DON’T CROSS THIS LINE – Snippet 02 of …
UNEDITED
Author’s Notes, Frank Kurns Stories of the UnknownWorld – The Time of Patience
My name, my full name, is Franklyn Adam Kurns and I am over one hundred years old. I have seen more shit in my life than any human should be expected to behold, and stay sane.
I started out in the military, before going into a black operation to help hide the reality that there were others, living among us, that were the real monsters in the night.
I used my position to help one group of these monsters, so I thought, against another. You see, in that time I thought our folklore about Vampires and Werewolves was real. I had no idea at the time we were all human.
Just some humans had a few advanced genetic modifications often accompanied by a very hot temper.
The Time of Patience, these series of books I’m going to release with other authors, happened during the last three years since the big dust-up in the Antarctic.
I’m sure you have heard about it?
Depending on who you listen to, TQB was down in Antarctica stealing old German (Nazi) technology, or we attacked the US Navy (we did not, we protected their ungrateful asses) or we were working on communicating with aliens to take over the world. (Seriously? Who comes up with this shit?)
We have tried to stay off the world’s radar for the last three years. The reason is we needed to build our own house, so to speak. One of them is inside an asteroid, so it is kind of large.
The need for all of this technology and ships is to protect the Earth against aliens who want to come and subjugate mankind. So that whole story of us bringing aliens to Earth is complete lunacy.
During the Time of Patience, we came back to Earth pretty often. But, rarely did you hear anything about it as we stayed out of the news to the best of our ability. The few times we made the news was due to our Academy students who went off the reservation, so to speak.
I’ll have a few books out about that, soon enough.
I am about to upload these final books before we transverse through the Annex Gate of the Yollins.
Unfortunately, recently, there were those on Earth who pushed Bethany Anne too far, and attacked one time too many. For the last three years she has not returned their attacks as they warranted. Unfortunately, they thought she was weak and unwilling to fight.
A toothless nag, some called her.
Now, I am sure most people are aware of just how wrong that supposition truly is. However, for you to see both sides of the story, I’m going to relate what happened before the chaos and the carnage.
You can choose to believe whatever side you wish to believe, but I am going to deliver the video proof that goes along with my assertions. Further, I will include a lot of additional supporting documentation, WikiLeaks style, that goes along with the video’s.
I suspect a lot of this information will be squashed, as very powerful people will not wish this information to be out in the public domain. I hope others decide to copy the data, and keep it living as a testament against the powerful elite who believe the common man lacks common sense and is incapable of seeing the self centered bullshit they pull.
What you do with the information I provide… I leave up to you.
I hope my trust in the basic righteousness of humanity is well deserved.
Now, for the final events leading up to the divorce.
Ad Aeternitatem,
Franklyn Adam Kurns
T-minus forty-eight hours before we cross the line.
FROM MICHAEL >>> Ok, I’m now done w/ the beats for book 14 … A second time 😉
Why a second time? Well, I asked for some input on what you, the fans, thought should be included in the second book and I’ve tried to catch most of those issues. I apologize if I failed to get something ‘in’. There are a couple that won’t be answered until The Second Dark Ages, sorry!
My first set of beats (or the highlights of the story) were good, but they lacked a certain…something. So, I tossed most of them out and started fresh.
So, now I feel like it has that certain something that will make this an explosive ending to the second arc (or, the blue arc) in the series and just as important I’m looking FORWARD to writing it.
Now, I just got to get my music on (cue heavy metal or other appropriate audio).
This snippet’s book suggestion is from one of the fans on Facebook (Sherry Foster) who recommended Lindsay Buroker’s The Fallen Empire Series. Lindsay is another Indie Author who has been writing for a while (in Indie time, like forever!) I listened to a podcast (SPRT – Self Publishing Roundtable) with her as the guest this week and I enjoyed her interview as much as I enjoy her podcast The Marketing SFF Podcast with Joseph Lallo and Jeffrey M. Poole. Many other Indies, like myself, learn from these author’s and the people they bring on and interview each week.
Since I’m so new to the industry (I turn 1 years old November 3rd! WOOHOO … Lookout Sophomore Year LOL) I need all of the understanding and history lessons I can learn. I’ve actually met Lindsay Buroker in Austin, Tx earlier this year and she is such a nice and soft spoken woman – you would never guess that she is a freaking powerhouse with over 40 Books to her name (53 actual links to titles – I’m not sure which are omnibuses…so sorry I didn’t go count!).
Either way, I’m ashamed I haven’t linked to one of her books before. Thanks to Sherry Foster, I’m fixing that mistake right now!
Lindsay is a top 10 author in Science Fiction and Fantasy, so let me introduce you to a monster writer that puts out about 10 books a year!
Star Nomad: Fallen Empire, Book 1 Kindle Edition
The Alliance has toppled the tyrannical empire. It should be a time for celebration, but not for fighter pilot Captain Alisa Marchenko. After surviving a crash in the final battle, she’s stranded on a dustball of a planet, billions of miles from her young daughter.
She has no money or resources, and there are no transports heading to Perun, her former home and the last imperial stronghold.
But she has a plan.
Steal a dilapidated and malfunctioning freighter from a junkyard full of lawless savages. Slightly suicidal, but she believes she can do it. Her plan, however, does not account for the elite cyborg soldier squatting in the freighter, intending to use it for his own purposes. As an imperial soldier, he has no love for Alliance pilots. In fact, he’s quite fond of killing them.
Alisa has more problems than she can count, but she can’t let cyborgs, savages, or ancient malfunctioning ships stand in her way. If she does, she’ll never see her daughter again.
Fans of Firefly and Star Wars should enjoy this fun, fast-paced new series from USA Today best-selling author, Lindsay Buroker.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON AMAZON (Or buy it / get it on Kindle Unlimited)
DON’T CROSS THIS LINE – Snippet 01 of …
Meeting room on board QBS ArchAngel
“Fuck them…” she whispered into the silence.
The men and women in the QBS ArchAngel didn’t breathe, didn’t flinch.
Their Queen was speaking.
