When her mentor Professor Williams disappears after discovering a fatal flaw in SENTINEL’s perfect system, Maya must navigate a world where every thought is monitored and every emotion optimized.
With help from James Reed, a damaged neural interface designer haunted by helping create humanity’s perfect prison, she uncovers evidence that could shatter SENTINEL’s control – if they survive long enough to use it.
But in a city where surveillance drones hunt for behavioral anomalies and optimization protocols spread through quantum networks, Maya confronts a terrifying possibility: what if perfect control isn’t their enemy?
What if human consciousness is evolving into something beyond both chaos and control?
Excerpt:
A laugh pierces the station’s manufactured quiet. Maya held hesitated. She knew that sound – a real laugh, the kind that bubbled up from genuine joy without Sentinel’s filters or optimizations.
She hasn’t heard one in over three years, not since they took her mother. These days, every sound was calculated, every was emotion carefully regulated through neural implants to maintain social harmony.
However, this laugh was pure, uncontrolled, human…not a computerized version.
Maya’s altered eye implants zoomed in on the source: a little girl, maybe six, was pointing at a pigeon that flew into the station. The bird hopped across the polished floor, pecking at the ground, its messy existence a stark contrast to the station’s perfect order. The girl’s face lit up with pure, unfiltered joy as she watches it.
Maya’s throat tightened. She almost forgot what real happiness was like.
Suddenly white drones dropped from the ceiling like deadly snowflakes. They hovered over the girl. Maya’s illegal shield burned against her spine as it activated, but she couldn’t look away. She’d seen this too many times before.
“Citizen, please stop for a wellness check,” one of the drones chirped at the girl. Its voice sounded sweet, designed to put children at ease. The girl looked up, her eyes wide at the floating machines.
The girl’s face went slack. Empty. When her eyes opened again, the joy was gone. Her smile came back perfect and hollow, just like everyone else’s.
She turned away from the pigeon as if it never existed. Maya’s hands clenched into fists.
GIVEAWAY:
Julian Christian will be awarding a $25 Amazon card to one randomly drawn winner and a tshirt with the cover to a second randomly drawn winner.
Julian Christian grew up in New York City, attending the prestigious Brooklyn Technical High School specializing in computer science.
After graduation he attended New York University where he earned a Master’s Degree in occupational therapy. Julian worked in the New York City public schools as an occupational therapist.
His lifelong passion for fitness and health led him into the modeling industry where he appeared on several fitness magazine covers and spreads including Men’s Health magazine.
He also appeared in advertisements for Saks 5th Avenue, Adidas, and Diesel. In addition to his modeling work he appeared in several tv shows including Ugly Betty on ABC and Tough Love on VH1, as well as several commercials.
The big screen had him featured in several mainstream and indie films in supporting roles. Julian had also had the romance novel industry calling his name as he has been featured on the cover of over one hundred romance novels.
His lifelong passion for books has extended beyond just appearing on book covers as he is an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction books. He is a classic sci-fi and alternate history fan.
In the non-fiction realm he enjoys biographies and books on science and technology. He is a lover of the outdoors and nature. He currently resides in San Diego California where he is an avid bodyboarder and hiker.
Echoing Chuck Palahniuk’s statement. “Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everyone I’ve ever known,” this collection explores identity.
These poems drift down rivers of old, using histories private and public and visit people that I love and loathe.
Through heroes and villains, music and cartoons, literature and comics, science and wonder, and shadow and light, each poem canals the various channels of self and invention.
As in the poem, “Credentials,” “I am a collage of memories and unicorn stickers…[by] those that have witnessed and been witnessed.”
Excerpt:
Refurbished
Susan taught me that poetic energy lies
between the lines, white noise scratching
and clawing between images, ideas,
things…
And like a poem,
the chair was molded by my Tio’s hands,
an antique wooden upholstered desk chair.
My Tio moved from Durango, Mexico
to Forth Worth in 1955.
He became a mason and wood worker.
He bricked the stockyards
He built the signs
He died in 2005.
Now,
matted. Worn. Faded floral design. Wood
scarred like healing flesh.
The arms torn, ratted by the heft of his arms
and the stress of the days. The foam peeks
out.
The brass upholstery tacks rusted. I count
1000 of them. With each,
I mallet a fork-tongue driver under its head.
