Always hanging around

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Ever now and then something comes out the blue to blow away the cobwebs and cheer up your soul. Below is such an event. I suddenly got a posting on Twitter and when I clicked the link, the below double review for my two books appeared. The more I read the more my day improved. They are two genuine reviews. Unlike the big publishing houses that can pay lots of money to get favorable reviews, the below is the honest view of my writing by a truly independent person.

So please do have a read, and also please do add this reviewers site to you site list for future book reviews, because you know at least what you read by this reviewer will be the truth.

Regards

Mark

FEBRUARY 22, 2016 by CAROLINE BARKER

**DOUBLE REVIEW** FRENZY & DOOM (A Daniel Jones Story 1 & 2) by Mark King

I am so glad I had Mark King‘s Daniel Jones Story brought to my attention. There is action and adventure every step of the way in this extremely well-written post-apocalyptic fantasy series! Written for YA, it’s an exciting and thrilling series for anybody age 14+. I was totally gripped – a MUST-READ series!!

BANG. BANG. BANG.

And the ground shook.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

And the ground shook with an almighty force.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

And the ground shook with such terrifying power that once again the soul of humanity would cry out in fear tonight.

SILENCE.

Title: FRENZY (A Daniel Jones Story #1)

Author: Mark King

Genre: Fantasy, post-apocalyptic, sci-fi, action/adventure

Date released: March 1st, 2013

Published by: Book Guild Publishing
Length: 226 pages

Blurb: Daniel leads a peaceful life with his family until he finds out a repulsive secret about the Over-seers, the ‘saviours of humanity’, and his security is blown to smithereens. He enters a world where death is the only certainty and quickly learns to kill – or be killed.

Enter Gwendolyn, with the charm of a snake and a bite that’s twice as dangerous. People skills aren’t her thing but she knows how to survive in a post-apocalyptic world; she’s a hotshot with a bow and arrow and can rustle up a mean rat soup.

Mary is the only person left alive over forty. She’s not too good at fighting but she knows where to find the one thing that could save their lives. Only Mary can remember life before the invasion, before humanity was brainwashed into following the procedures.

Pursued by the Over-seers, the Triclops and the barbaric hunters, can the three brave rebels triumph in their quest for survival? The odds are stacked against them – hold tight for a white-knuckle ride through a landscape of devastation!

REVIEW ***** (5* RATING)

I was blown away by Frenzy! Admittedly, it has been a while since I have read a post-apocalyptic adventure series, but author Mark Kingdrew me in with his great story-telling skills, fantasy and some brilliant characters. I was so hooked I went straight on to read the sequel, Doom!

In a world, not as we know it, but only as Daniel and future generations know, we realise that mankind is isolated in small villages, left only alive to ‘farm’ themselves ready for what they believe will be a time for rest and rewards in the ‘Achievement Centre’, which they are due to attend after their fortieth birthday. This is a world, unlike anything we know now, where humans go back to basics, with no reminders of the past, and a world run by other beings: the Over-Seers!

The story gives the reader a true sense of what it is like to be Daniel, describing his home life, daily routines and reactions perfectly. There is no holding back from description when it comes to Mark King‘s terrific writing. The reader is truly drawn in, feeling every moment as Daniel does.

Daniel is a great, young character, living in a hut with his family, and being able to live off the land, felling trees with his father, in order to trade for food. They are living a relatively comfortable life given the circumstances, aside from the usual lack of sanitary conditions and few clothes, etc. After all, this is all Daniel has ever known.

However, after celebrations of a friend departing to the Achievement Centre, Daniel and his young friends decide to wander whilst playing a game. During this turn of events, Daniel discovers something so incredibly horrifying about the Over-Seers and the future of his human friends! Even more terrifyingly, he is found out, and now has no choice but to run for his life throughout the desolate lands, for he simply cannot return to his village and safe haven of his family.

Not only does he fear the Over-Seers, and the prospect that they could attack his family if they are aware of just who he is, he has to outrun human hunters and the terrifying, ground-trembling Triclops! His insubordinate and mischievous actions have landed him in a horror he has never known. His only slight relief comes when he meets survivors Gwendolyn and Mary, who work with him in an attempt to save humanity!

