The Bag Man – WIP Pt, 2

This is a new story that’s a sequel of sorts to Fetch. I plan on writing many, many Father Ian stories.

Adelaide Coleman lived in a two story farmhouse made from the very rocks dug up to make the land workable. It looked as though it had been standing for two hundred years. Ian stopped the car and both men climbed out.

A woman as petite as her son was large, walked to them from the front door. Her white hair was cut severely short and she wore jeans and a pale blue coat to ward off the chill. Once they were close enough she held out a hand. “Good afternoon, Father.” Her grip was one of a person who worked the land she owned.

“Mrs. Coleman. This is a friend of mine, Jared Adams.”

She nodded to the two men. “A pleasure to meet you both. Please, call me Addie, or Ma Coleman if you must.” Her eyes were a lovely soft brown and held the same good humor as her son’s often did.

Jared shook her hand next. “Ma Coleman, lovely piece of land you have here.”

Continue reading The Bag Man – WIP Pt, 2

Sacrifice of an Angel – Ebook Giveaway

Congratulations to Jeff Brackett! His copy of The Judas Syndrome will go out today.

Today’s book is Sacrifice of an Angel by Tonya and Sophie Duncan.

“Harry Potter (with grownups) meets Midsommer Murders with a magical version of C.S.I. thrown in for good measure.” – Rob Drake

The body of a beautiful girl dressed in a ceremonial robe is found on a playground roundabout. Her throat has been ripped out and the roundabout has a bad case of perpetual motion. Is it a ritualistic, magical murder or a setup to distract from the real killer?

That is the question that faces twins, Theo and Remy Haward, detectives in the Sorcerous Crimes Task Force (SeCT), when they are called to the scene in the middle of the night. That and who could commit such an act. They must find the answers to these and other questions, all the while ensuring the general public finds out nothing about the magical world that co-exists with their own.

Armed with their experience, their natural magical abilities and their complimentary instincts, Remy and Theo must identify the victim, follow the evidence and find the killer before anyone else dies.

This is one of my favorite sorts of books, the genre mashup. My current mashup favorite is probably Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson. What’s yours?

I plan on giving away a book a week this year, but none of them will be my own. Why? Well, I believe in helping introduce people to new authors and nothing does that like FREE! The contests will be as simple as leaving a comment on the blog, or showing me that you’ve left a review on Amazon or Smashwords of books you’ve picked up in the past. I’ll try and change things up to keep them interesting, but by and large you won’t have to work hard.

If you’re an author and you’d like to pitch your hat into the ring, let me know. I’m not asking you to give me anything for free. I plan on buying your e-book from Amazon/Smashwords as a gift for the winner. So in addition to you getting your name out there, you’ll also get a sale for the contest. The most I can budget per week is $2.99, so if you have a book in the $.99-$2.99 price range let me know. I reserve the right to turn you down, but I will try and do so gently. I’d like to have a variety of genres represented.

If you have a free book and would like me to just get the word out I can do that, but you won’t be part of my contest. If your book is more expensive and you would like to donate a copy, that works too.

Shoot me an e-mail, a DM, or leave me a comment to enter your book.

Review – Compensating Controls

Today I’m reviewing Compensating Controls by James Keeling.

Synopsis: Nicholas Edgwood rides a wave of good karma–a job he excels at, a new girlfriend, and a bright future. When he gets framed for a cyber-crime he did not commit, he must run for his life while his entire world crumbles around him.

Betrayal and murder replace peace and hope as he finds himself in unfamiliar territory. He may not be the biggest and baddest guy out there, but he has skills, the kind garnered from a career steeped in computers and code. Now he must leverage these skills to their fullest to stay above ground and breathing. It will take all of his talent, and courage he may not have, just to survive.

Production: Good audio quality. I don’t remember any glitches. Good use of music.

Grade: B

Cast: James does all of the voices for this production. This leads to him doing female voices as well as some accents. Interestingly enough I like his voice acting better than his straight narration.

Grade: B

Story: This is a solid techno-thriller. While you don’t have to be a geek to enjoy it, if you are one it won’t hurt. James handles the technical end of things well (since he is a geek after all). This seems like, and I believe is, a first novel. The writing could be stronger. There’s some unevenness in tone and occasional word choices that bugged me. The biggest example of the former is an interrogation scene that was more horror then thriller.

Grade: B

Verdict: This is an enjoyable podcast novel. I looked forward to each installment, even going so far as to bug James for the next one when I caught up to it. It’s wrapped up at his site and Podiobooks so you won’t have to wait as I did.

Grade: B

The Bag Man – WIP

This is a new story that’s a sequel of sorts to Fetch. I plan on writing many, many Father Ian stories.

