by Sarah Noffke
Finley is Plato. I hope this helps to illuminate the relationship between Liv and Plato a bit better. And also it totally feeds right into the secret that the lynx will soon reveal in book 11 or 12. Also, the pirate scene came at the right time. I keep calling Fin my little pirate and sometimes I swear I can hear him say, “Rrrrr” in reply.
My books come from my real life and the conversations I have daily go straight into the books. Anyway, so tell MA not to be mad at me. He inspired me. And I need more stories from little Mikey’s childhood. It’s for the readers, Michael! ;)
Michael’s Author Notes
August 15, 2019
THANK YOU for not only reading this story but these Author Notes as well.
(I think I’ve been good with always opening with “thank you.” If not, I need to edit the other Author Notes!)
RANDOM (sometimes) THOUGHTS?
When I was about twelve or so, I was up in Oklahoma, and one of my uncles had a BB gun that I wanted. Somehow I think I had the money from Christmas to buy it.
My parents agreed I could. This astonishes me to this day. I know my father had guns as a kid (he lived in a very small Texas town), but I didn’t think my stepmom was crazy about the idea.
She was obviously the wisest of the bunch.
So, we lived outside Houston, TX at the time, near a small town called Jersey Village on the northwest side, near FM1960. It was a classic neighborhood, one- and two-story homes built on farmland, with places to go play that had not yet been developed.
As a twelve-year-old (or ten, or fourteen) one wants to be more manly. To be strong, and powerful.
And a BB gun gives you power! But I couldn’t shoot worth a damn.
So, I’m out in the backyard of the home, and up on a power line (because in Texas you mostly put power lines above the ground, not under) was a bird.
A bird minding his own business, not realizing the emotional problems of a twelve-year-old studying him from below. Thinking, “I could hit that bird. I have the talent!”
If I had one opportunity to go back in time and tell myself something…telling myself not to shoot the bird wouldn’t be it. But maybe if I had THREE opportunities, I might go tell myself not to shoot that bird.
Anyway, Mom and Dad weren’t home, and I went into the garage and got the BB gun. I went back outside and aimed…
And missed. (The bird didn’t even ruffle his feathers as the bb went past, I’m such a poor shot.)
End of story, right?
NO.
(I wish.)
Nope, I had plenty of BB’s and the willpower to pump that gun up again. I think I pumped only once – maybe twice as all I wanted to do was scare the bird.
Second shot, and the bird falls. The blood drains out of my face as I realized that the bb went INTO the bird…
I run to find it, and it’s flopping around. I’m shocked. I pick up the bird and take it from the backyard through the door in the fence and down the driveway to lay it in the top of the trash, and put the lid on the trash can…
My heart was heavy with remorse.
Then, to make matters worse, the bird is flipping around inside the trashcan, and I have to deal with a bird in pain (remember, this is so last century, we didn’t have veterinarians (that I was aware of) to fix stuff like this. I was reading Westerns, and when a horse was hurt like this, you ‘put it down.’)
So, I had to man up when what I wanted to do was go hide and cry. At least, this was what I told myself as I made myself walk back down that long-assed driveway and put the bird out of his pain.
I, however, have carried the pain of that action for forty-plus years.
So what happens when I share this story with my short…short…REALLY SHORT Collaborator?
She laughs her ass off and puts it into a book.
That will teach me not to trust collaborators who are short. Or is Sarah the only one like that, and she is putting out the fact she is short as a red herring?
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS
One of the interesting (at least to me) aspects of my life is the ability to work from anywhere and at any time. In the future, I hope to re-read my own Author Notes and remember my life as a diary entry.
Dublin, Ireland
So, I’m in the home of the leprechauns (small, mischievous sprites…like Sarah, as an example) working in the Oly’s Restaurant attached to our hotel.
I’ve been on the road for over twenty-one days now, and it’s starting to drag on…and on….and on….
What do I miss most about home? The food.
No, seriously. I’m sorry all of you family and friends that I love and cherish, I’d totally diss you for my three favorite restaurants.
Javier’s (Tex-Mex / Mexican in Aria Hotel)
Ping Pang Pong (Chinese in Orleans Hotel)
…and of course (for BBQ) Jessie Rae’s on the other side of the 15 near the stadium they are building.
I can Facetime my friends and family, but I can’t taste a picture of my favorite foods.
Then, once I’ve eaten enough, I’ll see family and friends.
I’m so sorry, my hunger is making me say crazy things…
FAN PRICING
$0.99 Saturdays (new LMBPN stuff) and $0.99 Wednesday (both LMBPN books and friends of LMBPN books.) Get great stuff from us and others at tantalizing prices.
Go ahead. I bet you can’t read just one.
Sign up here: http://lmbpn.com/email/.
