When Fiction Becomes Fact

Back in 2015, I published a book... Project Hermes.  (First published as Bloodflow.)  

It's the little things that kill

The highest levels of the government believe Project Hermes is the best way to control America’s immigration problem. A simple microchip carrying a citizen’s information will allow officials to sort out who belongs—and who doesn’t. Harmless.

Unless the chip carries more than just information.

Agent Miranda Kruz of the Terrorism Task Force has reason to believe something is very wrong with Project Hermes. People are dying and the clues all point to a microchip implant. But Randi’s superiors don’t want anything or anyone interfering with their pet project. They’re threatening her job, her loved ones, and her life to keep her from revealing their secret. With the help of medical examiner, Vic Hammond, and electronics engineer, Jack Davis, Randi has to uncover the truth and make it public before anyone else is targeted for death.

Locating the madmen behind these executions will be hard enough—stopping them might just be impossible.

Today, I saw this headline about a Swedish company that's developed a microchip to prove your vaccine passport status.  Umm, not only no, but hell no.  That's some scary shit right there, folks.

Microchipping people.  Not just fiction anymore.  Of course, I couldn't have conceived of this pandemic and the lengths certain people would go to with it six years ago, so the chip I came up with is designed to hold your citizenship status... and so much more... but the idea's the same.  

By the way, Project Hermes will be available in Kindle Unlimited for another month.  After that, it'll go wide.  Read it for free with your KU subscription today.  Or pick up a Kindle copy.  Or, if you're anti-Amazon, keep an eye out for when it goes live everywhere else.

Surprise! Freebie Alert!

Umm, yeah, it was unexpected by everyone, including me, but PROJECT HERMES is on sale now through the 7th worldwide.  

PROJECT HERMES is free worldwide 7/3-7/7. (Always free with Kindle Unlimited.)

 

The highest levels of government believe Project Hermes is the best solution to the immigration problem. Except their simple plan to microchip people might be deadly. Now, Agent Miranda Kruz has to figure out why Project Hermes is killing people and who’s behind it. Finding the madmen will be hard enough. Stopping them might be impossible.

 

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017Y6G0EW

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B017Y6G0EW

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Project-Hermes-B-Sanderson-ebook/dp/B017Y6G0EW

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Project-Hermes-B-Sanderson-ebook/dp/B017Y6G0EW

 

#suspense #political #medical #thriller #conspiracytheory #free #ebook

Writer Brain

The writer brain is a strange, strange place.  I think, usually, the term 'writer brain' is used for times when writers can't necessarily connect with what's going on around them.  Stuff happens and we're all like 'huh, what?' 

But there's another thing writer brains do... at least mine does... and that's to come up with endless possibilities for any given thing all the time.  To see not just both sides of an issue, but every possible side to the issue.  To wonder 'what if' about everything.

For me, this comes in really handy watching true crime shows and reading mysteries.  I can usually figure out the whodunnit or if not the exact killer, then several possibilities of who did it. 

It also leads me to a wide array of conspiracy theories.  This came in pretty handy when writing Project Hermes.  (On sale now... see what I did there?)  I thought about microchips for animals and wondered 'what if a microchip carried more than just information?'  And then 'what if there was something in there that could kill?'  And then 'what if someone bad in the government got a hold of the ability to use that?'  Bingo bango bongo... a book. 

I also think about smaller conspiracies...  like 'what if she left her car running because she was actually trying to fill my house with CO2 and kill me?' (Accidental Death)  Or 'what if an elderly person's death wasn't because they were old?' (Early Grave)

My conspiracy theories also come in handy for a laugh around the house.  This morning, I posited a theory to Hubs and he suggested that perhaps he needed to look into buying me a tinfoil hat.  And we laughed. 

I don't really need a tinfoil hat. Just because I posit a theory doesn't mean I believe it's true.  I'm just putting it out there.  Because it was just in here (points to head.)   If it never comes to light that it's true, it's just one of my weird theories.  And if it does turn out to be true, I can say 'I told you so'.   If nothing else, it's good fodder for the writing.

Do you have any conspiracy theories?  Or is it just me?

Next Up on Sale - Project Hermes

Next up on the rolling book sale, PROJECT HERMES. Only 99c/99p right now. (Always free in Kindle Unlimited.)