Father Ian relaxed in his side of the confessional. It had been a light day and for that he was thankful. The whole month since the incident at the cemetery had been hectic, a flurry of studying and phone calls to other priests he felt might see things the way he was now beginning to. That and regular meetings with Jared made for long days. The school teacher still didn’t know what to make of his experiences, but an intellectual interest in things he had previously not cared about was promising.

Times like this the priest was somewhat greatful that his little parish was, well, little. The demand of Mass and pastoral care were ones he took more seriously now than he had in years, but it still left him time for his other pursuits. The squeak of shoe leather outside brough him out of what should have been a time of prayer. He had time for a flash of guilt before a familiar voice came to him through the grate.

“Father, forgive me. I’m not here on the usual business.”

“Garda Coleman?” Ian was surprised. The big man came like clockwork on Thursdays. It was Monday. “Go ahead, my son.” He felt the confessional shift as Coleman sagged.

“Father, I figured this was the only place I could talk to you about this and not have anyone overhear. I think my Ma’s going crazy.”

Ian sat forward. “I’m sorry to hear that, Coleman. What can I do?”

“Well, Father, it’s like that thing out at the cemetery. You know how you blessed it in honor of Caffrey’s last wish. There was nothing wrong with it, but you did it anyway?”

Ian nodded. That was the story he had told even his closest friends. He still didn’t know if that lie was a sin or not. ”Go on.”

“Well, Ma’s been seeing things out on her farm. I know they’re not there, but I’d like you to go have a look, maybe talk to her. Drive out what it is she’s seeing. By me some time to get some paperwork pushed through.”

“You’re going to have her committed? That’s very serious. What does she claim to be seeing?”

The next few seconds stretched out. “A giant, Father. She says there’s a man, nine foot tall, living out behind her barn.”

Of any answer he did expect that wasn’t one. “Well that is odd, Coleman, but is it something you want to take away her home over?”

“Oh, there’s more, and this is why I’ve come to you. She thinks he’s one of the Fir Bolg. Do you know what they are?”

if he had been asked that question a few weeks ago the answer would have been no. Since the incident at the cemetery he’d been delving into the history of his land in a way he never had before. “I do. There’s not a lot known about them. Some legends say they were giants that ruled Ireland before the Tuatha Dé Danann.” He also remembered something about people called the Fomori but that whole period of Ireland’s history was a right mess thanks to his own Church’s activities since then.

“Aye, Father, that’s them. She thinks it’s one of their descendants come back to take Ireland from the occupiers.”

The way the man said made Ian think he was quoting someone. “I see. Well that’s serious indeed. Have you been out to her farm lately? Is it possible someone’s out there and that she’s confused?”

Coleman shifted again. “Course I have. What kind of son do you take me for? I’ve seen nothing out there. So, will you go talk to her?”

He held out a placating hand. “Of course I will, Coleman. Don’t fear. I’ll let you know what I think, too.” He didn’t think the man wanted a second opinion, but he’d give one in any case.

Coleman slipped a card under the grate. “There’s her address and GPS coordinates. She’s off the track you might say.”

Ian took the card and looked. He’d have to use his phone to find the place. “I’ll go see her tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Father.”

“Anything else you’d… like to take care of before you leave?” He could almost feel the nervous smile on the Garda’s face.

“It’s not quite Thursday yet, Father Ian.” The confessional rocked again and Garda Coleman exited.

The rest of the afternoon went by at a faster pace. He called Jared as soon as he was able.

The phone rang three times before the American teacher answered. “Your dime.”

Ian smiled. “Glad I could get in touch with you.”

“Ian, good to hear from you. What’s going on? We still on for the Green Man tonight?”

“I’d like to, Jared, but I’ve got some research to do. I’m calling to see if you’d like to go with me for a drive tomorrow.”

“Are we packing a picnic lunch?” The smile was audible.

“This will be something of a business trip. I was approached by someone today who wants me to go and visit his mother.”

“And this is of interest to me, how? It’s my day off, so I’m hoping there’s something big here.”

“Well you could say that. Provided that what I understand is true, it may be very big. This woman claims that there’s a giant living on her farm, one from our country’s past who’s here to reclaim Erin from Yanks like you.”

“Consider my interest piqued.”

“Get a good night’s sleep. I want to leave here around sunrise. The woman’s farm is a good two hours drive even in the best weather and I’d like to have as much of the day as I can. Bring your camera and you may want to pack a picnic lunch after all. We’ll make a day of it one way or another.”

“Will do, Ian. See you at my house at sunrise.”

