Reign of Evil Finalist for New Mexico - Arizona Book Awards

I'm once again honored to have a SEAL Team 666 novel nominated for the New Mexico - Arizona Book Awards. SEAL Team 666 was a finalist and won the award in 2013. Age of Blood was a finalist and won the award in 2014. Now with Reign of Evil poised to win the award again, the books are poised to do a clean sweep.

I am so happy that the awards presenters and judges love these books. I know a lot of you love them as well, so it's nice to see your love getting the credit it deserves.

The only difference between this year and years past is that the book is in a different category. While in 2013 and 2014 it was in the Sci Fi Fantasy Category, this year it is in the Adventure Drama Category. Let's hope that the judges in this new category love the SEALs as much as the previous judges.

Here's the full category finalists. Best of luck to everyone involved. Writing and being published is such hard work. Everyone deserves to win.

Standing proud at the ceremony in Albuquerque

Fiction – adventure or drama

The Big Wheel
Jones, Scott Archer
Southern Yellow Pine Publishing

The Height of Secrecy
Mitchell, J.M.
Prairie Plum Press

Reign of Evil
Ochse, Weston
St Martin’s Press

Sparky and the King
Baldwin, Dan
Four Knights Press

What the Owl Saw
McFarland, Gerald
Sunstone Press

Zorn and Grayall Find Murder By The Way
Chanda, Val
Wasteland Press



For the full list of finalist books and all categories, 
go to the NM - AZ Book Award Page

Yvonne and I will be attending the awards in Albuquerque this year.

And thank you to Thomas Dunne of Thomas Dunne Books for publishing the SEAL Team 666 Series!!! 

Southern California Signing Tour for SEAL Team 666, Grunt Life, and many more

For the third year in a row I have the privilege of signing books in Southern California. In what has become an annual tradition, I'll be signing books next week at stores and libraries from Ventura to San Diego and points in between. Along the way I'll eat some great food, meet some fans, new and old friends, and booksellers, and be witness to the spectacular Pacific Ocean. This year I'll have my wife with me which will make it even more special. Gosh knows we've taken some personal hits recently and this time away from things will serve to rejuvinate us for the new year.

I'm posting my schedule below. Please come out and join me. You'll find that I'll be more than eager to talk about writing, books, and publishing. I'm linking

these to my Facebook Events Pages, in case you need more information.

 

Sunday Dec 7

4 - 7 PM

Barnes and Nobles, 4820 Telephone Rd, Ventura, California 93003 

Link to Event

Mon Dec 8 

4 - 6 PM

Gatsby Books, 5535 E Spring St, Long Beach, California 90808

Link to Event

Tue Dec 9

7 - 9 PM

Dark Delicacies, 3512 W Magnolia Blvd, Burbank, California 91505
Link to Event

Wed Dec 10

4 - 5 PM

San Gabriel Library, 500 S Del Mar Ave, San Gabriel, California 91776

Link to Event

Sat Dec 13

Mysterious Galaxy at their NEW LOCATION 

5943 Balboa Ave, Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92117

Link to Event

 I hope to see everyone. Come see me in person. I don't get out much and this might be your only chance.

SEAL Team 666 and Grunt Life Make the Newspaper

I was interviewed on Veteran's Day by the local paper about the release of Reign of Evil -- the third installment of the SEAL Team 666 series from Thomas Dunne Books. The photographer showed up and took some snappies. Then the reporter arrived-- a young man fresh out of Penn State. We spent roughly an hour talking about this and that in our front room surrounded by books.

Today the article came out. A two page spread in the special Thursday Temp edition of the Sierra Vista Herald. The last time I was in the paper it was as part of an article about my wife and stud author Yvonne Navarro where the reporter called me the 'smiling Rotarian.' I come out much better in this article. HAHA.

There are a few factual errors. I was asked about my bracelet seen in the picture and said it was sent to me from a fan (Sean Neeld). I never mentioned it was given to me at a signing. There's also a that-who grammer error that I might have made verbally, but should have been changed textually. And then the Coen brothers are mentioned-- Fargo and Oh Brother Where Art Thou fame. Imagine what a movie from them would look like -- Oh SEAL Team 666 Where Art Thou.

