Smashwords End of Year Sale December 17, 2021 - January 1, 2022 - Exclusive deals on Indie Books

Award-winning author, Mary Ann Bernal, is participating in the Smashwords End of Year Sale

 (December 17, 2021 – January 1, 2022) 

  View Mary Ann's Smashwords profile page  HERE.

 Something for everyone by multi-genre author, Mary Ann Bernal.

The Briton and the Dane series - an action and adventure drama set in Dark Ages England when the Vikings terrorized the civilized world. A historical fiction romance collection featuring Concordia, a coming-of-age escapade, and Timeline, a fantasy time travel love story transcending time.

Planetary Wars Rise of an Empire - a science fiction/fantasy romantic adventure.

Crusader's Path - a historical fiction romance adventure set against the backdrop of the First Crusade.

Forgiving Nero - a Historical Biographical Fiction novel set in Ancient Rome when Emperor Nero ruled the Roman Empire.

Scribbler Tales - a multi-genre collection of short stories whose genres include the paranormal, action and adventure, mystery and thrillers, fantasy, romance, drama, and suspense. A single-author contemporary fiction anthology.

Planetary Wars Rise of an Empire by Mary Ann Bernal - hardcover edition now available

Caught up in a whirlwind romance, Anastasia Dennison, M.D., does not realize her husband is the terrifying dictator, Jayden Henry Shaw, who rules the galaxy with an iron fist while pretending to defend the vulnerable against the Imperial Forces of the Empire.

Denying the existence of widespread suffering, Anastasia ignores her principles as she embraces the spoils of war and takes her rightful place among the upper echelon of Terrenean society.

Will Anastasia continue to support her husband’s quest for complete domination of every world within the cosmos, or will she follow her conscience and fight the evil invading her home?

…Filled with strife, tested loyalties and subtle acts of defiance, Planetary Wars Rise of an Empire by Mary Ann Bernal has a lot to recommend it. In this majestic universe Bernal has created, there are two opposing sides — The Imperial Forces verses the Freedom Fighters. While the Imperial Force has the military advantage, the Freedom Fighters are determined not to be thwarted. This intense and violent struggle between the two sides is a theme that one often finds in Science Fiction novels which gives this book a sense of comforting familiarity. 

Bernal has given us a host of characters in this book, some I liked, some I loathed and others I had mixed feelings about. But, each character, whether it be the protagonist, the antagonist or the supporting characters, brought something rich to this tale.

Talking of characters... For a brilliant and capable woman, Doctor Anastasia Dennison is incredibly naive. She is an incurable romantic who lets love blind her to the truth. This is a time of desperate war, but Anastasia is very free with the information she gives to a man she had just met — a man she has never seen before — which left me slightly bemused. She is either very trusting or a complete and utter fool. At least her friend and colleague, Doctor Sophia Loft, had the sense to question this stranger's motives. But, even then, Anastasia brushes Sophia's concern aside. She refuses to pause and take a moment to consider if the story her beloved told her about himself is credible. Her inability to see Henry for who he really was baffled me because all the signs are there. Yes, Anastasia had never seen a photograph of the dictator of the universe, but still...! Anastasia is completely taken in by the story Jayden Henry Shaw has woven, and she is, for want of a better word, brainwashed. Bernal has not given us a strong and determined character in Anastasia, but instead, she has given us a woman who allows herself to be so blinkered that she no longer sees the suffering around her — her life is perfect, therefore what does it matter if other lives are being crushed? And for that reason, I found myself annoyed with her rather than sympathising with her plight. This, I think, is exactly what Bernal wants her readers to feel.

Jayden Henry Shaw is a compelling antagonist. He is incredibly ambitious and is not the sort of man who takes no for an answer. He is determined to not only rule the universe but to do so on his terms, and if anyone dares to oppose him, he quickly vanquishes them. He can be cruel and yet when it comes to Anastasia, we glimpse a different side to his character. Bernal has made Shaw real in the telling by giving him the ability to love, and despite all the lies, Shaw does love Anastasia. Shaw really closed the deal on this book for me. I thought his depiction was brilliant and demonstrated Bernal's ability at creating very flawed characters.