Ian hung up and began to go through his still small, but growing occult library. This didn’t sound like the ghosts and demons he had been spending much of his time studying, but provided this wasn’t just a case of a woman entering senility, there was a good chance this would be his second brush with the supernatural. He wanted to be ready. The rest of the night was spent in prayer and study.

The next day was cold and windy. It promised to warm up as the day progressed, but Ian dressed in stout hiking trousers and a bulky grey sweater, with a light turtleneck underneath. He also brought along a small black leather bag that held the sacramentals and a thick walking stick. He was ready for whatever the day brought, even if it was just a jaunt through the countryside.

He pulled his small sedan to a stop outside Jared’s house and saw that the bespectacled teacher actually stood there with a wicker basket in one hand and a modern hiking staff in the other. The messenger bag slung across his back would likely hold a laptop, camera, and a few books pertinent to their discussions and the day’s journey. The priest smiled and shook his head.

Jared opened the rear door and placed his things carefully on the back seat. Everything was in easy reach from the front if he needed anything. Apparently satisfied with placement, he held out a finger. “Back in a sec.” When he returned he was carrying a large thermos. He opened the passenger’s side front door and placed it on the floorboard. “I don’t know about you, but I need my coffee.” He climbed in and patted the thermos.

“I hope you have two cups.” He was more of a tea drinker, but Jared was a wizard when it came to the black brew Americans were fonder of.

He reached back and produced two collapsible travel cups and while Ian got them on the road, he poured two generous tots. “So tell me about this giant.”

Coleman hadn’t come to him as a confessor, so Ian didn’t feel terribly odd about telling his friend some of the details. He filled the man in as he drove.

“So you don’t think she’s crazy?” Jared sipped at the lightly sweetened coffee.

“I didn’t say that. I have to meet with her and try and assess her condition as best I can, before I can be certain of her mental state.”

“Ian, Ian.” He shook his head. “Someone says ‘I’m seeing giants.’ and you don’t automatically go ‘You’re frickin’ nuts.’?”

Ian shrugged “Well to be sure she could be entering the early stages of Alzheimers, but there are certainly men around of that stature. Perhaps he’s real and he’s the one that’s crazy. Perhaps Coleman’s mother is just lonely and is buying into the story.”

“And Coleman doesn’t see the nine foot tall revolutionary on his visits because?”

This is the reason Ian wanted to bring his friend along. The man was a first class skeptic. “Suppose he lives rough. Could be he’s off the property when Coleman visits. The man also isn’t known for moving through the bracken like some ginger ninja.”

Jared let out a hearty laugh. “I think you’ve been hanging around me too much. ‘Ginger ninja’, indeed.”

“Let’s just say that there are more possibilities than mystical giant and crazy mother.”

Jared nodded. “But you’re laying odds on the former, aren’t you?”

Ian thought for a moment. He didn’t know why precisely. “Perhaps not in a gambling sort of way. More of a desperate hope really.”

“Nothing’s happened in the last month and you’re hoping that what happened then wasn’t a fluke.”

Ian looked in the rearview mirror at the hair on his head, more silver every day. He had been changed spiritually and physically by the run in with the demon who called itself a Fetch. He still felt thin, though better than he had. There was truth in what Jared said though. He nodded. “I suppose that could be it too. I want there to be more to this world than just men and their tainted souls.”

“Isn’t that interesting enough?”

“Oh it is, or else I wouldn’t have become a priest, but having seen what I’ve seen, what we’ve seen, I want more. If this is just a big man or even an adult’s invisible friend that would be interesting enough and I can help her, but I so hope it’s more.”

Jared nodded. “Me too.” He reached back and pulled out a notebook. “I did some reading last night and a bit of writing too. What you’ve said would certainly jive with the Fir Bolg, if they were still alive. Heck, most scholars think if they lived at all they were nothing more than pre Bronze Age farmers. The mists of time had made them more than that. They may have considered themselves the Kings of Erin back in the day, though there weren’t kings like we think of them back then.” He flipped through the pages. “On a more mythological note, your Tuatha Dé Danann came in and took over a lot like the English did. They stole the land from the Fir Bolg and the Fomori and if either of those groups managed to survive they’d want their land back. Your people are crazy about this island.”

“No crazier than you Americans are.”

“That’s fair.” He closed his books. “Brief history lesson over. So what do we do if there is a nine foot tall dude living on her property and we see him?”

“Nothing to ‘do’ I suppose but to report back to Coleman that his mother’s not going crazy on him. If the Garda wants the man gone he’s got resources to make that happen. If he’s more than a man though…”

“You think he’s a demon or something?”

“Could be. Whatever he is, human or not, I hope it’s peaceful and that we can work things out. I’ll fight though, if I have to.”

