The Brain that Breeds All Villainy

 

Speculative Fiction

Date Published: December 5, 2025

IZON is a company poised for world domination. Its AI and robots can replace any human worker, any government. Just two things stand in the way of its CEO. A female programmer out to avenge his greed. And the People’s Republic of China.

Tima Chelovekova lands her dream job with IZON, the hottest AI and robotics startup in Silicon Valley. But IZON CEO Jase Vestiger doesn't just want to get fabulously rich. He wants Tima’s invention to take over rival tech companies, replace humans with IZON services, corner governments - and run the world. This puts them on a collision course in a whirl of mega-corporations, AI prompts and Chinese hackers. Their conflict spans from Vienna to California, from superyachts to prison cells, from the peaks of technology to the deepest ethical questions. A striking tale of the AI age, a truly 21st century masterpiece of speculative fiction.

 

About the Author

 

 Peter Heavenheld is a neo-classical playwright and poet. A childhood in Australia, Fiji, Hungary and Japan made him desirous early on to understand the cultures and stories of the world - especially through the medium of theatre. Since then, his plays have been produced all over the world. His most recent tragedy, Cleo's Stratos, received rave reviews durings its season at the Cracked Actors Theatre in Melbourne, Australia, in November 2023. A Greek-Australian migrant family's journey through lockdowns, it was cleverly intertwined with the Greek myth of the sun-god, Helios. Peter's tragicomedy, Life, Rehearsed, enjoyed sell-out performances during a production by the MIDAS Theatre, Moscow's main English-speaking theatre. British actor Jonathan Salway starred as an actor living a bigamous double life, until his lies unravel - and he finds redemption. True Words from False Teeth, a Monty Pythonesque sketch revue, ran successfully at the University of Western Australia in Perth. He has also had public reading performances of numerous other plays, such as Saga Australis - The Macquariad (a historical drama about Australia's most influential colonial-era governor) and Freedom Born from Torture's Fires (a harrowing true story of Soviet spy chief and mass murderer, Lavrentiy Beria). Peter's poem Concerto for Auctioneer’s Mallet was a June Shenfield Poetry Award prize winner in Canberra, Australia, in 2021. Peter published a collection of his verse tragedies, Altar of the Muses, in 2010. Peter lives in Tokyo, Japan. When not writing, he enjoys driving his classic Aston Martin, experiencing Tokyo's galleries and museums, and listening to Baroque music. Indeed, he claims he can only write when inspired by the music of Antonio Vivaldi. The Brain that Breeds all Villainy is his first published novel.

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In Her Own Backyard

 

Thriller

Date Published: March 26, 2026

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

Every street holds a secret . . .

 

New to the neighborhood and reeling from the traumatic birth of her second child, Marlowe Moore is barely holding it together. Battling postpartum depression and anxiety, she’s desperate for stability.

But when she learns that a woman who once lived in her family’s new home vanished without a trace, Marlowe becomes obsessed. As strange things happen and neighborly smiles feel like veiled threats, Marlowe can’t shake the feeling that someone is hiding something.

She spirals further into paranoia, fixated on the abandoned case and determined to seek justice. But how can a woman who feels lost find a missing person?

Juggling the demands of her beloved family and her harrowing mental illness, Marlowe doesn’t realize she is caught in a cat-and-mouse game that could cost her everything … including her life.

 

About the Author

 

 Ashley Hanna-Morgan is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) certified in perinatal mental health (PMH-C). In addition to her work as a psychotherapist, she writes about mental health to advocate for change and inspire hope. In 2016, she wrote The Afterglow, a mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy curriculum that supports parents with postpartum depression and anxiety. In 2017, she published I Gave Birth to My Heart, a collection of poems about the secret anguishes and innumerable joys of reinventing oneself after postpartum depression.

When she isn’t counseling clients or volunteering with Postpartum Support International, Ashley loves to experiment in the kitchen and spend as much time outside as possible in San Diego, where she resides with her family. In Her Own Backyard is her first novel.

In Her Own Backyard

 

Thriller

Date Published: March 26, 2026

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

Every street holds a secret . . .

