Action/Adventure Sci-Fi Novella: Phoenix Rising by Mark T. Wellington

Phoenix Rising

by Mark T. Wellington

May 13, 2023

Genre: Action, Adventure, Techno-Thriller, Suspense, Sci-Fi, Military Thriller, Conspiracy

124 pages

Unveiling the latest sensation in the world of Short Form Novels: Phoenix Rising by Mark T. Wellington!

This high-octane, adrenaline-pumping thriller will transport you to the year 2035, where mind-controlled space-age drones reign supreme, and one man's quest to save the world takes an intensely personal turn.

Immerse yourself in the gripping story of Tony Simmons, a fearless Air Force major with the extraordinary ability to control three of the most powerful drones ever created - the Devastators. When his family is kidnapped, and he finds himself betrayed and hunted, Tony is forced to push his powers to the limit in a desperate race against time.

Phoenix Rising is the perfect embodiment of the Short Form Novel, delivering a relentless, fast-paced narrative that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Mark T. Wellington masterfully weaves a tale of suspense, intrigue, and heart-stopping action, combining futuristic technology and geopolitical complexities with raw, human emotions.

In this compact literary masterpiece, every page is packed with tension, danger, and unexpected twists, as Tony navigates the treacherous world of betrayal, espionage, and simmering romantic tension with his colleague, Adrianne. As the line between reality and fabrication blurs, Tony must unravel the shocking truth behind the conspiracy that threatens his life and the safety of his family.

Don't miss out on this exhilarating new addition to the Short Form Novel revolution! Grab your copy of Phoenix Rising today and join Tony Simmons as he battles insurmountable odds to save his family and uncover the sinister truth that lies beneath the surface. Are you ready for the ride of your life?

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About the Author

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Mark T. Wellington is a US Air Force Veteran with the Electronic Security Command who held an SCI/SBI Top Secret clearance—his experience in the military has given him the tools to tell exciting stories. His expertise in cyber and electronic warfare, as well as his practices in Krav Maga and kickboxing, inspired his turbulent and exciting novel, Phoenix Rising.

A citizen of the world, Mark's passport is a mosaic of global experiences. He has journeyed from the bustling streets of Istanbul to the steep inclines of Mount Everest, and from the historic heart of Berlin to the vibrant culture of Barcelona. Having resided in six different countries, he has absorbed diverse cultures, engaged with intricate art forms, and navigated awe-inspiring landscapes.

Despite his technological acumen and AI engineering expertise, he is never one to be confined within the digital realm. His creativity spills over into his passion for scuba diving, rock climbing, and racing, each providing unique inspirations for his storytelling. Moreover, his interests in cooking, gardening, and painting reveal an individual who fully embraces the blend of art and science, making his work as varied and colorful as his life.

With his extensive world travels, deep technical expertise, and unbounded creativity, Mark is a true renaissance man, promising many more exciting stories to come.

Book Review: Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds by Gwenda Bond

Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds: The first official Stranger Things novel
by Gwenda Bond
February 5, 2019
Publisher: Del Rey
ASIN: B07DBQR8T1 ISBN: 9781984800886
A mysterious lab. A sinister scientist. A secret history. If you think you know the truth behind Eleven’s mother, prepare to have your mind turned Upside Down in this thrilling prequel to the hit show Stranger Things.

It’s the summer of 1969, and the shock of conflict reverberates through the youth of America, both at home and abroad. As a student at a quiet college campus in the heartland of Indiana, Terry Ives couldn’t be farther from the front lines of Vietnam or the incendiary protests in Washington.

But the world is changing, and Terry isn’t content to watch from the sidelines. When word gets around about an important government experiment in the small town of Hawkins, she signs on as a test subject for the project, code-named MKULTRA. Unmarked vans, a remote lab deep in the woods, mind-altering substances administered by tight-lipped researchers . . . and a mystery the young and restless Terry is determined to uncover.

