Thursday, December 25, 2014

Merry Christmas!

Thank you to all the Stone Soldiers readers!

While it's not a very holiday-themed story, please enjoy a digital copy of Book 10, A Lucky Day to Die, #free on #kindle December 25th and 26th.

Free on Kindle

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Supernatrual Noir

Can't wait for the next Stone Soldiers novel? Can't get enough supernatural action? How about trying out this noirish supernatural mystery?

 $2.99 on Kindle

DARKNESS UNBOUND: LADY IN BLACK, by new author Glenn Porzig, is a pulpy, noirish, supernatural murder mystery novella--the first in a new series linking horrific otherworldly crimes from book to book. 

When a family of four is murdered in their sleep the entire city is on edge. Police investigate the occult connections between these murders and similar murders thirteen years ago. One detective knows the truth. Something dark from Sister Marian's past has returned. Now innocent lives are being lost. Will she have the faith to face her greatest fear?

Monday, December 22, 2014

More thrilling supernatural action!

Can't wait for the next Stone Soldiers novel? Can't get enough supernatural action? How about trying out this exciting supenatural thriller?

 $2.99 on Kindle

Technically a spinoff of the venerable Destroyer series, Forgotten Son is the first in a new series featuring a mismatched stepbrother and step sister being trained in the sunsource of martial arts on an Indian reservation by their former Hollywood stuntman grandfather. Once you get past the complicated backstory, the series is full of science fictiony, supernatural buttkicking extraordinaire. By the master Warren Murphy and his capable acolyte Gerald Welch

For over five thousand years, there were always three binding rules for all Masters of Sinanju: 

1) Payment is always in gold. No checks. 
2) There is only one Master and one pupil. 
3) No woman will ever be trained in Sinanju. 

Sunny Joe Roam will throw the last two rules out the window in order to fulfill his tribe's oldest commitment. He will train both Stone Smith and his half-sister Freya Williams in the deadly art of Sinanju, ushering in a new era for the tribe. But will the lethal brother-sister duo be enough to help their new boss Benjamin Cole stop the Great Mexican Ninja Army from invading the southwestern United States? 


This action-packed new series is based on the wildly popular "Destroyer" series, which has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide. Gerald Welch and "Destroyer" co-creator Warren Murphy have collaborated on LEGACY to bring the mythical martial art of Sinanju to a whole new generation of readers. 





Sunday, December 21, 2014

More Thrilling Supernatural Action!

Can't wait for the next Stone Soldiers novel? Can't get enough supernatural action? How about trying out this exciting supenatural thriller?

 Free on Kindle!

The Living Night, by Jack Conner, is the first in a series of grand mystery and adventure in a world of vampires, werewolves and other immortals by the bestselling author of the Black Tower Trilogy.

When a powerful figure in the Immortal Community is killed, two vampires, Ruegger and Danielle, are forced to run for it in order to find out who ordered the murder and why. The two vampires are notorious throughout the Community for only feeding on humans that deserve it -- murderers and rapists -- as well as other immortals.

If an immortal steps out of line and preys on undeserving humans, Ruegger and Danielle will (if they can) take them down -- and feed from them. Thus the two are sarcastically known throughout the Community as the Marshals.

Now, to stop the world from becoming embroiled in a vicious war, Ruegger and Danielle must follow the threads of a strange conspiracy that spans continents and many races, some exotic and particularly deadly. The Dark Lord, the vampire king of the Community, may himself be involved.

To find out the truth, Ruegger and Danielle will have to dodge werewolf assassins, zombies, and two especially nasty Jamaican voodoo gods.

One thing is certain: if they survive and unravel the strange heart of the mystery, the world will never be the same again.



Saturday, December 20, 2014

More Thrilling Supernatural Action

Can't wait for the next Stone Soldiers novel? Can't get enough supernatural action? How about trying out this exciting supenatural thriller?


 $7.99 on Kindle

The first in Jim Butcher's long-running Harry Dresden series, Storm Front sounds thrilling and supernatural. To be honest, I haven't read it, but I really enjoyed the short-lived TV Series. 


For Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, business, to put it mildly, stinks. So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry's seeing dollar signs. But where there's black magic, there's a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry's name. 


Friday, December 19, 2014

More Thrilling Supernatural Action

Can't wait for the next Stone Soldiers novel? Can't get enough supernatural action? How about trying out this exciting supenatural thriller?

 Free On Kindle!

Book 1 in the Arkane Series by JF Penn, PENTECOST is a fast-paced, action-packed thriller that explores the edges of faith against a backdrop of early Christian history, archaeology and psychology.

India. When a nun is burned alive on the sacred ghats of Varanasi, and the stone she carried is stolen, an international hunt is triggered for the relics of the early church.

Forged in the fire and blood of martyrs, the Pentecost stones have been handed down through generations of Keepers who kept their power and locations secret.

Until now.

The Keepers are being murdered, the stones stolen by those who would use them for evil in a world transformed by religious fundamentalism.