 

New to the neighborhood and reeling from the traumatic birth of her second child, Marlowe Moore is barely holding it together. Battling postpartum depression and anxiety, she’s desperate for stability.

But when she learns that a woman who once lived in her family’s new home vanished without a trace, Marlowe becomes obsessed. As strange things happen and neighborly smiles feel like veiled threats, Marlowe can’t shake the feeling that someone is hiding something.

She spirals further into paranoia, fixated on the abandoned case and determined to seek justice. But how can a woman who feels lost find a missing person?

Juggling the demands of her beloved family and her harrowing mental illness, Marlowe doesn’t realize she is caught in a cat-and-mouse game that could cost her everything … including her life.

 

About the Author

 

 Ashley Hanna-Morgan is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) certified in perinatal mental health (PMH-C). In addition to her work as a psychotherapist, she writes about mental health to advocate for change and inspire hope. In 2016, she wrote The Afterglow, a mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy curriculum that supports parents with postpartum depression and anxiety. In 2017, she published I Gave Birth to My Heart, a collection of poems about the secret anguishes and innumerable joys of reinventing oneself after postpartum depression.

When she isn’t counseling clients or volunteering with Postpartum Support International, Ashley loves to experiment in the kitchen and spend as much time outside as possible in San Diego, where she resides with her family. In Her Own Backyard is her first novel.

The Brain that Breeds All Villainy

 

Speculative Fiction

Date Published: December 5, 2025

IZON is a company poised for world domination. Its AI and robots can replace any human worker, any government. Just two things stand in the way of its CEO. A female programmer out to avenge his greed. And the People’s Republic of China.

Tima Chelovekova lands her dream job with IZON, the hottest AI and robotics startup in Silicon Valley. But IZON CEO Jase Vestiger doesn't just want to get fabulously rich. He wants Tima’s invention to take over rival tech companies, replace humans with IZON services, corner governments - and run the world. This puts them on a collision course in a whirl of mega-corporations, AI prompts and Chinese hackers. Their conflict spans from Vienna to California, from superyachts to prison cells, from the peaks of technology to the deepest ethical questions. A striking tale of the AI age, a truly 21st century masterpiece of speculative fiction.

 

About the Author

 

 Peter Heavenheld is a neo-classical playwright and poet. A childhood in Australia, Fiji, Hungary and Japan made him desirous early on to understand the cultures and stories of the world - especially through the medium of theatre. Since then, his plays have been produced all over the world. His most recent tragedy, Cleo's Stratos, received rave reviews durings its season at the Cracked Actors Theatre in Melbourne, Australia, in November 2023. A Greek-Australian migrant family's journey through lockdowns, it was cleverly intertwined with the Greek myth of the sun-god, Helios. Peter's tragicomedy, Life, Rehearsed, enjoyed sell-out performances during a production by the MIDAS Theatre, Moscow's main English-speaking theatre. British actor Jonathan Salway starred as an actor living a bigamous double life, until his lies unravel - and he finds redemption. True Words from False Teeth, a Monty Pythonesque sketch revue, ran successfully at the University of Western Australia in Perth. He has also had public reading performances of numerous other plays, such as Saga Australis - The Macquariad (a historical drama about Australia's most influential colonial-era governor) and Freedom Born from Torture's Fires (a harrowing true story of Soviet spy chief and mass murderer, Lavrentiy Beria). Peter's poem Concerto for Auctioneer’s Mallet was a June Shenfield Poetry Award prize winner in Canberra, Australia, in 2021. Peter published a collection of his verse tragedies, Altar of the Muses, in 2010. Peter lives in Tokyo, Japan. When not writing, he enjoys driving his classic Aston Martin, experiencing Tokyo's galleries and museums, and listening to Baroque music. Indeed, he claims he can only write when inspired by the music of Antonio Vivaldi. The Brain that Breeds all Villainy is his first published novel.

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Surrendering To You Priestly Family Series Book 3 by Sharon C. Cooper Genre: Contemporary Romance

 

His betrayal cost him the only woman he has ever loved. 

Now, he’s determined to win her back.

