Celebrate Lit Presents: Operation Grendel by Daniel Shwabauer

 

About the Book

Book:  Operation Grendel

Author: Daniel Shwabauer

Genre: Christian Fiction, Futuristic Action & Adventure

I

t’s the war story he’s dreamed of. But the battle may cost him his mind.

Military journalist Raymin Dahl thinks he’s finally getting the story of a lifetime. Secret peace talks on a remote tropical moon are about to surrender five colonized worlds—and six hundred million civilians—to a ruthless enemy.

 

But when his commanding officer, Captain Ansell Sterling, is fatally wounded before the negotiations can begin, Dahl can no longer just report on the mission. He’s ordered to complete it. With help from the AI embedded in Sterling’s comms bracelet, Dahl must impersonate his commander—a Marine Corps hero and psychological operations expert.

 

However, Sterling’s AI may be luring him to surrender more than he realizes. And the mission Corporal Dahl thinks he’s running isn’t the only operation underway.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

 

Daniel Schwabauer, M.A., is a lifelong reader of speculative fiction. He studied the genre under science fiction great James Gunn before graduating with honors from Kansas University’s Masters program in Creative Writing in 1995. Winner of the Eric Hoffer and Ben Franklin awards for his middle grade fantasy series, The Legends of Tira-Nor, Daniel enjoys riding his motorcycle on country roads and pondering other worlds. He lives in Kansas City with his wife and dog.

 

More from Daniel

The Operation Grendel Origin Story

I’ve always been fascinated by the power of storytelling, especially as a lever for moving culture.  For several years I studied the development of modern propaganda, the rise and fall of yellow journalism, and the relationship of these to psychological warfare. This culminated in 2017 with a brief investigation into quantum computing and the rising popularity of trans-humanism. Sometimes the best story ideas are combinations of things that have rattled around in the back of your mind for years.

Operation Grendel is a keyhole glimpse of a future in which every person in the galaxy is bonded to an artificial intelligence. Some AIs are embedded in the brain, and some are snapped onto the wrist as a wearable device. I didn’t realize when I started writing the book that Elon Musk had already launched Neuralink to create this technology in real life. I discovered the corporation after finishing my fourth draft.

The use of this technology probably means a lack of autonomy. How can you think for yourself, or even know what you think, if your thoughts are constantly being shaped and influenced by a quantum computer wirelessly connected to your brain?

Then again, is that all we really are as humans—biological computers? I don’t think so. But if not, then there will surely be resistance to the trans-humanist movement. Which means, in a work of fiction, clearly opposing sides. One empire supports this integration of man and machine; the other places limits on AI technology.

But “warring empires” was not a story I felt capable of telling. I wanted something closer to home, something smaller and more accessible, something more human. I wanted to show what a life spent entirely under the influence of an inner nanny—a substitute Holy Spirit—might look like.

Well, who better to tell that story than a man who has, in his own way, been manipulating others through storytelling? In other words, a journalist.

This fit my desire to write the story as military science fiction. Since I never had the honor of serving in the armed forces, I needed a way to give my narrator a believable voice. Corporal Raymin Dahl, a military reporter who barely scraped his way through reservist boot camp, fit the bill.

Before long the story seemed to take on a life of its own.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, March 30

Mia Reads, March 30

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, March 31

Wishful Endings, April 1

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 1

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, April 2

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, April 3

Woven by Words, April 3

Through the Fire Blogs, April 4

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 5

Adventures Of A Travelers Wife, April 5

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, April 6

Texas Book-aholic, April 7

April Hayman, Author, April 7

Inklings and notions, April 8

Rebecca Tews, April 9

For Him and My Family, April 10

deb’s Book Review, April 11

Locks, Hooks and Books, April 12

Labor Not in Vain, April 12

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Daniel is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon card, a signed copy of the hardcover first edition, and 2 laptop stickers!! (photo attached)

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/109d7/operation-grendel-celebration-tour-giveaway

Hope Between the Pages by Pepper D. Basham

 

Uncover the Story Behind a One-Hundred-Year-Old Love Letter

Walk through Doors to the Past via a new series of historical stories of romance and adventure.

Clara Blackwell helps her mother manage a struggling one-hundred-year old family bookshop in Asheville, North Carolina, but the discovery of a forgotten letter opens a mystery of a long-lost romance and undiscovered inheritance which could save its future. Forced to step outside of her predictable world, Clara embarks on an adventure with only the name Oliver as a hint of the man’s identity in her great-great-grandmother’s letter. From the nearby grand estate of the Vanderbilts, to a hamlet in Derbyshire, England, Clara seeks to uncover truth about family and love that may lead to her own unexpected romance.

