Chuck Barrett's Blog, page 5

Because sometimes you just have to brag a little…

I was so excited after reading this judge’s review/critique, I felt the overwhelming desire to share this email with my readers and fans…as well as any of you who might be sitting on the fence. This is the review in its entirely, uncut and unedited.

Thank you Writer’s Digest and thank you readers!

“23rd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards

Entry Title BLOWN

Author: Chuck Barrett

Judge Number: 17

Entry Category: Genre Fiction

Books are evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 meaning “needs improvement” and 5 meaning “outstanding”. This scale is strictly to provide a point of reference, it is not a cumulative score and does not reflect ranking. Our system only recognizes numerals during this portion of logging evaluations. As a result, a “0” is used in place of “N/A” when the particular portion of the evaluation simply does not apply to the particular entry, based on the entry genre. For example, a book of poetry or a how to manual, would not necessarily have a “Plot and Story Appeal and may therefore receive a “0”.

*If you wish to reference this review on your website, we ask that you cite it as such: “Judge, 23rd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards.” You may cite portions of your review, if you wish, but please make sure that the passage you select is appropriate, and reflective of the review as a whole.

Structure, Organization, and Pacing: 5

Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar: 5

Production Quality and Cover Design: 5

Plot and Story Appeal: 5

Character Appeal and Development: 5

Voice and Writing Style: 5

Judge’s Commentary*:

Chuck Barrett’s new book Blown has just blown me away with topnotch characterization, active scenes, true-to-life dialogue, and pacing that kept me turning pages from the first page to the last. Barrett skillfully uses varying sentence structure, simple but sophisticated language, and end-of-chapter hooks to his advantage. I would recommend this author to anyone who likes thriller or action stories.

There really isn’t much negative to say about this book. The only people who wouldn’t like it are those who don’t enjoy their hair standing on end through the action or anyone who is offended by characters who will go to great lengths to always do the right thing, even if it’s not in their personal best interest. Although the scenes aren’t predictable, they still make sense. This is a difficult thing for some authors to accomplish. Great job!

The cover of this book is intriguing and stands out on a crowded bookshelf. Yes, I admit that I placed it on my shelf, walked across the room, and turned around to see how it fared. It’s definitely one that I would head for in the bookstore.

Other self-published authors and publishers could take a lesson from Barrett on how to do back covers. There’s just enough information about the story to whet a reader’s desire to open the book without giving away too much of the story. The author bio shows a professional who takes his craft seriously.”

To get your copy of BLOWN, click here…

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Win BLOWN on Audible audiobook…

Here’s your last chance to win the Audible audiobook version of my award-winning thriller, BLOWN narrated by Marc Vietor. Contest starts on November 13 (Friday the 13th) and ends December 13 at midnight. Click an option below to learn more about the giveaway.

http://a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Oh no! Where did I pack my manuscript?

 

If you’ve ever moved across country or any long distance for that matter, you know how easy it is to forget where you packed something. You think you know, but when you open that box, you scratch you head, swear, and think I thought I packed it in here, now which box is it in?

You go through that same exercise in futility several times until the light bulb goes off over your head and you have that epiphany you wish had come much earlier. Oh yeah, I didn’t pack it in a box after all.

As many know, (and most don’t) my wife and I picked up stakes after SO many years in Florida and headed west. My wife had lived in Northeast Florida since 1977, me, since early 1985, although I did live my first 18 years in Northwest Florida for a grand total of 50ish years in Florida! So moving was a big deal for both us. Not just a little west. 1800 miles west!

All the way to Northern Colorado.

And yes, nestled up close to the Rocky Mountains. To say it is beautiful here is such an understatement. But I’ll save that for another blog post.

I thought I was being so careful when I packed (and boxed) all of my writing stuff. Thought, being the key word here. You know how it is; you put something in a place where you know you won’t forget it…   As it turns out, you hid it so well that you can’t even find it. Not for a while anyway.

So was the case with my 4th Jake Pendleton manuscript. All of my research material was located the day we moved in. And it was right where I packed it. But where the hell did I put my manuscript?

Time for a little backstory— My wife & I never put our home in Florida up for sale…not officially. We had hinted about moving to Colorado to friends and neighbors, but had not taken any definitive steps toward selling our house. We had visited Northern Colorado several times and loved it every time, including spending this past winter (2015) in Fort Collins to see if we could handle the cold, brutal winter all our Florida friends kept warning us about. It wasn’t that bad. Really. Sure, it got wicked cold a couple of times, but it didn’t last more than a few days then it warmed up. Sometimes it snowed, but that didn’t last long either. When the temperature warmed and the sun beat down, the snow melted. Then a week or so of moderate temperatures before another cold snap. Oh yeah…AND NO HUMIDITY! Seriously. No humidity. Zilch. Nada. And that made the cold so much easier to tolerate.

