At One’s Beast and Wandering Imagination, both by Rachel Barnard are free for Kindle this weekend! If you want to come meet the author and get a signed copy, come down to the Snoqualmie Block Party, where FreeValley Publishing is hosting a booth. Rachel Barnard will be at the booth from 10AM – 12PM. Click on the images to for more information or to download the books for kindle. 
Category Archives: Free Valley Publishing
Book Review: Mind Space Volume 1: Conspiracy / Book 2: Restoration by David S. Moore
Mind Space Volume 1: Conspiracy / Book 2: Restoration by David S. Moore
A Science Fiction Novel published on amazon.com (01/10/2014)
Summary:
Book one of the Mind Space Series ended with the Alliance broken apart and the giant corporation Jaimeson-Cale taking a hit from a terrorist attack that cut off their ability to use the mind control aspect of the Mind Shield while still being able to monitor for certain health conditions. Version 3 of the Mind Shield is introduced in this novel Restoration as the ability of the Mind Shield to eliminate drug addiction. Sounds great, right? Not if you are forced to get a Mind Shield. This second book in Moore’s series introduces the more nefarious sales tactics of Jaimeson-Cale. They will do anything to get the sale, but not just to build their bottom line or please their investors. Moore gives us more background into the ultimate purpose of the Mind Shield in this second book: Mind Space. Mind Space will be version 7, the final version, of the Mind Shield that will create a sense of community bond in order to bring about spiritual purity. The catch is that Mind Space cannot exist unless 73% of the population of the world have Mind Shields. On top of that number, Jaimeson-Cale already promised Mind Shield users that version 7 and Mind Space will be available in 2084. The projection of sales doesn’t even come close after the attack of ’55, but they have strategies to build up their user base and with the release of each version hope to convert new followers to their cause. The only problem is the introduction of competition in the market in the form of the Limbic Freedom. Limbic Freedom’s endgoal is simple: to combat the Mind Shield and keep Mind Space from happening
“The Mind Shield was a nemesis. The best tool that they had to defend against it was Limbic Freedom — of that she was certain. It had a mass appeal, it was simple to use, and most importantly it was based on freedom of choice. Let the user decide what to do. The Mind Shield was designed to mold the user to its purposes — or rather, those of its masters. Mind Space is the promised future for those who enjoy the privileges of Mind Shield.” (Page 217).
Keywords:
Science Fiction, Mind Control, America 2050’s, Technology, Resistance Movement, Rival Product, Monopoly, Free Market, Restoration
My Review:
This series speaks to me in so many ways. It deals with business, marketing, medical devices, manipulating the public into buying a product, regulatory concerns, bureaucracy, underdogs, good versus evil, gray areas, consumer psychology, etc. I get angry when Jaimeson-Cale uses underhanded (and at times) illegal business practices to make a sale of the Mind Shield. I root for the Limbic Freedom and the Alliance to shut down sales of the Mind Shield. I get nervous when Jaimeson-Cale has the upper hand. Moore is so adept at pulling me emotionally into the book on so many levels and yet, he doesn’t answer all my questions. How much does the Mind Shield or the Limbic Freedom cost? How is there no health concern with the transmittal of information from the nanites in the brain to the monitoring database at jaimeson-Cale? Are there no side effects at all from either device?
Moore answered some of the questions in this second book that I had brought from reading the first book. He delves into the past of Jaimeson-Cale and how they developed the nanite technology and how they created their model of different versions unveiled every six years and ultimate plan of development. Moore introduces us to Adam True, an ingenious scientist with so much potential, he just had to develop a stunted philosophy (or is it?) about community and freedom. True’s philosophy and his mindset on humanity and community are similar to the concept in the series Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. If you haven’t converted, you get left behind. The difference between Left Behind and Adam True’s vision of Mind Space is that no one will be left behind because anyone who has not chosen to get a Mind Shield would invariably be forced to have one or be killed.
