Junior Inquisitor

Junior Inquisitor

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Cover Reveal for The Witch's Lair


First off let me wish everyone a Merry Christmas, I hope you are able to spend time with family and friends, as well as, take a much needed break. Here in the Farish household, little girl is busy defeating the Emperor's Spacewolf Titans with the Khorne Hordes of Duplo Chaos.
They fought well, but in the end Duplo animals proved to be a mighty foe. 
Overhead shot of shame. There will be other battles, and mercy will not be shown.
 
You'd think a two year old yelling “Blood for the blood god,” would be funny. Nope, more like being woken up by the eerie cackle of Chucky.

The lovely Dr. Farish, when she is not yelling at squirrels who are trying to eat her flowers, is still shooting down names for progeny number two. Jethro Farish is not going to happen.
 
I am disappointed Dr. Farish.
 
Mark Harmon was in tears over the decision, but then went back to counting his money, and smacking people on the back of their heads with a fury Little Rabbit Fru-Fru would envy. Leroy Jenkins was eating chicken and unavailable for comment. Secundus and Sanguineous have also been nixed. This is, of course, a temporary setback, I shall continue to craft the perfect name.

In addition to writing stories, working full time, and Reserve weekends, I am enrolled in AOC (Advanced Operations Course), which is essentially Colonel's School. It is a necessary course one must take to continue to advance in the Army, but it is heavy on understanding theory, operations support at the Division and above level, and of course, writing. So my fun reading has slowed quite a bit, and one of the reasons I am reluctant to agree to review books from new to me authors. It's not that I'm not interested, but for some reason my body insists I sleep every now and then. Stupid body.
 


So on to the news most of you care about, The Witch's Lair.
I have a cover. Done, with tag line and everything.
 
 
 
 
I even have an animated version. Sadly Twitter only allows images up to 5MB, and The Witch's Lair animated version is just a bit to big.
 
 
 
 
If you are impressed with the artwork and skill and want to be cool like me when it comes to your book cover or other illustrated needs, contact Danielle Fine at www.daniellefine.com

Danielle Fine- I've got mad skills, and reasonable prices

The actual text is with the editor undergoing line edits. Which means Valentine's day February 14th, 2016, it will be ready for readers. I am working on setting up pre-orders via Smashwords, and Amazon.

One might ask, “Lincoln, why are you releasing a dark, almost horror novel on Valentine's day when the protagonist is a celibate monk?”

My answer would be “Reasons."
 
You will have to read the book to understand, but when you do, the veil shall be lifted, meaning will become clear, and enlightenment will be yours.

If you have not read the first two books, Junior Inquisitor and Soulless Monk, I suggest you do so now. And if you could tell all of your friends to get copies as well, I would be able to quit my job and focus on entertaining you. Lastly, please leave a review. It helps others know what is good and what to avoid.

                             Junior Inquisitor Book One

 

                     Smashwords - http://goo.gl/XsGgAC

Inquisitor Series - http://goo.gl/mJtTf8







SOULLESS MONK Book Two



Smashwords - https://goo.gl/NXw3Gr
                          Amazon - http://goo.gl/p9fBn0
                  Inquisitor Series - http://goo.gl/5lCyaX





              Excerpt from The Witch's Lair #3 in the Inquisitor Series


“Sebastian,” whispered Brother Malachi, I hadn't heard him move up from behind me. “Have everyone collapse in on you. We need to move fast and prepare.”
“Fall in on me,” I radioed out and quickly I was surrounded by the remains of my team.

What is it?” asked Brother Tristan nervously looking back at the sound as it was louder and closer.

Bone spiders,” replied Brother Malachi.




Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Janey Mack's Time's Up. No ninjas, but still damn good.


Every now and then I read a book that doesn't have ninjas, or rampaging dinosaurs, or bold brutal men of action. Mostly I find the book lacking, and then there are rare occasions when I am surprised as when I read Janey Mack's Time's Up.



Janey Mack

 http://www.amazon.com/Janey-Mack/e/B00OPVAZC8/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0





Blurb:

TIME’S UP

The police academy gave her the boot—and she knows how to use it.

