Cities are bombed out ruins and wilderness is humanity’s new home. The undead roam the earth, and the new world order is about the struggle to survive. Sonny Daniels begins an emotional and physical journey of personal survival and protecting those he loves.

While survival is a constant struggle, Sonny’s most desperate fight is the struggle preserve some semblance of a compassionate soul. Sonny and his parents are caught in the zombie outbreak in upstate New York. After the passage of the first year, their base is attacked by bandits and their safety has again been compromised. Fearing for their loved ones, Sonny’s parents send him and his orphaned childhood friends, Ashley and Carrie, to Fort Denver Colorado on a military plane.

When Fort Denver is overrun with zombies, the three are alone in a zombie-infested wasteland without the army’s protection, forced to rely upon one another and a handful of equally desperate survivors they encounter along the journey. Sonny is determined to do whatever it takes to protect Ashley and Carrie while finding a safe place to call home, but survival can force you to make dark decisions.

Targeted Age Group:: Adults

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
Neal Shutterman's books Everlost, Everwild, and Everfound were one of the best books I've ever read. They inspired me to write after I started getting ideas in my head. I was pulled into the books and I started daydreaming stories of my own.

How Did You Come up With Your Characters?
It was a mixture of characters I liked in stories and characters I wanted to appear in stories as well. Most of my childhood I didn't like reading books, because most of the books I read had uninteresting characters and I found myself rooting more for the side characters than the main characters. I try to write characters in my book that people can care about or want to care about.