But other than that, it looks like a great article.

The reporter also laments the fact that the script for SEAL Team 666 (Thomas Dunne Books) is being written by another team - the Hayes Brothers. It's actually very common to have multiple versions of the script with many different writers. It's actually a good thing.

We also spent a lot of time talking about the PTSD-positive novel Grunt Life (Solaris) and about the awesome reception its had within the PTSD community. Thankfully, the reporter was able to capture some of that conversation. Although it's a military science fiction mass market paperback, I think it has some important things to say about PTSD and the men and women who have it.

 All in all it is a terrific article.

Here's a link to the article. Thank you Sierra Vista Herald.

http://www.svherald.com/content/robert-charette/2014/11/12/391916

Less than 24 Hours Until SEAL Team 666 Reign of Evil Goes Live

SEAL Team 666 Reign of Evil hits the streets in two days. Ordering a copy now will help make sales go through the roof. A book is largely judged by how well it does with the first days of being for sale. So I need your help. If you're planning on buying one, want to buy another as a gift, want to buy one to give away, or just want to buy one to throw at the next guy who solicits at your door, please do it within the next 72 hours. 

I'm including a link that has a bunch of buying options. And if you have a favorite store like The Poisoned Pen Bookstore or Barnes And Noble's/Starbucks (in Fayetteville) or Barnes and Nobles (Ventura) or Barnes & Noble Booksellers (Phoenix) or Mysterious Galaxy, give them a call or go to their website and order from them. 

Also don't forget on opening day to also go down to your favorite bookstore and buy a copy from them. This is when I need you to help me so I can keep bringing you great fiction.

My Email Exploded This Morning

I guess Amazon is getting more aggressive. Either that or I have more fans. I have a book coming out in October. No surprise to me or to anyone following me on facebook. But now it seems that everyone who's ever bought a book from me now knows because Amazon bulk emailed them. Funny thing is, though, that some folks thought that the email was from me, went to my website, and sent me emails. Some of them are down-right hilarious.

This was in the email everyone got.

A sampling of these emails include:

• Stop sending me spam! I don't like your books.
• So happy to see you doing so well.
• Loving SEAL Team 666.
• When is the movie coming out.
• How'd you get my email address?
• Can you introduce me to the Rock?
• Cousin XXX got this from Amazon, where he obviously bought your books, and forwarded it to almost everyone on his family mailing list.
• I didn't know you wrote books.
• Cool logo on the cover. Are you selling it?
• How do you pronounce your name?
• I hate your guts!!!
• Do you know Jonathan Maberry? Can you get him to blurb a book for me too?
• Is this self-published?
• Where do you get your ideas?
• Why did you name the dog after a vacuum cleaner?
• Please unsubscribe me from this list.

 I could go on, but you get the idea.

Of course I'm probably preaching to the choir. If you're reading this and you've ever bought one of my books from Amazon then chances are you received the Amazon bulk emailer too. Know this:

• I didn't send this email.
• I don't know when the movie is coming out.
• I can't introduce you to the Rock.
• I'm not selling the logo. MGM currently has the rights to it.
• I didn't get your email address. 
• Yes I write books.
• Thank you for hating my guts.
• I get my ideas from a  woman in Iowa who sells them on eBay.
• The dog is named after a president.
• Jonathan Maberry is probably too busy to blurb your book.
• My name is pronounced like Oaks.
• The book is not self-published.
• And thank you for loving SEAL Team 666

I hope this helps everyone.

Have a terrific day.

BACK IN THE USA UPDATE

So I'm back.

Afghanistan is now 4 weeks in my rear-view mirror. I haven't been hiding under a rock, but I have been easing back into things. I can't tell you how awesome it was to return to a loving home. My wife is awesome. So were my parents. I missed my dogs terribly. And interestingly enough, I also miss many of the new friends I made on deployment.

