Lynn Hallbrooks's Blog, page 13

#BookReview of Damaged Souls by Jack Everett & David Coles

Damaged Souls by Jack Everett and David Coles As many of you may have noticed, I love Mystery/Thriller books. I also love helping authors whenever I can. In a way, that's how I came to know Jack Everett and his friend/writing partner, David Coles. Through them, I have read the previous two books in the Detective Inspector White series. They have been kind enough to once again honor me with an Advanced Readers Copy of their latest book, Damaged Souls.

The series genre is Police Procedural. Stewart White became a Detective Inspector (DI) in the book, Damaged Goods. One of his first cases was that of Robert Cleghorn, a man who suffered a traumatic brain injury. In an unfortunate series of events, Mr. Cleghorn’s injuries cause him to turn against family, friends, and anyone who crossed his path. Especially if that person prevented him from doing what he felt he must. DI White thought he had vanquished this man but Fate had other ideas. I highly recommend reading all three books in order to get a fuller idea of what these two men have been through and why it took a series to tell their stories.

Damaged Souls incorporates the history of another man who suffered traumatic injuries that changed his life in many ways, not all of them good. The book commences with a series of events surrounding the Bosnian Conflict, where the man was a soldier. The reader discovers the relevance of this as the story progresses into present day.

I love how the authors alternate the time lines until they merge into one. Yet, while the reader is privy to the missing pieces before the police, I was still not certain if I got the puzzle figured out correctly until the end.

Jack Everett and David Coles have written several books together. Why not check them out and maybe even follow them through their Amazon Authors' Pages:

Jack Everett

David Coles

#Authors #Grammar & MS Word

Commonly Confused words affect effect I have noticed while using Microsoft Word,  that sometimes the grammar checker is not accurate. If you are self-publishing and do your own round of edits then I have a couple thoughts for you. First, I recommend that if you have a question about a word or phrase that MS Word is 'highlighting', you should research further. I generally start with the dictionary dot com_ search bar.  Of course, Google search is great for looking up grammar issues like those in Word Help alerts (negation use is one I have run into).  Like everything else in the world of writing, not all sources agree. In those cases, I suggest you use your best judgement. 

If The Chicago Manual of Style Online comes up during your research, go ahead and look. It is great for searching out those pesky grammar issues.  You may find some answers to questions you did not realize you had. However, be aware that if you wish to see exactly what the manual says, you need to be a paid member. While $35, as an individual, may not be that much to some, it is a lot of money to others.  Also, do not fall for the free PDF versions you may find on other websites, that is another way for your email to get lots and lots of visits.

I am not saying ignore the Microsoft Word proofreader, but if there is a difference of opinion and you are not positive of the answer, do your due diligence. If you discover you knew what you were doing all along, have fun hitting the ignore button. 

Have a great one!
Lynn Hallbrooks
http://cswcllc.weebly.com/blog

#BookReviews of The Brandt Series by @Roger_Weston

As I mentioned recently, a little over five years ago, our first published work went online via Amazon. A short time after that, I became involved on Amazon’s Customer Discussions - Meet Our Authors forum where I created a section entitled: Action/Adventure/Political Intrigue for Readers and Authors/Readers to help spread the word about books of those genres such as ours. This is where I met Roger Weston when he shared about his book series.

Later on, I downloaded The Recruiter, which is the first in The Brandt Series. In this book, the reader is introduced to Chuck Brandt. He is a very complicated man filled with secrets. When one of them is discovered his life and those of his friends are endangered. He treks through America in order to make things right. He soon realizes that trust is not always forever especially when you work for government agencies.

In The Handler, Chuck Brandt faces different dangers in Spain where what was supposed to be simple intelligence gathering on would-be terrorists turns into murder. While pursuing answers, Chuck winds up rescuing a damsel-in-distress. Unknown to him, she has keys to answers he is seeking but her willfulness puts them at odds. By the time he discovers the link, it is too late. Danger found them with a vengeance.