Book Sample
“Everyone, get in the truck now!” Dad ordered firmly.
The truck was up by the far-left lane that had no rails to keep it in. We all got in as fast as could while Dad started the truck to drive out of the highway. The explosions were well in sight, as military helicopters were now firing at the people on the highway.
“Jack! Hurry!” Brad said looking through the back windows.
Dad drove the truck off the highway and onto a road heading for an intersection. When we got there, it was absolute chaos. People, apparently both infected and not infected, were running around everywhere screaming, cars and buildings were on fire, and the military was shooting anything that moved. Dad zigzagged around cars, debris and people as fast he could. Even as we drove past, I saw up close what the injection had turned people into, monsters. Men, women, and children all had blood coming out of their mouths, noses, and bloodshot eyes. I watched in horror as they tackled people while ripping at their throats with their teeth. Eventually one of the tires popped and we crashed into another car. The impact made us all jolt forward and we felt a little delirious – the airbags deployed saving my parents. Thankfully, none of us were seriously injured.
“Is everyone alright?” Dad asked.
We all either said yes or gave some sort of sign that we were okay. Mentally, however, I was pretty sure that I was going to remember this experience for the rest of my life. It was strange, at the edge of the woods I was frozen with fear and that same fear was still in me, but I could move. It’s almost like it was never going to leave and I didn’t like it.
Mom got out and asked me desperately, “Are you okay?!”
“Yeah,” I answered, still feeling dizzy as I got out of the truck.
After Brad got his daughters he shouted, “Which way?!”
“There, that superstore!” Dad yelled.
Dad carried me, Mom carried Ashley, and Brad carried Carrie to the Target. The Target had to be forty or fifty feet away, but trying to get there through this madness made it feel like it was miles away. As we were getting closer to the store, an infected man about the size of my dad started coming toward us growling. Even in the night with poor streetlights providing dim, flickering light I could see the blood coming out of his eyes and his snarling mouth. Dad saw him coming and kicked him in the chest hard enough for him to fall. Before he could react, Dad pulled out his gun and shot him in the head. The shot was loud and the sight of the man on the ground with blood coming out two holes in his head was awful. My father had killed that man, or whatever he used to be, directly in front of me. My eyes were wide open in fear.
“Jesus!” Brad exclaimed.
“Oh, God!” Mom exclaimed.
I started, “Dad—“
“Don’t look, Sonny, just keep your eyes on me!” Dad ordered.
“You too, girls! Don’t look!” Brad ordered.
It was hard to keep my eyes on Dad, because everything that was happening all around us was truly horrifying. The death, the fires, the chaos. We rushed in through the open doors, as the explosions and gunfire were getting more rapid. The military was killing anything that was even alive, infected or not, it didn’t matter to them. The store had little electricity as the lights flickered and shined very dimly. The place was half ransacked with products and clothing lying everywhere. Dad led us all the way to the back of the store toward the clothing area and we all hid in the changing rooms. When we got to the rooms, there were two people already in a room, a man and woman. They were in their mid-twenties, black hair, brown eyes, athletic fit, casual clothing like us, and both were curled up in a corner holding each other, petrified. They both looked at my dad with fear, because he still had his gun out.
“It’s okay, we’re not gonna hurt you,” Dad assured them.
“What’s happening?” the woman asked sobbingly.
“Shh, it’s okay, I got you,” the man said her while holding her close.
“Everyone, get into a room and close the doors,” Dad ordered quickly.
We all got into a changing room and locked ourselves in to hide from the chaos that was happening outside. As we hid in the changing rooms I held my parents as tight as they held me. Even though we were in the back of the store we could still hear everything outside, all the gunfire, all the explosions, and all the screaming. Ashley and Carrie buried their sobbing faces in Brad’s chest and I tried to block out all those horrible sounds. However, no matter hard I tried to cover my ears I could still hear it all in my head. Please stop it!
“Oh Jack, what do we do?” Mom asked in a trembling voice.
“We wait it out until it calms down, and figure out where to go from there, but no matter what happens . . . we all stick together,” Dad said.
Mom looked at him with desperation while holding me tight.
Dad leaned in to kiss her and said, “We stay together no matter what.”
Mom nodded.
After two long hours, it slowly grew quiet outside. Now, only a few gunshots were fired and one or two screams every so often. The military had taken control of the whole area and was now finishing off what was left.
“Oh my God Cole, why is this happening?” the woman asked sobbingly.
“Susan, listen to me, we’re going to get through this, but we’ve got to keep quiet,” Cole answered.
“He’s right, they can’t find us if they can’t hear us,” Brad joined.
“We have to keep it together, it’s the only way out of here,” Dad said.
“Hold on wait, listen,” Mom said.
The gunfire was getting louder and sounded as if it were coming from inside the building. It turns out that we were not the only ones hiding inside the superstore, because there were screams of people before getting shot. We were also very lucky because there were infected people inside as well. The soldiers were getting closer to the back of the store; close enough for us to hear them.
“Check the whole store!” one soldier hollered.
“Roger,” another said.
My heart was racing, as the soldier’s footsteps grew louder. If he continued in this direction, he would surely find us. Brad drew a knife out and Dad had his gun out, ready to protect us, but that would get us all killed. There were probably dozens of soldiers already inside the store and as soon he shoots the soldier, the others will hear and kill us. Mom held me tight and had a hand over my mouth to keep my breathing quiet. Ashley held a hand over Carrie’s mouth and her own – Cole did the same for Susan.
However, when the soldier was literally inches from the changing rooms, there was a loud shriek, from an infected person. It came from the other side of the store, and it sounded like it was attacking a soldier because there was another scream afterward. The soldier quickly joined the others to shoot the infected host.
“Man down!” a soldier shouted.
“He’s dead,” another soldier said.
“Alright, move out, they’re all dead,” their leader said.
“Come on Corporal, move it!” a soldier shouted.
As soon as it got quiet after they left, everyone let out the breath they were holding. I honestly could not believe that this was happening. I felt like I was thrown in some dark and terrible nightmare. I wanted to wake up so badly, but I kept remembering that this wasn’t a dream at all.
“We’ll rest here for the night,” Dad said.
Dad and Brad gathered whatever clothes nearby to use as blankets and pillows for us to sleep on. The pillows and blankets were on the other side of the store and I doubt that Dad and Brad wanted to risk running into any soldiers or infected. My heart was still racing from the terrifying experience. I had no idea how I was going to sleep tonight or any other night for that matter. Mom held me close while rubbing my head and whispering comforting words in my ear. I could feel her heart beating inside her chest. She must have been just as scared as the rest of us were.
“I’m scared,” I said.
“Me too, baby,” Mom said.
“Join the club little man,” Cole added.
Dad came with lots of coats, “I don’t think we’ve introduced ourselves.”
“I’m Cole and this is Susan.”
“I’m Jack, my wife Heather, and my son Sonny.”
Brad came with more clothes and jackets, “I’m Brad and these are my daughters, Ashley and Carrie.”

Links to Purchase Print Books
Buy Outbreak (The Dark Days Series Book One) Print Edition at Amazon
Buy Outbreak (The Dark Days Series Book One) Print Edition at Barnes and Noble

Links to Purchase Audiobook
Listen to a sample of Audiobook at Amazon
Listen to a sample of Audiobook at Audible

Links to Purchase eBooks – Click links for book samples and reviews
Buy Outbreak (The Dark Days Series Book One) On Amazon

All information was provided by the author and not edited by us. This is so you get to know the author better.

