They tried to erase this book. That’s why you should read it.
Stamped BANNED — DECREE 2039, wrapped in warnings that say DO NOT
READ. DO NOT BELIEVE, Dan Tesson: A Thriller refuses to stay buried.
Written two decades ago and now resurfacing, this dystopian
psychological thriller feels less like fiction—and more like a message
that arrived early.
In a world shaped by control, perception, and quiet manipulation, Dan
Tesson is forced to confront something far more dangerous than power: truth.
As reality fractures and the rules governing society begin to reveal their
cracks, he’s pulled into a system designed not just to influence
behavior—but to redefine belief itself.
What happens when authority decides what is real?
What happens when questioning becomes a crime?
What happens when truth is labeled dangerous?
Blending dystopian fiction, science fiction, supernatural elements, and
psychological tension, this novel explores uncomfortable territory—where
control isn’t always visible, and freedom may be an illusion people
willingly accept.
This is not a safe story.
It is not designed to reassure.
It asks questions many would rather avoid.
And that may be exactly why it was banned in their time.
If you’re drawn to provocative, thought-driven thrillers that challenge
perception and push beyond the expected, Dan Tesson will not let you look
away.
You were told not to read it.
Read to believe.
About the Author
Sean O'Leary is a local Utah author whose work moves between dystopian
thrillers, science fiction and fantasy, children's stories, photo essays,
literary collaborations, and reader-focused projects built around libraries,
curiosity, and story.
Anne Kane is here to tell us about Audit This!, an interracial romance with mystery and suspense.
Read on for details.
_____________________
Interracial Romance, Mystery & Suspense
Date Published: May 22, 2026
No matter how you add the numbers, Nick is one hunk of an auditor!
When government tax auditor Nick finds himself obsessed with the work of
romance author Khloe Matters, there's only one thing to do. Audit her! But
getting a closer look at the author in her own home just makes him switch his
obsession from the writing to the writer.
When he accompanies her to a writers' festival, things heat up in a hurry.
Neither of them is being entirely honest, and as the weekend progresses so
does the hilariously tangled webs of deceit as each of them seeks to further
their own agenda.
EXCERPT
"What do you mean you're disallowing ninety percent of the expenses I
claimed?" Khloe tried not to scream at the smug smile on the auditor's face.
Hard to believe her libido had jumped to attention when he'd first showed up
at her door. Just went to show how bad a judge of character she was. "You
can't do that. They are all legitimate business deductions."
"Really?" The man raised one of those perfect brows. "Care to explain how a
trip to Spain qualifies as a business expense? You're a writer. You don't have
to leave the house. You don't even have to get dressed."
Khloe gritted her teeth, taking a deep breath to calm herself down before she
answered. She knew his name. Nicholas Carver. She just didn't think a
government auditor deserved such an impressive name. Calling him a dumb-assed
bean counter probably wouldn't help her situation, though.
"Although I have not claimed any clothing expenses, I assure you I do have to
get dressed. My neighbours are a conservative bunch. I do have to leave the
house occasionally, and I generally make a point of putting some clothes on
before I do. That trip was for research." Well, duh, what else would it be?
Maybe this guy got all the looks and none of the brains. "My last mystery
novel was set in Madrid during the running of the bulls. I needed to be there
to get the feel of the place and understand the atmosphere, how the crowd
reacted. I wouldn't stay in business long if I didn't pay attention to the
little details. Readers can smell a mistake a mile away, and if I lose their
trust I'll be working at the grocery store for a fraction of what I make
writing."
The auditor snorted. "Quite the drama queen, aren't you? I might accept the
research excuse if the tone came through in your work, assuming we're talking
about a published manuscript. Do you have a copy of that alleged book?"
The sceptical tone of his voice, not to mention his use of the word "alleged,"
set Khloe's teeth on edge. How dare he sit there in his perfectly pressed suit
and make her justify every item on her tax return? Oh right. He was the
almighty tax department auditor! Maybe it would help if she curtseyed or
kissed his ring or something.
She smiled sweetly. "Of course." Turning, she ran her fingers along the spines
of the books on the shelf. Plucking Bullfighter's Downfall out, she handed it
to him. It took quite some effort to keep her smile from turning into a snarl.
"I hope you enjoy it. It spent two months on the New York Times Best Sellers
list."
He took the book, his brows rising at the cover picturing a couple in a
passionate embrace against a backdrop of the famous bull run. Turning the book
over, he read the back cover before looking up at her. "Romantic suspense?
You're one of those kinds of authors?"
