OldEarth Ishtar Encounter Audible

Available Now

I am happy to announce that the second book in the OldEarth series, OldEarth Ishtar Encounter Audible is now available. Madrid Castillo did an outstanding job.

Ishtar halted and stared ahead at a barren landscape. His long, unkempt hair blew around his dirt-smeared face. A rough beard sprouted along his jawline, accenting the hollows of his cheeks.

The sun rose into a hazy sky. Clouds swirled through the red glow of an angry firmament that bespoke of troubles in the heavens. A sharp breeze blew, and a line of pine trees behind him groaned in warning.

His toes bled onto the hard rocky ground. Ishtar peered at his torn skin and clothes—a ragged loincloth and a sleeveless tunic—hung loosely about him as if they might sail into the wild wind. Long strands of hair obscured his vision, but his ears thrilled to the howling wind through the heavy pine boughs. His lean body, sunken to near emaciation, bowed to the tempest. Neither fear nor pain accosted him.

He waited. But death did not come. Pain did not come. Sorrow did not fill his heart. He felt nothing. He cared for nothing. He wondered if he had, in fact, become nothing. Was he a man or had mere shadow engulfed his very being?

Without thought, he strode on.

The sun crawled overhead as he paced out his measured steps. Slipping on an incline, he instinctively grabbed hold of a rock embedded in the dirt to steady his balance. He climbed for time uncounted and, without interest, crossed a flat expanse.

Finally, the fog-ridden landscape cleared. To his utter amazement, he peered across an enormous desert. After an entranced moment, he glanced down at his torn feet and realized with the first tremor of fear that he stood with his toes pointing over a vast and mighty cliff edge. If he took one more step, he would fall to a bone-crushing death.

In the distance, mountains dwarfed the hills he had already ascended. Purples, blues, and pinks vied with one another to create a rainbow landscape over the barren land.

He gasped, sucking in the breathtaking beauty. Tears coursed down his cheeks. Grimacing in pain, he curled his toes around the rocky ledge. Birds, swirling in the heights, crisscrossed one another in innocent delight, dancing for him alone.

Ishtar raised his hand to his face and brushed his hair behind his ear. He stared at the glorious sky, never looking down to the depths that beckoned.

A vision of Pele, her gentle eyes set in her perfectly oval face, wisps of hair swirling as if in the evening breeze, swayed before him. But unlike the birds, she gazed upon his troubled face. A faint message traveled through the harsh wind. “You live, Ishtar. Begin again.”

Ishtar’s heart pummeled his chest. Begin again? He was an exile, an outcast—no longer a man. Twice cursed. Was redemption possible after such a fall?

The birds faded like specks of dust into the horizon as his vision paled into vaporous clouds. He stared into the suddenly clear blue sky and wiped away fresh tears.

He took one step back.

A. K. Frailey is the author of 18 books, a teacher for 35 years, and a homeschooling mother of 8.

Make the most of life’s journey.

For novels, short stories, poems, and non-fiction inspirational books, check out

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OldEarth Ishtar Encounter Audible

OldEarth Ishtar Encounter Audible

“The story was wonderful and well written.” ~Culver

OldEarth Aram Encounter

OldEarth Aram Encounter Audible

“I was drawn into a world and its characters from early on in the story, and my interest only developed as I immersed myself into this well-developed and intriguing epic tale.” ~Jim S

OldEarth Neb Encounter Kindle Cover

OldEarth Neb Encounter

“Well written…and adventure-filled. Readers both young and old will enjoy.” ~My Book Addiction

OldEarth Georgios Encounter

“Frailey has a wonderful knack for developing characters and plot lines…I enjoyed my journey with the different characters as they learned and grew from their experiences…” ~Laura O

OldEarth Melchior Encounter

“a remarkably effective mix of bittersweet romance and murder mystery—one that also examines the dynamics of politics and power as well as cultural conflicts via the personal perspectives of a family of intriguing, earnest characters.” ~Kirkus Review

OldEarth Ishtar Encounter Audible