Oxford University psychologist Morgan Sierra is forced into the search when her sister and niece are held hostage. She is helped by Jake Timber from the mysterious ARKANE, a British government agency specializing in paranormal and religious experience. Morgan must risk her own life to save her family, but will she ultimately be betrayed?

From ancient Christian sites in Spain, Italy and Israel to the far reaches of Iran and Tunisia, Morgan and Jake must track down the stones through the myths of the early church in a race against time before a new Pentecost is summoned, this time powered by the fires of evil.


Better still, this book is FREE ON KINDLE

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Book Giveaway


Enter now for a chance to win one of two print copies of "Pale Horseman". Contest runs through January 17, 2015. Limited to USA residents.

However, if you email Detachment1039@gmail.com and include a picture of your homeland, you'll win a PDF copy, delivered by email. Please keep those pictures small!


Pale Horseman

Richard Murphy is a hard-boiled, octogenarian Hollywood detective who thinks he's seen it all--until he and his ghost partner witness a horrific murder committed by a galloping centaur. Now the elderly P.I. worries he'll be next on the killer's list. But unbeknownst to Murphy, one of his on-line friends is more than just a master chess player. He's a member of Detachment 1039, America's secret super soldier program tasked with combatting the supernatural. Murphy and his partner in crime-solving are soon visited by the Detachment, who enlist the semi-retired P.I. in tracking down a serial-killing centaur who's come to L.A. to reap the souls of the innocent and the wicked.

Sunday, December 14, 2014

A Very Supernatural Christmas

During this festive time of year, when we celebrate the Birth of Christ, it's often nice to take a break from stop-animated reindeer and madcap family holiday movies and turn to something a hair darker.

Given that Stone Soldiers was inspired by the fantastic TV show "Supernatural" it seems only fitting to kick off a Supernatural 12 Days of Christmas by mentioning the "Supernatural" Christmas episode from Season 3: "A Very Supernatural Christmas".

In this early episode in the series,. Sam and Dean travel to Ypsilanti, Michigan to investigate another unusual murder. Along the way, they encounter two monsters posing as happy humans celebrating the holidays by sacrificing victims--to each other.

This episode also features flashbacks to young Sam and Dean as kids, and a very Holly, Jolly weapon they use to end the monsters' Holiday Hunting.

The best part about this episode is that you can own it. Season 3 is available on DVD at Amazon.com for only $34.96 ($18.13 for Prime customers)!




Thursday, December 11, 2014

More Supernatural Military Thrillers: "American Craftsmen" by Tom Doyle

Can't get enough Stone Soldiers action? Want more supernatural combat for the holidays? Luckily, the Supernatural Military Thriller is a growing genre, with lots of work by many talented authors.



In modern America, two soldiers will fight their way through the magical legacies of Poe and Hawthorne to destroy an undying evil—if they don’t kill each other first.

US Army Captain Dale Morton is a magician soldier—a “craftsman.” After a black-ops mission gone wrong, Dale is cursed by a Persian sorcerer and haunted by his good and evil ancestors. Major Michael Endicott, a Puritan craftsman, finds gruesome evidence that the evil Mortons, formerly led by the twins Roderick and Madeline, have returned, and that Dale might be one of them.

Dale uncovers treason in the Pentagon’s highest covert ranks. He hunts for his enemies before they can murder him and Scherie, a new friend who knows nothing of his magic.

Endicott pursues Dale, divided between his duty to capture a rogue soldier and his desire to protect Dale from his would-be assassins. They will discover that the demonic horrors that have corrupted American magic are not bound by family or even death itself.

In Tom Doyle's thrilling debut, American Craftsmen, Seal Team Six meets ancient magic--with the fate of the United States hanging in the balance . . . 

Available on Kindle and in print now!

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

More supernatural military thrillers: "Seal Team 13" by Evan Currie

Can't get enough Stone Soldiers action? Want more supernatural combat for the holidays? Luckily, the Supernatural Military Thriller is a growing genre, with lots of work by many talented authors.



It’s been ten years since a mysterious incident in the South China Sea annihilated a US Navy destroyer and its Navy SEAL team. Only one man survived this horrific tragedy. Now, as more of these strange, supernatural events are happening around the world—with deadly consequences—the US Navy calls on sole survivor Harold “Hawk” Masters to put a stop to the evil forces behind these crimes.

Masters reluctantly returns, dispatched to lead an elite team of soldiers like him—all survivors of the terrifying, evil deeds of “the other side.” As these frightening events escalate at an alarming rate, SEAL Team 13 is put to the test, battling malevolent undead creatures that threaten the security of the nation—and the world.

But not everyone supports the government’s new interest in facing off against the unnatural forces that threaten the welfare of its citizens. Could Hawk Masters’ secret military force also be forced to fight shadowy opponents from within?

From world-building author Evan Currie, SEAL Team 13 is a dark, riveting, and action-packed tale of military intrigue and supernatural horror.

Available on Kindle and in print now!