Bethany Anne turned towards her people. She had been gazing at the large screen showing Earth, hanging in the expanse of space beneath them. Her eyes glowed red, her lips compressed. Her eyes narrowed, “They have attacked us for three solid years. They have hunted people only tangentially connected to me through companies I no longer own.” She looked around at the faces of those watching her. “They have attacked some of your families, and I have tried to be understanding, to offer the other cheek.”
Bethany Anne twisted her head left, then right. The sound of her bones popping loud in the room’s silence both times.
She continued, “We have taken care of terrorist issues and saved people and countries from the evil men and women in the night, never looking for accolades, support or even a fucking thank you.” Her voice turned to ice, cutting through the room. “They keep pushing and pushing and pushing.” She paused a moment and exhaled, “I tried civil.” Her eyes flashed red as she whispered, “No … More…”
“ADAM!” Bethany Anne’s voice cracked out the command.
“Yes?” his voice came through the large room’s speakers.
Bethany Anne eyes looked up slightly, “Push the command out to my people. We aren’t taking any more shit from those on Earth. The Etheric Empire has officially had fucking enough, thank you very much.”
Bethany Anne nodded sharply and started walking crisply towards the rooms exit, “Admiral Thomas?” She called out, his reply immediate. She continued, “Make sure the Captains of the fleet know that weapons are hot. I’m not taking another bullshit move like they just pulled. Any country tries that again, and I want them to level something important, got that?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Admiral Thomas called back as she exited the room.
Admiral Thomas’s left hand clicked a button on his lapel as he started walking towards the door, “This is Admiral Thomas to all Captain’s. Weapons are hot, I repeat…weapons are hot.”
The men and women in the room filed out behind their Queen.
She had tried to take into account what drove those on Earth. But no one understood all of Bethany Anne’s actions to the attacks against her and her people had been substantially restrained.
Now, the gloves were coming off…
MY RIDE IS A BITCH Snippet 13 of …
QBS ArchAngel
“Excuse me,” a good looking man spoke to Mason as he and his family were eating in the cafeteria on the ship. He was holding a food tray, “May I join you?”
To say Mason had been shocked when they had arrived on the ship would have been a massive understatement.
When they landed, and Darryl and Scott had unclipped them, he was not prepared to answer Sheila’s question of ‘are we in space?’
Once they turned the corner of the container, they saw what looked like an opening that dropped off right into space.
The only one who wasn’t afraid was Anne.
“It’s completely safe,” Scott said to the family, “ArchAngel only allows Pods through the gravitic curtain. Anything human would find themselves pushed back whenever they get within twenty feet of the opening.”
“Did you say gravitic curtain?” Mason asked, trying to catch up with what he was seeing and what he was being told.
“Well, that’s what we non-propellerheads call it. Marcus has finally decided it was close enough to stop bitching about our name. Oh,” Scott looked down, “I’m sorry, I should watch my words around the young adults.”
“It’s ok,” Anne looked up at him, “the kids at my school curse all of the time, and the boys are the worst. I’m just thankful no one is smoking in the bathroom, trying to act cool.”
Scott looked over to her parents, a quizzical look on this face.
“Wisdom of a wise woman,” Sheila answered his unasked question, “unfortunately it hits her at random times, never when I’m telling her what she needs to know.”
He just shook his head in recognition of something he accepted but didn’t necessarily understand.
He put up a finger and his eyes lost focus for a split second, “Ok, ArchAngel has provided me the location of your suite. Let’s get you guys in place and then after our conference in Japan, I’m sure you will have your meetings.
Mason and the family had enjoyed the large VIP Suite they had relaxed in and were now eating dinner. He nodded to the man, “Certainly. I’m Mason. This is my wife, Sheila and our daughter Anne.”
“Barnabas,” he introduced himself. His food plate only had an apple and a ceramic mug with a lid on it. He set it down and seated himself.
“So, are you doing ok here on the ArchAngel?” he started the conversation and used a knife to start peeling the apple.
“It’s cool!” Anne jumped ahead in the conversation, “Do you know the Queen?”
Barnabas looked down at the little girl. At first, Mason was concerned that she had offended the gentleman, “Yes, young lady. I do know the Queen. In fact, she sent me to speak with you and your parents to help us understand a few things.”
The clip clip clip of nails on the hard floor caught their attention, and they turned to see a huge white German Shepherd come down the lane between the tables heading in their direction.
Barnabas heard Sheila ask her husband, “Is he safe?” There was a note of fear in her voice.
“Yes, Ashur is completely safe to anyone who doesn’t attack the Queen,” Barnabas answered.
“Ashur is his name?” Anne asked, “can I pet him?”
“I can’t answer for Ashur, why don’t you ask him?” Barnabas answered.
When his name had been spoken, the dog’s head had turned and honed in on the table talking about him. He had stopped three tables away as if he was waiting to make sure they felt safe around him.
“Um, why did he stop?” Anne asked.
“He is waiting to make sure he doesn’t scare you,” Barnabas answered.
Anne turned to look at Barnabas, “Are you fibbing me? He knows what is going on?”
“My Queen assures me, he is much smarter than any dog you have ever known.”
“Does she ever fib?” Anne asked.
“Well …” Barnabas paused and scratched his chin. “If you mean would she fib for a joke? Yes, absolutely. Would she lie about something like this? No, she wouldn’t,” Barnabas said.
Anne turned back around in her chair, “Ashur, can I pet you?” She raised her voice a little. He broke into a little jog…clipclipclipclip and in a second he was up next to Anne.
“Oh…my,” Sheila whispered. The dog’s head was as high as Anne’s shoulder sitting on the chair. He was huge.
Anne put her hand on his neck and started petting him, “Momma, he’s so soft!” Then, Sheila gasped when Anne reached around and held on to Ashur’s neck in a big hug, “Thank you for coming to save me, Ashur.”
Ashur chuffed to her, “Oh, sorry.” She let up a bit on her hug.
“This is the dog that was with Bethany Anne?” Mason asked. The sweetness of this dog was at odds with the decisive animal Mason’s memory was telling him was a hunter-killer. His memories were getting foggier and foggier on the details.
“Yes, this is Ashur. He joined a, uh … disagreement between Bethany Anne and a few others in South America a few years ago and has been with her ever since. If there was ever a more spoiled dog in this solar system, I don’t know who it is.”
