Book Blitz: Lifecycle of Intelligence by Steve Jones

 

AI Governance, AI Charter, Artificial Power, AI Oligarchs, Democracy and the Future of Nations

Economic Policy, Leadership, Artificial Intelligence

Date Published: July 16, 2026

The Future Of AI Will Not Be Decided By Technology Alone—It Will Be Decided By Leadership

 

Artificial Intelligence is moving faster than any previous technological revolution. It promises extraordinary prosperity but also unprecedented risks. Will AI create a future of shared human flourishing or concentrate wealth, power and influence in the hands of a technological elite?

 

The Lifecycle of Intelligence is a groundbreaking guide for leaders, policymakers, business executives, educators and citizens who want to understand and shape the future of the Machine Age.

 

Written by economist and international analyst Steve Jones, this compelling book goes beyond the hype surrounding AI to explore the deeper economic, political and social forces redefining nations, democracy, labour markets and global power.

 

Rather than focusing solely on technology, this book asks the defining question of the 21st century:

 

How do we ensure Artificial Intelligence serves humanity, not the other way around?

 

Inside You'll Discover:

 

• The Big Picture - Understand the economic, geopolitical and historical forces driving the AI revolution.
• The Five-Stage AI Maturity Model - A practical framework that helps governments, organisations and nations understand where they are today and how to progress safe, responsible and human-centred AI governance.
• The AI Charter - Inspired by the Atlantic Charter, this bold vision establishes guiding principles for freedom, democracy, accountability, fairness and shared prosperity in the Machine Age.
• The Real Risks of AI - Explore the challenges of AI oligarchies, automation, job displacement, surveillance capitalism, misinformation, democratic erosion, systemic safety risks, environmental impacts and geopolitical competition.
• A Practical Roadmap for Action - Discover concrete governance models, implementation frameworks and policy recommendations that help leaders move from awareness to action.

 

Exclusive Bonus Included - When you purchase this book, you'll also receive the companion AI Governance Manifesto, Playbook and Policy Framework, a practical blueprint for implementing responsible AI governance.

 

This powerful companion includes:

 

• The AI Governance Manifesto
• The Lifecycle of Nations Maturity Model
• The Lifecycle of Intelligence Maturity Model
• The AI Charter for the Machine Age
• AI Governance Playbooks for governments, businesses and institutions
• Regulatory architecture and implementation roadmaps
• Board-level AI governance frameworks
• Labour transition and economic renewal strategies
• Metrics, checkpoints and governance tools
• International cooperation and treaty pathways

 

Together, these frameworks provides comprehensive blueprints for governing AI responsibly while encouraging innovation, protecting democracy and promoting long-term prosperity.

 

This Book Is For:

 

• Policymakers and Government
• Business executives adn Boards
• AI professionals, Technology Leaders
• Economists and Strategists
• Investors and Entrepreneurs
• Educators and students
• Anyone concerned about the future of democracy, work and human freedom in the age of AI

 

The Lifecycle of Intelligence explains how humanity must govern it.

It offers practical solutions—not fear.

It presents leadership—not ideology.

 

The Machine Age has begun.

The question is no longer whether AI will transform society.

 

The question is whether we will have the wisdom and the leadership to govern it.

Join the Movement for Just AI and Human Prosperity

 

Get your copy today to discover the roadmap for governing the Machine Age and help shape a future where AI works for humanity, not against it.

 

About the Author

Steve Jones is an economist, entrepreneur and international commentator on geopolitics, trade and global governance. He is the author of All to One: The Winning Model for Marketing in the Post-Internet Economy (McGraw Hill), and has advised governments, think tanks and global institutions. Steve has had a successful corporate career with British Airways, EDS, Avis and Accenture.

Steve’s Churchill World Order Series combines history, politics and global economics shaping today’s fragile world order. How Churchill’s fascination with America led to the strategic doctrine of the Atlantic Charter and to Bretton Woods, NATO, the IMF, the WTO and the UN. Trump’s Tariff Tsunami, covers the turbulent threat to rules-based world order today and is now followed by Lifecycle of Nations on how to fix and protect the future of world trade.

 

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Blitz: Dark Waters by Nick Haskins

 

Black & African American Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction

Date Published: 06-06-2023

Publisher: KCIN Entertainment Group, LLC

Books 1 & 2 (Book 3 releases September 8, 2026.)

The Dark Waters series follows the rise and fall of one of Philadelphia's most powerful families.

