Coming 12 November 2024
7th Century France
Zayim, a deaf weaver, is caught smuggling slaves to freedom. As a former slave, Zayim faces execution for his crimes instead of the fine required by free-borns. On the day of his execution, the magistrate offers him his life in exchange for finding the magistrate's son who was captured in battle and sold as a slave.
But when the magistrate insists on sending a spy along the journey, Zayim begins to wonder if the magistrate's son even exists, or if the mission is a set-up intended to root out Zayim's liberationist contacts.
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SURVIVING MIDAS TRILOGY
As a daughter of an FBI agent, Katie knows the basics of child abduction prevention: don’t talk to strangers, don’t get into a car with anyone you don’t know, and don’t piss off Midas. But Dad broke the last rule, and now Katie is left to pay for it. The day after her fifteenth birthday, Katie Thompson opens a birthday card armed with a golden glitter bomb. At first, the prank seems harmless until she sees the card has been signed by Midas, the man her FBI father has been investigating for nearly a decade. The FBI dismisses the card as a taunt, one of many from Midas in the past, but the next day Katie is kidnapped by the infamous Midas. With Katie as his hostage, Midas now controls the FBI investigation that would see him destroyed. Katie is held captive on the farm in the middle of nowhere with fifty other kids, all victims of Midas’s kidnapping ring. Here they are forced to work as slaves under hellish conditions. Food is always scarce, exposure to the elements is guaranteed, and sickness kills the weak. Escape is a death sentence, but mere survival might mean losing everything else. |
Book 3 Killing Midas Coming 2/22/24!
Cast of surviving Midas Series
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More Praise for Surviving Midas
"A conspiracy with roots deep in the government, the kidnapped daughter of an FBI agent, a brilliant young man and the sister he's fighting a hopeless battle to keep alive in a prison camp, and over it all the ruthless, enigmatic Midas who leaves entire fresh graveyards in his wake on his quest for more power: these are the ingredients of the riveting tour de force survival tale Hague has cooked up."
-Andrew Rucker Jones, Author
"I LOVED this book. It hit me in all the right places, and it was one of those books where I kept thinking about it when I had to put it down."
-Kade Broersma, Literary Editor
"A conspiracy with roots deep in the government, the kidnapped daughter of an FBI agent, a brilliant young man and the sister he's fighting a hopeless battle to keep alive in a prison camp, and over it all the ruthless, enigmatic Midas who leaves entire fresh graveyards in his wake on his quest for more power: these are the ingredients of the riveting tour de force survival tale Hague has cooked up."
-Andrew Rucker Jones, Author
"I LOVED this book. It hit me in all the right places, and it was one of those books where I kept thinking about it when I had to put it down."
-Kade Broersma, Literary Editor
Full Book Reviews for SURVIVING MIDAS
Self-Defeatist Navel-Gazing Blog Review by Andrew Rucker Jones
"Surviving Midas is a YA thriller about a kidnapping ring that also grows and sells marijuana using the kidnapped kids as slave labor. The premise alone is pretty harsh, it seems to me, but what sets Surviving Midas apart from most YA thrillers is its unflinching willingness to play that premise out to realistic conclusions instead of sidestepping the ugly consequences. The depth of the conspiracy-laden worldbuilding RW has invested the trilogy with is also impressive. Early on in critiquing the first book, I thought I caught her on a number of implausibilities and inconsistencies. Not once was I right. She had it all worked out. . ."
To read full review, click HERE
Self-Defeatist Navel-Gazing Blog Review by Andrew Rucker Jones
"Surviving Midas is a YA thriller about a kidnapping ring that also grows and sells marijuana using the kidnapped kids as slave labor. The premise alone is pretty harsh, it seems to me, but what sets Surviving Midas apart from most YA thrillers is its unflinching willingness to play that premise out to realistic conclusions instead of sidestepping the ugly consequences. The depth of the conspiracy-laden worldbuilding RW has invested the trilogy with is also impressive. Early on in critiquing the first book, I thought I caught her on a number of implausibilities and inconsistencies. Not once was I right. She had it all worked out. . ."
To read full review, click HERE
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About RW Hague
RW Hague is a registered nurse with over eight years of experience within the medical field. Using her medical expertise, she writes stories that are gritty and compelling.
Hague obtained her Associate's Degree in Nursing Science at Chattanooga State Technical Community College and later obtained her Bachelor's at East Tennessee State University. She has experience in med-surg, urology, nephrology, home healthcare, neuro-intensive care, and education. Currently, Hague teaches nursing students at a local university and lives on a mini-farm with her husband, toddler son, clever dog, loveable cat, and growing number of chickens and ducks.
Check out my full interview from Feed My Reads!
YA Fiction / Childrens' stories / fiction
Blog Posts
My blog primarily focuses on the publishing journey, especially as it relates to mental health. I have several articles and resources for authors looking to understand mental health and how it may impact their characters. Here are a sample of the articles that I've written.