“No, he isn’t spoiled, he is treated well,” Sheila said, “I’ve seen teacup dogs that are spoiled brats. Ashur here deserves everything he gets.”
Ashur chuffed in response.
“It’s almost like he is answering us,” Sheila said.
“He is,” Anne’s muffled voice came from Ashur’s back, “He tells me you are right, he does earn it.”
The two parents chuckled at Anne’s imagination and looked to see Barnabas hadn’t joined in their humor, “What?” He asked as the two parents stopped their laughter, “According to Bethany Anne, he does communicate. We just have to be willing to listen.” He shrugged and grinned at them, “I’m not saying she is right or wrong, but I haven’t understood him yet, myself.”
Ashur chuffed, and Anne giggled, “Ashur said that’s because you are an old-fart with a brain as malu…malubable,” Ashur chuffed again, “mal-u-a-bull as a rock.”
“Mason,” Sheila whispered, “I don’t think Anne knew the word ‘malleable…”
FROM MICHAEL >>> I am SO happy to be ‘Words Complete’ on Book 13! If you missed the announcement, I finished the book and gave it to the editors who are editing their little fingers off last night.
WOOHOO!
Now, I’m kicked back at Rio Mambo (Tex-Mex) having eaten a large meal and worked on advertising stuff… Why? Because sales were HOT HOT HOT last month… And now? They = 🙁
It’s ok, I think part of the reason was I ran through the potential people in my previous list(s) and Facebook was upping the $$$ on me like crazy. So, thinking I wasn’t getting a good return, I dropped the spend 70%…OUCH! My income dropped a huge amount.
That will teach me a lesson!
They say that the best advertising you can do is get out the next book. That is TRUE. So, I’m working to get out the next book! (I know, cool, right?)
I have two things for you. The first is I had a real blast reading TS (Scott) Paul’s new book 01 of his Federal Witch series. Since I know him, I was able to call him up and tell him to get his little fingers typing, I needed my next fix.
MWUHAHAHAHAHA…. I have now become part of the Pitchfork and Matches crowd. I enjoyed his book enough to ask him to allow me to place it at the end of book 13 and he is good with that. So, I’m going to write a little story introducing it, and slotting in the free stuff Amazon let’s us do as authors to give readers a taste at the end of My Ride is a Bitch. If you want to see it a little early (before the end of the next book) here is a link: TS Paul Conjuring Quantico
Early work on The Dark Messiah (To be released 12.25.2016)
This is an early stage (about mid-way done I think) of the The Dark Messiah cover… Things on this cover can change (and will) 😉
MY RIDE IS A BITCH Snippet 11 of …
UNEDITED – NEW COVER!
QBS ArchAngel
Barnabas slipped behind the desk in his office as Tabitha sat the chair facing him, she asked, “Why aren’t you outside with the Queen?”
Barnabas shook his head, “We don’t want all of our faces on video cameras. So, we are only showing the minimum people necessary.”
“Is that why I haven’t seen Stephen lately?” She asked.
Barnabas smiled, “No, you don’t see Stephen because he spends his off time with a particular lady. It seems he has lost a battle, due to those assets and fog of war you were speaking about earlier, and is enjoying life even more than he thought he could.”
“No shit?” She said sitting up in her chair, “El’ Stevo has a female? Who is it?”
Barnabas reached to the side of his desk and grabbed a folder, moving it in front of him he opened it up and set it down. “Let’s not try to do research for ‘As The ArchAngel Turns’ right now. We do have a case to discuss.”
She slumped back in her chair, “Wow, you have been catching up. How do you know about soap operas?”
Barnabas’ eyes glanced to the ceiling in his office as he murmured, “Please give me strength. Bethany Anne would be upset if any accidents happened to her.”
Tabitha smiled, “Uncle B, you know I’m just playing with you. There’s no need to feel stressed out. I’m sure I can set up a nice relaxing Friday night date for you if you would like?”
He eyed his female Ranger, “No, let’s not. Let’s not and say we didn’t, let’s not and never suggest it again, in fact. Now, let’s focus,” he told her, giving her such a frown that Tabitha understood she had pushed enough.
Fun time was over.
“What we have is a little bit of information, three names you can track down, and a requirement to find out who hired them.” Barnabas explained.
Tabitha chewed on the inside of her cheek, “If I find out who hired them, what am I supposed to do?” She asked, her head cocked to the right.
Barnabas looked at her, “You are a Queen’s Ranger, that decision is up to you.”
“Oh,” the mantle of responsibility suddenly weighed heavy on her shoulders, “I kind of like it when I’m just told to kick their ass, not when I have to decide if the ass kicking is warranted.”
Barnabas shrugged, “Get used to it.”
FROM MICHAEL >>> Hello! So, did you check out the emblem on the side of the ship above? No? :-(Here, I’ll add it again as Team BMW is playing with a logo to appropriately 
let Aliens know just whose group they are going to be messing with – because, who reads English in outer space?
I’m excited to say that I’m over 1/2 way finished with the new book, and I’m shooting for October 7th as the release date. Although anything can happen, I WANT the 7th to be the date, as my Family arrives on the 8th and that is going to substantially hamper my abilities to work for a week.
NEW BOOK TIME!
Jackie is an Author who lives in Austin, Tx and I’ve met her at the Armadillo Con (plus another Artist Event in late March). She is also someone using books to help those who are going through hard times and I completely support authors helping others!
So, I’m highlighting her book, By Moonrise this snippet and I hope you take a look to see if it interests you! If it does, cool! If it doesn’t, THANK YOU as that is all we can ask and your looksie is amazingly helpful!
By Moonrise
By Jackie Dana
In Sarducia, magic is real—at least for now.
Kate Norton isn’t prepared for a debate about magic. All she wants is to keep her job. But when the silver ring she just inherited suddenly drops her into this mysterious, archaic land, her priorities quickly change.
For magic is what lies at the heart of a political rivalry threatening to tear Sarducia apart. Even as Kate tries to figure out why she ended up in Sarducia, she gets pulled into the conflict. Unwilling to be a passive bystander to unfolding events, Kate forges her own path, using instinct to decide who she can trust, and rebuffs those who try to manipulate her.
