Sean T. Poindexter's Blog, page 4
December 17, 2012
December 7, 2012
Screw the Desert
You heard me. Screw it.
I'm going home.
Missouri, in four days I will be inside you. FOR GOOD. You've got that long to vacuum up the place and wash the stench of Todd Akin off your back.
Buy my book (The Shadow of Tiamat).
And this one. (The Will of the Darkest One)
Some music.
Praise Tiamat,
StP
I'm going home.
Missouri, in four days I will be inside you. FOR GOOD. You've got that long to vacuum up the place and wash the stench of Todd Akin off your back.
Buy my book (The Shadow of Tiamat).
And this one. (The Will of the Darkest One)
Some music.
Praise Tiamat,
StP
November 23, 2012
Pre-Order on Book 2 Back In Stock on Amazon
Pre-orders for The Will of the Darkest One (The Dragon's Blood Chronicles Book 2) are now back in stock on Amazon!
Also, if you're on Facebook, show your support by joining the event for the release. This isn't a real event so you're not actually going anywhere or showing up for anything. You're just saying, "Hey, I know how to use Facebook and click on links to show my support for stuff. I'm awesome."
So if you're awesome and you know it, click this link.
And now, some music...
Praise Tiamat,
StP
Also, if you're on Facebook, show your support by joining the event for the release. This isn't a real event so you're not actually going anywhere or showing up for anything. You're just saying, "Hey, I know how to use Facebook and click on links to show my support for stuff. I'm awesome."
So if you're awesome and you know it, click this link.
And now, some music...
Praise Tiamat,
StP
November 19, 2012
New Tiamat Album: The Scarred People
I guess it's appropriate that the author of the The Shadow of Tiamat likes a band called Tiamat. As you might be wondering, the only connection between the band and my book is that they both draw their names from the same ancient mythology. The band is not mentioned in my book, though since the world of my books is a parallel to our, it stands to reason that the band exists there as well. I'm sure the dragons are terribly pleased with having a rock band named after the mother of their race, but of course they won't do anything about it because they don't wish to expose themselves.
In fact, calling myself a fan is an understatement. Tiamat is without a doubt my favorite band ever. I've been listening to them ever since my younger brother first picked up a copy of their 1994 release Wildhoney . They were still in the transition from death metal on that album, though Johan had They started out as a death metal band but quickly evolved into something much deeper and more refined. Their 1996 release A Deeper Kind of Slumber was far more sedate and downkey, with the metal elements barely recognizable. Skeleton Skeletron (1999) showed the band catching it's sound by the horns, mixing dark gothic and atmospheric metal into an unholy alchemy of gloom and speed. Subsequent albums have continued this trend, with Prey (2000), Judas Christ (2003), and Amanethes (2008). This video is from the 1999 release Skeleton Skeletron and, in my opinion, is the most indicative of the groups sound and style.
Tiamat is the creative product of Swedish musician Johan Edlund--the skinny bald guy in the video. I've talked to Johan a couple of times and he's a pretty decent guy. In addition to music, he's a talented artist. One of his paintings is used as the cover for the Tiamat compilation/best of album Commandments
. Johan also has a side band, Lucyfire, but they've only released one album. It would be nice if they released more, as I really enjoyed The Dollar Saved My Life at Whitehorse. So, Johan, if you're reading this...nudge. I'll even fly to Greece and record it with you, if I can drag myself away from ALL THESE BOOK SIGNINGS...*sighs*
After a four-year wait, Tiamat released The Scarred People , a fantastic album that I've been listening to non-stop. It is dangerously close to edging out Skeleton Skeletron as my favorite Tiamat album of all time. Johan's voice is mesmerizing and dark, the production is downright mystical. Everything mixes together brilliantly. If pressed to pick favorite tracks, I'd say it's a toss up between 384 and Born to Die, the latter of which is for some reason labeled a bonus track on the album. Also included as a bonus are live versions of Cain and Divided from Prey. The songs a connectable to one another, but stand out well enough that you can mix them in with other songs in a music library shuffle. Johan actually sings on this one, like he has ever since Wildhoney. The growls are completely gone, having only popped up occasionally on a couple of tracks between Skeleton Skeletron and Amanethes...though they did make a notable comeback on some of the older tracks on Commandments and in the re-releases of Tiamat's older albums. I'm not exactly opposed to growling vocals, a lot of bands I like use them, but I prefer Tiamat without them. Johan's voice is anguished and deep, almost liquid. This is probably some of his finest vocal work yet.
You can order or download a copy of The Scarred People
from Amazon, or get some neat collectors sets directly from the label.
This video is from the title track of Tiamat's newest album. It does a good job capturing the low, grumbling darkness of the album.
