Randall Carlson is one of the prophets of the Younger Dryas theory of cataclysmic human history. Here's his take on Plato and the legend of Atlantis and where it could have once been. 

#youtube #blackseagods #chroniclesoffuxi #youngerdryas #cataclysm #randallcarlson #grahamhancock #brianlbraden #epic #historicalfiction #epicfantasy #saga #atlantis

If you enjoyed this blog, please like the post and leave a comment or if you're feeling brave, share it on social media. This platform is my entire advertising budget and is how I share the word on my books. Also visit my Facebook, my author page and check out my fiction books here book here. 

This video on the Uncharted X channel does a good job summarizing the heart of the Younger Dryas theory. If you're new to the subject, this short video encapsulates the concept well. 

#youtube #blackseagods #chroniclesoffuxi #youngerdryas #cataclysm #randallcarlson #grahamhancock #brianlbraden #epic #historicalfiction #epicfantasy #saga #atlantis

If you enjoyed this blog, please like the post and leave a comment or if you're feeling brave, share it on social media. This platform is my entire advertising budget and is how I share the word on my books. Also visit my Facebook, my author page and check out my fiction books here book here.

It's 4:39 a.m. on book release day for "The Bastard Gods." I made a cup of coffee, turned on Spotify with Sammy Hagar's "Eagles Fly" blasting in my head phones and sat down to kick off the next chapter in a personal journey that started a decade ago. It's a great morning. 

Almost seven years in the making, "The Bastard Gods" is finally on sale! I dedicated this one to the readers who stuck with me. I hope this latest chapter in The Chronicles of Fu Xi meets  your expectations. I'd also like to thank my editor, Keri Karandrakis, as well as Michael G. Manning for recommending her to me. 

Why did it take so long? This was the most difficult book I've ever written, and the easiest. Getting the massive plot turned in the direction I wanted was difficult. The characters, however, helped whenever they could by writing themselves.  It's a long book, and a complicated plot, but that's not the only reason this took almost seven years. Writing two other books in the meantime, and producing an audiobook, didn't help. Along the way, I also got bit by the photography bug (Big Time).  Photography distractions probably added about two years to the endeavor. Mostly, though, I got discouraged. (also Big Time.) 

Getting discouraged is as common for indie writers, or maybe even all writers. There were a few times I almost quit and decided not to finish the series. It just wasn't one thing that dragged me back to finishing it, but several: 

First, I wanted to be a positive example for my kids. I taught them to start what you finish, and do the best job you can. My oldest is entering a career in the creative arts, and I'm sure he is going to get discouraged from time to time, too. Ryan, I won't quit, so you don't either!

Next, sheer stubbornness.  I pitched the series to a big-time editor in 2011. She shook her head and said, "Too ambitious for a new writer. You probably won't finish."  Three down, one to go, lady. You were wrong.  

Also, there is a wonderful reader who kept sending me really cool t-shirts.  I didn't want to let her down, either.  Thank you, Helen.I still have them all.

Finally, who am I kidding? I'm not a quitter. I was going to finish this book no matter what, just like I'm going to finish the next one. 

What can I tell you about this novel? It's bigger and grander than the first two in the series. "The Bastard Gods"  has more action than the previous books. It honors the world's great legends and myths, with just enough actual history thrown in to make it unique. And it is unique. You will find nothing like it on the book shelves. It is my sincerest hope you give it a try.

If you haven't experienced my epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Fu Xi, it's a great time to pick it up. This week I'm running a promotion where the first two novels are free on eBook. Just click on the hyperlinks and download them to your device.

Once again, thanks to all the readers who stuck it out during the long drought. This one is for you. 

All titles by Brian L. Braden are either on sale or free in e-book from now until 15 July. 

the illusion exotic in e-book is FREE through 11 July! This diverse short story collection is a great introduction to the style and prose of Brian L. Braden.