I know, I know. I rambled. So what? That always happens!

In July, our phone starts ringing with people calling about our house. They heard through the grapevine that we were moving and would be selling and wanted to see it before we put it on the market. What a shocker, we hadn’t even discussed putting it on the market. We still had some more fixing up to do before we were going to consider listing it. Our best guess was sometime next spring (2016).

My wife and I looked at each other and said, “Why not? What’s the worst that could happen?”

The worst turned out that one of the neighbors who was renting made us the Godfather offer. The one we couldn’t refuse. (I added the last part for all the young people who might not have seen The Godfather.) And the buyer wanted us out by the end of August…

But wait, we have a European trip scheduled with a departure date of August 31. That trip had been schedule nearly a year ago and in our world, was set in stone. To make a long story short, kind of, we sold our Florida home, bought a home in Colorado, packed, went to Europe for 2 ½ weeks, returned to Florida and drove to Colorado—ALL IN A TWO MONTH PERIOD OF TIME!

I know, idiots, right? It wasn’t easy, but I’m proud to say we did it, almost without a hitch & thanks to several good friends who offered us shelter during our homeless period. It was really only six nights total…a few on both ends of the Europe trip.

As you can see, the past three months have been a little chaotic, to say the least.

Back to the case of the missing manuscript.

I took all the precautions; I backed up all my documents and supporting digital research material on more than one flash drive and did a full backup on my laptop before we left. After I got my office set up (mostly) and had decided to reintroduce myself to my manuscript since I hadn’t seen it for nearly 3 months, I went looking for my original digital file. I searched folder after folder—nothing. I know I stored that file here. I looked everywhere. Panic was setting in. Mostly because if it’s tech related, I can’t rest until I win. (Ask my wife; she’ll verify my obsession.) Man over computer. Eventually I will win! To retrieve the files from my backup was to accept defeat…AND THAT WASN’T GOING TO HAPPEN!

A few more attempts to locate the file—nothing.

Then, my thought processes of right before we packed everything replayed in my mind. Question: What was the worst thing that could happen? Answer: Everything we owned was destroyed while enroute from Florida to Colorado. So how could I make sure I didn’t lose my manuscript in the event of a disaster? I mean, I would really hate to start all over again. From the beginning. That would really stink. I looked at the only place it could be, and there it was, waiting patiently for me to pay it some long needed attention.

Waiting safely…in Dropbox!

Now it’s time to get back to work. Jake & Francesca are already deep in trouble (in Italy) and I fear it will get much worse for them before it gets better.

And that’s all I have to say about that.

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DEAD RINGER— A Short Mystery (eBook only) Get it now!

Got 30 minutes? Get my newest eBook-only short story, co-written with my wife, Debi! It’s fun. It’s Noir! And the ending will surprise you…

Click on your device to download it:

Kindle

NOOK

iBooks (iTunes)

Kobo

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BLOWN Audible Audiobook Giveaway Winners!

Congratulations go out to the lucky winners of the first round of BLOWN audiobook giveaways! The following people have received or will shortly receive an email with specific instructions on how to redeem their BLOWN audiobook by Audible narrated by Marc Vietor.

Kam Harrell—Florida

Jim Newman—Florida

Rick Thornton—Florida

Adam Dwyer—California

Laurie Cutlip—Florida

Enjoy your Audible audiobook copy of BLOWN!

 

Don’t miss the next giveaway. Sign up for my newsletter here…

You could be the next winner!

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Audible audiobook winners to be announced soon!

The winners of the BLOWN audiobook by Audible will be announced soon. I have contacted the winners and am awaiting replies. As soon as I have all the confirmations, I will post the names. Congratulations to the winners. There will be more giveaways in the near future so don’t miss out, sign up for my newsletter today.

 

Here’s the link, just type in your email address and click subscribe. That’s it. You can unsubscribe at any time.

http://chuckbarrettbooks.com/mailing-list/

 

Have you left your review of BLOWN? If not, I would love your honest review. Here is the Amazon link for your convenience. Please consider taking a few minutes and leaving a review.

Thank you,

Chuck

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Win BLOWN on Audible audiobook. Here’s how to enter…

Enter for your chance to win an Audible audiobook of my newest thriller BLOWN narrated by Marc Vietor. The last day to enter is June 15, 2015. Here’s the catch—The winning names will be selected from subscribers to my newsletter.

So what do you have to do to be registered for a chance to win?

If you’re already a subscriber to my newsletter, do nothing. Your name will automatically be entered in the drawing.

If you aren’t a current subscriber, then sign up today by clicking this link and entering your email address.

http://chuckbarrettbooks.com/mailing-list/

It’s as simple as that!

The winning names will be announced on June 16, 2015 and the winners will be sent detailed instructions on how to claim their Audible audiobook copy of BLOWN.

So sign up now…and good luck!