Praise Tiamat,
StP
In fact, calling myself a fan is an understatement. Tiamat is without a doubt my favorite band ever. I've been listening to them ever since my younger brother first picked up a copy of their 1994 release Wildhoney . They were still in the transition from death metal on that album, though Johan had They started out as a death metal band but quickly evolved into something much deeper and more refined. Their 1996 release A Deeper Kind of Slumber was far more sedate and downkey, with the metal elements barely recognizable. Skeleton Skeletron (1999) showed the band catching it's sound by the horns, mixing dark gothic and atmospheric metal into an unholy alchemy of gloom and speed. Subsequent albums have continued this trend, with Prey (2000), Judas Christ (2003), and Amanethes (2008). This video is from the 1999 release Skeleton Skeletron and, in my opinion, is the most indicative of the groups sound and style.
Tiamat is the creative product of Swedish musician Johan Edlund--the skinny bald guy in the video. I've talked to Johan a couple of times and he's a pretty decent guy. In addition to music, he's a talented artist. One of his paintings is used as the cover for the Tiamat compilation/best of album Commandments
. Johan also has a side band, Lucyfire, but they've only released one album. It would be nice if they released more, as I really enjoyed The Dollar Saved My Life at Whitehorse. So, Johan, if you're reading this...nudge. I'll even fly to Greece and record it with you, if I can drag myself away from ALL THESE BOOK SIGNINGS...*sighs*After a four-year wait, Tiamat released The Scarred People , a fantastic album that I've been listening to non-stop. It is dangerously close to edging out Skeleton Skeletron as my favorite Tiamat album of all time. Johan's voice is mesmerizing and dark, the production is downright mystical. Everything mixes together brilliantly. If pressed to pick favorite tracks, I'd say it's a toss up between 384 and Born to Die, the latter of which is for some reason labeled a bonus track on the album. Also included as a bonus are live versions of Cain and Divided from Prey. The songs a connectable to one another, but stand out well enough that you can mix them in with other songs in a music library shuffle. Johan actually sings on this one, like he has ever since Wildhoney. The growls are completely gone, having only popped up occasionally on a couple of tracks between Skeleton Skeletron and Amanethes...though they did make a notable comeback on some of the older tracks on Commandments and in the re-releases of Tiamat's older albums. I'm not exactly opposed to growling vocals, a lot of bands I like use them, but I prefer Tiamat without them. Johan's voice is anguished and deep, almost liquid. This is probably some of his finest vocal work yet.
You can order or download a copy of The Scarred People
from Amazon, or get some neat collectors sets directly from the label.This video is from the title track of Tiamat's newest album. It does a good job capturing the low, grumbling darkness of the album.
Praise Tiamat,
StP
November 15, 2012
The Will of the Darkest One: Cover Reveal and Release Date
The official release date for The Will of the Darkest One: The Dragon's Blood Chronicles Book II has been announced as December 3rd, 2012.
I know, seems a long ways off right?
Also here is the cover. It's kinda MORE AWESOME THAN ANYTHING EVER!
I KNOW, RIGHT?
So get ready to have your brain filled with more dragons, vampires, demons, and dragons killing all of the above. Also, Max shoots someone in the face. YOU HAVE TO HAVE THIS BOOK.
If you haven't read the first one yet...well, I understand. Life is crazy and you've got other things to do, like a job and raising kids that won't grow up to be (or kill) hookers. I admire that, I really do.
BUT...you kinda need to read the first one before you can read this one.
GOOD NEWS!!!
There IS still time...
Here is where you can buy it...
Paperback from Amazon: http://amzn.to/tiamat-ppb
Paperback from B&N: http://bit.ly/voMy5Z
Kindle from Amazon: http://amzn.to/tiamat-kindle
Nook from B&N: http://bit.ly/tiamat-nook
Other ebook formats: http://bit.ly/utxfuB
Paperback from Books-A-Million: http://bit.ly/rMQ7fi
Paperback from Powell's Books : http://bit.ly/uRJbpK
Paperback/ebook from Indiebound: http://bit.ly/vwKpcP
Praise Tiamat,
StP
I know, seems a long ways off right?
Also here is the cover. It's kinda MORE AWESOME THAN ANYTHING EVER!
I KNOW, RIGHT?
So get ready to have your brain filled with more dragons, vampires, demons, and dragons killing all of the above. Also, Max shoots someone in the face. YOU HAVE TO HAVE THIS BOOK.
If you haven't read the first one yet...well, I understand. Life is crazy and you've got other things to do, like a job and raising kids that won't grow up to be (or kill) hookers. I admire that, I really do.
BUT...you kinda need to read the first one before you can read this one.
GOOD NEWS!!!
There IS still time...
Here is where you can buy it...