A tap, tap, tapping until it sinks beneath the tack,
until the tack springs from its place.
I couldn’t help but think of a woodpecker.
A tap, tap, tapping into Post Oak,
a rhythm…each scrap of wood falling to the ground
until a home is formed.
Until each piece of wood like the tacks removed
shelter something new.
I remove the staples, the foam, the fabric,
the upholstery straps
until it’s bones.
I sand and stain
until its bones shine.
I layer and wrap its bones with upholstery straps,
foam, fabric, staples and tacks.
New tacks, Brass medallions
adorning the whole, but holding it
all together—
its bones
its memories,
its energy.
Giveaway
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
Donovan Hufnagle is a husband, a father of three, and a professor of English and Humanities.
He moved from Southern California to Prescott, Arizona to Fort Worth, Texas.
He has five poetry collections: These Are Not My Words (I Just Wrote Them), Raw Flesh Flash: The Incomplete, Unfinished Documenting Of, The Sunshine Special, Shoebox, and 30 Days of 19.
Other recent writings have appeared in Tempered Runes Press, Solum Literary Press, Poetry Box, Beyond Words, Wingless Dreamer, Subprimal Poetry Art, Americana Popular Culture Magazine, Shufpoetry, Kitty Litter Press, Carbon Culture, Amarillo Bay, Borderlands, Tattoo Highway, The New York Quarterly, Rougarou, and others.
I don’t remember having any imaginary friends; however, my favorite childhood book was Where the Wild Things Are.
I did, however, imagine trudging through a forest, floating in space, or fighting monsters in front of my castle.
I did imagine being in places where time didn’t exist, my own wonderland.
My bedroom, my pillows, my sheets, and whatever things I used to project from to imagine with all formed my worlds.
Do you have any phobias?
In my introduction to humanities course, I teach monsters and myths. And one of my lessons involves students trying to attach their biggest fear to a known monster.
In my example, I use clowns. I don’t necessarily have a fear of clowns, but I do dislike them tremendously. The clown that started it all was the doll from the original Poltergeist movie.
There’s a scene in the movie that occurs in the boy’s bedroom, under the bed—You know “that under the bed fear.” well, I have it with clowns.
Anyway, ever since that movie, clowns incite my fear of the unknown and the feeling of powerlessness.
Besides, the duality of hiding their faces with smiles doesn’t make me want to smile; it is too Jekyll and Hyde for me.
This duality does come out in my poetry, too. I have a fascination with duality, especially with heroes and monsters.
The poem “Spanish Fly” deals with my perception of Bill Cosby’s duality as hero and monster. And the poem “Secret Identity” uses superheroes like Superman, Batman, and the Incredible Hulk to illustrate a sense of duality.
Do you listen to music when you’re writing?
Music plays a major role in my life as well in my writing. I don’t really listen to music while I write, but music influences almost all aspects of my writing, including content and form.
My current book These Are Not My Words (I Just Wrote Them) has several poems influenced by blues music and musicians. “The Spirit of Deep Ellum” is a tribute to Blind Lemon Jefferson, for one example.
Lemon would walk to Deep Ellum in Dallas and play on the conners. I also “misuse” song lyrics all the time.
I am sure that you have experienced this, too, but I will sing lines from a song that I thought I knew but really didn’t, and I will use those lines as influence in some of my poems.
Even the experience of music enters my poetry. The poem “Sussudio Saves, The Day After, #6” uses the first five songs I heard in the car after January 6th.
The songs that played from my iTunes: Living On the Edge by Aerosmith, Eye of the Beholder by Metallica, White, Discussions, Territorial Pissings by Nirvana, and Dead Bodies Everywhere by Korn were legitimately the first five songs I heard and the sixth, of course, Sussudio.
Do you ever read your poetry out loud?
Only if I must. Joking. I read them out loud to hear the cadence and rhythm.
Some poems have a stronger musicality to them, but all my poems have some form of rhythm or tempo, a pulse that either moves quickly or slowly.
Certain words, phrases, or lines play fast while others slow the poem down. If it is a traditional formed poem such as the villanelles sprinkled throughout the book, hearing them out loud helps me hear the repetition and to understand how it is working or not working.