SURVIVING MIDAS LAUNCH DAY!!!!
THE JOURNEY SO FAR...
In February of 2021, I signed my first traditional publishing contract with City Limits Publishing for the novel Surviving Midas. We planned launch day for August and preparations began. A cover was made, an edit of the text performed. Then, on an unhappy day in July, the CLP website crashed and never returned.
Bankrupt.
Two months from the launch of my novel, the entire company went under. Authors from all parts of the nation were dumped into a chaotic pool of uncertainty. What about our rights?
My contract stated that if the publishing company crashed, the rights would be reverted to me, but here’s the problem: that’s not always the case. During bankruptcy proceedings, rights to the author's work are considered company assets. In order to repay debts, the company will continue to hold onto the book and sell copies to recoup losses. This prevents the author from moving on and trying to publish or self-publish elsewhere. . .
Click HERE to read more.
THE JOURNEY SO FAR...
In February of 2021, I signed my first traditional publishing contract with City Limits Publishing for the novel Surviving Midas. We planned launch day for August and preparations began. A cover was made, an edit of the text performed. Then, on an unhappy day in July, the CLP website crashed and never returned.
Bankrupt.
Two months from the launch of my novel, the entire company went under. Authors from all parts of the nation were dumped into a chaotic pool of uncertainty. What about our rights?
My contract stated that if the publishing company crashed, the rights would be reverted to me, but here’s the problem: that’s not always the case. During bankruptcy proceedings, rights to the author's work are considered company assets. In order to repay debts, the company will continue to hold onto the book and sell copies to recoup losses. This prevents the author from moving on and trying to publish or self-publish elsewhere. . .
Click HERE to read more.
THE NITTY-GRITTIES OF SCHIZOPHRENIA
I was initially going to crack open my textbook like usual and tell you all the ‘official’ things about schizophrenia, but I’m going to put that off until next week. Instead, I’m going to tell you what I’ve seen from my nursing practice.
My first up-close encounter with schizophrenia in the clinical setting was with Mary*. Mary was a well-known frequent flier of the psychiatric institute I was completing my nursing clinical hours in. I was given Mary’s file to read then sent to speak with her for an hour. Since my previous vision of schizophrenia was of homeless people walking talking to the air, I was quite nervous about even approaching Mary, let alone sitting in the drab stone-walled courtyard on a bench and chatting.
Mary, however, acknowledged me with a courteous nod. She never smiled at me, but she was never hostile or aggressive toward me. Instead, she talked about her life as I would expect anyone too, with earnestness about her life experiences. She had no verbal slurring or strange repetition of words. I could have walked up to this woman at Walmart and never known she was schizophrenic. . .
Click HERE to read more.
I was initially going to crack open my textbook like usual and tell you all the ‘official’ things about schizophrenia, but I’m going to put that off until next week. Instead, I’m going to tell you what I’ve seen from my nursing practice.
My first up-close encounter with schizophrenia in the clinical setting was with Mary*. Mary was a well-known frequent flier of the psychiatric institute I was completing my nursing clinical hours in. I was given Mary’s file to read then sent to speak with her for an hour. Since my previous vision of schizophrenia was of homeless people walking talking to the air, I was quite nervous about even approaching Mary, let alone sitting in the drab stone-walled courtyard on a bench and chatting.
Mary, however, acknowledged me with a courteous nod. She never smiled at me, but she was never hostile or aggressive toward me. Instead, she talked about her life as I would expect anyone too, with earnestness about her life experiences. She had no verbal slurring or strange repetition of words. I could have walked up to this woman at Walmart and never known she was schizophrenic. . .
Click HERE to read more.
Book Reviews
Sienna Frost's Obsidian: The Awakening -- A Review
Two nations. Two cultures. One trapped in the narrow alleys and quarters of their tightly packed city; the other trapped in ancient feuds and traditions. Both are determined to exist.
Frost’s novel holds no punches and is as sharp as the rock from which it is named. In Frost’s own words, each of her characters are like obsidian–sharper and harder because they have been broken.
The story opens with a captured woman facing the man that slaughtered her people, the Vilarhiti of the White Desert. He demands information from her–information that would lead to the demise of her culture as she knows it. But this Bhavari woman is strong and refuses to speak even under penalty of death. So her captor chooses life as her punishment–she will live as his prisoner, his wife, and be forced to watch any children born to her be raised by her enemy and transformed into the next conqueror of her people.
Next we meet Hasheem, a former male prostitute turned assassin who now flees the city that used up his youth for its pleasures. Hasheem, too, is one of these sharp-edged people, and this flight to freedom drives him into the White Desert where his ability to survive in the dark alleys of the city will be of no help. Little does he or either nation know that his escape will signal the resurgence of conflict, shaking both peoples to their very core.