Paperback from Amazon: http://amzn.to/tiamat-ppb
Paperback from B&N: http://bit.ly/voMy5Z
Kindle from Amazon: http://amzn.to/tiamat-kindle
Nook from B&N: http://bit.ly/tiamat-nook
Other ebook formats: http://bit.ly/utxfuB
Paperback from Books-A-Million: http://bit.ly/rMQ7fi
Paperback from Powell's Books : http://bit.ly/uRJbpK
Paperback/ebook from Indiebound: http://bit.ly/vwKpcP
Praise Tiamat,
StP
November 3, 2012
My Birthday in November 11th
I don't normally do this, but I've been told I'm notoriously difficult to buy gifts for because it's so hard to predict what I like. So, I've made a birthday/Christmas wish list on Amazon. Anyone motivated to buy me a gift can do so and anything on this list will make me more than happy. But you're not obligated to get me anything. This is just in case you feel like you want to.
Anyway, here is the list - Sean's Birthday/Christmas Wish List
Praise Tiamat,
StP
October 2, 2012
Excerpt from The Will of the Darkest One
Here is a little taste of the action from the second book in The Dragon's Blood Chronicles:
The Will of the Darkest One -
Vampires weren't any smarter than humans, by nature. They lived longer, and in that time they gained experience on a level that a human never could; but they still had a human brain. The demonic infection didn't increase the capacity to reason or understand. In some ways, it lowered it.
So, their plan to kill a dragon was only virtually flawless. They found Benjamin Ardeth’s African mountain sanctuary, hidden where no human could reach without the aid of a helicopter. It was too exhausting and difficult to reach on foot, except that vampires could hike for days without resting.
Dragons had heightened senses, especially smell. Vampires didn’t smell like humans; they smelled like vampires. A dragon would most certainly smell five vampires hiding in the rocks around his lair, unless they used sorcery to mask their scent. A human probably wouldn’t have thought of that, likely wouldn’t have even know that option existed. Even if they did, where would they find a wizard to cast the spell? They even placed the spells on their weapons, so the dragon wouldn’t smell the gun oil or explosive charges in the grenades.
So when the dragon soared over the mountains, changed in midair, and landed at the entrance to his home in human form, Gordon felt like he was going to pull this off. He was the vampire with the fifty-caliber, bolt-action rifle. He was a crack sniper, having served eight years in the United States Marine Corps.
When he was mortal, he was good; as a vampire, he was amazing. Gordon was stronger, able to absorb the recoil and hold the weapon steady from the beginning of the shot through its exit from the barrel. He could breathe slower and hold his breath longer: breathing was the greatest factor affecting a successful kill. He was more sensitive to the wind, capable of sensing its direction and adjusting his aim accordingly. And his eyes were so acute, he barely needed the scope.
When he had the dragon in his sights, he adjusted the dials of the scope with a level of precision that no human could have achieved. The human form of the dragon—a muscular black man with broad shoulders—almost filling the scope. Gordon took careful aim, unimpeded with a bipod since he was strong enough to hold up the entire rifle with his bare hands. Holding his breath, he focused on the mark, placing the cross hairs directly between the dragon’s human-looking shoulders.
As a trained sniper, Gordon followed proper procedure down to the last detail. This was ritual: snipers who didn’t obey the ritual died. It was military training and discipline, something few understood unless they followed it themselves.
The last step in the ritual, before placing his steady finger on the trigger, was turning off the safety. He did it with his thumb. The switch made a soft click.
Virtually flawless…
An absolutely flawless plan would have involved some manner of silence spell on the weapons. Of course, they hadn’t thought of that. Details. In fairness, there was no chance that the vampires—even the very old ones who had planned this assassination—could anticipate dragon acuity. A detail like the soft click of a rifle being taken out of safe mode probably wouldn’t have occurred to them even if they did know.
What should have been a lethal shot left the barrel in an explosion of gas and light. The heavy round zipped through the air as the crack echoed off the mountain walls. It would have been a perfect shot—the best in Gordon’s career—except that Ardeth dodged. The vampires knew how fast a dragon was, even in human form. That was why it was so important to stay hidden. They also knew they’d only get one chance at this, because if they failed to kill him right away…
The shot took him in the shoulder. It was a good hit: the round went straight through and pulled a stream of blood with it. Such an injury would have crippled or killed a human. A dragon in human form was merely angered.
He became a dragon. He was blue, like the deep ocean from the sky. A single crooked horn jutted from his massive head, like a stalagmite. The beast’s scales were like giant plates of painted metal, overlapping and intersecting over its sinuous body. Gordon assessed that the dragon was over ninety feet tall at the shoulders, with grand wings that could spread to twice that and short, trunk-like neck.
Ardeth’s giant eyes flared with energy, and sparks of electricity danced around his nostrils.
