Something Special the Next Few Days

Through next week you can get a 446-page thriller novel for only 99 cents. The ebook version, that is. Beware the Jabberwock, the first in my post Cold War political thriller trilogy, is on sale in the Kindle store at this link.

The story is told from the viewpoints of both the good guys and the bad guys. Start out sitting in on a highly secret meeting in Vienna between two former Cold War enemies where the plot is hatched. Then see two guys in action who will become the primary movers of the story.

Add into the mix a close-up of the disparate team of international characters brought together to train for a unique operation that proves the ultimate challenge to the good guys.

In his review of the book,  best-selling author Tim Hallinan says of the author (that's me), "Here he's working in the global intelligence thriller territory of Ludlum and Trevanian, but (I'm happy to say) with more character development." That's what I worked to achieve. You'll get to know all the characters on a quite personal level.

Reviewer Lee Boyland notes that most of the story's characters are introduced in the first 26 pages (actually it's more like 38 in the paperback edition), but  you'll get to know them all quite well by the time you reach the end. One who doesn't make her appearance until a bit later is Lorelei Quinn, the daughter of veteran CIA officer Cameron Quinn. As the story develops, the becomes the chief ally of Burke Hill, the ex-FBI agent who is the main protagonist.

The book is a long one so  you're sure to get your 99-cents worth. If you buy one, I'd appreciate getting a review on Amazon. That's what draws readers to the book. I hope you enjoy it.

THE NEXT BIG THING BLOG HOP

Welcome! What is a blog hop? Basically, it’s a way that readers can discover new authors, because with bookstores closing and publishers not promoting new authors as much, we need to find a way to introduce readers to authors they may not see in their local bookstore.

Here you have the chance to find many new authors. You’ll get information about me, what I’m working on now, and THE POKSU CONSPIRACY, the second book in my new thriller series, of which reviewer John R. Lindermuth wrote, “Campbell's tale is well-drawn with richly defined characters, enough action to satisfy even the most jaded of readers and an absorbing plot. Highly recommended.” Also see links below to other authors you might like to check out.

I’d like to thank fellow author Jaden Terrell for tagging me to participate. Click the link below to find out about Jaden’s latest book, A CUP FULL OF MIDNIGHT. 

http://killerconversation.wordpress.com/2012/12/27/the-next-big-thing-blog-hop

In this particular hop, I and my fellow authors listed below, in their respective blogs, will answer ten questions where you get to learn about our current book and work in progress as well as some insights into our process, from characters and inspirations to plotting and other decisions. I hope you enjoy it!

Leave a comment and share your thoughts and questions.

1: What is the title of your book?

My newest book is THE POKSU CONSPIRACY, second in my Post Cold War political thriller trilogy. I'm currently finishing work on the third, OVERTURE TO DISASTER.

2: Where did the idea come from for the book?

I was stationed in Seoul during the Korean War and returned for a visit in 1987 with my younger son and his Korean wife. At the time, South Korea was led by a succession of army generals. I thought about what might happen if the leadership decided to dismiss American heavy-handed guidance and pursue a nuclear arsenal in secret?

3: What genre does your book come under?

I call it a Political Thriller.

4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I've seen few movies in recent years, but I'd say Mel Gibson or George Clooney would make a good Burke Hill. Keanu Reeves would probably work for Korean Detective Yun Yu-sop. That's as far as I can go.

5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Close calls and deadly confrontations stalk Burke Hill, clandestine director for a Washington PR firm that's a CIA spinoff, as he seeks to find the truth about a secret agreement for Israel to help South Korea develop nuclear weapons.

6: Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency?

Published by Night Shadows Press, a small independent, the book is currently available only in ebook format for the Kindle.

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

The manuscript was written originally in 1991 and, with all the research I did, took nearly a year to finish.

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Tim Hallinan called it in the territory of Ludlum and Trevanian, but with more character development.

9: Who or what inspired you to write this book?

At the end of the first book in the trilogy, BEWARE THE JABBERWOCK, I hinted that my protagonist, Burke Hill, was going to hear more from the Director of Central Intelligence. I decided to have him join Worldwide Communications Consultants, a CIA spinoff, a legitimate PR firm with a black operations side. Since I had spent time in the Far East in recent years, Korea seemed a good place to set my story.

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

The other main character besides Burke Hill is Capt. Yun Yu-sop, a homicide detective with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Bureau. Much of the story is told from his point of view, making it partly a Korean police procedural. During my research, I corresponded with an official of the American Embassy in Seoul, who supplied me with a great deal of information on police organization and procedures.

Below are authors who will be joining me by blog next Wednesday, with a little information about their writing. Be sure to bookmark and add them to your calendars for updates on WIPs and New Releases! Happy Writing and Reading!

1. Pat Browning is the author of ABSINTHE OF MALICE, a Penny Mackenzie Mystery. Robert Fate, author of the Baby Shark series, wrote: "Penny Mackenzie is marvelous. I want more of her. As the clever, reluctant, self-effacing heroine of Pat Browning’s fast paced and engrossing tale of murder and love in a small town, she is unforgettable."

2. Susan Santangelo is the author of MARRIAGE CAN BE MURDER and two other Baby Boomer Mysteries. "Susan Santangelo may be the next Jessica Fletcher, the mystery writer and amateur detective portrayed by Angela Lansbury in the award-winning television series, Murder She Wrote. Susan's found a niche in the mystery-writing genre that just might find its way to the television screen." Shoreline Times

3. Easrl Staggs is the author of MEMORY OF A MURDER and SHORT STORIES OF EARL STAGGS. Of MEMORY OF A MURDER, Midwest Book Review wrote: "The plot is engaging, the action nonstop, and the ending quietly satisfying."

The Bone Polisher Out as Ebook

Tim Hallinan, creator of the fabulously successful Bangkok mystery series featuring travel writer Poke Rafferty, has brought back the final novel in his previous series as an ebook available for the Kindle at Amazon.com.The title is The Bone Polisher, originally published by Dutton in 1996. Here's how the blurb puts it:

2011 Edgar and Macavity nominee Timothy Hallinan's sixth and final novel featuring erudite Los Angeles private eye Simeon Grist takes place in the West Hollywood of 1995, where the community is shaken by the brutal killing of an older man who was widely loved for his generosity and kindness. In a time when the police were largely indifferent to crimes against gay people, Simeon is hired to catch the murderer—and finds himself up against the most dangerous adversary of his career, a man who kills his victims one once, but twice: once physically and once in spirit. The story's climax takes place at a memorable Halloween-themed wake, but there's a big plot twist yet to come.

Booklist had this to say about it:

"Simeon Grist is a private detective with a problem: he is beginning to fear the bad guys . . . Hallinan's sixth Simeon Grist novel is putatively about a serial killer who is preying on the gay community of West Hollywood, but it is also a meditation on life, on commitment, on the meaning of age in a youth-obsessed and media-saturated culture. Hallinan captures the littlest human idiosyncrasies, the most mundane familial interactions, and infuses them with a depth of meaning not usually found in the crime genre. He even manages to do so with a sly grin and a loopy sense of humor. Read his latest as a straightforward detective novel, or read it as a slightly off-kilter philosophical tome, but do yourself a favor and read it!"

Mostly Murder gave it this equally glowing, though more succinct review

“Creepy . . . Screamingly funny . . . A snappy thriller . . . The only question that remains unanswered is whether success will spoil Timothy Hallinan."

Tim says it didn't sell enough copies to do that. But here's the kicker: you can get the ebook free on March 10, 11 and 12!

Do yourself as favor. Get it.