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

More Supernatural Military Thrillers: "Seal Team 666" by Weston Ochse

Can't get enough Stone Soldiers action? Want more supernatural combat for the holidays? Luckily, the Supernatural Military Thriller is a growing genre, with lots of work by many talented authors.




Weston Ochse's SEAL Team 666 follows Cadet Jack Walker. Halfway through SEAL training, he's still green but showing incredible promise when he's whisked away to join four SEALs—and their dog—for a special ops mission. Walker soon finds himself in a whirlwind of otherworldly creatures and events as he finds out the true nature of this “special ops” team: SEAL Team 666. Battling demons, possessed humans, mass-murdering cults, and evil in its most dark and primeval form, SEAL Team 666 has their work cut out for them. And it’s not long before they realize that the threat isn’t just directed against the U.S.—an ancient and deadly cult has bigger plans, and Walker is at the center of a supernatural conflict with the entire world at stake.


Available on Kindle and in print now!

Monday, December 8, 2014


More Supernatural Military Thrillers: "Shadow Ops: Control Point" by Myke Cole

Can't get enough Stone Soldiers action? Want more supernatural combat for the holidays? Luckily, the Supernatural Military Thriller is a growing genre, with lots of work by many talented authors.




Army Officer. Fugitive. Sorcerer.

Across the country and in every nation, people are waking up with magical talents. Untrained and panicked, they summon storms, raise the dead, and set everything they touch ablaze.
Army officer Oscar Britton sees the worst of it. A lieutenant attached to the military's Supernatural Operations Corps, his mission is to bring order to a world gone mad. Then he abruptly manifests a rare and prohibited magical power, transforming him overnight from government agent to public enemy number one.

The SOC knows how to handle this kind of situation: hunt him down--and take him out. Driven into an underground shadow world, Britton is about to learn that magic has changed all the rules he's ever known, and that his life isn't the only thing he's fighting for.


Available on Kindle and in print now!


Friday, November 28, 2014

Black Friday Savings!

As you jostle for super savings this Black Friday weekend, don't forget you can pick up Stone Soldiers 1, 2 and 3 for only $.99!


















Friday, November 21, 2014

Stone Soldiers wants you!


If you've read A Lucky Day to Die, you may have noticed a fair amount of typos. An embarrassing amount. Well, truth is, I couldn't wait for my regular Beta Reader to work his magic and proofed it myself. Bad idea.

There's now a new, additional proofer on staff, but hey, you can never have enough eyes.

Like Stone Soldiers, hate waiting for the sequels? Like getting a free book that isn't free normally? Well, I've got a deal for you... sign up to be a Beta Reader. Free books for just a smidge of nitpicking.

First five volunteers join the team. I'll even give you a cool call-sign like all the petrified soldiers in the series have. Heck, you might even get some swag mailed to you.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

A Sneak Peak of 2015

Wonder what's ahead for the Stone Soldiers? Will the series continue on into 2015? Well, that depends on readers. As long as you keep buying, I'll keep writing.

Here's a look at what books 13 and beyond might be like. Feel free to offer up comments and questions in the comments, or just say which titles you'd like to see first!


HYDE AND SHEIK
When a rich oil baron in the Middle East decides to fund some supernatural terrorism, he turns to the writings of a long-dead Englishman. Now a supernatural formula for disaster is falling into the hands of zealots only too ready to get their monster on and wreak superhuman havoc around the world.

DO NO EVIL
The Hippocratic Oath has long been a pledge by physicians and healers around the world to do what they can for the sick and injured. But where do psychic surgeons fall on the subject? If you had the power to heal, would you be inclined to help or to harm? A body of stone might be impervious to the weapons of war, but it may not stop a faith healer with the power to cure or to curse.

THE BLUE DEATH
They're called Draugrs, Nordic spirits feared by even the Vikings. Part ghost, part vampire, all evil. When a Draugr awakens in the modern era, the Stone Soldiers will travel to the Arctic Circle and find that the fiercest warriors of all don't rely on just cold steel.

ISLAND OF THE DAMNED
Many have heard of the Bermuda Triangle and its Asian twin, the Dragon's Triangle, but there is one remote place on the globe that no one has heard about, because if you go there, you will never return. This remote island, far from the shores of any human settlements, is home to human and demon alike. But is it a dark fortress where the supernatural torment the living, or a prison for the most evil beings in history?

COLLOSSUS REBORN
A stone soldier may be a formidable enemy for the dark beings of the world, but imagine what a man made of metal could do. When an army of bronze beasts rise up in Europe and begin a campaign of death and destruction, the Stone Soldiers have to take on a resurrected legend from the ancient past--mass-produced by an industrial wizard of the modern era!



Look for these and other titles in the Stone Soldiers series in 2015, in digital and print editions!

Friday, November 14, 2014

WANTED: Honest Reviews!


CALLING ALL READERS!

Ads sell books, which means more readers, which means more books. But to get some of the bigger ads, you need reviews. Lots of them.