Gordon hoisted the rifle over his shoulder and leaped from his hole. The dragon found him right away. It brought a claw down on the very spot where he’d been hiding. Unable to find him by scent, Ardeth honed in on the sound until he saw the vampire. His claws struck the ground inches from Gordon, sparing him an instant death but knocking him off balance and causing him to tumble down the mountainside.
The dragon probably would have finished Gordon off if another vampire hadn’t started firing on him. It was a second shooter with another fifty-caliber rifle—a semi-automatic, not a bolt action like Gordon’s. Faster, but less accurate, making it a poorer choice for a sniper. He pelted Ardeth’s neck with shots; each one clanked against his thick scales and left little black marks. The tungsten-core, titanium-tipped rounds were working: they penetrated the dragon’s scales—albeit, not very deeply. They cost a fortune and had to be specially made, but if they slew a dragon they’d be worth every dime.
Several yards from the first vampire, another vampire shooter emerged from the brush and opened fire. He used the brush as cover. Though the dragon’s individual wounds weren’t severe, enough of them would slow the monster…maybe. That remained to be seen: this hadn’t been attempted before.
Gordon reached for his gun, but found that his arm was twisted by the fall. It was starting to heal, but he wouldn’t be able to use it again for a few seconds. As long as the two shooters kept the dragon occupied, he’d be able to aim at an eye and put one in its brain.
Ardeth widened his jaws and unleashed a torrent of lightning, a dozen bolts each the width of a tree streaked through the air with a thunderous crack. The strokes widened into a cone, saturating the ground around the shrubs with energy and light.
Gordon heard his comrades screaming over the electric thunder as they were reduced to ashes. He rolled behind a set of rocks, pulling the rifle with him. The dragon still couldn’t smell him, and Gordon hoped he’d been too busy blasting the other two vampires to see him slink off.
Explosions came next. That would be the third vampire, the one with the grenade launcher—a rotary style with six rounds—who’s waited inexplicably until then to join the fight. The dragon roared and turned. Gordon peered around the edge of the rock, still waiting for his arms to heal enough that he could fire his weapon. The grenade-launching vampire had blasted Ardeth twice in the back with white phosphorous, leaving black marks on his hide. The full extent of the injuries, Gordon couldn’t estimate. He’d never fought a dragon before. From the way the mighty blue dragon moved, it didn’t look like he’d been slowed down a bit.
The vampire with the grenade launcher was fast. She jumped on the creature’s tail and ran up his back, firing two more shots at the dragon’s face. Ardeth dodged the first one, twisting his neck so that his head was far to the right of the projectile. The second one hit him in the face, exploding against his snout. Ardeth roared, and the vampire laughed. Between his wings, she leveled the launcher for another shot at the creature’s face.
Ardeth was fast. He wrapped his claws around the female vampire, stifling her laugh and crushing her into pulp with a single squeeze. Her head fell to the ground and the rest of her body oozed between the dragon’s fingers like he was squeezing a piece of fruit.
Gordon had one last chance to accomplish his mission. He estimated that even a these rounds weren’t powerful enough to penetrate a dragon’s bones—especially not his skull. It would probably go through an eye though, where the dragon’s thick skull would become a liability: the round would enter his brain but wouldn’t exit, bouncing around like a pinball in a machine, ripping him apart inside.
Gordon’s arm healed while Ardeth took out the forth vampire. He’d chambered another round after taking the first shot, so the weapon was ready to fire. He didn’t even have to turn off the safety this time. The mission had cost three out of five of their lives, but he wouldn’t fail. The mission was all he had left. If he did this, he’d be a legend.
He brought the rifle over the rock, balanced it carefully, and drew the crosshairs on the dragon’s eye. It was going to work; he was going to succeed. He was going to complete the mission. All he had to do was pull the trigger…
He pulled the trigger. The gun exploded in his hand.
There was a lot of force behind that backfire, powerful enough to have killed a human. Gordon hadn’t been a human for years, so he didn’t quite die. But the exploding rifle did blow off his hands and throw him to the ground. He felt blood pouring from his face and pooling around his head. He reached up with the stumps of his arms and tried to inspect injury. Half his face was gone: the backfire had torn off his cheek and part of his jaw. The rest of it hung limply against his neck.
Adding insult to severe injury, he’d failed to kill the dragon. The bullet never even left the gun. In his haste, Gordon hadn’t thought to make sure the weapon hadn’t been damaged. Being a vampire had made him a better sniper, but it hadn’t made him a smarter one. Were his enemy anything but a dragon, he would probably have survived this with nothing more than a humiliation. The wounds would heal, though his hands were gone for good.
Ardeth stood above him, a tower of blue scales and fury. Drops of black dragon’s blood trickled down his neck and chest, dribbling onto Gordon’s crippled body. It burned like acid. The vampire would have screamed if his jaw still worked—or if he had a tongue. Instead, he made a pathetic wheezing sound.