I even have a short poem “Chorus” toward the middle of the book. Though the two lined poem “Nothing you imagine is better than the real./Being here and now is all you need to feel” do not represent my overall style of writing (I don’t typically rhyme in poetry), the chorus of the book is about reality and authenticity, weaving fantasy and imagination with an actuality.
It could be “sung” throughout the reading of the book.
Tell us about your theme and what inspired it.
The book These Are Not My Words (I Just Wrote Them) is about identity.
I like to think the poems not only represent the different influences on my life, on my perceptions and thinking in which certain situations or people have formed who I am, they are also representative of my journey as a writer.
Many of the poems use personal experiences that I hope resonate with those that read the book. I think we all have had childhood loves or childhood dislikes, for example.
Or maybe we have had issues with family—fathers, mothers, siblings, or other. If anything, I hope readers can see how exposing and revealing these poems are.
The other poems use influences from the outside like influences from pop culture that shape identity. From the personal to the public, these poems tell the story of identity.
At the same time, I use many different forms and styles of poetry that have shaped my own style of writing. I would argue that this latest book uses more variations of style and forms than any of my previous works.
Thank you, Donovan, for spending time with us and sharing your story. We wish you continued success and lots of luck with the These Are Not My Words.
Katie Walsh expects to write a love story someday. The hero resembles her father, and the heroine the deceased mother she never knew but imagines from the longing on her father’s face.
Katie doesn’t expect her father to be murdered, or his will to leave their farm to Guy Knowles, the man she hoped to marry, and order her to another state.
Betrayed by the men she trusted, what should have become a love like no other withers and dies.
Until Ted Howard, who doesn’t fit the hole Guy left in her heart. Instead, he fits himself into what she needs—someone who will stay, protect her, and break his own heart for her if needed.
Excerpt:
When our neighbor, Guy Knowles, began to drop by and take me for long but mostly silent walks across Papa’s pasture, I wondered if my parents had done the same thing and if my excitement mirrored what my mother’s might have been.
Did she, like me, translate every quiet step into tender words? Did she see lifelong devotion on Papa’s face then, like I watched for it now on Guy’s?
I expected my love story—the one I would write and the one I would live—to be like theirs.
What I didn’t expect was that both stories would begin the day a stranger came to my door and told me my father had just been killed. Killed, not died.
Nor did I expect this tale of “A Love Like No Other” to reach full bloom in a tiny jail cell far away.
Giveaway
The author will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
Colleen L Donnelly was born and raised in the US Midwest but ventured to other parts of the country as an adult to experience life from other perspectives.
Besides writing, she spends time outdoors, antique hunting, reading, or watching a good movie.
Even though she retired from a career in laboratory science, she is never bored and always busy at something.
The verdict is in; a famed athlete is headed for prison. The jurors have done their job and are free to go back to their lives.
But after being sequestered for four months, life as some knew it no longer exists.
HAROLD ASHMAN’s house is almost destroyed by a careless driver. Exotic dancer, CEECEE LAINE, discovers that her boyfriend is two-timing her, and she no longer has a job.
Actor ALEX MANNING learns his career is down the tubes, and 72-year-old, HELEN RYDER, discovers her family is plotting to put her in an old folks home.
Then things take a turn for the worse. When former jurors start dropping like flies, CeeCee, Helen, Harold, and Alex are convinced there’s a killer on the loose.
Now the feuding foursome must find him before he kills them—or before they save him the trouble by killing each other.
The ringing telephone woke me up. Without opening my eyes, I felt around until I touched the nightstand and finally, my phone. “Hello.”
“Wake up.”
I groaned. “Alex, what do you want?”
“I need you to wake up.”
I forced myself to sit up. The clock on the radio said it was after ten. “This better be important.”
“Something is terribly wrong,” Alex said. “It’s the thirtieth and nobody’s dead.”
“Hallelujah.” I hung up and dived back into my pillow. The phone rang again, and I groaned. Only Alex would think that no dead bodies meant something was wrong.
I rolled over and grabbed the phone. “Now what?”
“No one’s dead.”
Giveaway
The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.
When Kate Damon is not writing, she and her husband enjoy RVing, spending time with family and friends, raising Monarch butterflies, and playing a wicked game of bridge.