Driven by loyalty and love, Kate takes dangerous risks with far-reaching consequences. Will her efforts be enough to save herself and her friends?
By Moonrise is a tale of intrigue, mystery and romance…
and one stubborn woman who keeps tripping on the hem of her dress.
MY RIDE is a BITCH Snippet 10 of …
TQB Base – Colorado, USA
Mason held his wife’s hand and carried Anne. For a twelve-year-old, she was still quite small and light.
Thank God.
His arm was dying a second time.
“Mason,” Sheila whispered, “what is happening?”
The family had time to spend together, to just enjoying being a family. The lady here at the base had provided all of the food they wanted. Anne had sat in Sheila’s lap the whole time. No matter how much Mason tried to convince Anne differently, she was sure that her mom had been taken because she’d been ugly to her. Mason had tried to tell her, that is what girls did.
Now that Anne had her mom back, she was the most obedient daughter ever. Or at least until she wasn’t scared anymore of her mom being taken again.
Which led Mason back to Sheila’s question.
“We are going to TQB’s home base,” he equivocated, “I’m to speak to the CEO.”
“I thought the lady said you need to speak to the Queen?” Sheila asked as they followed Jasmin out of the main office doors into the early evenings darkening skies.
“Same person, apparently,” Mason said, “Her group has pulled off of Earth, so she is setting a Monarchy.”
“Why does she want you?” Sheila continued.
Mason noticed the black shipping container with two men, both with weapons, standing at the back, one door open.
“I think she wants answers,” Mason admitted.
“Why did they help us, is it your job?” Sheila asked, “I know I’m not supposed to ask, but you have to give me something here. Those men were looking for information from you.”
“Yes, they did and no, I don’t think they were helping us because of my job. I don’t know why they are helping us.”
Anne squirmed in his arm and lifted her blond head, “I asked.”
“What?” Mason said, looking down, “Asked who?”
Anne flipped her head, blew on some errant strands and then used her left hand to pull the last hair out of her face, “I sent a letter to Ms. Bethany Anne, asking for help.”
“How did you do that?” Mason asked.
“I heard the men talk to you when Mom first disappeared. I used my crayons to write a letter and send it. No one at school asked me about it, well Josephine made fun of me a little saying I was writing to Santa Claus.”
Sheila chuckled, “I imagine she did.”
Jasmin nodded to the two men, “These are the three the Queen wants to speak with, VIP soft delivery.”
“Aye ma’am, VIP soft delivery,” answered the first guy. He was blond with huge arms, Sheila noted. He smiled to the family.
“My name is Scott,” he nodded to the other gentleman with him, “He is Darryl. Trust me when I say you will absolutely be safe with us.”
“Not to be rude,” Mason asked, “but in a container?”
Scott grinned and turned his hand over and pointed up, “No. The Queen said VIP soft delivery.”
Mason and Sheila looked up. There were four sleek fighters hovering a hundred feet in the air. “Are those…” Mason’s question stopped.
“Yes, those are Black Eagles,” Darryl spoke for the first time. “There is nothing on this Earth, that I’m aware of, that is going to get through your guard. The Queen wants you safe. We tend to go overboard for her.”
“I see…that.” Mason admitted. His group had tried to pull as much information about these ships as they could. With what he did know about them, and what he knew about his own group’s abilities, he had to agree with Darryl.
These four planes could probably decimate a small country.
Darryl spoke up again, “Sorry, we don’t have our best quality multi-seat Pods yet. Those are in production. But, if you would jump on board? We need to be over on the ArchAngel in about twenty-five minutes before we drop back in.”
“Drop in…where?” Sheila asked as Mason stepped ahead of her and into the large black rectangular box.
“The gravity well,” Darryl answered, “We need to be prepared for Bethany Anne’s introduction in a couple of hours.”
Scott closed the door behind the group as Darryl made sure everyone was getting clipped in correctly. This Container, modified for larger groups, had fifteen seats on each side of the long walls.
“Sorry sweetie,” Darryl said, his voice soft, “but we can’t let you sit in your Dad’s lap. It’s against regulations.”
Sheila watched as Anne stood up and sat between her parents, “Am I going to get to meet Ms. Anne?”
“Hmm?” Darryl asked as he carefully belted in the fragile looking little girl, “Ms. Anne? Oh, sorry, her full name is Bethany Anne.”
“Well then, what is her last name?” Anne asked, “I thought my first name was her last name, that is kind of embarrassing.”
Mason noticed the man was huge as he stood up, “No, you share parts of your first name,” Darryl told his daughter. “Trust me, your letter got to Bethany Anne just fine young lady and I’m sure she will speak with you after her next meeting.”
“Who is she meeting with?” Anne asked as Darryl crossed to the other side and buckled in a seat apart from Scott who was talking with someone sub vocally.
“The Japanese Leadership and Royalty,” Darryl answered.
FROM MICHAEL >>> So, I’m writing this right after publishing the last snippet. So, I really don’t have much ‘new’ to say ;-). I’m going to schedule this snippet to go live tonight some time. I’d say I was sure, but I have never really figured out (perfectly) WordPresses scheduling system.
I’m kind of annoyed about that. The not figuring it out part because I SHOULD be able to. It seems to be based on maybe server time? Right now, it’s 8:33 my time, and the scheduling is for 13:33. So, five hours ahead of me. Which is…Off the east coast somewhere. I don’t think my servers are ON the East Coast… dammit. I still don’t know where they pick up the time from.
Stupid Computer Programmers. (Good thing I’m not one anymore 😉 )
I hope you have a FANTASTIC weekend (what is left of it).
Michael
MY RIDE is a BITCH Snippet 09 of …
QBS ArchAngel – Above Japan
Tabitha’s Pod slowly moved through the gravitic shield blocking the air from leaving the Pod bay on the Archangel. She noticed Barnabas waiting for her as the Pod settled down and the doors cracked open. She unclipped herself and smiled to him.
