Roswell, NM – The Truth From the Lies by Kari (Holm) Trevino

The WB was a popular television channel once known for such cult shows as “Smallville” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”. If you were in your teens when these shows were in their golden ages (1990’s to early 2000’s), I’m certain you remember something about them. I myself had been an avid and loyal fan of the “Buffy” series, and unfortunately had very little interest in any of the others. Recently however, despite now being in my mid-twenties, my husband and I have been sitting down together each evening to watch a couple of episodes of another of the cult hits “Roswell”. I have to admit, it is a fantastic very well done, tv show which I genuinely enjoy.

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Since I’ve always been very curious in all things involving extraterrestrials, it’s no surprise that “Roswell” sparked my interest to do some research on the real story of Roswell’s alleged alien spaceship crash, since it had been several years since I’d visited the story.

It’s true that there have been a few whistle blowers who have courageously come forward to share information involving extraterrestrials, and some have said that certain episodes of shows such as “X-files” and “V” actually hold some truth, although which episodes in particular is still a secret. It’s disinformation as it’s finest, in my opinion.

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Although it’s very unlikely that the “Roswell” series holds any truth, I decided to once again research the real story from the beginning.

The event took place during the first week of July in the year 1947 in Roswell, New Mexico. One fact we might all agree upon is that something did occur that day. The military was called in to clean whatever it was up and although there are testimonies from members of that clean-up who insist nothing extraterrestrial was recovered that day, would anyone really expect otherwise regardless of the truth?

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On January 12th, 1994m US congressman Steveb Schiff of Albuquerque, NM announced that the defense department had adamantly refused to hand over to him information regarding Roswell, which he had requested on behalf of the constituents and witnesses of that day. The congressman called this behavior from the defense department “astounding” and concluded it to be an indication of yet another coverup by the government.

If a tweaking hobo is seen rambling about UFOs or ETs, nobody pays any attention, but what about when a credible witness, someone who could be a trusted nextdoor neighbor, your child’s lifelong nanny or schoolteacher, perhaps being yourself, insists without a doubt that they saw a flying saucer or unidentitified aircract of some sort? Even newspapers resport sightings of UFOs, not just in New Mexico, but all over the planet as a whole. Throughout documented history, people have witnessed UFOs. The famous painting, “The Madonna with Saint Giovannino ” by Domenico Ghirlandaio amazingly depicts what appears to be a flying saucer in the 5th century!

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Military personell, such as colonel William Blanchard, of the 509th bomb group from Roswell, was convinvced that the weather balloon press release from eighth Air Force headquarters in Ft, Worth, TX, was a “hastily contrived story”. Those who know Colonel Blanchard personally describe him as a no-nonsense business minded individual, not one to fabricate such a story.

There exists dozens of stories just like that of Colonel Blanchard, from very sane, even once skeptical people, who support the likelihood of a government coverup regarding the Roswell crash in 1947.

The evidence comes and goes and by today we’ve probably been fed so much disinformation that picking the truth from all the lies would be like discovering a needle in a hay stack. Even if the truth is right before our eyes, only those who were there and saw for themselves will know the truth.

FARGOER by Petteri Hannila

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5 out of 5 stars

I received a free copy of Fargoer for the purpose of an honest review.

What a fantastic story. It completely captivated me from start to finish. The setting and characters are brought to such three-dimensional life that I felt like was right there with them.

We begin with Aure and Vierra, thirteen-year-old cousins who are on their way to see the First Mother, a rite of passage all young girls must go through after they start their menstrual cycle. The First Mother tells them that only one of them can be the next Chieftain and they must fight each other to the death right there to see who will go on. For the future of their tribe, there are two possible scenarios.

If Aure defeats Vierra, their people will prosper at first, but eventually outsiders will invade their territory and wipe their people out. They would disappear forever.

If Vierra wins, their people will suffer in life, but they would persevere as far into the future as the First Mother could see.  Vierra wins the contest, but doesn’t have the heart to kill her cousin when the opportunity presents itself. This will be the first of many crossroads she will face throughout her life.

From this point on we follow Vierra in a series of short stories, each one depicting a time in her life when she was faced with a difficult decision. Each story is self-contained and yet they all pull back to each other. I found it amazing how caught up in her life I became on an emotional level, the mistakes she made reminding me of my own lapses in judgment, and the consequences one must pay because of them. Who hasn’t looked back on key areas of their life and wished they’d traveled down a different path. It is a story of discovery and growth, and the perseverance of a strong spirit when the future offers so little hope.