But behind the walls of Hawkins National Laboratory—and the piercing gaze of its director, Dr. Martin Brenner—lurks a conspiracy greater than Terry could have ever imagined. To face it, she’ll need the help of her fellow test subjects, including one so mysterious the world doesn’t know she exists—a young girl with unexplainable superhuman powers and a number instead of a name: 008.

Amid the rising tensions of the new decade, Terry Ives and Martin Brenner have begun a different kind of war—one where the human mind is the battlefield.

There are four main characters in this book: Terry Ives (Eleven’s mother), Alice, Gloria, and Ken. Except for Alice, who is a local resident and works at her uncle’s garage as a mechanic, the other three go to college in Bloomington, Indiana. Important secondary characters are Terry’s boyfriend, Andrew (Eleven’s father), her sister, Becky, and college roommate, Stacey.

All four of the main characters are part of the MKUltra research, and subjected to terrible things by Dr. Brenner, all in the name of his trying to make super psychics and protentional weapons for the military (this is set in 1969, during the Vietnam War) As season one of the show has hinted, Dr. Brenner is researching the powers of the human mind and creating superpowered people - like Kali (Eight) and, eventually, Eleven. Gwenda Bond’s flesh-out references to the time (I suspect the title, Suspicious Minds, is based on the song by Elvis Presley that came out August 1969), and the Vietnam War are spot on, and the characters are well-rounded. After knowing Dr. Brenner's thoughts and motivations, makes me despise him all the more.

You don’t have to watch the TV show, Stranger Things, to enjoy this novel. Yes, there are a few references to the show with Eight (Kali) and Eleven, even the Upside Down and the monsters, but even those who have never seen the series can pick this up to read. The novel has a great mix of paranormal, late 60s/early 70s counter-culture history, government conspiracy, science fiction, and horror, to have something for everyone.

I gave Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds 5 sheep.

Reviewed by Pamela K. Kinney

About the Author:
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Gwenda Bond is the author of many novels. Among others, they include the Lois Lane and Cirque American trilogies. She created Dead Air, a serialized mystery novel and scripted podcast written with Rachel Caine and Carrie Ryan. She and her husband Christopher Rowe also co-write a middle grade series, the Supernormal Sleuthing Service. She co-hosts Cult Faves, a podcast about the weird world of cults and extreme belief. Her official Stranger Things prequel novel, Suspicious Minds, releases in 2019. She writes a monthly-ish letter you can sign up for at www.tinyletter.com/gwenda. Visit her online at www.gwendabond.com or @gwenda on Twitter.

Threats to Journalism Today - Rick Pullen (Author of Naked Truth: A Thriller)

Rick Pullen’s new thriller, Naked Truth, was published in September. It is a sequel to his first novel, Naked Ambition (2016). It is about an investigative reporter who probes the halls of political power and corruption. Pullen knows of what he speaks. Before he became a novelist, he was an award-winning investigative reporter and magazine editor. We asked him to discuss the threats facing journalism today.

Threats to Journalism Today

There are a number of threats to good journalism, the only defense Americans have against a corrupt government.

First, is the President, who doesn’t understand or appreciate journalism’s essential role in American democracy. So when President Trump doesn’t like something, he attacks it. This can be a real threat to individuals, as we have seen at some of his rallies. He whips a crowd into a frenzy and violence follows. It may be good politics, but it’s not good for America and certainly not good for journalism or individual journalists.

But the beginning of the current decline in journalism was Craig’s List. It gave away classified advertising. Who would pay a newspaper for an ad if they could get it for free? Newspapers were fat and happy and made more money off of their classified pages than any other. No more.

The Internet then took a huge chunk of advertising away from newspapers. It also has taken a very large share of the broadcast networks’ audience share—something they rely on to set advertising rates. While broadcasting and cable news have not felt the financial pinch that newspapers have, they are still struggling with changes in platforms and audience cultures and demographics. Younger generations get their news online. Baby Boomers watch the old folk’s broadcast news in the evening—the advertising domain of walk-in tubs and adult diapers.

