‘Loving You Is Destiny’ by Sarah Akkoyun. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
If you love reading romance novels, here is one for you: “Loving You Is Destiny,” the latest novel by Sarah Akkoyun. It is available on Amazon. (Sarah Akkoyun, 2023)
“Loving You Is Destiny”– Vanessa Lawrence had always thought she would end up marrying the love of her life, David Dawson, one day. – Yet here she is one year later, still unable to move on. Her family and best friend try their best to support her, but they just cannot understand what she is going through. Vanessa did not want to move on, at least, not until she met Lucas Graham.
He brought joy and happiness back into her life, but she should not get any closer to him than she already was. She could not forget David, she still wanted him to be a part of her life. It was not fair to Lucas, Vanessa knew that, but they could be friends, right? Nothing more, nothing less. Just good friends. No matter what Taylor, her best friend, said. Even though Taylor just wanted Vanessa to be happy again. Vanessa never expected to discover a secret about what happened a year ago, considering she thought there was nothing left to find out. Now she has to decide if love can truly overcome anything.
Rodney Rice’s self titled album will be released May 19, 2023. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Rodney Rice was surrounded by music growing up, whether on radio, kitchen tape deck, or television. When he was about 12, he started playing the guitar. Rice worked for a while on oil and gas rigs in Texas. One night he talked to Jason McKenzie, (longtime drummer for Billy Joe Shaver), and McKenzie pointed him to the Congress house studio in Austin, where Rice made his first two albums, Empty Pockets and a Troubled Mind and Same Shirt, Different Day. His first album found success on the Freeform Americana Radio chart, while his second album reached number 30 on the Americana Music Association albums chart, after debuting at number 9 on the European Americana Chart. For his eponymous third album, Rodney Rice, Rice found a studio, through album notes, the Bomb Shelter, in Nashville, and finally reached out to them amid the pandemic. (IVPR, 2023)
Rice recently released a new song from his upcoming self-titled album; a rambunctious country shuffle called Rabbit Ears Motel. Echoing classics from the likes of Pure Prairie League, the Supersuckers, Jason & the Scorchers, and Jimmy Buffett’s first couple of albums, Rabbit Ears Motel is about so much more than a place to stay in Colorado. Telecaster licks jump around pedal steel fills between Rice’s refrain of “Checking out when I check in to the Rabbit Ears Motel.” Rabbit Ears Motel is part of Rice’s third full-length album, the upcoming Rodney Rice. Out on May 19, Rodney Rice finds Rice traveling over a wide terrain of emotion; from the death of beloved grandparents and the loss of a cherished pet to the grueling monotony of the road and the joyful celebration of marriage. Rice’s warm, gritty vocals, his ingenious and canny lyricism, and his ability to lay down a melody move listeners emotionally and physically, encouraging them to get up and dance even as they let the lyrics settle into their hearts.
Rice knows just how to capture the fleeting glimmers of an emotional moment in life and turn them into songs that evoke our own feelings of despair and hope; loss and love. He delivers those lyrics with a knowing nod and wink, creating memorable characters in his songs whose imperfections remind us of folks we know. As he says, “Music is a common language that reaches all and brings people from worlds apart together.” Rice cannily matches music with lyrics, pairing a glimpse of a world turned upside down with a jaunty New Orleans jazz swing melody or an ode to young love with a lively country shuffle.
Fans can stream or purchase Rabbit Ears Motel and pre-order or pre-saveRodney Rice ahead of its May 19. Rabbit Ears Motel also has an accompanying music video by director Joshua Shoemaker which follows Rice on a time-warped, neon-soaked journey through the lyrics, and characters, of his brand-new tune.