HOW TO MARKET FOR BOOKS YOU LOVE
Review them so others have your thoughts, and tell friends and the dogs of your enemies (because who wants to talk to enemies?)… Enough said ;-)
Ad Aeternitatem,
Michael Anderle
Acknowledgments
Sarah Noffke
My favorite part of writing any book is creating the acknowledgements page. It reminds me that writing a book is not a solo task. I might sit alone and write, but the finished product is a result of the support and encouragement of a tribe of people.
Thank you to the readers who buy the books, read them, review and recommend. YOU are the one who keeps us writing. I’m always inspired by the messages I receive from readers. Thank you supporting the books and offering so much richness to my life.
Thank you to my LBMPN family for all the support. Steve, Michael, Lynne, Moonchild, Jennifer and so many others who help champion the book to publication and beyond.
Thank you to the beta readers who offered so many valuable insights early on. Thank you to John, Chrisa, Kelly, Martin and Larry.
Thank you to the JIT team for all the awesome feedback. A new series is always exciting and nerve-wracking. Michael and I thought we had a great idea for a new world, but we don’t really know until we get objective feedback. What would I do without all you awesome readers?
Thank you to my friends and family. Writing is a strange profession. I work weird hours, talk to myself, have a strange diet, get antsy about deadlines. But the wonderful people in my life continue to show their encouragement and thoughtfulness no matter what. It is never lost on me because I know that I wouldn’t be doing what I love without all you amazing people, cheering me on.
And as with all my books, the final thank you goes to my muse, Lydia. I wrote my first book so that I could make my daughter proud, and it’s never stopped. I write every book for you, my love.
Books By Sarah Noffke
Sarah Noffke writes YA and NA science fiction, fantasy, paranormal and urban fantasy. In addition to being an author, she is a mother, podcaster and professor. Noffke holds a Masters of Management and teaches college business/writing courses. Most of her students have no idea that she toils away her hours crafting fictional characters. www.sarahnoffke.com
Che
ck out other work by Sarah author here.
Ghost Squadron:
Formation #1:
Kill the bad guys. Save the Galaxy. All in a hard day’s work.
After ten years of wandering the outer rim of the galaxy, Eddie Teach is a man without a purpose. He was one of the toughest pilots in the Federation, but now he’s just a regular guy, getting into bar fights and making a difference wherever he can. It’s not the same as flying a ship and saving colonies, but it’ll have to do.
That is, until General Lance Reynolds tracks Eddie down and offers him a job. There are bad people out there, plotting terrible things, killing innocent people, and destroying entire colonies. Someone has to stop them.
Eddie, along with the genetically-enhanced combat pilot Julianna Fregin and her trusty E.I. named Pip, must recruit a diverse team of specialists, both human and alien. They’ll need to master their new Q-Ship, one of the most powerful strike ships ever constructed. And finally, they’ll have to stop a faceless enemy so powerful, it threatens to destroy the entire Federation.
All in a day’s work, right?
Experience this exciting military sci-fi saga and the latest addition to the expanded Kurtherian Gambit Universe. If you’re a fan of Mass Effect, Firefly, or Star Wars, you’ll love this riveting new space opera.
*NOTE: If cursing is a problem, then this might not be for you.
Check out the entire series here.
The Precious Galaxy Series:
Corruption #1
A new evil lurks in the darkness.
After an explosion, the crew of a battlecruiser mysteriously disappears.
Bailey and Lewis, complete strangers, find themselves suddenly onboard the damaged ship. Lewis hasn’t worked a case in years, not since the final one broke his spirit and his bank account. The last thing Bailey remembers is preparing to take down a fugitive on Onyx Station.
Mysteries are harder to solve when there’s no evidence left behind.
Bailey and Lewis don’t know how they got onboard Ricky Bobby or why. However, they quickly learn that whatever was responsible for the explosion and disappearance of the crew is still on the ship.
Monsters are real and what this one can do changes everything.
The new team bands together to discover what happened and how to fight the monster lurking in the bottom of the battlecruiser.
Will they find the missing crew? Or will the monster end them all?
The Soul Stone Mage Series:
House of Enchanted #1:
The Kingdom of Virgo has lived in peace for thousands of years…until now.
The humans from Terran have always been real assholes to the witches of Virgo. Now a silent war is brewing, and the timing couldn’t be worse. Princess Azure will soon be crowned queen of the Kingdom of Virgo.
In the Dark Forest a powerful potion-maker has been murdered.
Charmsgood was the only wizard who could stop a deadly virus plaguing Virgo. He also knew about the devastation the people from Terran had done to the forest.
Azure must protect her people. Mend the Dark Forest. Create alliances with savage beasts. No biggie, right?
But on coronation day everything changes. Princess Azure isn’t who she thought she was and that’s a big freaking problem.
Welcome to The Revelations of Oriceran. Check out the entire series here.