All her life, Maisie McGrane dreamed of following in her father and older brothers’ footsteps and joining the force. But when she’s expelled from the police academy, she’s reduced to taking a job as a meter maid. Now, instead of chasing down perps, she’s booting people’s cars and taking abuse from every lowlife who can’t scrape together enough change to feed the meter.

McGranes weren’t put on this earth to quit, however. When Maisie stumbles across the body of a City Hall staffer with two bullets in his chest, her badge-wielding brothers try to warn her off the case. But with the help of her secret crush, shadowy ex-Army Ranger Hank Bannon, Maisie’s determined to follow the trail of conspiracy no matter where it leads. And that could put her in the crosshairs of a killer—and all she’s packing is a ticket gun.






Excerpt:

CHAPTER 1

My abs were screaming. Sweat slicking between my shoulder blades, I ignored the rhythmic grunts next to me.

Seventy-eight, seventy-nine…”

Gut it out. Hank’s voice echoed in my head.

Eighty-four, eight-five…”

Gut it out! Gut it out! Gut it…

Time!” the PT sergeant yelled.

Holy shit, that’s gotta be a record,” my counter said.

I lay prone on the mat, abs twitching like an epileptic at a rave from ninety-one sit-ups in two minutes. Fair to middling for an Army Ranger. But for me, a first in my class and complete and total victory over jerked Tommy Narkinney.

Tucking my knees to my chest, I rolled up onto my shoulders and bucked to my feet Jackie Chan-style. Digging deep not to drop my head past my knees and suck air.

Hank’s Law Number Five: Make it look easy.


I called over to Tommy. “How many, Nark?”

He sat on the ground, forehead on his knees, breathing heavy, straw colored hair damp with sweat. “Eighty-eight.”

Yeah?” I said. “Good job.”

Tommy frowned in suspicion. “And you?”

Ninety-one.” I raised my arms over my head, easing the fire at my sides.

He rolled his eyes and flopped back onto the ground. “Fuck me.”

No thanks.”

McGrane!” the sergeant shouted with a former Marine’s perfect enunciation and eardrum-blowing volume. “Quit picking around. Resor wants you.”

And I knew why. I was finally going to join the ranks of Flynn, Rory, and Cash McGrane. Just as my older brothers had all been awarded Top Cadet, so would I.

It took every ounce of cool I had not to skip like a little girl out of the gym.

I trotted up the stairs to Reskor’s office and rapped on the thick, oak-paneled door.

Enter.”

Polished wood floors, Oriental rugs, leather chairs–it looks more like the office of a Fortune 500 CEO than the commandant of the Chicago Police Academy.

Hank’s Law Number Eleven: Heavy hitters don’t advertise.


I stood at full attention in front of Reskor’s desk, staring blankly over the top of his balding pate.


Miss McGrane. Please take a seat.”


Adrenaline pulsed double-time through my veins. “No thank you, sir.”


Sit.” Resor pointed at the chair.


I sat.


He opened a manila folder on his desk, M. McGrane typed neatly across the tab. “Let’s see… ninety-eight percent on the written exam. Scored ‘expert’ on the shooting range, and a first in PT, as well.”


My knee started bouncing. I leaned forward, pressing it still with the heel of my hand.


But I regret to inform you that you failed the psych review.”


             “Huh?” “Failed the psych review” didn’t sound anything like “Congratulations, Top Cadet.” “I’m sorry… What did you say?”


Reskor closed the manila file. “You failed.”


The sweat on my forehead had dried to salt. I ran a hand over my gritty face. “There must be some mistake, sir.” The room began to warp at the corners. “On what grounds?”

As you know, failure on any exam results in immediate dismissal from the cadet program.”


This can’t be happening.

Please sir, on what grounds?”


He pressed the tips of his fingers together and gave it to me, right between the eyes. “The testing revealed you have an almost pathological need to be liked. The consensus of the peer review is that you are too thin-skinned to deal with the daily barrage of public hostility and unfriendly situations that a police officer encounters.”


