Derek Murphy (1)

Imagine being a slight teen loner.... Going to a party with your best friend and taking one hit on a bong to fit in.... One minute you're in the present, next thing you know you seem to be in the same place with one exception. Nobody else is in the room with you.... The party seems to have vanished, and nothing is the same. Upon waking you learn something horrible has happened that wiped out most of the world. Skeletons are still randomly in yards, cars and the streets..... And strange humanoid beasts attack anything that moves. What caused all this horrific carnage? Most importantly, how the heck did I end up here? Upon landing back in the present everyone is freaking out.... In the following days... Talking things over with your BFF you learn the guy you've been crushing on for years (the same guy whose house the party was at) is part of all this. The mystery deepens.... Is his dad the reason for this horrible future? How can I change things? Is it when real or am I going nuts?.... This and much more happen in this nail biting book! Run, don't walk to read this book!!!… (mere)

I found PRESCIENT by Derek Murphy to be a different kind of Scifi and YA book. Alicia, 15 yrs old, is the protagonist of the story. She tries to smoke a genetically modified herb, passes out, and transports twenty years into the future. The world is at an end and only a small enclave of humans exists. The corporation responsible had modified the food which turned many of the humans into super "MODS" who are intent on killing the remaining humans - even those from the corporation and their city. Most striking is that her older sister is the commander of this enclave of survivors.

Alicia transports into the future 4 different times and relays the information to her three friends and older sister, who uses it to prepare and build her future empire. It is suggested that if the person owning the corporation is killed then the future will be different and the apocalypse prevented. However, when changes are made in the current time, there is no effect in the future. All this takes place amid Alicia's plans to go to the prom with one of the most popular seniors - the son of the corporation owner.

I did come across many typos in both names and other words and was left holding on to find answers in the next book. What happened to all the girls kidnapped over time from the survivors? Will Alicia return to the past and what action will she take? Will she learn how her mother really died?

Otherwise, I did find the book compelling and will look for the next book in the series when it is published.… (mere)

Picked this up from Kindle because it was recommended to me and it was free and very short - easily read in an hour.

If you have a story in your head, just write it. Don't worry too much about following someone else's 'rules' for storytelling. That should be doubly true if the writing advice is coming from someone who's making money providing 'advice' to other wannabe writers versus, you know, actually writing and publishing original works and stories themselves.

I will say, this was better written and had more valuable content than some (free) Kindle books I've seen.
Maybe this would be useful for a specific type of writer trying to tell a particular sort of story. Seemed relatively fundamental and best geared to action-oriented fiction.

Probably less useful or relevant as a resource if you're writing NF, or a memoir or even fiction that's more character than action-driven.… (mere)