Book Brief: The Spark

The SparkThe Spark
by John Kenny
Genre of this Book: Action Adventure/Thriller
Word count: 98,500

Searching for the truth is the most dangerous thing firefighter Donny Robertson will ever do.

The blaze in the old factory has left Donny physically and mentally scarred. And Fitz was dead, nothing was going to change that. But everyone is eager to put that tragedy behind them – there were no traces of arson and no signs of foul play.

Donny needs to regain his confidence and earn the trust of his crew and colleagues. It doesn’t help that he’s convinced the fire was no accident. Is it the set of curious coincidences, or is it simply Donny’s inability to let go of the man who had been his friend and mentor? And where was the line between loyalty and obsession? Was it worth losing his job, his home and his relationship?

As pieces of the puzzle begin to fit together, evidence and people start to disappear. By the time Donny realizes he’s over his head in a world of corporate intrigue and murder for hire, it’s too late. He’s become a loose end and someone is cleaning up. Framed for the murder of his last remaining lead, Donny realizes his only chance is to find and confront the person pulling the strings. It’s a desperate plan and it will cost him everything he has left.

The Spark is a fast paced, intelligent thriller that gives an insider’s view of life in the fire department.

This book is available from Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Continue reading “Book Brief: The Spark”

Book Brief: Mystery of the Attic

Mystery of the AtticMystery of the Attic
by TJ Perkins
Genre of this Book: YA mystery
116 pages

Melissa is just an average thirteen-year-old with a semi-average life until she moves into a ninetheenth-century farmhouse.

There she discovers that the house is haunted by two ghosts – one good and one evil. With the help of her stepsister, they unravel an age-old mystery and solve an unsolvable crime; one that was never intended to be solved. Many evil hauntings attempt to prevent the girls from discovering the truth. It’s a race against time and a battle of wits to see which will prevail – the living or the dead.

This book is available from Amazon, Smashwords, and Amazon UK. Continue reading “Book Brief: Mystery of the Attic”

Book Brief: Agency Rules

Agency RulesAgency Rules – Never an Easy Day at the Office
by Khalid Muhammad
Genre of this Book: Thriller (Spy/Military)
Word count: 97,300 (approx.)

Celebrated as a ragtag force that defeated and broke the Soviet Union, no one predicted the Mujahideen would bring with them a plague that would spread like wildfire through Pakistan in the years to follow. When the battle-worn fighters returned with no enemy or war to fight, they turned their sights on the country that had been their creator and benefactor.

From the same battlegrounds that birthed the Mujahideen, a young Kamal Khan emerges as a different breed of warrior. Discarding his wealthy family comforts, Kamal becomes a precision sniper, an invincible commando and a clandestine operative bringing intimidation, dominance and death with him to the battlefield. Ending the plague is his prime directive.

Shrouded in political expediency, hampered by internal power struggles, international espionage and doublespeak that makes Washington’s spin doctors proud, Kamal’s mission is a nightmare of rampant militant fundamentalism that threatens to choke and take Pakistan hostage. For him, the fight is not just for freedom, but the survival of a nation.

This book is available from Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble. Continue reading “Book Brief: Agency Rules”

LynneQuisition: Hugh Howey and AuthorEarnings.com

Interviews by Lynne CantwellUnless you’ve been off-planet for the past couple of weeks, you have probably heard about bestselling author Hugh Howey’s new website, authorearnings.com. Hugh and an unnamed number cruncher have been studying the bestseller lists at Amazon, and they’ve come up with some pretty amazing numbers. For instance, according to their numbers, indies who write genre fiction are taking home nearly half the author revenue generated by eBook sales on Amazon.

Of course, the blogosphere has blown up since the release of the initial report Feb. 12th. Trad publishing industry apologists like Mike Shatzkin have been loudly dismissive of Hugh and Data Guy’s numbers and methodology, while Joe Konrath and Barry Eisler (among others) have been busy picking apart the critics’ arguments.

In the meantime, Hugh is continuing to work on the project, with the aim of convincing traditional publishers to provide, among other things, more author-friendly contract terms. He has consented to sit in the comfy chair under the hot LynneQuisition lights and tell us a little more about his new venture.

Hugh, thanks very much for stopping by Indies Unlimited. What prompted you to start authorearnings.com? Continue reading “LynneQuisition: Hugh Howey and AuthorEarnings.com”