The dragon’s laugh was a deep bellow, like thunder in a valley. Gordon probably would have thought this was funny too, if the situation were reversed. He knew that when the fifth vampire, the spotter, reported back to their masters they would realize the futility of trying to kill dragons this way. It was too late for the other ten teams like theirs, dispatched to take out dragons in other parts of the world. He imagined that they’d all meet with fates similar to the one that awaited him. But Gordon knew his death would limit further casualties. It was a soldier’s death. He accepted it.
The dragon brought his foot down on Gordon and crushed him into a bloody smear.
***
So, there is that. Hope it whets your appetite for what's to come. As you can see, Ardeth gets to kick a little ass. The vampires aren't too happy about Garrett killing two of them in the first book, so they come back for some revenge...and it doesn't really work out too well for them.
If you don't know what all this is about, you should check out the first book, The Shadow of Tiamat -
Paperback from Amazon: http://amzn.to/tiamat-ppb
Paperback from B&N: http://bit.ly/voMy5Z
Kindle from Amazon: http://amzn.to/tiamat-kindle
Nook from B&N: http://bit.ly/tiamat-nook
Other ebook formats: http://bit.ly/utxfuB
Paperback from Books-A-Million: http://bit.ly/rMQ7fi
Paperback from Powell's Books : http://bit.ly/uRJbpK
Paperback/ebook from Indiebound: http://bit.ly/vwKpcP
Praise Tiamat,
StP
The Will of the Darkest One -
Vampires weren't any smarter than humans, by nature. They lived longer, and in that time they gained experience on a level that a human never could; but they still had a human brain. The demonic infection didn't increase the capacity to reason or understand. In some ways, it lowered it.
So, their plan to kill a dragon was only virtually flawless. They found Benjamin Ardeth’s African mountain sanctuary, hidden where no human could reach without the aid of a helicopter. It was too exhausting and difficult to reach on foot, except that vampires could hike for days without resting.
Dragons had heightened senses, especially smell. Vampires didn’t smell like humans; they smelled like vampires. A dragon would most certainly smell five vampires hiding in the rocks around his lair, unless they used sorcery to mask their scent. A human probably wouldn’t have thought of that, likely wouldn’t have even know that option existed. Even if they did, where would they find a wizard to cast the spell? They even placed the spells on their weapons, so the dragon wouldn’t smell the gun oil or explosive charges in the grenades.
So when the dragon soared over the mountains, changed in midair, and landed at the entrance to his home in human form, Gordon felt like he was going to pull this off. He was the vampire with the fifty-caliber, bolt-action rifle. He was a crack sniper, having served eight years in the United States Marine Corps.
When he was mortal, he was good; as a vampire, he was amazing. Gordon was stronger, able to absorb the recoil and hold the weapon steady from the beginning of the shot through its exit from the barrel. He could breathe slower and hold his breath longer: breathing was the greatest factor affecting a successful kill. He was more sensitive to the wind, capable of sensing its direction and adjusting his aim accordingly. And his eyes were so acute, he barely needed the scope.
When he had the dragon in his sights, he adjusted the dials of the scope with a level of precision that no human could have achieved. The human form of the dragon—a muscular black man with broad shoulders—almost filling the scope. Gordon took careful aim, unimpeded with a bipod since he was strong enough to hold up the entire rifle with his bare hands. Holding his breath, he focused on the mark, placing the cross hairs directly between the dragon’s human-looking shoulders.
As a trained sniper, Gordon followed proper procedure down to the last detail. This was ritual: snipers who didn’t obey the ritual died. It was military training and discipline, something few understood unless they followed it themselves.
The last step in the ritual, before placing his steady finger on the trigger, was turning off the safety. He did it with his thumb. The switch made a soft click.
Virtually flawless…
An absolutely flawless plan would have involved some manner of silence spell on the weapons. Of course, they hadn’t thought of that. Details. In fairness, there was no chance that the vampires—even the very old ones who had planned this assassination—could anticipate dragon acuity. A detail like the soft click of a rifle being taken out of safe mode probably wouldn’t have occurred to them even if they did know.
What should have been a lethal shot left the barrel in an explosion of gas and light. The heavy round zipped through the air as the crack echoed off the mountain walls. It would have been a perfect shot—the best in Gordon’s career—except that Ardeth dodged. The vampires knew how fast a dragon was, even in human form. That was why it was so important to stay hidden. They also knew they’d only get one chance at this, because if they failed to kill him right away…
The shot took him in the shoulder. It was a good hit: the round went straight through and pulled a stream of blood with it. Such an injury would have crippled or killed a human. A dragon in human form was merely angered.