Okay, he might be the big-shot auditor, and he had the ability to make her
life, not to mention her finances, a living hell, but he had no right to use
that tone of voice when describing the genre she loved.
"Exactly what do you mean by that?" She straightened up to her full five feet
five inches and glared down at him. "If you mean one of those authors who can
take two characters, introduce them to each other and make them fall
passionately and fervently in love while they dodge bullets, murder, mayhem
and other nasty plot points, then yes. I'm one of these kinds of authors. And
in case you don't believe me, you might want to ask the thousands of readers
whose buying habits have put me on the New York Times Best Sellers list time
and again."
"No need to get defensive. It's hardly War and Peace but I'm sure it's a very
nice story."
It took all of her willpower not to grab the heaviest book on the shelf and
smack him over the head with it. War and Peace indeed! "Have you ever tried to
read War and Peace?" She took a step forward, gratified at his flinch. "My
books are meant to entertain people and take them away from their everyday
lives, not bore them to death."
He had the grace to look uncomfortable. "Well, no, I haven't actually read it.
I'm more of a John Grisham fan. Lots of war but not much peace."
She felt the tension in her gut relaxing a bit. He wasn't quite the
pretentious prig he looked like. Actually, if she took an honest look at him,
he resembled the cover models for some of her steamier books.
And that gave her an idea.
About the Author
Anne Kane lives in the beautiful Okanagan Valley with a bouncy little rescue
dog whose breed defies description, a cantankerous Himalayan cat, and too many
fish to count. She spent many years trying to fit in and act normal, but
finally gave up the effort. She started writing romance in 2008, and her fate
was sealed when she won a publishing contract with Red Sage Publishing and
just a month later Changeling Press accepted her first submission. Since then
she has published more than thirty stories in a variety of sub-genres, all
with a happily ever after.
She has two handsome sons and six adorable grandchildren and enjoys spending
time with them whenever she can. Her hobbies, when she’s not playing
with the characters in her head, include kayaking, hiking, swimming, playing
guitar, singing and of course, reading.
S.T. Ashman is here to tell us about Her Silence, a thriller.
There's also a great giveaway.
_____________________
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. S.T. Ashman will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Nicole gets the call at 4 a.m. Her daughter Lacey was found in the woods beside her friend's dead husband. He was stabbed forty-four times. Lacey is barely alive. Covered in his blood. And completely mute.
She hasn't said a word since. Not to the police. Not to her husband. Not even to Nicole.
Nicole had Lacey at seventeen and swore her daughter would have a good life. Now Lacey is sitting in a cell, and Nicole's three grandchildren are left behind with a father who is losing it.
But Nicole knows her daughter. She isn't a cold-blooded murderer. Guilt didn't silence her. Fear did. Whatever happened in those woods scared Lacey more than prison.
So Nicole starts digging. But some secrets don't save people. They destroy them.
Read an Excerpt
I strode past carts and nurses, straight down the hall, and yanked open the door to room 12.
But I wasn't ready for what was waiting inside. My body jerked back as my hand shot up to my neck. "Dear God."
Lacey sat upright on the bed, wearing a hospital gown. A doctor stood over her, shining a light into her eyes. Two nurses flanked him.
I almost didn't recognize her.
Her hair was soaked in dried blood. Matted. Tangled with dirt and leaves. Thick blood streaks ran down her neck and across her temple like Viking war paint. Her face and arms looked like someone had tried to wipe her clean with a wet napkin and given up halfway. Just smears of pink and red everywhere.
The bandage on her forehead was already smudged with red too.
Her eyes met mine. Brown, blank, dull. Nothing behind them.
"Sweetheart!" My voice fell apart. Tears burst out of me as I crossed the room in two desperate strides and grabbed her. Held her. Pressed her to my chest so tight nothing could tear her away again.
Not even the nurse who latched onto my arm.
"Ma'am, you can't be in here right now." Her voice was sharp and demanding.
I didn't move.
The other nurse came at me from the side. Hands on my other arm.
"You need to wait outside," she said, yanking at me.
"Get off me," I growled.
About the Author: S. T. Ashman is an American-German author who calls the beautiful U.S. Seacoast home. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, she spent years working as a psychotherapist in the criminal justice system. The work gave her a rare window into the human mind, both the beautiful and the deeply shadowed. It's no wonder readers often say her characters feel real enough to step off the page.
When she's not crafting her next twisty tale, you'll find her chasing after her kids, nose-deep in a book, or curled up late at night with a horror movie and a husband who always falls asleep on the couch before the scary parts.