Jimmy Crikey’s Adventures in the Sky Islands by Wallace Briggs

Jimmy Crikey’s Adventures in the Sky Islands
This stand-alone story is the second in the series of Jimmy Crikey’s adventures.
Jimmy Crikey is the orphan alien brought up by a loving lady who lived on the edge of the forest close to Esh Village.
Once bullied beyond endurance because of his strange appearance, Jimmy ran away, searching for a place where he could fit in. He found himself in the town of Roombelow, where Jimmy developed his abilities to protect his new home from the dangers that threatened. Jimmy chose to remain on Earth with his new family of friends, which included Gemma, the little lady he found at the bottom of the well but didn’t know how she got there. The four witch guardians became an integral part of his life, as did Lord Oron, the Weatherman who roamed the world in his cloud.
Far above Earth, a war-like, galactic race of Zyrons invade the Sky Islands.

It needs Earth’s four witches, Lord Oron the ancient Weatherman and the developing magic of the tiny apprentice witch, Jade, to overcome the invaders, with a bit of help from Jimmy Crikey and XRU. the talkative portable computer and starship navigator
The combined forces on the Weatherman, the apprentice witch Jade, Jimmy and the warriors of the Sky Islands manage to repel the Zyrons, but in the process, the Weatherman disappears.
The four Earthbound witches unite to search for him throughout the Solar System in Jimmy’s starship.
Their search takes them to the hidden caverns of Mars, where stick-like beings called Ropians live below the barren planet’s surface.
The Ropians become an interplanetary threat when their need for water threatens Earth. They have entrapped the Weatherman to help bring them rain.
The supernatural forces of the four witches, the wisdom of the Weatherman, the knowledge of Jimmy and XRU combine to challenge the threat the Ropians pose.
Only success in their challenge will assure freedom for the Weatherman.

Targeted Age Group:: 6 – 13
Heat/Violence Level: Heat Level 1 – G Rated Clean Read

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
To continue showing Jimmy's adventures as his confidence and inner strength grow once the bullying is behind him.

How Did You Come up With Your Characters?
The inspiration for Jimmy's character came from observing a group of children at play who singled out the one who was smallest and different (ginger headed) to be their 'slave'.