A pathological need to be liked? Me?

I realized I was rocking back and forth in the chair and got to my feet. “Sir, may I reapply, sir?”

In a year, you may.” His breath huffed out in a little sigh. “Reinstatement at that Academy is extremely rare. I see little point unless you can provide empirical evidence at that time to disprove the diagnosis.” Reskor rose and held out his hand. “Not everyone is meant to be a police officer, Maisie.”


And like some idiot robot, I shook it. “Sir, yes sir.”


News of my disgrace traveled fast.

Tommy Narkinney was waiting for me in the hallway. “Tough bounce, kitty puncher.”


Before I had time to tell him what a jackass he was, two academy instructors, one male and one female, escorted me to my dorm room. They watched me pack my gear and walked me out to my car in the parking lot.

What the fuck?

I sat in my Honda accord and tried to remember how to start it, jumping when the female instructor knocked on the window. I turned the key partway and fumbled of the electric window switch.


Hey.” She gave me a sympathetic frown-smile and said in a chipper voice, “Is there someone I can call for you?”

Jesus Criminy. My family.

No, I’m fine. Really. Thanks.” I zipped up the window and turned the key fully in the ignition.

Three miles later I pulled into a 7-Eleven, got out of the car, and threw up.

###






Bio:



Janey Mack grew up always wanting to be a cop but her dad wouldn’t let her so she did the next best thing. She created Maisie McGrane, who gets to do everything Janey can’t.

Janey lives with her husband and children in Arizona, within driving distance of her brothers.

Author Links:







Main Character's motivations

Maisie McGrane is a smart and scrappy young woman from a tight-knit, Irish-Catholic cop family. The only girl with five older brothers, her dream is to become a Chicago police officer.

Crushed when she’s expelled from the Police Academy, Maisie’s determined to fight her way onto the force, no matter what it takes.



What is their secret strengths/ weaknesses

Maisie’s greatest strengths are her love of family and desire to succeed, which is also her greatest weakness.

Driven by a sense of duty and the desire to “pull her own weight” within the clan, she strives to prove herself as ‘one of the boys’ to the men in her life. Maisie weakness is her inability to grasp that she’s always had and always will have their acceptance.


Any offbeat obscure or 80s references?

My book is chock full of pop-culture references. I don’t even know where to begin listing them.
This is true, poor Steven Segal.

When did you start to write this one and why?

I wanted to write a book that made people laugh, made them happier having read it. My favorite writers—Chandler, Dahl, Francis, Hammett, Harris—always make me feel better when I read one of their books. That’s my desire—to provide an escape. Well, that and getting on the shelves of Target.

Time’s Up started when I tried to think about what the worst job a person desperate to become a police officer could have, meter maid topped the list.


What's next in this series or in your next book?

Maisie won’t be a ‘one-trick-pony’. She’ll evolve as a person as well as within her career path, mostly learning from her mistakes.


Preview of your next book:



She’s working undercover–and she’s in way over her head.

Scrappy Traffic Enforcement agent Maisie McGrane has finally landed her dream job as a Chicago police officer. There’s just one catch. She must remain undercover as a meter maid to gather evidence against Stannislav Renko, a charismatic Serbian mobster running a brutal multi-million dollar mobile chop-shop operation.

When Maisie is targeted by a killer who leaves a body slumped against her car, Renko comes to her rescue and takes her under his wing. From her perch inside the crime boss’s inner circle, Maisie sets up a daring sting operation to take down Renko once and for all. But can she pull it off before her family of overprotective Irish cops and her sexy ex-Army Ranger boyfriend blow her cover?


When will it be available?

December 29, 2015



Giveaways to people of your choosing:

Leave a comment in the comments section and I will have Janey send one of you a signed copy of Time’s Up. For Free.






Fun. That's what Time's Up is, it's fun. Pure simple enjoyment in literary form.

This is not my usual genre, and yet I found myself truly drawn into the plot, Maisie's struggles and wonder, “Who dunnit?” To get me to not just read but thoroughly enjoy a story outside of my normal literary haunts requires great skill, and Janey Mack has it.