Amazon 

 

About The Author

 Pepper D Basham has been telling tales ever since she was a little girl. When her grandmother called her a “writer” at the age of ten, Pepper took it as gospel and has enjoyed various types of writing styles ever since. A native of the Blue Ridge Mountains, mom of five, speech-language pathologist, and lover of chocolate, Pepper enjoys sprinkling her native Appalachian culture into her fiction wherever she can. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC, where she works with kids who have special needs, searches for unique hats, and plots new ways to annoy her wonderful friends at her writing blog, The Writer’s Alley.

Website 

 

My Review

This is a story about saving a family bookstore, but it is so much more, it is about finding your soulmate. Two people who are destined to be together, no mater the distance, no mater your lot in life, the sparks are there.

A beautifully written tale of love and loss, so tender that you will be trying hard not to cry, but we follow theses loves and others throughout the century as they touch so many.

I loved the setting of Sadie Blackwell's portion, Biltmore, can you imagine staying there? Better yet, falling in love with one of the guests, a forbidden love, but beautiful.

The next love, is Clara Blackwell, and her journey to save her great-grandmother's bookshop, with her odyessy taking her back to Biltmore, and England.

We are not only given those love's that only come along once in your life, but we journey to find a deed, and with this mystery comes danger. Who actually owns the bookstore? Come along as we look for answers, and surprises!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Barbour, and was not required to give a positive review. 

The Baby Next Door (Indiana Amish Brides #7) by Vannetta Chapman

 

Some secrets are harder to keep…in this novel from USA TODAY bestselling author Vannetta Chapman

Can she help her neighbor

without exposing the truth?

When Amish single mother Grace Troyer and her baby girl move back home, Adrian Schrock can’t resist the little family next door. But his plan to nudge Grace out of her shell by asking her to cook for Englischers on his farm tour doesn’t go over well. After all, Grace is worried the job will expose secrets she hopes to keep buried.

Amazon 

 

About The Author

 

Vannetta Chapman writes inspirational fiction full of grace. She is the author of over twenty novels, including the Pebble Creek Amish series, Shipshewana Amish Mystery Series, and Plain and Simple Miracle series. Vannetta is a Carol award winner, a Christy finalist, and she also received more than two dozen awards from Romance Writers of America chapter groups. She currently writes Christian suspense, Amish romance, and Amish mystery. She was a teacher for 15 years and resides in the Texas hill country. For more information, visit her at www.VannettaChapman.com.

For more information, visit her at http://vannettachapman.com
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http://vannettachapman.com/blog/
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http://vannettachapman.com/book-list/

 

My Review

 
I have read several of the books in this series, and this is Grace and Adrian's story, and little Nicole, and you are quickly pulled in.

I did love the surprises that happen near the end of this read, and how the book wrapped up.

I was surprised by Grace's attitude early on, but they did lead to some funny happenings. Also Adrian is a different kind of Amish farmer, an Exotic Animal Farmer, but he has a big heart for animals in need!

The star of this read is little Nicole, I wanted to go and hold her! She is a smart little one that will steal your heart.

I enjoyed my return visit to the Indiana Amish Community!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Harlequin, and was not required to give a positive review.

A New Love for Charlotte (Wells Landing #11) by Amy Lillard

 

Renewed faith and happiness await three generations of women in this heartwarming series from Amy Lillard, set in the Oklahoma Amish community of Wells Landing . . .
 
With her daughter newly married, widow Charlotte Burkhart should have been content to find a companion for her later years in Amish widower Glenn Esh. Yet, Charlotte longs for more than life has offered her thus far. When she discovers a baby on her doorstep, the child seems like the miracle Charlotte’s been praying for.  Unfortunately, Glenn doesn’t feel the same way. What’s a single woman aching to experience motherhood once more to do?
 
From the moment Paul Brenneman sees Charlotte Burkhart with a new baby, he senses his lovely neighbor and the sweet child are meant to be. Which is why he offers to marry Charlotte and make her adoption dreams come true. No stranger to heartache himself, the stalwart widower knows second chances don’t happen every day—especially not with a woman like Charlotte, the first woman in a long time who has him taking a leap of faith that happily-ever-after is still possible.

Amazon  

About The Author

I'm a wife, mother, and bona fide Southern belle. Published author, expert corn bread maker, and Squirrel Princess.

I live in Tulsa, though I was born in Mississippi. I moved to the Sooner State when I was seventeen and met my soul mate and best friend not long after. I’ve retained a little of my Mississippi accent though most people think I’m from Texas. (?)  Rob and I have been married for over twenty-five years and have a son–a mom proclaimed prodigy, of course!