It’s hard to imagine anyone, young or old, male or female, being unable to connect in some way with Vierra and the life she tries so hard to keep control of. I look forward to reading more about her in the near future. An excellent beginning to what I hope will be a successful series.

All The Undivided Romance by Kari Holm-Trevino

The romance genre, despite it’s endless alterations in style over the years, remains the undefeated champion as the most widely read of all genres. The reasoning behind this popularity is broad, but one key fact remains: human beings in general require love to flourish. Of course, for some, a sense of lust for one to another will suffice, but for the rest, the pursuit ends only when his or her soul mate has been found. When I see a very old couple taking a stroll down the street hand in hand, I believe that soul mates do in fact exist.

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But, each person has a different perspective on love and, as if to woo the reader, there are limitless sub genres. For example, the classics which include Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, and Gone with the Wind. The heroines within all three novels possess a lot of similarities. They live during periods of time when women were oppressed and struggled to be heard and respected, but above all, they’re all very intelligent, even to the point of selfish and shrewd– for example Scarlett O’Hara during the Civil War Era. The heros are also somewhat similar in character, shrouded with mystery and unpredictability. The love within these novels presents the tireless theme that one can never predict nor choose with whom he or she will fall in love.

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It’s difficult to top the classics, but how can anyone bypass the countless Harlequin types. You know the ones, with Fabio gracing the cover, standing strong and tall, his shirt either unbuttoned or bare chested, while the woman is very often sitting, disturbingly, at his feet. She represents the damsel in distress, just begging to be taken between the sheets. Judge the genre if you please, but no one can deny that it has a following and serves a purpose in the lives of those who enjoy reading these erotic tails.

Thirdly, the strong, independent, and intelligent heroine of today, inevitably fighting vampires and/or werewolves. Who could forget the story of Dracula, one of the most memorable love stories ever written. Today, we have Buffy the Vampire Slayer, although her story was more TV show than novel. The genre is what’s important, the heroines tough, which indicates a theme of uncovering that which she is guarding … her freedom…

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Yes, women have come a long way, and even the smut romance novels which some would call pointless rubbish hold more truth than one would at first assume. The journey women in general have made from oppression to success is not only told in one novel, from the mind of one heroine, but is seen in every story, every character, and every page ever written in the Romance world.

HUNTER by James Byron Huggins

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4 out of 5 stars

Nathaniel Hunter is a loner. He has plenty of money, but prefers to live in the wilderness, his only friend a coal black wolf named Ghost. Hunter rescued Ghost when he was just a pup and raised him in the mountains, never interfering when the adult wolf needed to establish his dominance with wolf packs living near their home. Their continued relationship was one built out of love and respect, for both man and wolf. Raised in the mountains, not many around can track better than Hunter. With the black wolf by his side there aren’t many creatures able to escape Hunter’s eagle eye, or Ghost’s nose.

When Hunter is called in by the military to track a wild beast in the Arctic Circle, one that has destroyed two secret research facilities, and killed every person in it, he can’t turn them down. But he soon learns the creature is much more than a rogue grizzly or mountain lion, it is a half-human abomination, created by scientist who can no longer control it. It’s only reason for living is to kill every living creature around it, regardless of whether they are of any threat to him. And the creature is headed straight for a third facility. After that, it will move into more populated areas and who knew how many would die before they could get it stopped.

Hunter doesn’t realize how dangerous the creature is when he first accepts the job to track it. He has a special group of military personal who are traveling with him. They believe they were sent in to kill the creature once Hunter gets them within range. But it proves to be much more cunning than anything Hunter has ever tried to track down, its instincts more along the lines of that of a tiger, more than capable of staying out of reach of their special high caliber sniper rifles. But then the beast turns the table on them. He is the hunter and now Nathaniel, with Ghost at his side, must pull out every trick he knows to keep him and the soldiers with him alive.

I loved reading about the relationship built between Hunter and Ghost in this novel. The attention to detail, with description of the land and animals in it, made me feel as if I was a part of their group. There are many action scenes with the beast and this small group of people and wolf, keeping the tingling of excitement going almost nonstop from start to finish. This is the second time I’ve read this novel, one of those I knew the first time through I would enjoy again. I read this rather lengthy story in two days because I couldn’t force myself to put it down, even the second time through.