 

www.chuckbarrettbooks.com

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Florida Times Union review of BLOWN

Reviewed by Lee Scott, Florida Times Union

May 17, 2015

Popular local author Chuck Barrett has a new thriller hero that he promises will be the star of a series.

In “Blown,” which goes on sale Tuesday, [May 19, 2015] former Delta Force soldier Gregg Kaplan ends up protecting a man who is in the U.S. Marshals Service witness protection program after stumbling on a blown operation and promising a dying deputy marshal and former Delta Force comrade that he will get the witness to a safe site.

Kaplan runs up against some brutal assassins while protecting his man from all sides. As in previous Barrett thrillers, the action is fast and intense and will keep you guessing to the end.

Fans of the author’s Jake Pendleton series needn’t despair. Barrett says Jake will return in his next book.

 

www.chuckbarrettbooks.com

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Kirkus Review of BLOWN

 

Kirkus Reviews

May 5, 2015

In Barrett’s (Breach of Power, 2013, etc.) latest thriller, a CIA operative becomes the unwitting protector of a man in Witness Security who’s targeted by a myriad of groups.

Gregg Kaplan’s plan to stay off the grid in Little Rock, Arkansas, doesn’t last long. The CIA agent helps stop a trio of thugs gunning for an old man and a law enforcement officer at a restaurant. Mortally wounded, the U.S. marshal asks Kaplan to protect the old man: Tony Napoli (an alias) in WitSec. As Kaplan and Tony race to a safe site, they’re pursued by unknown but undoubtedly armed men; Valkyrie, a notorious assassin; and Senior Inspector Pete Moss, a marshal called back to Arkansas from his recent Chicago transfer. But no matter how many times the two men switch vehicles, someone, somehow, seems to find them. Kaplan is determined to keep Tony—and himself—alive long enough to get some answers. Barrett’s briskly paced novel dives into the action and tackles exposition only when Kaplan and Tony are on the run. Even then, the narrative retains a high level of suspense by initially obscuring a few details. Tony, for instance, has certainly mingled with unsavory types, but that doesn’t explain what incriminating info he may be hoarding, who specifically hired Valkyrie, or how baddies persistently manage to track the men in an interstate pursuit. The book’s first half is its best, as Kaplan and Tony face all types of obstacles, including the leery WitSec witness trying to run off on his own and rednecks foolish enough to harass Kaplan when he’s having breakfast. Moss eventually catches up and, knowing nothing beyond Kaplan’s name, has to decide whether or not he can trust him. A later scene that sees Kaplan traveling out of the country feels too much like an offshoot; it’s a Kaplan-centric subplot that’s most effective if readers have read one of Barrett’s preceding novels in which the CIA operative appears. The ending, however, rounds out the solid story with some reveals, a mole or two, and a nice twist.

A long, exhilarating chase gloriously riddled with bullets and intrigue.

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ForeWord Review of BLOWN

Reviewed by Lynn Evarts, ForeWord Reviews

April 17, 2015

Barrett simultaneously advances the plot and character development with fast action scenes and observant descriptions.

“Once in, never out.” In Chuck Barrett’s first-rate thriller, Blown, this oath between Army Delta Force comrades brings peril and violence into the life of Gregg Kaplan. From the opening scene to the final wrap-up, Barrett has written a winner.

Barrett is the author of several popular thrillers, and his experience shows. From the first page of Blown, the action doesn’t stop. The pacing propels the reader to keep turning pages to find out what’s around that next corner:

“He fended off the snarling dog’s teeth with a forearm block, knocking the large animal to the ground. He reached for another syringe, but the dog attacked again knocking it from his hand. Kaplan was toppled flat on his back as the dog pounced again clamping his sharp teeth into his forearm.”

The first scene, which involves a firefight in a diner in Little Rock, deftly provides a great amount of insight into Kaplan. Barrett skillfully uses description and Kaplan’s own powers of observation to flesh out the scene and Kaplan’s character at the same time. “Within minutes after he set foot inside the restaurant and sat down, he recognized the impending threat. He’d seen similar situations before. Several times. And each time, somebody died. He should have listened to his gut.” This ability to size up situations and people is what makes Kaplan the man that he is, and Barrett wastes no time making that clear. Secondary characters are also well drawn, particularly Deputy Moss, a marshal who helped on a previous case. “Moss had become a good friend in a short time and he wanted to touch base with the deputy one last time before he rode out of town.”

Attention to detail adds dimension to Barrett’s story, fleshing out the scenes and characters even further. Barrett is clearly a disciple of the “show, don’t tell” writing style, and this makes his novel even more interesting.

“Kaplan found a wooden support column beneath the midway point of the catwalk and shimmied up as far as he could without exposing his presence to the man above. He pulled out his knife and clenched it between his teeth. When he was in position he gave Moss a nod—there was no turning back now.”

Thriller readers and those who like their books fast and furious will absolutely love this book.

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