Strong believable characters are penned with a deft touch the kinds of characters who leap of the page. Maisie is at times smart, hardheaded, kind, stubborn, foolish, and hungry to seize her place in the world. Embroiled in family dynamics and situations, which, especially if you are a younger sibling, you will recognize and empathize with. While this maybe a story about a woman who starts off with one of the worst days of her life, the are plenty of absurd, laugh out loud moments.

In the end it was a book I enjoyed and I look forward to the next in the series when it arrives.
                                        Lincoln Information
Next week I will show off the new cover for The Witch's Lair, still on track to drop on Valentine's day. And I'm 30k into writing on #4. More of Brothers Sebastian and Malachi along with some old friends as well as some new ones.

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Jessica Alter's Dome Trilogy


This week we are going sci-fi via Jessica Alter's Dome Trilogy. I have had the pleasure of reading all of the books, and it was time well spent. I recommend you block off some time during the holidays, and sink into a new world, under the Dome.


Still life with author


And to answer your questions, yes, Jess actually uses a pink Olivetti typewriter for writing. She also has a stunt typewriter for those tricky scenes.


                                    Beneath a Sunless  Sky




Blurb

Ten years after child prodigy Remy had an accident which robbed her of a prestigious future, she walks the edge between life on Solaray-lit Level One and the gloom of the UnderDome, waiting for an opportunity to return to her place among the elite ruling class and put the nightmare of living as a sub-human behind her. In the first book of the Dome Trilogy, Remy’s life spirals from her control; she is condemned to live her life in the most reviled pit in the Dome world, known to be populated by brutish beasts too inhuman to even live on the edge of society. When she arrives, however, she discovers that humanity does not belong only to the citizen, life on Level One is not what she had believed it to be, and a threat more grave than the UnderDome, itself, lurks just beyond its shadows.

Review
Beneath a Sunless Sky is a coming of age story in the same way Dune is a story of a boy named Paul becoming a man. Under Jess' careful hand, the story, Remy, the main character, and all of the other inhabitants of this world come alive. Almost everyone lives in a dome controlled by a central computer, placed into a rather rigid caste system depending upon skills and testing. At the same time what appears to be a utopia has a dark side, and there are hints the central computer is acting more of a puppet master, than benevolent deity. Information has been suppressed, history sanitized, and the obstinate eradicated. This is not a free society, but one where obedience is compelled.
Remy's biggest problem, and one she does even seem to quite understand is that men want to possess her, like a trophy. They do not want her love, marriage is only offered as a gilded cage, these men want to collect her. It is from this many of her problems spring forth.
Remy is penned in detail, she is real, alive. She makes mistakes, and shows brilliant flashes of insight, she can both be the naïve little sister and the ingénue. She picks fights where she shouldn't and avoids help when she should. She comes across as fallible, human.
This is not a fast read with lots of explosions and pirates fighting ninjas, this is a thinking book one best digested over time. Even after you put it down, it will linger with you asking questions fostering internal debates on the nature of people, how civil society is, versus how it should be, and why did Remy make a particular choice.
For me, a book that lingers, that I remember long after I hit “The End,” is the best type to read, even if there were no dinosaur rampages or zombie outbreaks. If I'd been charged 9.95 for this book it would have been money well spent.

 
 
 

                 Links http://www.indieimprint.com/dometrilogy/






                                     Nightmare Specters

 
Blurb

In the second novel of the Dome Trilogy, Remy is glorified as the long-awaited messianic leader of a devoutly religious populace and promises them the Dome above their heads as a homeland -- a vow even their revered Messiah Ami was unable to fulfill. Vengeance turns to apprehension as Remy realizes that not everything is as simple as it seems and even the best intentions can produce devastating consequences.


Review

Remy is back, but has now managed to escape the dome society and their rigid ways. Rescued or kidnapped depending upon how one looks at it, she's now a part of the resistance, those cast away by dome society, those independent spirits that do not wish to bow down to central computer and actively fighting to replace the plutocracy of colors. But there is a problem, this revolution like many, will give rise to a tyranny even worse than what preceded it, and Remy at first an avenging angel, is quickly becoming a liability.