If you are looking for a gentle introduction into Science Fiction, then check out Planetary Wars Rise of an Empire by Mary Ann Bernal.

I Highly Recommend.

Review by Mary Anne Yarde.
The Coffee Pot Book Club.

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Smashwords Launches Authors Give Back sale March 20-April 20, 2020

Author Mary Ann Bernal is participating in the Authors Give Back Smashwords Sale (March 20 - April 20, 2020). All her novels and short story collections are available at either a reduced price or are free. Why not stop by her profile page and have a look? Click here to find all of Mary Ann Bernal's works.

The Briton and the Dane Legacy

Alfred. Sven. Erik. Gwyneth.  Amidst the ferrous reverberation of a battle royale - one or all must die, and the fate of a nation hangs in the balance, one final time.

Affordable gifts for book lovers on your Holiday shopping list!

Scratching your head, wondering what to get your favorite bookworm this holiday season? Well, a book, of course. Not sure of the genre? No problem. From historical fiction to contemporary short stories and science fiction, author Mary Ann Bernal’s books fit the bill. Whether holding a print edition or digital reader or wearing headphones, there is a story that’s perfect for your device. Something for everyone with a click of the mouse. Affordable gifts for people who love to read.

Purchase Links

          Amazon US   Amazon UK   Smashwords   Barnes and Noble   iTunes   Audible

Author Web Page   Whispering Legends Press
author.to/MaryAnnBernal

Science Fiction/Fantasy

Planetary Wars: Rise of an Empire 

An innocent romance tainted by deception. A universe enslaved by a tyrant. A crisis of conscience to admit the truth. A choice to be made, but which path to follow?

Historical Fiction

The Briton and the Dane

Alfred the Great has successfully defeated the Danish King Guthrum, but warriors from the Viking homeland threaten to undermine the fragile peace. Wounded in a skirmish, a feared Northman is given succor by a young Saxon woman as King Alfred’s soldiers prepare to defend the kingdom from a new Viking threat. Yet deception and treachery festers in the soul of men who would swear their fealty while plotting to usurp the rightful ruler of the kingdom. One woman would be the catalyst for discovering the truth, but who would prevent the ultimate betrayal?

The Briton and the Dane: Birthright

It has been two years since King Guthrum was defeated by King Alfred of Wessex, but there is one man who would wear the Danish King’s crown. Two former adversaries would unite to quench the latest threat, as the Viking King’s illegitimate son raises an army to usurp his father’s throne. Would the son defeat the father in the battle for sovereignty or would the unlawful son suffer the ultimate betrayal when loyalties are proven in the heat of battle?

The Briton and the Dane: Legacy

Four years have passed since King Alfred thwarted the Viking conquest of Wessex, but the feared Northman continues to batter Britannia’s shores. During this time of unrest, a visionary King institutes a cultural renaissance not seen since the days of Charlemagne. But hatred festers, and the need for vengeance overshadows allegiance as a plot to depose of the rightful ruler is discovered. Would this latest threat be repelled or would the truth destroy the dynastic heritage?

The Briton and the Dane: The Complete Trilogy

Three novels in one collection .  

Intrigue, treachery, betrayal in ninth-century Britain.

The Briton and the Dane: Concordia

In Anglo-Saxon Britain, amidst the Viking threat, a woman comes of age. Captured by Saracen pirates and taken to Muslim Hispania, enslavement or death is her fate. Fearing for her life,

she plans her escape, but will she succeed?

The Briton and the Dane: Timeline

Obsessed with a haunting portrait of a Saxon nobleman, an archeologist searches for the truth. Alone in the castle ruins during a fierce storm, Gwyneth is swept into eleventh century England. Amidst the political unrest, she is enmeshed in the intrigue as foreign contenders vie for the throne. Will she be caught up in a conspiracy for which there is no escape?

Contemporary Short Stories

Genres

Crime, Fantasy,  Historical, Horror, Mystery, Occult,  

Romance, Spies & Espionage, Thriller & Suspense

Scribbler Tales Presents: Escape from Berlin

Featuring Betrayal, Deadly Secrets, Murder in the First, The Ritual

Escape from Berlin 

Mark Dresdner’s cover is blown.  Fleeing East Germany, he finds the border crossing closed.  With the enemy closing in, his fate is sealed, or is it?