Rodney Rice track list: How You Told Me So Get To Where I’m Going Nothing To Lose Rabbit Ears Motel Roll River Roll Little Pieces Set Em Up Wonder Where I Came From Every Passing Day
Catch Rodney Rice on tour: April 30 – Santa’s Pub – Nashville, TN * May 19 – Broadway Roxy – Denver, CO May 20 – Trinidad Lounge – Trinidad, CO May 26 – Swing Station – Laporte, CO June 16 – Reed’s Package Liquors – Laramie, WY June 17 – the press. – Steamboat Springs, CO June 23 – Soulcraft Brewing – Salida, CO June 24 – Benson’s Tavern and Beer Garden – Salida, CO July 7 – The Bull Pin Bowling Alley & Sports Bar – Estes Park, CO July 8 – The Speakeasy – Longmont, CO July 14 – Stagecoach Saloon – Franktown, CO August 5 – Stagecoach Saloon – Franktown, CO Sept 1 – Stagecoach Saloon – Franktown, CO Sept 9 – The Speakeasy – Longmont, CO
‘The Book of African Proverbs and Wisdom’ is a collection of ancient proverbs and wisdom from the continent of Africa. Photo: Amazon
The African Empire Research Project provides books on African history and culture. The first book in the series is African Empires. African Empires presents a comprehensive and in depth analysis of the major empires of the African continent over thousands of years. This book penetrates into the various kingdoms and rich cultures of Africa including East Africa, West Africa, North Africa, South Africa, and Central Africa. African Empires brings to life a colorful cast of historical characters including African kings, queens, scholars, religious leaders, artists, warriors, and merchants who helped to shape the direction of these great African civilizations. It captures the epic landmark events of Africa and explains them in detail to provide a full understanding of this dynamic continent and its contribution to world history. (J.P. Martin, 2023)
“The Book of African Proverbs and Wisdom Volume 1” is a compilation of over 100 ancient proverbs and words of wisdom from the continent of Africa. Africa is the birthplace of human civilization and home to some of the most ancient wisdom on the planet. The continent of Africa is an extremely culturally rich region and home to over 2,000 languages, 3,000 ethnic groups, and numerous belief systems. “The Book of African Proverbs and Wisdom Volume 1” provides a diverse and expansive collection of timeless wise sayings and knowledge which have been collected from every region of Africa including west Africa, central Africa, east Africa, south Africa, and north Africa. This valuable collection of inspirational sayings seeks to share Africa’s wisdom which has been passed down from one generation to the next for thousands of years.
Critically acclaimed Immersive Disney Animation announces extensions in eight cities, including San Antonio. Photo: Lighthouse Immersive Studios.
Following celebrated premieres in 10 cities and rave reviews from critics and audiences across North America, Lighthouse Immersive Studios and Walt Disney Animation Studios have announced that Immersive Disney Animationis being extended by popular demand to August 13, 2023 in Boston, Cleveland, Columbus, Denver, Detroit, Minneapolis, Nashville, and San Antonio, with Las Vegas, Dallas, Atlanta, and Toronto continuing through September 4, 2023. The production will also open in Tokyo on April 29 at Mori Arts Center Gallery (52nd floor, Roppongi Hills Mori Tower), with additional international presentations soon to be announced. (Immersive Disney Animation, 2023)
Immersive Disney Animation was called “Jaw-dropping” by Axios, “a peek behind the curtain that you would just never otherwise get” by the Boston Globe, with Elite Daily remarking, “you really feel like you’ve stepped inside your fave film.” Tickets are on sale now.
Creating iconic animated stories for all ages for nearly a century, Walt Disney Animation Studios has joined forces with North America’s top creator of experiential projection exhibitions (including The Original Immersive Van Gogh, which never traveled to Atlanta, but opened in over 20 cities across North America) to present the music and artistry within Disney Animation’s canon of films—from hits of today like Encanto, Zootopia and Frozen, to all of the classics including The Lion King, Peter Pan and Pinocchio. Audiences will feel like they have entered the incredible worlds of beloved Disney characters and become one with them.
The status for each city is as follows:
TORONTO (1 Yonge St.) | NOW OPEN through September 4 CLEVELAND (850 E. 72nd St.) | NOW OPEN through August 13 NASHVILLE (4416 Ridgefield Way) | NOW OPEN through August 13 DETROIT (267 E. Grand River Ave.) | NOW OPEN through August 13 DENVER (3900 Elati St.) | NOW OPEN through August 13 BOSTON (130 Columbus Ave.) | NOW OPEN through August 13 SAN ANTONIO (221 Burleson St.) | NOW OPEN through August 13 MINNEAPOLIS (1515 Central Ave. NE) | NOW OPEN through August 13 LAS VEGAS (3720 S. Las Vegas Blvd.) | NOW OPEN through September 4 COLUMBUS (940 Polaris Pkwy.) | NOW OPEN through August 13 DALLAS (507 S. Harwood St.) | April 20 – September 4, 2023 TOKYO (52nd floor, Roppongi Hills Mori Tower) | April 29 – August 31, 2023 ATLANTA (159 Armour Dr.) | May 1 – September 4, 2023
“We have opened Immersive Disney Animation in ten cities so far, with our Dallas opening right around the corner. And while we expected a positive reception, we have really been blown away by just how incredibly excited audiences are with this experience, a testament to the timeless legacy of Disney Animation’s worlds, stories and characters.” – Corey Ross, producer and founder, Lighthouse Immersive Studios
The creative team for Immersive Disney Animation is led by Oscar®-winning producer J. Miles Dale (Best Picture 2018 -The Shape of Water). Mexico City-based Cocolab worked with Dale and the Creative Legacy team at Walt Disney Animation Studios to develop the program for Lighthouse Immersive Studios. Special Projects Producer Dorothy McKim (Oscar-nominated, Get A Horse!) is spearheading the project for Disney Animation.