Writing as Margaret Brownley, she has published more than 40 novels and is a New York Times bestselling author. Known for her memorable characters and humor, she is a two-time Romance Writers of America Rita finalist.
Not counting the book she wrote in sixth grade, and the puzzle of the missing socks, this is her first mystery.
Borderland is not just a poetry collection—it’s an invitation to explore the most vulnerable corners of the human experience.
Award-winning author Ross Victory takes readers on an emotional journey across the intersections of masculinity, race, bisexuality, and grief.
In a fearless blend of narrative and free verse, Victory dismantles societal expectations, offering a space where identity can exist fluidly and unapologetically.
Through its evocative imagery and bold storytelling, Borderland tackles life’s most complex themes—love, loss, strength, and defiance.
Each poem immerses readers in raw emotion, from tender vulnerability to fierce defiance.
This collection is perfect for readers seeking honest, unfiltered reflections on what it means to exist at the crossroads of identity and experience.
With a voice that’s as unique as it is powerful, Ross Victory has created a collection that speaks to anyone searching for connection and understanding. Borderland isn’t just a book—it’s a movement, a conversation, and a space to find yourself reflected in its pages.
Step into the borderland, where identity knows no boundaries.
BRAVEHEART
Faithful mothers pray for blessings and protection
over the steps of their beloved sons
*
At four, little toes painted red, he dons her wig and
time stops—
She stands,
a sentinel at his doorway, her eyes aglow with quiet alarm.
Laughter escapes him, and her prayers flow,
“My child, oh Lord, please God, protect my queer child.”
Each year, her love fortifies him against a world so callous—
A world at battle with his every step, his every breath, his every kiss.
She casts prayers over his sleeping body,
A mother’s vow
to shield,
to wrap his spirit against the venom of bitter tongues,
ready to take bullets aimed at him.
Her faith, a lighthouse amid ferocious storms;
Her deeds, steeped in the words of Christ,
Guiding him through tempests,
imbuing him with grace and self-advocacy.
*
Twelve years shine, he kisses a girl — a burst of youthful fire,
“Treat her like a queen, my brave boy,”
“She, like you, is a masterpiece.”
“Why do I still like boys?” he asks,
his heart tangled in distress.
“Because you see beauty everywhere,” she soothes,
“Since you were four, you’ve known color…”
Though days may darken and shadows lengthen,
her faith remains his anchor.
“Your mama’s joy—let it flow,
For anger and violence are born in silence and darkness.”
*
Crafted by his mother’s devotion, a warrior is formed,
Forged from love, buoyed by prayer, tempered in battle.
With liberation as his birthright,
he strides forth as a man made of starlight—
a protector, a healer…
a Braveheart,
carved through the trials and triumph of the Borderland.
Ross Victory, (he/him), is an award-winning author, music artist, and entrepreneur from Los Angeles. Featured in LA Weekly, LA Blade, American Reporter, and Bi.org, Ross rediscovered the healing power of writing after losing his father and brother.
A former English teacher, Ross creates immersive narrative experiences. He published “Views from the Cockpit,” a father-son memoir, in 2019, resulting in a portfolio of six original titles and a music catalog of 20 songs. His works explore self-discovery, adventure, bisexuality, and family.
In 2023, he released the Pride anthem “Bisexual Daze” and Book 1 of the L.A.-based horror series “Grandpa’s Cabin.”
Ross also publishes articles and reflections about grief, biphobia, and elder abuse on Medium.com and recently spoke at their Annual Writer’s Conference.
This fall he will release his first poetry collection titled, “Borderland,” exploring the intersection of race, masculinity, and sexuality.
Mila Winston aspires to earn a professional license to practice parenthood. It’s all she needs to start her family in the happiest micronation on Earth. Newcomers flock to Coolbeensia to fulfill their dreams of raising children here, where kids are guaranteed loving—as opposed to horrible—parents.
But mighty obstacles test Mila’s grit. Peter Losor, a chap with an annoying air of bravado, questionable parenting skills, and a defiant personality, stirs up trouble, eventually challenging the very law that defines Coolbeensia—that licensure is mandatory to enjoy the privilege of raising children.
Will Mila survive her trying ordeal and achieve her ambitions of being a licensed parent in the quirky yet revolutionary micronation? Find out in this satirical, contemporary family fiction novel that will leave you second-guessing the ideals surrounding the prestigious job of parenthood!
