A Place of Brightness: young adult

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Fighting the Blues: A Blue Monday Antidote...

Click to purchase a print of Annie Lee's beautiful "Blue Monday"

Apparently it began as a marketing ploy, the assertion that the Monday of the last full week in January is the most depressing day of the year and, for that reason, you really ought to book a flight to some vacation getaway.

Well, January here in the Northeast has been cold, snowy, and generally depressing.

So, even if it's not scientifically and certifiably the most depressing day of the year, my novels include uplifting and thoughtful works sure to feed your soul. I'll take this opportunity to make a few shameless plugs!

Strange as it might seem, one of the best antidotes to the winter blahs is a good cry. Readers tell me that In Saecula Saeculorum leaves them reaching for the tissues constantly, though it's also full of just as many laughs, smiles, and cheers. It's a Young Adult, Time Travel, Adventure, Romance, all rolled up in one.

If you're in the mood for a good old fashioned espionage thriller, Amor Vincit Omnia: an Andrew Valquist Adventure tells the story of how Dr. Andrew Valquist starts work at the National Security Agency, only to be sent on a dangerous assignment on his second day with the Agency!

A Place of Brightness recounts Dr. Andrew Valquist's history as the son of a Romanian Freedom Fighter. Andrew and his twin brother, Father Stefan, face intrigue, danger, and adventure as they journey back to their mother's homeland to solve the mystery of her past.

Enjoy, dear reader. Be well and God Bless on Blue Monday and every day.

Monday, December 10, 2012

In Saecula Saeculorum

By Keith Massey, PhD. Connect with me on Google+ and Twitter. Explore my novels at Lingua Sacra Publishing.

In Saecula Saeculorum is Latin for "Forever and Ever." It is also translated, in various liturgical traditions as "Unto Ages of Ages" and also "Worlds without End."

I chose it as the title of my young adult time travel action-adventure, espionage-thriller back to Ancient Rome for obvious reasons. It's Latin and it conveys the concept of eternal time.

In Saecula Saeculorum tells the story of four high school Latin students who don't know it, but their last four years have been a lie. While they thought they were studying at the Fairfax Classical Academy in Virginia, they were actually being trained in a joint NSA/MI-6 operation for a mission to go back in time to save the world.

The four seniors at the Fairfax Classical Academy in Virginia are just a few short weeks away from graduation. They've got all the typical worries of teenagers. Grades and romance top the list of their dramas. But what they don't know is that their last four years have been a lie. They thought they were in high school, but they were actually being trained in a joint NSA/MI-6 mission to go back in time to save the world.

As they embark on the greatest adventure in the history of humankind, they will struggle with attractions, addictions, and emotional turmoil. But that only makes them normal teenagers.

They're on a mission to save the world. But can they also save each other?

This is a unique novel in which the Latin language is used at times in the dialogue. The Latin appears in contexts where any reader will understand what is being said. But if you've studied some Latin, In Saecula Saeculorum will be an engaging way to deepen your knowledge of that language.

If you'd like to explore how the Latin is introduced, here's an excerpt from the novel.

But whether you've studied Latin or not, In Saecula Saeculorum is an action-adventure for all.

In Saecula Saeculorum, the 4th Novel in the Valquist Series

In this fourth novel of the Valquist Series, Andrew Valquist is retired (?) from the National Security Agency and teaching Latin at a Classical Academy in the Washington DC area. But in the world of espionage, looks can be deceiving. He's not necessarily happy with the role he has played in all this, but the school was actually a joint NSA/MI-6 Project in which four young people have been unwittingly prepared for a mission to travel back in time to ancient Rome to retrieve information from a library that may save the modern world from certain destruction. They know they have to at least try to save humanity, but can they also save each other?

Next Stop: Spanish, the 3rd Novel in the Valquist Series

This third novel in the Valquist Series can be read as an espionage action-adventure in its own right, but also you can use it as a way to either brush up on your Spanish or learn functional Spanish for the first time! John Valquist needs to learn Spanish. But he's in luck, since his uncle Andrew is a language expert and a former (?) spy who is taking him on a vacation to Spain so he can study the language. In Next Stop: Spanish, you have the chance to see and study the words John studies, and then watch him add more and more Spanish into his dialogue as the story progresses. During this vacation, they get pulled into espionage intrigue (why do these things always happen to the Valquist family?). In the dramatic conclusion, John will need to put together everything he has learned to save his uncle!

Amor Vincit Omnia: the 2nd Novel in the Valquist Series

In this second novel of the Valquist Series, Keith Massey takes you into the halls of the National Security Agency, where he himself worked for four years after 9/11 and an Arabic linguist. You follow our hero Andrew Valquist, as he starts work as a new recruit at the NSA. Little does he know that on his first on the job, he's about to fly off on an unexpected overseas assignment. He'll be even more surprised when he learns that his background in ancient Latin will be crucial to the mission!