Mind Space might seem like utopia, but anyone who is not currently hosting a Mind Shield would think differently. I envision Mind Space as a great connection between all Mind Shields, except that individuality is censored and the collective consciousness is just the nice version of that collective conscious in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick. Mind Space is like teeth in a comb, all the same parts of a whole instead of like pine cones on a tree, mostly similar but uniquely different. That sounds perfectly wretched to me, to be forced to think the same as everyone else. To Mind Shield hosts and Adam True followers, Mind Space is like Ragnarok, with a cult following ready for a specific day’s event in the ever-nearing future.
Moore begins gearing up his characters for war. There has already been the terrorist attack at the end of book one and the underhanded sales techniques in book two. “Eventually the polite competition of products in the marketplace would be transformed into an all out war for the minds of the masses.” (Page 392).
Hopefully Limbic Freedom can combat the Mind Shield, it monitors the same health conditions that versions 1 and 2 of the Mind Shield monitors and allows the user complete freedom of choice and control of thought. There is a key difference between the two devices, more than just the lack of mind control capabilities in the Limbic Freedom. Moore most likely has faith in humanity and I do not. Limbic Freedom requires configuration, learning, and training and Mind Shield does not. I’m assured that most people would rather the convenience of control than the inconvenience associated with the freedom of choice and thought. If it takes time to make the Limbic Freedom device capable of the same things as the Mind Shield, it won’t appeal to a large portion of society. Isn’t that why the Limbic Freedom was such a hit in the first place, because it treated obesity/overweightness by buffering the user from their own lack of willpower?
Moore throws short detailed scenes throughout the book, where the reader is presented a first-hand account of a character’s experience with the Limbic Freedom or the Mind Shield. This was very Stephen Kingesque of him and I rather enjoyed the brief evidence each scene brought to my side of the fence, where both the Mind Shield and Jaimeson-Cale are evil.
A new depth is introduced in book two regarding the type of Mind Shields produced. There are levels of Mind Shields with levels of controls built in, as if they are directives for robots. Moore also connects the Mind Shield and its directives specifically to the Way of Truth, gearing up for the big finish in his next novel of the series, Mind Space.
Is it truly bad to be a sheep in society if there were no addictions, anxiety, depression, hate, envy, etc? Mahatma Ghandi said, “Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.”
I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a well written novel and easy-to-read science fiction novel. This book reminds me of Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke in it’s sweeping narration through long periods of time with a focus on a single aspect of society.
This novel was published through Createspace Independent Publishing Platform 01/10/2014 and is available on Amazon here.
TLDR Star Rating: 4.75
Links for more information:
FreeValley Publishing Authors: Upcoming Live Event at Snoqualmie Days
Remember that countdown timer on my blog? it’s for this event! Come see FreeValley Publishing’s booth and snag all those books you haven’t read yet. Check out new books by Rachel Barnard (At One’s Beast), Victoria Bastedo (Roots Entwine) and Jeffrey Cook (Dawn of Steam Gods of the Sun). For more information on FreeValley Publishing, check out their website here!
Authors will be available to meet you and to sign books. The event is at Center Blvd SE, Snoqualmie, WA from 10-5. Hope to see you there!
Book Review: Roots Entwine by Victoria Bastedo
Roots Entwine by Victoria Bastedo
A YA Fantasy novel published by Fire and Ice Young Adult Books (08/21/2014)
Summary:
Joaquin was born unique, a blonde-haired blue-eyed boy with a powerful ability that some call a gift and others a curse. It is known as Phoshat. Kallum, on a king’s mission to find someone with Joaquin’s talents, describes the gift: “He’s capable of heightening his senses, to an amazing degree at times, whenever he chooses, and then calming his senses back into place until they are barely more perceptive than yours or mine.” (Location 2733).
This gift serves Joaquin during the mission by making him an asset in minute detection, but a liability in that the curse, if over-used, makes him ill and in extreme cases could cause death.
Joaquin learns to subdue his gift during the journey he makes with Kallum and their two companions Milte and Pearce, but will it be enough to triumph over the evil that has settled in Shenandya forest?