Initially, Frenzy was a story I would have recommended to 11+ readers, however after learning the secret as Daniel did, and the sheer shock, horror and gore I quickly changed my mind. Frenzy, however is an exceptional read, easy to follow, yet at a nice, quick pace for the adventure it holds. You will be hooked! I would advise it for readers certainly 14yrs+.
Reviewed by Caroline Barker

Title: DOOM (A Daniel Jones Story #2)

Author: Mark King

Genre: Fantasy, post-apocalyptic, sci-fi, action/adventure

Date released: December 12th, 2014

Published by: Book Guild Publishing

Length: 238 pages

Blurb: Daniel’s peaceful life has been destroyed after discovering the hideous truth about the Over-seers – the new masters of humanity. Hiding in centuries-old flint mines from Hunters and from the terrifying Triclops machines, Daniel’s recurring nightmares lead him, once more, into danger. With mankind brainwashed under the false hope of a glorious new life in the Achievement Centre, he must return home through a devastated landscape to save his father
from certain death.

Daniel reunites with two fellow fugitives – Mary and her young companion Gwendolyn – to undertake a rescue mission so dangerous that death is the only guarantee. Is it too late for Daniel’s family or is it too late for humanity itself? Daniel Jones DOOM, the exciting new sequel to FRENZY a Daniel Jones Story, is another fast-paced, engrossing chronicle of three rebels who once again risk their lives in a vividly depicted world peopled by memorable new and known characters.

REVIEW ***** (5* rating)

DOOM is another incredibly written, fast-paced post-apocalyptic adventure from author Mark King. The sequel to Frenzy, it continues where we left off with young Daniel Jones surviving with Resistance veteran, Mary, and her young companion, Gwendolyn.

Daniel has begun to have terrible dreams after witnessing the horrific methods of the Over-Seers. He is also aware that it is coming up to his father’s fortieth season, where he knows his dad will be preparing for a life of rest and rewards from the Over-Seers in the Achievement Centre. After a life of being brainwashed by these beings his father, and the rest of humanity, simply have no idea of the horrors that await them. It’s simply too much for Daniel to bear; he must return to his home village to warn his family. Only that would be difficult with the Over-Seers sending Hunters and Triclops to hunt him and his companions down! This boy loves a challenge, and with his friends support they are a team to be reckoned with.

Meanwhile, we learn that the consequences of Frenzy (Daniel Jones book 1) has left John, Daniel’s father, in a tired, weary and fragile state. Not only has he lost his son to the desolate lands, without knowing why, he now also works alone, chopping down trees, with no horse to pull his cart. He is emotionally and physically drained with only the hope of the Achievement Centre to relieve him of his exhausting life.

“… but with losing his axe, his horse, and his son in the space of two days John was not going to take any risks with his chance of entering the Achievement Centre, and in receiving a lifetime of the rewards that were promised.”

I am absolutely hooked with this series, longing to read the next instalment. It is a perfect read for young adults and over, with the right dosage of action, horror and gore mixed with great dialogue, brilliant characters and an addictive storyline.

Will Daniel reach his village to warn his father? Or will be captured by the Hunters, along with his companions? Is it too late for his father to be saved? What will become of Daniel, and all of those he cares about? This truly is a MUST-READ that I would recommend to place at the top of your reading list!

Reviewed by Caroline Barker

FRENZY and DOOM, books 1 & 2 of the Daniel Jones Story were provided by the author in return for a fair and honest review.

You can purchase both following the links below:-

FRENZY

Hardcover Amazon UK

Kindle edition Amazon UK

Hardcover Amazon US

Kindle edition Amazon US

DOOM

Hardcover Amazon UK

Paperback Amazon UK

Kindle edition Amazon UK

Hardcover Amazon US

Paperback Amazon US

Kindle edition Amazon US

Monday, 15 February 2016

All we need is love

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The first two months of the year can be a drab time, although this year January and February have probably been the mildest in living memory in the U.K. It is not normally until March, when the first buds begin to appear on plant life that has lain dormant during the winter, can you look forward to the lighter and warmer days of summer.

There is one thing that brings a small glimmer of hope during these grey times, and that is planning the family holiday. By the time March will have arrived, the wife and I would have spent quite a few enjoyable evenings searching the Internet, and dreaming about all the wonderful parts of the world and interesting places we would like to visit. It is only when you stay determined not to take your children out of school during term time are you brought down to earth with an almighty bump. Holiday prices can double in the space of just a few weeks for the holiday periods.