Creative Commons License
The Bag Man by Scott Roche is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.scottroche.com.

Fetch and KDP Select

Last week I used the five days of freeness that Amazon gives you to give away your e-book. I blew it all at once and it was awesome to see my book in the top teens for Occult Horror and in the thirties for straight horror.

It’s too early to tell I guess if it will provide me with any benefits other than six hundred and eleven more copies of it floating in the wild.

Right now it’s still available for free if you’re an Amazon Prime member. If not, it’s $1.49. It’s one of my better received stories and for those of you who have it, whether you paid for it or not, I sincerely hope that you enjoy it!

The Judas Syndrome – Ebook Giveaway

Congratulations to C.A. Sizemore! His copy of Fire In The Blood will go out today.

Today’s book is The Judas Syndrome by Michael Poeltl.

Joel and his friends are on the verge of graduation and excited and optimistic about their futures. But when they return from a camping trip in the remote woodlands to find themselves faced with a post-apocalyptic world, their daily lives acquire burdens and terrors hitherto unexperienced.

The Judas Syndrome is an unforgettable portrait of survival against the odds. Joel, the protagonist, is a troubled youth whose dreams of entering college in the fall have disintegrated with the rest of the civilized world. Experiencing a barrage of sinister premonitions prior to a camping trip, Joel struggles to shrug them off as nothing more than anxiety over the newest cyber-terror, the Grimm Reaper. For months the Reaper has been inundating the airwaves with threats of mass destruction if world governments do not adhere to his plethora of ridiculous demands. Finally, he does more than just threaten.

The deed done, the Reaper’s threats now realized, Joel and his small band of friends find themselves alone in a dying world. Their families are all dead and gone, and Joel’s family home is now their stronghold. Faith and faithlessness are investigated as his ongoing visions prepare Joel for the realization that the worst is far from over. Prisoners to a darkened sky and toxic earth, the group fights to survive. Through battles staged on their hallowed ground, through loss and victory, the group meets the Pilate to their Judas, unwittingly setting in motion- the Judas Syndrome.

This is a stark cover for what sounds like a stark book. How much does a book’s cover influence your decision to buy? Drop a comment and let me know!

I plan on giving away a book a week this year, but none of them will be my own. Why? Well, I believe in helping introduce people to new authors and nothing does that like FREE! The contests will be as simple as leaving a comment on the blog, or showing me that you’ve left a review on Amazon or Smashwords of books you’ve picked up in the past. I’ll try and change things up to keep them interesting, but by and large you won’t have to work hard.

If you’re an author and you’d like to pitch your hat into the ring, let me know. I’m not asking you to give me anything for free. I plan on buying your e-book from Amazon/Smashwords as a gift for the winner. So in addition to you getting your name out there, you’ll also get a sale for the contest. The most I can budget per week is $2.99, so if you have a book in the $.99-$2.99 price range let me know. I reserve the right to turn you down, but I will try and do so gently. I’d like to have a variety of genres represented.

If you have a free book and would like me to just get the word out I can do that, but you won’t be part of my contest. If your book is more expensive and you would like to donate a copy, that works too.

Shoot me an e-mail, a DM, or leave me a comment to enter your book.

Monte and Molly Kickstarter Dreams

The text for my children’s book project with Ed Delaney is more or less finalized. Everyone that’s read it so far uniformly loves the idea and thinks that I’ve gotten the voice and tone right. I may tweak it a bit (already have from what I sent out), but the hard part for me is done. Now it’s up to Ed to do the drawing and for us to work on layout.

Here’s what I hope to put out:

12 page softcover book (8 x 10)
E-pub/PDF/Mobi
App for iPhone/Android that includes an audio component

In order to get there I’ll need to make sure that Ed gets paid for his hard work. I’ll need to pay the developer for the app. I’ll be paying someone to do the audio for the app. Let’s just ball park and say that I’d need to raise $1500 to make that happen. That’s not out of bounds.

Here’s what I’m thinking about for levels of donation and rewards.

$1 – A heartfelt thanks and a high quality wall paper of the crew!

$5 – Your name in the backer’s section of the book, wallpaper, and an adventurer’s club button

$15 – Your name in the backer’s section, an autographed e-book, and a button.

$25 – An autographed print copy, e-book copy, and all previous rewards.

$50 – The app plus all previous levels.

$100 – Limited edition tee-shirt plus all previous award levels.

$250 – Limited edition 8.5 x 11 print of Monte, Molly, and Cyril plus all previous levels.

Fire In The Blood – Ebook Giveaway

Congratulations to Lucy! I’ll be her copy of The Superiors soon.