 
 
               Links http://www.indieimprint.com/dometrilogy/



                                          Solaray Dawn
 

Blurb

Forced from the shadows and into the Solaray light . . .

On Level One, every citizen wants to see the face of the most envied woman in the Dome world; UnderDome, two factions prepare for a war which will determine control of Central Computer and humanity's future. In the third installment of the Dome Trilogy, Remy reluctantly re-enters the Dome as a citizen, carefully shielded from public view - until her husband disappears under questionable circumstances.

Forced to dodge admirers and assassins, Remy realizes it is finally time to change the Dome world . . . but at what price?

Review

In this third and final installment Remy becomes a leader, not a figurehead, not a puppet of another, but a formidable person of power in her own right. Gone are the days of passiveness and indecision, of hiding behind others; Remy has grown up. However, with power comes enemies, and Remy has plenty, some want her dead, some want her physically, and some just want her power. Lastly Remy's past has been checkered, her actions dubious and illegal, her very existence a matter of debate. Will her past come back to haunt her? Oh yes. Will it kill her? Read and find out for yourself.


 
 

                Links http://www.indieimprint.com/dometrilogy/
 

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Cindy Lou Hernandez's A Jar of Fingers and more of The Witch's Lair


Since most of you who follow me insist that I write horror, I have a nice treat for you this week, Cindy Lou Hernandez, her take on the world of witches, via her dark novel, A Jar of Fingers.

As usual, I have updates on The Witch's Lair, #3 in the Inquisitor Series, which should be available on Valentine's Day 2016.


Blurb:

Deegie Tibbs is an independent young witch with a funky little shop that sells magical items, a crazy collection of magical friends, and a brand new (haunted) house. It comes complete with ghosts in the walls, a jar of human fingers in the basement, and its very own demon. It’s a complicated life…and things are about to get really weird.

Excerpt:

A long wooden table sat at the far end of the basement, and Deegie saw that it held row upon row of what appeared to be canning jars, each with a paper label. The table and its jars were covered with a layer of dust and grime so thick that Deegie's hands immediately turned a sooty black the minute she picked up the first jar and began to look it over. The label was yellowed and peeling, but there was just enough light for her to read what it said: Golden Chain. The jar was empty, but she could see some sort of milky white residue at the bottom. Strange. Golden Chain was once used in ancient medicines and magical spells. It was highly poisonous.

The next jar was labeled Roots of Both Hellebores, another poisonous magical ingredient no one used anymore. Deegie frowned, wondering just what she'd discovered here in the freezing cold basement of her old house. Any magical practitioner worth their salt knew better than to mess with this stuff. Anyone practicing white magic, that is.

I think that old drunk was telling the truth! She remembered the pages of her father’s Book of Shadows, which she’d accidently found one day as a child and read in secret every chance she got. Poisonous herbs and roots were always used in spells for summoning demons.

She put down Roots of Both Hellebores and reached for another jar at random. This one was even filthier than the others, and it bore no label. When she gave it a gentle shake, something rattled and clinked against the glass. The lid was rusted tight; she was unable to wrench it open, but when she stood directly under one of the hanging light bulbs and wiped away some of the grime, she was able to see what was inside.

Five severed human fingers, withered, gray, and nearly fleshless, lay in a cluster at the bottom of the jar.

"Holy crap!" Deegie nearly dropped the jar and its gruesome contents in her haste to return it to its spot on the table. What kind of weirdo kept dried severed fingers in a jar? Not surprisingly, the basement was now the last place on earth she wanted to be. She backed away from the table, casting her eyes around the dim basement. The shadows loomed in long-forgotten corners, as if they were indignant about having their space invaded by this ordinary human who eschewed severed fingers and the Roots of Both Hellebores.


Main character’s motivations:

After leaving her cheating boyfriend, Deegie Tibbs discovers that her new home comes with a nasty entity in the basement. Not wanting to abandon the house she’s always wanted, she resolves to defend what is rightfully hers and comes up with a plan to eradicate the creature. She’s sick of having her already complicated life upheaved and she’s not about to let anything stop her from starting over.