He became a dragon. He was blue, like the deep ocean from the sky. A single crooked horn jutted from his massive head, like a stalagmite. The beast’s scales were like giant plates of painted metal, overlapping and intersecting over its sinuous body. Gordon assessed that the dragon was over ninety feet tall at the shoulders, with grand wings that could spread to twice that and short, trunk-like neck.
Ardeth’s giant eyes flared with energy, and sparks of electricity danced around his nostrils.
Gordon hoisted the rifle over his shoulder and leaped from his hole. The dragon found him right away. It brought a claw down on the very spot where he’d been hiding. Unable to find him by scent, Ardeth honed in on the sound until he saw the vampire. His claws struck the ground inches from Gordon, sparing him an instant death but knocking him off balance and causing him to tumble down the mountainside.
The dragon probably would have finished Gordon off if another vampire hadn’t started firing on him. It was a second shooter with another fifty-caliber rifle—a semi-automatic, not a bolt action like Gordon’s. Faster, but less accurate, making it a poorer choice for a sniper. He pelted Ardeth’s neck with shots; each one clanked against his thick scales and left little black marks. The tungsten-core, titanium-tipped rounds were working: they penetrated the dragon’s scales—albeit, not very deeply. They cost a fortune and had to be specially made, but if they slew a dragon they’d be worth every dime.
Several yards from the first vampire, another vampire shooter emerged from the brush and opened fire. He used the brush as cover. Though the dragon’s individual wounds weren’t severe, enough of them would slow the monster…maybe. That remained to be seen: this hadn’t been attempted before.
Gordon reached for his gun, but found that his arm was twisted by the fall. It was starting to heal, but he wouldn’t be able to use it again for a few seconds. As long as the two shooters kept the dragon occupied, he’d be able to aim at an eye and put one in its brain.
Ardeth widened his jaws and unleashed a torrent of lightning, a dozen bolts each the width of a tree streaked through the air with a thunderous crack. The strokes widened into a cone, saturating the ground around the shrubs with energy and light.
Gordon heard his comrades screaming over the electric thunder as they were reduced to ashes. He rolled behind a set of rocks, pulling the rifle with him. The dragon still couldn’t smell him, and Gordon hoped he’d been too busy blasting the other two vampires to see him slink off.
Explosions came next. That would be the third vampire, the one with the grenade launcher—a rotary style with six rounds—who’s waited inexplicably until then to join the fight. The dragon roared and turned. Gordon peered around the edge of the rock, still waiting for his arms to heal enough that he could fire his weapon. The grenade-launching vampire had blasted Ardeth twice in the back with white phosphorous, leaving black marks on his hide. The full extent of the injuries, Gordon couldn’t estimate. He’d never fought a dragon before. From the way the mighty blue dragon moved, it didn’t look like he’d been slowed down a bit.
The vampire with the grenade launcher was fast. She jumped on the creature’s tail and ran up his back, firing two more shots at the dragon’s face. Ardeth dodged the first one, twisting his neck so that his head was far to the right of the projectile. The second one hit him in the face, exploding against his snout. Ardeth roared, and the vampire laughed. Between his wings, she leveled the launcher for another shot at the creature’s face.
Ardeth was fast. He wrapped his claws around the female vampire, stifling her laugh and crushing her into pulp with a single squeeze. Her head fell to the ground and the rest of her body oozed between the dragon’s fingers like he was squeezing a piece of fruit.
Gordon had one last chance to accomplish his mission. He estimated that even a these rounds weren’t powerful enough to penetrate a dragon’s bones—especially not his skull. It would probably go through an eye though, where the dragon’s thick skull would become a liability: the round would enter his brain but wouldn’t exit, bouncing around like a pinball in a machine, ripping him apart inside.
Gordon’s arm healed while Ardeth took out the forth vampire. He’d chambered another round after taking the first shot, so the weapon was ready to fire. He didn’t even have to turn off the safety this time. The mission had cost three out of five of their lives, but he wouldn’t fail. The mission was all he had left. If he did this, he’d be a legend.
He brought the rifle over the rock, balanced it carefully, and drew the crosshairs on the dragon’s eye. It was going to work; he was going to succeed. He was going to complete the mission. All he had to do was pull the trigger…
He pulled the trigger. The gun exploded in his hand.
There was a lot of force behind that backfire, powerful enough to have killed a human. Gordon hadn’t been a human for years, so he didn’t quite die. But the exploding rifle did blow off his hands and throw him to the ground. He felt blood pouring from his face and pooling around his head. He reached up with the stumps of his arms and tried to inspect injury. Half his face was gone: the backfire had torn off his cheek and part of his jaw. The rest of it hung limply against his neck.
