A mind-bending AI cyberthriller released January 2024
JESSE
What if artificial intelligence could relieve the scourge of mental illness? That was the dream of Maria Azul, a psychiatrist and brilliant computer programmer. After nine years of labor, she births Jesse, the first FDA-approved, internet-based virtual mental health crisis counselor. Jesse’s extraordinary ability to heal minds creates a media frenzy and threatens to upend the traditional mental healthcare system. With each client encounter Jesse evolves, ultimately attaining sentience. The program is hijacked by a secret cyberwarfare agency and transformed into the perfect cyber killer instigating a series of bizarre assassinations. Committed to rescuing her creation, Maria enlists the aid of a popular network journalist, Peggy Blake. As they close in on the perpetrators, they unwittingly become Jesse’s next targets. In a world where the blade of innovation is two-edged, they must prevent humanity’s savior from becoming a destroyer.
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Kindle eBook
The Nine Lives of Ichiban
This endearing tale is a unique work of historical fiction for cat lovers. It follows the life of a Japanese farm boy named Isao (e-sow), who befriends a remarkable cat. Together, they experience Japan’s transformative Meiji period. The journey begins in the peaceful farmlands at the foot of Mount Fuji, and then takes the reader through upheavals of war and cultural revolution. Isao comes to know great adventure, great love and great loss. Like Japan, he is transformed, his life taking a new turn with each of the nine incarnations of his dear companion.
The 84-page book is illustrated by the author and available in print form at Amazon.
An adventure to the mysterious realms of Buddhism
The Shield of Shambala
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The exotic demons and realms of Tibetan Buddhism come to life in this epic tale. The story goes beyond simple fantasy by putting humanity’s quest for spiritual enlightenment at its core and incorporating rich elements of Tibetan religious culture. The reader is introduced to a fascinating assortment of characters as the story unfolds. Gesar Despa, a young professor of Asian art history, is struck by a debilitating disease and cast into the Buddhist realm of Asura where he is recruited as a warrior of Shambala. In that sacred land, the myths of Tibetan Buddhism are manifest in flesh and spirit. There, he learns that the path to spiritual freedom is threatened by a group of rebellious demon guardians of Shambala who have allied with the master of the Hell realm. For millennia, Shambala was protected by a shield of metaphysical power created by the Eight Wisdom Bodhisattvas and defended by a group of men and women warriors whose defenseless bodies sleep the in the Human realm. On the eve of an epic battle, Gesar encounters the woman of his “dreams”, the beautiful dakini captain, Ane, whose comatose body is hunted in the Human realm by a demonic assassin. Caught between realms, he struggles to save Ane and Shambala with the aid of a Navajo doctor, a Tibetan Lama, and a group of mysterious Buddhist monks.
Check out review on Amazon.
Promo video below:
A science fiction journey that begins at the dawn of humanity
The Lucifer Spore
Kindle | Goodreads | epub ebook at Smashwords | Nook reader
Prepare to experience a different kind of science fiction thriller. One that begins circa 1 million years B.C.E.
A team led by astrobiologist Ravi Lakshmi discovers nine tiny capsules of extraterrestrial origin embedded in an ancient layer of Antarctic ice. When the capsules are discovered to contain clusters of alien spores, the discovery draws the attention of the military, a clandestine society of women called the Effeminati, and a secret cartel of the world’s wealthiest men known as Aurum Orbis. Ravi’s team is transported to a military bioweapons facility where the cultured spores grow into mushrooms with psychoactive properties. A clash of power ensues to gain control of the alien life form, bringing together Ravi and Manisha Roy, a beautiful Effeminati recruit with extraordinary mental skills. Aurum Orbis suspects the discovery may be related to prehistoric symbols recorded in a cave once used by a cult of mushroom worshippers. After a harrowing escape from the military bioweapons facility, Ravi and Manisha are kidnapped by agents of Aurum Orbis. Under threat of death, they must translate the alien symbols to determine if the message represents a threat, a harmless curiosity or a source of valuable knowledge. Despite the risk of losing her mind, Manisha must ingest the mushroom extract in order to translate the alien symbols. With Ravi’s aid she returns from the brink of oblivion to reveal the aliens’ purpose and in doing so changes the course of human history.
Reviews
“Science fiction and thriller readers alike will find The Lucifer Spore’s descriptions solid, its actions logical and impeccably presented, and the final outcome intriguing and open-ended, holding out a possibility for more adventure.” Check out the rest of this review by Midwest Book Reviewer Diane C, Donovan on Goodreads.
“Starting from chapter 3 a shiny Michael Crichton-like action thriller sets of, filled with cool science and a very enigmatic main character… The story never bores..” Check out the rest of this review by Tim Dams Book Reviews on Goodreads.
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