Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Sneak Peak Short Story, a Preview of The New Series

New release by the Amaterasu Press, a first installment of the post-apocalyptic series, Taking Back Earth. It's available now only on Amazon, and free to Amazon Prime members through the Kindle Unlimited program. It's only ~10 pages long, which isn't much to get for $0.99 (which is the lowest price Amazon allows), so I recommend only getting it through the Kindle Unlimited program, since then it's effectively free to you.


In the jungles of a broken planet, Maia is still haunted by the people she's lost. She can't risk allowing Noah to get close to her... not the way things are. 

When the aliens came they destroyed everything and everyone in their path, and to defeat them, mankind had to make itself into something else... something fiercer, more violent... less human. Rebuilding the planet may require more than just hard work. It may depend on rediscovering what it is to be human. This is Maia's task. 


Sunday, October 5, 2014

Nick Russell's Big Lake free this week (10/6 - 10/10) on Amazon

My friend, Nick Russell's hard-boiled police-thriller Big Lake is free this week on Amazon.

He's a NY Times Bestselling author, and this is the first book in a 5-book series, all wonderful, gripping stories. I highly recommend them all!


When an armored car hijacking leaves two men dead, Arizona Sheriff Jim Weber takes the crime personally, because one of the dead men is his brother-in-law. His hunt for the killers leads him into a world of sordid sex, deceit, and violence, with a suspect list that includes jilted women, a family of anti-government survivalists, and the beautiful wife of the richest man in town. 

With a plot that has more twists and turns than an Arizona mountain road, a cast of characters you won’t soon forget, and a shocking ending that shakes the town of Big Lake to its very foundation, this first book in the Big Lake series will keep you turning pages to the very end!  

One reviewer has referred to the Big Lake mystery series as “Mayberry Meets Twin Peaks." It’s a combination of humor and intrigue that launched author Nick Russell’s first Big Lake book into Amazon’s 100 Top Paid Kindle books for over 78 days!

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

It's finally Out! Girl Takes The Oath is available at the following retailers:






Here's a link to the email I sent out to all the fans on my mailing list last week. You can find sign-up links to the mailing list at the back of each book, too, as well as right here.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Where to get the Emily Kane Adventures

 Wondering where you can get the Emily Kane Adventures? Here's some links to major retailers who carry them.

#1 Girl Fights Back 

Amazon

iTunes

B&N

Kobo






#2 Girl Punches Out

Amazon

iTunes

B&N

Kobo








#3 Girl Takes Up Her Sword

Amazon

iTunes

B&N

Kobo








#4 Girl Spins A Blade

Amazon

iTunes

B&N

Kobo










#5 Girl Takes The Oath, is available at the following outlets:

Amazon

iTunes

B&N

Kobo

Friday, May 2, 2014

Sneak Peek of the Cover for Girl Takes The Oath

Well, it's here--no not book 5, Girl Takes The Oath, that'll be a few more weeks--but the cover, freshly devised, created, and designed, by Suzie O'Connell of Wellman Creek Books. You can't believe how wonderful it is to work with Suzie, and how amazing a design genius she is.

And so as not to disappoint, here's an excerpt from the book itself (sorry, not an action scene--We've got to save some surprises for the actual release):

