Barbie, Solar Storms, Space Workshop, & Mummified Moon

Hello CK Westbrook readers,

I hope everyone is having a fabulous May!

Sales

Exciting book news, The Shooting e-book is available for 99 cents on Amazon through May 24. I think Amazon wants people to get addicted to a new series. It’s great for me because The Aftermath will be published in September and what better than a great sale to encourage a reader to jump in and try “The Impact Series!” Please spread the word!

The Aftermath is available for pre-order everywhere books are sold, but you can get 15% off if you purchase it through my publisher - CK Westbrook – 4 Horsemen Publications

Podcast

I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Karyne Messina about her new book on her show, the New Books in Psychology podcast. The book, Barbie and the Great American Identity Crisis, is fascinating and I highly recommend reading it and listening to the interview. We had fun diving into many of the issues Dr. Messina addresses in the book, including Barbie's true origin story, the importance of identity, and how an identity crisis can impact the environment, people, communities, and society.

Karyne Messina, "Barbie and the Great American Identity Crisis: The Unfortunate Reality of a Nation Plagued by Racism, Patriarchy, and Stark Hypocrisy" (Pi Press, 2024) - New Books Network

Events

I was invited to participate on a panel at the Environmental Justice in Space Workshop, June, 20 – 21. I will be on the panel “Policymaking, Space, and the Environment.” I’m thrilled that brilliant astrophysicists, historians, engineers, scientists, environmentalists, professors, congressional staff, and others are working together on this important issue.

From the agenda: As activity in space increases, we bring with us the risk of damaging the space environment as we’ve damaged our environment on Earth. We also face questions of environmental justice: how to equitably distribute both the benefits and the costs of our use of the space environment.

The workshop is free to attend. Let me know if you want more details.

Barnes & Noble

I will be signing books at Barnes & Noble on Saturday, June 8 from 1 pm – 4 pm. Address: 20427 Exchange Street, Ashburn, VA 20147. Come by and say hello!

Book Review

As a science fiction author, I’m picky about books I read in my genre. I found Mummified Moon, by PC Nottingham, to be a fast-paced, fun, suspenseful story. If you were curious about the other interesting species at the Mos Eisley Cantina, then you will love this book! It has endearing and rowdy imaginative characters and fun, snarky dialogue. Nottingham builds an amazing world full of interesting characters and thrilling action. And, like most great sci-fi, the author invents intriguing technology and tackles complex social issues including racism and power structures. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading the next one in the Earthquake War series.

If science fiction is your jam, check out PC Nottingham and sign up for his newsletter - Home (authorpcnottingham.com)

Current Events

SOLAR STORMS

Stranger than fiction? From The Aftermath blurb – “But when a solar storm conceals the dangerous activities being done, Tia must figure out who these strangers are and what they are doing before the shooting's anniversary.”

When I wrote this novel last year, I was curious about the intense solar storms NASA predicted for 2024 and 2025. I’m thrilled people will be more familiar with this phenomenon when they read The Aftermath.

As we know, Earth was recently rocked by the biggest solar storm in decades – and the potential effects have people in charge of power grids, communications systems, and satellites on edge. Solar flares are bright spots on the sun that emit bursts of radiation. The storms also emit massive clouds of magnetized particles and hot plasma. One of the clouds, called a coronal mass ejection, headed straight to Earth last week. Fortunately, the ejection wasn’t strong enough to cause problems for people – just stunning northern lights as far south as Florida and Texas. However, things could be different if a more intense burst comes our way. NOAA forecasts the current 11-year solar cycle to peak sometime in 2024 or early 2025. I hope we get more northern lights in the DMV, but next time on a clear night!

Until next time.

I can’t express the deep gratitude I have for my readers. Thank you for coming on this fantastic adventure with me!

CK

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To purchase books –

The Shooting | Universal Book Links Help You Find Books at Your Favorite Store! (books2read.com)

The Collision | Universal Book Links Help You Find Books at Your Favorite Store! (books2read.com)

The Judgment | Universal Book Links Help You Find Books at Your Favorite Store! (books2read.com)

Pre-order link: The Aftermath | Universal Book Links Help You Find Books at Your Favorite Store! (books2read.com)

CK Westbrook – 4 Horsemen Publications