I love homemade tacos, nail polish, and romance novels–not necessarily in that order. I’m a big fan of classic country music, a staunch proponent of saving the Oxford comma, and I’m shamefully obsessed with all things Harry Potter.

I dislike people trying to convince me to read the Twilight series (I’ll get to it or I won’t, either way I’m good with it), gratuitous violence, and strawberry ice cream. (I know I’m alone on this last one, and again, I’m good with it.)

Favorite movies–(besides HP) French Kiss, Maid of Honor, A Lot Like Love, Just Married, and Sweet Home Alabama. Oh, and Miss Congeniality, Sabrina (both versions) and a 1940’s movie called Dear Ruth. If you haven’t seen it, you should! A-dorable. Anything with Doris Day and most all of Marilyn’s and Audrey’s.

Website 

 

My Review

This is the 11th book in the Wells Landing series, but this can be read alone. My opinion of Charlotte was much better with this read, she is impulsive, but caring and has a lot of love to give.
Her daughter Jena is back along with her husband Buddy, and yes they each had their own book, along with her mother-in-law Nadine.
We meet Charlotte new loves, and yes there are more than one, and more than two, but you will have to turn the pages to see them.
I am hoping for more in this series, and I love being updated on past reads with the recurring characters.
Come and join Charlotte as she tries to find a purpose for her life, and ends up with more than she expected!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Kensington, and was not required to give a positive review.

Animals by Will Staples

 

The debut novel from acclaimed Hollywood screenwriter Will Staples.

"This is more than a story about the fate of wildlife—it's a story about the fate of the earth. As an animal lover, I highly recommend this book." — Arnold Schwarzenegger

When rhino poachers kill two of his fellow rangers in Kruger Park, South African Defense Force veteran Cobus Venter reaches his breaking point. Quitting his job, he embarks on a vigilante mission to take down the animal-trafficking syndicate from the inside. Meanwhile, in Florida, insurance investigator Randall Knight is called to a private roadside zoo, where a new tiger cub of suspect lineage brought a virus that wiped out all the zoo’s tigers. The disease is just one species jump away from erupting into a deadly global human pandemic. What starts as a simple insurance claim leads Knight to discover a shocking new evolution in the business of illicit animal trafficking. Both men’s journeys take them from the darkest corners of Southeast Asia to the VIP gambling rooms of Macau, where they must stay alive long enough to stop a vicious international triad from ending wildlife as we know it.

Animals is set in the world of global animal trafficking and follows converging story lines into a dark maze of corruption and organized crime, and through the journeys of the main characters, the novel explores the factors driving the exploitation and ruin of the natural world.

Though the story is fiction, the characters, locations, and plot points are almost entirely rooted in fact. They are the product of hundreds of conversations with everyone from Jane Goodall to the CIA, to Damien Mander (an ex-mercenary turned animal activist). To experience the issue firsthand, Will Staples took a month-long research trip spanning three continents and seven countries. The journey was a profoundly transformative, life-altering experience.

The author’s goal with this novel is to expose this issue to as many people as possible. To that end, all his income from this book will be donated to nonprofit organizations dedicated to protecting wildlife.

Amazon 

 

About The Author

 

 Will Staples writes books, as well as scripts for movies, TV, and videogames. His work includes the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise, the upcoming movie WITHOUT REMORSE, the JACK RYAN and SHOOTER television series, and adapting Tom Wolfe's book THE RIGHT STUFF as a TV series for Disney+. In 2011, Will wrote the videogame CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 3--at the time, the largest entertainment release in history.

 

My Review

 
A story that had me in tears, so much brutality and waste of life, so senseless. The more you know about what is happening the more you want to do something, it is such a helpless feeling.
Poor people who kill animals to feed their family, and why do the animals have to die, for their horns, feet, disgusting and so the men in charge get richer.
When you think of the horns of a rhinoceros is really like toenails, and people believe they cure cancer? I know different cultures have different beliefs, but this is bad.
I am so glad that the author is bringing awareness with this book, and he is donating the proceeds to help fight and bringing this issue to the forefront.
This is a fictional read, that is filled with facts, with the hope of bringing awareness!
I received this book through Net Galley and Blackstone Publishing, and was not required to give a positive review.

A Wish for Home (Secrets of Bliss Valley #1) by Jo Ann Brown

 

Caught between who she is…and who she was.

