R.D. Brady's Blog, page 2

Homo Sapiens: The Only Bipedal Primates on the Planet – Right?

Each time I write a book, I do my research. And more often than not, that research leads to more questions and more research for a different book. Such was the case for The Belial Children. I won’t give anything for those who have yet to read the book, but as I was conducting those particular lines of research, I kept coming across tales of giant primates in North America.

So I started researched bigfoot, sasquatch, yeti, and a dozen other names for a giant hairy primate. The more I learned the more fascinated I became and I knew there was a book in there. Originally, I had hoped to incorporate the topic into the Belial Series. But let’s be honest, Laney meeting bigfoot stretches the realm of credibility a little too far. As a result, Dr. Tess Brannick was born. An anthropologist with a background in anatomy and physiology, she is intent on proving the existence of the creature that has been the stuff of legends for centuries.

Even though Hominid is outside the Belial series, it is written in the same manner – lots of facts weaved between the narrative. In fact, Hominid has the largest fact and fiction section of all the books I’ve written.

So while you’re waiting for the next Belial series book (coming in November) I hope you’ll take a chance on Hominid. It is now available on Amazon.com!

P.S. And I failed to do an announcement for two other books: The Belial Origins and Runs Deep. Runs Deep is another departure from the Belial Series and honestly, was so much fun to write. Because what’s more fun than a serial killer in a small town? :)

Waiting is the Most Difficult Part: My Love/Hate Relationship with Book Series

I recently found two great series that I fell in love with. The first is by Susan Ee (yes, that’s how it’s spelled). The series is called Penryn & the End of Days. (Yes, that’s how it’s spelled as well.)

The Penryn books employs a post apocalyptic setting where the angels really have wings and pretty much none of them are nice. The lead character, Penryn, saves one angel in order to save her sister. Add in a mother who has phenomenal survival skills due in part to her paranoid mental disorder, and some serious martials arts skills, and you have all the ingredients for an excellent read. (Honestly, the fight scenes are great. Susan really knows her stuff!) In fact, I lost two days zipping through these books.

The Relentless Series by Karen Lynch is equally entertaining. Karen introduces a supernatural universe which includes werewolves, vampires, and other unworldly creatures.

But unlike other series with similar characters, the main character Sara and her cohorts are seriously likeable. Sarah lives with her uncle who she tries desperately to protect from knowing anything from this other world. And her friendship with a supernatural who is avoided by even other supernatural, just makes you like her more.

In fact what both of these series have in common are main characters who you like and, dare I say, respect. They put their concern for others above themselves. Seriously, if you’re looking for good reads, pick up both series. They’re wonderful.

Now as I mentioned above, I have a love/hate relationship with book series. So far, all I’ve told you is the love.

Here’s the hate: each series only has two books out so far. $%#*&^!

When I find a series I love, it’s really hard to wait to find out what happens characters that I have come to care about. (And yes, I appreciate the irony in that many of you have contacted me to say how much you care about the characters in the Belial series. So believe me when I say – I feel your pain.)

So what is one to do? Avoid book series? Nah – I like getting to know characters and I really enjoy starting a book where I don’t have to wonder if I’ll like the characters. I already know before I’ve cracked the first page.

Actually, now that I think about it, one of the great parts of book series is that I get to re-visit the books before the next book in the series comes out. After all, I like to know exactly where we left off, so I usually re-read the books right before the latest edition is published. Which means to get to experience the joy all over again.

So I’ve changed my mind. There is no love hate relationship with books series. There is only love-love.

And so if you are looking for a new series to love/love, check out Susan Ee’s Penryn & the End of Days series and Karen Lynch’s Relentless series. You will be up way too late happily flipping to the next page! :)

 

 

Readers Are Just Awesome People!

I read this article and just had to pass along the link. It talks about the benefits of being a reader, not just for ourselves but for those around us. And by readers I mean those people who when they lift their eyes from the page need a few seconds to adjust to the reality they have just returned to.

This link leads to an Elite Daily article on why Readers are the best people to fall in love. The article discusses the psychological research that finds readers to be more empathetic and capable of understanding than non-readers. Have a look yourself. Enjoy!

All Children Should Be Safe From Harm – The Belial Children

Running a little late with this announcement. And I’m under the weather, so the thought process is decidedly slower. The fifth book in the Belial Series is now out. I hope you enjoy it.

Take care,

R.D.

 

All children should be safe from harm . . .

Someone didn’t get the message.