While a lot of you are reading Stone Soldiers, not so many are offering up reviews. So here's a little incentive for you. Post a review of a Stone Soldiers novel, short or Omnibus, and get your choice of one other novel, short or omnibus emailed to you free of charge, as a PDF (please, no pirating). Limit one freebie per customer. Offer ends December 31, 2014.

Just post a review, grab a screen shot and email it to Detachment1039@gmail.com. It's just that easy.

Friday, November 7, 2014

A LUCKY DAY TO DIE


Now on Kindle!


When Mark Kenslir turns up dead in a Las Vegas morgue, its up to his last living relative to track down the killers and avenge his troubled spirit. One problem--the killers are former mobsters now serving a witch who controls The Strip with an iron fist. This sounds like a job for the Stone Soldiers--unfortunately, Las Vegas has been a safe-zone for the supernatural denizens of America for decades. 

Vampire M.D. Laura Olson, psychokinetic super soldier Josie Winters and the leader of Detachment 1039 head West for vengeance with no official support. At least not until they can show that Las Vegas' dark citizens need their amnesty revoked.

Friday, October 31, 2014

Happy Halloween!

Sorry to say, I missed my deadline this year and Stone Soldiers #10, A Lucky Day to Die isn't done yet. Almost, but not quite.

To tide you over til then, here's a few pages of what was supposed to be this year's Halloween release...


A LUCKY DAY TO DIE



CHAPTER ONE





As he looked down at his corpse, Mark Kenslir knew that he was dead. It was an odd feeling--one of regret and possibly a bit of relief. And while he wondered what now lay ahead for him, he could not look away from the body that had been his for so many years, now unceremoniously shoved into the trunk of a large sedan.

Nearby, the two men who had murdered Mark toiled in the darkness, digging a shallow grave in the sand. One of them abruptly stopped digging and turned to face Kenslir.

"Hey! Get out of here!" Francis Shirley shouted. "Shoo!"

Beside Francis, Leonard DeFazio paused and turned to see what his partner in crime was yelling about. "That's why you never let 'em know they're about to die."

"What difference does it make? Dead is dead!"

"The difference," Leonard said, frowning, "Is that when they know they're gonna die, they think they have unfinished business. And that is what you end up with. That's why I said two to the back of the head."

"Go on, shoo!" Francis declared again. The young mobster was clearly unnerved by the ghost watching him. He climbed out of the grave and stormed over, waving his shovel at Mark Kenslir.

"Leave him be," Leonard ordered, following Francis to the car. "Help me with his body."

"You don't know who you're messing with, ghost," Francis declared. "I'm a made man!"

Leonard smacked his boasting young partner in the back of his head, making his greasy black hair flop forward onto his face. "I said help me with the body!"

Francis sulked, but did as he was told, keeping an eye on the ghost that stood there, silently watching them. Moving to the trunk of their car, he lifted the feet of the tall body in the trunk clear, while his balding, fifty-something partner grabbed under the corpse's shoulder.
"Big sumbitch," Leonard growled.

He and Francis stumbled along in the dark Nevada desert, carrying the big body to the shallow grave they had dug. Blood and brains dripped onto the sand as they carried the body, falling from what remained of Mark Kenslir's face.

Francis kept glancing back at the ghost that stood silently by their car, watching them.

"Hey! Fuggettabout that ghost!" Leonard snapped when Francis nearly dropped his end of the corpse.

"I don't like the way he's looking at me... is he gonna haunt me now?"
"Nah," Leonard answered, dropping his end of the body into the shallow grave. "He'll just stick around here. That's why we bury 'em so far out of town."

"Ah," Fancis said, an evil smile spreading across his face. "He's bound to his body."
"No. He ain't bound to nuttin'. But he's just a ghost now. Most folks can't even see him. He's got nowhere to go and no one to tell. Eventually, he'll move on."

Francis shrugged and picked up his shovel and joined Leonard in filling the grave.

"Ha!" The younger mobster laughed. "Serves him right, stickin' his big nose where it didn't belong."

He turned back to the car and shouted at Mark Kenslir. "I hope you enjoy the desert, you stinkin'-"

Francis' jaw dropped and he stopped shoveling. 

"Leonard!"

"What is it now?" Leonard growled, looking up. The color suddenly drained from his face as he saw red and blue flashing lights headed their way.

"Dammit! I told you we didn't need any headlights to get here!"

Francis looked scared now too. "I'm still new to this, old man! I can't see in the dark as good as you!"

Leonard threw his shovel down and reached behind his back, pulling a small revolver from his waistband. 

"The Lady ain't gonna like this, kid."

Francis' eyes went wide as he looked at the gun pointed his way. "Why does it have to be me? I just got this body!"

Leonard fired two shots into Francis' chest, directly into his heart. 

"'Cause you can't keep your damn mouth shut, that's why!"

Francis staggered a step, then his body went limp, dropping to the sand and nearly tumbling into the shallow grave he'd just helped dig. Where he had been standing, a black outline hovered in the air, shaped like a man. 

The dark shadow swept forward, merging with Leonard's body and vanishing into it.

