Books

Find yourself tumbling down the wormhole? Pick up one of my novels on your way! These are tales where every entrance is a new destination.

Cover Art by Tomislav Tikulin

Pandora’s Box Pvt. Brewer was a military brat in a “perfect” world. She fought to graduate from the Vanguard Academy. A bright future was awaiting her. Then an enigmatic leader called “the Overlord” rises up from the oppressed Camp Countries locked behind the New Iron Curtain and unleashes a deadly virus. Pandora’s world is shattered. She joins the fight against the “New Order,” vengeance consuming her, but guilt overwhelms her after she kills some of the virus’ zombie-like victims. Seeking redemption, she accepts a top-secret mission to defend a base housing the world’s last stockpile of WMDs. But the base is attacked, leaving her the sole protector of a coveted Pandora’s Box. Published by Absolute XPress.

Available from Amazon.com  in print and on the Kindle. Read an excerpt here: Pandoras_Box_Prolog-web.

Cover art by Tyler Sowles
Cover art by Tyler Sowles

Destroyer (with Natasha Hayden and Timothy Deal) – Dr. Steiner and his daughter Eva  build a towering cyborg to end a long war. It possesses the image of a dragon, the brain tissue of a dead T-Rex, and more weaponry than an army. Dubbed “Rex-1,” the cyborg’s mission is to destroy military targets in Moscow. Followed by its creators and commanders and controlled by telepathic technology, Rex-1 wreaks havoc, smiting enemies like a demonic god. Then the unthinkable happens. Rex-1 goes berserk and attacks the ship transporting the Americans. Crashing behind enemy lines in the heart of Moscow, Dr. Steiner and his group are caught in the middle of Rex-1′s rampage. Now with distrust and madness tearing his fellow survivors apart, Dr. Steiner has only one goal: Destroy Rex-1!

Self-published. Available in Deluxe Edition paperback on www.Amazon.com and as an eBook from www.Smashwords.com.

Cover Art by Zach Hayden
Cover Art by Zach Hayden

The Day After (with Nick Hayden, Natasha Hayden, and Keith Osmun)

Natalya is an American mom and wife with a Russian name working as a spy for the Brazilian government in a Midwest American town. Balancing dual identities is dangerous–and sometimes comical–especially when her husband hasn’t a clue. Morana is on a suicide mission to transmit a bestial virus to her enemies when she encounters a smalltown family with the potential to break through her boundaries of hatred. But in the end, will it make a difference, or is it too late for redemption? Peter, a photojournalist, returns home late to meet his newborn son…but just in time to rescue his family from a national zombie infestation. As they travel toward safer ground, trying to maintain a modicum of normalcy, Peter has the urge to document the disaster, but at what price? Jacob is trapped in an endless maze of a house that appears to have no exits to the outside world except for a noose in his bedroom. He meets a mysterious stranger in the darkness and discovers pieces of letters he doesn’t remember writing. Who knows how long he’s been there? The noose is tightening. Four stories, four writers, four genres…one connecting thread. What happens when the main focus of your life is stripped away and all that’s left is the day after?

This collection is available in paperback (and PDF) on www.Lulu.com and as an ebook on www.Smashwords.com. Now available as a Kindle download on www.Amazon.com!

Artwork by Nick Hayden.
Artwork by Nick Hayden.

The Fall of the House of Kyzer (A Children of the Wells novella)

In Thyrion, power is everything.

But not for Jaysynn, the youngest of the Kyzer royal family who rule the city with an iron fist. He alone is unable to manipulate magic, making him an outcast in his own family. However, General Dracon, himself non-Select, sees the prince’s potential and trains him to be a warrior in his own right.

In the wake of the Cataclysm, Jaysynn is the only Kyzer to survive. Ascending to the throne, he is overwhelmed by the weight of the crown and the devastation of his city. What’s worse, he learns of a conspiracy brewing within his own ranks. Even as Emperor, he feels like an outcast.

For more information and to read the free serialized version or purchase the eBook edition, click here. Now available on Amazon Kindle! Click here for the one-volume print collection!

Cover art by Nick Hayden.
Cover art by Nick Hayden.

Destinies Entwined (with John Bahler, Laura Fischer, Natasha Hayden, and Nick Hayden)

Celebrating the first anniversary of Children of the WellsDestinies Entwined is a collection of short fiction expanding the world presented in the first five novellas. Within, you’ll read about:

  • The backstory of the soldier who took Calea’s arm, written before The Well’s Orphan was conceived.
  • The lengths the Kyzer family went to bear Select children.
  • A scientist forced into religion who has paid the greatest price for her beliefs.
  • The many nights Kyrie waited alone with her thoughts.
  • A clairvoyant religious zealot who gathers a community of followers.

Each story is inspired by one of the first five novellas, exploring the repercussions of the events of that novella. For the lives of soldiers and scientists and zealots are all entwined in ways one might never guess.

You can purchase it here from PayHip. Pay whatever you like, and it’s yours! Now available on Amazon Kindle!

untitledAn anthology of kaiju (giant monster) stories, including one by yours truly. Compiled by Edward J. Russell.