“Hey you, Big ‘B’!” Her grin grew a little bit when she noticed Barnabas frowned a little at her new nickname for him. She had decided that if she was going to live for the next few hundred years, she was going to do her dead level best to tweak him just a little bit each and every month. Her newest effort, you always have to be hacking and testing what you think might work, was giving him little pet names. She wasn’t sure if this was going to last for more than a couple of months, or hell, it could last well into the next century.
Barnabas turned his grimace into a smile, understanding that she had just laid down a challenge. “Hello Tabitha, I trust your trip was enjoyable?”
She followed him as he walked towards the Pod bay exit. He looked over his shoulder at her and asked, “Do you know why we wanted you to join us here on the ArchAngel?”
She shrugged, “Honestly, Big B, I figure you’ve got something that needs accomplishing, and you need just the right sass and ass to get the job done.”
Barnabas hung his head. Tabitha might be more of a challenge than he had ever encountered in his many, many centuries. “I don’t recall too many ladies ever telling me that they have the right, and I quote, sass and ass, to get the job done. Usually, they tell men to stop looking down there and that their faces are up here.”
Tabitha shrugged, “Hey, I can’t help it if European women don’t understand just how overpowered they are compared to men. We not only have the brains, but we also have the bodies to confuse the best of them and, in the fog of war, men are putty in our hands.” She thought for a second, “Ok, some women have the brains, not every one of us.”
When Tabitha had finally caught up, so that she was walking beside him, he asked, “the fog of war, Tabitha?”
“Sure, anytime a man is around an attractive woman, it’s war. You might not think it, but their wives know it, their girlfriends know it. It just happens. It’s chemical. Do I have to pull up the physiological books to discuss this with you? I would think after a thousand years this would be old news to you. Hell, you’re practically a cadaver that’s walking around.”
Barnabas snorted. “I am not, nor have I ever been, a cadaver,” he stated.
Oh, this is so delicious. She just gave herself three points, and she was up five to two so far. He had earned two secret points for making her catch up to him.
“Big B, I bet I wasn’t even alive the last time you got horizontal and did the mambo. I’m probably willing to bet you weren’t even assaulting with a friendly weapon when my parents were children.”
“Tabitha, please remember I was living in a monastery until relatively recently. What are you talking about?”
“Buttering the biscuit? Checking the oil? How about doing squat thrusts in the cucumber patch? No? Damn number one, just how long were you in that cave? All right let’s try filling the cream doughnut? No? Posting a letter? Of course not, you probably don’t even remember or know what letters are.”
Barnabas grunted, “Yes Tabitha, I have been around to know what letters are. You do realize letters are something that happened many centuries ago, yes?”
She had to be up twelve to two, at least.
“Fine, I’ll try to see how far back I can go. Latina women are good at euphemisms, and I have a ton. I’m just trying to remember which ones an old dried up husk of a man like you might know. So, let’s try this Dr. Acula – how about shrimping the barbie? Oh crap, that’s something from Australia, never mind. Slamming the clam? Taking old one eye to the optometrist? Sorry, I forgot an optometrist is the last couple of hundred years. How about something more fantasy driven. Let’s try taking the bald headed gnome for a stroll in the misty forest? No? Taking the magic bus to Manchester? Here’s one for someone of your age, how about cleaning the cobwebs with the womb broom? Fuck, Big B, didn’t you ever just screw a chick?”
Tabitha finally realized that Barnabas was barely hiding a smirk on his face. His eyes, however, gave him away. “How long have you known what I was talking about?” She asked, annoyance coloring her voice.
He finally let loose with the smile he had been holding, “Since five to two.”
“What?” She asked, confused. “Hey, I didn’t say that out loud…” she stopped in the hallway as Barnabas kept walking. She closed her eyes, “Fuuuuuck!”
She forgot he could read minds.
She jogged to catch up to him and find out about her new case, right after she tried to apologize…if only a little.
FROM MICHAEL >>> I hate allergies. Like, seriously. My wife suffers from them (horribly) and I’ve only been moderately bothered over the last few years, however over here in the Dallas / Fort Worth area Ragweed spiked early this week and it floored me. It started Tuesday night and by Wednesday night I was dying (I think it turned into something else, I thought it felt like a fever…so, I’m not a doctor and all…) Anyway, by Thursday the medicines were mostly effective and Friday as well. Moving around and mostly just doing my thing if a little slower.
Until the massive afternoon nap on Friday, that is. That’s when I realized I was a walking weak person. 🙂
So, I’m going to try and slow down this weekend (still writing, pushing chapters 7 and 8 to the editing team and moving forward and all – got to get out the next Book! Woohoo!)
By the way, THANK YOU SO MUCH for jumping on Barry Hutchinson’s Space Team book, you guys have MADE his week, I assure you. He was up to over 100 pre-orders for his book, a first for him and is he ever excited ;-).
Want to read a short about Michael’s first few days? Don’t forget you can in GLIMPSED – an anthology (FREE) Here: Glimpse_Amazon_US. I am excited to admit that the cover of Michael’s coming 4-book series The Second Dark Ages (set after book 14 in The Kurtherian Gambit and ending at the same time as TKG 21 (hint, hint)) is being worked on right now.
Michael made a promise, and death isn’t going to be able to hold him down.
Planning for a pre-order setup for The Dark Messiah and trust me, I think you WILL be surprised in with the setting ;-)…At least, I hope so.
Have you read Tabitha’s Short yet? Do you like Tabitha? Her little brand of humor? You can read about 8,000 words of it in the BEYOND THE STAR’S – At Worlds Edge (Free in KU, $3.99 to buy) with other authors such as Nick Webb, Chris Fox, E.E. Giorgi and many others. Check out the book on Amazon here: TabithasVacation.
Want to peruse the latest Kindle Paperwhite for Military author list? It is here (new one coming soon!) http://kurtherianbooks.com/2016/09/16/rhr_03_sept_15_2016/
Next snippet coming out tonight or tomorrow morning 😉
As always, THANK YOU for supporting me, these books, the other Indie Authors and each other as we go about changing the Universe, one book at a time!
Michael
MY RIDE IS A BITCH Snippet 08 of …
UNEDITED
TQB Base, Colorado – USA
Mason Jayden woke up, his arm numb from Anne’s grip holding it tight like she had. He heard people coming down the hall. His mind foggy, he was trying to remember how he and his daughter had ended up in the meeting room and realized he must have only nodded off for a few minutes.