Leonard looked at the gun in his hand and considered shooting himself. But they were too far from the Strip. They'd never make it back. He had no choice.

Leonard threw the gun down and put his hands on top of his head, interlocking his fingers. 

"I hope you're happy," he declared, glaring at Mark Kenslir's ghost.

Kenslir was anything but happy. He'd just been murdered and dumped in the desert like garbage. He scowled and fumed, his translucent, ethereal fists clenched in impotent rage by his sides.

Then a smile crossed his face as the lights of a police vehicle came closer. His murderers were wrong about one thing. Mark Kenslir did have someone he could go to. Someone he could tell about his death.

In Miami.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Wrapping up at Frightnight Filmfest 2014

Today marks day 3 at Fright night Filmfest, put on by the Fandomfest folks. Once again a well-organized show... it's just missing visitors. If youre in Louisville today swing by--plenty of walking room.




Tuesday, September 30, 2014

A special sale for spooks and specters!


$.99 Kindle copy!

Grab a copy of Shades of War now--on sale through October!



Colonel Mark Kenslir has defended America from the supernatural for over fifty years. In that time, he's killed many men. Now one of those vanquished enemies has come back from the grave--and is raising a spectral army from Civil War battlefields for revenge. 

The Stone Soldiers must find a way to stop an army that is already dead, before it reaches Washington and plunges the country into chaos. Aided by his cryokinetic granddaughter, an amorous vampire M.D. and his petrified men, will the Colonel stop the forces of darkness or will Washington fall to the shades of gray? 



Sunday, August 24, 2014

Sizzling Summer Sale!

Beat the heat with the Stone Soldiers! We're slashing prices so you can download, go to a cool, dark place in your home and read til it's not so hot again...

Now through September, download

Mythical (Book 1) FREE

Brothers in Stone (Book 2) for $.99

Blood and Stone (Book 3) for $.99

Or grab all three in Stone Soldiers Omnibus #1 for $.99!!




Monday, August 4, 2014

Fandomfest 2014--In pictures

This past weekend, my family and I ran a booth for my pals Destroyerbooks at Louisville's Fandomfest. It was a long three days, with pitiful sales and not many convention goers, but there were two things that made it all worthwhile:

1. Seeing my daughter nerd out and grin ear to ear when she met Karl Urban and got his autograph

2. The amazing costumes we saw. Far more costumes than I expected.

One of my and my daughters' favorite parts of any fan convention are the awesome costumes. We snapped loads of pics this year, and below I'm going to put a few of my favorites. Most of the pics we took were from my oldest, and to be honest, I didn't know who they were. A lot of Anime, that were very nice, but not something I'd seen. I'll let her pick some of her favorites and add them later.

My teen helper flipped out when she saw this screen-quality Tardis on Saturday (both my girls are huge Whoovians). It was definitely a favorite at the show. We watched the hundreds in attendance take pictures with it all weekend.


The Tardis was accompanied by a wonderful Dalek--if you can call a mass-murdering robot wonderful, that is. I was impressed when I first saw it, then they opened it up and revealed it was a motorized chair inside, so a person could ride around. I didn't see it in motion, but dang this thing was cool.


 
My daughter snapped this pic for me, of my favorite Doctor Who character, River Song. Now why won't my wife do something cool like this? And yes, River had her Lake Silencio six-shooter strapped on. 


Of course, the cutest Doctor character in attendance was this young lady, dressed as the hologram Rose Tyler that guided the War Doctor. She is NOT Daenerys from Game of Thrones--despite people complimenting her on that character all day. She was THRILLED my daughter recognized her character, although I'm not sure who was more excited: Rose for being recognized, or my daughter Sam at seeing this unique cosplay. Best part was a few minutes after more pics were taken, Rose ran over and profusely thanked Samantha again for being the first person to correctly identify her. A really sweet girl with a great costume.


In addition to all the awesome Doctor Who fans in costume, we were really impresed with this Portal costume and working Portal gun. Super cool. Even if she "didn't have the boots yet".


And, of all the Castiels we saw all weekend, this is the only one I recall with wings. I wish we'd have talked to her, as in looking at this photo, she would make a great model for one of the characters in Stone Soldiers--Josie Winters. If she was local and does model, this was really an opportunity missed. Great costume though, and I love how she hammed it up for my daughter's pic.


What impressed me most about this Zatanna was not her great costume, but the fact she actually knew who Remo Williams was! We were there representing our pals at Destroyerbooks.com and she stopped after we took her picture to look over the books and told me she remembered the Remo Williams movie from when she was a kid. I was kind of surprised that she knew the character as young as she is, but obviously anyone who has such a great costume is definitely cool enough to know the Destroyer!


Now, most guys would have looked at this girl and started drooling, but considering my age, and the fact my oldest LOVES the character Mystique, I was more interested in getting a picture for her. And I want to point out something not so obvious: both of these folks are talented artists. They had to have painted each other! And the details were impressive, especially the muscle tones. I was curious and wanted to ask how long this took, but I didn't want to seem like some creepy old dude, so just thanked them and let them go on their way. Very impressive, even if Nightcrawler's tail was painted on. (also, NIGHTCRAWLER!!!! Nice to see him at Fandomfest since those turds at Fox dropped him from the movies...)