Six stories of massive monster mayhem where the creatures are huge and the destruction is high! Two women locked in a blood feud in the old west struggle to kill each other only to find something much more sinister has a taste for their flesh! A college slacker shares an unfortunate experience with a duck and a rat and finds he has to save the world. Oh the things he will have to do…oh gawd the things! With nothing left for them in their underground society, three young siblings escape to the city on the surface. can they elude the giant beast their elders worship as a god or are they fated to be lost souls? It should have been a simple ride home on the ferry but something old and long forgotten has awakened and needs to feed The long arm of the law isn’t the only thing to fear during prohibition. there are things hiding in the backwoods more dangerous than G-men or exploding stills. A sheriff looking towards retirement in a sleep coastal town is about to find that the sea hides secrets and horrors that are ready to come ashore and turn his dream into a nightmare.

Available on www.Amazon.com.

downloadA series of short stories from the authors of Gen Con’s Authors’ Avenue. Volume 5 includes the short story “Agony in the Dark” by yours truly, a tale set in the world of Pandora’s Box. In this story, it’s revealed that Dr. Pierce was captured by the New Order during the first siege of Area 51, and is being interrogated by an eccentric torturer. But is all as it seems? Volume 6 includes “Highway to Hell,” a tale that tells of Pvt. Brewer’s final, potentially test to graduate the Vanguard Academy.

Available on Amazon. Click here for Volume 5. Click here for Volume 6.  Click here for Volume 7. Click here for Volume 8. Click here for Volume 9. (VOLUME 10 COMING SOON!)

Artwork by Ruth Pike.
Artwork by Ruth Pike.

Don’t Panic! Despite what many churchgoers say, God doesn’t think Dungeons & Dragons is “Satan’s game” or that cosplay is childish. In fact, God has imprinted Himself into nerd culture. Yes, all your favorite stories and games point to the LORD Himself. You may doubt, but you know your nerdy hobbies are more than just escapism. They resound with you for a reason. Perhaps you’re not sure why, but they do. Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, there are profound truths to be mined from those tales. Join us on a 42-day journey of discovery. Why 42? A famous “Guide” would have you believe that’s “the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything.” The trouble is you have to know “the Question.” Maybe that question for you is, “How many days will it take me to learn the Truth?” Or maybe you already know the true “Answer” but want to deepen your faith. Either way, this book is for you! We promise it’ll be fun and challenging. You may never look at your favorite stories, characters, and/or hobbies the same again. Don’t forget your towel! Available on Amazon.

Cover art by Anthony Gangemi.
Cover art by Anthony Gangemi.

George Francis is a normal accountant in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who has it all: a disciplined routine, a great job, and a hot girlfriend named Destiny. Well, there are his uber-nerd college buddies, but they’re mostly harmless…until meeting his Destiny. She dumps George immediately. They invite a heartbroken George to join them at a renaissance faire to make it up to him. But after entering a port-a-potty to soothe his aching stomach, George is transported to the world of Loconia and chased by ninjas. Soon George meets Sensei, a Talking Tree who was once a samurai. He insists George is the “Hero of Legend,” and it’s his new destiny to liberate Loconia from the eccentric tyrant Marcus the Morally-Dubious in order to return home. George must survive Sensei’s grueling training (which includes dueling a samurai banzai tree) and then rescue Princess Pansy/Roze, who’s been cursed with a split personality—one good, one evil—that switches whenever someone snaps his fingers. To complicate matters, the good one is in love with George and the evil one plans to marry Marcus. But George isn’t alone. He recruits Loconia’s bravest and finest to battle Marcus’ Legions of Terror: an unknowingly hapless pretty boy; an inarticulate Barbarian carrying a well-spoken ax; and a redneck wizard whose spells work better when he’s drunk. Oh snap! Will George’s sanity survive? Will he become the Hero of Legend? Will you stop reading this and get the book to find out? (Just don’t skip to the end, you cheater! Available on Amazon!

Reboots. Reboots everywhere. You spent 42 days finding the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything, but the one constant in the ‘verse (besides the fact that everything freezes) is change. Good change, bad change, and everything in between. Even in our favorite nerd/geek franchises. DC Comics is (in)famous for hitting the cosmic reset button every few decades. The movie theatre is full of re-imaginings of nostalgic entertainment. Even video games aren’t immune to reboots. What about you? Do you feel like someone hit the cosmic reset button on your life? Has it left you lost and confused? How do the Answer and change interact? Can travelling through time and space lead us to Serenity amongst the chaos? Perhaps this change comes from a single Designer. In these pages you’ll learn about this Designer and His grand plan. Along the way you’ll learn how to navigate change from a scarred manslayer, some heroic robots, and even the world’s most famous kaiju, among many others. Most importantly, you’ll learn from the Promised One who has seen all of the change.Your next 42-day quest awaits! Available on Amazon!

A Man from Another Time Exploring Another Universe