Brian L. Braden presents six tales of souls turning life’s corners. From the Old West, to the edge of space, six people must learn to abandon the illusions that feed their fears, and trust in love, friendship, and their own courage.

The end of the world is bad enough, but its worse when you’re a kid. For little Anant, hope comes in the most unlikely of forms, the voice of Captain James T. Kirk. However, in "Spaceship Name", hope does not come without a price.

In "Green", a young pilot’s courage and fledgling skills are tested to the limit in the pitch black skies above a treacherous battlefield. In one terrifying moment, she will either lead her crew to triumph, or perish.

A former Civil War soldier embarks on a quest on behalf of his former commander. He expects to find outlaws and gunslingers in the high deserts of New Mexico, but instead stumbles upon death incarnate in "The Cave."

After a long day, second grade teacher Margaret Nichols only wants to go home, run a warm bath, and open her wrists. Fate has other plans, however, in the form of a bloodstained Bible and "The Boy in the Hole."

On a Saturday night, high school nerd Mike faces a tough choice: pursue a chance for romance with a popular cheerleader, or hang with Todd, his best friend and notorious loser. What he doesn’t know is his decision will mean life and death, and forever go down in history as the "Incident at the West Flatte Dairy Queen." 

"Carson’s Love" takes the reader into the lives of the Campbells, a family falling apart. Megan and Rob have become so lost in their own lives, they’re about to lose each other. Then, while giving their baby a bath, Rob Campbell makes a startling discovery, and their world suddenly turns upside down.
​

THE GOLDEN PRINCESS is free on e-book through 11 July!  Enter the world of THE CHRONICLES OF FU XI with this stand-alone prequel to this ground-breaking epic fantasy series.

"Escape the City of Gold, or live forever in chains."

Raised in splendid isolation.
Betrothed to a man she despises.
Destined to rule over the greatest city on earth.
She is the Golden Princess.

Sarah dreams of love and adventure beyond her gilded prison, but tonight her dreams come true in the most terrifying way imaginable. A bloody power struggle erupts for the throne, and dawn finds the princess on the run with a bounty on her head. Alone and hunted by guards, criminals and a ruthless slaver who will stop at nothing to burn his brand into her flesh, Sarah must summon courage she never knew she possessed.  

Hope, however, comes in the form of two lowly thieves. Driven by a secret, they race through Hur-ar’s underworld to find Sarah before her enemies do.

Before the next sunset, Sarah’s fate, and that of empires, will be decided with gold, steel and blood.

THE CHRONICLES OF FU XI, Volume 1 and 2 e-books are discounted 9-15 July! 

Semifinalist, 2013 Kindle Book Reviews Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book of the Year! 

The fish have disappeared from the sea. The animals have vanished from the land. All humanity, and even the gods, tremble under the specter of a pending cataclysm. The demigod, Fu Xi, races home from the edge of the world bringing news of a looming god war, but finds his land under attack by monsters he once called his children. He discovers a terrible curse has been cast, one intended to destroy the gods and all life. To his shock, Fu Xi learns that mankind's last hope rests solely on him, a simple fisherman, and a banished slave girl.

Beset on all sides by ancient foes, both immortal and mundane, Fu Xi knows he must act quickly and races west to rescue the saviors. Unaware of the real doom that awaits, Aizarg the fisherman and his party begin a perilous journey across a dangerous steppe. They seek the last of the Narim, the legendary Black Sea Gods, who hold the key to their salvation. Leading them is the rescued slave girl Sarah, the only one among them who knows the path to the land of the god-men.

Over seven days, the defining struggle of gods and humans begins under the onslaught of a powerful force whose true objective and origin remain a mystery. Fu Xi knows the secret to victory resides in the fisherman and the slave girl, whose lives he must protect, even if it means the rest of the world must perish! 

***

If you enjoyed any Graham Hancock's books, you will love BLACK SEA GODS. BLACK SEA GODS transforms recently re-discovered Black Sea legends, possibly the root of all Eurasian mythology, with ancient Chinese mythology to create an unprecedented epic fantasy series.  Find out more about this series at blackseagods.com

I'm interrupting my blog series on the Bible for a brief update on my writing  progress. 