“C’mon, hothead,” he heard Emily coo into Padgett’s ear. “You don’t want to give up this easily.”
The monitors beeped and flashed quietly, and something dripped into an IV, and Padgett’s chest rose and fell, but nothing else seemed to have changed. A dog-eared copy of Milton’s Paradise Lost lay on the blanket at the foot of the bed. Other than the monitors, his room was empty—no flowers, no pictures of loved ones, nothing personal.
“The nurses say he should come out of it,” Braswell said. “They just don’t know when.”
“Doesn’t he have anyone?”
“He’s a bachelor, and his parents live in a retirement home in Florida. I don’t think they’re strong enough to make the trip up here. And how’d you get in here anyway?”
“Apparently the nurses think I’m his fiancĂ©e.”
She leaned over Padgett, one hand on his cheek and whispered something in his ear, then kissed his forehead. “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it back here until today.”
“Don’t sweat it, sister,” he said, trying to sound gruff. “We’re not your responsibility… but it is sweet of you,” he admitted after a moment.
And before he could prevent it, the girls skidded in to the doorway, Kiki peeking around his bathrobe, Haru standing boldly just inside the room, exceedingly pleased with herself. “Dad, this is my friend, Michiko.”
Tomoko stepped through a second later, and stood staring at an apparition—tall, strong, pretty in an exotic sort of way, with short black hair framing a face not quite fully Japanese in cast and shape, and not quite not; is this how her daughters would turn out?—until it occurred to her to ask the girl’s name: “Hajimemashite. O-namae wa nan desu ka?”
Watashi wa Tenno Michiko to moshimasu,” Emily replied with a little bow.
“It is very nice to meet you, Tenno-san,” she replied in English, returning the courtesy. “My daughters do not speak Japanese, I am sorry to say. What an interesting name you have.”
“I told you she’s way cool,” Haru whispered.
“C’mon everybody,” Ed growled, and tried to usher them out, without letting go of the doorframe. “I need a moment alone with Miss Tenno.” Once Tomoko had managed to direct the girls down the hall, he took an uncertain step into the room. “Help me get into a chair.”
“You look weaker than I expected, Ed,” she said, with one arm around his waist
“It’s just the stitches. I’ll be fine in a day or two. But never mind about that. I wanted to tell you… remember that extradition order?” Emily nodded. “You don’t have to admit anything, but there’s no way it’s not you they’re after, not after this last episode.”
She didn’t say anything, not that anything she said would make a difference.
“It’s just that I’ve been thinking about this past month, and it doesn’t make sense.”
“My life has never made much sense,” she said, “at least, not to me.”
“That’s harsh, but it’s not what I’m thinking. I mean, the Chinese are clearly interested in you, but… you know, first they’re trying to extradite you, then they chase you through town, but no weapons. Next, it’s a gang of thugs who attack you with clubs and knives, and then this, a full-on assault team. Either they can’t make up their minds what they want from you…”
“Or it’s different groups.”
“At least two,” Braswell said. “You know what at least one of them wants, don’t you?” He couldn’t help but see the wheels turning behind her eyes. And yet, the strange thing is that she didn’t seem shaken by the reflection going on in her heart. Her eyes grew hard and dark—could they get any darker than they already were? Too dark for a co-conspirator, much darker than that.
Before Braswell could press his speculations any deeper, a tap at the door got his attention: two NCIS investigators flipping open badges, which they hardly needed, since he recognized them from a meeting in the Commandant’s office at the Naval Academy a few weeks earlier, and she must have, too—agents Graham and Everett.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

New Title and Cover for the 4th Emily Kane Adventure

The 4th book in the series has gotten a new title and cover. Girl Spins a Blade clarifies the relationship of this installment to the rest of the series.

It's been a crazy four months since The High Road to the Mountain Gods first hit it big, and in that time many folks have asked me if it's part of the Emily Kane Adventures. Of course, those of you who've read it know it's a vital link in the overall narrative of the series, telling of Emily's trip to Nepal, her encounter with the Tibetan Buddhists of Kathmandu, as well as the gangs of that area. She goes there on a quest for spiritual growth and fulfillment, but the spirit of violence follows her there as well. And she finds spiritual relief and release from the most unexpected of sources.

Find this title here, as well as the rest of The Emily Kane Adventures.


Thursday, March 20, 2014

Sneak Peak at a scene from Book #5, Girl Takes The Oath.

Here's an excerpt from the latest installment of the Emily Kane Adventures, entitled Girl Takes The Oath. Enjoy.  And if you haven't started the series yet, you can find it here. In this scene Emily has agreed to give an informal lesson in hand-to-hand combat to a few friends at the Naval Academy.



