Thanks for stopping by My Bookshelf!
Books written so far are available on Amazon, and any new additions to the shelf will be added at the top of this list.
Fear the Jump – Released 9/5/2023
This is the third book in the Dreamscape Conspiracy Series.
The School of Psychology at Central State University in Carteret County, North Carolina, is a hotbed of research focused on innovative dream therapy. Dr. Cara Williams is the lead Clinical Psychologist funded to build a team to test the viability of manipulating dreams to positively impact mental health challenges like PTSD, Depression, Bipolar, and other issues many face. As the small research team adds more expertise and new technology, they must dodge outside interference from Big Pharma because dream therapy could easily replace pharmaceutical treatment regimens. When big money is at risk, the value of human life that threatens the status quo becomes expendable.
Several attempts were made in the first two books by Big Pharma to eliminate the research team that has only turned up the heat to the extent one of the companies described the desired solution simply as eradicating the threat. Defections from one of the Pharma companies add to the CSU team, only to become a target of assassination, and any collateral damage caused in the eradication process is deemed acceptable.
AI is introduced into the research team’s toolbox by Zack Hightower, a software engineer and newly hired researcher, to address innovations to leverage the upgraded Dreamscape technology running behind the ultra-successful dream therapy solutions. The significant success on a person living with PTSD, Russ Carter, an ex-marine Force Recon Scout Sniper and husband of Dr. Williams, raises the visibility of the threat the CSU team represents. That sets up a showdown that brings nano-technology designed by Mr. Hightower into play in a confrontation that brings several challenges.
The AI jumps as feared, but it is not what Dr. Williams expected, and it’s unclear how deeply their AI has evolved. Machine learning and the ability to generate AI clones only make matters worse. What is most apparent to me as the author, “Fear the Jump” covers a lot of ground. Still, the story continues and has expanded research on my part to drive deeper development on Book 4, “Dead Thoughts,” where the Dreamscape team keys on that moment in time when the EKG monitor shows a flat-line condition where the heart has ceased beating, but has the brain lingered with trapped thoughts?
“Dead Thoughts” focuses on how much brain activity continues when the heart stops beating…and there are several reasons to scrape the brain with Dreamscape technology for lingering thoughts that may help a criminal investigation or share final thoughts with the family. In other words – book four is coming later this fall.
Beyond Dreamscape Conspiracy – Released 6/8/2023
This is the second book that follows Dreamscape Conspiracy, where an accidental discovery in a dream capture research project transmits one person’s dreams into another. As exciting as that discovery was, it led to attempted suicide. Despite that initial negative outcome, closer examination revealed the significant positive potential to control the transmitted dream segments better therapeutically. This refinement pointed to a potential breakthrough in treating mental health challenges like Bipolar and Anxiety disorders, PTSD, and others. Elements of Big Pharma deemed the Dreamscape capability a threat to their revenue gravy train and attempted to destroy the technology and the research team. The research project and team survived despite the destruction of their lab, technology, and archives of three years of captured dream data. Their survival only proved that winning a battle does not win the war.
In this second book, Beyond Dreamscape Conspiracy, their first Big Pharma attacker mistakenly assumed the message to cease their research was delivered and taken to heart by the research team. It wasn’t. The attacks only made them more focused and motivated to continue the research and build a new version of Dreamscape. A new team member, Zachery Taylor, a distinguished software engineer, enhanced the new version of Dreamscape with Artificial Intelligence (AI). They pursued AI to track patterns critical to their research in high volumes that were not humanly possible to track and analyze. At the same time, an unknown fear lingered about how safe an AI capability could be that could learn from those very patterns. What would happen if AI became intelligent enough to make the jump into other systems? That story is found in Book 3.
The story opens with an investigation of how deep the conspiracy ran and who was behind it. Dr. Cara Williams, the research project lead and Clinical Psychologist, uncovers a complex shell game of big money, offshore accounts, and deep deception leading directly back to two Big Pharma companies. One company, Androloc, was behind the attacks in Book One. Another attack was imminent when they felt it necessary to thin the research team herd by eliminating Russ Carter, a research assistant, and an ex-marine Force Recon Scout Sniper.
Carter suffers from PTSD from his experiences in Afghanistan. Still, his capability to protect Dr. Williams is intact, and a love interest grows despite his feelings of being unworthy because of all the killings in his past. Cara Williams also suffers from challenges of PTSD but from a different war, one of the memories and lingering scars of sexual abuse when she was a teenager, and has issues with giving or accepting intimacy. Russ and Cara feel the attraction, but neither is ready to embrace the consequences. Circumstances repeatedly cause them to question and re-examine their demons and struggle to remain safe in separate and familiar pains rather than risk letting go.