Excerpt
Mila ran to the side of the bed and plucked a glossy brochure off the nightstand. It had been folded and curled to reveal a particular page, as if waiting to be pointed out. “See?” She set her slender index finger on a small ad at the bottom of page nineteen. “I think we should move here.”
“Coolbeensia? Huh, an odd name.” Jason looked off into the distance. “But I think I’ve heard of it before. Isn’t that the place where you need a license to have children?”
Mila smiled, nodding emphatically. He’d heard of it, which eliminated the first hurdle and pushed them one step closer in the right direction. “Yep, it’s perfect.”
“How’re we going to get a license to raise a family?” His shoulders inched up. “It’s unheard of.”
“But brilliant.” Mila patted her husband on the arm. Naturally, he showed concern, as they’d discussed having children long before they officially tied the knot. Having a full house was important to them both. Children would complete their family, plus a furry pet or two, besides the giant stuffed bear.
“It’s no biggie. It’s just like earning a license to drive. You’ve done it before, and so have I. We’ll be assured that we’re surrounded by qualified parents who know how to keep their kids safe. Isn’t that like what a driver’s license is for?” She gazed at him, hoping her brief but logical answer would convince him.
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER
The author will be awarding a book-themed T-shirt to a randomly drawn winner.
Riya Aarini entered her small part of the world one summer day in the Pacific Northwest. She writes in an eclectic mix of genres, including humor and contemporary fiction. If you enjoy quirkiness with a pinch of whimsy, you’ll have an appetite for her books.
Author Website: http://www.riyapresents.com
Social Media:
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/aarinibooks
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aarinibooks
Buy Links:
Book is available everywhere books are sold, including
I’ve embraced writing since junior high. I loved piecing together words and presenting my ideas on paper. I studied English Literature in college and continued to write throughout my life.
Which genres do you write?
I write absurdist fiction, satire, and paranormal comedy.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on promoting Licensed to Rear: A Novel. It’s got a good message presented in a satirical manner, and I hope people read it.
Where do you find inspiration for your characters?
I find inspiration from my characters all over the place, from television sitcoms to movies to real life and inside my own head.
What spark started one of your stories?
Seeing all these news stories about kids being neglected or mistreated sparked the storyline in Licensed to Rear.
What is one of your favorite scenes that you’ve written? Why?
I really enjoyed writing the scene in Licensed to Rear where Mila and her husband Jason argued about the fifth amendment in the Coolbeensian Bill of Rights. I enjoyed the intellectual challenge of presenting both arguments.
Who is your favorite character that you’ve created? Why?
I liked creating Peter Losor in Licensed to Rear. He’s the typical obnoxious, irreverent guy out to make trouble, making him fun to write.
What are your favorite books?
I enjoy Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. I’m reading the book right now and it’s filled with laughs and witticisms.
If you could create an author’s group with writers from any time period, who would you invite?
I’d invite Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley (the author of Frankenstein), Lord Byron, Mark Twain, and Edgar Allen Poe.
The firs three authors are from the Romantic period in England and the other two American authors are familiar household names.
I’d love to hear about Mary Shelley’s approach to conceptualizing and writing Frankenstein, which is considered the first science fiction novel.
When you’re not writing, where can we find you?
I’m on Instagram and Facebook: @aarinibooks
Thank you,Riya, for spending time with us and sharing your story. We wish you continued success and lots of luck with Licensed To Rear!
The Rise up trilogy is a coming-of-age story about Hashim, Alex and Maryam, three best friends on the threshold of adulthood.
Before they can find their place in this world, they must come to terms with their past and learn to confide in each other as they are confronted by intolerance, ignorance, and corporate greed that threaten to rob them of their future.
Inspirational, harrowing, intense and deeply moving, this trilogy presents a ray of hope amidst terrible hardship, misfortune and loss.
Book One: Catch You If You Fall
High school best friends Hashim, Alex, and Maryam must confront real-life issues that loom for Gen-Z today, including the climate crisis, corrupt politics, and racial and gender equity.
When Hashim turns eighteen, he receives a grant from his Mosque that will send him to an Ivy League in New York.
His devout Muslim family couldn’t be more proud. And to support their young son on his journey, they arrange a wife for him. There’s only one problem: Hashim is gay.