Then there are world events. Once you could visit every shore of the Mediterranean with nothing more to fear than sunburn or a dodgy stomach. Now various countries in this region are either suffering from civil war, terrorism, or having to cope with a tide of humanity that is overwhelming the very shorelines that normally hosted hordes of tourists. It is a pitiful sight, especially when pictures of petrified families with crying children appear on the evening news, or on the front page of your morning paper. Just two years ago, I wrote an article on this very page about a holiday my family had in Tunisia. We flew from Norwich Airport and stayed all-inclusive. Now as one county after another suffers from the negative side effects of humanity, I give thanks that my family are lucky enough to live in such a peaceful and wonderful part of the world that is Great Britian

At the end of the day all we need is love. It's a mantra that under-pins all faith, but unfortunately can be forgotten, or abused by some religious zealots who will use humanities desire to find answers to universal questions we have about life, and it's true meaning, to further their own twisted desires. These are the very people that have impacted on my family life by effecting where we can enjoy our holiday break. It might seem trivial compared to what those poor refugees have had to suffer, either being trapped in a besieged town or city, being bombed and shot at or having to travel thousands of miles through dangerous lands, and deadly seas.

You reap what you sow, even if the other side started it first. By revenging hate with hate it won't lead to love, but just to more hate.

Love is a verb. A doing word. All of us need to do more loving and less hating, and then maybe, just maybe I would free to take my family wherever I could afford around the world without fearing nothing more nasty than sunburn or a dodgy stomach.

Regards

Mark

Sunday, 31 January 2016

New world sayings

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It can be hard being a writer.You spend hours every week over a twelve month period just to get to a basic story line, then you can spend another twelve months with rewriting and editing, and then you only have a first finished draft. There is so much more that follows it can be easy for most potential authors to just give up with the first rejection. It's times like this you occasionally, well quite often, need a few words of encouragement.

On social media like Facebook or Twitter you will quite often see posts with some wise, or aspiring saying. Some of them are pointless, but some can be quite heart warming for those moments when you feel down because you have just received your latest rejection in life.

Some of those I have saved to look back on when i'm feeling down, and these I have added to this posting hoping you might find them just as useful as me.

These are just four of the sayings that I find so true in life, and hopefully you will too. Save them and keep then in a special file on your computer, or even better still print them off. You could even frame them. Stick them on a wall somewhere you pass every day, so when you pass it first thing in the morning, you can stop for a quick moment, and cheer yourself up.

Regards

Mark

Monday, 18 January 2016

The Approaching Doom.

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When you have a family you look much further into the future than you would do when you're single, and generally don't see any further than the approaching weekend. You think about the world you want your children to live in, and very occasionally maybe grand-children as well. This is when you think about things outside your normal circle of life, things like the planet itself. Every decade seems to bring its own fears for this beautiful water covered piece of rock we call earth. In the seventies it was the next ice-age, in the eighties in was nuclear war, the nineties it was the disappearing ozone layer and since 2000 on wards it has been global warming.

The signs of this latest threat to humanity we are told are playing out with the global weather system, and the unusual patterns that are unfurling as we speak. Record breaking heat-waves in winter while other places suffer terrible floods. In my first book FRENZY a Daniel Jones Story, in chapter 11, Mary tells Daniel the story about the arrival in the Orb, and the devastating affects it had on the earth. The Orb is a planet sized object that silently floats through the universe, and the closer it gets to us the more its gravitational pull fights against the moons, and the more the weather is effected here. In the end it is disastrous for humanity as everything from earth quakes to massive floods finish off modern society as we know it.

As the U.K suffers terrible flooding the recently released news that a lone planet has been discovered floating silently through space, not orbiting any star, does make your think!

Is it a planet or is it the Orb? Is the unusual weather that is causing so much pain around the world telling us something the authorities don't want us to know? Is there something sinister silently heading our way?

The below article was a press release that shows the truth is out there. We only need to find it.

Regards

Mark

Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have spotted something extraordinary. Apparently there are planet-sized objects wandering through a distant globular cluster of stars. Unlike the planets in our own solar system, however, these objects are loners -- they have no central star of their own.

Because the findings are so surprising, researchers caution that they must be confirmed by follow-up observations. But if this discovery is verified, it could change the way astronomers think about stars and planets, and how the two are related.

Above: This stylized view shows Hubble peering through globular cluster M22 in search of microlensing "flares" from background stars. Credit: Zolt Levay (STScI) [more]

The unusual objects in question are too dim to be seen directly, even by Hubble. Instead they were detected by the way their gravitational field bends and amplifies light from distant background stars, a technique called "microlensing." From February 22nd to June 15th, 1999, Kailash Sahu (Space Telescope Science Institute) and colleagues monitored 83,000 stars in parts of our Galaxy lying behind the globular cluster M22. They detected one clear microlensing event caused by a normal dwarf star -- a star in M22 about one tenth the mass of our Sun. The dwarf star's gravitational field focused the light from the background star, causing it to appear 10 times brighter before it returned to normal over a period of 18 days.