Betrayal

Aelia shares a confidence with her husband, putting her life at risk.  Her trust is misplaced, and she faces execution in the arena. Will Gallus have a change of heart before it’s too late?

Deadly Secrets

Lysandra finds a new life in America by marrying an unsuspecting college professor, unless her past catches up with her at the altar.

Murder in the First

Bethel takes matters into her own hands, seeking vengeance on the man who ruined her life.  But something goes seriously wrong and the predator becomes the prey.

The Ritual

Pagan worshippers embrace All Hallows’ Eve, initiating new members with a blood covenant.  Fearing for her soul, Devona runs away, but will she survive the raging tempest?

Scribbler Tales

Volumes One - Five

Scribbler Tales Volume One

Desperate Measures: What happens when Audrey learns of Paul’s duplicity? Cloning experiments have gone awry.

 Forbidden Lore: Arianna and Ethan are locked inside a haunted cemetery. Will they survive the night?

Forever Lost: Rina and Adrian are star-crossed lovers. Will love prevail?

Sail with Me:  Aaron reflects upon his childhood. Confessions of a military brat.

The Hourglass:  A covenant with the Devil. How far will Flair go to keep Brice alive?

 Scribbler Tales Volume Two

Broken Promises: Madeline’s love for Nathan clouds her judgment as the Wall Street titan denies any wrongdoing.

Deception: Vigilante vengeance. The criminal justice system fails when the guilty walk free.

  

Endgame: It was a dream government job until Sandy learns the truth. Covert operations shrouded in secrecy.

 Malice: Proving innocence. Andrew’s life falls apart when he is falsely accused of rape.

  

The Portrait: Demonic possession. All Geoffrey wants is a family, but Holliday and Olivia have other plans.

  

Scribbler Tales Volume Three

Hidden Lies: When classified schematics are stolen, evidence points to an inside job. Industrial secrets compromised.

Nightmare:  Phantom Legacy. Melanie wants to sell her ancestral home, but the specter of her dreams has other plans

Payback: A psychopathic killer is on the loose. Detective Newport must stop an assassin

targeting prosecuting attorneys.

The Night Stalker:  Deadly Obsession. Pamela must prove her suspicions before the police can protect her

Turning Point: Personal vendetta. Is a decorated firefighter an arsonist? A Fire Marshall wrestles with the truth.

Scribbler Tales Volume Four

Abducted:  Threatened with death. When Katrina Cooper is kidnapped, can the money be raised in time?

Cunning: Lethal folklore. Charlotte stumbles upon the truth behind Transylvanian vampires.

Enamored: Pursuing love. Aging Lady Margaret is besotted with a much younger man.

Reckless: Eluding capture. Peter’s latest victim survives, informing the authorities.

Safeguard: Self-defense or Murder? Sarah awakens covered in blood.

Scribbler Tales Volume Five

Bloodlust: Lilly considers a Satanic covenant on All Hallows’ Eve as she seeks immortality.

Illusion:  Felicity stumbles upon tomb robbers in the Valley of the Queens. Dream vacation has gone awry.

Manhunt: Perilous flight. Tami and Mick plan one final heist, but will it lead to their downfall?

Pandemic: Facing extinction. Dr. Lancaster must find a cure for a mutated virus strain.

Revenge:  Criminal behavior. Can Angela rid herself of her abusive husband? 

Thank you for visiting.

Happy Holidays


Purchase at:
Mary Ann Bernal

Whispering Legends Press

Star Wars: why did the film make history?