Rogue Op begins with Chuck Brandt learning about inner peace, which is short-lived when his past comes back to haunt him. Chuck is sought out and provided information on his recent nemesis then provided expenses for his mission to the Amazon River region. Once there, he discovers that there are just as many unseen hazards as seen. When the villain’s true intentions are revealed, Chuck utilizes all his skills to stop the wheels of injustice.

Even though some of the conflicts have been won, the overall battle is just heating up. Who will be the victor – the evil want-to-be emperor – or the downtrodden Americans?

I have enjoyed every one of these stories. Mr. Weston makes Chuck Brandt more than a character. He is a man who has been beaten by life yet continues to get back up and fight. He has a patriotic nature that keeps him going. He continually fights for what he knows is right.

There is one quote in Rogue Op that I think speaks volumes:
                           “It was better to live one day with faith and freedom than a lifetime of fear and tyranny.”

On a separate note, if you read each book, you will understand the meaning behind each ship on the cover art.

I hope each of you will take a moment to join me in following Roger Weston and learn more about his past, present, and future books.

Amazon Author page
Author Blog site
Twitter

Have a great one!

Lynn Hallbrooks

Sale is Over and it is Time for Taxes

I just wanted to let everyone know that I took all three books off of sale. I have raised the price on each book by a penny from what they were before the sale. Of course it will take time for it to go through to all the locations. If you are a gambling person then you can see if you can get a book still on sale before the price goes back up. 

Now it is time for me to gather up all the year-end data and crunch the numbers. Once I get that, all the proper forms, and fill out the 'paperwork', I will send it in to the IRS. My New Year Resolution is to have the tax stuff turned in by mid February and not wait until the last minute. 

Once that worry is over, then I think that will free up my creative juices and I can get back to finishing the books I have been working on.

Have a great one!

Lynn Hallbrooks

Anniversary Sale Weekend

In honor of our fifth year of being published on Amazon, I have lowered the price on the whole series to One US Dollar each. It could take up to twelve hours or more in some locations for this to go through, so if it hasn't changed for you then please check back often. 

This means that you will be able to get 3 books for $3 plus applicable tax. I will take it back off of sale at some point on Tuesday 12 January 2016.  So no one will know how long they have to capture this once in a hemi-decade deal.

You can visit our home page or if you live outside the U.S. you may want to go to our global link pages for CSWCSW, CSWCWOE, and/or Genesis. If you have access to Amazon.com you can link up with us on our author pages:

David McKoy
Lynn Hallbrooks

Thanks for visiting and have a great one!

Lynn Hallbrooks

The Demise of a Website

As of right now, the website domain once known as callsignwreckingcrew.com no longer exists. It was our first website. It served us well but in our ever changing society sometimes we have to say good-bye to what no longer serves the need of the reader. 

​Many thanks to all who have visited our new site here on Weebly . I hope many more make the journey to see what is happening on here. 

​If I figure out how to add a newsletter, would anyone join?

Have a great one!

Lynn

Crossover - #BookReview of #HistoricalFiction Novel by David Coles & Jack Everett

The Last Free Men...I didn't want anyone to miss this book review that I posted on the new site.

Hope you will take a moment to visit and read about this great Historical Fiction Novel that is set in 2 Century AD when the Romans military were conquering the known world. 

Have a great one!

Lynn Hallbrooks

#BookReview of The Last Free Men 'an eagle fallen' by David Coles & Jack Everett

The Last Free Men... The past few years I have been blessed to be able to read and learn from my fellow authors. One such blessing was getting to know Jack Everett through Goodreads. I have read several of his co-authored books, beginning with The Diamond Seekers. Next was the DI White series. During our exchange of thoughts and ideas, Jack Everett let me know that one of his first books was about to be re-done by another publisher. He was kind enough to share an advanced copy of the revised book, The Last Free Men  'an eagle fallen'. I was honored to read it.