‘The Last Thing He Told Me’ has been adapted into a limited time series available on Apple TV+. Photo: Google
Laura Dave is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of “The Last Thing He Told Me,” “Eight Hundred Grapes,” and other novels. Her work has been published in thirty-eight countries. “The Last Thing He Told Me” has been adapted into a limited series starring Jennifer Garner. It is available for streaming on Apple TV+. “The Last Thing He Told Me” is about a woman who thinks she has found the love of her life—until he disappears. (Amazon, 2023)
“The Last Thing He Told Me”– Before Owen Michaels disappears, he smuggles a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers—Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother. As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss, as a US marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband is not who he said he was and that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared. Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth but as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they are also building a new future—one neither of them could have anticipated.
Logan Halstead proves age is just a number on debut album Dark Black Coal, due out May 5, 2023. Photo: Google
The success of Logan Halstead’s first single Dark Black Coal has allowed him to build a fan base through YouTube, touring, and opening for artists like Zach Bryan, Charles Wesley Godwin, Town Mountain, and many more. With the record released over a year after he recorded the album, OurVinyl came into his life at the perfect time. In a collaboration with OurVinyl, Logan released a taste of his upcoming project with a four-song EP that has amassed over 120,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. The wisdom Logan Halstead has accrued at just 19 years old can only be measured by those decades older than himself. (IVPR, 2023)
Born in Kentucky and raised in West Virginia, it is no surprise that Halstead draws influence from like-minded peers Tyler Childers and Sturgill Simpson, but he has also found inspiration in the work of Nicholas Jamerson and Cole Chaney. “All these folks mentioned have laid a path and shown that it’s okay to be from these parts; we’re not so looked down on anymore,” says Halstead. The aforementioned contemporaries have given him the ability to be proud of who he is, and that has led him to be a driving force in the scene of young artists from the Appalachian region.
The hauntingly beautiful Dark Black Coal debuts on May 5, 2023 via Thirty Tigers. Fans can hear the first track “Kentucky Sky” and pre-order and save the album.
Halstead drew inspiration for the song by admiring the scenery of Kentucky outside his back window at the time. Simple, yet powerful, Halstead softly fingerpicks at his guitar accompanied by broad strokes from a fiddle in the background as they paint a picture about keeping a loved one close. Describing the song in his own words Halstead states, “I was picking around in the kitchen looking out the window and saw two cardinals playing on the fence out back. I thought back to a summer in Crittenden, Kentucky, where there were rolling hills and cow pastures. It seemed like the sun never wanted to set there. That’s how I came up with the title.”
Halstead wrote and released his first song Dark Black Coal at just 15 years old and has already amassed over 5 million views on YouTube. Rothman was immediately moved by Halstead’s lyrics and knew instantly how he wanted to produce the proper sound for Halstead’s stories to be told. Rothman states, “Logan’s songs are far older than he is. His voice hit my heart muscle hard, there is so much living in the resonance of his singing but so much youth at the same time.”
In speaking about his experience with the recording process, Halstead states, “It was a great experience. Lawrence is top-notch. They made me feel comfortable just to go in and do what I do, and to get to record in a place like that is a dream come true, especially for a holler kid.”
