Get ready to fight to the death. You might even have to fight beyond death.
AFTER was constructed to save us. When the medical biotech is weaponized, AFTER becomes an agent of warfare. Infected humans transform into rampaging killers. No one is safe.
Task Force Officer Daniel Harmon has one job: Stop the epidemic before it escapes a military research lab. As the body count rises, he’ll discover a dark conspiracy that will change our fate forever.
They will call this Apocalypse. We call it Revolution. On which side will you fall?
From the author of This Plague of Days comes a fresh zombie trilogy about technology gone horribly awry. It will feel too real.
Everybody’s best writing advice was, “Never kill a dog in your story.” Then along came John Wick, and even that tried-and-true nugget was thrown out the window. To tremendous success, I might add. This reinforces (for the umptimillionth time) that William Goldman was right. “Nobody knows anything.”
Solid writing advice was passed on to me from a film producer:
“If it plays, it plays.”
Some things will work, and some things won’t. When it comes to fiction, often we don’t find out what works best until it’s tested in the marketplace. InThe Night Man, truth be told, I killed off some dogs, but I hedged my bets. I saved a couple who became integral to the story.
But what’s the story?
In The Night Man, Easy Jack is a wounded veteran with a bum knee and a bad dad. When he returns home to Orion, Michigan, he plans to go back to training guard dogs. Unfortunately, he discovers the town has a long memory of his past deeds and his high school sweetheart is in deep trouble. Worse, dirty cops pull him into a billionaire’s bomb plot.
But how do you make the hard turn acceptable to animal lovers?
I love dogs. I get the aversion, but I did a few things in this thriller to make the conflict more palatable.
It’s not gratuitous. I don’t care for gore, so the worst stuff happens out of the hero’s (and the reader’s) view.
It makes sense for the plot. I didn’t throw it in there for shock value alone.
This loss ups the stakes and steels the protagonist’s spine.
There is revenge and redemption to be had following the hero’s loss.
Two treasured dogs survive and are an ongoing presence through the thriller’s twists and turns.
So, you love dogs. I love dogs. Trust me, you’re in good hands when you decide to try The Night Man.
The bad guys have money, power, and a jet packed with explosives. To make his stand, our hero is armed with quick wit and a Smith and Wesson. Easy Jack also has a loyal German Shepherd named Sophie by his side. To combat the shady side of small-town America, this wounded Army Ranger will have to enter the darkness he hoped to leave behind.
From the author of the Hit Man Series comes a killer thriller.The Night Man won first prize in the genre category at the Hollywood Book Festival!
“You’re guaranteed a mighty fine read.” ~ Claude Bouchard, USA Today Bestselling author of the Vigilante Series.
Easy Jack isn’t a bad guy, but to survive, he will have to act like one.
Returning home after serving his country, Ernest “Easy” Jack hoped his family’s reputation had been forgotten. No such luck in Lake Orion. Small towns have long memories. Grudges run deep. Worse, his high school sweetheart is trapped in an abusive marriage. Family bonds, love, and loyalty will be tested when a sociopathic billionaire and a dirty cop conspire to use Easy in a deadly bomb plot.
Amazon Prime Days start tomorrow and the e-book of Vengeance Is Hers is free from July 8 – 12. Once I have more reviews, I can promote it more effectively, so I appreciate your reviews very much. Cheers!
Here’s why you should get excited
This is not a guide for aspiring vigilantes, but it might inspire you!
Welcome to Poeticule Bay, Maine, a village where justice is scarce, and secrets have deadly consequences. When a gay student is brutally attacked and exiled from his home, the police turn a blind eye. Fueled by rage, Molly Jergins launches a relentless campaign against the school bully and his sinister family.
As Molly’s quest for retaliation spirals into chaos, the lines between hero and villain blur. To hunt monsters, must she become the very thing she despises? In the end, will revenge prove the best success?
Did you know I’m on Substack? I regularly post stories and videos there sharing anecdotes from real life, my reading life, and the writing life.
I have things to say! You can become a paid subscriber if you want to support my work, but that is optional and, honestly, most of what I post is completely free to everyone. Hopefully, you’ll also find it funny/thoughtful/entertaining/whatever-floats-your-neural-boat. Only the sexiest and most intelligent people opt in for my braingasms. Confirm you are sexy and intelligent by joining.
Vengeance is Hers is set in the fictional town of Poeticule Bay, Maine, a community inspired by the author’s Nova Scotia upbringing. The story begins with a morally satisfying act of revenge, but as Molly grows into adulthood and pursues a life in academia, her motivations become more complex and unsettling. This is a noir-tinged character study that spans more than a decade, exploring adult themes and emotional loss. A late twist surprised me, yet it felt exactly right. I read this as a beta reader but received no compensation other than the pleasure of engaging with a smart, gripping novel. I highly recommend it.