Judge Keenan Waters and his family have spent decades building a legacy of power, influence, and respect. But behind the perfect public image lie buried secrets, betrayal, and deadly consequences that threaten to destroy everything they've built.

As loyalties are tested and relationships crumble, the Waters family is pushed closer to the edge of ruin. With shocking twists and intense family drama, the Dark Waters series keeps the readers turning pages until the very end.

Perfect for fans of Black & African American Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction, the first two books are available now, with the shocking conclusion, Dark Waters 3, arriving September 8, 2026.

 

 About the Author

Nick Haskins is the author of the Dark Waters series, as well as novels She's Obsessed, Betrayed, My Husband's Wife, and On the Edge of Heat.

Known for his suspenseful storytelling and unforgettable characters, Haskins has spent more than a decade building a catalog of contemporary drama and suspense that has attracted readers across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

Born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, where he still resides, Haskins began his publishing career in 2011 and has remained committed to independently producing professional, reader-focused books. In addition to writing novels, he is creating film and visual media projects based on his work.

Haskins continues to connect with readers while developing new stories to expand his publishing catalog.

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Release Blitz: Late Harvest by Cathryn Lyons

 

LATE HARVEST

Cathryn Lyons

Release Date: August 18 

Meet Cathryn Lyons:

Cathryn Lyons loves novels. Seriously loves them. Especially romance. This includes reading (often devouring) them…and writing spicy contemporary romance novels of her own. She has been writing since before she could even properly hold a pen.

She is happily married to her real-life MMC and they share three sons and the world’s best and derpiest rescue Golden Retriever (from Turkey!). She is a lifelong Marylander, but wonders if her short stint in London counts as being cosmopolitan (the attribute, not the drink; although those are quite delicious).

Cathryn fills her creative bucket by writing steamy stories she hopes bring as much joy, laughter, escapism…and sexy feelings…that she herself has experienced through the gift of others’ words. She hopes you love her stories, and welcomes hearing from you.

Connect with Cathryn Lyons:

https://www.instagram.com/cathrynlyonsromanceauthor/ 

Blurb:

The role of a lifetime doesn’t always take place on the silver screen

Arabella “Remy” Remington

I’m a surgeon. I like things tidy—rules, routines, predictability, perfection. And I guard my heart as fiercely as the women and children I’m dedicated to helping.

Until he enters the picture.

Sebastian Wheatley is a walking red flag. A charming, sexy as sin, Hollywood-mega-star red flag. He’s smooth and unpredictable—something decidedly unsafe in the world I’ve intentionally created for myself. But one look at him has my blood heating, and I’m not sure if it’s from annoyance…or desire.

The charming devil slides into my life, looking to make a deal. A temporary marriage of convenience to help him land the role of a lifetime. In exchange, I get the funds necessary to secure the stability of a cause deeply important to me.

My common sense says “run.” But despite the risk to my carefully tidy life and the fortress it provides for my painful secrets and battered heart, something about him has me accepting the proposal. And hoping I haven’t just derailed everything I’ve ever worked for.

Late Harvest brings heart, heat, and humor in book one of the Red Wine Supper Club, a later-in-life romance series.

Buy Link:

https://books2read.com/CathrynLyonsLateHarvest

Available in KU

Release Blitz: The Fall Affair by Vi Keeland

 

Title: The Fall Affair

Author: Vi Keeland

Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Opposites Attract/Found Family

Release Date: August 18, 2026

BLURB

She’s counting down the days until she leaves Tuscany. He’s counting on making her stay.

Some people go to Tuscany to find themselves.

I went to escape—New York, my ex’s new relationship, and a career that derailed the moment I was passed over for partner.

My plan was simple: settle my eccentric Italian grandmother’s estate, sell whatever wasn’t nailed down, and return to the life I’d worked too hard to lose.

Instead, I walked into a mess—a crumbling antique shop, two hundred acres of leased vineyard land, and one infuriating clause in the will: Live and work in the shop for three months, or inherit nothing.

Then there’s the neighbor I clash with instantly. Matteo Lucchese is the infuriatingly handsome winemaker who leases my family’s land and refuses to be impressed by my credentials—or my attitude. He’s rugged and stubborn, stuck living in a time that has long passed us by, and the word rush isn’t part of his vocabulary. Basically, we’re exact opposites.