History Extra

Peter Mayhew, Harrison Ford, Alec Guinness and Mark Hamill, on-set of the film Star Wars, 1977. © Glasshouse Images/Alamy Stock Photo

There is a moment in the first Star Wars film when the mystic Obi Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) detects across at great distance of space the destruction of a planet and remarks: “I felt a great disturbance in the Force… as if as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.”
The release of the seventh installment of the Star Wars saga today therefore prompts the question of exactly what the particular “disturbance in the Force” associated with the release of the first film in the series back in May 1977 might mean historically. What does it say about the time in which it was made and the people who so took it to their hearts? And what does the ongoing success of the franchise say about us?
At one level, Star Wars was – and is – a commercial commodity: a milestone in the evolution of the film industry. Its creator, George Lucas, demonstrated that films could be made for families; that spectacular effects could help film to claw back some territory from the small-screen entertainment; and profits could be swollen to astonishing proportions though tie-in merchandise.
Other films of the era attempted similar synergies, but there was plainly something about Star Wars that struck a particular chord. Reports of initial audiences in the US stressed how hungry they seemed for what Star Wars offered: the film was fundamentally not like so many other elements of the culture in which it landed – a world that was only too happy to embrace the film’s escapism because it had so much that it wished to escape from. 
For the initial audiences in America and beyond, the experience of viewing Star Wars was a curious mixture of watching something completely new and something incredibly familiar.  It was a paradox, illustrated in the film’s opening declaration that it was set “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away”.
The familiar components in the film were the incorporation of multiple elements of beloved genres that were out of step with the cynical post-Watergate, post-Vietnam War, energy crisis world of the mid-1970s. Star Wars’ abstract and distant location with absolutely no point of reference to humanity or earth culture enabled favourite tropes of the screen to be revisited without the necessity of apology or self-examination or of any danger of alienating a nationality or ethnic group at home or abroad.
Star Wars was the product of and for an American society yearning to be free of its own bonds of history and be good again. It was the perfect transferable product in which everyone could find themselves, not just within the US, but worldwide. It helped that the film’s heroic structure was borrowed from the myths common to all human cultures: Star Wars recovered the energy and zest of the old Flash Gordon serials; it borrowed characters and settings from the classic western, which by the 1970s was burdened in its explicit form by America’s awareness of the moral ugliness of the historical reality.
Star Wars’ location allowed much play and humour at the expense of ethnic and racial differences that would have been impossible (and tasteless) in the wake of the Civil Rights movement. Various characters seemed to fill the role of the ethnic ‘other’: the droids experience segregation in the bar scene, and Chewbacca is cast as a noble, ethnic side-kick, providing heroic support and comic relief. 

_{Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca and Harrison Ford as Han Solo in Star Wars, 1977. © Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo}
Two genres had particular significance within Star Wars: the war film and the religious epic. Star Wars enabled the representation of a war without having to worry about that war’s consequences; the merits of its antagonists; or that any participant might be offended. Much of it channelled the Second World War with Imperial uniforms and the terminology of Storm Troopers borrowed from the Third Reich; however, it was also swiftly noticed that in Star Wars a country that had just been defeated by an army of guerillas was able to happily identify with a rebel alliance. So, much of the film’s look could be borrowed from Asia, in particular the Vietnam War, without audiences having to recall who firebombed Tokyo or dropped Agent Orange on the Ho Chi Minh trail.
The elements of Star Wars lifted from religious epics functioned in much the same way: the film recovered a genre that had been an immense part of 20th-century cinema, reaching its apogee in the late fifties with wildly successful films like The Ten Commandments or Ben-Hur (its chariot race scene was the model for the pod-race in Episode I: The Phantom Menace). By creating its universe of right and wrong, and its religion of The Force, George Lucas was able to tell an essentially religious story of awakening, sacrifice, temptation and redemption, and it so doing he could touch his viewers’ sense of wonder and the infinite.  The setting in space enabled maximum engagement with minimal alienation, and enabled visual wonders every bit as impressive as the parting of the Red Sea.
Overall, then, in 1977 Star Wars was a mechanism to culturally have your cake and eat it at a time of great uncertainty in America and the west. It allowed its viewer to luxuriate in the triumphalism, ethnic voyeurism and religiosity without apology.
Of course, it didn’t take long for people in America and many other parts of the world to outgrow the uncertainty of mid 1970s; to trade Jimmy Carter for Ronald Reagan or James Callaghan for Margaret Thatcher, and reconnect with the self-confidence that allowed triumphalism, ethnocentrism and religiosity to flourish openly.
It turned out that audiences weren’t too alienated anyway.  The Rambo cycle had the political sensitivity of a sledgehammer and did well around the world. By the time the original trilogy was re-released in the late 1990s (with up-dated effects), the Second World War’s Allied victory was a cause for celebration again, and did not have to be evoked by proxy.
In the meantime, Star Wars itself had become a cultural reference point: Ronald Reagan could tap into its language when he called Russia an ‘evil empire’; Ted Kennedy did the same when he dubbed Reagan’s pet strategic defense initiative the ‘Star Wars program’; and the Oklahoma City bomber, Tim McVeigh, compared himself to Luke Skywalker destroying the Death Star. In the end, the cultural phenomenon struck back. Comments on the decline of democracy and evils of “with us or against us” language in the script for Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, were unmistakable barbs from the liberal Lucas aimed at the George W Bush administration.

