To Be Continued

In case anyone was wondering, "The Dark Cry of Aristid" was completed July 3rd, 2018 at 11:34pm.

Then sometimes the unfortunate

I'm a pantser writer. I don't plot real heavily other than a slight roadmap that I need to go from this part of the story to the next. The side effect is sometimes painting yourself into a corner or writing a scene that truly you didn't see coming. I just wrote that scene and one of my favorite characters paid dearly for. I'm reading the chapter over and over again and the thought is, should I do this? What would George RR Martin do? Probably kill the character and move on. What would JRR Tolkien do? Make the death have a heavy significance. What would Hickman & Weis do? Depends on what was rolled. My character didn't have much defense and stood in the way, so another life would be spared. RIP, my friend. That damnable monster rolled two criticals.

The Return

As the last candle in the Jack-O-Lantern stirs and gives up its fiery life, the last spirit feels the veil thicken and close off the warmth of the living, and the last demon laughs and goes home, I return.

It's been to long and with the dust I see on the old desk, it's been too neglected.

I walked away from fiction writing to pursue other ventures.  After I achieved those lofty goals, I still have whispers of stories wandering the dark.

I love to write.  I love being a writer.  It's time to come back home.

It's been a long round-trip journey, and I'm glad to have friends waiting on the street under the safety of the light post.

DA Bale, a fellow writer and one of the most ferocious editors I've worked with, has her red pen ready to bleed on my work.  In addition, we're starting a fairly regular podcast.  So, my disembodied friends, come with.  See if I can do this once again.

Our introductory podcast is posted: Coffee and Catastrophe: Writers on a Caffeine High Episode 1.
If you have questions, comments, or would like to suggest a future podcast topic, email us at catastrophiccoffee@gmail.com.

New release news

DA Bale,  my long time writing partner is releasing the third of her Deepest Darkness trilogy.

Samantha Bartlett has a new mission – and this time it’s one of her own choosing.  Armed with information worth killing for, Samantha pieces together secrets spanning generations and uncovers the key to Debrille’s plans, including the horror of his true identity.  But will it be enough for redemption?  Especially when facing the bridges she’s burned?

Life was once clearly black or white, but now Joe Roberts has a target on his back – and it’s sighted by his boss at the FBI.  It’s not just from running off with their primary suspect in President Warner’s murder and then allowing her to escape.  No.  He’s the Elite’s latest scapegoat.  That alone begs the question.  Is Sam a cold-blooded killer or a mere pawn used in a global chess game?

World War III looms on the horizon as the Middle East threatens to implode, world alliances are scrapped, and a once tenuous truce with a former enemy collapses – all under President Durksen’s watch.  Shadowed by the Elite’s constant and vigilant guard, Durksen must find a way out of the hole he dug for himself long ago.  But can he accomplish it in time, or will the United States die like so many nations before it?

Explosions light up the night.  Friend becomes foe.  Sister against sister.  Lives are lost.  Sacrifices made.  But in order to realize true freedom, evil must be defeated.

No matter the cost.

Rising From the Darkness is available for pre-order May 1st and will be released July 1st.

Coming Soon

Musings at the End of the World: a short story.

Critique Partner's Reissue

One of my critique buddies, D.A. Bale is reissuing her breakout novel "Running into the Darkness".

Samantha never intended to kill the President. As a doctor, she swore an oath to protect life – not take it. But that was before he ordered the murder of her family.

Swept from the frigid New York City winter, Dr. Samantha Bartlett returns to the Midwest to once again confront the sting of death – and face those she left behind. But she’s not alone. A strange man she dubs “Shades” haunts her every step as she seeks answers to the inferno which claimed her grandmother’s life, an eerie reminder of her parents’ deaths. The secrets Samantha uncovers forever shatter the image of those she only thought she knew. 

Confronted by Shades, Samantha joins a secret underworld known only as the Elite, where a web of power and control is woven deep within governments worldwide. Their sights are set on the seat of domination behind the Resolute desk that is the powerhouse of nations – the presidency of the United States of America. Samantha becomes the Elite’s unlikely key to infiltrating the White House at its most intimate levels. 

The Hippocratic Oath. All doctors swear by it. But the most despicable deeds must be avenged. The quest for blood swallows Samantha in a veil of darkness and threatens to destroy everything she once stood for. 

And from the darkness there is no escape. 

This is available now from Amazon for free: http://tinyurl.com/l8loye3

Sometimes life emulates fiction.

Life is filled with tragedy and Ms. Bale's writing reflects this reality. However, there is always a silver lining...even if one must spend their entire life searching for it.

In her previous career, Ms. Bale traveled the United States as a Government Relations Liaison, working closely with Congressional offices and various government agencies. This experience afforded her a glimpse into the sometimes "not so pretty" reality of the political sphere. Much of this reality and various locations throughout her travels make it into her writing.

She dreams of the day she can return to visit Alaska.

Check this out and the sequel: 
Piercing the Darkness (Deepest Darkness Book Two) http://tinyurl.com/n494zyy 

Both of these novels come with high praise from your favorite boogieman, me.

The Big Black Dog

As the candles are placed in the Jack-O-Lanterns, the dead reach through the veil to visit. Find your way home . . .

I write this on All Hallows Eve eve in preparation of the big day tomorrow. As I heard in a show earlier, It's the one day where we can act as ourselves.  Witches prepare your brooms, goblins sharpen your claws, demons . . . show yourselves.  I give you, the Big Black Dog from Hell to Pay.

In his bedroom, the digital clock burned into Michael Bailey‘s sleep deprived mind as he counted down to the alarm. 3:48am, another night‘s sleep lost. Negative images flowed into the blackness as something moved in the dark room. He turned on the lamp. The light‘s strength made him wince, but reassured privacy.

He turned the lamp off and fell back into the pillow. His eyes ached from the light‘s intrusion and darkness exploded and encompassed the room. The taunting digital alarm clock returned.

As Bailey accepted his insomnia, he heard the noise again. A rustle of movement from the side of the room.

"Not now," Bailey pleaded to the empty walls.

When he reached for the lamp‘s safety again, he intercepted hot, damp fur. It started again. The beast pounced upon his chest and drove out a scream. The big black dog.

It paralyzed Bailey as putrid breath filled his nostrils with a stench of things best left for the grave.
Cold drops of saliva burned his face and the attacker howled with an unearthly pitch, like steel being dropped into a vat of liquid nitrogen.

Maybe tonight it will end.

The weight on his chest subsided, and Bailey dove for the lamp. Light filled the room, gently reflecting the sweat that covered his body. The attacker disappeared.

He choked back a sob and searched for a bottle. His hand hit the empty air where it used to stay, below it, the talisman marking three years sobriety. He picked up the token, slumped out of bed, and paced the threadbare carpet between his bedroom and living room, turning on every available light. Each lamp threatened fire due to the wattage of the bulb inside, but if light kept the thing at bay, so be it.

Out now in E-book (http://www.amazon.com/Hell-to-Pay-ebook/dp/B00G7579KQ), coming soon in paperback.

Follow me, minions.  Rafflecopter giveaway will be announced tomorrow night.