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017Y6G0EW

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B017Y6G0EW

It's the little things that kill

The highest levels of the government believe Project Hermes is the best way to control America’s immigration problem. A simple microchip carrying a citizen’s information will allow officials to sort out who belongs—and who doesn’t. Harmless.

Unless the chip carries more than just information.

#political #suspense #medical #conspiracytheory #ebook #99c #99p #nanotechnology

Project Hermes is FREE

Early Saturday morning, I got tickled by a wild hair and decided to run a free promo for Project Hermes.  To the best of my knowledge, I've never done a freebie promo for PH, so now's your chance to snag a copy without having to slap down $4.99.

So, yeah, it's free worldwide through Amazon today through Wednesday. 

No cost to you, unless you want to be really nice and pay for it by leaving a review.  That would be awesome and I would be so appreciative. 

If you're not familiar with PH, it's my political/medical/techno suspense.  (Previously published as Blood Flow.)  Here's the blurb...

It's the little things that kill

The highest levels of the government believe Project Hermes is the best way to control America’s immigration problem. A simple microchip carrying a citizen’s information will allow officials to sort out who belongs—and who doesn’t. Harmless.

Unless the chip carries more than just information.

Agent Miranda Kruz of the Terrorism Task Force has reason to believe something is very wrong with Project Hermes. People are dying and the clues all point to a microchip implant. But Randi’s superiors don’t want anything or anyone interfering with their pet project. They’re threatening her job, her loved ones, and her life to keep her from revealing their secret. With the help of medical examiner, Vic Hammond, and electronics engineer, Jack Davis, Randi has to uncover the truth and make it public before anyone else is targeted for death.

Locating the madmen behind these executions will be hard enough—stopping them might just be impossible.

Anyway, I hope people will pick up some copies while it's free and maybe read some pages through the Kindle Unlimited program.   That's about all a writer can ask for.

Enjoy!

Talking about Project Hermes

Since Project Hermes (originally published as Blood Flow) is on sale this week, I thought I'd take some time to talk about it this morning.

I started PH in early March of 2007.  The old filename is just Nano (short for Nanotechnology) and it started out with an emergency room doctor as the MC.  Over the next two years, I tried writing it 7 different times and it eventually morphed into something completely different.  So, the actual first draft of the book wasn't completed until March 7th, 2009.

I wanted to write a book about the immigration crisis (2007-2019 shows you how long that has been a crisis, eh?) and it is that, but it's also a book about handing the government the keys and letting them do whatever they want without really questioning it.  Which can be particularly sticky when the govt uses an actual crisis to play games with people's lives.  Or when one person in power uses it to try and get more power.

It centers around one disgraced agent who's given a case no one really gives a shit about - a car accident in which a senator's wife is killed.  But the senator is pushing for an investigation and, well, they've got to make it look good but they don't really want to waste resources on it.  So, they give it to Randi.  Except Randi's not one to just sweep anything under the rug.  She actually investigates and finds a trail leading to a much larger conspiracy, which leads to a much larger conspiracy, which leads to... Well, you'll have to read the book.

Anyway, I'm told it's pretty fast paced and exciting.  It's stand alone, so you don't have to worry about it not getting wrapped up.  I tried thinking of other things Randi could investigate, came up with nothing, and left it there.  Don't look for a sequel.  There isn't one in the works.  Or even on the back-burners of my brain.

This was the fourth book I published.  Despite the awesome feedback I got, it never really took off the way I thought it would.  So, I changed the cover and the title, hoping that would help.  I mean, Blood Flow fits, but it's not really grabby.  Project Hermes?  :shrug: 

I still love the book.  And I'll keep trying to get in front of people. 

I hope you'll give it a try and love it as much as I do.

July is Sales Month

I went a little nuts yesterday morning.  Starting tomorrow, July 4th, at least one of my books will be on sale every day through the 29th in both the US and the UK.  (As long as Amazon doesn't brainfart.)

Here's how it shakes down:

July 4th - 10th - Project Hermes
July 10th - 16th - Blink of an I
July 16th - 22nd - Sleeping Ugly
July 23rd - 29th - Accidental Death and Natural Causes

All of them will be 99c/99p on their respective dates.  I'll let you know if I manage to secure advertising for any of them.  With the sale for PH coming so soon, there definitely will not be an ad for that one.  The others?  We'll see. 

I do know I'll be doing my damndest to generate sales in other ways.  As unobtrusively as possible.  And, of course, as inexpensively as possible.  Which means I'll be busting my hump on FB.  A little twitter (which I hate, but it's there and I'm using it). 

