Monday, 8 December 2025

Calling on a Bad Day - Karina Fabian - A Rescue Sisters Story

Wolf of Mars
A Rescue Sisters Story
Karina Fabian
Laser Cow Press
ISBN 9781956489262 
ASIN B0FYRVMFBM

Calling on a Bad Day - Karina Fabian - A Rescue Sisters Story

Wow! What an excellent story and great news! This story is a little more fun, and some serious comedy, all wrapped up in  a moving tale. 

Before the story begins there is a dedication and a bible verse. The dedication is:

“Dedicated to anyone whose had a bad day at work. I feel ya!”

And the verse is Jeremiah 29:11:

“For I know well the plans I have in mind for you…plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope.” 

The two tie together and to the story in very meaningful ways. About the history of the Rescue Sisters we are told:

“The order started on the L5 station, which is on the LaGrange trailing the moon. Gillian (Later St. Gillian of L5) was the wife of the inventor of artificial gravity. Ironically, he was so severely injured in an accident with his machine that he could no longer manage in Earth’s gravity, so she left Earth to join him on L5. After his death, she took holy vows and petitioned to start an order of religious sisters in outer space. 

While they do many things, Gillian chose search and rescue for the mission because it was a high-demand, high-risk operation that commanded high prices. By doing the work for “air, supplies and the love of God,” they paved the way for their religious order to grow. 

Skirts would be inconvenient and potentially embarrassing if the artificial gravity cut out, so Gillian chose wide-legged pants and a simple T-shirt under the skinsuit. The practical habit caused some scandal but was eventually accepted on stations and low-gravity environments, and grudgingly allowed “dirtside.”

Under Gillian’s leadership, the order grew to several locations, including L5 and Phobos, where there’s a training convent. When she died, spacers claimed to have seen her apparition and credited her with saving them from accidents or other perils. Many of these miracles were confirmed and she was sainted.”

Right after that we are informed:

“We have several other stories with these sisters, which I’m going to start publishing.”

That is great news. I have loved all the Rescue Sisters stories to date, and really do look forward to more stories set in this universe. About this story Fabian states:

“This is a story I’ve wanted to write for ages. I got the idea from the filk song, “An Asteroid Named Rest Stop” by Julia Ecklar. (In fact, it’s the second story inspired by filk songs.) I loved the thought of a pilot having such a bad day it makes her want to become a religious sister. I started the story at least a decade ago, but didn’t know where I wanted to take it. Sometimes, a story just needs to sit.

I’d like to especially thank the Catholic Writers Guild SFF Crit group for all their wonderful comments, especially their encouragement to portray the Mass less “in terms of any joy, or any emotional reward for it, but the terrible necessity of it.” (as Mark Baker eloquently put it.) Or as Rena said, “This should be Mass with toddlers.” Thanks, Rena Shannon, G.M. Baker, Matthew Schmidt, and Marie Keiser.”

I had to look up the meaning of filk song: 

“Filk is a genre of folk music written and performed by science fiction and fantasy fans, with songs often featuring themes from these genres. The name "filk" originated from a typo of "folk" and has been adopted by the community, which includes song parodies, original compositions, and music about topics like science, computers, and cats. It is a cultural phenomenon as much as a musical one, with a strong tradition of informal singing circles at conventions and gatherings.”

 And it just feels right. The description of this story states:

“The Zaniest Rescue Sisters Story Yet!

Rae Marie Martingale loved to fly. What she didn’t love was working for Waylaid Transport and Shipping, possibly the worst hauling company in the entire asteroid belt. Case in When she was tagged to fly Lucky Charms to Ceres for a much-needed overhaul, the Company decided to stick her with a cargo of live turkeys, drunks needing a quick exit from Waylaid Station—and a priest who thinks she’s a good candidate for the Rescue Sisters.

When the turkeys get loose, pirates attack, and her incompetent chief engineer breaks the ship, it’s shaping up to be a bad day. But maybe that’s the perfect time for God to come calling?”