Here are some of the things that have been going on-

• Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has signed on to exec produce and star in the film adaptation for SEAL Team 666 (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer).
• SEAL Team 666: Age of Blood went on sale in both the U.S. and UK and is selling like gangbusters.
• SEAL Team 666 Book Three is going to happen. We're working out contract issues.
• Grunt Life, my military science fiction novel for Solaris Books, is complete and ready to be sent to my agent.
• I'm doing a book signing tour in SOCAL. Information can be accessed by clicking on Upcoming
  
  Appearances.
• I've maintained my weight and fitness.
• I went trout fishing for the first time in 15 years, absolutely loved it, and caught four trout, three of which I kept and cooked for Yvonne. Yummers.
• Bought a Suunto Ambit 2S GPS watch, which is really helping me keep track of exercising--oh, and it keeps time too.
•  About to start my story for V-WARS and get to write about a Norse berserker vampire.  How cool is that?

That's about it, I think.

Thanks for keeping up with me.

Seriously.  Thanks.

Thank Yous and Acknowledgements for AGE OF BLOOD

So many people go into the making of a book. What you see below are the acknowledgements from the inside of SEAL Team 666: Age of Blood. After it went to print, I was assigned to Team Black publicity team. In appreciation, I sent them patches and had some more made to give out at signings. Special call out to Paul Hochman and Clare Toohey for your critical help. Both of you and those you work with are as much a part of SEAL Team 666 as Laws and Walker.

Here's what appeared in the book. 

Many people helped to make the book you’re holding (or viewing or listening to) and I owe them all a sincere thanks. Thanks again to Brendan Deneen, Peter Joseph, Pete Wolverton, and the whole Thomas Dunne team. Thanks of course to my agent, Robert Fleck, for being on the front lines of publishing so that I don’t have to. Shout out to the bands the Eagles of Death Metal, 009 Sound System, Mumford and Sons, QOTSA, and Everlast for rocking me through the writing process for this novel. And thanks most of all to Yvonne, without whose support, wisdom, and love, none of this would be possible.

Special shout-out to Jon Carte for being there at the real beginning of things. Thanks also to Dave Lake, Brian Wallenius, Barb and Dirk Foster, Hal and Gene, and Eunice and Gregg Magill. Thanks to Comic King Walt Flannigan and Keith Giffen (I Heart Lobo) for your props. Thanks also to Brian Keene, Drew Williams, Bob Ford, Geoff Cooper, and Stephen Lukac for a boys’ weekend to send me off to Afghanistan. And thanks to Brian K and Tommy H for introducing me to Herb and Diane Harmon (Hi Herb and Diane) and the serenity of Cedar Lodge.And thanks to all the readers and bookstore workers for making SEAL Team 666 such a huge success. I had emails from fans from Vincenza, Italy, where the book was in a military base library, to Hawaii, where tourists were buying copies to take out to the beach.

Lots of fan letters. Lots of new friends. I thank each and every one of you for taking the time to write, email, Facebook, tweet, or simply high-five me during a book signing. If you want to reach out to me about this book or anything else, I can be found on Facebook and Twitter under my name and you can always find
me at www .westonochse.com.

—Weston Ochse

Kabul, Afghanistan June 2013

Shout out to Dayton Metro Library

Shout out to the Librarians at the Dayton Metro Library for ordering copies of SEAL Team 666: AGE OF BLOOD. If you are in this part of Ohio and can't afford a copy of the book, call up and reserve yours at the library. Try an inter-library transfer, if you want the book at a library near you. And if you're at a library that doesn't have AGE OF BLOOD, ask them to get it for you. I've found that librarians want you to read, so if it is in their power, they'll make it happen.

If you are a librarian or are a reader who has seen this book at your local library, drop me a line so I can give a shout out to the hard working men and women at the library.

Thanks Dayton Metro Librarians!!!

BOOKLIST Reviews AGE OF BLOOD

UK Paperback

Age of Blood.
Ochse, Weston (Author)
Oct 2013. 320 p. St. Martin's/Thomas Dunne, hardcover, $24.99. (9781250036629).