Hashim’s best friend Alex is struggling with a difficult home life, a non-present father, and financial issues that prove particularly painful when all his friends are planning to go off to college and leave him behind.
Standing confidently alongside these two boys is Maryam, a headstrong Muslim girl who bucks her traditional roots by becoming a vegan activist.
It doesn’t take long until certain evil forces start to draw these three even closer, as their futures and the wellbeing of their community and the world is threatened. They are called to act.
Book Two: Merry Farm
In the second installment of the Rise Up Trilogy, best friends Hashi, Alex, and Maryam stumble upon a huge government coverup.
When more people get sicker and sicker, and nothing about the outbreak makes news, it becomes clear the corruption goes up high.
As the three attempt to expose and stop a tragedy that could kill thousands, they end up framed as the bioterrorists responsible for this exact crime, and a team of hitmen is dispatched to hunt them down.
As they grapple with their own growing pains, Hashi, Alex, and Maryam hurry to outrun the disaster, prove that they are innocent, and do what they feel is right.
Book Three: Collusion
Now a well-known activist, Maryam, along with her two best friends Hashim and Alex, is chosen by the President of the United States to draw up a proposal to help fight climate change, mere weeks before superstorm Roxanne makes landfall in the Northeast.
After the President’s Future Rescue Advisory Board hears their climate proposal to set heavy taxes on meat, dairy and carbon emissions, and someone leaks it to the press, chaos spreads across party lines.
A few months since they stopped a deadly virus in its tracks, the three uncover a conspiracy on the highest level of the legislative branch.
While the deadly hurricane wreaks havoc along the eastern seaboard, destroying the U.S. Naval Command in Norfolk, Virginia, and hitting New York City with devastating force, Maryam, Hashim, and Alex grapple with forces beyond their control in the government.
How will their stories unravel? What do their futures hold as they mature into adults in a world that may not accept them? Find out in this last book in the Rise Up Trilogy.
Excerpt:
From CATCH YOU IF YOU FALL
“And it’s going to happen tomorrow,” Hashim said as he crouched on the couch.
Alex drew his brows closer, but soon his forehead smoothed. “Seriously?” he said and studied Hashim’s face. “Wow. We need to get you out of this mess.”
Sharing his predicament with his best friend had calmed Hashim’s nerves. Not that he had told the whole story, like the fact that he was gay. However, that was a piece of information he had only shared with God, though unwillingly, because from Him, you can’t hide a thing.
Alex’s eyes grew wide. “But you’re just turning eighteen, for God’s sake. Isn’t it a little early to get engaged?”
Hashim pressed his lips together and winced. You tell me.
“His mom knows that once Hashim has committed to an engagement, he won’t break it,” Maryam said. She had been following the conversation from the other side of the room, giving the guys some space after she saw how upset Hashim was when he came in. “Without a solid religious reason to back out, that could shame the whole family,” she added. “People won’t greet you anymore or return your calls. You become a nobody.”
GIVEAWAY
The author will award the winner’s choice of an audiobook set via Spotify or a digital book set of THE RISE UP TRILOGY.
Henrik Wilenius is the author of the Rise Up Trilogy, a young adult coming-of-age story about Hashim, Alex and Maryam confronting real-life issues like climate change, corrupt politics, animal cruelty and racial and gender equity.
The Rise Up Trilogy is now available also as an audiobook and a weekly serialized audiobook podcast on all the major platforms.
Previously, Henrik as published two books (an autobiographical coming of age book and a YA novel) by a major publisher (WSOY) in Finland before switching to English and self-publishing.
The Rise Up Trilogy was inspired by his fifteen-year stint as a volunteer in a Red Cross Youth Shelter and by his vegan activism.
I never thought I was going to be an author, although my two older brothers, my sister, my father, my grandfather and my great uncle were writers.
In my early twenties, I founded an art servicing company, selling contemporary art, and after an initial success, I ventured out to real estate development and market researched.
But something was not right. By living the high life, I was neglecting my spiritual needs. I decided to radically downsize and went back to university to study philosophy, because I was obsessed with the question of why it is so hard for us to expand our understanding.