Book Sample
Chapter 1
Jade could hardly contain her excitement. She was bouncing up and down in front of her favourite Aunt Gemma. “Jade, you had better calm down. You’ll wet your pants if you go on like that.”
“Aunt Gemma, don’t be rude. I’m more grown-up than that. I’ve even started school this year.”
“Don’t go all quiet on me. I’m just pulling your leg. Of course, you’re excited. Don’t worry. Jimmy should be here soon. Be patient a little longer.
The tiny figure of Jade, a miniature version of Gemma, was so hyped up. Her bobbed should length hair shimmered in the light of the diamonites which studded the surrounding walls. Jade had never left her homeland of Lithania before.
Jimmy’s sudden arrival caused quite a stir among Gemma’s gathered family members. He may have just entered his teen years, but Jimmy was admired and respected for his bravery and superior knowledge. He was wise way beyond his years, and no one was surprised by his strange appearance: bright red spikey hair, sapphire blue eyes, pointed ears and enormous feet enclosed in his unique red Attalian boots.
The Zapheer family had followed Jimmy, Gemma and Jade to the edge of the river. Below the waterfall was where Jimmy had dragged Mr McDonald’s rowing boat onto a dry shelf. Jade’s older cousins, twins Zach and Rachel, were very disappointed not to be joining cousin Jade on her adventure with their Aunt Gemma. “I’m sorry there’s not enough room in the boat to carry everyone safely,” explained Gemma.
The Diamites were a race of humans who just happened to be smaller than the average person: almost two-thirds of the size and height of ordinary people. They generally wore green tunics made of a soft, cotton-like material that looked like silk, and it glimmered as they moved around. Their leggings were a thicker version of the same material, and they all had blond hair of varying shades. Black or brown ankle bootees made up their daily garb. They lived their lives in a world riddled with caves and tunnels in the cliff-side land of Lithania. The walls of Lithania were peppered with diamonites every few centimetres, and they provided both heat and light.
“I’ll do my best to bring you to visit Roombelow just as soon as I can,” Jimmy promised the twins. “No one else from Lithania will get there before you do.”
“Tell Mr McDonald and Amanda that we’ll be coming to see them soon. And we want to meet your witch friends,” Zac said sorrowfully.
“They are already looking forward to meeting you, Zac, and you, Rachel. You’ll have to be patient a little while longer,” Gemma consoled the sad pair with a parting hug.
They said their farewells and Jimmy lowered himself into the fast-flowing river just a metre or two before it plunged over the lip of the waterfall. Before his feet touched the river, he turned the silver buckle on the sapphire belt gifted to him by Witch Elwin and the waters parted around his feet. Gemma followed Jimmy. She was wearing the sapphire pendant presented to her by Elwin. All she had to do was repeat the words ‘Waters part around me,” as Elwin had instructed her. Elwin’s power over water was astounding, and Gemma’s feet stayed every bit as dry as Jimmy’s. Jade and the rest of her family just looked on in astonishment. Jimmy held his hands out for Jade and lifted her down so that she stood on the river bed, which was dry between where he and Gemma stood.
“Just stay between us, and you’ll not get wet,” Jimmy said. “When we have to climb down the waterfall, you had better climb onto my back and hold on around my neck. Gemma might need to hold on to the guide rope that Geldus set up for us.”
With a final wave, the threesome disappeared over the edge of the waterfall and lost sight of their families. Jade was hardly any weight, and Jimmy quickly negotiated his way to the ledge at the waterfall’s base. Gemma was only a step behind.
They climbed down to the ledge where Jimmy had beached the rowing boat. It only had one set of oarlocks mounted centrally alongside a narrow plank shelf seat. The two oars were clipped to the inside edge of the gunnels. “It’s not very big,” said Jade.
“We’ll be fine,” laughed Jimmy. “Gemma will sit in the bow, and you can sit at the stern, Jade. There’s not a lot of rowing to do because the current is flowing in the same direction we need to go.”
“But it will be dark, Jade,” Gemma said. “There are no diamonites to light our way once we leave Lithania.”
“That is why there are two oil lamps stored under the seat,” Jimmy said, and he pulled the tinder box out of his shoulder bag and struck the flint against the grooved lid of the box. That created a shower of sparks. The oil-soaked wick caught fire, and Jimmy adjusted its length until the light of the flame glowed brightest. Gemma hung the lamp over the hook at the boat’s prow. Jimmy pushed the boat into the river and held tightly onto the rope tied to the stern. He pulled it tight to the bankside, and Jade climbed in to sit at the stern. “You next Gemma,” Jimmy said, and as soon as she was kneeling at the prow, he stepped in, released the stern rope and sat on the central wooden bench. The current took hold, and the boat floated quickly downstream while Jimmy coiled up the rope and placed it on the wooden planks next to Jade.
There was no need to steer the boat. The current flowed downstream towards Roombelow, and the rowing boat occasionally scraped against the walls of the tunnels. Jimmy was keeping a mental note of how many glowing diamonites they floated past. He knew there were seven markers to show the route back to Lithania.
“We’re almost there, Gemma,” Jimmy announced. “Get ready to jump out when we reach your cave. Tie up the boat, and once it’s secure, you can show Jade where you used to live.”
Gemma secured the rowing boat and held out her hand for Jade to grab, and she pulled her onto the rocky ledge, which was like the front doorstep into her tiny home, in the cave at the bottom of the well in Roombelow. There wasn’t much to see, although, with the help of the people of Roombelow, Gemma had been able to furnish it out into comfortable living quarters for herself. And that was all that Gemma had required: one softly covered couch bed, one table, one chair, one lamp hung from the ceiling, and another stood on the bedside table. Gemma had chipped out the stones to make an alcove, and she placed a small set of drawers in the space. That was where Gemma stored plates and cups, knives, forks and spoons and several changes of clothing. The larder section was empty because she had been away for quite a few weeks.
Just then, there came the musical lilt of a bubbling song. Jade looked around to see where the sound was coming from. Then she spotted a silvery-blue fish, its body raised almost halfway out of the water. “Why? Hello, Fiona. How nice to see you again,” Gemma greeted her old friend.