There is a tendency to repeat wording over and over, using the same description in multiple fight scenes. Sometimes I found myself questioning Hunter’s ability to stay alive with a creature so fast, but they were slight irritations, or questions brought to mind, and I quickly moved past. The ending is also stretched out farther than I thought necessary. It’s the only reason I have to drop the score from a five to a four. Do I recommend it for those who like high tension in their novels? You bet. I have no doubt I’ll read my worn copy again in another couple of years. I plan to read Cain next by James Byron Huggins.

True or Phallace by Kari Holm-Trevino

It’s a defining feature to every human body, to every male human body, that is. The purpose is simple: procreation, although many would agree that recreation should not go overlooked, and the design is rather flawless. However, purpose and design aside, the phallace is one of the most complex subject matters in existence, and not exactly the number one topic at anyone’s dinner table. How did this necessary trait for life become so incredibly taboo in our society, and do we even want to reverse this distorted perspective?

Looking back in history, one artist in particular both painted and sculpted some of the most famous pieces known even today, many of which happened to reveal the male “livelihood”, entirely void of modesty. I’m speaking of course, of the one and only Michelangelo, and his works of David, and in The Sistine Chapel.

Image David is a 7-feet tall sculpture depicting David from the biblical story David and Goliath. The sculpted man stands tall and confident, his features literally chiseled to perfection. His phallace, however, is undeniably and remarkably small, although David himself seems to take no notice and is not even remotely apologetic. The same image is shown on the ceiling of The Sistine Chapel, depicting Jesus Christ reaching out of God’s hand, both men possessing small and unimpressive genitalia.

It seems, before the porn industry revolutionized the phallace from something which only contributed to the persona of man into that which defined him completely, our entire frame of reference has been turned upside down! A beautiful man, or statue, stood before us years ago to give man an ideal, whereas now, we’re given Ron Jeremy, for example, with all of his 9.5 inches.

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One theory as to why the men in Michelangelo’s art are so poorly endowed is that he did not want the phallace to be the focal point of the piece, potentially resulting in the image as whole being overlooked.

Of course, Mr. Jeremy is only one example to which men today can look for guidance as to what a man is supposed  to be. There are many other more attractive examples, but one thing is for certain: If you’re not well endowed, society will never forgive you.

It is a mindset that is very faulted, but is not likely to change anytime soon. All the individual can do is choose for themselves what is both important and beautiful, and go about their lives without the merciless influence of contemporary media.

THE LAST KEEPER’S DAUGHTER by Rebecca Trogner

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5 out of 5 stars

There are many new novels to choose from these days about my favorite fanged character, the vampire, and I often spend days sorting through new titles, reading blurbs and samples, trying to choose my next purchase. I scanned through the blurb on The Last Keeper’s Daughter by Rebecca G. Trogner and thought it sounded interesting, so I read a couple pages from the prologue and that was it. I’m totally hooked. I love it when the author can bring across danger in a powerful vampire and I knew from the first two pages here that the main character would be one I would connect with. But what really sets the hook, at least for this reader anyway, is learning about the softer side of his nature, the part of him that can still love a simple human woman. In this story, Krieger is the vampire king and he fits the bill perfectly in all areas. But face it, what good is everlasting life if you don’t have someone there to love and share it with you? And me, being a hopeless romantic, I want to share their experience with them.

Lily Ayres is the woman who catches Krieger’s attention. Her father approaches him, asking for a personal favor. Take care of his only daughter, Lily, in exchange for the life he has spent working for the king as his Keeper. Krieger agrees to do so, not intending to watch over her personally, but after meeting Lily, finds he can’t stand the idea of anyone else doing it. When she is mortally injured not long after he first meets her, Krieger must give her his blood or she will die, creating a bond between him and Lily that can’t be broken. But he can’t force her to love him, that part has to be earned. Like most ancient vampires I read about, he tends to be a little on the bossy side. But Lily isn’t as meek as people think when they first meet her.