A traveling priest, a pilot trying to save up to get better credentials, a cargo hold full of turkeys, a very green engineer and a bunch of drunken passengers. What could go wrong? Well as Murphy gives us Irishmen a bad name, if something can go wrong it, will, and the worst thing that can go wrong will go wrong. But Rae Marie Martingale proves not only up to the challenges, she excels. And let’s not forget about pirates, and a side bet between a priest and a business mogul. So much packed tightly into this excellent short story.

This is an awesome story in an amazing series. Fabian has several series that I love. But the Rescue sisters are among my favourites. Every time a new one releases It immediately jumps to the top of my ‘to be read’ pile. Many years ago I read Sacred Visions that was edited by Father Andrew M. Greeley, since that time I have read some terrible stories and some truly inspired fiction. Some of my all-time favourite stories now are religious, and specifically Catholic Fiction. Fabian is one of the best!

I know I will return to the Rescue Sisters series again and reread the novel and the stories. This is an excellent work of short fiction and I highly recommend it! 

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan!

Books by Karina Fabian:

Dex Hollister Series:
The Old Man and the Void
Dex's Way
...

Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator Series :
Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator
I Left My Brains in San Francisco
Shambling in a Winter Wonderland
…

DragonEye PI Series:
DragonEye PI Novels:

Space Traipse Series:
Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 1
Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 2
Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 3
Space Traipse Stories
…

Madness of Kanaan Series:
(formerly The Mind Over Series)

Edited by: Karina Fabian:
Infinite Space, Infinite God I
Leaps of Faith
Infinite Space, Infinite God II
...


Contributed to:
Firestorm of Dragons
The Zombie Cookbook
The Book of Tentacles
Twisted Fayrie Tales
FRIGHTLINER: And Other Tales of the Undead
Mother Goose is Dead
Word by Word: Slowing Down with the Hail Mary
Image and Likeness Literary Reflections on the Theology of the Body
Corrupts Absolutely? Dark Metahuman Fiction
Weird Noir
The Complete Guide to Writing Paranormal Novels
Manifesto UF
Avenir Eclectia
Planetary Anthology: Jupiter
Planetary Anthology: Pluto
Planetary Anthology: Luna
Planetary Anthology: Uranus
FlagShip Science Fiction and Fantasy v2i5
My Little Book of Headdesks
To Be Men: Stories Celebrating Masculinity
...








Wolf of Mars - Karina Fabian - A Rescue Sisters Story




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Sunday, 7 December 2025

A Prayer of the Day Act of Consecration to St. Joseph

Act of Consecration to St. Joseph 
Prayer of the Day  


Saint Joseph, spouse of Mary, virginal father of Jesus, and my spiritual father, I consecrate myself entirely to you. I lovingly embrace your fatherhood and take refuge under your paternal cloak. Help me to pray and be virtuous today. Instruct me in the wisdom of the saints, protect me from the snares of the enemy, and keep me from sinning. Should I take my last breath today, be by my side, and take me to heaven to be with Jesus and Mary. 
Amen.
  
Note: Every so often I post a prayer I use as part of my daily prayers. I have been praying this one most days since I read the book it came from:

Consecration to St. Joseph: 
The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father
Donald H. Calloway, MIC
Marian Press
ISBN 9781596144316
eISBN 9781596145221
ASIN B083BFGDYS


Other reviews and articles about Saint Joseph:
Consecration to St. Joseph - Fr. Donald Calloway
Favorite Prayers to St. Joseph Compiled from Traditional Sources- TAN Books
Prayer to Saint Joseph Prayer of the Day
Joseph of Nazareth - Federico Suarez
Devotion to St. Joseph - F. Declaux
Go to St. Joseph: Do Whatever He Tells You - Brian Kiczek
Saint Joseph: Help for Life's Emergencies - Kathryn J. Hermes
Feast of Saint Joseph 2018 Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary Principal Patron of Canada
Companion to Saint Joseph - J.B. Midgley - CTS Companions Series
Saints of the Roman Canon - Julien Chilcott-Monk - CTS Living the Liturgy Series
Seven Saints for Seven Virtues - Jean M. Heimann
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Saturday, 6 December 2025

