Brett Battles's Blog, page 2

COUNTY LINE

Have you read anything by BIll Cameron? If not, you should. Because if you like crime fiction, Bill Cameron is, in my opinion, one of the best in the genre. LOST DOG, CHASING SMOKE, DAY ONE, and his latest release COUNTY LINE. There are no cardboard characters here. Only a great story that will keeping you engaged through the end. COUNTY LINE is an example of a talented writer at the top of his game, and I couldn't recommend it more.

Bill has also just released a collection of 3 short stories called PUPPY LOVE, about the "dark side of young love." The collection is available as an ebook for only .99. Find the Kindle version here, and the Nook version here.

You can learn more about BIll's work at his website by clicking here.

THE WALK by Lee Goldberg

The Walk by Lee Goldberg

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Read Lee Goldberg's THE WALK in just a couple sittings. It's a riveting look into the aftermath of disaster, in this case when The Big One finally hits L.A. We see the tragedy through the eyes of a man whose only goal has become getting home to his wife twenty plus miles away. Did I say riveting? Well, I meant it. A GREAT read. Highly recommended.



View all my reviews

Free Book Offer EXTENDED!

I'm extending my free book offer through midnight Pacific Time on June 30th! Here are the details:
To celebrate the beginning of summer for anyone who buys an ebook copy of LITTLE GIRL GONE (click here for kindle, or here for nook) between now and the deadline mentioned above, I'll send you a free digital copy of SICK, HERE COMES MR. TROUBLE or my three short stories! Just need to email me copy of the receipt and which story you'd like and I'll send it back. (email info click here).

Please help me spread the word!

Buy LITTLE GIRL GONE this weekend, get 2nd book free!

To celebrate the beginning of summer for anyone who buys an ebook copy of LITTLE GIRL GONE (click here for kindle, or here for nook) between now and midnight Pacific Time tomorrow (Sunday, June 26th), I'll send them a free digital copy of SICK, HERE COMES MR. TROUBLE or my three short stories! Just need to email me copy of the receipt and which story you'd like and I'll send it back. (email info click here).

Please help me spread the word!

Coming in July: BECOMING QUINN

Every identity starts somewhere.

New Quinn Short Story OFF THE CLOCK

I just released a new Quinn short that you can now pick up for .99. The story takes place a couple years before the events in THE CLEANER.

A warning:
Don't mess with Quinn's friends.
If you do, he'll find out.
And when he finds out, he'll find you.
No matter who you are.
No matter where you go.

Because even when Quinn's off the clock there's work to be done.

OFF THE CLOCK is a seven thousand word short story that readers with good memories might realize it's been mentioned, though not in detail, previously.

Here's a few links for those who'd like to pick up a copy:

Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/3bcnk6r
Nook: http://tinyurl.com/3n8s4bp
Smashwords.com: http://tinyurl.com/43sgpj7

Hope you enjoy it!

Print Versions of LITTLE GIRL GONE and HERE COMES MR. TROUBLE

LITTLE GIRL GONE and HERE COMES MR. TROUBLE aren't just ebooks anymore! Trade paperback versions of each are now available!

Order LITTLE GIRL GONE here.

Order HERE COMES MR. TROUBLE here.

Trade paperback version of SICK coming very soon.

HERE COMES MR. TROUBLE

I'm so happy to announce that the first book in my new series for younger readers (middle school/young YA) is now available as an ebook, and will be available as a trade paperback in a few weeks.

Here's a bit about HERE COMES MR. TROUBLE:

ARE YOU LOSING THINGS?
ARE PEOPLE YOU KNOW ACTING STRANGE?
IS SOMEONE CLOSE TO YOU MISSING???
DO YOU FEEL LIKE THINGS ARE BEYOND YOUR CONTROL?
ARE YOU IN…TROUBLE?
When Eric Morrison sees the advertisement, he doesn't know which is more surprising—the ad's sudden appearance or the fact that his answer to every question is YES!
Not only can't he find things, but the bullies at school are suddenly picking on him for no reason, and, worse yet, his mother has disappeared but he seems to be the only one who's noticed. Even his best friend Maggie thinks he's only run into a little bad luck.
But if Eric thinks his life is upside down now, it's nothing compared to what's about to happen when Mr. Trouble and the Trouble family arrive to assist him in solving his problems.
One thing's for sure—Eric will never see the world in the same way again.

It's a wild ride of an adventure, that fun and exciting at the same time! A 14 year old reader says, "It's the kind of book that makes you stay up until 2:00 AM reading because you just can't stop."
I know I'm biased, but I think it's the kind of book which both adults and kids can enjoy.