Surrendering To You

Priestly Family Series Book 3

by Sharon C. Cooper

Genre: Contemporary Romance

His betrayal cost him the only woman he has ever loved. Now, he’s determined to win her back.

 

On the football field Tristan Whitmore might be an MVP, but after a recent career-ending injury, his world is flipped upside down. He takes little comfort in his many NFL achievements and a bank account bulging with more money than he could ever spend. His life feels like it’s over… until he reconnects with the one woman he’s never forgotten. Too bad she hates him.

 

Entertainment lawyer, Cree Priestly is not the forgiving type. Betray her once, and you’re dead to her. Which is why Tristan will never get a second chance with her. She lost too much the last time he charmed her into falling in love with him. Letting that happen again would make her a fool. But when he kisses her, all the buried memories of love, desire, and passionate nights come rushing back.

 

But can Cree afford to surrender her heart to Tristan again? Or are some betrayals impossible to move past?

 

*All books in this series can be read as standalones.

 

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“Oh boy. Don’t look now, but your—”

“He’s not my anything,” Cree ground out. “And I think this is a good time to end our visit. I need to get going anyway. We can talk about Dorian’s wedding later.”

“Cree, stop. Just talk to him. It’s been years, and you both deserve some closure.”

“I got closure when I told him to lose my damn telephone number and to go to hell.”

Cree knew she was being a jerk, but Tristan was still a sore topic with her. Seeing him again brought back too many memories, and they weren’t all good.

She gathered her large bag, which doubled as a purse and laptop carrier, and then she grabbed her trash.

“I’m out of here,” she said and blew her sister a kiss before walking away.

If Cree was lucky, she might be able to slip past Tristan without him seeing her. He’d been forced to retire from the NFL, the National Football League, after an injury, and she’d heard he had moved back to Chicago.

God, she hoped that wasn’t true. They probably traveled in the same circles, and that would mean there was a good chance she’d run into him more than she’d prefer.

Taking advantage of the crowd that surrounded him, Cree moved around the perimeter of the space and kept her head down while making her way to the door. She had barely touched the handle before she jolted from the feel of a large hand on her hip.

She froze, but not before a zap of energy flowed through her body at his touch. She knew that touch. Hell, she’d feel that touch even if she had on three layers of clothing. Tristan had always had that effect on her.

 “Cree, wait. We need to talk,” he said by way of greeting. His deep baritone sent goosebumps racing over her skin. She didn’t want to talk, and she sure as hell didn’t want to look at him, but she had to.

When she turned to face him, anger nipped at every nerve in her body. Damn him for looking so good. He was still the finest man on the face of the planet with honey-brown skin, eyes the color of almonds with flecks of gold around his irises, and twin dimples in his cheeks.

As if knowing she was admiring his beautiful face, he amped up his smile, and she cursed under her breath.

Damn those twin dimples. The ones deep enough in his cheeks to stick her fingers in. And damn him for flashing them so freely in public knowing they were babe magnets.

“We have nothing to talk about,” she spat, anger lacing the words.

“On the contrary, baby. We have a lot to discuss.”

Cree turned from him and moved just beyond the threshold, but he held on to the back of her jacket while he stood in the doorway. He didn’t seem to care he was blocking the entrance, keeping anyone from entering or exiting. The small crowd that had formed around him minutes ago was still there, vying for the attention of the other former NFL player whose name had slipped her mind.

As for Tristan, Cree didn’t want to talk to him. That would only encourage him to keep showing up everywhere she went.

No, she needed to stay as far away from the man as possible. His presence was a hindrance to her peace of mind. It was because of him that she had trust issues, especially when it came to men. He was the reason she had taken on the motto—don’t let anyone get too close because in the end they’ll only betray you.

“The old Cree didn’t run from anything,” he said, his voice lowered. “Yet, you’ve run from me twice in a matter of weeks.”

Her jaw clenched and unclenched. “The old Cree would’ve already kneed you in the balls to make you release my jacket. Either let me go or...”

Tristan flinched, then quickly released her jacket and chuckled. “I see you’re still mean as hell.” The words weren’t spoken in a negative way. There was humor in his tone and in his eyes. “Please,” he said, all humor wiped from his face. “I really do need to talk to you.”

