Dear Reader, Love S.G. Basu

Dear Reader…

I never dreamed of being an author or of choosing writing as a career when I was a child. Books were my first love though. I always had more books than I had toys. I read a lot. A whole lot. Not everything was of high literary value and not everything had the perfect moral message, but thankfully, I faced no parental censorship and my love for the written word continued unabated over the years.

It was not until I was all grown up that as a challenge to myself (I abhorred the conclusion of a much-loved anime show and thus needed to write my own story that would correct the deficiencies. Yes, I’m weird like that), I started thinking of writing a story myself. Never the one lacking ambition, I dreamed up not just one book, but a series of books. This, when I had a flourishing (and as it follows, exhausting) career as a telecommunications professional in a Fortune 100 company and a very young child to raise. It would be easy, I had thought. It was not easy putting my toddler to bed and writing into the early morning hours. Everyday. But . . . although hard, it was unexpectedly satisfying.

This is how my first book, Maia and the Xifarian Conspiracy, first in The Lightbound Saga series was born. I have written many books since and published many more through my micro-press, but The Lightbound Saga remains, and will probably always be my favorite. That is not only because it was my first, but also because it has so many elements I love reading about myself—a group of friends succeeding against all odds, fantastic worlds with diverse cultures, and finding friendship and love that transcends borders. The Lightbound Saga is a science fiction fantasy, but it is a heartwarming story of love and hope at its core. 

Maia, is a thirteen-year-old, from a tiny village, one of the few surviving settlements in a fallen civilization. Their world is dominated by the Xifarians, a race of ruthless galactic nomads. Maia carries a terrible burden—knowing that her mother was a treacherous double-crosser responsible for making her people bound to the wily Xifarians.

A chance encounter lands her in a dubious peace initiative of the Xifarians, she has to walk down a road she had hoped never to tread. Unwillingly, Maia begins a journey that takes her to the galaxy-roving planet-spaceship of Xif, the underwater cities of the reclusive Jjord, and across the fallen civilization of the Solianese. Little does she know that the real truth about her long-deceased mother is somewhere down this path, that hidden within her is a key to the survival of her planet and even more.

But before she gets to that, Maia will discover true friendship, face an unimaginable evil, and fight her deepest fears to save the world she loves.

I hope, dear reader, as you pick up Maia and the Xifarian Conspiracy and set out on the journey with Maia, you too will rediscover the magic of friendship, love, and hope. 

Wish you happy reading.

Love,

S.G

S.G. Basu is an aspiring potentate of a galaxy or two. She plots and plans with wondrous machines, cybernetic robots, time travelers and telekinetic adventurers, some of whom escape into the pages of her books. Although she’s an engineer by training, writing has been her passion since childhood. Her other loves include extra-hot lattes, fast cars and binge watching sci-fi movies.

Find out more about the futuristic worlds she creates at sgbasu.com. She can also be reached at sg@sgbasu.com.

Books by S.G. Basu:

The Lightbound Saga series (YA Dystopian Science Fiction)

Maia and the Xifarian Conspiracy

Maia and the Secrets of Zagran

Maia and Regency Protocol

The Lightbound Saga 3 Book Bundle

The Firefly League-A Lightbound Saga novella

Elementals-The Serial Thriller (Paranormal Science Fiction)

Population Morpheus (Near Apocalyptic Science Fiction)

Jumpers (Paranormal Thriller)

You can visit the author’s website at www.sgbasu.com or connect with her on Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.

 

13-year-old Maia is a land-dwelling Solianese living on the planet of Tansi. She has been raised by her doting grandfather. Her mother, Sophie, supposedly deceased, is accused to be a traitor who fought for the Xifarians who have subjugated Tansi. Loathing her family’s history, Maia has put herself into self-exile, vowing to steer clear of the temptations that led her mother astray. But when she is drafted into a peace summit by the Xifarians, she must walk into Xif, the planet she has always wanted to avoid. Here she meets loyal teammates Kusha, Dani, Nafi, and Ren, as well as Miir, their Xifarian team mentor who is as accomplished as he is temperamental. As Maia and her teammates thwart a plot to harm the underwater settlements on Tansi, she also discovers that her mother, Sophie, was not what she seemed. Sophie sacrificed herself to save Tansi before the Xifarians could destroy the Tansian system.

