Tom Hobbs's Blog, page 16

Disconnect: Book One of the Divided Worlds Trilogy

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Dirtying fingernails in sewers is fast approaching worthlessness for Zachary, a 16-year old Underworld scavenger. When footage of an Overworld girl, Rosa, is discovered, his intrigue heightens at why she expresses sadness with a lavish lifestyle.

In meeting Rosa, Zachary is scorned by her opinion of the deprived. She pities him and provides a means for them to communicate. With time, friendship and something he’s never felt grows; love for another human. Knowing Rosa calls him when it suits her isn’t enough; he wants to meet her, but how? Relationships in Underworld are few, let alone the impossibility with those above the ceiling.

Underworld will suffer when plans to conquer Jupiter’s moon, Europa move ahead. Worse is Rosa’s father, a disgraced Overworld ambassador, approving the plan.

Zachary must defeat the prejudice of the worlds, sneak within opposing forces, lose friends and challenge Rosa’s sadness. In doing so, a twisted secret is uncovered that may devour the reason he lives; Rosa.

In space, love has boundaries.

The Brainiacs vs. The Guard

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As leader of the techno-sleuth team The Brainiacs, Theo Phillips has matched wits with bullies, gangbangers, murderers, and kidnappers. But he’s about to meet his match.

A drone strike in Pakistan sets off a series of events that appear to be unrelated, but have been carefully orchestrated by a terrorist splinter group with an ingenious – and extraordinarily lethal – agenda.

Meanwhile, The Brainiacs have been recruited as a counterterrorism “shadow” team and have just finished training when tragedy strikes on American soil.

Now Theo must confront his most formidable enemy yet – The Guard. In a matter of days, The Brainiacs must unravel the plot of death and destruction that threatens the very existence of The United States of America.

The Brainiacs vs. The Guard grabs you with the very first sentence and captivates all the way to the shocking conclusion.

We’ll Never Tell

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Three young girls witness a murder—and make a pact never to tell what they saw. But when the woman’s body is uncovered seventeen years later, the killer’s faith in their promise is shaken. A few deadly reminders may be in order…

Samantha Beaumont knows it’s time to reveal the truth about what happened in the woods all those years ago—until the accidents begin. Fear that the killer will shut them up permanently leads Sam on a quest to protect her friends and expose the murderer’s identity. No one, certainly not the man she spent one memorable night with, will stop her.

Ethan Thorne has no reason to believe Sam is any more interested in a commitment now than when she ran from him five years before. Still, he can’t resist trying one more time… When he realizes her life is in danger, he’ll risk everything for a chance at love.

Sons and Daughters: Darcy and Fitzwilliam

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JANE AUSTEN’S ‘PRIDE AND PREJUDICE’ CONTINUES…

SONS AND DAUGHTERS, a sequel to Karen V. Wasylowski’s ‘DARCY AND FITZWILLIAM’ (which was itself a continuation of Jane Austen’s PRIDE AND PREJUDICE), again follows the iconic Fitzwilliam Darcy and his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam. Now we see the two battling best friends as loving husbands and doting fathers, older and a bit wiser, making the sacrifices, the difficult (and frequently unpopular) decisions that men must make for the good of their families and we see their large brood of offspring – the ‘Fitzwilliam Mob’ – grow from childhood to adolescence then on into adulthood. Along the way, Darcy and Fitzwilliam are viewed by their children first as heroes, then as the enemy, but eventually as mortal human beings and the children’s adored champions once again.

The Buggy List

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Drew and Libby Sullivan have spent the past six years building the perfect life together. They have a beautiful home, flourishing careers, and they’re finally ready to take the plunge into parenthood. Well, almost. Despite the endless prodding from family, friends, and even strangers, there still seems to be something holding the couple back from starting a family. Perhaps that’s why they decide to take the advice of Libby’s older sister and make a list of everything they want to do before they have a baby. Making their baby bucket list, or as they call it, “The Buggy List”, buys them just a little more time to be Drew and Libby, who sleep in until noon on Saturdays and eat Chinese takeout for dinner on the couch. Besides, it gives Libby the opportunity to pull straight-laced Drew out of his comfort zone and do something fun for once; like go undercover as singles to a speed dating event with their friend, Tom; or finally take the honeymoon they never had. Drew and Libby each write down five items that they must complete before having a baby. But what starts out as a little harmless fun quickly becomes more than this couple bargained for. When secrets, little white lies, and competing desires threaten to pull them apart for good, Libby and Drew must rediscover why they fell in love in the first place.

Zombie, Inc.

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WELCOME!

To Zombie, Inc.

The United Five State Republic’s leading manufacturer of zombie defense systems! In business since 2027, Zombie, Inc. puts YOU first.

YOUR safety is our MAIN GOAL!

Our many home defense options – from Ze Fence® to Ze Popper® to Ze Shed® – fit every need and every budget. Use Scan Code “TELL ME MORE!” for your FREE, in-home*, no obligation consultation!

