, it was said that it was of such great import that, if it actually did come to fruition, its impact could be significant enough to alter not only how people lived in Stornoway but all across the globe. It was referred to as the Ascension Ceremony, and not a great deal was known about it outside the close-knit Druid community. The only thing that the locals knew for certain was that it was said to involve some type of transformation of the High Priestess and that it would occur very early in the morning on 18 September when the Harvest Moon began its journey across the sky.


With all the preparations and the arrival of throngs of people via planes and ferries, life for the High Priestess and her grove of acolytes continued at a frenetic pace, but it did not just affect them. The whole town had been inundated with more people than it could handle – even more than during the busiest of tourist seasons. In point of fact, the town’s population, which normally was about seven thousand, was currently over eight and continued to increase almost daily. Businesses were so swamped that they could hardly keep up, and the establishments that usually housed tourists had quickly run out of room. The town’s residents had to take up the slack and open their own homes to the newcomers.


Una Murray’s grove of acolytes had also become significantly larger. Their numbers had swelled from twenty or so to over two hundred, particularly as word had spread concerning the magical abilities of the High Priestess, the trainings that she’d been providing for her acolytes, and because of all the stories that were swirling about concerning her Ascension Ceremony.


All of which should have left Una Murray feeling extremely positive and confident, especially with so little time left before the ceremony. However, Obsidian, who was Una’s closest confidante, had noticed that the closer her leader was to the actual day, the more worried she'd seemed to be. Logically, Obsidian believed that the reason for this had to be that Una was merely having a very normal response to what would have been, for anyone, an astonishing, life-changing experience. After all, during the time Obsidian had known her High Priestess, she had never seen her behave in such a manner and had never known her to over-think or worry about anything, really. However, despite all the logic that Obsidian could muster to the contrary, she still was unable to shake the feeling that there had to be something else going on.


Monday, July 15, 2024

All Of My Published Music Is Now Up On The BOB'S MUSIC Link

  

"musical notes" by EpicFireworks is licensed under CC BY 2.0.



All of my original songs, including those from my two albums and the two singles that I've published, are now up in the Bob's Music link, located in the navigation bar above.

I've been wanting to put these in my blog for a long time!

Enjoy! :)