In a brutal thunderstorm, a lone figure in a black cape appears out of nowhere atop the peak of an ancient building. The name Laktos pops into his mind, but everything else about his past eludes him.
When nightmares about an unknown man plague Laktos, he treks across the post-apocalyptic landscape in search of answers. On the road to self-discovery, he crosses paths with other travelers who are in peril. Without hesitation, Laktos draws his broadsword to defend them. Grateful to their liberator, his new friends are ready to join Laktos on the treacherous journey ahead.
Steve R. Romano's fascination with science fiction started as a child after seeing his first episode of the original Star Trek series. In high school, he became a bigger fan after being assigned to read many of the well-known classics in a science fiction English class. Romano's interest in science fiction was further heightened when his sci-fi heroes - Gene Roddenberry, Theodore Sturgeon and Ray Bradbury - spoke at his high school at one of the assemblies. Mr. Roddenberry showed the students a film of Star Trek bloopers, it being a treasure from Gene's private collection, never shown before publicly at that time. Romano's pastime entertaining guests at renaissance festivals as his witty, costumed character "Laktos the Intolerable" was the inspiration behind the lead character in his Dreams of Betrayal series. After his friends read several of his amusing stories that were written for their benefit, they encouraged him to take things a step further. He then compiled his collection of tales into a short novel. After an editor critiqued it and gave him valuable pointers, he was ready to start the long journey ahead that led to Steve finding his passion, being a full-time author. Steve is the author and his wife Heidi Bosch Romano is the editor of juvenile fiction. All stories promote good family values. The Romanos enjoy co-creating bed-time picture books for pre-school and kindergarten-aged children. Each story has a theme geared towards teaching kids the important lessons in life, such as being responsible, having good manners, etc. The middle-grade stories feature Mike who stutters and Tony who is deaf, both heroes who go on adventures with their equally-brave dogs. All the stories are heart-warming.
Heidi Bosch Romano is an artist who enjoys creating traditional and digital art; nature photography; writing, editing and illustrating books; and designing websites. Heidi's parents were talented artists who encouraged her to draw and paint at an early age. At various well-known animation studios, she learned tips about storytelling, and at a global provider of publishing and educational services, she learned print production: the process of turning rough manuscripts into camera-ready art for professional four-color printing. Between her upbringing and on-the-job training, she's well-suited for her favorite creative endeavor: co-producing with her husband Steve R. Romano, family-oriented books for children, action-adventure stories for middle-grade kids, and sci-fi novels for adults. Heidi feels that every person should do their part to make a positive difference in our world. She adopts unwanted adult pets; she writes to the appropriate groups to alert them of issues that need their attention; she creates websites and writes books to help others deal with life's issues; and she does everything possible to promote peace and understanding.