Cree searched his eyes and saw the sincerity in them. She almost gave in to his request until she remembered—she hated him.

“There’s nothing for us to discuss. As a matter of fact, forget you ever saw me, and if you see me out and about, don’t even look at me.

“And on that note, goodbye, Tristan.”

Now all she had to do was forget she’d ever seen him. Which might be easier said than done.

Don’t miss the rest of the series! They can be read as standalones!

Believing In You

Priestly Family Series Book 1

Amazon * More Links

Finding You

Priestly Family Series Book 2

Amazon * More Links

USA Today bestselling author Sharon C. Cooper loves anything involving romance with a happily-ever-after, whether in books, movies, or real life. She writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, as well as romantic comedy. She enjoys rainy days, carpet picnics, and family game night. Her stories have won numerous awards, including The Rochelle Alers Best Series award for her Atlanta’s Finest Series (2022) and The Beverly Jenkins Author of the Year award (2021). When she isn’t writing, Sharon loves hanging out with her amazing husband, doing volunteer work, or reading a good book (a romance of course). To read more about Sharon and her novels, or to sign up to be notified of her latest releases, visit www.sharoncooper.net

 

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Ceremony of Innocence

 

 

Literary / Historical Fiction

Date Published: 12-02-2025

Publisher: Scrivener Quill

It is June 1924 when an inquisitive but skeptical Gemma Danforth graduates from Wellesley College. Despite a loving family, an idyllic New England girlhood, and family summers in the Hamptons, little had assuaged her doubts Now, with college behind them, she and two classmates leave America bound for post war France where they will be immersed in the pulsating culture of European modernism. While in France, she reunites with her Paris based parents, and, in Nice, amidst its creative ferment, she falls in love with Rhys, a British aristocrat and ex-pat journalist. During this year spent along the Cote d’Azur, encounters with Sara and Gerald Murphy, Somerset Maugham, Zelda, Isadora Duncan and others, adds a depth and richness to the ambience of le midi. And so begins the process of displacing her doubts.

She and Rhys return to American where their values collide with antithetical and alien attitudes. It is these experiences that come to challenge long-held beliefs and provide a vivid counterpoint to their recent immersion in the Modernist aesthetic and world view.

Resolved to return to France, Gemma shares a final day in America with Gerald Murphy at his ocean front Hampton estate. As this unhurried afternoon unfolds, it becomes clear that Gemma’s skepticism and doubtfulness have been replaced with a clear-sighted maturity and hardened resolve. The next morning, aboard the Ile de France, Gemma and Rhys sail for France. 

Excerpt

“To us, America felt provincial, naïve, and unsophisticated. And there was, and there remains, a certain harshness to daily discourse. By 1920, the Eighteenth Amendment had passed. Prohibition was, and is, in full effect. Although this had been represented as a single-issue campaign, I saw it as a harbinger of evolving intolerance and threatening societal restrictions, ones which I personally found alien.

“But in moving to Antibes we were able to share in the vibrant efflorescence of modern culture that subsequently engulfed all it touched. Some of this seemed to have been a spontaneous outpouring, but was surely catalyzed by the concentration of artistic and creative talent that had populated that small area of southern France.

“I’m confident that some of this free expression was a result of the war’s end. Additionally, the secular traditions of French society, very different from the rigid religious influences plying early twentieth-century America, even encouraged it. It seemed that French culture afforded the liberty for one to be oneself without concern of retribution or shame.

“Likewise, I couldn’t have anticipated that our social circle would become one in which ideas were paramount. That’s not to say that visible and tangible accomplishments, even simple objects, weren’t important. Rather, they became conveyances for the expression of the new ways of thinking and seeing that had permeated our shared reality and become our common language.

“I was aware there were those who thought of us as affluent dilletantes who had traveled

 

About the Author

Stephen Asher is a graduate of UCLA and was subsequently educated at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, and St. Catherine’s College Oxford. His professional life was spent as a neurologist, often walking the fine line separating the mind from the brain, a vantage point which encouraged a perspective molded not only by the scientific and the rational but also shaped by the aesthetics of the senses. It is this unity of world view that fashions one of the novel’s central themes.