The Lucidites Series:
Awoken, #1:
Around the world humans are hallucinating after sleepless nights.
In a sterile, underground institute the forecasters keep reporting the same events.
And in the backwoods of Texas, a sixteen-year-old girl is about to be caught up in a fierce, ethereal battle.
Meet Roya Stark. She drowns every night in her dreams, spends her hours reading classic literature to avoid her family’s ridicule, and is prone to premonitions—which are becoming more frequent. And now her dreams are filled with strangers offering to reveal what she has always wanted to know: Who is she? That’s the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out. But will Roya live to regret learning the truth?
Stunned, #2
Revived, #3
The Reverians Series:
Defects, #1:
In the happy, clean community of Austin Valley, everything appears to be perfect. Seventeen-year-old Em Fuller, however, fears something is askew. Em is one of the new generation of Dream Travelers. For some reason, the gods have not seen fit to gift all of them with their expected special abilities. Em is a Defect—one of the unfortunate Dream Travelers not gifted with a psychic power. Desperate to do whatever it takes to earn her gift, she endures painful daily injections along with commands from her overbearing, loveless father. One of the few bright spots in her life is the return of a friend she had thought dead—but with his return comes the knowledge of a shocking, unforgivable truth. The society Em thought was protecting her has actually been betraying her, but she has no idea how to break away from its authority without hurting everyone she loves.
Rebels, #2
Warriors, #3
Vagabond Circus Series:
Suspended, #1:
When a stranger joins the cast of Vagabond Circus—a circus that is run by Dream Travelers and features real magic—mysterious events start happening. The once orderly grounds of the circus become riddled with hidden threats. And the ringmaster realizes not only are his circus and its magic at risk, but also his very life.
Vagabond Circus caters to the skeptics. Without skeptics, it would close its doors. This is because Vagabond Circus runs for two reasons and only two reasons: first and foremost to provide the lost and lonely Dream Travelers a place to be illustrious. And secondly, to show the nonbelievers that there’s still magic in the world. If they believe, then they care, and if they care, then they don’t destroy. They stop the small abuse that day-by-day breaks down humanity’s spirit. If Vagabond Circus makes one skeptic believe in magic, then they halt the cycle, just a little bit. They allow a little more love into this world. That’s Dr. Dave Raydon’s mission. And that’s why this ringmaster recruits. That’s why he directs. That’s why he puts on a show that makes people question their beliefs. He wants the world to believe in magic once again.
Paralyzed, #2
Released, #3
Ren Series:
Ren: The Man Behind the Monster, #1:
Born with the power to control minds, hypnotize others, and read thoughts, Ren Lewis, is certain of one thing: God made a mistake. No one should be born with so much power. A monster awoke in him the same year he received his gifts. At ten years old. A prepubescent boy with the ability to control others might merely abuse his powers, but Ren allowed it to corrupt him. And since he can have and do anything he wants, Ren should be happy. However, his journey teaches him that harboring so much power doesn’t bring happiness, it steals it. Once this realization sets in, Ren makes up his mind to do the one thing that can bring his tortured soul some peace. He must kill the monster.
*Note* This book is NA and has strong language, violence and sexual references.
Ren: God’s Little Monster, #2
Ren: The Monster Inside the Monster, #3
Ren: The Monster’s Adventure, #3.5
Ren: The Monster’s Death
Olento Research Series:
Alpha Wolf, #1:
Twelve men went missing.
Six months later they awake from drug-induced stupors to find themselves locked in a lab.
And on the night of a new moon, eleven of those men, possessed by new—and inhuman—powers, break out of their prison and race through the streets of Los Angeles until they disappear one by one into the night.
Olento Research wants its experiments back. Its CEO, Mika Lenna, will tear every city apart until he has his werewolves imprisoned once again. He didn’t undertake a huge risk just to lose his would-be assassins.
However, the Lucidite Institute’s main mission is to save the world from injustices. Now, it’s Adelaide�
��s job to find these mutated men and protect them and society, and fast. Already around the nation, wolflike men are being spotted. Attacks on innocent women are happening. And then, Adelaide realizes what her next step must be: She has to find the alpha wolf first. Only once she’s located him can she stop whoever is behind this experiment to create wild beasts out of human beings.
Lone Wolf, #2
Rabid Wolf, #3
Bad Wolf, #4
YA Dystopian Fantasy
Check out Sarah Noffke’s YA Dystopian Fantasy:
What if everything you knew was a lie?
Em is a Defect, one of the unfortunate Dream Travelers not gifted with a psychic power. Desperate to do whatever it takes to earn her gift, she endures painful injections. But they aren’t working.
The truth is hiding.
A long-kept secret begins to unravel when Em Fuller starts looking for the truth. Her seemingly perfect town is not at all what she
thought it was.
What she finds doesn’t make sense.