As a way of saying "I'm sorry this is taking so long" to my readers, here is an unedited sample from my upcoming novel THE CHRONICLES OF FU XI, Book 3: THE BASTARD GODS.

I'm making slow but steady progress and I am still hoping for a 2018 release. 

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The Demon Fish

The two men stood, side-by-side at the barge’s edge, in comfortable contemplation as if pondering something so casual as an afternoon swim. Arms crossed, Levidi rested all his weight on one leg like a crane, scratching the back of his calf with his toe. Ghalen leaned lazily on his crooked spear and scratched his nose. They talked softly as the enormous fin sliced slowly back and forth in the gentle waves a few yards away. 

“They’re not serious, are they?” Ezra whispered to Sana. “It’s almost a third the length of the barge.”

“Yes,” she replied flatly. Sana had seen this scene many times before among her people, the Scythians. It was the way men spoke to one another before the hunt, or before battle. These were murmurs of strategy, scheming or just mischief.
A crowd of men and boys gathered behind Sana and Ezra, careful not to get close enough to the edge, lest they unbalance the barge. 

“It’s too far,” Levidi kept his voice level, but Sana could detect his excitement at the size of the monster cruising just below the surface. 

“I wonder how it tastes?” Ghalen squinted, as if in deep thought. 
​
“I bet its wondering the same thing,” Sana remarked just loud enough to ensure being heard. 

Ghalen ignored her. 

“Its hide looks tough,” Levidi pondered. 

“Yes,” Ghalen raised his eyebrow. That it does. The spear may not penetrate.” 

“Perhaps its hide is tough enough to repair our deck bindings.” Okta stepped alongside Sana, followed by Alaya.

“Don’t encourage them!” Sana gave Okta a not-so-gentle shove to the laughter of the crowd.

Okta shrugged. “It’s just a fish.”

“Men are all the same. Not a shred of sense.” Sana remembered how a much smaller demon fish had sliced a sea dog in two with just a bite. This one looked like it could swallow a man whole. Sana looked around for Aizarg. She spotted him on the opposite end of the barge, back to them and staring off into the distance. 

He will be of no help, she thought. 

The demon fish began to slowly cruise closely alongside the barge. Levidi, Ghalen and the gallery followed. 

“We’re going to have to jab it if we stand any chance of puncturing the skin,” Levidi said. 

Ghalen’s shook his head. “It’s too far for a spear jab, I’ll have to throw.” 

Levidi pursed his lips and looked as if calculating the distance.  “You’ll just lose the spear.” 

“That twig isn’t going to penetrate that thing’s skin.” Arms crossed and losing her patience, Sana followed a few paces behind. Behind them, the Lo straggled along, heads craning and murmuring expectantly. 

The sun lorded high above, the dappling reflections making it difficult for Sana to see. The big gray fin, three hands high, sliced back and forth as if daring the men to attack. 

Ezra leaned toward Sana and spoke in a low tone, “Even if they do spear it, how are they going to get it on the barge?” 

“I have no idea.”

After a few more minutes of discussion, they agreed to let Ghalen throw the spear. 

“Remember, that is my spear,” Levidi reminded.

 “I’ll keep that in mind.” Ghalen screwed up his face in concentration and brushed back his thick blonde hair. Then, he cocked back his arm.

Ghalen’s skill with the spear always amazed Sana, and was legendary among the Lo. If any man here had a chance of slaying the beast, it was him. 

The wooden tip hit dead square behind the shark’s head, and bounced off harmlessly. It landed with a weak splash before beginning to drift away.

Levidi shrugged. “Tough fish.”

Ghalen nodded. “It will take metal to punch through that hide.”

They looked at one another and, as if reading each others’s thoughts, grinned knowingly.

“I know that look.” Alaya grabbed Sana’s arm. “He’s about to do something stupid.”