Adding insult to severe injury, he’d failed to kill the dragon. The bullet never even left the gun. In his haste, Gordon hadn’t thought to make sure the weapon hadn’t been damaged. Being a vampire had made him a better sniper, but it hadn’t made him a smarter one. Were his enemy anything but a dragon, he would probably have survived this with nothing more than a humiliation. The wounds would heal, though his hands were gone for good.
Ardeth stood above him, a tower of blue scales and fury. Drops of black dragon’s blood trickled down his neck and chest, dribbling onto Gordon’s crippled body. It burned like acid. The vampire would have screamed if his jaw still worked—or if he had a tongue. Instead, he made a pathetic wheezing sound.
The dragon’s laugh was a deep bellow, like thunder in a valley. Gordon probably would have thought this was funny too, if the situation were reversed. He knew that when the fifth vampire, the spotter, reported back to their masters they would realize the futility of trying to kill dragons this way. It was too late for the other ten teams like theirs, dispatched to take out dragons in other parts of the world. He imagined that they’d all meet with fates similar to the one that awaited him. But Gordon knew his death would limit further casualties. It was a soldier’s death. He accepted it.
The dragon brought his foot down on Gordon and crushed him into a bloody smear.
***
So, there is that. Hope it whets your appetite for what's to come. As you can see, Ardeth gets to kick a little ass. The vampires aren't too happy about Garrett killing two of them in the first book, so they come back for some revenge...and it doesn't really work out too well for them.
If you don't know what all this is about, you should check out the first book, The Shadow of Tiamat -
Paperback from Amazon: http://amzn.to/tiamat-ppb
Paperback from B&N: http://bit.ly/voMy5Z
Kindle from Amazon: http://amzn.to/tiamat-kindle
Nook from B&N: http://bit.ly/tiamat-nook
Other ebook formats: http://bit.ly/utxfuB
Paperback from Books-A-Million: http://bit.ly/rMQ7fi
Paperback from Powell's Books : http://bit.ly/uRJbpK
Paperback/ebook from Indiebound: http://bit.ly/vwKpcP
Praise Tiamat,
StP
September 14, 2012
OMG! I HAVE A BLOG!!!
I can't believe I've been ignoring it all this time! You guys must hate me. Fear not, I'll start posting again soon. Until then, here's a picture of me in my new house:
Author Sean T. Poindexter...with a tan
Not bad, huh?
Anyway, if you're really missing stuff from my brain, you could always read this book I wrote. Here are some places to buy it...
Paperback from Amazon: http://amzn.to/tiamat-ppb
Paperback from B&N: http://bit.ly/voMy5Z
Kindle from Amazon: http://amzn.to/tiamat-kindle
Nook from B&N: http://bit.ly/tiamat-nook
Other ebook formats: http://bit.ly/utxfuB
Paperback from Books-A-Million: http://bit.ly/rMQ7fi
Paperback from Powell's Books : http://bit.ly/uRJbpK
Paperback/ebook from Indiebound: http://bit.ly/vwKpcP
Praise Tiamat,
StP
June 10, 2012
Where I've Been
Did you miss me?
Well I missed all of you. I've been away for a while. Not just from this blog, but from everything. I don't really feel like I've been here for a while, if that makes any sense. Things have been difficult for me. I'm in a new place, a new job, away from my wife, all my friends, most of my family, and my cats.
I don't mean to paint a grim picture of my fate. Things here are good. I have a new house, though it's a bit empty at the moment. Still, Amanda will be joining me at the end of the month and we'll fill this place with our home. Until then, I will abide in my solitude. I may even be able to get some writing done. My job is fascinating. Even fun. It is challenging, though. People ask me if working as a case manager in a prison is scary. No, it isn't. I was a little unnerved my first couple of days, but that passed quickly. I've developed a pretty good rapport with the people I work with, inmates as well as fellow corrections professionals. It's a career I think I'm well suited for...at least until my books start selling really well.
Speaking of writing, on that front I've got a contract with Crescent Moon Press for two more books. The second book in the Dragon's Blood Chronicles, and the first book in Max Hollingsworth's paranormal mysteries. The first book is getting a lot of good reviews. If you haven't yet, check it out and leave a review. If you're not feeling adventurous enough to pay for the book, you can ask your local library to stock a copy of it and then read it there.
I promise not to make you all wait so long for another update on me, or my books. I'm not going to lie and say that my troubles have passed, but they will get easier. I have already landed, and as usual I've landed on my feet. I've always landed on my feet. I have far more to be thankful for than I have to be sorrowful. I've always been a person of sweeping moods. I go from uncontrollably ebullient and social to grim and seclusive in a matter of days, sometimes hours. It's a trait I'm sure many find more exhausting than charming. Still, it's who I am and it's what makes me do what I do. It makes my writing what it is. And that is what I have to offer the world, so I am thankful for it as well.
