All posts by talon007

The Adventures of Anastasia Hawke: The Celeste Affair

The Adventures of Anastasia Hawke: The Celeste Affair

Celeste is an airship like no other, completely automated, incredibly powerful, and hell-bent on the destruction of Washington D.C. and the end of Abraham Lincoln’s presidency.
Anastasia Hawke, an agent for the newly formed Secret Service, and her young daughter are caught up in the chase to stop it. Enlisting the aid of the captain of the British Air Navy’s Flagship, they race across the Atlantic in a desperate attempt to prevent it from completing its function and prolonging the American Civil War.

But tensions rise between Anastasia and the Ship’s captain, Lucius Bishop as their personal lives collide. She is left to decide on the course of her and her daughter’s future while the future of America teeters in the balance. 
The Celeste Affair was originally published in an abbreviated form in Dark Oak Press’s pirate anthology,  ‘A Tall Ship, A Star, and Plunder’. But now it is available in its full form. The story centers around Anastasia Hawke, mother of the Hawke Girls ( Jasmine and Thyme) from ‘The Lightning Bolts of Zeus’. 
The Celeste Affair is the first in a series of shorts featuring Anastasia. 

My time with Deacon Chalk: 3 book reviews

My time with Deacon Chalk

A review of the first three books in the 

Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter series.

Blood and Bullets,  Blood and Silver,  Blood and Magick
Deacon Chalk is an A-hole.  There, I said it. And having said it, he’s the type of alpha male, tough as nails, egotistical jerk that you really want to read about. Given the number of paranormal hunter books with touchy-feely tough guys, Deacon Chalk is a breath of fresh air.
A little background. Deacon Chalk was an ordinary guy, whose family was killed by a monster. Instead of drinking Earl Gray tea and complaining, he learned to shoot, kick ass, and hunt the monster down. But he didn’t stop there. Instead, he uses his talents to keep the creatures of the night at bay.
Some transparency here. I know the author. I met James R. Tuck a few years ago at a convention and we chat occasionally when we’re working the same cons. While I enjoy this type of book, I was reluctant at first to read it. I like Tuck and worried that I’d be disappointed. What a mistake. While the character of Chalk is a great one, it’s the strength of Tuck’s writing that truly makes this series pop.
Now, down to business…
While I’ve only read the first three books, there are more out ( a couple of novellas ) and currently are on my list of ‘Must Reads’.
Book one, ‘Blood and Bullets’ introduces us to Chalk and his supporting cast. As you read, you’ll notice that Chalk loves to storm about, bellowing out that he is the only one who can do this job and he works alone. Yet, he rarely goes into battle without his posse in tow.
‘Blood and Bullets’ starts off with a bit of a double-cross and escalates from there into a nonstop blood-spilling, vampire staking, monster hunting adventure… complete with a werespider. As someone who suffers from arachnophobia, let me take this opportunity to thank Mr. Tuck for all the werespider-induced nightmares. (I will hunt you down, but only after the Deacon Chalk series is complete.)
The first book is a great introduction to the world and fleshes out the characters in superb detail. Despite Chalk’s best efforts to be a dick, the reader can’t help but like this testosterone-fueled vampire killing, behemoth.
The second book, ‘Blood and Silver’ (I’m seeing a pattern in his book titles), delves into Chalk’s world a little deeper, especially into the area of the were-creatures. It picks up after the last book and does a great job of giving the reader a sprinkling of flashbacks to remind us of what had happened in the first book, without beating us over the head with an info-dump. While the second book is certainly entertaining and full of blood, gore, and over-the-top violence, it loses the reader somewhat. For me, it wasn’t the were-creatures themselves, but the many types of weres. WereRabbits, WereDeer, WereLions and so on and so forth, culminating into a big bad weremonster (which I’ll not mention here so as not to spoil the surprise.). The number of different were-species kept pulling me out of the story, so I could shake my head before jumping back in to it. Now, I’m not saying it’s bad, but of the three, this is the weakest.
Book three, ‘Blood and Magick’ (Yes, there is a pattern emerging with these titles.) is, in my opinion, the strongest of the lot. The story flows well, the supporting characters all have their moments and Chalk is in top form. It is darker, grittier, and has great pacing. New characters are dropped in to Chalk’s world and instead of being distractions, they perfect complement the existing supporting cast and move the story along.
In the story, Chalk, who only wants to have some much needed vacation time with his woman, finds himself protecting a trio of werepups from a band of witches bent on using them for ‘evil’ purposes. Added to the mix is a government agency who watch and combat the ‘creatures of the night’, but are they allies or enemies?
I’ll be honest here… while I feel this is the best book of the first three, there was one event near the end that almost made me put the book down. I’ll simply say here that Chalk is a dick, but this act really took the cake. Still, I had to finish the book because, dick or not, the story is just too good not to finish.
Like I said earlier, the occult/paranormal hunter genre is a bit overdone but what makes this series different is the writing. Tuck’s world building, excellent storytelling, and ability to weave the words in the perfect order are truly outstanding.