✔️ Tortured heroine✔️ Redemption✔️ Forced proximity✔️ Protector romance✔️ Secrets & lies✔️ MC Romance✔️ Trauma survivor✔️ Slow burn✔️ Second chance romance✔️ Forbidden feelings✔️ He falls first
She's a tortured soul.
He's looking for redemption.
Together, they're the Devil's secret weapons.
I may be a Devil's Handmaiden,
Known for our fiery and feisty ways.
But enduring years of torture at the hands of my kidnapper,
I'll admit, I'd rather lie low and keep away from the chaos.
But the maidens seem different,
Secluded and separate,
Keeping me at bay.
My secrets are piling up,
The suspicions are growing.
I need to get away,
Get out,
And get my bearings back.
With my enemies multiplying,
And lurking nearby,
Safety seems impossible.
There's only one man I trust,
One man who knows my secrets,
And can shut his mouth.
But Noah Anderson is entwined in his own turmoil,
Looking for redemption for his ruthless family.
When he whisks me away to a safe haven,
I can't decipher my feelings,
Fury, worry, desire, and heartache bury me.
Trusting Noah with my safety is easy,
Trusting Noah with my heart terrifies me.
Can I open myself to a future with him without Running Scared?
Motorcycles, Mobsters, and Mayhem author event proudly presents The Mayhem Makers Series. These standalone novels are brought to you by several bestselling authors specializing in writing twisted chaos. You'll get all the bikers, mobsters, and dark romance your heart can handle. Follow us so you never miss a new release, as they can be added in at any time!
D.M. Earl is a U.S.A. Today Bestselling Author who spins stories about real life situations with characters that are authentic, genuine, and sincere. Each of her stories allow the characters to come to life with each turn of the page while they try to find their HEA through much drama and angst. D.M. finds ideas for her next story from within those around her and what she experiences in daily life. Each book has a part of her left behind in it. She lives in Northwest Indiana married to her best friend who was instrumental in the start of her writing career in 2014. When not writing D.M. loves to read, play with her seven fur-babies (yeah crazy) and ride her Harley Dyna Lowrider.
“Enjoy this Ride we call Life.” Remember we only get one chance.
Thanks so much for reading today's post. Hope
you enjoyed it!
Janet Morris is here to tell us about The Carnelian Throne, The Silistra Quartet, dystopian epic scifi fantasy romances.
There's also a great giveaway.
________________________
Estri was a daughter of light;
Chayin, a son of darkness;
Sereth, the son of all flesh.
Are they the three foretold who will make the truth of
prophecy?
The Carnelian Throne
The Silistra Quartet Book 4
by Janet Morris
Genre: Dystopian Epic SciFi Fantasy Romance
***** "Engrossing characters in a marvelous
adventure." -- C. Brown, Locus Magazine
***** "The amazing and exotic adventures of the most beautiful courtesan
in tomorrow's universe." -- Frederik Pohl
***** "The best single example of prostitution used in fantasy is in Janet
Morris' Silistra series: High Couch of Silistra (originally entitled Returning
Creation), The Golden Sword, Wind from the Abyss, and The Carnelian
Throne." -- Anne K. Kaler, "The Picara: From Hera to Fantasy
Heroine."
"[...] today I thought I'd look at one of the most successful fantasy
debuts of all time, a series that became a huge international hit with its
first release, launching the career of one of the most prolific fantasy writers
of the late 20th Century: Janet Morris' The Silistra Quartet.
"The Silistra Quartet began with Janet's first novel,
High Couch of Silistra [...] from Bantam Books in 1977 [, ] the far-future tale
of the colony planet of Silistra, still recovering from an ancient war that
left the planet scarred and much of the population infertile. With a
dangerously low birth-rate, it's not long before the human colonists of
Silistra develop a new social order, with a hierarchy based on fertility and
sexual prowess.
-- John O'Neill in Black Gate Adventures in Fantasy Literature
Estri was a god, and the daughter of light.
Chayin was a god, and the son of darkness.
Sereth was hase-enor, the son of all flesh.
Lovers and friends, could they be the prophesied three
who would wield the Sword of Severance, Se’Keroth,
and bring light out of dark?
“One from the east, born of ease and destined,
“One from north of south, divine, exempt of question;
the third from out the west,
Astride a tide of death,” quoted Chayin. He was not
smiling. It is a long epic. All has been foreseen. We
all know that tale’s end.”
— Estri Hadrath diet Estrazi, in “Wind from the Abyss.”
“Gate!”
he bellowed over the storm, his dripping lips at my ear. The deluge had made us
sparing of words. Under leathers soaked to thrice their weight, I shivered in
spasms. Arms clutched to my sides, I stared into the rain. The driven sheets
slashed me for my audacity. Lightning flared, illuminating the riverbank white.