Burble, burble, burble.
“Yes. I have been visiting my family in Lithania, and this is Jade, my youngest niece. Say hello to Fiona, Jade.”
Neither Jimmy nor Jade had understood a word or gurgle of what had passed between Gemma and Fiona. “Oh! I’d quite forgotten you don’t understand fish speak.”
“You’re speaking to a fish,” gasped Jade.
Jimmy just smiled. He couldn’t talk fish speak either unless he was wearing Matilda’s magic ring on the little finger of his left hand. Then he could speak in any animal language.
Gemma told Jade that when Matilda had cast the sleeping spell on Roombelow, she was trapped at the bottom of the well for ages and ages. The only creatures that ever visited were fish and frogs, so she learned how to speak to them.
“Kneel here beside me and shake Fiona’s fin.”
Fiona wriggled joyfully at Jade’s soft touch.
“She’s lovely, Gemma,” she said.
Jade was delighted to meet a friendly fish who burbled so musically. “I’ll have to learn how to talk to Fiona.”
“You’ll need an awful lot of practice, Jade. I don’t think you have the patience to sit still for hours at a time until the burbling begins to make sense. Fiona has enjoyed meeting you, but we really must go now. There are many more wonders you’ve yet to see. But first, we have to get to the top of the well in the town’s main square. Wave goodbye to Fiona, and let’s make a start.”
With a final slap of her tail, Fiona disappeared, and the threesome moved along the stone ledge until they could see the circle of light at the top of the well.
“How do we get up there?” Jade asked.
“It used to be that I had to shout, and any villager within earshot would come to lower the bucket. Then they would wind me up to the top, sitting in the bucket.”
“But there’s no need to rely on a passer-by when I’m here,” Jimmy said. “I’ll climb up in a flash. Just give me a minute, and I’ll lower the bucket. I’ll wind Jade up first, then you Gemma. There’s the hook to grab the rope when the bucker comes down.” The hook, screwed into the end of a short pole, was still resting on the ledge where Gemma had left it for safe storage.
Jimmy was wearing his red Attalian boots, and he scaled the inner wall of the well. It was as if his feet were limpets gripping the wet walls. They were the same boots that could skim him over the ground faster than a cheetah could run. He slid over the low wall surrounding the well and pushed the empty bucket to let it swing over the well. There was now a ratchet on the roller to prevent the bucket from free-falling down the well. He shouted, “Stand back. Bucket‘s coming down.”
When Jimmy released the ratchet, the roller spun freely, and the bucket fell down the well, landing in the stream with a splash. By the time Jimmy had first wound Jade to the surface, followed by Gemma, there was a crowd of friendly faces gathering around the well. Pushing through to the front were Mr McDonald, the mayor and Amanda, his wife.
“At last!” Amanda said. “You’re back, Gemma, and who is this pretty little thing you have brought to see us?”
The usually ebullient Jade was half-hidden behind Gemma’s legs. The giant beings ogling her miniature figure put fear into her heart. The people of Roombelow were friends of Gemma, who had lived among them for more than two years, but they had never met another Lithanian. Jade was so dainty it looked as if the slightest breeze would blow her away.
“We’re frightening the little girl,” Mr McDonald boomed. “Everybody, move back a bit. Let’s give her some space.”
The crowd responded to Mr McDonald’s plea, and gradually the area around the well became less crowded. Amanda was able to approach Gemma and reach out a hand towards Jade. Jade looked up at Gemma, questioning what she should do. Gemma nodded her approval, and Jade slowly revealed herself to the mayor’s wife. She cautiously touched Amanda’s hand and then gripped Amanda’s outstretched fingers. Amanda was holding Jade in her arms in no time, but Jade stared in wonderment at the skies above her head. She had never before seen clouds floating in a blue sky.
“Welcome to Roombelow,” boomed, Mr McDonald.
Amanda dug him in the ribs with an elbow. “No need to shout.” And to Jade, she said, “You are coming to stay for a few days with Mr McDonald and me. And don’t be afraid of Mr McDonald. He may look and sound a bit gruff, but underneath all that, he is as soft as a feather pillow.”
Mr McDonald just smiled his friendliest smile, adjusted his red bow tie and put his thumbs in his waistcoat pockets. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting Gemma’s niece ever since Jimmy found your cliffside cave world. I’m sure you’re going to enjoy your stay with us.”
“Of course, we will, Mr McDonald,” Gemma responded. “Jade couldn’t wait to come and visit Jimmy’s home, and she’s heard so much about life in Roombelow and the magic of witches and the beauty of fields and mountains and rain that falls from the sky. There’s just so much she would like to see.”
Mr McDonald spoke to the gathering. “Alright, everyone. We’ve all met our new visitor. She’ll be staying for a few days, so let’s get back to our work for now. We’ll all have the opportunity to get to know her better once she settles in.”
With that said, Amanda carried her little guest into their home, followed by Jimmy and Gemma. Mr McDonald hung back to make sure the crowd dispersed
Everyone that Jade had met in Roombelow seemed gigantic compared to her tiny figure. But at least they were all friendly.
Amanda had prepared a snack of biscuits, cakes and fruit drinks which disappeared very quickly. Amanda’s baking was renowned and probably explained why Mr McDonald was the rounded shape he was. “Anyone for more?” he asked as he snaffled the last cake on the plate.
“Thanks Mr McDonald. We’re all full. We left the last one for you,” Jimmy said, smiling. “If we’re all refreshed, I think we might have time before night-time to visit Matilda’s house on the hill.”
Jade sat forward expectantly. “Aunt Gemma, are we going to see the witch?”
“Jimmy seems to think we’ve got plenty of time to visit Matilda, so let’s get on with it,” Gemma replied. Amanda advised them to be back before dark. “I’ll have an evening meal ready for you.”
The friendly people of Roombelow waved to the threesome when they set off for Matilda’s house. There was a pathway leading to the large, forbidding house at the top of the hill. Jimmy and Gemma would usually walk straight into Matilda’s home, but they thought it would be polite to knock because Jade was with them.
“I hear you, Jimmy,” Matilda called out. “The door isn’t locked. Come on in and let me welcome Jade to Roombelow.”
The creaky hinges of the heavy wooden door groaned as Gemma swung it open. Jade hung back. She was apprehensive about meeting a real witch.