Here's a snippet:

"Ochse’s novel attempts to blend the military fiction of Tom Clancy with the supernatural horror of early
Stephen King. It shouldn’t work, but it does, thanks mainly to the SEAL-team characters, just the kind of appealing heroes you want fighting visions from all our nightmares." - Booklist

Here's the full review:

US Hardback

In this follow-up to SEAL Team 666, a kidnapping propels the team into hell. The daughter of a senator vanishes from a beach, and video footage shows her being attacked by a giant sea creature. But evidence demonstrating she’s still alive sends the team to Mexico, where one of the team members is bitten by the creature. Rather than seek help when he shows signs of being possessed, though, he hides what is happening to him. Soon the mission goes haywire, and the mayhem and bloodshed escalate. Ochse’s novel attempts to blend the military fiction of Tom Clancy with the supernatural horror of early Stephen King. It shouldn’t work, but it does, thanks mainly to the SEAL-team characters, just the kind of appealing heroes you want fighting visions from all our nightmares. More in this genre-blending vein will be eagerly anticipated. -Jeff Ayers

Age of Blood Gets British Cover

Do you like the TV shows The X-Files, Fringe or Supernatural? Do you like reading books by authors Jonathan Maberry, Jim Butcher, Tom Clancy, Myke Cole, Jon F. Merz, Larry Correia, Bob Mayer, Clive Cussler, Lee Child,  Dan Brown and Joseph Nassise? Do you like the The Joe Ledger Chronicles, The Dresden Files, Monster Hunters International, Area 51, The Templar Chronicles, or The Cerberus Protocols?

According to the host of readers and reviewers of SEAL Team 666, if you like any of the above, then you'll like SEAL Team 666 and it's sequel, SEAL Team 666: Age of Blood. (I appreciate the complements of being compared to these amazing authors and their works. I don't necessarily approve of the comparisons, but I sincerely appreciate everyone's energetic appreciation for hard-working men and women of SEAL Team 666 fame.)

Check out the American and British Covers.

They're all gorgeous. I like both cover treatments of Thomas Dunne Books and Titan Books. You do have to admire the British covers for their branding, though, don't you? Plus, look how large my name is.  Always something an author likes. It looks like three of the four used the Kevin J. Anderson quote. The fourth one used a quote from Kirkus Reviews.

SEAL Team 666 is still on-sale at brick and mortars and online.

SEAL Team 666:Age of Blood is on-sale for pre-order and comes out in October. Do me a favor, if you're thinking about ordering one anyway, why not pre-ordered it from your favorite brick and mortar or online bookstore. Sales now will help me more than sales later. 

I love book covers and these are pretty awesome. Don't you think so?

Military eBooks - Weston Ochse Military Fiction

Sitting in Afghanistan and decided to put together all of my military fiction together.

          

They range from .99 cents to 10 bucks. Personally, I think you should get all five, but then I'm biased. Click on one and see what you think.

Brian Keene, Jonathan Maberry, Kevin J. Anderson, Andrew Vachss, Tom Piccirilli, Dani Kollin, Conrad Williams and Rocky Wood can't all be wrong. Okay, maybe they could, but not this time.

And don't forget that eBooks make great gifts.

__   ___   __

Praise for Weston Ochse:

“Weston Ochse is one of the best authors of our generation.” - Brian Keene, Author of Ghoul and The Rising

“Weston Ochse is a mercurial writer, one of those depressingly talented people who are good at whatever they turn their hand to”-Conrad Williams, August Derleth and International Horror Guild Award Winner

“Weston Ochse is perhaps the fiercest and most direct of the latest generation of dark fiction writers.” Rocky Wood , author of Stephen King: A Literary Companion.

“Weston Ochse is to horror what Bradbury is to science fiction -- an artist whose craft, stories and voice are so distinct and mesmerizing that you can't help but be enthralled.” - Dani Kollin, Prometheus Award-winning author of The Unincorporated Man

“Brilliantly rendered. What was so impressive about the piece was that I did not doubt the incredible heroism of the protagonist... nor his motivation." - Andrew Vachss on “Family Man”

“Ochse succeeds in creating a complex plot that casts a brutal overwhelming spell.” - International Thriller Award winner Tom Piccirilli on Scarecrow Gods

Raves for SEAL Team 666:

"SEAL TEAM 666 is like X-Files written by Tom Clancy: ingenious, creepy, and entertaining." - Kevin J. Anderson, #1 international bestselling author of DEATH WARMED OVER

"SEAL TEAM 666 is a wild blend of nail-biting thriller action and out-of-the shadows horror. This is the supernatural thriller at its most dynamic. Perfect!" -Jonathan Maberry, NY Times bestselling author of DEAD OF NIGHT and THE KING OF PLAGUES

Free Preview of Iraq War Heist Novel - BABYLON SMILES

For your reading pleasure, the prologue and first chapter of Babylon Smiles. 

