Julie Achterhoff

Quantum Earth – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘When the two women form the hotel reached the tenth and top floor they went to the beach side where there was a balcony overlooking the scene. “Oh my God!” said one. Words failed the other, for in the distance, about a mile out they could see a giant mountain of water the size of which their brains couldn’t comprehend. And it was building larger as it headed for the coast. They could still see several people way out who seemed oblivious. They began shouting at the top of their lungs, knowing even then that they wouldn’t be heard. But maybe there was a chance still for those on the beach below. Many of them looked up at them and tried to understand why they were screaming. But some of the people had already seen the big wave coming fast and hurried away from the beach. Some were screaming themselves as they ran. But they could see many small children looking lost. Nobody was taking them away. They would surely be crushed by the oncoming waters. All at once the two women stopped their entreaties and could only watch as the horrific scene played itself out. The wave had already reached those who were the furthest out. Of course they couldn’t hear the screaming, but they did begin to hear the low rumbling sound as the water came closer. It sounded like a freight train if you put your ear to the ground near the tracks.’

Dr. Mel Hawkins (Hawk) and Shauna Troy have formed a group that will study the sudden increase of natural disasters, and as 2012 approaches with the predictions that earth will no longer be, the team find themselves running out of time. Hawk and the whole team have agreed that there is the possibility that people are bringing the destruction on themselves with their thoughts and wishes. With this possibility, the team relies on its member Noah Meade, who is a medium, to contact some of those killed in these mass destructions. During one of the group sessions with victims of a major flooding, Noah is working through his “crossed over being” Jackson. As the team listen to messages from people on the other side, Jackson is suddenly taken over by a voice that isn’t earthly. This voice blames humans for the conditions of earth. It is the belief of the team that this voice may be from an alien.

Discovering that there may be a chance of contacting aliens that have passed on, Hawk and Shauna decide to have Noah try to contact them to see if they can shed light on what might be done to stop earth from being destroyed. Fortunately for them, Noah is able to get through, but unfortunately for them and all of earth they are told that earth is in the process of cleansing itself and to do this, humans must be destroyed so it can start over again.... Just as it did with the destruction of the dinosaurs. These aliens feel that no animal is a plague to the earth like the humans are. So, with the increase in earthquakes, floods, and even medical epidemics, the task before this small group of 7 is to do whatever they can to stop the destruction of the world?

Quantum Earth took me on quite a ride. If you listen to the predictions and theories for the year 2012 you will hear: there will be increases in earthquakes, tsunamis and hurricanes, left will be right and right will be left, just to name a few. Are we really creating these changes with our own minds? I think I’ve read somewhere that “thoughts attract” so only think good thoughts. I’ve for one have decided that, just in case this is true, I'll think as many positive thoughts as possible.

Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com Stir, Laugh, Repeat… (meer)

Deadly Lucidity – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘If only she could remember her true real life and what had happened in it to cause her to be stuck in her dreams. Was she even a writer? That thought struck her hard. She could have just created that fiction from her imagination, too. She was having an identity crisis. Who was she really? Was she any more real than any of the other dream images that played through her mind? Then she focused on one of the main themes of her recent dreams – the bad man who had kidnapped her. Maybe that kept popping up because it had a grain of reality to it. Maybe she had truly been kidnapped. Maybe she was still unconscious in this guy’s basement. Oh, God. That must be it, she thought. But she had gotten away from him in every dream scenario, too, hadn’t she? Maybe she had escaped, but was brain dead. No. She wouldn’t be able to dream if that were the case. The only other possibility was that she was in a coma? If so, for how long? Her intuition said that felt right, that she was in a coma. If only she could remember what happened.’

Dreams take us to other worlds and dimensions. But what brings these dream about? Are they pieces of memory from our past? And how much do we actually contribute to what happens when we dream? Are we able to add and delete characters. Even during a nightmare, are we able to defend ourselves by conjuring up defense weapons?

In the case of Marie, where is she? Who is she? Who is Murphy? How did he get into Marie’s dream? Is everything really a dream or is she simply lost in another world? How will she find her way out of her dream and back into the real world? Can Murphy go with her? What is she trying to accomplish and why is everyone telling her she has to wake up?

They say you dream nightly but only remember a few. I have no idea if that’s true but I do know that after reading Deadly Lucidity I’ve found myself wondering more and more about the dreams I do have and do remember. And as with the character Marie, wouldn’t it be nice to start a dream, wake up, go back to sleep and restart that dream? Sometimes yes. Sometimes no.

Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com Stir, Laugh, Repeat… (meer)