*Schedule your appointment with the confidence that you will NEVER HAVE TO LEAVE YOUR HOME! It isn’t safe out there and we know it better than most! Our sales staff is FULLY TRAINED to handle any and all adversarial encounters with the living and the undead.

__________

Twenty five years after the deadly plague, the United Five State Republic’s most successful company, Zombie, Inc., is in trouble. Will a simple case of dwindling supply and lessening demand be the end of them or will Zombie, Inc. find a way, however unpalatable, to survive?

Forsaken – A Novel of Art, Evil, and Insanity

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“Finally! A True Horror Novel!”

YOU’RE LIVING THE DREAM…A beautiful house, a loving wife.  Two kids, a dog, and a professorship teaching art restoration at the local university.  Your name is Dan Rineheart.  You’ve got it all.…BUT ALL DREAMS MUST END.

On the cusp of autumn a mysterious painting arrives.  No name.  No date.  No signature or frame.  Only a note that reads: Here in art, denial.  It’s a disturbing work of grotesque perfection; two children with cruel eyes, a window onto an endless field, and a dying tree on top of a hill.  A work of art… that changes with each viewing.

SO BEGINS THE NIGHTMARE…

…Where wretched children crawl from a canvas prison to stalk the quiet halls of this happy home.

…Where painted clocks tick-tock away in the dark hours before dawn, and a missing dog whimpers from between the walls.

…Where all answers lead to a dark artist and an impossible creation, a cursed canvas with a twisted past…

…AND A HORROR THAT WILL DEVOUR ALL.

Curl up, if you dare, with a dark novel readers are calling: “Beautifully written” — “A Must Read!” — “Stunning” — “The Scariest book EVER!”

FORSAKEN is an intelligent blend of ghost story, suburban supernatural thriller, haunted house, and mystery.  Perfectly written for fans of early Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Peter Straub, it’s a terrifying tale of secrets and lies, of nightmares made flesh; where the scariest stories are the ones that coldly whisper into your ear until madness and death are a welcome gift.

Lock your door.

Turn on the lights.

Do NOT read FORSAKEN late at night

 

Rapture Ready: Dancing with Darwin

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Claire is certain of redemption, sure of her place in the world and confident she will marry the man she loves, until the world goes mad and tries to take her with it.

Rapture Ready is the first story to be released of a series of many parts, collectively known as Dancing with Darwin. It is one of the shortest in the Dancing with Darwin series at 6,500 words.

The Dancing with Darwin stories can be read in any order.

Axeman’s Jazz (Skip Langdon Mystery Series #2)

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The second book in the Skip Langdon mystery series by Edgar Award-winning author Julie Smith.

“Gritty, witty, and mesmerizing! Langdon is a splendid female heroine … The Axeman’s Jazz is a mesmerizing story.” –People Magazine

“With an acute ear for New Orleans speech and a sharp eye for the city’s social stratification, Smith keeps the reader’s heart palpitating to the end of this mystery of unusual depth.” -Publishers Weekly

What’s the perfect killing field for a murderer?

A place where he (or maybe she) can learn your secrets from your own mouth and then make friends over coffee. A supposedly “safe” place where anonymity is the norm. The horror who calls himself The Axeman has figured it out and claimed his territory–he’s cherry-picking his victims in the 12-Step programs of New Orleans.

And he’s had the gall to name himself after a historical serial killer. He just needs to go down, and fast, because this is New Aw’lins, dawlin’–half the town is either alcoholic or co-dependent!

Who better to take him out than tall, funny, social-misfit Skip Langdon, now a homicide detective on the Axeman team, a gig that takes her into the 12-Step groups to meet the suspects (giving author Smith a chance for gentle satire). As Skip threads her fascinated way from one self-help group to another, she finds she has more in common with the twelve-steppers than just the murder—her mother, for one thing, whom she encounters at Overeaters Anonymous! And she knows what they do not: that among their anonymous numbers is a murderous, and dangerously attractive psychopath.

“Julie Smith not only firmly establishes her claim to the New Orleans crime scene, but she explores an intriguing new franchise for the serial killer.” –Sue Grafton

“The Axeman’s Jazz is the kind of book that leaves you torn between running out and devouring all the other mysteries in the series, or spacing them out as periodic special treats.” -BookLoons Review

“Marvelous!” –Chicago Tribune

If you like Laura Lippman, Sue Grafton, Linda Barnes, Nevada Barr, and Marcia Muller, Julie Smith’s your new best friend.

Cupid’s Arrow

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Bound by the celibacy rules of his faith, Michael, a Roman Catholic priest, is torn between the vows he has made to God and his deep love for Jess. This moving tale illustrates the battles that both Michael and Jess fight with their consciences, and the extreme lengths that they will go to avoid the temptations put in front of them.

The reader is drawn into the poignancy of the whole situation, and will long for a happy conclusion to their plight.