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Scorpio Rising: book review by North American Jyotish Newsletter

20 Sep

Book review of “Scorpio Rising” by Michael Laughrin (michael@jyotish.ws) in his North American Jyotish Newsletter (August/September 2011)

There are dozens of different varieties of mystery novels, and I have read at least 2000 of them. Some of these books feature ex-cops who have become PIs (private eyes). Some mysteries, mostly written by British female authors, are called cozies because of their genteel manners and settings. Then there are mysteries in which the setting is all-important — New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago being some of the more popular cities.

Then there is a whole category of mysteries that feature certain professions — lawyers, doctors, chefs, and musicians come to mind. Another genre features certain animals — horses, dogs, cats, and parrots.

Alan Annand has created — or expanded upon — a whole new genre: Vedic Astrology and detective. Our hero in “Scorpio Rising” is also a fine palmist, numerologist, and expert in Vastu (ancient Vedic laws of architecture) and Ayurveda. Being a lover of mysteries (especially the “hard-boiled” type) and of all things Vedic, I believe this book is a 5-star winning combination.

Without giving any of the plot away, here’s the gist of it: Criminal profiler Axel Crowe investigates the killing of a New York City heiress, only to discover that her death is linked to two other murders on the same day: a dot-com millionaire in San Francisco, and the team leader of a CIA counter-terrorist project in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

A finder of wayward people and stolen possessions, the enigmatic Crowe profiles subjects in a distinctly unique manner, using astrology, palmistry and other techniques drawn from Vedic lore. Facts are gross, but the truth is subtle, Crowe’s guru always told him. And although the truth behind this three-way conspiracy lies buried in the past, Crowe is relentless until he uncovers it.

If you think about it, astrologer and detective go together like fish and chips. Astrologers look for that which is hidden, and so do detectives. Both professions value intuition and logic equally. Mr. Annand has done a masterful job in creating a believable character who is personable, intelligent, and multi-faceted in his approach to crime solving.

“Scorpio Rising” is a truly great book. And according to the author, it is just the first in a series of several books featuring this astrologer-detective character. If you love Jyotish, palmistry, etc, READ THIS BOOK! You will learn a lot of predictive techniques because Mr. Annand, besides being a writer, is also a very fine Jyotishi.

Enjoy.

Scorpio Rising is available from Amazon — paperback $12.99, digital only $2.99.
http://www.amazon.com/Scorpio-Rising-ebook/dp/B0050IOY6I

Word cloud: Scorpio Rising

8 Jun

Somebody I follow on Twitter turned me on to this cool site  (www.wordle.net). You can enter a batch of words from the “word cloud” that describes whatever your latest opus is all about, and Wordle will render it as a cool text graphic. Wordle does this by scrambling your text at random and then throwing it up on the screen in just one of many possible layouts, plus random font and color choices. But that’s just for an appetizer. If you think you can improve on random creativity (and who do you think you are — God?) you can choose your own configuration, font and color, and still get a playfully random mix in the end.

This featured graphic was made by using just a few of the words that help describe my novel Scorpio Rising, in which a private investigator uses astrology, palmistry and omens to solve a three-way murder conspiracy. You can find it on Amazon, Smashwords and other online retailers.

ebook launch: SCORPIO RISING

24 May

As some of you know, I also play a “public” role as a Vedic astrologer and palmist. But as a great reader (and writer) of mystery fiction, I’ve often wondered what might have happened if my teacher (Hart deFouw) had been inclined to pursue criminology. How would he have used his knowledge of astrology, palmistry, numerology and omens to find missing people, retrieve stolen objects, or solve crimes?

This novel is my answer to that question. And it’s an ebook because…

Before this year, I’d written articles on astrology and palmistry, had a couple of animation scripts produced, and published five novels under pseudonyms.

Although I’d always planned to keep on getting books published in the traditional way, in the last couple of years, technology has been rapidly transforming (ie, crushing) the conventional book business.

I’ve seen the writing on the wall. The paper book is dying, and ebooks are filling the void at a much lower cost to consumers. Therefore, I have joined the revolution.

Two of my novels are now available immediately in all of the formats used in the most popular ereading devices – Amazon’s Kindle, the Apple iPad, the Barnes & Noble Nook, the Sony Reader and others.

By summer’s end, I’ll re-issue another three novels previously published under pseudonyms. Other original works will follow, including a “New Age noir” series of which Scorpio Rising is the first installment starring my astrologer/palmist hero.

Scorpio Rising

An astrologer investigates the killing of a New York City heiress, only to discover that her death is linked to two other murders on the same day: a dot-com millionaire in San Francisco, and the team leader of a government counter-terrorist project in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

To sample or purchase Scorpio Rising for the Kindle, go to Amazon: www.amazon.com/Scorpio-Rising-ebook/dp/B0050IOY6I

For all other ereader formats, go to Smashwords: www.smashwords.com/books/view/59231

 Only $2.99

To follow my astrological activities, visit www.navamsa.com. You can also befriend me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn, or follow me on Twitter. My writing site is still www.sextile.com