CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

Carlie Simonsen's Legacy of Dreams is a teen to young adult story about how Tanya learns to cope with losing her ability to walk, the withdrawal of her best friend, the disappearance of her boyfriend, and her ability to do the sport she loves. Faced with the chance of losing her beloved horse as well, Tanya has to come up with a plan that will somehow let her salvage something of the life she used to have, and the dreams she was making reality. Legacy of Dreams is a tale of learning to live again. Tanya knows her parents have been tip-toeing around the problem of keeping a horse she can no longer ride, and whose very name makes her burst into tears. Tanya has only just discovered something that might help things, when she is faced with having to face losing her horse, Copper, altogether. The only question is, whether the family budget can stretch that far. Must she lose the only link left to the life she used to have? This non-illustrated version of Legacy of Dreams ca...

A Window on Salukia is the second short story to be found in An Anthology of Battle . It is also available as a stand-alone short story. A Window on Salukia is A short story made up of a series of linked vignettes describing cyclic battles and aftermaths in fantasy, pseudo-contemporary, and science fiction settings. A Window on Salukia is available in An Anthology of Battle , and as an individual title from Smashwords , Kobo , Kindle , iTunes and Nook. First Page: A Window on Salukia   We have been watching for centuries, observing many worlds, many ages, many times. We have been watching, trying to learn and understand, trying to avoid the mistakes of other civilizations. Our observations are directed by a force greater than ourselves, and it is this force that takes us through the window of our observatory to the windows and the skies of other places and their eras of trouble. It comes as a breeze and carries us away. The lesson of the moment concerns the ha...

In the The Genesis Plague author Michael Byrnes has written a fast-paced action adventure, reminiscent of Matthew Reilly in style. It also interweaves elements of occultic belief and a sense of mystique, while developing a complex plot linking events in the Middle East with ancient myth and international conspiracy and espionage. The main character is action-man Jason Yaeger, known as Google to his squad mates. Located in Afghanistan, Yaegar stumbles across a madman’s plot, and alerts his agency to the possibility of external actors. Through the remnants of an id card out of place in a war zone, Yaegar’s State-side colleague, Thomas Flaherty unravels much of the secret, while Yaegar tries to prevent the real effects of the plot in the Middle East. The pace does not slow throughout the entire bok, and the clever incorporation of elements of mystery, intrigue, action, and romance led to a very satisying read. I will be looking for more of Mr. Byrnes ’ work, starting with TheSa...

A Vignette for Rashkah is available as a stand-alone short story or as part of An Anthology of Battle . Rashkah’s mother is mourning the death of Rashkah’s last surviving brother when the raiders attack their village. This short piece explores what happens immediately after. A Vignette for Rashkah is available as a stand-alone short story or as part of An Anthology of Battle . Rashkah’s mother is mourning the death of Rashkah’s last surviving brother when the raiders attack their village. This short piece explores what happens immediately after. A Vignette for Rashkah can be found in An Anthology of Battle or as a stand-alone title at Smashwords , Kobo , Kindle , iTunes , and Nook. Fir st Page: A Vigne tte for Rashkah   Rashkah shifted uncomfortably against the back wall of the hut, watching as her mother laid her head once more on her brother’s dead chest. Rashkah's mother's tears were quiet now, the only sign of her grief the occasional heave of her bo...

Dear Tiger is a young adult science fiction story told in a series of letters written by Simone Michaels. Simone’s parents are exploring another planet and she’s stuck in boarding school when things go terribly wrong. Dear Tiger is the first book in the Letters Across Space series. “Dear Tiger, this has been the best day ever… but I lie.” Simone Michaels is in trouble, but she doesn’t know how deep. Her letters to old friend, Tiger, reveal that her parents are missing, and that she is afraid she’ll go missing, too. When her parents’ employer takes her in, and takes care of her education and living arrangements, she is drawn more deeply into the mystery. Simone keeps her secrets as best she can, including the secret of the mysterious box her parents sent before they disappear, but she is just as afraid of opening it, as she is of the company discovering its existence. Does it contain the only clue to what really happened to her parents, or does it contain her doom?...

Written under my teen and tween fiction pen name, Carlie Simonsen , this short tale is about the trials of two children after their parents go missing while Christmas shopping in a shopping centre that suffers a bombing attack. Jason must look after his little sister Emmie when they find themselves alone in a city, in another country, far from home. Did their parents survive the bomb blast, and can they find them, or will they be stuck growing up in the care of strangers and never see home again? All Alone is the debut chapter book for tweens by Carlie Simonsen . It is currently available from Smashwords , and will shortly become available from Kobo, Kindle, and CreateSpace.