Then he heard it, he heard her voice, “Shiela?” he whispered. He couldn’t quite make out the voice speaking, it was still too far away, but Mason thought it was his wife. Mason looked down to figure out how to extricate himself from his daughter, but she was already waking up.
“Mom?” She called out, eyes half-closed, “MOM?”
She pushed her chair back when they both heard a ‘baby?’ come from down the hallway and another, louder, “Mason?”
Mason’s chair shot back to the wall, he grabbed Anne’s hand as they reached the door and came around to see Shiela running down the hall, crying. The family reunion was intense as the three hugged, all crying pretty loudly.
“Ma’am?”
Bethany Anne turned around. She and John had left some personal space for the three to reunite. “Yes?”
The woman, one of the base logistics and planning employees who had been helping smiled, “Ma’am, what do you want me to do for the family?”
Bethany Anne turned towards the family. John noticed she frowned and whispered to herself, “I hate this.”
Her eyes went vacant for a second, then she frowned as her eyes came back into focus. “Well, fuckity fuck.” She sighed, “Call ArchAngel. We need this family with us,” she told her, “John and I will grab Ashur from the cafeteria and head out. When Mason asks, tell him the Queen has said she will be able to protect his family much better than those who failed him.”
“Yes ma’am.” She said.
“C’mon John, let’s fetch the white wonder dog and get back to the AA.”
The two walked past the woman, who continued allowing the family some personal space. She listened to them talking as they walked down the hall.
“Did I understand,” he started, “that Ashur is looking for a bitch or is that your idea?”
“Nice, nice play on words, Mr. Grimes.”
“I try my best when speaking to trophy wives,” he snorted.
“John,” she heard Bethany Anne say as the two tracked around a corner, “I swear if you keep up that shit, payback will be a bitch.”
“Oh, you pray to him, too?” his voice trailed off.
FROM MICHAEL >>> We keep plugging along, and now I’m down sick…Da##it! I had plans to be another couple of chapters to my editing team, and all I’m good to do is cutting and pasting this stuff up to Amazon for my awesome fans.
I really, really want my own Pod Doc right now!
I am looking so forward to reading this book below, just because of his covers (you need to see both, I find them hilarious). Barry (Hutchison, the author – name drop!) has been kind enough to allow myself and my awesome fans access to DOWNLOAD THE BOOK FOR FREE.
If you like it, please consider offering a review and certainly, if you are up on Kindle Unlimited, another read through helps as well.
Check it out, let me know what you think!
Space Team – Screwing up the galaxy, so you don’t have to
Cal Carver is having a bad day. Imprisoned and forced to share a cell with a cannibalistic serial killer, Cal thinks things can’t possibly get any worse.
He is wrong.
It’s not until two-thirds of the human race is wiped out and Cal is abducted by aliens that his day reallystarts to go downhill.
Whisked across the galaxy, Cal is thrown into a team of some of the sector’s most notorious villains and scumbags. Their mission should be simple enough, but as one screw-up leads to another, they find themselves in a frantic battle to save an entire alien civilization – and its god – from total annihilation.
A hilarious, fast-paced space adventure from the author the Independent calls “the new Terry Pratchett.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS FOR FREE (At least, for the next couple of days until it releases…)
My Ride is a Bitch Snippet 07 of …
UNEDITED!
Etheric
The three men could hear the voices before they could discern the vague outlines of two people walking towards them.
They heard a woman’s voice, “I’m saying that killing them here is easier to clean up. As in, there isn’t any clean up.”
A third figure became a little distinct trailing the first two. They heard a chuff from a dog come through the mist.
The gargantuan figure beside her, his voice deeper seemed to be trying to argue for the three of them.
“I understand you didn’t like returning and getting singed in the fire.”
Another chuff.
“You either, Ashur.”
“I might have been unlucky enough to come back into a broken piece of wall, that would have been a real downer.”
The two were getting closer.
“How come you guys didn’t?”
“I can peek out, now. I’ve figured out how to barely look and make sure. The fucking fire was still damned hot. That shit burns like a motherfucker.” She was close enough for the three men to discern her features. “Ah, here are my three camel tea-baggers now.”
The dog stopped and laid down on the ground.
“So, where is the wife?” She asked the three of them. All of them kept their mouths shut.
“Oh? You are so out of your league, penis tips, that life as you know it doesn’t exist. You aren’t even school grade sports against a pro. This is like a pro team against a tank full of goldfish.”
She looked the three of them over and then added, “dead goldfish.” She looked to her left, then her right and reached under her jacket and pulled out a scabbarded short sword, “You know, for some reason there is this misunderstanding that good people should be nice to Gosse Schweine such as yourself. Personally, I don’t agree and since my overly large friend here,” she thumbed the man next to her, “really isn’t my conscience and this isn’t a good-cop bad-cop routine like you are thinking, you can all kiss my ass.” There was a chuff behind her, “I know, stay back, you hate getting blood out of your coat.”
She took the scabbard off, “Eenie meanie miney moe, Dieter my friend, you can go.” She was ten feet away and then Gunter and Klaus jumped back, because she had stabbed Dieter through the gut with her sword. Her left hand was choking him, as she easily held him off the ground, while he struggled. She looked over her shoulder and spoke to the man behind her, “I told you, much cleaner here.”
The big man shrugged, “All I said is it would be easier to get the wife’s location from people that were alive, even if you had to leave them alive.”
When she turned around, Gunter and Klaus took another involuntary step back. The figure in front of them was from a nightmare. Her face had red glowing eyes, her teeth had grown, and she smiled at them like they were snacks. “I never said I had to have live people to get my answers, John. I can always ask them when I kill them the second time.”
“She’s in a warehouse!” Gunter screamed, “On the East side out by Green Valley in Vegas, I swear!”
“Shut up, Gunter.” Klaus hissed, “That is our only negotiation card.” Scared or not, Klaus knew that the woman was one thing that might get them out of this predicament.