Main character’s strengths/weaknesses:

Since Deegie is a witch, she naturally has an obvious strength albeit an unusual one. Having been hurt throughout her life in a variety of ways, she comes off as bit stand-offish and indifferent, and she doesn’t put up with a lot of b. s. from people. But her tough demeanor is actually just a façade—she does care deeply about people, and she’s quite sensitive,

Her main weakness is something she rarely talks about. She has a rare disability found only in natural-born witches. It’s called Witch’s Cramp, and it prevents her from using her magical abilities to the fullest extent. While other witches can handle repeated magical expenditures with no ill effects, Deegie cannot. She can perform only a few small acts of magic—or one big one—at a time. If she attempts to do too much, she is beset by tremendous, debilitating headaches.


Philosophical issues:

There are several philosophical issues in A Jar of Fingers. The most sensitive one would be that of religion. While this issue is an important part of the story (Deegie has a tendency to say “Thank all the Gods!”), I tried to address it as gently as I could. Deegie is a Pagan, but I’ve made sure she is an open-minded one. She even participates in a Christmas celebration at the end of the book.

Metaphysics and morality are two more issues Deegie faces. Along with the creature in the basement, there is also a timid ghost “living” on the upper floors of Deegie’s new home. When Deegie discovers the unconventional place where the ghost’s earthly remains are interred, she struggles with wanting to move the bones to a proper resting place and trying to understand why the ghost wants her body to stay where it is.


Any off-beat, obscure, or 80’s references?

Not really, and I’m surprised by that since I, myself, am offbeat and obscure. I loved the 80’s, too.


When did you start to write this one and why?

I dreamed up the character of Deegie Tibbs when I used to participate in writing-based online role-play games, also known as Rp. I wrote stories with other players, using Deegie as a protagonist. When I quit doing Rp and started focusing on writing books instead, it just felt natural to take Deegie along with me. The title, A Jar of Fingers, came to me one day when I was struggling to open a jar of gherkins, and I thought they looked like little green fingers. This led to a “what if” moment, and I started writing A Jar of Fingers in September of 2014.


What’s next in this series?

Book two, The Witch War of Fiddlehead Creek, and book three, Seven Deadly Ghosts, have both been written and published, book three just recently. My readers are already asking me if there will be a book four. I have a few ideas for the further adventures of Deegie Tibbs, so we’ll see how far I can take it.

            Preview of your next book?

I haven’t started writing book four yet, but I’ll share the general idea here. I don’t have a title yet, but book four will have Deegie trying to solve the mystery of a haunted ring. This book will be a little darker than the previous three.

When will it be available?

I’m not sure yet, but I plan to have the book written by autumn of 2016. From there, it’s up to my publisher, but I will be sure to let everyone know.



Bio:

I'm Cindy Lou Hernandez from California, U.S.A. I am the author of the series The Complicated Life of Deegie Tibbs, (Winlock Press) and the novel The Curious Case of the Tuscan Plague Doctor, (Barking rain Press) which will be released in 2016. I've also self-published two short story collections, Cobwebs and A Half-Dozen Horrors. My stories have been featured in the anthologies Happy Little Horrors, Dead Harvest, Deathmongers: Where the Light Dies, and Blood Moon Rising 2.

Links:

Amazon author page: amazon.com/author/clhernandez






Junior Inquisitor Book One



                 Still just $2.99






Inquisitor Series - http://goo.gl/mJtTf8




SOULLESS MONK Book Two




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Inquisitor Series - http://goo.gl/5lCyaX



       The Witch's Lair #3 in the Inquisitor Series

“Sebastian,” whispered Brother Malachi, I hadn't heard him move up from behind me. “Have everyone collapse in on you. We need to move fast and prepare.”

“Fall in on me,” I radioed out and quickly I was surrounded by the remains of my team.

What is it?” asked Brother Tristan nervously looking back at the sound as it was louder and closer.

Bone spiders,” replied Brother Malachi.