In addition to the microlensing event caused by the dwarf star, Sahu and his team recorded six even more interesting, unexpectedly brief events where a background star jumped in brightness by as much as a factor of two for less than 20 hours. This means that the microlensing object must have been much smaller than a normal star.

These microlensing events were unusually brief, indicating that the mass of the intervening object could be as little as 80 times that of Earth. Objects this small have never before been detected by microlensing observations. If these results are confirmed by follow-up Hubble observations, the bodies would be the smallest celestial objects ever seen that are not orbiting a star.

So what are they? Theoretically, planets can be gravitationally torn from their parent stars in the cluster to form a population of wanderers. But, say researchers, that explanation won't work. The planet-sized mystery bodies in M22 could make up as much as 10 percent of the cluster's mass. They are too numerous to have once been parts of normal planetary systems.

What's next? More observations!

Because microlensing events are unpredictable and rare, astronomers improve their chances of observing one by looking at many stars at once -- much like a person buying several lottery tickets for the same drawing. Most microlensing searches for low-mass stars and planets have been aimed at the central bulge of our galaxy or out towards the Magellanic Clouds -- the densest observable regions of stars in the sky. Sahu and his team decided to aim the Hubble telescope directly through the center of globular cluster M22, which lies between Earth and the galactic bulge. This provided the team with a very dense stellar region to probe for drifting low-mass foreground objects and a very rich background field of stars that might be amplified (or "lensed," as astronomers like to say).

When a background star is microlensed, it brightens and dims for a length of time depending on the mass, distance, and velocity of the intervening lens. Because lensing objects in M22 are all part of the same cluster, the astronomers know their distance (8,500 light-years) and their approximate velocity. As a result, it's possible to estimate the mass of such lenses from the light curve of the background star.

The six brief events Sahu's team detected were even shorter than the interval between the Hubble observations, so in practice they could only estimate a limit on the mass of the lenses. The lenses could be as lightweight as one quarter the mass of the planet Jupiter -- a sensational finding!

To confirm these extraordinary, but tentative results, Sahu and colleagues next plan to monitor the center of the globular cluster continuously over a seven-day interval. They expect to detect 10 to 25 short-duration microlensing events, which will be well-sampled enough to yield direct measurements of the true masses of the small bodies, perhaps confirming their planetary character.

The modern word "planet" comes from a Greek root that means "wanderer," so named by ancient astronomers who watched the worlds of our solar system move among the stars in the night sky. But our planets are not true nomads, they obediently circle the Sun. The mystery objects of M22, however, appear to be genuine wanderers -- plying their own course in a distant sea of stars. Will they eventually lay claim to the title "planets?" Only time -- and lots more data -- will tell.

Tuesday, 5 January 2016

Save The Island

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For my fans around the world who have read my Daniel Jones series of books, FRENZY a Daniel Jones Story and the sequel Daniel Jones DOOM, you will know that Daniel's quest for survival against the Over-seers is a biblical battle; a David v Goliath battle. As I write the third book in the series there is a battle closer to home, just down the road, that fits this Old Testament story.

Basically there is a small community of boat dwellers who are moored on the island opposite River Green in my home town. They do no harm to anyone, and in my view they give the area a Bohemian feel that adds a unique touch, and is one of the many reasons I love living here. They stop the area becoming just another staid, and nondescript suburb of Norwich

I also know some of the people who live on the Island, and one particle person as he drinks in my local pub The Fat Cat and Canary and is one of life's lovely people. He bears no malice to anyone, and I think all the other boat people are the same. He is pictured in the below article. They are the David's of this story.

Now for the Goliath in the story. The Broads Authority are responsible for looking after the water-ways, and broads, that make Norfolk one of the most special areas of the United Kingdom. Over the last two years they seem to be constantly in the local press, and not for good reasons either. It was once a highly regarded organisation, but something has gone wrong! They are upsetting the very people they should be looking after, and that's the boating community. People have resigned accusing it of becoming dictatorial, others are taking it to court for various reasons, and now they have decided to pick on this small community of peaceful people. They are dragging the island's owner through the courts, trying to get all these home owners evicted. Why? Nobody cared until some big-wig decided it wasn't right, and wanted to waste hundreds of thousands of pounds of tax payers money on legal fees.

The below article is just a small bit taken from the Facebook page that has been set up to help save these peoples homes, and you can access it through this Link.

OK - A Review

The Story So Far - forty-one eviction notices have been issued by the Broads Authority (BA) to houseboats moored at the western end of Thorpe Island, commonly known as Jenner's Basin. They were supposed to leave by the 18th December. Some did go, many remain. In addition, the landowner, Mr Roger Wood, was ordered to remove the means of electric and water supply to the houseboats by the same date. However, that order has not been complied with for which we are very sorry.