Links to Purchase Print Book version – Click links for book samples, reviews and to purchase
Buy Jimmy Crikey’s Adventures in the Sky Islands Print Edition at Amazon

Links to Purchase eBook version – Click links for book samples, reviews and to purchase
Buy this eBook On Amazon

About the Author
Learn more about the author on their website
Follow the author on Amazon

Follow the author on Social Media:
Facebook

All information was provided by the author and not edited by us. This is so you get to know the author better.

COLE by Tory Richards

SALE!
0.99
Book 1 Desert Rebels MC series
No cliffhanger. No cheating. Recommend series be read in order.

He can’t resist her. She can’t refuse him. Lies will rip them apart.

As enforcer of the Desert Rebels Cole’s job is to protect his MC. As a favor to a friend, they take in a young woman who they think is trying to escape a crazy ex. But she’s lying. When the truth comes out, so does trouble to the club. Cole wants Raven, but will their explosive attraction to one another be enough to overcome the deception, and give them both a chance at happiness?

Targeted Age Group:: 18+
Heat/Violence Level: Heat Level 4 – R Rated

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
My hero, Cole appeared in another of my MC romances, Furious. He was attracted to the heroine in that book but she ended up with the hero, Moody. Heartbroken, Cole demanded that he get his own HEA.

How Did You Come up With Your Characters?
I have a habit of writing romances using secondary characters who appear in prior books. If they have a fairly important role or appear in a story a lot then they might get their own story. Cole first appeared in Furious.

*This MC romance contains explicit language, violence and sexual content not suitable for minors.

Links to Purchase Print Book version – Click links for book samples, reviews and to purchase
Buy COLE Print Edition at Amazon

Links to Purchase eBook version – Click links for book samples, reviews and to purchase
Buy this eBook On Amazon
Buy this eBook on Barnes and Noble for Nook
Buy this eBook on iBooks
Buy this eBook on Kobo
Buy this eBook on Smashwords
Buy this eBook on Google Play

About the Author

Please join this author’s email list
Learn more about the author on their website
Follow the author on Amazon

Follow the author on Social Media:
Twitter
Goodreads
Pinterest
Instagram

All information was provided by the author and not edited by us. This is so you get to know the author better.

Steel, Blood & Fire by Allan Batchelder

On the march, around the campfire, and in the taverns, they tell incredible stories about Tarmun Vykers, the Reaper – how he’s never been cut in battle, how he once defeated hundreds of men by himself, how he exterminated an entire people over an insult. These stories make Vykers seem like a god, but he is a man, an arrogant, ruthless and bloodthirsty man. For all that, he may be the only thing standing between the human race and utter annihilation at the hands of the mad wizard who calls himself the End-of-All-Things. Against this backdrop, smaller, lesser folks struggle to fulfill their own destinies, folks like Aoife, burdened with a secret so dark she is driven to do the unimaginable and seek an alliance with fey powers no mortal has ever encountered.

Targeted Age Group:: Adult
Heat/Violence Level: Heat Level 4 – R Rated

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I have been a lifelong RPG player (I started playing D&D the year after it came out) and decided to turn my many ideas and experiences as a classical theater actor into a book, which rapidly became a series, Immortal Treachery. I was also inspired by many of the movies, books and characters that were popular in the 60s and 70s, like Bruce Lee, Conan the Barbarian, John Carter of Mars, Clint Eastwood's Man with No Name, Kurosawa's Yojimbo and others, along with classic tales like The Odyssey and Beowulf.

How Did You Come up With Your Characters?
Some of this is answered in the previous box, but I really wanted my main character to embody many of the qualities of the heroes — and anti-heroes — I'd seen and read about growing up. I wanted a character who was naturally faster, stronger and more cunning than his foes. What I got was someone who could put the Bloody Nine and Karsa Orlong to shame. Nobody beats Vykers. Nobody.