Dieter had stopped struggling in her grip. His lifeless body still lifted above the ground, his blood puddling at her feet. She seemed to finally notice he had expired. “That was uneventful,” she acted annoyed and tossed the body. Both men were shocked. Dieter’s lifeless body had been tossed twenty feet away into the mist. She never noticed his weight.
She took a step towards the two men, “Who paid you to do this?”
Klaus spoke up, “Will you let us go if we tell you what we know?” His voice, usually assured, was cracking.
“Klaus Weber,” her voice changed, softer but unyielding, “stand still and tell me what you know. Who paid you to do this?”
Klaus bit down hard, trying to keep the information to himself. He kept hearing her command resonating in his mind, he played what he would say to her over and over and finally stopped thinking about it when she said, “That is enough, you don’t need to tell me multiple times.”
Her man spoke, “Bethany Anne, we don’t have time to track all of this down right now. We need to get back to the ArchAngel. We have a meeting with the Japanese pretty soon.”
She looked disgusted, “Ok … fine. I don’t think this prick knows anything, sounds like a typical dark web merc job. I know someone bored who needs something to do.”
Why? What do trophy wives do except check on truant children and blow up houses?
Shut. Up. TOM.
Klaus, aghast that he had been talking the whole time he thought he was keeping the secrets to himself never saw the flick of the blade that cut his head off. Gunter, his mouth open as Klaus’s body dropped to the ground, finally recognized she was cleaning her sword on Klaus’s shirt.
Her face, eyes normal, looked up to him, “and now, we come to miney moe.”
FROM MICHAEL >>> Ok, life is passing strange at times. Eventually, I’ll explain but for right now I can say I went on an unplanned trip to Vegas on Friday for the weekend for other reasons than the obvious, although I did get a little gambling (I mean, giving the casino money for the rooms by playing their games). Then, on Saturday, I noticed I left my laptop power brick back in Texas.
Sum-bitch!
So, I had 20% power and NEEDED the laptop to not go dark while I was there for business reasons. So, no writing or much social stuff (which is business BTW), either. SORRY!
I will be pretty busy for clients next 48 hours … then should be back on track by Thursday…So, GO GO GO!
If you didn’t see the stuff on the Authors / Readers helping Military books for this edition, check it out!
BE BACK SOON WITH ANOTHER SNIPPET!
MY RIDE IS A BITCH Snippet 06 of …
UNEDITED!
One half day’s march from Shennongjia Peak, Hubei
Bai leaned back against a tree, pushing his pack into a small area between the branches, allowing him to take some of the weight off of his back. Zhu nodded to his friend as he came up.
Bai said, “Any idea if our trackers have any clue where we are going?”
Zhu nodded, “Yes, we were chosen to take the second group. I listened in on the conversations and it seems that there were some who met this group. They stopped for a little while and then left.”
“That’s good, right? That makes them slow down and we won’t have to follow them too far?” Bai asked.
Zhu shook his head, “Bai, they stopped and had a meeting with something that joined them with cat’s tracks our hunter said. He wasn’t happy about it at all.”
“Why not? We know they can turn into some sort of werecat, what is their problem? We all have some silver on us.”
“Bai, what do cats do more than most animals,” Zhu looked into the forest, looking up into the limbs in the trees above them.
Bai followed his friends glance and thought about it. “They hunt.”
Zhu nodded, “They hunt. And now, they are hunting us with the intellect of a human and a cat.”
“That’s not good,” Bai agreed, trying to peer harder into the foliage above them. “You think they are setting up a trap?”
Zhu looked at his friend, “Jian told Shun and myself to count on it.”
Bai nodded and checked his rifle, making sure his silver rounds were loaded for the fourth time this morning.
Etheric
“I’m saying,” Gunter ground out, “How do we know she wasn’t lying to us?”
“Do you know where the fuck we are?” Klaus asked, looking into the grayness tracking in every direction, “I can’t see shit. Neither can either of you. So, she says she would find us unless we moved.”
“Like I trust that woman with anything! Have you finally figured out who she is?”
“Yes, I know where I saw her face,” Klaus admitted.
“And?” Gunter pushed.
“She is the head of TQB,” Klaus looked into the distance, but nothing changed for him. He still couldn’t see anything, like looking through fog on a cold morning.
“What kind of shit does she have if she can send us to some other part of the Earth,” Dieter snapped his fingers, “like that?”
“What makes you think,” Klaus asked, turning to Dieter, “that we are on Earth?”
TQB Base – Colorado, USA
Mason accepted a cup of coffee from Jasmin. She had taken him and his daughter from the room where they had appeared after the gray … place.
Now, he was sitting at a meeting table, with Anne asleep in the chair next to him, her head on his shoulder. Her arms were wrapped around his, making sure he didn’t move while she slept.
He knew his job was super secret, but honestly hadn’t thought it would ever affect his wife or his children. Now, the reality of how casually he had played with their safety shamed him. The last week and a half had been a nightmare.
With some of the secret technology he worked on, he had never expected to be so easily awed by the abilities of someone outside the group he worked with.
Mason wished he had some paper, or something to write his thoughts down. He kept going through the events, trying to sear them into his long term memory. Maybe one day he would understand the technology she must have used to accomplish the act.
He had let her in the house when the dog had taken off upstairs. He couldn’t let Anne off of her bed, or the bombs would go off. He had run after the dog and stumbled on the steps. Like he had been pushed aside.
Pushed…aside.
His face tightened up. Did she run by him that fast?
He made it up the stairs to see the woman already in the room, speaking in a quick, clipped voice to the dog. She hadn’t moved Anne yet, but she noticed him running into the room. She popped him on his forehead, and he remembered gray. Then, she was there with Anne and the dog, “We have to go,” she told him and gave him Anne. When he took Anne, she grabbed his arm and the dog again.
And then the four of them were in a rock room. “Wait here,” she said in a commanding voice, “someone will come get you.”
Then, gone again.
Where the hell was he supposed to go? He was still holding Anne tight to his chest, just holding her as she cried, when there was a knock on the door hard enough to get his attention. He opened the door and a woman brought them to this meeting room and then brought the two of them some breakfast.
Anne fell asleep and here he was, wondering what would happen to Shiela, now.