What's Happening Now - well, those who remain at Jenner's Basin have the Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads. The BA could take enforcement action at any time but have said that they will not do anything before Christmas. That's because they think it will be politically easier in the New Year. We have set up this Group to support the residents and their right to remain. After all, houseboats have been on this stretch of river since 1922 and the landowner has a covenant granting permission for the moorings. His legal dispute is ongoing and a Hearing is due on the 2nd February. We're supporting him too - after all, Roger really is a rather nice chap. The BA want him and the boat dwellers out so they can build a shiny new marina for their Chelsea chums. Oh, in the meantime Professor Jacquie Burgess aka Granny Burgess to those of us who have received a Christmas card, has labelled Jenner's Basin a 'shanty town' and the residents 'feral' based on evidence that they do not shop at Waitrose. She's the BA Chair by the way. As a representative of the residents (self-appointed because feral people cannot read or write) I have written a letter to the BA demanding her suspension for those comments and for an investigation into allegations that she has entered into a conflict of interest with one of the BA staff. The letter is published on this Group somewhere if you want a bit of light reading. They will probably cover it up though because that is what they usually do.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP - share share share this Group with your chums, add add add them, email Granny Burgess and tell her how unreasonable she is being. After all, social cleansing isn't very nice. Oh, and sign our petition on Change dot org - again the link is on this Group wall somewhere. We want to build as much support as possible before Roger's Hearing on the 2nd February. He's the vanguard - we are the reserve.

FINALLY - remember this, their arrogance is their weakness. We must temper our outrage and remain the better for it. Because we are not feral, we are good people who just happen not to be going anywhere.

So please do check out Save the island Facebook page, and share it with your friends, and if there is any way you can help, or know anyone who can then please do get in contact with them. Or you can sign the petition on this LINK to Save the community on Thorpe Island.

Regards

Mark

Thursday, 24 December 2015

Christmas cheer

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Christmas is here once again. This year it seemed to suddenly appear out of no where. Maybe it's because of the weather this winter. As foretold in my first book, FRENZY a Daniel Jones Story, the seasons of the year seemed to have swapped places. It's been warmer in the U.K over the last month than it was during many periods in the summer. The British population are starting to find out what it feels like to celebrate an event that is normally associated with cold, snowy, dark winter days and nights. Just as many Americans, Australians and any other Christians living in a hot climate during this festive period.

There may be other reasons I haven't been in such a jolly Christmas mood. My back is still playing up and although I'm no longer crippled I have a trapped nerve that causes me daily pain. But in the last two weeks as the song goes, " it's starting to look a bit like Christmas." It all started with the Thorpe Christmas lights switch on, fair and fireworks display.

The crowds mingled among all the different stalls of the fair set out along the main road next to River Green that was closed for the occasion, and the little children enjoyed the rides.

And the evening was finished off with a fireworks display from the island as the house boats that are moored there, lit up their floating homes with their own festive lights. The whole event is put together by the town council and is organised, and run, by volunteers. local groups like the Guides held a Christingle service in the Parish church. It's a uniquely British affair that brings the whole community together, which is something many people have forgotten about in our over commercialised world.

Ten days later on a warm Wednesday night the whole family travelled two miles up the road to Norwich Cathedral as my child's school Christmas carol concert was being held within the majestic arches of this ancient building.

It was a very emotional, and I must say a very enjoyable evening. The organist gently played as the local dignitaries from Thorpe, and the school, along with the parents gathered for the concert. Suddenly all the lights went out, and everyone sat in silence; then from behind the screen the voices of the school choir began to gently sing the hymn "Once in Royal David's City." Then with candles alight they paraded around the great hall in the darkness as they carried on singing. It brought a tear to my eye.

My son stayed awake just long enough to see his older sister play the flute at the front of the audience before he fell asleep, with his head resting against my arm that was placed across the back of his chair. He looked so angelic I didn't have the heart to wake him up when everyone stood up to sing carols, so I had to stay seated, and tried my best to sing with a hearty voice.

So now it's Christmas Eve and although we are having probably the warmest winter on record in the U.K, so it doesn't have the physical feel of Christmas, after these two wonderful events I finally feel in the Christmas spirit. So to all my readers around the world, whatever you beliefs, or even lack of belief in faith or religion, I wish you all a peaceful yule tide, and a prosperous New Year.

Regards

Mark

Tuesday, 8 December 2015

To change or not to change.

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