Maia visits the Jjord nation in their underwater colonies on Tansi. More of Sophie’s secrets come to light while she is in the colonies as well as more of the Xifarians’ plots to rebuild the dark heart of Xif. As Maia’s link with Sophie becomes apparent, Maia soon finds herself in the crosshairs of the Xifarians who kill her family and send her running for shelter across the dead lands of the Solianese. Chased by the Xifarians, Maia barely manages to stay alive with the help of her teammates.

While on the run across Tansi, Maia meets a mysterious man who unlocks a power within Maia. When her mighty Xifarian foes corner her, Maia unleashes the power on them, overpowering everyone, including her former mentor, Miir.

Maia struggles with her newfound power. The team is on the verge of fracturing when Maia reveals she might have killed Miir. Meanwhile, the R’armimon, an ancient and powerful enemy of the Xifarians, are on the way to the Tansian system, seeking vengeance from the Xifarians. On finding this, the Xifarians grow desperate to resurrect the dark heart that would enable them to leave the Tansian system. Maia narrowly escapes the Xifarians’ trap with a mysterious ally but her new alliance takes a toll on her friendships.

Maia is alone and hopeless but she forges on to regain the trust of her teammates and tries to convince the Tansian leaders of the impending threat of the R’armimon fleet. With help from her allies, Maia continues to uncover more of Sophie’s past. Together with her friends, Maia rushes to find the artifacts needed to thwart the R’armimon as the massive Execution Fleet of the R’armimon appears next to Tansi.

Purchase Information for Series

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Tb71xt

 

Dear Reader, Love Paul Martin Midden

Dear Reader,

Thank you for considering Riley, my most recent book. It is a fictional work involving the lives of young adults who are navigating their relationships and their personal and professional lives.

The theme of Riley is ‘coming home to oneself’. The story is about several rather normal people who are undergoing transitions and about the ways they deal with those, both behaviorally (outside) and internally (psychologically). This is something that is so common as to be obvious in that we all navigate our lives from both the inside and the outside.

We humans are flexible, but there are limits that that flexibility. We can engage other people, but we have truths that are unavoidable. In the opening chapters of the book, one of those things is the recognition that a relationship is dying. We can try to pretend that it is not; we can pretend to be happy; we can try to avoid obvious realities. But we cannot do it forever except at the cost of our mental health. So decisions are needed. Hard ones. And what follows those hard decisions is not always pleasant. Even if liberating, as it surely is, the world is not obligated to respond to our liberation with unmitigated good news. There are dangers that lurk that are beyond our control. But dealing with those dangers in a grounded, authentic way that honors ourselves as individuals is critical.

Coming home to ourselves is not a one-time decision; it is an ongoing process that needs to be respected and deepened. Some would call this approach to life selfish, but self-respect is the basis of respect for all creatures. And abandoning ourselves to external demands alone risks destroying the possibility of joy and contentment in life.

Thank you again for reading this book.

Paul Midden

http://www.paulmidden.com

http://www.paulmidden.com/riley.html

/////////////////////////////

 Genre:   Contemporary adult fiction

Author: Paul Martin Midden

Website: http://www.paulmidden.com

Publisher: Wittmann Blair Publishing

Find out more: http://www.paulmidden.com/riley.html

About the Book:

Riley, a young writer, finally divorces her husband and begins a novel about a fictional couple in conflict. Supported by her best friend, Jennifer, she begins her life of freedom. In a complicated turn of events, she meets and beds Edward, a shy young man who falls for her instantly. She does not want to continue the relationship, however, and her refusal lays the groundwork for a series of dangerous events. Her conflicts and those of her characters play out in this psychologically intriguing story.

About the Author:

Paul Martin Midden is the author of five previous novels, each of which explores different writing styles. He practiced clinical psychology for over thirty years. Paul’s interests include historic restoration, travel, fitness, and wine tasting. He and his wife Patricia renovated an 1895 Romanesque home in 1995 and continue to enjoy urban living.