__________________________________________________

Life has not calmed down for Delaney McPhearson now that she has become the ring bearer. For the last few months, she, Henry Chandler, and Jake Rogan have been finding the camps of the teenage potentials left behind by Amar.

In their search, they’ve come across something they didn’t expect: More children are missing but these children are younger – much younger.

One of the largest lines of investigation leads them to early American history and the legends of an ancient race of giants. But are they getting closer to the missing children or heading down a path that will only lead them farther away?

Together, Laney, Jake, and Henry have faced incredible odds together and won. But this time the cost feels that much steeper.

Because this time it’s not just their lives at risk – this time it’s children who may pay the ultimate price.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to The Belial Children – Introducing Recruit: A Belial Series Novella

For the last few months I have been working on The Belial Children, the fourth book in the Belial Series. But as I was developing it, I ran into a problem – there was too much happening. Something had to go.

The most reasonable story line to be dropped involved a fifteen-year-old girl named Lou Thomas. But I really liked Lou. As a result, I decided to create a novella – a short novel that revolves around Lou called Recruit. It is now available on Amazon. The book description can be found below.

And The Belial Children will be out by the end of the week. I’ll drop you all a note when it is available.

Take care,

R.D.

Recruit: A Belial Series Novella

Lou thought she had lost everything important to her.

She didn’t realize there was one thing left for her to lose. . .

Her life.

Life has not been easy for fifteen-year old Lou Thomas. In the last few years, her once happy family has been whittled down to just herself and her unreliable older sister Charlotte. It’s been a daily struggle to make it through.

And it’s about to get worse.

Because Lou’s abilities – enhanced strength, speed, and healing – have just awakened. While Lou may not understand what is happening to her, another group does. And they won’t let anyone get in the way of gathering their new recruit.

Jennifer Witt, though, is determined to keep that from happening. She sees herself in the tough teenager and will do whatever is necessary to keep her safe. But how can you keep someone safe when they insist on running into danger?

Click Here to be Directed to Recruit

 

Rooting for the Underdog: The Girl in the Box Series

So I’ve started a new series that I’m enjoying. It’s the Girl in the Box by Robert J. Crane.

It was recommended to me and I wasn’t sure what to expect. The title made me think of Schrodinger’s cat. You know, the theory about the cat in the box: Until the box is opened the cat is simultaneously dead and alive. (Obviously, I am not a physicist and that is my layman’s interpretation. Here’s a better one if you’re interested.)

Anyway, without the recommendation, I probably wouldn’t have picked it up. And honestly, that would have been my loss. I devoured the first book in a day.

So here’s the synopsis: Sienna Nelson has spent fifteen of her seventeen years of her life hidden away in the apartment she shares with her mother. But then her mother disappears. And then men with guns show up. Unable to stay and not really sure what awaits her outside her door, Sienna nonetheless herself thrust into the outside world. And there’s more than just those two men chasing her.

But this is not just a chase novel. Not by any stretch. Robert J. Crane has added a supernatural element that is right up my aisle and created this whole underworld that exists right along ours.

Of course, being the main character is seventeen, this is a YA novel, so it’s full of teenage angst and teenage fearlessness. Often called stupidity by us adults.   The whole time though you are rooting for Sienna. She has so much stacked against her – you just want the girl to catch a break.

Of course, that means she needs to make her own breaks. The first three books of the series are free on Amazon, so if you have a chance, go download them. And happy reading! :)

 

Rooting for the Underdog: The Girl in the Box Series

So I’ve started a new series that I’m enjoying. It’s the Girl in the Box by Robert J. Crane.

It was recommended to me and I wasn’t sure what to expect. The title made me think of Schrodinger’s cat. You know, the theory about the cat in the box: Until the box is opened the cat is simultaneously dead and alive. (Obviously, I am not a physicist and that is my layman’s interpretation. Here’s a better one if you’re interested.)

Anyway, without the recommendation, I probably wouldn’t have picked it up. And honestly, that would have been my loss. I devoured the first book in a day.

So here’s the synopsis: Sienna Nelson has spent fifteen of her seventeen years of her life hidden away in the apartment she shares with her mother. But then her mother disappears. And then men with guns show up. Unable to stay and not really sure what awaits her outside her door, Sienna nonetheless herself thrust into the outside world. And there’s more than just those two men chasing her.

But this is not just a chase novel. Not by any stretch. Robert J. Crane has added a supernatural element that is right up my aisle and created this whole underworld that exists right along ours.

Of course, being the main character is seventeen, this is a YA novel, so it’s full of teenage angst and teenage fearlessness. Often called stupidity by us adults.   The whole time though you are rooting for Sienna. She has so much stacked against her – you just want the girl to catch a break.