Though I love the romance part of this story, there is much more going on than a simple love affair. There is a lot more to Lily than first meets the eye and Krieger needs to learn why anyone would want her dead. Hunter,a human detective is brought into the picture, one who has just learned about the supernatural world Krieger rules over. He is trying to help the vampire king learn who is behind the death of Lily’s father and other key people in their society. I have to admit I felt a slight disappointment when I reached the end of this novel, because not everything going on felt tied up for me, but I see where there is room for a sequel and I’ll definitely be standing in line to pick it up when released. The Last Keeper’s Daughter is not only a great romance, but also a great mystery in the works. I’m certain other readers will enjoy it as much as I did.

THE DRACULA CHRONICLES BOUND BY BLOOD VOLUME 1 by Shane K.P. O’Neill

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4 out of 5 stars

Bound by Blood Volume One introduces us to the famous vampire Dracula before he makes his hellish deal with Lucifer. Known down through history as a bloodthirsty monster, he actually began his reign as the equally bloodthirsty ruler, Vlad the Impaler. In Dracula’s time however, rulers had to be heavy handed and ruthless. If they didn’t take a firm hold over their people, and stand strong against their enemies, they didn’t tend to last long. Wars were common, land borders frequently invaded. Dracula not only sent his men out to defend his territory, he led them in battle, usually right out front where it was most dangerous.

This volume begins toward the end of one of these battles. Dracula is exhausted, his men as well. They believe victory over their enemy has been won and they want nothing more than a place to get down from their equally tired horses and rest. But they are taken by surprise when their foe sends in a small band of archers who manage to get around them unnoticed. They patiently waited until they had Dracula and his men trapped in a bottleneck area of the mountains, almost impossible to get everyone turned back before they are hit with an arrow. Most of his men are killed and Dracula himself mortally wounded. It is right after this that Lucifer shows up to offer him a deal. He will make the defeated ruler an immortal with power no man had ever had before. In return Lucifer expects Dracula to help him bring down the powerful Catholic Church. Angered by the loss he suffered at his enemies hands, Vlad accepts the deal. And so is born the most famous vampire of them all.

In this volume we are given time to learn more about Dracula, his life, his thoughts, his needs as a new vampire. Lucifer has given him this time to figure out what he can, or cannot, do. What I found exceptional about the writing by Shane K.P. O’Neill was his ability to bring the vampire across as a real person, horrified at times by his own deeds. Yes, he is molded by evil and performs evil actions, but he was also human at one time, with human emotions and needs, loneliness, and perhaps a touch of fear, forcing him to learn things about himself he’d never faced before. As I found with the teaser, Birth of a Monster, the description given in this novel, though not overdone, gives a clear vision in the reader’s mind of the man, the land, and the difficulties the people of this time dealt with. There were times I felt as if I was right there beside them, watching–and not sure I wanted to be. A well set up beginning for what I expect to find an exciting series.

Though I loved the story and description in this novel, more editing would have been appreciated with grammar and punctuation. There are also more typos than I expect to deal with. My slight irritation over these details was not enough to cause me to stop reading however, which tells you a lot about the great story and characters. There are a few sexually explicit scenes where torture and death are a bit difficult to read. I know I tended to skim over these parts to get back on track with the story, but not everyone will have as weak a stomach as I do. Great beginning. I plan to place a review for Volume Two shortly.

The End of 2012 Kari Holm-Trevino

According to the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, 12.21.2012 marked the end-date of a 5,125 year long cycle. Many anticipated this date to be the end of our planet as we know it. There were several various astronomical alignments connected to the date, all of which were rejected by mainstream scholarship, and a few proposed “End of the World” scenarios had been the next Solar Maximum, an interaction between Earth and the Black Hole at the Center of our Galaxy, and of course, a collision with Nibiru, or “Planet X”.

For years, many of us were on the edge of our seats as this day approached, some of us fearing, some of us hoping, that all that we knew might actually come to an abrupt halt. Now that we can breath easy (more or less), what do we do now?

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What happens to the blockbuster films like “2012” with John Cusack, and the similarly themed “Day After Tomorrow” with Jake Gyllenhaal, along with many others? Will we see these films in the future as being an important point in 21st century history, or will they simply be shelved with the rest of Hollywood’s over hyped disappointments.

With all the events surrounding us in contemporary society, who could blame those who had hoped for an end? War, pollution, corruption, confusion, destruction…

Some propose that 2012 was not meant to be seen as the end of the world, but instead as the beginning of a new era. The nature of this new era is yet to reveal itself, should that theory prove to be true, but one thing is for certain, life on Earth will certainly only get worse before it gets better. As the saying goes, “in order to rise from its own ashes, a Pheonix first must burn.”