Find HERE COMES MR. TROUBLE in the Amazon Kindle Store here.
Find HERE COMES MR. TROUBLE in the Barnes & Noble Nook Store here.

A TEASE FROM MY NEW BOOK

SICK is now out in ebook form and available in the Kindle Store, on NookBooks, and several other formats. Also available at the Amazon UK Kindle Store, and the Amazon Germany Kindle Store.

Interested in getting a taste? Here's part of the first chapter:

A cry woke him from his sleep.

A young cry.

A girl's cry.

Daniel Ash pushed himself up on his elbow. "Josie?"

It was more a question for himself than anything. His daughter's room was down the hall, making it hard for her to hear his sleep filled voice in the best of circumstances. And if she was crying, not a chance.

He glanced at the other side of the bed, thinking his wife might already be up checking on their daughter. But Ellen was still asleep, her back to him. He'd all but forgotten about the headache she'd had, and the two sleeping pills she'd taken before turning in. Chances were, she wouldn't even open her eyes until after the kids left for school.

Ash rubbed a hand across his face, then slipped out of bed.

The old hardwood floor was cool on his feet, but not unbearable. He grabbed his t-shirt off the chair in the corner, and pulled it on as he walked into the hallway.

A cry again. Definitely coming from his daughter's room.

"Josie, it's okay. I'm coming." This time he raised his voice so he was sure she would hear him.

As he passed his son's room, he pulled the door closed so Brandon wouldn't wake, too.

Josie's room was at the other end of the hall, closest to the living room. She was the oldest, so she got to pick which room she wanted when they'd moved in. It wasn't any bigger than her brother's, but Ash knew she liked the fact that she was as far away from mom and dad as possible. Made her feel independent.

Her door was covered with pictures of boy bands and cartoons—she was in that transitional stage between kid and teenager that was both cute and annoying. As he pushed the door open, he expected to find her sitting on her bed, upset about some nightmare she'd had. It wouldn't have been the first time.

"Josie, what's—"

His words caught in his mouth.

She wasn't lying in the bed. She was on the floor, the bedspread hanging down just enough to touch her back. Ash rushed over thinking that she'd fallen and hurt herself. But the moment his hand touched her he knew he was wrong.

She was so hot. Burning up.

He had no idea a person could get that hot.

The most scared he'd ever been before had been when he'd taken Brandon to a boat show in Texas, and the boy had wandered off. It took Ash less than a minute to find him again, but he thought nothing would ever top the panic and fear he'd felt then.

Seeing his daughter like that, feeling her skin burning, he realized he'd been wrong.

He scooped Josie off the floor, and ran into the hallway.

"Ellen!" he yelled. "Ellen, I need you!"

He knew his voice was probably going to wake Brandon, but, at this point, he didn't care. Josie was sick. Very sick. He needed Ellen to call an ambulance while he tried to bring their daughter's temperature down.

"Ellen!" he yelled again as he ducked into the bathroom.

Using an elbow he flipped on the light, then laid Josie in the tub. He wasted several seconds searching for the rubber plug, then jammed it into the drain, and turned on the water, full cold. To help speed up the process, he pulled the shower knob, and aimed the showerhead so that it would stream down on her, and cool her faster.

Where the hell was Ellen?

He put the back of his palm on Josie's forehead. She was still on fire.

"Ellen!"

He was torn. He wanted to stay with Josie, but the pills Ellen had taken must have really knocked her out, so that meant it was up to him to get help.

"Hang on, baby," he said. "I'll be right back."

He raced into the hall and back to the master bedroom. The nearest phone was on Ellen's nightstand, next to their bed.

"Ellen. Wake up."

He shook her once, then picked up the phone, and dialed 911. As he waited for it to ring, he glanced back at the bed.

Ellen hadn't moved.

"911. What is your emergency?" a female voice said.

He reached down, and rolled Ellen onto her back, thinking that might jar her awake. But her eyes were already open, staring blankly at nothing.

He flipped on the light. The skin around her mouth and her eyes was turning black, and there were dark, drying streaks running across her face from her eye sockets where blood had flowed.

"911. What is your emergency?"

"Oh, God. Help," he managed to say.

"Are you hurt, sir?"

He touched Ellen's face. It was as cold as Josie's had been hot.

"Send help! Send help, please!"



And that is just the start. If you'd like to read more, you'll be able to download a longer sample at the sites I mentioned above, where you can also purchase SICK for $2.99.

Where to Buy SICK

Purchase SICK for only $2.99 (£2.10 in the UK) at any of the following links:

Amazon.com

Barnesandnoble.com

Smashwords.com (various formats)

Amazon.co.uk (United Kingdom)