But as the days stretch into weeks, Tuscany chips away at the armor I didn’t realize I was wearing, and Matteo shows me the appeal of slowing down, of staying rooted, of wanting something other than climbing the corporate ladder.

I came to Tuscany to escape.

But now that the countdown to going home was on, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to leave. And the life I was falling for came with a looming expiration date.

ADD TO GOODREADS

WHAT TO EXPECT

Opposites Attract

Under the Tuscan Sun Vibes

Found Family

NYC Heroine x Italian Hero

Late-summer Magic

PURCHASE LINKS

EBOOK

AUDIOBOOK

SPECIAL EDITION PAPERBACK

eBook available in Kindle Unlimited

AUTHOR BIO

Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles are currently translated in twenty-seven languages and have appeared on bestseller lists in the US, Germany, Brazil, Bulgaria, Israel, and Hungary. Three of her short stories have been turned into films, and two of her books are currently optioned for movies. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.

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GOODREADS

Cover Reveal: North of the Dawn by Lee Alexander

 

NORTH OF THE DAWN

Lee Alexander

Release Date: October 6 

Meet Lee Alexander:

Lee Alexander is a native of sunny California, which means her gothic heart has been finding solace in monster and mystery novels from a young age. Her debut series, The Nocturnals, is the culmination of a lifetime of spooky stories. When not writing, or adding to her infinite TBR list, she publishes the weekly Webtoon’s comic It’s a Working Dog’s Life, chronicling the adventures of her outrageous Akita.

She takes no sides in the debate over coffee vs. tea. They are equally necessary to life.

Connect with Lee Alexander:

https://linktr.ee/leealexanderauthor

Blurb:

The Northman meets The Vampire Diaries in this romantic adventure full of murder and mayhem.

From the frozen plains of Norway to the mystic lands of the Otherworld…

Tyr is the most feared general in the Ichor’s army, but he is growing tired of immortality. He misses the warmth of the sun on his skin, the taste of food in his mouth, the feel of a woman in his arms. At only three hundred years old, he knows it could be centuries before he finds his bride – until his heart starts beating for the last woman he wants standing at his side.

Claire has lost everything: her family, her home, her future. When an opportunity arises to confront the people who destroyed her life, she’s ready to join the fight – except that no one thinks she’s worth bringing along, especially the army’s broody, frustratingly attractive general. She’s not a vampire, nor a hellhound, nor a reaper. She’s just Claire.

But when they are suddenly haunted by ghosts from everyone’s past, and the threat of destruction looms much closer than anyone could have imagined, Tyr may just have to accept that the key to his heart, and his survival, is an ordinary human woman.

North of the Dawn is book 3 in The Nocturnals Series. Books should be read in order.
Intended for a mature audience.

Pre-Order Link:

https://a.co/d/0jdaapdb

Cover Reveal: Petals & Thorns by Sterling Brown

 

Petals & THORNS

Sterling Brown

Release Date: October 13 

   

Connect with Sterling Brown:

https://www.instagram.com/authorsterlingbrown/ 

Blurb:

Romance author Sterling Brown debuts with a modern, suspenseful and spicy fairytale retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

It would be the perfect fairytale, love story for Isobel and Lucas. There's only one problem: he needs to release her as his hostage first.

Isobel Castillo is a woman that has it all: a thriving medical career, a close-knit family and a very public relationship. When her fiancé, Michael Gaston, takes a bid for mayor and her father receives a Nobel prize, the spotlight is forced upon her. Despite expectations, she feels suffocated by the attention and wants so much more than the life they've got planned.

With her relationship in a downward spiral and the press on her back, Isobel yearns for a break from reality. Her wish gets unintentionally answered when she finds herself kidnapped along with her father. Their abductors give him an ultimatum; help expand their drug empire, effectively threatening thousands of lives, or watch his daughter lose hers. Isobel's only saving grace is that the man in charge of babysitting her is already second guessing his actions.

When Lucas Adams willingly got involved in Isobel's kidnapping, his grief and unresolved rage were clouding his judgement. As much as she pushes his buttons, he doesn't have any intentions of hurting her...or letting anyone else. And unbeknownst to Isobel, he's having trouble stifling the feelings that bloom when he's around her.

Their time alone together allows for Isobel to not only test the boundaries of her confinement, but also her heart. When she discovers the real reason for Lucas' involvement in her kidnapping, her entire world gets turned upside down.

Is it possible that the man holding her captive, isn't the beast that he appears to be?