A great version of an established character is a lot of fun, but I like the creative twists on characters, like this awesome Steampunk Deadpool. My youngest would have loved to have seen this, but she'd gone home already so she had to settle for this picture. 


Okay, by far this is the most awesome Steampunk anything I've ever seen. I wanted to grill this guy about this incredible costume but let him wander off. Good thing too, as moments later, Karl Urban passed our booth, walking around, checking the show out. He bumped into Steam Dredd and they talked for several minutes. I wonder what they said?


Almost forgot, there were cars at the show too. We're all big Scooby Doo fans in our house--when my oldest was 6, I even handpainted a Barbie Van to make the Mystery Machine for her birthday (there were Scooby Barbies out back then), so I HAD to have this picture of my girls. Despite their protesting and complainign they didn't want their picture taking. Hey, I EARNED this photo. Sucker's going up on my desktop.

Custom costume sometimes work and sometimes don't. This one totally works and is truly incredible. I wish we could have gotten a better pic of all the amazing work in this Kentucky Fried Samurai armor. It was incredible. 

Accompanying the KF-urai was the Spartan Burger King, a truly clever spin on costuming, even if it is, well, spartan, compared to the KFC Samurai.


Finally, the most awesome costume I have ever seen in my life was this guy's Colonial Marine. You can't tell it here, but this was so detailed and incredible. It was beyond screen-quality. Not only was every little detail there, and the rifle was really metal with a functioning ammo counter, but his helmet was unbelievable!

Not sure if you can make it out, but the eye piece, in addition to raising and lowering, actually lit up with information!!!!! And the helmet was actual metal. The marine told me he'd wished he had made it plastic, rapping it with his knuckles to reveal the sheer awesomeness of it. This is really a costume that has to be seen in person to fully appreciate. 

That's all for today, but I'l let my teen pick some of her favorite animes, and tell me what they are, and post them later. 


Thank you to all the cosplayers for making this show fun!


Sunday, August 3, 2014

Thanks for your support!

Thank you to all the great folks I met this weekend at Fandomfest 2014, in Louisville, KY.

Had a lot of fun promoting Stone Soldiers and my pals at Destroyerbooks. Greatly enjoyed meeting all the swell Destroyer and Supernatural fans in the area. Looking forward to the next convention.

Check back later this week for pictures we took of all the great cosplayers' and a list of links for all the folks we met.

Friday, July 11, 2014

COMING SOON: Stone Soldiers #10



A LUCKY DAY TO DIE

Las Vegas, Nevada--home to gamblers and dreamers and something a lot darker. Colonel Mark Kenslir is drawn to Sin City to attend the funeral of a distant family member. While there, the leader of the Stone Soldiers discovers all is not as it seems. Worse, those lurking in the shadows of the Strip have noticed the immortal stone soldier's presence, and they aren't happy. With no support, and no equipment, America's oldest supersoldier must stop the forces of darkness alone or die trying.


COMING AUGUST 2014

Monday, July 7, 2014

Pale Horseman

New Release!


Pale Horseman



Richard Murphy is a hard-boiled, octogenarian Hollywood detective who thinks he's seen it all--until he and his younger partner witness a horrific murder committed by a galloping centaur. Now the elderly P.I. worries he'll be next on the killer's list. But unbeknownst to Murphy, one of his on-line friends is more than just a master chess player. He's a member of Detachment 1039, America's secret super soldier program tasked with combatting the supernatural. Murphy and his partner in crime-solving are soon visited by the Stone Soldiers, who enlist the semi-retired P.I.'s aid in tracking down a serial-killing centaur who's come to L.A. to reap the souls of the wicked and the innocent.



Friday, July 4, 2014

Patriot's Sale!

Happy Birthday, America!

To celebrate our independance from tyranny, Stone Soldiers has slashed prices for a limited time only. Read about super patriots defending America from the forces of darkness and catch up on books you might have missed.


$.99 this Fourth of July weekend only!

Stone Soldiers Omnibus #1
Books 1-3

Prehistoric shapeshifters are on the loose in modern America, ripping out the hearts of victims to steal their form, memories and power. The Stone Soldiers may be our best chanc to stop the terror, but are even they enough?



$.99 this Fourth of July weekend only!

Stone Soldiers Omnibus #2
Books 4-6

The new team of Stone Soldier fac new threats as they continue to protect Amerca from the supernatural. From a ressurected necromancer raising a spectral army, to an Earth Elemental trying to erase mankind with a zombie virus, read along as the team defeats the forces of darkness around the globe.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

If you like... Marvel's Agents of SHIELD


MARVEL's AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.