Keywords:
Fantasy, Action and Adventure, Coming of Age, Magical Abilities, Good Triumphing Over Evil, Nature
My Review:
This novel, like many great young adult novels, teaches the reader a lesson that Bastedo puts so eloquently in her book description, “A tree standing alone shades no one, but entwining his life with his team moves Joaquin towards the inevitable choice he must make for them. It’s up to him to decide what the sum of his life will be, and if his inborn ability will be a curse to him or the gift that saves his friends.”
This novel reminds me of one of Victoria Bastedo’s other novels, Sunrise Meets the Star, in that both contain a journey with a fantastic conclusion, having to overcome some essential characteristic to triumph, learning the power of friendship and loyalty, and being confident in one’s own abilities. Bastedo’s lessons are beautifully interwoven amidst the exciting plot and the quippy dialogue that make the novel flow from beginning to end. She has mastered the art of plot zigs, adding a depth to the tension that is the best combination of intrigue and of giving the characters room to make mistakes and grow.
One of my favorite things about the author is her character design. I fall for her main character every time. Bastedo gives me enough direct description and supporting action for me to know and understand the characters and follows through with just the right amount of perfection for me to be loyal to the character’s sympathies. Joaquin acknowledges his own choice in being a good or evil person with the opportunity Phoshat presents… “For no matter what, Phoshat is a part of me. It’s up to me to decide what the talent will become, a danger or a tool for good!” (Location 2958).
True to Fantasy as a genre, Bastedo gives me lovely character names that are fantastical, but no more difficult to pronounce than yours or mine so I’m able to read the story aloud in my head without the difficulty sometimes shoved upon the reader in fantasy novels. This is the beauty of a young adult novel and of a skilled author. Some of my favorite names were Malaya, Scarvus, Gridiron, and Shenandya. I was slightly hesitant whether Phoshat was the right word for Joaquin’s ability when I first picked up the novel, but I soon fell in love with that label as well.
Not once does Joaquin lament his birthright of Phoshat. I love a character that embraces who they are and with that embrace learns to control themselves and be confident in who they are and what they can accomplish. Joaquin only laments the fact that others can only see him for what the destruction and invasion of privacy the curse can cause. For most of those that are mistrustful of a Phoshat, Joaquin’s humility and politeness win them over. Don’t all parents wish their children as mindful of themselves as Joaquin!
Joaquin is not always on top of everything, because “…knwoing what was coming wouldn’t help him be ready to meet it.” (Location 776). He is, after all, still only a 15-year-old boy. He is not always the strongest. He is not always the most clever. He is just like any of us and that is why readers will love him.
As much as I loved the world Bastedo created, where she gives the reader a wide swath of land with many villages and not just one remote society, I thought she went a little over the top with the whole blonde-haired blue-eyed versus dark hair comparison. “But the worst combination of all was to be blond, blue-eyed, and the second son. Such was Joaquin’s fate.” (Location 104). The implications with blonde hair and blue eyes will never disappear and to invoke that in the opposite sense in a novel will always bring extra attention to the deliberateness of this choice. Being of dark hair myself, I did not dislike being a part of the in-group and when Joaquin proved that he would not live up to the rumors and legends of his own hair and eye color, I was also relieved.
I was let down by the lack of female characters. I know that not all books will be equal in every aspect of gender, race, etc but the females that did appear in this novel had very small parts and were almost completely unnecessary. I wanted to like Malaya, she has such a gorgeous name, but she kept acting small and childish and stubborn and rude. She was almost the exact opposite of Joaquin and I just kept getting annoyed whenever she showed up as the stereotypical girl. Perhaps she will grow out of her flat personality and into a warrior like a Shenandyan and Joaquin himself. I look forward to more by Victoria Bastedo.
I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys reality grounded fantasy, Sunrise Meets the Star, or easy reading fantasy novels.
This novel was published by Fire and Ice Young Adult Books 08/21/2014 and is available on Amazon here.