Pre-Order Link:

https://a.co/d/05KVztlt  

Teaser: Crows Calling by Bruce McConnell

 

An Inspiring Journey into our Better Natures

Literary/Eco-Fiction

Date Published: 10-01-2025

Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press

Earth’s animals are fed up with humanity’s mindless damage to our common home. Will a young girl and her family heed their call?

Ten-year-old Luz sets out on an overnight camping trip, accompanied by her spiritual mentor. Peering through a canopy of California redwoods, Luz witnesses a council of animals confronting the menace of climate change. Led by a lustrous—and talkative—American Crow named Koro, the animals weigh their options. Some, like Koro, want to collaborate with humans. Others doubt humanity’s good intentions. The conversation compels young Luz, innately in tune with the natural world, to fight passionately in its defense.

At once a work of fact-based activism and a moving coming-of-age, Crows Calling immerses the reader in a richly-drawn family and community who, despite their differences, decide to dedicate their lives to the care of Grandmother Earth. They are not alone. Rather, they are accompanied by a colorful cast of savvy planimals—bears, coyotes, trees, and even chickens—with long memories and ancient ways of healing. However, some damage cannot be undone. Natural disasters, public apathy, and greed threaten everything that Luz and her friends are working for. Can the cross-species alliance find unity and resolve the climate crisis?

Excerpt

Chapter 1

Before we go any further, I really should introduce myself. I am Koro—a lustrous female American Crow. Surely, when strolling in woods or along an urban lane, you have admired my family’s elegant, iridescent plumage and thrilled to our melodious song. You know of our prodigious memory, of our cleverness spearing hapless grubs from sodden logs with a favored twig.

The glint you see in my ebony eye is a tear shining for my grandmother—the earthly incarnation of generosity, whose bounteous lands and waters make room for every new arrival. Of late, however, one family—relative newcomers—has been pushing her limits, leaving their garbage everywhere and abusing the other guests. They run their noisy engines at all hours. Noxious smoke belches from their cooking fires. Every day, more and more of them come, crowding into other families’ spaces, destroying the homes of many of my friends.

Recognizing our Crow persistence, Grandmother Earth called us to help her get those inconsiderate tenants to clean up their act. Peering into the chasm of the coming Meltdown, I am proud to be on precious Grandmother’s team. My cawcus is responsible for majestic Northern California. The land we cover is a patchwork sprawl of asphalt and forest, garlic and strawberries, oranges and avocados, cattle and sheep raised sustainably and otherwise, bears guttering in their occult tongue, sweet jasmine brandishing her shameless perfume, and sixteen million busy humans.

Through wildfires, drought, floods, extreme heat, even earthquakes, Grandmother is pleading directly with humans. Some hear her message. Take Makah Andrews, professor of International Environmental Policy at Monterey University. Makah’s one of the good ones, trying to use the system to turn itself around. That’s the aim of “Team Grandmother”—a successful turnaround.

What’s that I hear? Ah, please allow me to introduce my most trusted teammate, Ursula, a beautiful California Black Bear who lives around here. Ursula, tell the folks what we’ve been hearing from other nonhuman parts of the natural world, from other planimals, as we call ourselves. Our fellow creatures are getting nervous. Some are angry. That’s why we’re organizing a Congress. …

About the Author

Bruce McConnell is an agile and accomplished shapeshifter, having flourished as a poet, roofer, artist-blacksmith, mechanical engineer, tenor, business consultant, national security official, non-profit executive, and peacemaker. A collection of his poems, Living from Here, was published by Anvil Press (US). He recently moved to Ashland Oregon to feel closer to his relatives in the natural world. Crows Calling is his first novel. He is working on a second novel set in Southern Oregon.

A leading player on global peace and security issues at the intersection of governments, business and civil society for over thirty years, McConnell is the former President and CEO of the EastWest Institute. He serves on the board of The Stimson Center, in support of peace, security, justice, and prosperity for all living beings.

From 2009 to 2013, McConnell served in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he was Deputy Under Secretary for Cybersecurity. He was a member of the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team. From 2000-2008, he created, built and sold two consultancies that provided strategic advice to clients in the technology, business and government sectors. In 1999-2000, McConnell led the International Y2K Cooperation Center, which was sponsored by the United Nations and the World Bank.

McConnell holds a Master of Public Administration from the Evans School for Public Policy at the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Sciences from Stanford University. He serves as a business advisor to various technology companies.

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