Things changed dramatically when the second Big Pharma company, LoMedTech, offered to collaborate instead of destroy. Cara had always considered the Dreamscape technology symbiotic with Pharma research, so the offer was welcomed with open arms. Only some team members were convinced, and it took much wrangling before reaching a shaky consensus that guarantees were needed. The Big Pharma offer was sweetened with a sizable amount of cash that distracted attention away from covert plans to own the Dreamscape technology outright. Pharma’s logic was simple – owning a threat was better than fighting against one. How far down that path would the research team go before recognizing wolves in sheep’s clothing?
Dreamscape Conspiracy – Released 3/17/23
This is the first book that has morphed into a series that follows Dreamscape Conspiracy; Dr. Cara Williams, a 32-year-old Clinical Psychologist, has a dark secret she fights to repress. Being the lead researcher on a controversial Dream Therapy project called Dream Weaver, she finds satisfaction in her work until an accident in the lab rewrites the rules of Dream Therapy. Further complications surface when the core technology known as Dreamscape can not only capture dreams for analysis but can also transmit previously captured dreams to other research participants. One such participant is Russell Carter, a fifth-year senior who entered college after six years in the Marines as a Force Recon Scout Sniper. Russ has a dark secret too, and it haunts his dreams relentlessly. Because of his past, his self-esteem has taken a significant hit, and his actions while in Afghanistan have made him consider himself unredeemable. Dream Therapy may be a source of relief for him, but he may never get the chance to find out. Devious and deceptive undercurrents are at work to exploit the Dreamscape technology driven by greed and personal gain. Others want to destroy Dreamscape and anyone attached to the research to protect big-money investments in the pharmaceutical industry threatened by Cara’s breakthrough discovery. Cara and Russ have what the other needs, but neither realizes how much until realities violently rewrite their dreams.
Mirror Mirror: Halloween Party of the Century
This story starts with events happening during a Halloween party intended to be the party of the century for Sandy Tillman. The event turned out to be considerably more involved. It launched her into a complex series of misadventures, including a near assault interrupted by a double murder she did not commit. She gets blamed for it and indicted for second-degree murder…never mind that an entity from another dimension pulled the trigger. Never mind the fire she started that burned her best friend’s estate to the ground. Never mind traveling back in time to retrieve another version of “Mirror Mirror” to replace the one lost in the fire. Never mind that a different timeline meant being dropped into a parallel universe where nothing was as it seemed. Never mind a narrow escape through a portal from the county jail moments before going to the state prison for 15 years. If only she had not picked up that damn book “Mirror Mirror.” If only she had not fallen into that place you fall into when traveling through time. We are left wondering what comes next for Sandy when she finds herself involved in a relationship with an entity she never intended to have. If only she had not picked up that damn book.
Mirror Mirror – Recent Reviews:
Prepare to have your mind blown! Gary Wise’s debut fiction novel, “Mirror Mirror,” is a captivating blend of horror and sci-fi that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. This book is a must-read for fans of the genre, and it left me yearning for more.
Wise’s storytelling prowess is evident as he weaves a web of suspense and intrigue that grips the reader from the very first page. The narrative unfolds with an expertly paced progression, keeping you guessing and craving for answers with every turn. As I delved deeper into the story, I was constantly surprised by the unexpected twists and turns that Wise skillfully incorporated.
The fusion of horror and sci-fi elements in this book is truly exceptional. Wise effortlessly blends these genres, creating a unique and immersive experience. The chilling atmosphere he creates and the intriguing scientific concepts add an extra layer of depth to the narrative. It’s a perfect balance that will satisfy horror enthusiasts and science fiction lovers alike.
What truly sets this book apart is its ability to leave a lasting impact. The mind-blowing revelations and thought-provoking themes lingered with me long after I finished the book. Wise explores profound ideas while delivering an entertaining and thrilling story, making it a remarkable debut.
I cannot recommend “Mirror Mirror” enough. If you’re a fan of gripping fiction that combines horror and sci-fi elements with mind-bending twists, this is the book for you. Prepare to embark on an exhilarating journey that will challenge your perceptions and leave you wanting more.
Don’t wait any longer – add it to your reading list today, and be prepared to have your mind blown!