TLDR Star Rating: 4.50
Links for more information:
on the web: http://freevalleypublishing.com/featured-authors/victoria-bastedo/
Aftermath of the North Bend Block Party This Past Saturday
I always have fun at these local festivals and enjoy spending time chatting with my local author buddies. We had such great support from the FreeValley Publishing authors, see how many we stuffed back in our space? My favorite booth was ours of course! Second was two booths down with the fresh picked blueberries from Cle Elum.
North Bend Block Party Author Appearances!
Maple Valley Days a Success
(Photo courtesy of Sheri J. Kennedy)
What a beautiful booth! The new canopy tent worked out really well, easy set up and tear down. We sold a good number of books even though the weather was quite poor over the weekend and the entire festival had record low numbers of attendance. Jeff was wonderful and manned the booth the entire time! Go Jeff! We met a number of aspiring authors. Overall the event was a success and thanks to all for helping out.
(Photos courtesy of Sheri J. Kennedy)
Maple Valley Days and FreeValley Publishing
It quite difficult to publish a novel but that’s not where the self-published author can throw in the towel and head to the beach on vacation. Not at all, my word-inspired friends. A self-published author is not just the writer of the novel, but also the producer and manager. The author markets and researches. The author creates websites and promotional materials and goes to events to promote their book. And that takes hard work and quite a bit of determination.
Not all authors walk down the same path when they send a book out to be published, many more authors today are self-publishing and acting as their own agent. Some call them author-publishers. Some call them crazy. Come see for yourself what it is like to self-publish and promote your own book at Maple Valley Days. Two of your very own Maple Valley writers, as well as authors from North Bend and Snoqualmie will be at the FreeValley Publishing booth. Many of these writers are experts at self-publishing and are highly aware of the book-publishing industry. Everyone has a book inside, come read ours and see if you are ready to write yours.
Maple Valley Days 2014, June 13-15. FreeValley Publishing booth located near the Info booth.
Steampunk Themed Release Party for Dawn of Steam Was a Hit
What made Jeff’s release party such a success was how much fun it was to participate. We (the readers) had a chance to dress up and hang out in a cool venue. This was no Barnes and Noble, author behind a desk, book release or signing event. This was a full on party! There were lots of friendly people and lots of books. I had a great time and I hear Jeff sold a number of books there as well (a technical measure of success). Great job Jeff at organizing such a great time for everyone.
Any excuse to dress up and I’m in!
Norwescon Wrap Up Thoughts
I was at Norwescon last week(end) and it was quite the experience. I have never been to a con like that before. In fact the only convention I’ve really ever gone to was the recent AWP convention (more here) and that was nothing at all like Norwescon. I enjoyed myself but didn’t feel like I truly got to experience the con because I was not there at night and I didn’t know anyone but my lobby booth buddy Jeffrey Cook.
Here’s a list of the pros and cons to Norwescon for me
Pros:
– Getting to see all the wonderful costumes
– Meeting people who came to our lobby booth
– Being able to talk about FVP and MVW books
– The cool vendors
– the free munchies in the Hospitality room
– People were nice and friendly
– the con environment seemed relaxed and not policing
– Valet took care of parking my car when I couldn’t find a spot
– Our booth had a lot of traffic
– I had a place to be (our booth) that I could feel safe and like I belonged to a particular spot for comfort’s sake
– I got to dress up! (and no matter what I dressed in it would not be the oddest costume out there)
Cons:
– Saturday admission was $45 (I even had to pay to just man the booth)
– parking was a nightmare as by 9:00 in the morning there were no spots left
– It was raining so going outside was not happening
– Our lobby booth was hemmed in by the superfluous amount of Larpers in the neighboring booth
– The two panels I tried to go to stunk, as the presenters were not very prepared, treated the audience like morons, and cursed in front of children
– The wrap-around enclosed nature of the hotel with spread out places to go was a little unnerving for first time con-goer such as myself
Rachel Author Barnard 