With just one season under its belt MAOS has revealed itself as a very complex show, not because of overly detailed plots or fanatstic action sequences, but because of its connection to Marvel movies like Avengers, Captain America: Winter Soldier and even Thor; The Dark World. Fully embracing the Marvel cinematic, Big-Screen universe on the small screen, MAOS offers viewers a chance to stay in the world created for them at the theaters and to see a lot more of that world on a smaller scale.

But a movie tie-in isn't enough to carry a show, even if the network airing it is also owned by the movie studio. MAOS needed more. To that end, an ensemble cast was put together and top notch special effects and locations were assembled. 

MAOS may have started slow--it was long on talk and drama and short on action. But sticking with the show for the whole season, viewers eventually got to see what they wanted, like Deathlok, more Asgardian weapons, an Asgardian and super-technology plus a whole lot more of S.H.I.E.L.D. itself. Season two holds a lot of hope of even more super-action on the small screen as Marvel continues to dominate the superhero world. 



SIMILARITIES TO STONE SOLDIERS

While the Agents of SHIELD work around the world protecting mankind from super-threats, they tend to do so one small threat at a time, much more akin to the Men in Black film series than Detachment 1039. Property damage is at a minimum--porbably due to TV budget contraints. 

As a book series, with no budget limitations, Stone Soldiers can reveal much bigger threats, and with bigger results. But most importantly, the Stone Soldiers aren't a bunch of Federal Agents in spiffy black suits, they're supersoldiers armed with heavy duty weapons against dangerous super-threats. 

Moreover, the Stone Soldiers don't rely on words to resolve problems. If action is something you felt was lacking on MAOS, then Stone Soldiers is definitely worth a read, as many reviewers have pointed out. So if you're looking for more super-powered action while you wait for Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to return to television, consider checking out Stone Soldiers.


"Like titans fighting for their side and no-holds barred blows that seem to shake the very pages (or screen in this case as I read it on Amazon Cloud)"
--Tyler Danaan, Amazon Reader

"This is one of the funest series of books i have come across. it is simply that fun. no morality tales, no way too real, just like a well written slam bang series of books."
--Brad Thomas, Amazon Reader

"This is a fast paced action adventure in true Pulp Fiction style that C.E.Martin is so damn good at. From the opening paragraph to the final period, this is a book of outstanding action and adventure with a bit of mystery and intrigue thrown in..."
-Johnny Rentfro, Amazon Reader

"Great and fast moving story, I had trouble putting it down, Can not wait to start the next book"
--Ronald Rube, Amazon Reader

"This series is so fun! In a big 'splosions, shoot 'em up, badass soldiers, and wicked bad guys sort of way."
--Kelly Rubidoux, Reading-the-Paranormal

"The fight scenes in the book were really graphic and gory and absolutely PERFECT to help my imagination go wild."
--Megmet, Amazon Reader

"Super powered heroes versus the blackest magical forces in a pot-bubbling stew that will have you turning pages and losing track of time.  Martin’s work is addictive and we mean that in the most complimentary ways possible."
--Ron Fortier, Pulp FIction Reviews 

Friday, May 23, 2014

Spot the Error, Win a Book

Announcing a new, ongoing contest at Stone Soldiers--that can win you free books.


Errors--every book has them, no matter who edits them. Pesky little typos, missing words or even misspellings. They're an unavoidable part of writing that most readers simply pass by. But now YOU have the chance to help stamp out the errors and make Stone Soldiers better.

Here's how it works: spot an error in a Stone Soldiers book or short and be the first to report it and you'll win the next book or short in the series as a digital copy.

Simply report the error here at Stone Soldiers (either in the comments section for the book or on the new Error Contest page) or email your report to Detachment1039@gmail.com, and if you're the first to spot the error, you'll have your choice of a free download code through Smashwords.com, or a digital pdf copy emailed to you of the next book in the series.

(Limit on prize per book--you can report more than one error, but you'll only be rewarded with one book/short for each book/short you correctly report has errors).

When reporting, type out the entire sentence containing the error, then give a brief explanation, using the following format:

"He ran fast--enough to catch up, but not fast enough to arouse suspicion." (Missing word). Should read: "He ran fast--fast enough to catch up, but not fast enough to arouse suspicion."

Note that some characters will speak "incorrectly" on purpose and that grammar rules may be broken in the series for dramatic effect.

As always, thank you for supporting Stone Soldiers, and good hunting!

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

PALE HORSEMAN (Stone Soldiers #9)

Up next in the Stone Soldiers series, a terrible tale of a supernatural serial killer, out to reap the souls of the wicked...


Summer, 2014--Los Angeles is under siege by a mysterious rider who beheads his victims and vanishes into thin air. Death has come to the City of Angels, to reap the souls of the wicked. Helping the super soldiers of Detachment 1039 this time around is an unlikely ally
--a psychic detective who can see the souls of the recently departed. With his help, can the Stone Soldiers stop this veritable force of nature, or will the supernatural horseman continue his reign of terror?

Available on Kindle, and coming soon to paperback.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

If you like... SUPERNATURAL (the TV Series)

Introducing a new feature at Stone Soldiers, If You Like... where we list similar-themed fiction and compare it to the Stone Soldiers book series. 