Available in eBook Only

What is Babylon Smiles?  It's an Iraqi War Heist Novel. It's been compared to Kelly's Heroes and Three Kings. It’s the end of 2003. Billions of American dollars have been given to Iraq to refund their economy. Flown into Baghdad Airport, this money is transported by anonymous military trucks to banks in all the major cities. This money is unaccounted for. No one really knows all the details. So it only makes sense that someone might have a better idea about where the money should go. Enter the men and women of the 399th Transportation Company who must eventually choose between capturing Saddam Hussein or living lives of luxury. That is if they survive.

 

PROLOGUE

On March 19, 2003, the United States invaded Iraq with the intention of capturing Saddam Hussein and finding the weapons of mass destruction the Iraqi dictator had led the world to believe he had. U.S. troops took Baghdad on April 9^th. Crowds cheered. Statues were pulled down. Hope was in the air. In these early days of a war that would carry on for many more years than anyone could have ever anticipated there was a feeling of joy suffusing the populace. An entire society had been freed from the vice grip of oppression. Everyone was excited for awhile. But this was before the insurgents. This was before the roadside bombs. This was before the borders opened to foreign fighters. This was before all out intercine warfare. There was a time at the end of 2003 when we all thought it would be over soon; when soldiers were on their first tour into the box, anticipating going home and never imagining that they might be forced to come back again and again; when lifelong friends were made; when American banks shipped old dollars to stabilize a new Iraqi economy; when everyone trusted everyone and shipped this money in the back of Army trucks guarded by soldiers who didn't even know what they were carrying. This was a special time in Iraq because it was a time of opportunity. This is one story of that time. The names have been changed to protect the guilty and those who survived.

"When I think of Weston Ochse, I think of a well respected member of the horror writing community, but then there's this other side of him that has spent 20-plus years serving his country in the U. S. Army... I've said before that I'm not a fan of combat fiction, but I'm a sucker for a good story and that's what you'll get in Babylon Smiles. Look for the reveal on the meaning of Babylon Smiles, too. That's kinda cool." Frank Errington, Reviewer

 

*December 10, 2003

Wednesday*

Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq — After a series of successful raids on Tuesday, U.S. Officials deny capturing a top member of Saddam Hussein's government. More than 2,000 American soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade cordoned off the northern Iraqi city of Hawija, about 25 miles west of Kirkuk, and detained more than 20 suspected guerrillas. A source inside the unit said one of their targets had been Izzat Ibrahim, a former senior aide to Mr. Hussein who is believed to be coordinating at least some attacks against American soldiers.

1

     An explosion rocked the brick and mud-daub buildings along the sides of the dusty lane. A plume of fire and disintegrating concrete shot heavenward until all that could be heard was man-made thunder rattling across the sky.

     A camel lurched away from its tether to stand in the middle of the cracked asphalt road. Children scattered and ran behind anything large enough to hide them. A woman waddled behind a goat shack, nervous eyes gazing for the cause of the impromptu violence. A lonely soccer ball rolled from the road onto the dusty plain, carried by a vagabond sirocco. The sound of gunfire split the twilight from both heavy and light caliber weapons. Another explosion, this one smaller than the first, silenced the exchange of gunfire.  

     A 40 ton, 8-wheeled military transport truck bucked and slid as it took the corner too fast. Private Schmidtke spun the wheel, fighting for control of the gargantuan HEMMET. Last time he'd been this afraid, he'd been hell bent for home after getting caught poaching deer by a Texas Ranger. The private's mad eyes searched the road for mines and obstructions as his mouthed worked itself into a frenzy around a wad of chewing tobacco as he whispered to himself-- Osh Kosh By Gosh. Osh Kosh By Gosh.

     "Camel!" Sitting in the passenger seat, Private Scirrotto pointed to the beast that stood directly in their way.

     "Shit!" Schmidtke swerved, barely missing turning the half-ton ship of the desert into Bedouin goulash on the steely front slope of the truck.