“Hey, Em,” she heard Zaki’s voice call out. “We’re running out of land.”
Emily shook her head out of the dream and laughed. “Sorry, guys. I got lost in thought for a moment there.”
“What the hell, Em,” CJ moaned. “You didn’t say we were gonna sprint the whole way. I’m like totally winded.”
“It’ll be a better workout this way,” Stacie cried out, huffing as badly as CJ and Zaki.
“Stacie’s right,” Zaki said, “more like battlefield conditions.”
“The only conditions that matter are the ones inside your heart,” Emily said. “Weak, strong, rested or tired, fearful or resolute—those are all just states of mind.”
“Really, Em,” CJ said, one eyebrow arched into a peak of sarcasm. “You’re really gonna go all zen on us?”
“I will if I have to. But, seriously, you can’t waste your time wishing for the perfect conditions. When a fight breaks out, the conditions are always bad. You have to depend on what you find within yourself.”
“And just how do we do that?” Zaki asked. “I was in a couple of fights in high school, and I remember all too well what it’s like, that first time you get hit. When someone hits you, I mean really tags you, it’s like your whole brain goes numb, and you break into a cold sweat and you can’t focus on anything.”
“That’s exactly what happens,” Emily said. “And you want to make sure it happens to the other guy, not you.”
“So you’re saying we should be super aggressive?” CJ asked.
“Because that’s not what you said that day in the advanced hand-to-hand class,” Stacie said.
“It’s not about aggression. It’s about initiative. Stacie, you know what I mean, right?”
“Not exactly,” she said, looking less confident than someone with all those muscles usually does.
“Remember what your sensei told you about sen?”
“Yeah, well, I don’t think I ever really understood what he said about that.”
“Okay,” Emily said as she took a deep breath. “Let’s talk it through. We can start with CJ, but what I have to say will be true for you, too, Stacie, and to a lesser extent for Zaki. What do you do when someone picks a fight with you?” she asked CJ.
“I hope I remember to run,” she said through a nervous giggle.
“But if a man attacks you, he’s likely to be stronger and faster than you. That means you won’t get away by running. And besides, if you run in battle, you’ll let your unit down. So, in the face of superior force, and if you can’t run, obviously you have to stand your ground, right?”
“I guess so,” CJ replied, now beginning to look very put upon by the turn the conversation had just taken.
“So, let’s think of it in terms of an isolated encounter. If a man attacks me, running won’t help, at least not until I’ve disabled him. Zaki, give me a strike.”
He obliged, standing opposite her and extending his arm.
“You can see, can’t you, since his arm is longer than mine, if I step back I place myself in a purely defensive position. If I can’t reach him, he’s got nothing to fear from me. He can attack with impunity.”
“Okay,” CJ said, wary of the conclusion Emily might have in mind.
“That means, not only is it useless to run, but also that I have to step forward, into his attack.”
“Yes,” Stacie cried out. “That’s just like in shotokan. We try to block and then step inside, and nail him with a reverse punch to the center of the chest.”
“Exactly,” Emily said. “And beyond the mechanical advantage of being able to strike with your weight on your back foot, which is the strongest hand-strike you have, there is the hidden advantage that he won’t expect it. Of course, when you step inside, you really have to nail him, and even then, you still can’t run.”
“I’m not sure I can do this, Em,” CJ moaned.
“I hope you never have to, but if you do…”
“Then you better know how,” Stacie crooned.
“One last thing,” Emily continued. “Once you nail him with that strike to the soft spot just below the bottom rib, you have to hit him several more times. You don’t back away, or even think of running, until you’ve hurt him, by which I mean you’ve made it physically impossible for him to pursue.”
“And that means…” CJ cringed to ask.
“It means killing or maiming; a few bruises is not enough. You have to break his knee, or chop his throat, or maybe strike the back of his head just above the neck, gouge out his eyes—you get the picture, I hope—all very nasty stuff. Also, contrary to popular belief, merely kneeing him in the nuts will not really disable him. He’ll be able to run after you within a few seconds. Once you gain the advantage over your opponent, you don’t back off until you’ve settled it. To do anything else is simply to hand the advantage back.”
“Oh, God,” CJ whimpered. “Isn’t there any other way?”
“Of course, there is,” Emily replied, trying to find a reassuring tone of voice. “You always have options. And the more of ‘em you have, the better. Pain compliance is the other main tool in your hand-to-hand arsenal.”
“What about kicking?” Stacie asked.
“CJ doesn’t have any karate training, so I didn’t mention that. But I think of kicks as an adjunct to hand-strikes.”
“What about pain compliance, Em,” CJ chirped. “Let’s do some of that.”
“Okay, but I want to make sure you understand its limits, as a strategy. Unless you intend to snap someone’s neck, or maim them, pain compliance is only useful in cases where you think your opponent can be ‘reasoned’ with, if you catch my drift.”
“Yeah, but I’ve had training in pain compliance.”
“Oh, c’mon, CJ. I want to see how we stand our ground,” Stacie said. “Let’s go over that, Em.”
After some mock bickering between the girls, Emily had Zaki simulate an attack, first with a punch combination, and then with a grab.
“Put on pads, even if we’re only doing half-speed, or you’ll get bruises from the blocks.”
“What about you? Are you just gonna wear grappling gloves?” Zaki asked.
“Don’t worry, you’re not gonna hit me.”