Throwing a little YA Fantasy up on the giveaway today, by Dale Ibitz.

On Eyidora, the gods of nature are at war, and Earth is in chaos. During a home invasion, seventeen-year-old Haley is tumbled to Eydora. Alone, afraid and confused, Haley just wants to go home to Earth…but the gods have other plans.

With her stone of power, Haley must stop the war…but two men stand in her way.

Haley’s forced to make a choice that will decide the fate of all the worlds. But who should she trust, who should she fight, and who is the one with fire in his blood bent on betraying them all?

This week I’ll be giving away the book to one of the people on my email mailing list. If you want in on the action fill out the form here. Don’t worry, I won’t bombard you with email, sell your address, or anything else shady. Once you sign up you can always opt out later. My feelings won’t be hurt, but you may miss out on later freebies.

I plan on giving away a book a week this year, but none of them will be my own. Why? Well, I believe in helping introduce people to new authors and nothing does that like FREE! The contests will be as simple as leaving a comment on the blog, or showing me that you’ve left a review on Amazon or Smashwords of books you’ve picked up in the past. I’ll try and change things up to keep them interesting, but by and large you won’t have to work hard.

If you’re an author and you’d like to pitch your hat into the ring, let me know. I’m not asking you to give me anything for free. I plan on buying your e-book from Amazon/Smashwords as a gift for the winner. So in addition to you getting your name out there, you’ll also get a sale for the contest. The most I can budget per week is $2.99, so if you have a book in the $.99-$2.99 price range let me know. I reserve the right to turn you down, but I will try and do so gently. I’d like to have a variety of genres represented.

If you have a free book and would like me to just get the word out I can do that, but you won’t be part of my contest. If your book is more expensive and you would like to donate a copy, that works too.

Shoot me an e-mail, a DM, or leave me a comment to enter your book.

Freebies!

Have I got a deal for you! If you like short fiction go and buy Caveat Veritatem from Smashwords. It’s full of well crafted shorts, (according to Chris Miller of The Secret Lair). At the end of it you’ll find a little Easter Egg, a coupon for All Our Tomorrows by Ryan Hill.

What’s that? It’s a collection of 18 pieces of flash fiction, covering a range of genres, including science fiction, fantasy, and mundane life, and each from 100 to 1000 words long.

As if that weren’t enough, when you get your FREE copy of Ryan’s story, you will find a coupon for Far and Away, my collection of fantasy stories. That’s twenty seven stories for just two bucks! I think that’s a hard deal to pass up.

Or, alternately, you could by all three collections for about five bucks. I reckon it’s a win-win for everyone involved! Of course if you’ve already purchased Caveat Veritatem, just go to your Smashwords page and download the most recent one.

The Superiors – Ebook Giveaway

Congratulations to Elizabeth! I’ll be her copy of Telesa soon.

This week we have a vampire novel to give out, by Lena Hillbrand.

Although Draven belongs to the master race that has taken over the world from humans, he can’t afford his own human. He clings to the lower rungs of society, struggling to pay rent and obey the strict laws of society. Then one night he captures Cali, a human runaway.

Draven must return the girl, but he can’t stop thinking about her. He returns to feed on her often and begins to remember his own humanity as he spends more time with her. As he learns to sympathize with the human and see her as more than an animal, he struggles to protect her from other Superiors. But Draven can’t keep others from feeding on Cali unless he buys her. He vows to make the purchase, no matter what he has to sacrifice to support a human.

His quest for Cali starts innocently enough, but soon leads him deeper into a tangled web of danger, violence, betrayal and murder.

To enter to win this week’s book, tell me what you think about vampires. Or you can purchase it here.

I plan on giving away a book a week this year, but none of them will be my own. Why? Well, I believe in helping introduce people to new authors and nothing does that like FREE! The contests will be as simple as leaving a comment on the blog, or showing me that you’ve left a review on Amazon or Smashwords of books you’ve picked up in the past. I’ll try and change things up to keep them interesting, but by and large you won’t have to work hard.

If you’re an author and you’d like to pitch your hat into the ring, let me know. I’m not asking you to give me anything for free. I plan on buying your e-book from Amazon/Smashwords as a gift for the winner. So in addition to you getting your name out there, you’ll also get a sale for the contest. The most I can budget per week is $2.99, so if you have a book in the $.99-$2.99 price range let me know. I reserve the right to turn you down, but I will try and do so gently. I’d like to have a variety of genres represented.

If you have a free book and would like me to just get the word out I can do that, but you won’t be part of my contest. If your book is more expensive and you would like to donate a copy, that works too.

Shoot me an e-mail, a DM, or leave me a comment to enter your book.