Lauren Nolt hasn’t forgiven the Amish community of Lancaster County for shunning her parents. But returning as a successful Englischer working for large developers is just what she needs to get a promotion and give her parents the life they deserve. Coming face-to-face with her childhood bully, Amish widower Adam Hershberger, is the last thing she wants. Yet when her world’s shaken by a shocking discovery, Adam’s the only one she can confide in…

Adam’s never forgiven himself for the part he played in Lauren’s past, nor what drove him to do it. But as developers threaten his great-grossdawdi’s farm, she’s the only one who can help. And with his little girl determined to bring him and Lauren together at every turn, keeping his distance is impossible. Now they must learn to trust each other—even as their secret feelings grow stronger. But is love enough to bridge the gap between their very different worlds?

Amazon 

 

About The Author

Jo Ann Brown has been creating characters and stories for as long as she can remember. Her first stories were populated with her friends and sisters. She wrote her first novel in high school, and it happily resides in the forgotten depths of her file cabinet. Fast forward through college, serving in the US Army as a quartermaster officer, getting married, and increasing her blessings with three children...and Jo Ann sold her first book in 1987. Since it was published in 1988, she has sold over 100 titles and has become a best-selling and award-winning author. Romantic Times called her “a truly talented author.” She writes romance, mystery, and YA under a variety of pen names. Now she is writing Amish romances for Love Inspired and Annie’s Fiction as Jo Ann Brown.

Her books have been translated into nearly a dozen languages and are sold on every continent except Antarctica. A sought-after speaker, she has been teaching creative writing for over 20 years, and she established several popular fiction courses at Brown University. She resides in Florida with her husband and about a zillion little lizards in her yard.

Website 

 

My Review

 I enjoyed this story, it is really about forgiveness, and there are a lot of surprises that unfold.
Can you go home again? Well, with circumstances from her job and raging snow and ice storm, and a big pot hole, end up bringing Lauren Holt home! To make matters worse her worst nemesis comes to her rescue.
Adam Hershberger a single father raising a four year old daughter, taking care of his aging Great Grandfather, and helping with his orphaned teenage cousins. He also has a small engine repair, and works part time at an auto repair, along with becoming a fire fighter. Talking of fires, there has been an abnormal amount of them lately.
Come and see the love and surprises that open up here. Including where Lauren ends up staying! How Adams’s daughter winds everyone around her thumb, and how Adam deals with all that is on his shoulders.
I am now looking forward to the next book in this series!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Harlequin, and was not required to give a positive review.

Night Fall (The Quantico Files, #1) by Nancy Mehl

 

Now that Alexandra "Alex" Donovan is finally free of her troubled upbringing, she's able to live out her childhood dream of working for the FBI. But soon after she becomes a member of the FBI's elite Behavioral Analysis Unit, authorities in Kansas and Missouri contact them about bodies found on freight trains traveling across the country--all killed in the same way.

Alex never expected to be forced to confront her past in this new job, but she immediately recognizes the graffiti messages the killer is leaving on the train cars. When the BAU sends her to gather information about the messages from her aunt in Wichita, Kansas, Alex is haunted by the struggles she thought she'd left behind forever.

In a race against time to solve the case while battling her own weaknesses, Alex must face how far she'll go--and what she's willing to risk--to put a stop to the Train Killer.

Amazon 

 

About The Author

 Nancy Mehl lives in Wichita, Kansas with her husband, Norman, and her very active puggle, Watson. First published in 2001, she has now authored nine books, including an omnibus mystery collection, Cozy in Kansas, which contains three of her previously published Ivy Towers mysteries. Book three in the series, For Whom the Wedding Bell Tolls, won the American Christian Fiction Writers Mystery Book of the Year award. Nancys main writing interests lie in mystery although her new Harmony Series leans more toward the romantic suspense genre. Nancy runs a HUD program for the city of Wichita and is president of a volunteer organization, Wichita Homebound Outreach. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Kansas Authors Club. 

Website 

 

My Review

 
Nancy Mehl has done it again, this is a riveting read, and once you start you won't want to put it down, not without answers.
We are given two examples of what happens to us as children, forms us into the adults we become, and it can go either way, good vs evil.
Our girl has chosen good and now a Behavior Analysis, you will cringe at what happened to her as a child, but she has now gifted her talents to the FBI. Now, the evil one has made this one even more personal, and most of mankind is counting on her and others to save them.
There was one person that I had suspicion about, but put in the back of my mind, so it was a wow, when they appeared on the side of the evil one.
As the murder count mounts, will Alex and the other agents succeed in thwarting the destruction that is planned, and will she begin trusting God? Answers come, and we hope they are what we are for good!
This book is part of a new series, and now I can't wait for the next read!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Bethany House, and was not required to give a positive review.