FROM MICHAEL >>> DAMN, I should give you an update what is happening, but I could be a little too early. Suffice to say I’m in Vegas, and not for gambling (although I have won a $100 playing before I got to work this morning…Woohoo Vegas, You’re My Bitch!) ….
Yeah, probably not for too long.
OUR THIRD PAGE for readers helping the military is UP with 16 books! Please, go check it out and if any of the books appeal to you, just click and go to Amazon.
If you happen to buy anything (doesn’t have to be a book, by the way) within 24 hours, our little effort see’s some pocket change from Amazon.
DO NOT FEEL OBLIGATED! This isn’t a big deal, and we actually hit $800 last month so it was TOTALLY covered for 2 kindles and the expenses…total awesomeness 😉
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE BOOKS!
(and the Indie Authors Appreciate it, trust me!)
Readers Helping Readers Third EDITION! Mid Sept, 2016
There is always the next email which might have a book you like. – Michael
The Hunter of Voramis is the perfect assassin:
Ruthless, Unrelenting, Immortal.
In Kindle Unlimited.
Fantasy is my genre of choice, and I love to explore the darker side of human nature through the filter of fantasy heroes, villains, and everything in between
Logan is fighting a different kind of battle; one no one realizes he’s in. While he’s focused on managing his PTSD, something much more sinister enters his world and he must battle to save Samantha’s life and their growing love.
Lori Ryan is a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author who writes romantic suspense and contemporary romance.
A dead planet. A rogue AI.
A secret mission.
Tara Royce’s first day as the Academy’s newest Earth Defense Engineer was anything but ordinary.
************
In Kindle Unlimited.
Preferring spaceships to airplanes, he has settled into his little slice of rainforest paradise, escaping reality through Science Fiction.
What would you do if you’re suffering from gangrene and help is NOT on the way?
What natural remedy can you grow to help to stop bleeding or help to arrest heart attacks?
This book answers these questions and more!
Are you ready to break free, take control and to rely on yourself?
Jill writes under the pen name Jill b.
Amanda Graham inherited a rundown bed and breakfast, a starving cat, and some dead guy who’s buried in her garden!
************
In Kindle Unlimited.
I’ve been writing and making stories in my head as early as I can remember. In third grade I came home, set my lunchbox down, and told my mother I wanted to be a writer. Luckily, Mom was supportive.
Kaylin has been on the run, hiding her untapped abilities for six years, but rescuing a mysterious young man risks exposing the depths of her power. Life has never been easy, but fighting back is even harder.
************
In Kindle Unlimited.
An author of sci-fi and young adult fiction. After several years in the Pacific Northwest, he recently returned to his native southern California to focus on writing.
Mercy Kincaid is a fugitive from her own family. Her dangerous telepathic gifts make her a target. So is anyone she gets close to. When her best friend is captured and tortured, Mercy’s only hope is to reunite with the family that tried to murder her as a child.
************
In Kindle Unlimited.
Carysa Locke is the pseudonym for writing team Carysa Locke and MaLea Holt.
Their obsession with pirates and adventure goes back many years, when they started another hobby together – costuming.
The Hudson’s were the perfect couple, the ideal for all other couples. But when Clark and Abigail lose their most precious gift, that perfection begins to slip away right before their eyes.
************
In Kindle Unlimited.
When she’s not writing, she spends her time watching movies and hanging out with her family.
Meet the stars of the hit TV show Destiny in An Unconventional Meeting, the first of the Fangirl books; a series of books dedicated to women over thirty who love TV shows, computer games, the internet, and everything else geeky!
************
In Kindle Unlimited.
E. V. Darcy is a high school teacher. When Evie isn’t writing (or planning lessons!) you can find her binge watching shows, playing computer games, walking her dog, or trying to fathom how to make her next cosplay!
The end of the world is just a game.
Dark forces are at play in Apoc Hill. The inhabitants will become unwilling pawns in an ancient game between the darkness and the light. An ancient game that could see the entire world laid waste.
************
In Kindle Unlimited.
Matthew Stott writes strange stories.
Influenced by the likes of seminal TV show ‘Doctor Who’, and writers Neil Gaiman and Stephen King, he crafts stories full of creep, wonder, fantasy, and adventure.
The life Charlie’s built in space ends suddenly when she finds out her brother is alive and needs her help. And she needs to get revenge on the alien who took everything from her.
In a broken world, Charlie has to find the strength to save her brother, her planet, and herself.
Creating stories has been a part of her life since she could form coherent sentences. In addition to writing fiction, she is also a songwriter and loves playing the guitar.
A-SIST
Anthropomorphic Sentient Individualized Servile uniT.
Rogan is a robot. More specifically, he is an Asist – a personalized humanoid servant that provides protection, assistance, and companionship for a lonely young woman living on her own in the city.
************
In Kindle Unlimited.
Her favorite genres to tackle are Young and Clean New Adult with a supernatural element…though she generally steers clear of vampires and werewolves.
For now.
She acts like she’s your new best friend, but is she really a deadly enemy?
************
In Kindle Unlimited.
Lorna Dounaeva is a quirky British crime writer who once challenged a Flamenco troupe to a dance-off. She is a politics graduate and worked for the British Home Office for a number of years, before turning to crime fiction.
When a Demon werewolf attacks you in a New York Alleyway, and you fight back with Magic you didn’t know existed, it’s fair to say life’s going to change a bit!
************
In Kindle Unlimited.
As I started a family and gaming became something I didn’t have time for any more, I knew i wanted to do something with the characters that I had created.
My first book, Epic Calling in the The Magi Saga series is a direct result of wanting to keep telling those stories.
They call me a thief. A murderer. The killer of worlds.
The people who know the truth call me the Saint of Shadows.
I didn’t set out to destroy the world, but somebody had to do it.
************
In Kindle Unlimited.
Unfortunately Mr. Witt hasn’t shared any information with us at this time.
Ripped from Earth by a horrifying translocation accident, Eliana Fisk finds herself stranded on a strange planet whose denizens want her as a human sacrifice.
************
In Kindle Unlimited.
Matthew Gilbert Herron writes science fiction thriller stories. His first novel, The Auriga Project, was published in 2015.