Showing results by author "Shawn" in All Categories

In the idyllic town of Middle Falls, Oregon, a peculiar phenomenon unfolds—those who die but are not prepared to move on open their eyes again at a pivotal juncture in their past lives, all memories of their first life intact. That includes Hattie Kildare. After dying in 2008, Hattie awakens as a teenager in 1943, back in a world gripped by the chaos of World War II. Amidst the echoes of conflict and the specter of loss, she is reunited with Jimmy, her beloved first boyfriend lost to the war in her first life.

Contains three complete, novel-length books in the Middle Falls Time Travel series: The Empathetic Life of Rebecca Wright, The Successful Life of Jack Rybicki, and The Many Short Lives of Charles Waters.

With the threat on Tanila's life, Max gives into the black skill: Consume. It has evolved, and the destruction it brought was glorious, frightening, and overwhelming. Now, with the new growth and power that came with it, Max and the others find themselves once again fighting against difficult odds as they make a push to get strong enough to reach the tower.

After 20 years away from Kragdon-ah, Alex Hawk and his daughters return to the future. They find invaders with guns in great numbers. Now, Alex will take the fight to those invaders in their own homeland. He must face a superior force with more advanced technology. The battle will be for the very soul of Kragdon-ah. Can Alex Hawk and his mighty dog Monda-ak survive their greatest challenge?

The Story Grid is a tool developed by editor Shawn Coyne to analyze stories and provide helpful editorial comments. It's like a CT Scan that takes a photo of the global story and tells the editor or writer what is working, what is not, and what must be done to make what works better and fix what's not. The Story Grid breaks down the component parts of stories to identify the problems. And finding the problems in a story is almost as difficult as the writing of the story itself (maybe even more difficult).

When the Ascension Games began, Earth was thrown into a deadly contest against two alien civilizations. Every battle is livestreamed. Every move is watched. Survival means leveling up fast or dying for the audience. Zach never set out to be a hero. He just wanted to stay alive. But between climbing the ranks and dodging death, he found a few unlikely allies. Some of them aren't even human. Now, with the fate of three worlds at stake, Zach is doing whatever it takes to protect the people he cares about. Even if some of them were supposed to be his enemies.

Before Kaen can win a battle—much less a war—he must learn how to harness the incredible energy of his lifestone, and identify who is friend and who is foe as others join his cause. Trained by the aging Elies and his dragon, Tharnok, Kaen and his own dragon, Pammon, urge each other harder and higher with every practice run, all in service of the fight that is ultimately Kaen's destiny.

With the zombie apocalypse raging all around them, and the last vestiges of government teetering on the verge of collapse, Army veteran Lee Riker, his younger sister Tara, Steven “Steve-O” Piontek, and their Trinity House companions are working feverishly to fortify their New Mexico redoubt - but cracks are beginning to show in their fragile alliance. While part of the group is off foraging for supplies, one member is scouring the airwaves for answers to a question she has yet to divulge, and another member discovers a map marked with mysterious symbols.

Alex Hawk has spent six years in Kragdon-ah. He has led armies, won battles, and seen strange and fantastic creatures. He has been continually frustrated in his efforts to return to the 21st century and his daughter, Amy. Return from Kragdon-ah not only wraps up this epic trilogy with more surprises, twists, and turns, it will reveal whether or not Alex Hawk will ever make it home.

What would you do if you saw the zombie apocalypse coming and had time to prepare? Where would you go? Who would you take with you? Who could you trust? Following their flight from zombie-infested New York and flush with cash from a recent inheritance, Army veteran Lee Riker and his sister Tara are holed up with their new friend Steve-O in a multi-million-dollar Miami Beach waterside mansion. Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

Alex Hawk has trained the far-flung armies of Kragdon-ah. Now, Alex and his armies will face a fanatical enemy bent on taking over all of Kragdon-ah. Can the armies of Kragdon-ah stand up to the giant Northmen, or will they need help from an unexpected source?

As a teenager, Quinn Starkweather builds a computer program that accurately predicts world events. He has created a Nostradamus machine. While Quinn becomes very wealthy, the program predicts the world will be torn apart by financial inequity. The 99.9% will rise up against the billionaires in what is dubbed The Rage Wars. The world stands on the razor’s edge of disaster. With enough warning of the coming apocalypse, Quinn builds an ark in the desert—a self-sufficient domed city he calls Altor.

Lacking health insurance when he was diagnosed with cancer, Shawn Speakman asked friends in the science fiction and fantasy writing community to donate short stories he could use to counter mounting medical debt. The result was Unfettered, an anthology offering tales from some of the best authors working today. Now, in Unfettered III, Speakman continues to pay forward the aid he received, raising money to combat medical debt for SF&F artists and authors.

Alex Hawk has returned victorious from Drakana. He is a hero in Kragdon-ah and he and his daughters have decided to stay there forever. An effort is afoot to unite the far-flung tribes of Kragdon-ah and Alex's daughters Amy and Sanda are recruited to cross the wide land to help make that happen. Alex is forced to take another journey across the wilds of Kragdon-ah, encountering more fantastic creatures, new enemies, and old allies.

In this teaching memoir, Shawn Leonard shares his personal story of developing his abilities as a spirit talker, revealing incredible stories from his childhood to the present. Along the way, he shares experiences he has had with elders from his aboriginal tribe, the Mi'kmaq, and his journey...

This year's shortlist of six exceptional stories each take the listener on an intense and gripping journey into the human heart. With poise, precision, and a light-footed grace, they conjure dramatically different, starkly real worlds. Hailing from Ireland, the United States and The Bahamas, the finalists of 2020 share stories on subjects as far apart as their settings, exploring among them romantic and marital discord, dark secrets, homelessness and even a high school football team; yet each one opens doors into its characters' lives in surprising and moving ways.

With the zombie apocalypse in full swing, Army veteran Lee Riker, his younger sister Tara, and their new friend, Steven “Steve-O” Piontek survive a grueling 2,000-mile trek from the shores of Florida to the deserts of New Mexico. After outfoxing the National Guard and staying ahead of a rolling shutdown that began in New York and swept across the country at a dizzying pace, Riker’s band finally make it to their ultimate destination only to come face to face with true evil. Days have passed and Lee Riker has a date with the court.

In the charming town of Middle Falls, Oregon, an extraordinary phenomenon occurs: those who die but aren't ready to move on are inexplicably revived at key moments in their lives, with their memories fully intact. Reggie Blackwell is one such soul—a boy with a tragic past who threatens to grow into a man with a thirst for the easy life. An unrepentant rogue, Reggie seizes the rare opportunity these resets offer, diving headfirst into a life without consequences.

An Army vet with CTE and a prosthetic leg, a barista on the run, and a middle-aged Country Western music aficionado with Down’s syndrome come together during the zombie apocalypse. What could go wrong? The moment the Ronin Protocol was enacted, cell phones across the United States began receiving messages sent weeks ago—during the onset of the zombie apocalypse, when cellular networks the world over were struggling to keep up with demand.

The Council of Tribes has been formed with a positive mission: to stop the endless wars and battles between the tribes of Kragdon-ah. Roads are established between settlements. Trade has begun in earnest. But there are forces that stand against this progress and will do whatever is needed to impede it. Alex Hawk, his daughters Amy and Sanda, and of course, the 300-pound dog Monda-ak all return for another potentially deadly adventure that will stretch from one end of the continent to the other.