Reacher The Stories Behind the Stories - Lee Child

Reacher: The Stories Behind The Stories
ISBN 9781613167069
eISBN 9781613167076
ASIN B0DY2X84Z6

Reacher The Stories Behind the Stories - Lee Child

I read my first Reacher story in 2019, I had picked up the most recent as a gift for my dad, this time I read the back and thought it looked interesting, and picked up the eBook for myself. I read about a book or published short story a week until I was caught up, thought I jumped around a lot, picking titles at random. I have since stayed up to date on the series. I have also read the Hunt for Reacher Series by Diane Capri and also the Jack Reacher Experiment book 1 by Jude Hardin. I even have a tag on my blog for all Reacher Stories no matter the author. I really enjoy the character, and have loved almost all of the books. SO I was pretty excited to give this a read.

The description of this volume is:

“Lee Child tells the stories behind the stories from the bestselling Jack Reacher novels.

After making his debut in 1997’s The Killing Floor, Jack Reacher has quickly become one of the most popular—and most enduring—fictional heroes to emerge in the past half century. Now, his creator tells the stories behind the stories.

These are the origin tales of all of the Reacher novels written solely by Lee Child, chock full of colorful anecdotes and intriguing inspirations. One by one, they expand upon each novel and place it in the context not only of the author’s life, but of the world outside the books. And taken together, they chart the rise of an action icon, from 1999’s The Killing Floor to 2019’s Blue Moon. An afterword by crime fiction expert and bookseller Otto Penzler considers the importance of the character and novels in the canon of contemporary crime fiction.

In addition to the essays, this collection also includes an original Reacher short story—the first new Reacher appearance entirely written by Lee Child since 2019. Entertaining and enlightening, The Stories Behind the Stories is a must-read for fans of the Jack Reacher series and a capstone to any collection of this excellent author.”

This was an excellent volume to give a read. I really enjoyed working through it. I picked it up randomly over a few days and typically only read one or 2 of the pieces. We are informed a few times that these stories were originally written for a limited edition reprint of the books in custom hardcover matching editions. And each is signed by the author. I am glad those of us who could not afford those editions, or lay our hands on them get the change to read these stories that were written as introductions. 

Some of the stories are more fascinating than others, I enjoyed learning about the plots and how they came to be. About the naming of certain characters, especially those that were made available through auctions for charity. I especially enjoyed finding out about the source of Neagley’s character’s name:

“There’s an auction at each of our annual genre conventions, usually benefiting a literacy project in the locality, and an idea took hold in the late 1990s whereby instead of donating a signed first edition or other item of physical memorabilia, authors would offer the high bidder the chance to have his or her name in an upcoming book as a character. Accordingly I offered such a prize, and two women bid the lot up to dizzying heights, until I said both could be in the book. The other woman was Frances Neagley, then a nurse from San Francisco, now retired. Her character, Reacher’s old colleague from his army days—shadowy, mysterious, unexplained—seemed to work so well I brought her back in two later installments, which ran counter to my general decision to avoid soap-opera structures, with their repertory casts of supporting characters.”

And I found it odd someone would want a character with their wife’s name to ‘sleep with Reacher:

“The third auction was won by a guy named John Turner, and he nominated his wife’s name—Susan Turner—with the added wrinkle that he requested Susan should have sex with Jack Reacher. I wasn’t sure I would or could comply, but again subliminally, I started thinking of Susan Turner in a love-interest kind of way.”

Overall this was a fascinating read, and a volume I am certain Reacher fans will love. It might also be interesting for aspiring authors or even newer authors to see how Child’s has successfully written so many best sellers.

A great read one I can easily recommend.    