“You mean you want me to pull the punches?”
“I mean you won’t be able to hit me.”
Zaki frowned at her, and then assumed a fighting stance.
“Whatever you say, Em.”
“Don’t be like that, big guy. You know we love you.”
Several attacks later, Zaki found himself lying on the grass contemplating the clouds as they drifted by. One resembled a camel, another an elephant.
“This is so humiliating. How do you keep doing that, Em?” he groaned as he picked himself up.
“Let’s try it at one quarter speed, and we can pause after each move.”
After she leaned away and swatted the first strike across his chest, she said, “See how I haven’t stepped back, and as I block with the right, I’m already striking down here with the left. The bottom rib on the side is a vulnerable spot. If I can crack it, he won’t be able to continue with that arm, and breathing will be difficult. Though with someone as solid as Zaki, it’s gonna take more than one blow.”
“I see,” said Stacie. “And blocking his arm across his chest closes him off from the next attack.”
“Exactly. It takes an extra second to untangle himself. His natural next move is to step back and swing a hook from the other side.”
“That feels about right,” Zaki said, and then stepped back for the hook. Emily stepped forward, but leaned out of the way of his strike.
“You see how I don’t let him get further away. Distance is his friend, so I deny him that. At this point, he’s vulnerable to a knee to the groin. But if I do that, he’s likely to lurch forward on top of me. I might kick through his knee, like this, or slip a right hand over his arm and strike his throat. But I need to keep my left ready to defend against the right that he’s in a good position to deliver.”
“Are those your best options?” CJ asked.
“Well, not exactly, but I don’t think you’re gonna be able to do this,” she replied, leaning over even further to slip a high side-kick under his chin, gently nudging the throat, just as he brought the right arm around.
“Holy crap,” Stacie squealed. “How on earth did you do that?”
“I had no idea you could get a kick like that in from so close,” Zaki said, stumbling back a step or two.
“You see how it let him get some distance. I’d only do that if I meant to finish him with it, you know, crush his windpipe.”
“Oh my God, Em,” CJ said. “There’s no way I’m flexible enough for that.”
“Yeah, that’s why I think the better option for you is the knee to the groin, but be prepared to shoulder him off of you, and strike his throat when he reaches down to check the family jewels.”
“It all seems so nasty. I don’t know if I’m mean enough to do some of this stuff.”
“Fighting is nasty, CJ. I hate it.”
“Is that why you won’t go to competitions with the team?” Stacie asked.
“Sort of. I mean, kumite is good training, but I hate thinking of fighting as if it were a sport.”
“Then why do you train so hard all the time?”
“Because I have to,” Emily replied, beginning to grow weary of the subject. “Look, guys, can we get back to work?”
“Sorry, Em,” Stacie said. “It’s just you’re so good at this. It’s kind of awesome, you know.”
“Yeah, Em,” CJ piped up. “Have you ever been in a tournament?”
Emily sighed at her friends’ persistence. Perhaps she’d have to share something with them, but how much could she afford to reveal about herself? Her high school friends were just the same, especially Wendy… at least until the incident with the West Virginia bikers. Seeing a real fight up close cured them of their fascination with abstract violence.
“Fine. I’ve been in lots of tournaments. When I was a kid I only wanted to compete in kata, but in high school Sensei and my dad made me do kumite, and they insisted I compete in the men’s division.”
“Man, that sounds harsh,” Zaki said.
“My dad used to say: You’re not training to defend yourself against women.”
“I suppose he’s got a point,” CJ said, “but still…”
“How’d you do against the men?” Stacie asked.
“Second place the first time, which showed me that I could take a punch.”
“Was it full contact?” Zaki asked, horrified.
“No, but boys will be boys… or men, in this case.”
“What about the next time?” Stacie asked.
“At the Norfolk invitational…”
“You mean the Leatherneck Brawl?”
“Yeah, that’s the one,” she said, her mind racing back to the scene three years earlier, and especially to the much more violent confrontation with Tang and his operatives in the hotel parking lot later that night.
“I hope you didn’t get too roughed up,” Zaki said.
“No, and more importantly, I didn’t have to hurt anyone else,” she added, with a wistful smile.
“Is that the tournament Coach Parker’s always talking about?” Stacie asked. “Because according to him, you totally dominated.”
“You know, I’m not the same person I was in high school. Back then, I could spar and kid around with my friends afterwards. Now, I don’t spar, because I hate fighting. It’s too nasty, and I’ve just been there too many times. I never want to fight again.”
“Have you ever been in a fight with someone as good as you?” CJ asked.
The expression in her eyes made the girls cringe, until Emily caught herself and made an effort to compose her face. She had fought against several people as good as she was, and even wished at moments that they would take her life away, granting her the serenity she craved. But some tie to the world, to a friend or a loved one, always brought her back to the restless self-assertion necessary to prevail.
“There’s no one as good as me,” she muttered darkly, “because no one is as evil as I am.” She thought, but did not say, “And because I am prepared for death.”
Her lonely, mysterious admission hung in the still, humid air, like a soap bubble drifting tremulously, ready for the lightning to burst it open and consign its meaning to dim memory. No one dared speak for a long moment, but no lightning came.