Looking back, it is plain that in its nearly 40-year (and counting) career, the Star Wars franchise has evolved. The films still turn on a twin drive to escape and to remember, but the direction of the remembrance has changed. In the beginning, audiences were remembering a film culture that had become unfashionable or untenable. Today we watch Star Wars to remember Star Wars. Given that the need for both remembrance and escapism remains undiminished, the new films should do very well indeed.
Nicholas John Cull is Professor of Communication at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School. He is the author (with James Chapman) of Projecting Tomorrow: Science Fiction and Popular Cinema (I B Tauris, 2012) which includes an extended discussion of the making and reception of Star Wars. To find out more, click here.

10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About the Original Star Trek

 

Charlie Jane Anders and Mandy Curtis

Space may be the final frontier, but Star Trek is a well-explored universe by now. Captain Kirk, the Enterprise, transporters, phasers, tricorders and Klingons are part of our common language. But there's still tons of insane stuff you've never heard about Trek.

 

We dug deep into the secret history of Star Trek, the half-forgotten details and weird happenstance that went into creating a cultural phenomenon that has lasted almost five decades. Here, in no particular order, are 10 things you probably didn't know about Star Trek: The Original Series.

. The original pilot, "The Cage," was partly killed for being too sexy
Why did NBC choose not to air the first Star Trek pilot, starring Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike? People usually blame it on a too-cerebral script, with too much deep philosophizing and introspection. But in fact, a major reason had to do with NBC's Broadcast Standards Office, being concerned about the "eroticism" of the pilot, with the green dancing girls and the kissing and all that raw sexuality. (To be sure, the network was also worried that it was "too smart," a female first officer was going too far, and Mr. Spock looked too demonic.) Later, after Trek was on the air, the producers used the network's concerns about sexuality to their advantage — they would deliberately put sexy stuff into episodes for the network to freak out about, so the censors wouldn't notice other things. For example, in the episode "A Private Little War," the producers deliberately put in a scene of Kirk having an open-mouth kiss with a half-naked woman, so the network could throw a fit about that — and not notice the blatant Vietnam allegory.
Source: Inside Star Trek by Herb Solow and Robert Justman, pp. 60 and 356.

2. Mr. Spock's skin color was originally different.
Originally, Gene Roddenberry and friends wanted Spock's skin to be a dark red, or at least to have a red tint. This was abandoned when they realized that on black-and-white TVs, Spock's skin would look black, possibly as if Spock was in blackface. Plus Leonard Nimoy would have needed hours more in makeup every morning. (See early Spock concept art, with a very different uniform design and a skullcap, at left, via Star Trek History.) Eventually, it was decided to make Spock's skin yellow-tinged instead — but when the network converted the film for the first episode for electronic broadcasting, the network's color specialist, Alex Quroga, "corrected" Spock's face to make it look pinker. (Watch "The Man Trap," and you can still see a more pink-faced Spock.)
Sources: Star Trek 365, NBC: America's Network by Michelle Hilmes, ed., TrekBBS, Star Trek History — that last site is full of insane details.