Asher and his wife were drawn to Idaho’s arid vistas, glistening rivers, and rugged skylines. As a travelling angler, he has pursued Atlantic salmon throughout their natural range, has sought sea run brown trout in Patagonia, and steelhead in his home waters in the Pacific Northwest. He and his wife have cycled much of France, and, during quiet times at home, he enjoys music and plays cello.

Previously, he has published essays, and short pieces in the British sporting literature. He is a member of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Society, the Barbara Pym Society, and is a proud supporter of PEN America. He lives in Idaho with his wife, adult children, and his bird dogs.

 

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By Dawn: The 13th House

  

Horror/paranormal

Date Published: 11-22-2025

Nine Tales. Nine Secrets. All Before Dawn.

In the shadow of Bloomstone Manor, a dilapidated estate hauntingly known as "Lily Lane", the veil between the living and the dead is impossibly thin. This collection of nine paranormal mystery stories explores inheritances, dark family legacies, and spectral demands, all bound by the Manor's enduring, dark influence.

This Halloween, meet the three students who dare to knock on the door of "The 13th House"—a black, unnumbered prison that holds the sinister secrets of the past. Their trick-or-treating leads them to a terrifying collection of artifacts: a bent spoon, a rusted key, and a doll's eye. Every artifact is a clue left by a child who vanished, whispering pleas for help from beyond the grave. The teens must solve the mystery and free the spirits before the night's magic fades, or they might become the next secret the old house keeps.

Every house has a debt. Every ghost has a tether. Uncover the restless spirits and broken promises that demand attention and resolution. When the clock strikes dawn, the secrets settle back into the dust and the lilies—and it may be too late.

Excerpt

Night of the Spirits 

 

Anthony pushed through the thick brush that had swallowed the old path. His friends told him the house was hidden somewhere ahead, rumored to be haunted. When he finally saw it, the place looked half-demolished, with climbing walls that had paint curling and peeling. Yet every window was perfectly intact.

He opened the front door. Stale, cold air rushed out, thick with dust. His footsteps echoed through the empty living room.As he moved down the hallway, the front door suddenly slammed. He spun around and ran back, and in that moment, he was sure he heard a whisper: Sam.The door wouldn’t budge. He was trapped. He tried the windows too none of them opened.

Again, the whisper came, louder this time. Sam.

“Who’s Sam? I’m not Sam!” he shouted.

A hiss answered him, followed by footsteps upstairs. Heart pounding, he raced up the stairs. At the top, he stopped and listened. The footsteps were clear, moving steadily into an empty room. He followed them.

Moonlight spilt across the floor through a bare window. The invisible footsteps crossed the room and came to a stop at the closet. Inside, there was only a small box containing a single book. The spirits wanted him to find it; maybe it would explain everything.

He lifted the book. It was an old, battered ledger. Inside, a name was written: Samuel. He began to read.I made a promise to the spirits trapped here. One of them is buried downstairs. I swore I would help free them with my rituals. I study the occult, and they own a golden statue worth a fortune. It must be used in the ritual. If I hide it now, I can return for it later. No one alive will see me take it.

Anthony reached deeper into the box and pulled out a loose page, a torn sheet from another book. It carried a chant and the instructions for a ritual to free spirits.A freezing gust swept through the room. Then a booming voice declared:“Complete the ritual by dawn, or be trapped here forever!”

“What am I supposed to do?” he asked the spirit.

Once again, he heard footsteps descending the stairs and followed them. Near the kitchen, the basement door creaked open. He cautiously stepped down the dark basement steps and saw the cloud-like spirit hovering over a crypt in the floor, where it looked like a ritual had been started over someone’s grave. Candles and matches were scattered nearby.

About the Author

 

Martha Wickham has a knack for finding the ghosts hidden in the dust. A lifelong student of the arcane and the artistic, Martha has an Associate's Degree and professional writing credentials, but she honed her skills in the thrilling shadows of screenwriting and horror. Martha lives for the secrets that only come out "By Dawn". You can discover more of her work, including her newest audiobooks, at your favorite retailer.

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