Books by Lee Child:
Jack Reacher Books Publishing Order:
Killing Floor
Die Trying
Tripwire
The Visitor /Running Blind
Echo Burning
Without Fail
Persuader
The Enemy
One Shot
The Hard Way
Bad Luck and Trouble
Nothing to Lose
Gone Tomorrow
61 Hours
Worth Dying For
The Affair
A Wanted Man
Never Go Back
Personal
Make Me
Night School
The Midnight Line
Past Tense
Blue Moon
The Sentinel
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Friday, 5 December 2025

The Groundskeeper: Have A Dead Night - Cedar Sanderson - The Groundskeeper Book 5

Have A Dead Night
The Groundskeeper Book 5
Sanderley Studios.
ISBN 9798272314611
ASIN B0FYMMS81R
ASIN B0FYJBYRLK

The Groundskeeper: Have A Dead Night - Cedar Sanderson - The Groundskeeper Book 5

With the reading of this story it marks 29 times I have read a book or published short story by Sanderson, not counting her contributions to anthologies. I first encountered the works of Cedar in Cracked: An Anthology of Eggsellent Chicken Stories, and after reading her piece there knew I had to track down and read something else from her pen. The first story in this series was that next piece I read and since then I have been slowly working through all of Sanderson’s published works. In that first book Sanderson states:

“This book is dedicated to the Junior Mad Scientist, my pastel goth. May you find your happy place, dear heart.”

Written and dedicated to her own daughter the story is spun off from a chance real life event. The dedication in this volume states:

“To my baby bat, as always, and may you find your own path in life.”

The story is very well written. It was a humorous read with a dark twists. The book and whole series really grabs your attention and keeps you hooked. I picked up the book as soon as it released and read it in a couple of sittings over a day and a half. The description of this offering is:

“As the cold rain falls on Belleview cemetery, Apprentice mediator Chloe Brandt is shifting from raking fallen leaves to solving mysteries for the living and the dead. If it's not one thing, it's another as a fallen tree, a new case, and an unexpected result all collide with a summons from a colleague. Now Chloe and her boss Mr. Cruor are headed for the deep hollers of Appalachia, to attempt the unraveling of a fifty-year-old tragedy, and they are walking right into an ambush. One wrong step, and the dead stay restless forever.”

The chapters in this offering are:

1. Nightlife
2. Morning Meeting
3. Derp Kitty Dear
4. Side Quest
5. Root and Branch
6. The Little Old Lady
7. Curiosity and the Cat
8. Sky and Trees
9. Road Trip
10. Weeping Bride Creek
11. An Expedition
12. Old Ghosts
13. Cave of the Dead
14. Missing Ghosts
15. Bigfoot
16. Unravelling
17. Remembrance
18. Postscript

The story follows Chloe as she continues to transition into a new role at Belleview Cemetery, a role that is much more series and has further reaching consequences. She has known for a while that life at Belleview was different, and she took it all in stride. Now she has accepted a vocation, a vocation of the work of mercy of burying the dead, and in this case helping them to transition if needed. 

This story moves at a quick pace and a lot of events transpire. We are also given a lot of information about Mr. Cruor, the gnomes, and the organization Chloe is now a part of. They assist on a few cases; one local and one at a remote end of the state. We have encounters with a few of those we met in previous installments. We get to see Chloe settling into her new role, and finding her place in that role. 

In this volume Mr. Cruor reveals some more information about his past. Chloe’s relationships with Della and Trunk are blooming. Though in this one lessons with Trunk keep getting g put off. A lot happens in this small volume. Chloe is building a team to take over some of the caretaking work so she can take on other duties. And needs to reach out for extra assistance after a story first damages a tree, and then it is completely uprooted. 

Throughout the volume are some absolutely stunning illustrations from Sanderson. 

This is another masterfully written story. Great characters both alive and dead. And in this one a real true villain. An excellent read a very serious edge. I love this book and series, I want to know what else happens to Chloe and the residents we have encountered and those we have yet to meet at Belleview Cemetery and further beyond. This series is really shaping up. Each time a new story comes out I end up going back and rereading them all. I can easily recommend this book and series. A most excellent read!