“Now can we get back to work?” Emily finally said, looking directly at CJ. “It’s closing in on oh-six-hundred.”


If you enjoyed this, you can find the rest of the series here. And Girl Takes The Oath will be available this summer!

Sunday, February 23, 2014

The Emily Kane Adventures, Upcoming releases

The current schedule of releases for the Emily Kane Adventures is as follows:

Book 1: Girl Fights Back, available now.

Book 2: Girl Punches Out, available now.

Book 3: Girl Takes Up Her Sword, available now.

Book 4: Girl Spins a Blade. This short, originally entitled The High Road To The Mountain Gods, covers the summer after high school before Emily resolves to enter the US Naval Academy. It is typically free, or only $0.99, and is included as a free bonus in the paperback version of Book 3.

Book 5: Girl Takes The Oath, due out this summer, follows Emily as she navigates the treacherous waters of social life in the Naval Academy, and finds herself caught up in an international conspiracy targeting the Japanese imperial family.

Book 6: Girl Ships Out, due out next winter. Now a newly minted Marine officer, Emily arranges to be assigned to the Marine Corps Air Station in Futenma, Japan, so she can keep an eye on Princess Toshi from a discreet distance. While the central figures in the conspiracy against the imperial family have been neutralized, new threats emerge from elsewhere in southeast Asia, and Emily must call on new allies from her father's past.

Book 7: Girl Under Fire, follows Li Li and Stone, the children Emily Rescued from the North Korean  prison camp in Kamchatka in Book 2. They're teenagers now, and are starting to attract the unhealthy attention of some mysterious individuals. Stone knows something is very wrong, but he can't seem to get the family to understand--because they are too distracted by other bad news: Emily Kane is missing somewhere in Afghanistan!

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Update on Book of The Emily Kane Adventures

I'm working on Book 5 of the Emily Kane series right now. The working title is Girl Takes The Oath. In this installment, Emily has taken Perry and Theo's advice and enrolled in the US Naval Academy. In her third year, she becomes the target of a conspiracy involving an ultra-rightwing party in Japan and militant nationalists in China. She learns that Princess Toshi--who she met at the end of Book 3--is in danger, and the Crown Princess, Masako, sends one of her samurai retainers to watch Emily's back. 

Emily is in her third year, and of course the usual baddies within the Academy (think Tom Brown's School Days) have decided they don't like her. They think they can torment her, but are caught in the jaws of much nastier folks than themselves. She offers advice and instruction to the Academy karate team, but the fact that she refuses to compete in tournaments with them raises a few hackles, but what else can she do, having encountered the nasty side of fighting too often to treat it as a game.


I'll be previewing the cover soon.


Look for Book 5: Girl Takes The Oath this summer in bookstores online and everywhere.