     "RPG. Two o'clock," Stilts yelled. The tall black sergeant swung the fifty caliber machine gun mounted on the roof to engage the target. The thunka thunka thunkas of burning lead and tracers obliterated the doorway and anything within five feet of the man aiming the rocket propelled grenade launcher at them.

     Rather than slowing, the truck gathered speed as it plowed through the smoking remains of a Honda sedan. The HEMMET was the biggest thing on the road and nothing short of the Great Wall of China was going to stop them. Schmidtke side-swiped a tinker's cart sending wood splintering into the air, then back to the ground looking all the world like a madman's game of pick-up sticks.

Me at a bazaar in Afghanistan

     Up ahead, he spied a hand grenade dangling from an overpass. Although he couldn't see anyone, he knew there was someone nearby to pull the pin with another length of fishing line. During the first days of the war along the road to An Nassariyah this type of ambush had been something new to the U.S. forces-- nothing like a grenade exploding at windshield-level to ruin the day of a listless convoy driver.

     Schmidtke pointed but Scirrotto had already seen it. The former sniper adjusted his hold on the M24 sniper rifle, eased the 10x Leopold M3 Ultra telescopic sight to his right eye, took aim and engaged the target. The grenade ate itself in a bright display of what could have been.

Private Schmidtke's mouth returned to his private prayer as he drove. Osh Kosh By Gosh. Osh Kosh By Gosh.

     Private Scirrotto scanned the horizon. 

     Stilts scanned the sky.

 

TO ORDER YOUR COPY FOR $3.99 NOW JUST CLICK THIS LINK

Praise for Weston Ochse:

“Weston Ochse is one of the best authors of our generation.” - Brian Keene, Author of Ghoul and The Rising

“Weston Ochse is a mercurial writer, one of those depressingly talented people who are good at whatever they turn their hand to.”-Conrad Williams, August Derleth and International Horror Guild Award Winner

“Weston Ochse is perhaps the fiercest and most direct of the latest generation of dark fiction writers.” Rocky Wood , author of Stephen King: A Literary Companion.

 

“Weston Ochse is to horror what Bradbury is to science fiction -- an artist whose craft, stories and voice are so distinct and mesmerizing that you can't help but be enthralled.” - Dani Kollin, Prometheus Award-winning author of The Unincorporated Man

 

“Brilliantly rendered. What was so impressive about the piece was that I did not doubt the incredible heroism of the protagonist... nor his motivation." - Andrew Vachss on “Family Man”

“Ochse succeeds in creating a complex plot that casts a brutal overwhelming spell.” - International Thriller Award winner Tom Piccirilli on Scarecrow Gods

Raves for SEAL Team 666:

"SEAL TEAM 666 is like X-Files written by Tom Clancy: ingenious, creepy, and entertaining." - Kevin J. Anderson, #1 international bestselling author of DEATH WARMED OVER

"SEAL TEAM 666 is a wild blend of nail-biting thriller action and out-of-the shadows horror. This is the supernatural thriller at its most dynamic. Perfect!" -Jonathan Maberry, NY Times bestselling author of DEAD OF NIGHT and THE KING OF PLAGUES

 

Examiner.Com Blows Me Away

I can't ask for any better than this--

"Weston Ochse is quite simply one of the best writers around today. He has the ability to write touching and inspiring tales or stories of adventure and intrigue. “Border dogs: A SEAL Team 666 adventure” is a great story for a very low price. If you have not read the novel, you will still be able to enjoy the story and get a sample of what you are missing. I knew I was in for a treat when I stumbled across this one and I was not disappointed."

From a review of Border Dogs at Examiner.Com. Follow the link to read the whole review.

For those of you who are pining away for more SEAL Team 666 action, have you read Border Dogs? You can either read it free online at Tor.com, or spend .99 cents  if you want to read it on your kindle. It's a prequel story that takes place along the Mexican-American Border, featuring chupacabra. Love these little rascals.

And if you've already read this and SEAL Team 666, make sure you pre-order SEAL Team 666: AGE OF BLOOD. As always, the popularity of the series is in your hands. Before they let me write another one, folks like you need to vote by ordering.