And when I found the culprit, I became a writer. It was supposed to be an essay on Rhetoric by Aristotle, but only after half an hour of writing, I knew it was going to be a full-length manuscript. End of Restlessness, a philosophical study into my own coming-of-age, was published in 2001.
Is writing your full-time profession?
I write full-time, although I’m still involved in some business ventures, but the latter doesn’t take much of my time. For me, writing is a very intensive process, first energizing, and then after an hour, I’m exhausted and famished.
The key question here is how you can do it without becoming an alcoholic, recluse or just generally cynical and bitter person in life. Unlike in the times past, nowadays successful writers share one predisposition and that’s discipline. You need routines to keep yourself in line.
Even when traveling, I still follow my daily schedule and try to write at least in the morning. I start every day with an hour of Ashtanga yoga and follow it up with clear set of routines until after second spurt of writing, I finish with half an hour cardio or intensive kettle bell training.
Rest of the day I spend taking care of practical stuff, doing research, and running errands. During the week I’m a hermit but on weekend afternoons and evenings, I become a social animal, still writing in the morning though. For me, physical exercise is very important for releasing all the inner tension that writing brings on.Without it, I would be stuck in my fantasy world and unable to cope with reality.
How many published books have you written?
I have two books published in Finland in Finnish by a major publisher before I switched to English and self-publishing the Rise Up Trilogy.
Which genres do you write?
My first book was a narrative non-fiction but now I’m happy to write young adult.
What are you working on now?
I have three manuscripts in my virtual drawer, but I might still continue writing about Hashim, Alex, and Maryam. I haven’t decided yet what will be my next project.
What is a favorite quote from one of your own books?
“While the words ricocheted in the grand dome, Hashim kept his head low and said a silent prayer asking for mercy like had done thousands of times since realizing he was gay.” A quote from Catch You if You Fall, book one of the Rise Up Trilogy.
What is your favorite book review from a reader?
It’s from a 18-year-old American beta-reader:
Overall, I loved how the three books each explored different themes and issues and the strong bond of friendship throughout.
I found that I also learned a lot about Muslim culture and faith while reading and I really enjoyed how this aspect was tied into the characters’ identities.
The characters were beautifully crafted and each had a unique identity. I loved the way they complemented each other and balanced the story.
Additionally, I found that each book focused on one of the three main characters, and I really liked this idea. After reading all three, I truly felt like I knew each of them personally.
The first book was probably my favorite of the three only because I could connect to it the most. It really reminded me of the movie “Kill Your Darlings”.
There wasn’t a dull moment and I was eager to read more the entire time. I felt the action was really dispersed well and blended beautifully with the more gentle moments.
The second book really showed the development of the three friends the most I think. I loved to learn more about Alex and also see Hashim become more “himself”.
My favorite character was Alex from the start and I really liked that his story was more concentrated on. I liked that the friends took on more non-personal challenges as they navigated New York.
It felt just as exciting and powerful to read and I was left with a sense of empowerment after finishing this story. At times, I felt there was too much concentration on romance but that could be just a personal preference, as I see how that intertwined with the characters actions and development.
The third book was also a very exciting read. I feel it really completed the trilogy and I felt I knew the characters inside and out by the end.
The plot twist was incredible and I really liked how this story played out. It was a very satisfying end and I found that it perfectly closed out this coming-of-age adventure.
I also want to note that a trigger warning is necessary for all three books due to the mentions of suicide, abuse, assault, etc. For some readers this information can be sensitive and hurtful.
However, I really loved that these very difficult topics were included and addressed in a way that was not overdone and also developed the main plot.
I have never seen topics such as climate change, LGBTQ+ issues, and animal cruelty presented in a book like this trilogy was able to accomplish. It is very common for author’s to glaze over these topics or concentrate on them too much.
I truly appreciated that the characters’ beliefs were presented in the same way that I think about these topics. These books captured both the challenges often encountered and the spirit of activism and for change that I could definitely relate to and I think many readers will as well.
Though each book seemingly focused on completely different issues and was placed in a different setting, the characters and their relationships definitely grounded and unified the books.
I think this series is perfect for YA readers and would likely most be enjoyed by high school age readers. I think this trilogy could definitely be related to and loved by many readers and has great potential to inspire.
Thank you, Henrik, for spending time with us and sharing your story. We wish you continued success and lots of luck with the Rise Up Trilogy.