SUPERNATURAL


This long-running series on the CW features monster-hunter brothers Sam and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki) as they track down the terrible and kill it.

In the many years the show has been on, the brothers have faced off against nearly every kind of monster and legendary being imaginable. And where once this wasa typical monster-of-the-week show, the series has developed to include long-reaching story arcs similar to the X-Files UFO conspiracy. 

In Season 8, viewers were shown a rebellion in Heaven, when a rogue Angel (Metatron, played by Curtis Armstrong) tricked series regular Castiel (Misha Collins) into sealing the gates of Heaven and casting out all the Angels. On the series, God has been absent over the past few seasons, as apocalyptic events have unfolded (and yes, the Winchesters have stopped the apocalypse on multiple occassions). In this power-vaccum, Metratron decides he's going to take over. The Winchesters have to figure out how to defeat Metatron as well as a host of other villains, including the last Knight of Hell, Abbaddon.

Supernatural features dark conspiracies, secret organizations, explosions, gunfu, butt-kicking and lots of clever dialogue. It airs weekly, on Tuesdays at 9PM on the CW. New episodes are normally posted to HuluPlus the following day, and you can catch up on past seasons on Netflix. 

Highly Recommended. 




Similarities to Stone Soldiers:

Stone Soldiers was at least partially inspired by Supernatural (I had recently finished binge-watching the series on Netflix right before plotting out my own series). But where the TV series follows two guys really, really good at killing monsters, Stone Soldiers follows a team of trained soldiers, backed up with the latest technology and the combined might of the United States Armed Forces. And while Sam and Dean may occassionally become supernatural, maybe even monsters, themselves, the Stone Soldiers are supernatural all the time, giving them an edge over evil--hence the book series motto Ex Malo Bonum:  from evil, good.

Both book and TV series further share a brand of sarcastic humor that is found in so many popular fictional properties. With a wisecracking Vampire that may just be a subconscious blending of Dean Winchester and River Song, a conspircy-theorist werewolf, a sardonic lightning-casting stone soldier and quite a few other homages to some of the finest SFF to grace TV in the past few decades. In fact, the character of Maria Guerrera, Mark Kenslir's amnesiac wife, was actually inspired by the true-life marriage of Jared Padalecki and series guest star Genevieve Cortese (as Mr. Padalecki might make a pretty good Mark Kenslir). 

Where the two fictional universes part company is in the world setting. Supernatural takes place in what is effectively the real world. Stone Soldiers' universe is one where magic has survived into the moden era. The population is basically aware that things not normal exist, but few want to believe. Stone Soldiers' universe lays somewhere between the real world and that of a comic book universe such as Marvel has created, but with a decidedly supernatural twist.

And of course, the Stone Soldiers don't have any cool muscle cars like the Winchesters' beautiful 1967 Impala. 

And there's way more explosions in Stone Soldiers. Which is a shame. The Winchesters could really use some bigger guns. 

If you like Supernatural, give Stone Soldiers a try. If you like Stone Soldiers and haven't watched Supernatural, you really need to lock yourself inside for a weekend or two and get a Netflix subscription. It's that good.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

ANNIVERSARY SALE

May marks the two year anniversary of Stone Soldiers in print.

To commemorate, Omnibus #1, Mythical, Brothers in Stone and Blood and Stone is going on sale.

For May only, get the shapeshifter trilogy for $2.99 on Kindle.


Friday, May 9, 2014

TERRORCOTA (Stone Soldiers #8)



New to Kindle today, the eighth installment in the Stone Soldiers supernatural military thriller series;


A rogue Chinese General with dreams of world domination has stolen an ancient alchemical weapon--the Nlai Wan--a bomb capable of turning human flesh to brittle clay. Bringing his weapon to America, the General hopes to unleash it on an unsuspecting populace and trigger a war he thinks only he can win. But even armed with the weapons of the Legendary Eight Immortals, General Zuo Zheng Duan is not as invincible as he thinks. America is ready for his invasion, and the Stone Soldiers are headed to Colorado for a showdown of epic proportions as East meets West at the brink of World War III.





Sunday, May 4, 2014

Stone Soldiers: Pirate Approved

In the grand scheme of things, it's good to know something's worth stealing. Imitation may be a sincere form of flattery, but knowing pirates think your work is worth the effort to steal has got be better.

It's now official: Stone Soldiers is a treasure. Book pirate  Voldizard http://kickass.to/user/Voldizard has given the series two hooks up, by posting it over at Kickass.to.

True, Captain V has stolen a lot of literary booty (check out his hundreds of uploaded books), but that just means he's well'versed in sailing the seven servers in search of loot.

So there you go, better than a review. Hackers, Pirates and readers agree--Stone Soldiers kicks ass.

(Note, a takedown notice has been sent to Kickass.to, so for those looking to deal with scurvy servers and publishing pirates act quick, or chek out Stone Soldiers on Kindle where your purchases will keep the series going)