A moment later, the bright noise cracked through my head. The hillock trembled.
Over
the gate danced the lightning. Its crackling fingers quested down thick-crossed
slabs of iron, seared flesh. Emblazoned as they tumbled were those six-legged
amphibians, their streamered tails lashing, scaled, fangful heads thrown back
in dismay. I saw their afterimage: beryl and cinnabar, aglow upon the storm.
Then their charred remains splashed into oblivion, spun away on the fast
current.
“Down!”
One man shouted, the other shoved me, and as I staggered to kneel in the
sedges, the god that washed this land shook it, grumbling. I crouched on my
hands and knees on the bucking sod, between them. Little protection could they
offer up against shaking earth and searing sky, not even for themselves,
without divorcing themselves from the reality they had come here to explore.
And that they would not do.
Wind from the Abyss is the third volume in Janet Morris'
classic Silistra Quartet, continuing one woman's quest for self-realization in
a distant tomorrow.
Aristocrat. Outcast. Picara. Slave. Ruler .... She is
descended from the masters of the universe. To hold her he challenges the gods
themselves.
Praise for Janet Morris' Silistra Quartet:
"The amazing and erotic adventures of the most
beautiful courtesan in tomorrow's universe." -- Fred Pohl
"Engrossing characters in a marvelous adventure."
-- Charles N. Brown, Locus Magazine.
"The best single example of prostitution used in
fantasy is Janet Morris' Silistra series." -- Anne K. Kahler, The
Picara: From Hera to Fantasy Heroine.
This Perseid Press Author's Cut Edition is revised and
expanded by the author and presented in a format designed to enhance your
reading experience with larger, easy-to-read print, more generous margins, and
covers designed for these premium editions.
Wind from the Abyss starts with this . . .
"Since, at the beginning of this tale, I did not
recollect myself nor retain even the slightest glimmer of such understanding as
would have led me to an awareness of the significance of the various
occurrences that transpired at the Lake of Horns, I am adding this preface,
though it was no part of my initial conception, that the meaningfulness of the
events described by "Khys' Estri" (as I have come to think of the
shadow-self I was while the dharen held my skills and memory in abeyance) not
be withheld from you as they were from me. I knew myself not: I was Estri
because the girl Carth supposedly found wandering in the forest stripped of
comprehension and identity chose that name. There, perhaps, lies the greatest
irony of all, that I named myself anew after Estri Hadrath diet Estrazi, who in
reality I had once been. And perhaps it is not irony at all, but an expression
of Khys' humor, an implicit dissertation by him who structured my experiences,
my very thoughts, for nearly two years, until his audacity drove him to bring
together once more Sereth crill Tyris, past-Slayer, then the outlawed Ebvrasea,
then arrar to the dharen himself; Chayin rendi Inekte, cahndor of Nemar,
co-cahndor of the Taken Lands, chosen son of Tar-Kesa, and at that time Khys'
puppet-vassal; and myself, former Well-Keepress, tiask of Nemar, and lastly
becoming the chaldless outlaw who had come to judgment and endured ongoing
retribution at the dharen's hands. To test his hesting, his power over owkahen,
the time-coming-to-be, did Khys put us together, all three, in his Day-Keeper's
city -- and from that moment onward, the Weathers of Life became fixed:
siphoned into a singular future; sealed tight as a dead god in his mausoleum,
whose every move brought him closer to the sum total, obliteration. So did the
dharen Khys bespeak it, himself. . ."
“Morris, so good
at giving us characters we can identify with, characters we can love and hate,
strikes at the very heart of the human condition and the duality of humanity —
both good and evil. Her prose is lean and spot-on, every word carefully chosen to
enhance the milieu of her imaginary world and advance the plot, giving us
access to the thoughts, emotions and machinations of the people whose stories
she is presenting to us. Once again, she gives us a “thinking man’s” science
fiction/fantasy that explores the nature of power and sexuality, and how they
can be used, misused and abused. This is a brilliant, mature and very adult
novel that will not only leave you thinking about your own place in the
universe, but questioning the very nature of existence.” – Goodreads reviewer
Dystopia. Biology shapes reality. The further adventures of
the most beautiful courtesan in the galaxies of tomorrow.
She had the power to create planets. The sixty carved bones
of the Yris-tera foretold her ancient fate. Her heritage of power took her
beyond time and space and stole from her the one man she loved.
Enslaved on the planet Silistra, tomorrow's most beautiful
courtesan unleashes the powers of the gods.