Book Sample
The next morning, Vykers and the Five set out through the Winter Gate for the wild northwestern part of the continent. It was a damp, drizzly morning, but Vykers was excited. It was territory he had always wanted to explore and now he had the freedom, no, the mandate to do so. He was further pleased by his little team of chimeras; they fought like demons but talked little and obeyed him without question or hesitation. He could see why House Blackbyrne had taken to them, but remained confused as to what they received in return. At the same time, the idea that he might have to face and kill one or all of them was never far from his mind. He didn’t relish the idea, but neither was he afraid of it.

The trees up here smelled different to the warrior, and the wind had a different flavor to it, too.

Those are pine trees you’re smelling, Arune informed him.

Was I talking to you? Vykers asked.

Must you always be so disagreeable?

No, I’m in earnest: I didn’t know I was talking to you.

Well, Arune hedged, you weren’t, not really…

Oh! Now you’re reading my mind?

I’m learning to, Arune admitted.

You don’t have my leave.

Your leave? I may save your mangy hide a thousand times before we part ways.

Are you bored, spook? Is that it? Vykers taunted.

It’s an absolute wasteland in here. You should see all the cobwebs…

You’re so smart, tell me something useful.

You need a bath.

Another? I had one yesterday.

It didn’t work.

Maybe Arune liked this kind of banter, but it was wearing on Vykers. Tell me something that ain’t about me.

Your five bodyguards are a mix of races – you know that. But some of those races aren’t of this world.

Vykers wasn’t sure what to make of that. Uh-huh…

And they honestly aren’t aware of that. They’re telling the truth when claim they know little of their origins.

But they were made for killing. That much is clear.

No one would know that better than you, I guess, Arune allowed.

There’s something going on here, a bigger game being played than I can see or figure out.

I feel the same.

Huh, Vykers said. A ghost moving in with me, this End-of-All-Things, the Virgin Queen making me her general, a noble family in the Capital offering me a bodyguard of creatures not of this world, and now I’m off to a haunted ruin right out o’ the fairy stories to find me a bleedin’ magic sword. And those are just the pieces I can see on the board. Mahnus knows whatever else is in play.

That’s a pretty fair assessment.

Vykers spat into the dirt beside the trail. “Thanks,” he said aloud, forgetting the whole conversation thus far had been internal. Number 3 looked over at him, but Vykers just shook his head and looked away. He didn’t feel like explaining.

Several hours later, Arune intruded again. Large raiding party on both sides of the road, with a third group moving into place behind us.

Vykers was about to ask how many men, when he remembered how the Five had gauged the oursine more accurately. “How many in hiding around us?” he asked Number 17.

“Thirty…eight,” the chimera answered.

Forty, Arune corrected.

“Forty,” Number 17 echoed, unknowingly.

Well, I’ll be damned, Vykers thought at Arune.

Probably, she smirked back.

A big, wide man in a fang-studded helmet and breastplate stepped out of the underbrush just ahead and to the left of the party. He had an enormous brown beard, a wide mouth, and large, bulbous nose separating his green eyes. In his right hand, he held a mean-looking double-bladed axe.

“What in the endless hells have we got here? Some kind o’ circus?” the man joked loudly, as he looked over Vykers and the Five. Since Vykers and his crew said nothing, the man continued. “Or is this more of a travelling zoo?”

“Ah,” Vykers said, “there, you’ve hit it. We’re a travelling zoo, and it’s feeding time.”

“Only I’m the one doin’ the eating,” the man said. “Hoick!” he yelled.

Out of the bushes and woods all around them, the other 39 members of the stranger’s band appeared, weapons in hand.

“What the hell kinda signal is ‘hoick?” Vykers asked. “That some special code only idiots can understand?”

Some of the larger group laughed, others growled in disapproval. Their leader was of the first group, laughing heartily, but in an aggressive manner. “Well,” he said at last, “I’ve got to give you credit for havin’ some spleen about you. But you’re outnumbered four-to-one. You know how this works, old son, bigger group plants the smaller under the leaves and pine needles. Your corpse’ll be sprouting mushrooms inside a week.”

The fellow’s cronies laughed hysterically and repeated a few of his choicest words.

“Last time someone talked like that to the Reaper, I poured molten iron into his asshole.”

The big man stopped smiling, and every member of his band did, too. Most took one or two steps back. “You’re lyin,’” the leader said. “The Reaper’s dead. ‘Sides, he was a giant of a man. You ain’t.”