Ghalen and Levidi simultaneously drew their daggers from their loin-cloth straps. 

“They’re not…” Sana looked on in disbelief.

“They are!” Ezra smiled broadly and snatched the knife from his loincloth. 

“One of us takes the top, the other the bottom,” Ghalen said.

“Fair enough, stay clear of its tail,” Levidi gave each of his legs a brief shake to limber up.

“Good point.”

“Jaws, too”

“Another good point.”

“Levidi! Stop this foolishness,” Alaya screamed.

“It’s okay, my song bird. Me and Ghalen know what we’re doing.”

“Ghalen?” Sana asked incredulously. 

“It’s just a fish,” he winked at her.

“It’s a fish as big as a wooly rhino with the teeth of a lion!”

Ghalen and Levidi nodded at one another and, knives drawn, a moment later jumped on top of the beast.

A mighty cheer went up from the Lo.

Ezra scrambled to join them, but Sana snatched him back by the arm. “Don’t be stupid. You swim worse than I do.”

Knife between his teeth, Levidi dove deep as Ghalen grabbed the beast’s dorsal fin and plunged his blade just ahead of the fin.

The water exploded in spray and blood. The beast rolled and thrashed, and Sana finally saw the monster’s true size... and its teeth. Each bigger than a lion’s tooth, they stood in jagged rows. If either man lost their grip, the creature would spin about and rend them to pieces. Just as bad, its crescent-shaped tail would smash them. 

Sana shuddered as she finally got a look at the beast’s eyes, which were unlike anything she’s ever seen in a fish or land dwelling creature.  They were like obsidian stones, lifeless and cold. 

Every roll revealed Levidi clinging  to the pectoral fin; each stab created a brief red bloom on the it’s underbelly before the sea washed away the blood. Ghalen held on to a dorsal fin and sliced bloody ribbons down the beast’s back. 

Okta looked on, though to Sana he didn’t seem concerned. “Ezra, go fetch one of the two good coils of rope from my raft.”

Ezra slowly backed away, as if unable to take his eyes off the battle. 

“Go, son. We’re going to need that rope soon.”

The beast suddenly snapped its body into a “U” shape, shrugging Ghalen off its fin. Before Sana could register what was happening, the fish snapped the other way, slapping Ghalen with its tail so violently he sailed out of the water and onto the deck, bowling over several men lined up along the edge. His knife skittered along the deck and stopped as Sana’s feet. 
​
Okta clenched his knife between his teeth and dove in, followed by most of the Lo men. Soon, men covered the demon fish like ants, knives piercing and slashing. 

Ghalen lay unmoving, a large red abrasive rash on his chest weeping blood in some places.  Sana dropped to her knees beside him, shaking his chest. 

Alaya knelt beside her. “He’s not breathing!”

“Ghalen!” Sana pushed on his chest, trying to rouse him. 

Ghalen reached up and grabbed Sana by the back of the neck, pulling her down and kissing her hard. He rolled over on top of her, and pressed his body against hers. At first, she resisted, but  Ghalen pressed her arms over her head, and inserted his hips between her legs. She began to melt as his tongue, and the tang of salt and blood, filled her mouth and ignited her Scythian blood. 

He pressed harder. She pressed back, and let a moan escape.

Alaya scooted back and giggled. 

“Sana?” Ghalen whispered tenderly. 

“Yes?” Sana panted and fought the urge to push her pelvis harder against his. 

“Where’s my knife?”

She looked at him oddly, wondering if she heard him correctly. 

He glanced left and his face lit up. “There it is!” He snatched it off the deck, scrambled up and leapt back into the water to join the melee.

Cool air invaded the spaces where hot flesh once covered. Sana exhaled and covered her face with her hands. “I hope the beast bites his head off.”

Alaya giggled again. 
 

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Did you like the sample but haven't read any of my books? Begin the adventure with the historical fantasy novel BLACK SEA GODS.