​This is an historical fiction novel set in second century AD. It also has elements of romance and religion. The book may even be considered Young Adult in some circles.

Marcus Uffin Gellorix is a young man of mixed heritage who was useful to the Romans as a Scout. His cover story for his travels among the natives was that he was a trader. However, unbeknownst to most, he was also trained as a Roman Soldier. One day his actions during a major battle were misconstrued and he was sent to a mining camp as a slave. During his time there he discovered that a daughter of one of the men he traded with regularly was also sentenced to servitude. Marcus had been known to her and the fellow slaves as Uffin. He concocted an escape plan and rescued the young maiden from the clutches of the lecherous overseer. On the way to return her to safety, they encountered a Druid who told young Uffin that he was destined to be a great leader of a rebellion against Rome. Will Marcus Uffin Gellorix and his followers win against the mighty Roman Army? Is it a battle of the Druid gods versus the Roman gods? These are questions best answered by reading the whole book.

​I really enjoyed the story. To me it had the feel of being back in that day and time. The reader realizes the harsh conditions that people lived in. You also see the differences in the cultures, how they lived, dressed, and survived. There is also more than one story going on. The authors do a great job of showing the different viewpoints without slowing down the overall pace of the book. I definitely give it 5 stars.

One thing that kept coming to my mind was the similarities between events of the second century and those of current day. Have we as humans learned anything from our history? I think not.

Misters Everett and Coles pose some really good questions at the end of the book designed for those who love to discuss books with friends and fellow readers. There is also a glossary that encompasses Roman names as well as military terminology. So don’t stop when you get to the end of the story.

Warning: I highly recommend the book be read by Mature Audience due to Violence, Sexual Situations, and some Adult Language.

To see what other books this writing duo has produced then you can visit their Amazon Author Pages (see below). Here’s a hint, if you follow them, you’ll be alerted when another book becomes available.
 
David Coles:
http://www.amazon.com/David-Coles/e/B003XVOESC/
 
Jack Everett:
http://www.amazon.com/Jack-Everett/e/B0036ZNH10/

Who knows if you are quick enough, you'll be alerted to the Kindle version of this great book.

Have a great one!

Lynn Hallbrooks

Season for Change

It seems with the new year comes new changes. The same can be said on my side of the screen. After much thought, I have created a new website which I hope you will visit: http://cswcllc.weebly.com/ I also hope while you are their you can check out the new blog site where I hope to continue this journey. 

When you visit our new place, you will see that I have a separate page for each book where you can click on a global location. I had planned on using the Tagul animation I had done before but that didn't work out so well. Below are the images that I can share here. 


CSWC Storm Warning

CSWC Wings of Eagles Genesis CSWCSOL











Instead of the animated version, I went old school. When we get new books I will add new pages. As I learn new tricks, I will update the website. After you visit our new place, if you have any constructive ideas for me, then maybe you will leave me a note below. 

Here's hoping that you and yours are having a Happy New Year.

Lynn Hallbrooks
http://cswcllc.weebly.com

New Year New Website

After doing some hard thinking, I have decided to take down our previous websites and go with one that will allow a place where we can combine everything. While I am not able to do all the things I wanted with Weebly, I am at least getting more than I had before. 

I have also placed all the books in the Call Sign: Wrecking Crew series, which I have written along with David McKoy, as exclusive to Amazon. In honor of our fifth year published with them, I may even reduce the price on one or all of the series.  So stay tuned to see what this crazy lady has up her sleeve.

I have planned to do another ARC review but am awaiting the final go ahead from the author duo. I hope you will check back later for that. 

If you you are new to me or my blogging then please visit Call Sign Wrecking Crew on the Run:  http://callsignwreckingcrew.blogspot.com

I hope to some day figure out how to link it to here. Meanwhile, I hope everyone is having a Happy New Year.

​Lynn Hallbrooks