And if for some reason you haven't read the original SEAL Team 666, welcome back from your alien abduction. :)  You can find it here at one of your favorite local bookstores. Just follow this link to Indiebound and it will get you there.


Cheers.

And thanks for Reading.

Weston Ochse
Currently in
Afghanistan


 

Recent Military eBooks Finds and My Old Favorites

This is Free

After 27 years in the military (and still counting), it's no wonder why I like military books. I remember as a kid, the first military stories I remember were written by Rudyard Kipling. Remember KIM, from The Works of Rudyard Kipling One Volume Edition. It was the story of the orphaned son of an Irish soldier, who not only is saved, but is introduced to the world of military intelligence. Or A Man Who Would Be King, the tale of two ne'er-do-wella who adventure and make their way to becoming, not only kings, but gods. Or the poem Gunga Din? I was raised on these and remember them with fondness. Any wonder why I joined the military? I wanted to be like them all. I wanted to be like Kim.

Of course these were old tales. What about new tales? I'm a fan of science fiction, fantasy, thrillers, horror, and pretty much everything that has a military bent. I thought I'd share some of my recent finds, along with some of my own work, explaining what I was trying to do when I wrote them.

One recent find was the science fiction ebook, Poor Man's Fight. Written by Elliott Kay, it's premise follows the idea that education isn't free and federal service is required in order to pay it off. For some it's more than others. Kay does a terrific job bringing us into his universe, and the sort of boot camp I'm glad I was never a part of.

(CLICK ON BOOKS AND LINKS TO LOOK AT THEM)

Of course, anything by Joe Haldeman is amazing, especially The Forever War , which I recently downloaded again because I wanted to read it for the fifth or sixth time, experiencing once again the service of the men who fight for a world they will never ever see again, thanks to the unforgiving time dilation of the universe.

Marko Kloos deals with overcrowding and the lack of food shortages in Terms of Enlistment. I really liked the way he protrayed the different services and found his combat extremely believable.

John Scalzi's Old Man's War pays homage to Old Man's War and opens its own new volumes into the idea that a person can serve their country after they turn 70, uploading their consciousness into a more powerful version of the best they ever were. I love me some Scalzi!

Robert Beuttner's Orphanange provides the idea that when Earth is attacked, we can only retaliate with Vietnam War-era weapons and our orphans, in the hopes that these scraps and rejects can save us all. You just hope it's enough, right?

In my own Babylon Smiles, I tried to paint a picture of what life was like in 2003 Iraq, before the insurgents and road side bombs. I had help from a lot of veterans and haver been told that I got it right.

(CLICK ON BOOKS AND LINKS TO LOOK AT THEM)

SEAL Team 666 and SEAL Team 666: Age of Blood, both published by Thomas Dunne Books, are both of my forays into supernatural special operations. I tried to make the reality of the SEAL Team as close as possible, while thrusting them into situations where superior firepower might not even matter. Ghosts, demons, humunculi, chupacabra, and all sorts of various creatures are fair game in these books. Age of Blood was just turned in and will be available in November.

Border Dogs is a novella prequel to SEAL Team 666 and brings the team up against narco-trafficers and patriots. I wanted to highlight some of the border issues with this one, while providing some, what I think, is interesting backstory.



And Butterfly Winter. I wanted write a story about what would happen to bombers on a plane that refused to drop its atomic bombs at the end of the world. It's a story that has made grown men cry. The problem lies in the title. Frankly, it just sucks for a military book. I'm going to change this soon. No one wants to by a military title with the word Butterfly in the title. What was I thinking? ::face plam::


I've also written a lot of popular short stories, such as the Bram Stoker finalist Righteous, which you can listen to free here, or Hiroshima Falling. I've been asked if I can collect them into one place and will probably turn them into an eBook for all of my military fans.

(CLICK ON BOOKS AND LINKS TO LOOK AT THEM)


And lastly, I'm working on a military science novel for Solaris Books. Titled GRUNT LIFE, it's about a private company that contracts several thousand men and women right at the momen they're about to commit suicide in order to turn them into the only fighting force that might be able to save the planet from the coming invasion. It's coming along great. Written in first person, I'm really feeling the story. Of course, I'm writing it from Afghanistan, so that in and of itself is interesting.