Dark Black Coal track list: Good ol’ Boys with Bad Names The Flood (written by Cole Chaney) Man’s Gotta Eat Dark Black Coal Mountain Queen Kentucky Sky Coal River Far From Here 1952 Vincent Black Lightning (written by Richard Thompson) Uneven Ground Bluefoot
Logan Halstead 2023 Spring Tour Dates: Thursday, May 4 – Nashville, TN – The Basement Friday, May 5 – Lexington, KY – The Burl Saturday, May 6 – Pineville, KY – Bell Theater Thursday, May 11 – Newport, KY – Southgate House Friday, May 12 – Louisville, KY – Zanzibar Saturday, May 13 – Huntington, WV – The Loud Wednesday, May 17 – Buckhannon, WV – Strawberry Music Festival Friday, May 19 – Richmond, VA – The Camel Saturday, May 20 – Charlotte, NC – Evening Muse Sunday, May 21 – Atlanta, GA – Eddie’s Attic Saturday, May 27 – Slade, KY – The Pit House June 9-10 – Pineville, KY – Laurel Cove Music Festival
Space Wars: Quest for the Deepstar is set for digital release May 2 but is now in limited theater release. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
The official trailer has dropped for the upcoming action-packed sci-fi adventure movie Space Wars: Quest for the Deepstar, starring Michael Paré, Olivier Gruner, and Sarah French. The movie is set for digital release on May 2, with some theatrical play dates beginning April 21, and has just been selected for screening at this year’s Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival. (October Coast, 2023)
The film concerns a father-daughter team of space scavengers who must race against a band of evil mercenaries to reach the legendary treasures on board a lost mythical freighter. Their quest will force them to navigate a universe filled with giant monsters, aliens, robots, and a mortal enemy seeking vengeance.
The movie also stars Tyler Gallant, Rachele Brooke Smith, Anahit Setian, Jed Rowen, Elise Muller, and Sadie Katz. In recent months, the film won the Golden Marquee Award for Best Feature Film and the Outstanding Producing Award at the Zed Fest Film Festival. It also won the Gold Award for Best Sci-Fi Feature at the Hollywood Independent Filmmaker Awards and Festival, a Gold Award and Silver Award for Feature and Directing at the Hollywood Gold Awards, and an “Outstanding Performance” Award for Sarah French and Diamond Award for “Best Actor in a Sci-Fi” for Michael Pare’ at the New York Best Actor & Director Awards.
Garo Setian, producer/director of the award-winning sci-fi film Automation, directs and edits from a screenplay by Joe Knetter, based on a story by Setian and Knetter. Producers are Jeff Miller, Robert Parigi, ‘Evil’ Ted Smith, Ben Stobber, and Joanna Fang, along with Garo and Anahit Setian, Joe Knetter, Sarah French and Bill Klinakis. Ronnie D. Lee is executive producer.
Space Wars: Quest for the Deepstar is a co-production between Hungry Monster Entertainment, Millman Productions, and Ron Lee Productions. Michael Su is Director of Photography, Anthony Pearce is Production Designer, Jo Anna Heckman is Costume Designer, ‘Evil’ Ted Smith is lead prop fabricator, Steve Clarke and Paul Knott provide the visual effects, Jeff Farley handles practical creature FX and the music is by Joel Christian Goffin.
It will be in the following theaters starting April 21:
April 21-27: Lumiere Cinema, Beverly Hills, CA (Q&A on first night) Camelot Theatres, Palm Springs, CA April 22: The Frida Cinema, Santa Ana, CA (Q&A with cast and crew) April 28-May 3: Galaxy Theatres Boulevard Mall, Las Vegas, NV April 28 & 29: Moonlite Drive-in, West Wyoming, PA (double bill w/Escape From Death Block 13) April 30: Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival, Miami, FL May 5 & 6: The Fallon Theatre, Fallon, NV
‘My Samurai: The Way of the Warrior’ is the new YA novel by Masaki. Photo: Masaki, used with permission.