(Thank you to ARC reader extraordinaire, Russell! I certainly appreciate it!)
This is not a guide for aspiring vigilantes, but it might inspire you!
Welcome to Poeticule Bay, Maine, a village where justice is scarce, and secrets have deadly consequences. When a gay student is brutally attacked and exiled from his home, the police turn a blind eye. Fueled by rage, Molly Jergins launches a relentless campaign against the school bully and his sinister family.
As Molly’s quest for retaliation spirals into chaos, the lines between hero and villain blur. To hunt monsters, must she become the very thing she despises? In the end, will revenge prove the best success?
The ways we live depend so much on how we feel. I’ve had a massive life change recently, and it’s boosted my writing career, too. I’m sleeping better. I’m also up very early in the morning, eager to start the day. I used to need a crowbar to pry myself out from under those cozy covers. Now, I’m up and at ’em. A healthier Rob is a more productive and happier Rob. This allows me to serve my readers better, too.
What changed?
A couple of months ago, I joined a program called LifestyleRx. It’s sponsored by the Canadian government to improve citizens’ health. It’s geared to people with diabetes and pre-diabetes, though the strategies apply to just about everyone.
It cuts way down on sugar, but they don’t push any one diet. You don’t have to do keto or become a vegan. It’s just sane, science-backed tactics. You’re encouraged to eat healthier, move more, de-stress from the distress, and live a better quality of life. Their mantra is, “Better, not perfect.”
When I took my medical training, the goals were, “Add years to your life and life to your years.” I’m finally doing it, and this feels very sustainable.
For those interested in trying it out, a few more details:
You get extensive, free blood tests (and you take waist, BP, and weight measurements).
Consultation with a physician (who shares the test results with your GP).
Weekly group calls with other patients like you. The doctor and a dietitian are on the call to provide information and guide the discussion.
The option for one-on-one counseling with a dietitian. (This costs, but is often covered by insurance)
A community that shares the journey, plus plenty of healthy recipes and general support.
Weekly accountability (which is crucial for me).
An education program with videos and printouts.
I’m getting a lot out of LifeStyleRx. Besides losing weight, getting stronger, and feeling better, the biggest change is my level of energy. That translates to more creative energy.
If you can’t do LifeStyleRx, there are plenty of other ways to do something similar. I encourage you to do so. It feels wonderful to get out of bed every day with a feeling of purpose and the newfound ability to achieve that purpose.
You know what authors used to do to promote their work before the internet era? They toiled, mostly in obscurity, and if they were lucky, their publisher put them on tour to bookstores. Lucky ink-stained wretches sometimes got on big media (back when media wasn’t social). Some fiction writers even got on TV!
If you want some more joy in your life, watch old YouTube vids of author nonsense. For instance, here’s the great Truman Capote.
Or witness Norman Mailer versus Gore Vidal!
It’s different now.
The last time a fiction author made it on to a major TV spot was Jon Stewart’s interview with Kurt Vonnegut. He was a great sci-fi author, but he only made it to air because (a) he was about to die, (b) he had a lot of brilliant observations, and (c) he’d just published his non-fiction book, A Man Without a Country.
These days, with our fragmented attention and millions of distractions, authors are pretty much screaming into the darkness. We hope to be heard about our fiction, but our voices are muffled under Reality’s onslaught.
So what do we do now?
When the great exodus from X happened, a plethora of other platforms rose up to compete. Bluesky is fairly popular. I’m on there (@robertchazzchute.bsky.social‬), though I have mixed feelings about its functionality. Thing is, there is no single destination for social media attention.
One commentator suggested a simple solution: Be everywhere. That was well-meaning, but if I were everywhere on social media, when would I have time to write the next book? I can’t be everywhere. I don’t have the bandwidth. Who does?
That said, I need to be available in more places, so I started up on Substack. This move is not about monetization, at least not for a long time. It’s about sharing more, spreading the word to new readers, and curated ubiquity.
I’d probably get more views if I engaged in high drama like Truman and Norman, but I’ll opt for engaging with readers in a more sane way.
Oh, before I go, let’s not forget this scream into the darkness. I just launched Vengeance Is Hers!
This is not a guide for aspiring vigilantes, but it might inspire you!
Welcome to Poeticule Bay, Maine, a village where justice is scarce, and secrets have deadly consequences. When a gay student is brutally attacked and exiled from his home, the police turn a blind eye. Fueled by rage, Molly Jergins launches a relentless campaign against the school bully and his sinister family.
As Molly’s quest for retaliation spirals into chaos, the lines between hero and villain blur. To hunt monsters, must she become the very thing she despises? In the end, will revenge prove the best success?