Not sure what'll be happening next month.  Probably another Once Upon a Djinn sale.  Maybe Unequal.  We'll see.  I can't think about August right now.  Gah, next month is August?! 

Okay, back to the grind.  What have you got going on this month? 

Flash Sale and Other Stuffs

I got a wild hair and decided to have a sale on Project Hermes.  It starts today and runs through Thursday night.  Get it for only 99c/99p - a $4 savings.  Woohoo!

The editing for Ugly and the Beast is not going as quickly as I'd like, so it looks like I'll be pushing back the dates on that.  Once I get this to my editor, I'll have a firmer date for publication.  Sorry about that, but stuffs happen.

The editing isn't going as quickly as I'd like because I'm in that sort of early-year malaise again.  Because reasons.

Funny how reasons can derail everything.  Life gets in the way.  Time gets in short supply.  Gumption runs out the door to play in the sunshine.  Sales, or I should say a lack of sales, get a body down.  Stuffs.

What I need is a magical formula for selling books.  Or to win the lottery.  Since there's no magic and my luck is gross, I guess I'll just have to keep humping along as best I can.

Any questions?  Comments? 

Sales Sales Sales

I know my regular visitors have probably already read Project Hermes, but in case anyone else stops by, PH is on sale today through next Tuesday night.  99c or 99p, depending on which part of the world you're in.  That's a $4 savings here in the US, so get it while you can.

There will also be sales for Sleeping Ugly and Blink of an I in the near future.  SU will be on sale the 24th through Devil's Night (the 30th).  BOIA will be on sale November 7th thru the night of the 13th.  I'll post about it again when those times come around.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Project Hermes (used to be titled Blood Flow), it's a political suspense with a medical twist (or a medical suspense with a political twist).  Here's the blurb:

It's the little things that kill

The highest levels of the government believe Project Hermes is the best way to control America’s immigration problem. A simple microchip carrying a citizen’s information will allow officials to sort out who belongs—and who doesn’t. Harmless.

Unless the chip carries more than just information.

Agent Miranda Kruz of the Terrorism Task Force has reason to believe something is very wrong with Project Hermes. People are dying and the clues all point to a microchip implant. But Randi’s superiors don’t want anything or anyone interfering with their pet project. They’re threatening her job, her loved ones, and her life to keep her from revealing their secret. With the help of medical examiner, Vic Hammond, and electronics engineer, Jack Davis, Randi has to uncover the truth and make it public before anyone else is targeted for death.

Locating the madmen behind these executions will be hard enough—stopping them might just be impossible.

And here's the cover:

Feel free to share the sale around.  It's a meaty book, but from what I've been told, it's a fast read.  Enjoy!

Updates and Junk

Okay, so the ad on Wednesday was a bust.  I sold 5 copies of Project Hermes that day.  Which puts me about $45 in the hole for that one.  Eh, live and learn.  I didn't have any expectations for this, so I'm not crushed or anything.  I did start seeing page reads for it last night, so maybe there's hope.

On the bright side, PH went from 1.2 millionth in all books to 39K in all books and reached like 253rd in Technothrillers.  Not sure why Amazon put it there, but hey, it's kinda technothrillerish.  Also not sure how it went so high with only 5 sales.  I'm hoping a lot of KU readers downloaded it due to the ad.  Wouldn't that be lovely?

In other news, Early Grave got another 5 star review at Amazon.  Someone who'd reviewed both Dying Embers and Fertile Ground, so yay.

And both Accidental Death and In Deep Wish got new ratings at Goodreads.  Hey, I'll take what I can get.

I found a couple new (to me) advertising venues I'm going to try - one for strictly mystery/suspense and the other for just SF/F.  Unfortunately, they both require the books to have at least 10 Amazon reviews, so I only have a few books to choose from for advertising there.  I think Dying Embers later this month and Wish in One Hand sometime next month.   We'll see.

I have until no later than the 18th to get Sleeping Ugly whipped into better shape and back into my editor's hands.   I'm hoping for an August 29th release, so you'll have it your hands for reading over Labor Day weekend.  Provided I get the editing done and my cover artist gets the cover done and there's no floods, famines, pestilences, Armageddons, etc.  As we get closer to getting this published, I'll have a better idea of whether I'll make the date, go early, or completely fall apart.

And that's about it for updates. 

Any questions?  Got any news of your own?