Masaki has worked as a therapist and educator with young adults from many countries around the world. His latest novel and his creative writing are a reflection of that work and a desire to help youth live with purpose and passion, fulfilling their unique potential, and embracing the hero’s journey. If you like fantasy, mythology, quests, and gripping stories, you will love “My Samurai: The Way of the Warrior.” The first in a series of Young Adult novels by author Masaki, this fast-moving tale is full of memorable characters, suspense, humor, twists and turns, tragedy, and triumph. Set in futuristic, dystopian, and mythical worlds, the story serves as a reminder that a hero lives within us all. (Masaki, 2023)
** For a limited time, from Friday April 21 00:00 to Saturday April 22 23:59 PST, you will be able to download it for free as part of a free e-book offer. Click here for your free copy. **
“My Samurai:The Way of the Warrior”– Your life is working out and making sense, until one night you discover an ancient warrior standing on guard outside your family apartment. What is up with that? And what do you do, especially when nobody else can see him? Nineteen-year-old Eddie Sato does not have any answers either. Life is hard in the Freezone; a scorched and broken part of the city, afflicted by The Dry and run by a corrupt organization. Eddie does not need any more problems or anything changing. But far reaching change has just arrived. His life will never be the same again. As the rebellious Freezoner pushes back, unseen forces propel him onto a mystical path, known as the Way of the Warrior. Shuffling forward, Eddie begins his training. At the same time, an extraordinary, mythical realm opens up, where he discovers his ancestors and a menacing shapeshifter who serves a destructive deity from the underworld. When those closest to him are attacked, the reluctant warrior is faced with a terrible decision. Should Eddie try and save the life of someone he loves, or should he let them die to help prevent the destruction of humanity? Nothing can prepare you for this journey.
“As a non-reader, this book took me on a surprise adventure, it was funny, punchy, and relatable.” – @abuvrubys
‘My Samurai: The Way of the Warrior’ by Masaki. Photo: Masaki, used with permission.
The movie adaptation of the classic coming of age novel will be release April 28, 2023. Photo: Amazon
Judy Blume spent her childhood in Elizabeth, NJ, making up stories inside her head. She has spent her adult years in many places, doing the same thing, only now she writes her stories down on paper. Adults as well as children will recognize such Blume titles as: “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” “Superfudge,” “Blubber,” “Just As Long As We’re Together,” and “Forever.” Judy received a B.S. in education from New York University in 1961, which named her a Distinguished Alumna in 1996, the same year that American Library Association honored her with the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement. Her books have sold more than 75 million copies and her work has been translated into twenty-six languages. The beloved coming of age novel “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” has been adapted into a major movie and will be released in theaters April 28, 2023. (Amazon, 2023)
“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” – Margaret Simon, almost twelve, has just moved from New York City to the suburbs, and she is anxious to fit in with her new friends. When she is asked to join a secret club she jumps at the chance. But when the girls start talking about boys, bras, and getting their first periods, Margaret starts to wonder if she is normal. There are some things about growing up that are hard for her to talk about, even with her friends. Lucky for Margaret, she has got someone else to confide in, someone who always listens.
‘Identicality’ is the new technothriller by Jay L. Koppelman. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
How do genetic engineering, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies in computer science, medicine and physics engage with ethics and morality? These are themes in “Identicality,” the debut novel from San Francisco Bay Area resident Jay Koppelman. It is a riveting and thought-provoking science fiction novel that will keep you thinking and guessing until the very end – and then beyond. In today’s world, science is quickly catching up to fiction. Will it have gone too far when it comes to replicating human beings? Check out the reviews for this amazing romp of a techno thriller and see what the excitement is all about.
As Adam Braudy, a brilliant inventor-entrepreneur, lies dying following an assassination attempt, he asks Charlie Wood, his lifelong friend, to use Adam’s latest invention—a human replicator to create Adam’s replicant. Despite deep ethical reservations, Charlie sets them aside, and at the risk of spawning a Frankenstein monster, creates Adam’s replicant who then steps into Adam’s role as husband, father, inventor and industrialist, having no reason to doubt that he is the real Adam Braudy. But then the first Adam miraculously survives. How far will Adam go to get his life back?
“Identicality is exhilarating!”
It’s a thriller that takes you to a place where “I is another”, and “identical is actually distinct.” I can’t wait to see the movie. It’ll put The Matrix to shame.
—Patrick Feigelson, author
“Thoroughly human characters grappling wit extraordinary dilemmas”
The technological wonders in Identicality are only just out of our reach, but they have profound implications for our sense of our selves. It’s a sense we feel as we witness thoroughly human characters grappling with the extraordinary dilemmas that animate this thrilling and thoughtful novel.
What a fun combination of page-turning action and real ethical questions about life. Human replication is such a creepy thing to think about. This is a book that will stick in my mind for a long time to come.
In this unique, gripping novel, fleshed out characters live out their lifelong friendships full of mutual dependence, competition, shared ambition, and love. All against a backstory that includes exciting dramatic scenes of chase, explosion, terror, and medical science fiction. This should appeal to readers seeking science fiction that unfolds medical and ethical fictional situations with real human impact. A unique and well written offering. Highly recommended!
SA Examiner 