I highly recommend these books and look forward to reading more of Deacon Chalk.

A review of Racing the Devil

A review of Racing the Devil
By Jaden Terrell
 Racing the Devil is the first of the Jared McKean mystery series written by Nashville native, Jaden Terrell. It is a top-notch PI novel that drops a former cop turned private investigator in to a nightmare that few would have the ability to escape from.
Jared McKean awakens to find himself framed for the murder of a young Christian housewife. The Police have his DNA, prints and eyewitness testimony to prove he was the
killer. Thing is, McKean isn’t the type of man to go down without a fight.
Through a well-paced and wonderfully written story, we follow along as the DA’s case
builds against him. Even old friends and family question his guilty while he picks at the few threads to unravel the elaborate framing job that has ended one life so far. Humor and action as well as well-placed steamy moments move the story along to an unexpected ending. All the clues and suspects are in place and only a mind as sharp as McKean can put the parts together for the reader to easily understand in one of those forehead slapping moments when the reader says, ‘Of course it was…’
The characters, especially McKean were well rounded and believable. The plot has enough twists to keep the reader’s attention and the description of Nashville made you feel as if you were riding through the city. But almost as important to the read as the murder and frame-job, was McKean’s family life with really brought a since of humanity to the nightmare he was embroiled within.
Ms. Terrell’s first outing with Jared McKean is certainly a must read.
 

A review of 72 Hours

A review of 72 Hours
By  Dietrich Stogner
 
Dietrich Stogner’s debut novel, 72 Hours is a great example of modern day noir. Filled with action, a fast paced but understandable plot and well-round characters, the story moves the reader through the darker side of Nashville in search of a teenage runaway.
Michael Whiting and Dave Lopez are a pair of ex-Navy nukes who have little in the way of direction or purpose in their post-military life. But when the daughter of Lopez’s neighbor disappears, the men decide to conduct a half-hearted search for the runaway. But when their questioning leads to an attempt on their lives, they dive in to the investigation full fury.
Whiting and Lopez face challenge after challenge as the case spirals down, forcing them to make decisions they never thought would be necessary. Twist and turns keep them guess who is really on their side and who the real enemy is.
Stogner really brings his characters life with believable and real to life dialog. The settings are well described and make someone feel like they are traveling throughout the Music City. The story has many laugh-out-loud moments along with action that draws you in and won’t let you put the book down.
72 Hours is a great read!

New release! Keely – a steampunk superhero story

Keely

My short story, Keely was the result of an idea I had while putting together the steampunk/superhero anthology, Capes & Clockwork: Superheroes in the age of steam for Dark Oak Press. I wanted a story that had action, mystery, and a touch of romance. Why romance, you ask… because I was editing the anthology and that was one aspect that the other stories were missing. 
That  book, released in early 2014,  helped spur on my love of steampunk and the cross-blending of that genre with the action and pulp-styled stories of superheroes. 

While putting that anthology together, the original version of Keely had to be drastically shortened. It still ended up being one of the longer stories in C&C, but still had a lot of cuts. I’m happy that I can finally tell the whole story in this volume.
Click the link and read on!!