So stick around and see where all this takes me. I promise you won't be disappointed.
Praise TiamatPraise Tiamat,
StP
Well I missed all of you. I've been away for a while. Not just from this blog, but from everything. I don't really feel like I've been here for a while, if that makes any sense. Things have been difficult for me. I'm in a new place, a new job, away from my wife, all my friends, most of my family, and my cats.
I don't mean to paint a grim picture of my fate. Things here are good. I have a new house, though it's a bit empty at the moment. Still, Amanda will be joining me at the end of the month and we'll fill this place with our home. Until then, I will abide in my solitude. I may even be able to get some writing done. My job is fascinating. Even fun. It is challenging, though. People ask me if working as a case manager in a prison is scary. No, it isn't. I was a little unnerved my first couple of days, but that passed quickly. I've developed a pretty good rapport with the people I work with, inmates as well as fellow corrections professionals. It's a career I think I'm well suited for...at least until my books start selling really well.
Speaking of writing, on that front I've got a contract with Crescent Moon Press for two more books. The second book in the Dragon's Blood Chronicles, and the first book in Max Hollingsworth's paranormal mysteries. The first book is getting a lot of good reviews. If you haven't yet, check it out and leave a review. If you're not feeling adventurous enough to pay for the book, you can ask your local library to stock a copy of it and then read it there.
I promise not to make you all wait so long for another update on me, or my books. I'm not going to lie and say that my troubles have passed, but they will get easier. I have already landed, and as usual I've landed on my feet. I've always landed on my feet. I have far more to be thankful for than I have to be sorrowful. I've always been a person of sweeping moods. I go from uncontrollably ebullient and social to grim and seclusive in a matter of days, sometimes hours. It's a trait I'm sure many find more exhausting than charming. Still, it's who I am and it's what makes me do what I do. It makes my writing what it is. And that is what I have to offer the world, so I am thankful for it as well.
So stick around and see where all this takes me. I promise you won't be disappointed.
Praise TiamatPraise Tiamat,
StP
April 28, 2012
How to Have Fun Getting Kicked Out of a Strip Club
1. Tip dancers with Monopoly money.
2. Arrive wearing dark sunglasses and sporting a cane. Pretend to be blind. Between dances, throw a wad of cash onto the empty stage and shout, "PEEL IT ALL OFF, YOU FILTHY BITCH!"
3. Bring bag of quarters. Make it hail.
4. Stand at end of stage in a motorcycle helmet, gesturing with flashlights in each hand like a runway director during performance.
Like this
5. Arrive with a male ventriloquist's dummy and insist that all tips and lap dances be dispensed through him. Halfway into the night, have another friend arrive with a female dummy and, upon locating you and the male dummy, shout "You two timing son-of-a-bitch!" Have male dummy react in suitably shocked manner (i.e., rapid head shaking, eyes wide, mouth agape, etc.)
6. After a dance, follow a stripper into the ladies room. Attempt to watch. When she voices a complaint, say "It's a little late for that, don't you think?"
7. Print up business cards for your hilariously named abortion clinic. Distribute them with tips for the dancers. Offer a referral or bulk discount.
8. Tip the DJ $100 to play Butterfly Kisses for every dance for the rest of the night. Be sure to have your own copy of the song handy in the highly likely event that he doesn't have one of his own.
9. Point directly at a dancer's crotch and scream "PEEEEENIS!"
10. Wet pants during lap dance.Praise Tiamat,
StP
2. Arrive wearing dark sunglasses and sporting a cane. Pretend to be blind. Between dances, throw a wad of cash onto the empty stage and shout, "PEEL IT ALL OFF, YOU FILTHY BITCH!"
3. Bring bag of quarters. Make it hail.
4. Stand at end of stage in a motorcycle helmet, gesturing with flashlights in each hand like a runway director during performance.
Like this
5. Arrive with a male ventriloquist's dummy and insist that all tips and lap dances be dispensed through him. Halfway into the night, have another friend arrive with a female dummy and, upon locating you and the male dummy, shout "You two timing son-of-a-bitch!" Have male dummy react in suitably shocked manner (i.e., rapid head shaking, eyes wide, mouth agape, etc.)
6. After a dance, follow a stripper into the ladies room. Attempt to watch. When she voices a complaint, say "It's a little late for that, don't you think?"
7. Print up business cards for your hilariously named abortion clinic. Distribute them with tips for the dancers. Offer a referral or bulk discount.
8. Tip the DJ $100 to play Butterfly Kisses for every dance for the rest of the night. Be sure to have your own copy of the song handy in the highly likely event that he doesn't have one of his own.
9. Point directly at a dancer's crotch and scream "PEEEEENIS!"
10. Wet pants during lap dance.Praise Tiamat,
StP