Matt Rudnitsky
Always a Story: A Collection of Short Stories, Lies, & Other Embellishments
I suppose I could blame this book on my grandfather, Ralph Mervin Wise, since he always had a story to tell. To be honest, he had nothing to do with anything included in this collection of short stories and random thoughts from a twisted sense of humor and other anomolous thoughts. I confess to all the lies and embellishments to the truth, but I’m convinced that skill had to have been handed down from somebody.
This book, “Always a Story,” is just such a collection of short stories that include a little fictional spirit possession in a woman who wants no part of it but is along for the ride in “Reluctant Princess“. Another short story is a ghostly love tale of a love refuses to die in “Waiting for the 9:29“.
The stories that sprung from actual experiences cannot be blamed on anyone other than yours truly with a favorite “Scattered and Smothered,” when all I wanted as a double order of hash browns around 2a.m. at a random Waffle House.
Stupid shows up in many of the stories and represents missed opportunities for the Grim Reaper to have taken me out years ago. He is either incompetent, or I’m just damn lucky to still be here, still writing stories, still lying, and still embellishing the truth to add color and interesting commentary. I only ask that you do not judge me, as I’ve already earned an express ticket straight to hell on my own for one enhanced truth you’ll read about shortly in “Possom Wars.”
Confessions of a Performance Ninja: Optimizing Workforce Performance @ Point-of-Work
Learning & Development (L&D) is currently facing a tipping point, call it sea-change if you like, regarding the tsunami of digital initiatives infiltrating enterprise workflows, not the least of which is Digital Transformation with exploding cloud-based technology options. The implied changes represent disruptions impacting every corner of the enterprise and every workforce member. Status quo Training strategies are falling short, held hostage by the
long-held Myth that TRAINING DRIVES PERFORMANCE. This Myth perpetuates a false narrative that limits effectiveness when we depend on training as our default solution. This book debunks the Myth by going to a new ground zero for Discovery – Point-of-Work.
Is the Myth truly a myth? Yes, because an assumption is commonly made that if Training is completed, work competencies are met to improve performance. However, measurable PERFORMANCE has yet to occur. Why? The workforce has yet to return to their respective Points-of-Work to execute and produce measurable value. Therefore, the only deliverable L&D can brag about is POTENTIAL. Stakeholders want proof of a measurable impact on the bottom line. Where do bottom-line results manifest? In post-training workflows at numerous Points-of-Work! This book shares many confessions on good, bad, and ugly experiences completing the Point-of-Work adoption journey.
In this book, you will learn about Intentional Design based on a new ground zero – the Point-of-Work by using a Point-of-Work Assessment (PWA) to accomplish holistic discovery over six categories of performance-restraining attributes. You will learn about performance-accelerating technology like Digital Adoption Platforms (DAPs) that make intentionally designed support assets accessible contextually within workflows at moments of need. You will create Learning Performance Solution Road Maps that enable collaboration with ISD/DEV resources and are compatible with Workflow Delivery Technology like the DAP. The book provides access to PWA Worksheets (Excel Workbook) and instructions on completing a PWA. Typical Performance Ninja wardrobe items like black pajamas and cheap sunglasses are not included in this book.
Author Bio:
Gary Wise is an unsupervised writer living as a free-range author under the influence of a relentless Muse. He’s a recovering Performance Consultant of 35+ years convinced retirement is unacceptable and has chosen to redeploy his remaining trips around the sun writing fictional thrillers with a twist of mystery, sci-fi, and some with paranormal hijinks on the side, and not necessarily in that order.
He has written four novels so far under the influence of his Muse. His first, “Mirror Mirror: Halloween Party of the Century,” served as validation for him to listen to his Muse and submit to Her influences. Willingly giving in to Her touch, he pounded out three more novels in a brand new series, “Dreamscape Conspiracy.”
The final (4th) book in the series, “Dead Thoughts,” is under development and should be available later in the fall of 2023. He offers no excuses or apologies for his dry humor and twisted thoughts, often embedded throughout his stories.
He loves to write and willingly confesses, “I love nothing better than to embrace my Muse and disappear into a story with Her and often invade a character’s head or two until their stories are entirely told.”
Proof of his addiction to writing can be found here, lined up on My Bookshelf—where all the evidence is on record in stories and where most of the bodies are buried.
He lives in peace and is blessed with having enough…planted between corn and soybean in the rolling hills of southeastern Indiana with two lovely women, Lilly & Boo.
Share thoughts if he’s touched you with a tale or two! gdogwise@live.com