A review of Dark Jenny

A review of Dark Jenny
By Alex Bledsoe
High Fantasy Noir maybe an accurate way of describing Alex Bledsoe’s third installment in the Eddie LaCrosse saga, Dark Jenny.
Eddie LaCrosse is a self described ‘Sword Jockey’. A former mercenary turned P.I (albeit middle-ages style), Eddie is hired to check up on a nobleman suspected of adultery. A turn of events however has our wise-cracking hero at the pointy end of a sword, manacles on his wrists and a lot of people calling for his execution.
At a reception for Queen Jennifer Drake, a murder is committed with Eddie and the Queen herself as the prime suspects. With his life at stake, Eddie jumps into the investigation determined to clear his own name and bring the killer to justice. But immediately, he finds this is not a clear cut act of murder but a more involved political gambit to discredit the Queen and the throne.
Bledsoe weaves a wonderful tale of political intrigue, action and the right amount of humor. Drawing loosely on the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable, the story unfolds with some familiarity and plenty of surprising changes, twists and characters that keep you guessing until the very end. The dialog is witty, the action scenes are fast and well placed, and the characters leave you wanting for more. This book, even though the third in the LaCrosse series easily stands alone.
Dark Jenny is the perfect crossover for both lovers of the classic hardboiled detective novels of Micky Spillane as well as those who love the high adventure styling found within the Arthurian legends.
I give it 4 ½ stars.

A review of the Leviathan Trilogy



A Review of the Leviathan Trilogy
By Scott Westerfeld


Leviathan is the opening salvo in Scott Westerfeld’s trilogy which explores the trials and terrors of World War 1, only with an alternate Steampunk history and style. The novel focuses on the adventures of Prince Aleksander Ferdinand, son of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and Deryn Sharp, a British girl posing as a boy in order to serve in the Royal Air Navy.
True to the real-life situation which triggered the Great War, Alek’s parents are assassinated by Serbs, although suspicion of a conspiracy arises. Alek’s caretakers smuggle the young prince out of Austria in a desperate attempt to reach the neutral territory of
Switzerland. Meanwhile in England, a fifteen year old girl named Deryn changes her name to Dylan and signs up for the Royal Air Navy. As the result of a mishap in a training, she finds herself stuck on board the giant, living airship, Leviathan. Events converge and the teens end up meeting on a Swiss glacier.
The two are from completely different worlds and backgrounds. The British refer to themselves as Darwinists. Following the teachings and science of Charles Darwin, they have learned the secrets of life threads and as such are able to manufacture living
creatures to serve ever purpose, from messenger lizards to the giant floating whale which is in fact, their airships. The Germans and Austrians are Clankers. Their use of mechanical devices has advanced to the point that airships, aircraft and giant walking monstrosities, bristling with guns and cannons are common place.
As we progress from Leviathan to Behemoth and finally to Goliath, we see the pair growing closer while soaring around the globe on board the massive airship. The novels are punctuated with great action, outstanding characters and a rich, well described world. The mash-up of real events and historical characters with the fictional world of Alek & Deryn is brilliantly executed and leaves us longing for the next book in the series to see what path Mr. Westerfeld will take us down. 
This is a great start and a must for steampunk fans. Although billed as a young adult series, this book is great for folks of all ages.
5 Stars for each from Alan. 

Reviews are coming… Prepare yourselves.

Reviews

When I first started my website, I was told that the best way to get views was to post book reviews. I did a few, but just didn’t keep up with it.

Well, with all the good stuff I’ve been reading lately, I think I’m going to start back up. SO… the plan is to post 2 or 3 a week until I feel like I’m caught up.

Prepare yourself for the onslaught.

Woooohahahaha!!!