Vykers drew his sword and walked calmly towards the other man, who, not yet ready to lose face, stood his ground with a most concerned look upon his face. “Tell ya what I’m gonna do,” Vykers whispered. “I’m gonna take the heads off every man in your little band, stake you to the ground, and pile all ‘o them on top of you. They should make for great company ‘til the nighttime predators arrive.” The man’s eyebrow began to twitch. Vykers ducked just as his foe was about to deliver a sideways blow with his axe, sending him flying over the Reaper’s back. Instantly, Vykers wheeled and kicked him in the jaw, knocking him unconscious or close to it.

The rest of the bandits came to life and made to close with Vykers, but the Five stepped into position and their frightful, alien aspects momentarily stunned their assailants. “Let me!” Vykers told his companions. “You boys can sit this one out, get some rest.” And that means you, too! He told Arune.

You’re going to fight forty men by yourself? She asked, incredulous.

Shut up! Don’t distract me! He countered.

“Flank ‘im!” one of the bandits yelled. “Flank the fucker!”

Vykers swung his sword in series of mighty figure-eights, more to clear some fighting room around himself than to do any actual damage. Still, he caught a couple of his opponents on the arms and shoulders and they stumbled backwards, gasping or groaning in pain. “Shit, lads, I ain’t even gotten started!” he roared. Two more men tried to rush Vykers on his right, while a third came in from his left. Vykers tumbled left, swinging as he went, and took out the man’s knee. As the man went down, the Reaper was able to turn and bring his sword across the midsections of both attackers. One parried, the other died. Three more men came at Vykers’ back. With his left glove, he reached out and grabbed the solo attacker's sword. While the man struggled to wrench it free, Vykers put his own sword through the man’s right eye. Still in control of the dead man’s body, Vykers wheeled it around and threw it onto the incoming threesome. Two of them wrestled with the corpse, and the third came in, swinging north to south. Vykers parried and kicked the man in the balls. As his sword rebounded from the other man’s, he smashed him in the face with his quillons, catching the fellow by the inside of his right cheek and dragging his head down, where the Reaper could bash it with his rising knee. There was a great snapping sound, and the bandit collapsed. By now, the two wrestling to get through or past the body of their comrade had worked their way free, only to witness this latest casualty fall at their feet. They looked at one another and decided, without discussion, upon a more cautious approach. Meanwhile, more of the group continued to move into flanking positions, in hopes of catching Vykers off guard. Vykers feinted for the man’s right knee and when he parried, swept over the top and cut his head clean off. Following the momentum of that blow, Vykers spun completely around and caught the second man on the shoulder, while he was busy looking at his now-headless friend. The Reaper ran right into him and knocked him ass-over-teakettle in the dirt. He then jumped on the man’s torso, snapping numerous ribs for good measure.

In a mere few heartbeats, the bandit gang had gone from forty to thirty, and it didn’t appear their target had sustained even a single scratch. Some of the band began fading backwards into the forest, but a few were still game to try Vykers. Unfortunately, a few is not enough. They died before they even had time to regret the choice. Finally, as more and more of the band dissolved into the woods, Vykers stabbed his sword into a nearby corpse in frustration and yelled, “Well, I’m not going to go chasing after the sons-of-bitches!” He turned to the Five. “Go get ‘em. Just bring me their heads.” That was the first time he could ever remember seeing the Five smile. It was, he would later reflect, delightfully sinister.

Smiling at the sounds of horrified screaming in the woods, Vykers set about stripping and staking the leader to the ground. If he was a right bastard, he was still a man of his word. When the leader awoke, he’d find himself, as promised, buried in bloody heads, appetizers to the entrée he was to become for some predator.

You don’t call the Reaper a liar.

Links to Purchase Print Book version – Click links for book samples, reviews and to purchase
Buy Steel, Blood & Fire Print Edition at Amazon
Buy Steel, Blood & Fire at Barnes and Noble
Buy Steel, Blood & Fire at Powells

Links to Purchase Audiobook version – Click links for book samples, reviews and to purchase
Buy Steel, Blood & Fire Audiobook at Amazon
Buy Steel, Blood & Fire Audiobook at Audible

Links to Purchase eBook version – Click links for book samples, reviews and to purchase
Buy this eBook On Amazon
Buy this eBook on Barnes and Noble for Nook
Buy this eBook on Kobo
Buy this eBook on Smashwords
Buy this eBook on Google Play
Buy this eBook on Cross Road Press

About the Author
Learn more about the author on their website
Follow the author on Amazon

Follow the author on Social Media:
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Pinterest
Instagram
LinkedIn
YouTube Channel

All information was provided by the author and not edited by us. This is so you get to know the author better.