3. Spock originally didn't eat or drink
Not only would he have been red-faced, but Spock also wasn't originally planned to eat or drink anything — instead, he had a plate in the middle of his stomach, and he fed off any energy that struck this special plate.
Source: Star Trek: A History in Pictures by J.M. Dillard

4. Paramount was so desperate to get rid of Star Trek, they tried to cash out to Gene Roddenberry
Star Trek was originally produced by Desilu, the studio owned by I Love Lucy star Lucille Ball — who personally approved the show and played a big role in keeping it alive after the first pilot was rejected. But in July 1967, Desilu was bought by Gulf+Western, which had just purchased Paramount Pictures in 1966. That put Paramount in charge of Star Trek. According to producer Herb Solow, "Paramount didn't want Star Trek because it was losing too much money each week and didn't have enough episodes to syndicate." So Paramount offered to sell all of its equity in Trek to Gene Roddenberry for $150,000 — or about a million dollars today. But Roddenberry couldn't afford to pay that much money, so the rights stayed with Paramount. (In his original deal, Roddenberry had agreed his own Norway production studio would share net profits with Desilu, NBC, and William Shatner himself.)
Source: Interview with Solow in NBC: America's Network by Michelle Hilmes

5. The U.S.S. Enterprise had a six-lane bowling alley on board.
According to Star Trek Blueprints, an authentic set of blueprints for the Constitution-class Starships released in booklet form in 1975, there's a pretty giant bowling alley on Deck 21, right next to the "Refreshments Area" and the "Food and Beverages Preparation Facility."
Source: Memory Alpha, Lucky Puppy Odd Facts (image).

6. Gene Roddenberry told Isaac Asimov to shush
When Gene Roddenberry brought the second Star Trek pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before," to the World Science Fiction Convention in Cleveland, he shushed a loud man at the start — who turned out to be Asimov. (Roddenberry was nervous about how the show would be received, but it wound up getting a standing ovation.) Later, in 1967, Asimov wrote an essay for TV Guide called "Mr. Spock is Dreamy!", all about the baffling phenomenon of women and girls finding the cerebral Spock sexually appealing — including Asimov's own twelve-year-old daughter. Wrote Asimov, Through the agency of Mr. Spock, Star Trek has been capitalizing upon a fact not generally known among the male half of the population. Women think being smart is sexy!" (Read the whole essay here.)
Source: Star Trek: A History in Pictures, Facebook

7. The Federation uniforms were made by a sweatshop
The Federation may be a Socialist utopia of sorts, but Starfleet's uniforms didn't exactly come out of a Replicator. According to producers Robert Justman and Herb Solow, the show's budget was so tiny, they couldn't afford to have costumes made by union costume-makers — instead, they had them made overnight by a "sweatshop," and sneaked the finished costumes in through a back window at the studio.
Source: Inside Star Trek by Solow and Justman.

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8. William Shatner has never watched Star Trek.
The James Kirk actor told his daughter, Lizbeth Shatner, that he'd never seen the television show or any of the movies, in a video blog they did together. Said Shatner:

I never watched Star Trek. I have not even seen any of the Star Trek movies. I don't watch myself.

He added that he hated watching himself, because he feels as though "I suck." When he was directing himself and had to watch the footage afterwards — for example in Star Trek V — he found it really uncomfortable.
Source: The Telegraph.

9. That famous interracial kiss was originally between Spock and Uhura
Star Trek is well-known for featuring the first interracial kiss on television, between Captain Kirk and Lt. Uhura. But in the episode's actual script, that kiss would have transpired between Uhura and Spock, instead. According to Uhura actor Nichelle Nichols:

My understanding is Bill Shatner took one look at the scene and said, ‘No you will not! If anyone's going to be part of the first interracial kiss in television history, it's going to be me!' So they rewrote it.

Perhaps that original scene was one inspiration for the Spock/Uhura romance in the most recent Trek film?
Source: Star Trek: A History in Pictures page 44.

10. Star Trek visited Mayberry... twice.
The show was so broke, it reused tons of outdoor sets from The Andy Griffith Show, particularly in the episodes "Miri" and "City on the Edge of Forever." You can actually see Floyd's Barber Shop, where Andy regularly got his hair cut, in the background of scenes where Captain Kirk is walking along with Edith Keeler. You can also see the Mayberry Courthouse, Walkers Drugstore and several other major landmarks quite prominently in both episodes. There are tons and tons of pics, including set pics, at the link below.
Source: iMayberry.com

Screencaps mostly taken from Trekcore.

 

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