Obsidian is a dark tale of political intrigue, secrets, depravity, and love. Each of the characters flow with passion–hatred, desire, ambition. Each character wants something and will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. They are broken. They are survivors. They are dangerous.
They are Obsidian itself.
This story is not for the faint of heart. Frost takes off the rose-colored sheen of the world and explores deeply the dark, hidden places of human existence. With beautiful prose, exceptional story-telling, and captivating visuals, she brings the reader along on a journey that keeps them turning pages, drinking in more. Her characters worm their way into your heart and mind, and you find yourself thinking about them hours after the book has been closed.
If you are up for the soul challenge, I recommend this book for you.
Frost’s novel holds no punches and is as sharp as the rock from which it is named. In Frost’s own words, each of her characters are like obsidian–sharper and harder because they have been broken.
The story opens with a captured woman facing the man that slaughtered her people, the Vilarhiti of the White Desert. He demands information from her–information that would lead to the demise of her culture as she knows it. But this Bhavari woman is strong and refuses to speak even under penalty of death. So her captor chooses life as her punishment–she will live as his prisoner, his wife, and be forced to watch any children born to her be raised by her enemy and transformed into the next conqueror of her people.
Next we meet Hasheem, a former male prostitute turned assassin who now flees the city that used up his youth for its pleasures. Hasheem, too, is one of these sharp-edged people, and this flight to freedom drives him into the White Desert where his ability to survive in the dark alleys of the city will be of no help. Little does he or either nation know that his escape will signal the resurgence of conflict, shaking both peoples to their very core.
Obsidian is a dark tale of political intrigue, secrets, depravity, and love. Each of the characters flow with passion–hatred, desire, ambition. Each character wants something and will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. They are broken. They are survivors. They are dangerous.
They are Obsidian itself.
This story is not for the faint of heart. Frost takes off the rose-colored sheen of the world and explores deeply the dark, hidden places of human existence. With beautiful prose, exceptional story-telling, and captivating visuals, she brings the reader along on a journey that keeps them turning pages, drinking in more. Her characters worm their way into your heart and mind, and you find yourself thinking about them hours after the book has been closed.
If you are up for the soul challenge, I recommend this book for you.
Barbara Avon's Revived -- A review
Avon sums up her main character best by stating that Steven Gold was a man who turned heads. Men in suits wanted to be him. Women wanted to know him. Little old ladies wished to adopt him to fill the void of missing grandsons.
But Steven Gold has secrets, many secrets in fact. Behind each of his successes–his marriage of eleven years to a beautiful woman, his career as an award winning journalist–there is a dark secret waiting to catch up with him. And, after a close encounter with death, these secrets, or these bodies rather, decide they’ve waited long enough in the shadows and draw near to claim Gold as their own.
Using vivid imagery, Avon paints pictures on an idyllic life, but even from the beginning, hidden in every scene, is just a hint of the macabre or of something not quite right. At first, the reader focuses on Steven’s wife Cassie, thinking that the mystery revolves around her as she battles with a decaying mental health and slowly falls into hallucinations and delusion. Everything changes, however, after Steven’s accident where a head injury causes him to enter delusions of his own.
As Steven’s visions grow more intense, the reader is forced to weigh this man, not only by his appearances, but by the content of his character as well. Is he as truly as golden as his name? Or is there more corruption than shine?
This book was a good, quick read. The characters are likable and convincing–you find yourself rooting for them even, perhaps, when you should not. Avon does well to portray the difficulties of living with a mental illness and the complications that this can bring–especially when delusions encounter real life. She also brings out how trauma can impact this healing and how some things ‘forgotten’ can impact us to our very core.
If psychological thrillers are your thing, I recommend this book for you!
But Steven Gold has secrets, many secrets in fact. Behind each of his successes–his marriage of eleven years to a beautiful woman, his career as an award winning journalist–there is a dark secret waiting to catch up with him. And, after a close encounter with death, these secrets, or these bodies rather, decide they’ve waited long enough in the shadows and draw near to claim Gold as their own.
Using vivid imagery, Avon paints pictures on an idyllic life, but even from the beginning, hidden in every scene, is just a hint of the macabre or of something not quite right. At first, the reader focuses on Steven’s wife Cassie, thinking that the mystery revolves around her as she battles with a decaying mental health and slowly falls into hallucinations and delusion. Everything changes, however, after Steven’s accident where a head injury causes him to enter delusions of his own.
As Steven’s visions grow more intense, the reader is forced to weigh this man, not only by his appearances, but by the content of his character as well. Is he as truly as golden as his name? Or is there more corruption than shine?
This book was a good, quick read. The characters are likable and convincing–you find yourself rooting for them even, perhaps, when you should not. Avon does well to portray the difficulties of living with a mental illness and the complications that this can bring–especially when delusions encounter real life. She also brings out how trauma can impact this healing and how some things ‘forgotten’ can impact us to our very core.
If psychological thrillers are your thing, I recommend this book for you!