Flipping Bookworm

Check out Vijaya's Sci-fi on BWL HERE As a sci-fi author, I am fascinated by what’s happening right now concerning space. On December 20, 2019, the US government announced the creation of a new branch of the military to operate in space, called the US SPACE FORCE. The new logo, however, is eliciting frowns. Star Trek fans say it was ripped from their beloved Starfleet badge. Judge for yourself. But why to go space? And why now?  The official answer is to protect our communication satellites and the International Space Station… but could there be other reasons?  Does the government fear an attack from space?  Is there an asteroid threatening our planet? Scientists say it’s not a matter of if but when it will happen… and we are overdue. Remember the end of the dinosaurs? Or is it a race for dominance in Space? The Chinese declared a space race for the moon and have already landed equipment on the dark side. They also have satellites in moon orbit. It didn’t make the headlin...

ANGEL FIERCE won the 2019 ARIZONA LITERARY AWARDS  in FICTION Find it and many other books of mine HERE 2019 was a busy and rewarding year in many ways and many areas of my life. On a personal level, my divorce was finalized, after twenty-five years of marriage. The last five years we were separated. Not a tremendous change, but a symbolic one. I always valued freedom above all.  As for my writing career, a few surprise awards came at the very beginning. I was a bestseller for 2018 at BWL, and ANGEL MINE (Azura Chronicles Book 1) was voted Best Positive Future Novel of 2018 by Critters Annual Readers Poll.   My publication year started with ANGEL FIERCE in February, followed by BLACK DRAGON in June. Then I had to revise and refresh all the books in the CHRONICLES OF KASSOUK (six of them) over the summer for the second publication of this favorite award-winning series by BWL. Then I had to rewrite a short work into a full novel, AKIRA’S CHOICE, Byzantium Book 2, which was ...

AKIRA'S CHOICE, Byzantium Book 2 Sci-fi Romance More of Vijaya Schartz' book from BWL  HERE Edouard Herriot famously said that culture is what remains when one has forgotten everything. Culture in the French vocabulary of the period meant learning and knowledge, but the saying is also true in today’s extended meaning of the word.  We speak of ancient cultures, of the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans, their philosophy and their mythology. We speak of the great artists of the Renaissance. They left long lasting testimonies of their history, architecture, writings, and way of life… Some say modern culture will only be evident when we are long gone and forgotten.  I say culture is not only art, architecture, wisdom, or knowledge, but it is how we treat each other, and how we celebrate life, family, and the traditions that accompany good and bad events in our lives.  Being raised in France, my first contact with America over the course of a three-month summer vacation w...

Find BLue Lioness and my other BWL books Here Not so long ago, I practiced Aikido, a Japanese martial art. I lived in Hawaii at the time, a place of mixed cultures, where part of the population is of Japanese descent. I had a Japanese Sensei, who taught his pupils the fascinating traditions of ancient Japan. I even learned the language and visited the country with its feudal castles and many temples.    The most mysterious part of Samurai culture, at least for Westerners, is that deep sense of honor that pervades every thought and action. The Samurai were the equivalent of the medieval knights of ancient Europe… on steroid. Their dedication to the clan was complete. Without a second thought, they would sacrifice their life to save their master’s honor or the honor of the clan.     Myamoto Musashi was the most famous Samurai of ancient Japan. He was a Ronin, a masterless Samurai, and had the reputation of being ruthless. Himeji castle illustrates the architecture...