Jobs in journalism have plummeted in recent years and even our two best American newspapers, The New York Times and The Washington Post, have struggled.

So it appears Donald Trump is bad for journalism. But actually, the opposite is true. Since he took office, circulation at both The Times and The Post has skyrocketed. Early in the Trump administration, they were adding new subscribers at a clip of more than 10,000 a week. While most of these are online subscribers, they are still paying and suddenly making these two newspapers profitable again. That has afforded them to up their game in the newsroom. Investigative reporting is back at a ferocious pace. Look at The Times piece this week on Trump’s real estate empire, which it says was filled with tax dodges and possible fraud.

While Trump likes to threaten reporters, it appears he is more talk than bite. When he threatened to sue The New York Times, the newspaper’s attorney invited the president to meet him in court. Trump, who is a smart man, knew better than to take on a case he could not win (although he has threatened to change federal libel laws to make it easier).

So what happened? America, it seems, was lulled into complacency due to information overload. We did not discern the real news written by legitimate journalism organizations, from the fake news put out on the Internet by hucksters and propagandists (and Russia). Confused, many people are now realizing where they must go to get the truth. Fortunately, they are willing to pay for it. Of course this resurgence isn’t universal. Many smaller publications still struggle.

But for the most part, while Donald Trump has a well-documented history of lies and falsehoods, he got one thing right: he is the best thing to happen to journalism in a long time.

NAKED TRUTH: A Thriller (The Naked Series)

by Rick Pullen
September 24, 2018
274 pages
Publisher: Koehler Books; 1 edition
“Pullen skillfully moves his characters around on a cleverly-crafted chessboard.” —STEVE BERRY, New York Times bestselling thriller author of The Bishop’s Pawn

REPORTER BECK RIKKI again confronts the deceptions and lies of the rich and powerful in America when he is invited to meet with the chief justice of the United States, only to have the jurist show up dead. As he did in his previous outing in Naked Ambition—the first in Rick Pullen’s compelling thriller series—Beck is relentless in pursuing the truth. Yet, as he peels back the layers, he is unaware of the sleight of hand diverting his path. After all, in the real world of power, how much of the iceberg of truth can really be uncovered?

About the Author:
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Rick Pullen is an award-winning investigative reporter and magazine editor who lives in Fredericksburg, Va. He is a member of the FOLIO 100--the 100 most influential people in magazine publishing. He was a finalist for EDITOR OF THE YEAR in 2015 and has spent most of his career in Washington, D.C.

Rick is an ardent Parrothead. He likes nothing more than a cold beer, sunshine, sand between his toes and a great Padron cigar.

When he was a kid, Rick wanted to be Perry Mason. He carried the dream to the University of Richmond where he quickly learned clients of defense lawyers weren't always innocent and lawyers didn't always win their cases. At about that time, on a whim, he took a journalism course and fell in love. He transferred in the middle of his sophomore year to The University of Tennessee, which had a more comprehensive journalism program. (His mother was apoplectic at the time, worried her son would become a college dropout.)

But there in Big Orange Country, he discovered investigative reporting. It was the era of Watergate and he was hooked. Who needed the law, he figured, when an investigative reporter could be judge, jury and prosecutor? He found his calling and his mother could breath easier knowing her son would hit the streets with a press pass instead of a tin cup.

He built a career as a hard-charging investigative reporter. Later, his creative side called and he became a magazine editor. He loves layout and design and molding a good story. He has started two award-winning magazines and edited a third.

He starting writing fiction in 2011. NAKED AMBITION, published in 2016, was the first in his "Naked City Series" of thrillers and immediately became a bestseller. NAKED TRUTH, a sequel about the murder of a supreme court justice, is scheduled for release Sept. 24, 2018.

Volume one of THE APPRENTICE, a fast-paced serial about a rookie reporter thrust into the Washington political nightmare, was released in December 2017.

Rick is a member of the International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, The Author's Guild and the National Press Club where he can be found on occasion downing an Amstel Light.