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Behind the Tears by Marita A. Hansen

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Four out of five stars

As with the first two novels by Marita A. Hansen, I found myself becoming emotionally involved with these characters right from the very first chapter. It was easy to forget I was reading a novel of fiction rather than following the chaotic lives of real people. Her characters came across gut wrenchingly real to this reader and forced me to keep turning those pages until long past my bedtime, not just because I found myself interested in what might happen, but because I ‘HAD’ to know. My only reason for dropping the score from five stars to four was the tendency to have minor characters unable to keep secrets. I found myself questioning a few areas concerning this, which unfortunately took me out of the action. This is probably a personal issue and might not bother many other readers. It wasn’t enough to interfere with my overall enjoyment. It is not an easy read in that life is tough and not always fair. I believe Behind the Tears offers a realistic view into how people can find themselves trapped into a drug, violence, and gang related lifestyle. Definitely worth the reasonable price I paid for my Kindle copy and a story I know I’ll read again in the future.

MAKE BELIEVE by J.A. Belfield (Anthology)

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5 out of 5 stars

I found all six short stories in the anthology Make Believe to be fast, fun reads. Each author took the same picture and created six totally different stories with interesting characters and exciting plots.

Sacrificial Oath by Terri Rochenski

A king and his men are trapped by their enemy and face certain death, forcing the king to make a blood oath to their Goddess. Little does he know the sacrifice will end up being his own daughter. This made a great opening story. The love father and daughter felt for each other came through to the reader. Tension builds as the time for the sacrifice draws closer. A great story about the power of love.

The Amulet of Ormisez by J. Keller Ford

I haven’t come across many stories where Selkies held the starring role. The lesser known of shifters, the Selkie needs to have their seal skin in order to change forms. This story is also centered around family. Elton Fletcher returns home after two years of fighting Seas to find his once loving brother a changed man. He has become arrogant and cruel, even going so far as to lock his wife alone in a chamber of their castle. Elton’s brother made a mistake when he put the Amulet on. Made by the Selkie queen, only she can take it off him, but can Elton convince her to do so before it’s too late?

Birthright by Lynda R Young

When Christa loses her whole family she decides to move from New York to a small town in Florida. The odd part is that everyone seems to already know who she is. Of the six stories I had the most difficulty making a connection to the main character here. I wanted a slower pace and time to get to know Christa better and what she learned about herself and her family. I feel this would have been an excellent novel, but didn’t work quite so well as a short story.

Petrified by Kelly Said

Locklyn is a young Wiccae, a healer, who has just lost her mentor. Sterling’s father is in the grip of a strange affliction that has left his body stiff and twisted. The land is stuck under the cold of winter when it should be springtime and sunny out. Sterling calls for a new Wiccae to come and try to find the answer to both problems, but when Locklyn answers his call, Sterling will be shocked by what she has to say. This was a fun story and another one where I wanted to learn more about them, the Wiccae and the power they wield, though I found the ending satisfactory.

The Last Winter Red by Jennifer M Eaton

Emily makes her home behind the walls of a city, where she feels safe. But Emily is a compassionate soul and knows the people outside the walls need medicine only she is willing to risk bringing to them. Paul lives outside the walls and doesn’t want to care about Emily, but once he gets to know her he can’t seem to help himself. I easily slipped into the story, characters, and setting. Of the six stories this one was my favorite, everything coming to full 3D life. In a dangerous land, where suspicion and fear ruled, Emily’s character screamed out compassion and innocence, making a real connection with this reader.

Escort to Insanity by J.A. Belfield

Cole decides to hire an escort to take her to a party she doesn’t want to attend. Ben is the handsome escort, but turns out to be far hotter than Cole bargained for when she hired him. I’ve loved all of J.A. Belfield’s writings and this one is no exception. It’s a fast, fun story with bigger than life shifters involved, everything I’ve come to expect from her work. A few questions were raised that I wish I’d been given answers to, like why Ben would risk taking Cole across the park when he knew there could be trouble. But it wasn’t enough to take away from my enjoyment. I’m curious whether they might have anymore escorts like Ben available to hire.  I might have to check it out. 🙂

All in all Make Believe was a great anthology, written by a diverse and talented set of writers. I’ll look forward to reading more by each of them.