A Black Wolf teaser

A Black Wolf teaser
Here is a first draft for an upcoming Black Wolf story. Actually, I may turn this one into a novella. It is still a little rough, but let me know what you think.
The frustrations of a nightmarish day diminished with each heavy breath I took. I needed this distraction from the insanity of the world or at least, the insanity of the streets of Port Victoria. Roxie’s method of stress relief, as she called it, left me weak but satisfied. Opening my eyes, I looked down at her flawless round face and fell in love again with her. Her golden hair fell over the sides of the pillow and caught the last rays of the sun which poured through the bedroom window. Milky white skin, unblemished or tanned by the winter sun, glowed with an orange tint. In a surreal way, my girl looked as if she were on fire.
I rolled and laid back down beside her, sinking into the plush mattress. I wanted to push the last memories of the day out of my head but the vast assortment of images and emotions held fast. I’d been through too much for one day. Roxie rolled onto her side, draped one arm over my chest, and pulled herself up against me, latching on as tight as a starving deer tick. Her head rested on my shoulder and we lay still until our mutual breathing slowed to its usual pace. Slowly, Roxie’s hand caressed my chest and a content sigh escaped her lips. She ignored the deep black scars that criss-crossed my chest.
The cuts had healed, but constantly reminded her of the dangers of my job. My unnatural strength and dexterity were far better than the normal man, but one lucky thug with a knife had made hurting me his mission in life. That’d been six weeks ago. She found me in the alley, out back, bleeding and gasping through my shredded right lung. The thug lay nearby too. Before going down, I saw to it that he wouldn’t bleed or breathe again. The knife he’d used to cut me up was shoved so far inside his chest that the folks at the morgue just left it there.
“So…” she whispered and then cleared her throat to continue a little louder. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“I… what was the question?” I asked, not remembering anything from the point I’d entered the door to our apartment and saw her there, beside the stove in her favorite yellow dress. The sun coming through the window silhouetted her petite form, making the dress almost invisible.  
“I asked how your day went. You left out on that case this morning and I didn’t hear a word all day.” She said as her fingers moved across my skin, raising goose pimples.
The case. I didn’t want to think about it. It should have been a stupidly simple job. I would follow a suspected adulterous husband around for a wealthy socialite wife. The wife suspected that the old man was banging some young tart behind his wife’s back. Some men are just too stupid to live. He’d married her after losing his fortune when the stock market crashed a few years back. Her family’s wealth had been well protected. She was his cash cow. Why would he risk a divorce by chasing skirts?
“Babe, I don’t wanna talk about it. Just a long… frustrating day.”
“Dex, you charged through the door, ripped my dress to shreds and all but raped me,” she said. When I looked confused, she added, “You only do that if you’re overly stressed about a case or you’ve been hanging around a smokin’ hot dame that has spent a few hours teasing you.”
Women, I’d explained to Roxie when we first got together, are God’s only true works of art and as such, they should be appreciated, appreciated with eyes only, of course. Roxie didn’t let my wandering eyes bother her. Given her past, she knew I might look but she’d be the only one I’d ever touch again.
She playfully giggled as her hand moved down across my stomach. Her fingers found me and lightly wrapped themselves around me. With slow manipulations, I started coming back to life.
“I know how to get you to talk,” she said and let out one of those seductive chuckles that I’ve never been able to resist. “Tell me about your day and I’ll make it worth your while.”
He exhaled in defeat. “Okay, it started with Jones.”
“The cheating husband?”
“Allegedly cheating husband.” I replied.
“Did you catch him cheating?”
“Yes, but that was only after…”
“Then why not just say, cheating husband?”
“Woman, would you let me tell the story.” I said. When she glanced up at me with those playful, sparkling green eyes, I couldn’t help but smile. “All right, so it started off with me following him around town. He stopped at a couple of strip clubs over in West Vic.” I paused and exhaled in weary frustration. “And then the chicken entered the scene.”

Her fingers stopped and she slowly asked, “Chicken?”

The Blood in Snowflake Garden update

1 Comment
The Blood in Snowflake Garden update
 
Big announcement… well, big for me anyway.

SO, I’ve been teasing this for a while, but can finally talk about it out-loud. 😉

I’m happy to announce that the movie/TV rights for my first novel, ‘The Blood in Snowflake Garden’ have been optioned by Sidecar Inc. Brian Buckner, executive producer of HBO’s ‘True Blood’ and his production team are working to developed the novel into an ongoing murder mystery television series in the tradition of Twin Peaks.
So, everyone keep your fingers crossed that one of the networks will bite and pick it up.