What readers
are saying:
“Pure excellence…. A heroic quest of the highest
calibre.” - Goodreads
“This is a book which makes one’s blood sing and one’s
mind ponder. I loved the first in the series and enjoyed this as much, perhaps
more. The ending leaves the reader desperate to know what happens to Estri next
– courtesan, slave, warrior, lover, rebel. What is next for our heroine?” –
Goodreads
“Call it what you like: science fiction, space opera,
sword and planet or erotic fantasy . . . The Golden Sword is all these things,
and so much more. A highly intelligent and sensual novel filled with ideas and
revelations, this is a gripping story that explores human sexuality and the
role it plays in politics. Although the memorable characters are bisexual, toss
away all your preconceived notions, for there is a humanity, a strength of will
and determination, a realism and depth of emotion to these characters that will
have you thinking twice about all you know and all you think you know. This is
a book for mature and discerning readers who like some meat on the bones of the
books they read. Janet Morris led the way for all the science fiction authors, both
male and female, who came after. “ – Joe Bonadonna, Goodreads
One woman's mythic search for self-realization in a distant tomorrow...
Her sensuality was at the core of her world, her quest beyond the civilized
stars.
Aristocrat. Outcast. Picara. Slave. Ruler.
"Engrossing characters in a marvelous adventure." - Charles N. Brown,
Locus Magazine
"The amazing and erotic adventures of the most beautiful courtesan in
tomorrow's universe" - Frederik Pohl
"The best single example of prostitution used in fantasy is Janet Morris'
Silistra series... Estri's character is most like that of Ishtar who describes
herself as "'a prostitute compassionate am I'" because she
"symbolizes the creative submission to the demands of instinct, to the
chaos of nature ...the free woman, as opposed to the domesticated woman".
Linking Estri with these lunar and water symbols is not difficult because of
the moon's eternal virginity (the strength of integrity) links with her changeability
(the prostitute's switching of lovers). [...]
Morris strengthens the moon imagery by having Estri as a
well-keepress because wells, fountains, and the moon as the orb which controls
water have long been associated with fertility, [...] In a sense, she is like
the moon because she is apparently eternal, never waxing or waning except in
her pursuit of the quest; she is the prototypical wanderer like the moon and
Ishtar. She is the eternal night symbol of the moon in opposition to the
Day-Keepers [...]
At her majority (her
three hundredth birthday), she is given a silver-cubed hologram letter from her
mother, containing a videotape of her conception by the savage bronzed
barbarian god from another world. [...] If Estri's mother then acts as a bawd,
willing her lineage as Well-Keepress to her daughter, then Estri's
great-grandmother Astria as foundress of the Well becomes a further mother-bawd
figure when she offers her prophetic advice in her letter: "Guard Astria
for you may lose it, and more. Beware of one who is not as he seems. Stray not
in the port city of Baniev ...look well about you, for your father's daughter's
brother seeks you". Having no brother that she knows of does not stay
Estri from undertaking the heroic quest of finding her father."
- Anne K. Kaler, The
Picara: From Hera to Fantasy Heroine
Best selling author Janet Morris began writing in 1976 and
published more than 30 novels, many co-authored with her husband Chris Morris
or others. She contributed short fiction to the shared universe fantasy series
Thieves World, in which she created the Sacred Band of Stepsons, a mythical
unit of ancient fighters modeled on the Sacred Band of Thebes. She created,
orchestrated, and edited the Bangsian fantasy series Heroes in Hell, writing
stories for the series as well as co-writing the related novel, The Little
Helliad, with Chris Morris. She wrote the bestselling Silistra Quartet in the
1970s, including High Couch of Silistra, The Golden Sword, Wind from the Abyss,
and The Carnelian Throne. This quartet had more than four million copies in
Bantam print alone, and was translated into German, French, Italian, Russian
and other languages. In the 1980s, Baen Books released a second edition of this
landmark series. The third edition is the Author's Cut edition, newly revised
by the author for Perseid Press. Most of her fiction work has been in the
fantasy and science fiction genres, although she has also written historical
and other novels. Morris has written, contributed to, or edited several
book-length works of non-fiction, as well as papers and articles on nonlethal
weapons, developmental military technology and other defense and national
security topics.
Janet said: 'People often ask what book to read first. I
recommend "I, the Sun" if you like ancient history; "The Sacred
Band," a novel, if you like heroic fantasy; "Lawyers in Hell" if
you like historical fantasy set in hell; "Outpassage" if you like
hard science fiction; "High Couch of Silistra" if you like far-future
dystopian or philosophical novels. I am most enthusiastic about the definitive
Perseid Press Author's Cut editions, which I revised and expanded.'