Books by Cedar Sanderson:
Warp Resonance
One-Eyed Dragon
Snow Angel
Inktail & Friends: A Coloring Book
Voyageur's Cap
Fairy Little Sister
Milkweed
Mindflow
Crow Moon
Zombie Maggots
Poor Gregory
…

The Groundskeeper Series:

Pixie for Hire Series:
Dragon Noir
…
Pixie for Hire: Omnibus Edition

Children of Myth Series:
Vulcan's Kittens 
The God’s Wolfling
…

The Tanager Series:
Jade Star
Tanager's Fledglings 
…

Witchward Series:
Possum Creek Massacre
… 

Illustrated by Cedar:
Something Wicked #15
Jormungandr's Venom (Fenris Unchained Book 3)
Hunted Behavior
A Time To Die
Legion
…

Contributed to:
The Hearts' Enchantment
Calexit- The Anthology
Supernatural Streets
Something Wicked Anthology, Vol One
Something Wicked #15
Mythic Delirium Magazine Issue 0.4
The Haunted Library Anthology: Volume 1 
But Not Broken - Hope and Healing Book 2
Postcards From Mars - Postcard Stories Book 1
Space Cowboys - Raconteur Press Anthologies Book 4
Space Cowboys 2: Electric Rodeo - Raconteur Press Anthologies Book 5
Twisted Tropes
Steam-Powered Postcards - Postcard Stories Book 2
Space Marines - Raconteur Press Anthologies Book 6
Fanta-Fly Postcards: A Micro-Fiction Collection
Postcards from Foolz: A Micro-Fiction Collection
Falcons of Malta
Space Marines 2 - Raconteur Press Anthologies Book 9
Single Servings of Liberty - Postcard Stories Book 5
Tales From The Occupation: A Fae Wars Book 4
…

Books as Lilania Begley:
Slice of Pie
...

Sumire Series:

Bluehills Series:

Contributed to as Lilania Begley:
He Was Dead When I got There
...


Raking Up the Dead - Cedar Sanderson - The Groundskeeper Book 1

The Hoodoo That You Do - Cedar Sanderson - The Groundskeeper Book 2

My Ghoul - Cedar Sanderson - The Groundskeeper Book 3

Deadhead - Cedar Sanderson - The Groundskeeper Book 4

The Groundskeeper: Have A Dead Night - Cedar Sanderson - The Groundskeeper Book 5


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Thursday, 4 December 2025

A Very Jurassic Hallowtide - Corinna Turner - An unSPARKed Story

A Very Jurassic Hallowtide
An unSPARKed Story
Unseen Books
eISBN 9781917628044
ASIN B0FY3TYHBC

A Very Jurassic Hallowtide - Corinna Turner - An unSPARKed Story

I read this story in the anthology Shadows Visible & Invisible from the Catholic Teen Books Anthology. When writing a review of that anthology I wrote a paragraph for each story. For this story I wrote:

“Anytime there is a new story in the unSPARKed world my son and I get terribly excited. I have read unSPARKed stories 39 times not counting a number of times for each anthology they appear in. This was a deeply moving story about friends, a tragedy from long ago, and maybe surprising repentance. Harry has a surprising dream and a vision. This Hallowtide will not soon be forgot.”

The description of this volume states:

“Trapped in the mountains by a blizzard and a pack of T. rex, Darryl, Joshua, and Harry's All Hallows' Eve is looking dangerous enough, even before things take an eerie turn.

An unSPARKed short story about a future halloween that does not go according to plan!”

And hear more than a year later and rereading the story as a standalone short I still completely agree. And the author chose to use that blurb when marketing the volume which is a great honour. This is really a very moving story. Over the last several years Hallowtide and purgatory have both been themes in my reading and my personal devotional practices. And even though this is a fictional story, it really had a lasting impact upon me. I have never had an encounter with a soul visiting from purgatory, and to be honest hope I never do. But this story written based on a true event is moving and challenging. 