Of course, that means she needs to make her own breaks. The first three books of the series are free on Amazon, so if you have a chance, go download them. And happy reading! :)

 

Destiny Won’t Be Denied: Book Three in the Belial Series

I am happy to announce that the third installment in the Belial Series is now available on Amazon!  Click here to be directed to The Belial Ring

__________________________________

Delaney McPhearson has been through the fire more than once.

This time it’s not her choice to join the fight, it’s her destiny.

And that destiny will either be the hope of the world or its doom.

In the last two years, Professor Delaney McPhearson has uncovered two Atlantis sites.  Each time, she’s lost people.  Now, all she wants to do is enjoy the peace with her love, Jake Rogan and those she cares about.

But fate has a different idea.

Plans are in motion for Laney, Jake, and Henry Chandler that stretch back thousands of years and across the globe to a mysterious, ancient Egyptian necropolis.

Everything Laney thought she knew about herself and her past has been turned on its head.  She never dreamed the violence of last year was only a taste of what to come – a taste of the destiny that awaits her.

But destiny, like fate, always comes with a cost.  And this time, the cost may be more than she can bear.

__________________________________

Thanks for reading!

-R.D.

 

Playing Favorites

I was on a fellow author’s website the other day and under his bio he had a list of his favorites: Favorite color, favorite drink, etc.  I thought that was a good idea.  But I decided to limit mine to favorite books.

Favorite Author:  Tie: James Rollins and JD Robb

Favorite Sci FI Book:  Ender’s Game by Scott Oswald Card

Favorite Action Adventure:  Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Favorite Romance:   A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux

Favorite Horror:  Cabinet of Curiosities by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston (not sure it belongs here but that’s what popped into my head)

Favorite Book I was Required to Read:  I’m completely blank on this one.

Favorite Kid Book:  But Not the Hippopotamus by Sandra Boynton

Favorite Comic Strip:  Calvin and Hobbes

Favorite Kids Series(Read as an Adult):   Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

Favorites Kid Series (Read as a Child): The Famous Five by Enid Blyton

Favorite Mind Blowing Book:  The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

Favorite Food:  Hamburger (Just seeing if you’re paying attention.)

Favorite Guilty Pleasure Series:  The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyers

Favorite Genre:  Thriller

As I look over my list, I agree with each statement.  Yet, I also realize that not one of the books by my favorite authors can be found in any of the above categories.   But Rollins and Robb are, without a doubt, my favorite authors. Whenever I see their name on a book, I pick it up without question.  Sometimes I don’t even bother reading the description before purchasing it.

So why weren’t my favorite authors responsible for my favorites reads? Because I assume I’m going to enjoy whatever they publish. My favorites, on the other hand, were a unique occurrence. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy the book as much as I did.

I’ve read other books by those authors but they don’t grab me the same way. Even though they wrote one of my favorite books, I am not a guaranteed customer for their next publication. I’d read the blurb and decide if it worked for me. So being thrilled by their book was a happy surprise, but not the beginning of a life long love of all the author’s works.

There was some recent research on best sellers that somewhat backs that up. The authors that are the most successful are those with a dedicated readership who publish regularly. And most of them do not dominate the number one spot for weeks and weeks. They do however make the list of the top sellers year after year.

For others, they are a bit of a one hit wonder. By the next year, they are off the list.

Anybody else find their favorites coming from their non-favorite authors? Feel free to comment below.  :)

Humanity in Ruins

I drove with the family down to visit other family this past weekend.  Six hours each way – I either really love my family or am completely susceptible to Mom guilt.  The jury is still out as to which it is. :)

Luckily, I had the third installment of Dan Wells Partial series to keep me company.  For those who are unfamiliar with the trilogy, Partials are biological robot/soldiers created to aid humanity.  But humanity, after using them to fight their wars, treats them like second-class citizens even though they have feelings, minds of their own, etc.  So of course, they rebel against humanity.

When the trilogy begins, humanity is down to thirty-five thousand, while the Partials number at 500,000.    But both numbers are dwindling down due to an expiration date for the partials and disease for the humans.

Ruins is the struggle of individuals on each side to fight their own nature and the distrust of those around them to do the right thing.  And to have faith in the people/robots they shouldn’t.

This is my kind of book.  Impossible odds.  Little to no chance of survival, but doing to right thing anyway.  I know, it sounds corny.  But I like the books that show us the best sides of human nature, er human and partial nature.

So if you are looking for a good quick read, pick it up!