It is a story that will move you to have a deeper appreciation for how God can work in mysterious ways, and it will challenge you to pray more for holy souls in purgatory. Turner states in the author’s note:

“Aspects of this story are based on real events. A lady from my church lives in a manor house that has a priest hole dating back to the Elizabethan penal times, when Catholics were persecuted in Britain. One day, two guests staying in the room with the priest hole woke up in the night to find a figure standing at the end of the bed, staring silently at them. They said that there was nothing at all frightening about the experience, despite the figure’s sunken, red-rimmed eyes and general emaciation. When they told the lady who owned the house, she was shocked, because she knew what the couple did not: that during the penal times, a priest had starved to death in the priest hole after the lord of the manor was arrested. The figure described had all the physical symptoms of someone who had died of starvation, and a modern-day priest explained to her that the dead priest’s soul was probably seeking prayers from purgatory.

The interesting things about this are:
  · The couple both saw the figure, so they weren’t asleep.
  · Neither of them knew the history of the house or the priest.
  · Neither of them found the apparition frightening.

All these things are included in this story.”

It is a great little story. If you are fans of the unSPARKed stories it is a must read. And if you want a great story to read over Hallowtide or to be honest at any point in the year, it is worth picking up.  I first read a story by Turner in 2015, and read the first in this series in 2017. Since then, I have read books by her a total of 77 times, and unSPARKed stories 42 of them. I have also read a number of the unSPARKed stores in Anthologies. This story is available in the Anthology, Shadows Visible & Invisible, or as a standalone eBook. This story and series are excellent for teens, young adults and adults. The series keeps getting better and better! It has real staying power. My son and I have read most volumes at least three times each.

When I am recommending this series, which happens often, I frequently describe it as a mashup of Mad Max, Lost World, and Jurassic Park, and I have recommended it to many, all who have enjoyed them. In many ways it is like 50 years after Jurassic World Dominion. We have even bought a full set for my son’s school library and know from the Librarian that they are very popular.

unSPARKed is a series set in a not-too-distant future. Dinosaurs once again roam the earth. Just because a scientist could do something, did not mean they should have done it. Most people live SPARKed, in cities with walls and electrified fences. There are two groups of people who live unSPARKed, farmers who have electric fences around their farms and live in community with their close neighbours. The other are Hunters who live most of the time out on the road or off road in HabVI’s Habitat Vehicles. 

If you want an excellent short story I can easily recommend this story! And to be honest anything from Turner’s masterful pen.  

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan!

Books by Corinna Turner:
I Am Margaret Series:
0.0 The Underappreciated Virtues of Rusty Old Bicycles (A prequel)
0.5 Brothers (Prequel)
1.0 I Am Margaret
1.5 How Snakey Got His Name (Short Story)
2.0 The Three Most Wanted
3.0 Liberation
4.0 Bane's Eyes
5.0 Margo's (Attempted) Diary & Notebook
5.5 An Unexpected Guest
6.0 The Siege of Reginald Hill
6.5 Buttons (Short Story)
7.0 A Saint in the Family
I Am Margaret The Play - Fiorella de Maria
...

Yesterday and Tomorrow Series:
Someday
Tomorrow's Dead
...

unSPARKed Series:

Mandy Lamb Series:
Mandy Lamb and the Full Moon
Contributed to:
Secrets: Visible & Invisible 7 Amazing Stories - Catholic Teen Books
Gifts Visible & Invisible 8 Christmas Stories for Teens
Treasures: Visible & Invisible 8 Stories for Teens


Related Posts about Purgatory:
Prayers:
Sermon Sunday November 2nd 2025 All Souls Day Father Jeff Bergsma
...

Books:
...

Fiction:
The Wait - F.C. Ribeiro 
...

Picture Books:
…





A Very Jurassic Lent - Corinna Turner - An unSPARKed Story


Three Clawful Tales - Corinna Turner - An unSPARKed Anthology










What's Done is Done - Corinna Turner - unSPARKed Book 10

Weigh the Odds - Corinna Turner - unSPARKed Book 11

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