The Link Between - Chapter 4
The neural technology lab deep in the Resistance headquarters hummed with tense energy. Nestled beneath layers of concrete and steel, the facility had once been part of an academic research center before the Syndicate's rise. Now it served as the beating heart of the Resistance's….
The Link Between - Chapter 3
Two days after Zeke's initial surgery, the ever-present fog pressed against the windows of Rayna and Ruby's Locksley Avenue home, today accompanied by a light rain. Wind-driven fingers of the fog pushed raindrops around the glass, probing for entry around the weathered frames…..
The Link Between - Chapter 2
The underground Resistance medical facility beneath UCSF's abandoned classrooms hummed with controlled urgency. Antiseptic scents fought a losing battle against the earthy dampness that permeated all subterranean spaces in New Oakland. Rayna paced the narrow corridor outside the operating room…..
The Link Between - Chapter 1
Pre-dawn fog rolled thick and cold across the abandoned Genentech campus, swallowing sounds and smothering visibility beyond twenty feet. Perfect cover. Rayna Khail pressed her back against the moss-covered wall, her plasma rifle a comforting weight against her chest. The tang of salt air from the nearby shallow flats…
Dark Fields
The night hung heavy over the city skyline as Twigg checked his gear one last time. His pulse pounded with anticipation, the familiar rush of adrenaline running through his system.
"You ready for this, Twigg?" Vance's voice crackled over the comms. His oldest friend, his brother in every way but blood….
The Exfiltration
Rayna pulled her breather mask up, hoping that the smell was just in her mask. It wasn’t. She wasn’t going to get a clean breath as she picked her way through the smoldering rubble of New Oakland's devastated cityscape.
Every step sent plumes of ash and pulverized concrete billowing around her armored combat boots. The occasional distant rumble of artillery strikes - a stark reminder that the fight for survival raged on beyond this tomb of a city - punctuated the eerie quiet…..
Working From Home
9:47 PM
Sarah: Hey Danny, you up?
Danny: hey sis
Sarah: This is going to sound weird but I keep hearing these strange notification sounds from my phone. Not just notifications, but like…echoes... different?
9:49 PM
Danny: diff how? What’s an echo notification tbh, prob just the bldg settling
9:50 PM
Sarah: Like it's distorted or something. Almost like it's underwater. I put the phone in the bedroom so I could focus on this work project but I’m still freaking out.
The Perfect Prayer
The city burned.
Orange fire licked the sky, reflecting off the glass towers that still stood, defiant against the ruin. Smoke curled upward, thick and black, blotting out the stars. The air was heavy with the acrid scent of burning metal, scorched concrete, and something worse—something human….
How to Turn Your Serial Killer Into a Celtic Diety (Without Getting Sacrificed)Or: The Best Crimes Are Prayers in Disguise
…the goddess who knows that the best crimes are prayers in disguise.
Secretly, Every Thriller is a Myth Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Minotaur
I’d wanted to commit to posting something on the blog twice a week, but the story I had slated for next up was the second short story about arsonists. And the draft of that arson story died faster than a cub scout campfire in the Hoh rainforest. Maybe karma was jinxing me as a way of promoting fire safety? Or because my actual house CAUGHT ON FIRE mid-draft…
Book Review: The Bullet Garden: Stephen Hunter’s WWII Thriller Digs into Snipers, Spies, and the Swagger Legacy
Picture this: It’s 1944. Normandy’s hedgerows are thick with summer growth, and the air hums with the kind of silence that comes right before a bullet splits it in two. The Allies have clawed their way into France after D-Day, but there’s a problem—German snipers are picking off U.S. officers with eerie, almost supernatural accuracy. Enter Earl Swagger, the broad-shouldered, sharp-minded Marine hero of Stephen Hunter’s The Bullet Garden….
Jordie’s World, Part 4
On the tenth floor of a luxury hotel in downtown Seattle, Jordie stood before the full-length mirror in the presidential suite, her wedding gown shimmering in the late morning light. At 28, she barely recognized the woman reflected back at her – so far removed from the little girl in hand-me-downs from Sedro-Woolley…….
Quick note
Quick note….
The Great Three-Album Runs: A Recognition of Consecutive Genius
Great albums are rare, but great album streaks are even rarer. When an artist or band manages to produce not just one but a series of landmark albums in close succession, they achieve something transcendent—a kind of musical alchemy that leaves an indelible mark on their legacy and the culture at large….
Jordie’s World, Part 3
The autumn air in Seattle felt different from Sedro-Woolley's – crisper, tinged with the scent of coffee and the salt of Puget Sound. Jordie, now 24, hurried across the University of Washington campus, her secondhand leather messenger bag thumping against her hip. Her hand unconsciously reached up to touch the star pendant around her neck, a gesture that had become as natural as breathing over the years……
Jordie’s World, Part 2
Jordie slumped in her seat at the back of the classroom, trying to make herself invisible. At ten years old, she was all too aware of how different she was from the other kids. Her too-small sweater, a hand-me-down from Kelly, rode up her wrists, exposing the pale skin beneath. She tugged at the sleeves, a futile attempt to make them longer….
The Day of the Jackal Review
Adaptations of classic stories often walk a tightrope between honoring the source material and bringing something new to the table. The Day of the Jackal (2024), a recently released limited British television series, provides an excellent case study of how a well-loved story can evolve to reflect contemporary sensibilities, offering fresh perspectives while risking alienating fans of the original….
Jordie’s World, Part 1
The October sun hadn't yet peeked over the North Cascades when Jordie's eyes flew open. Class photo day. Her heart did a little dance as she threw back the worn quilt and tiptoed past Kelly's sleeping form in the bed on the other side of their small bedroom.
In the cramped bathroom, Jordie stood on her tiptoes to see herself in the mirror……
Chapter 14: The Nexus Protocol
Rayna's fingers hovered over the makeshift console, her heart pounding in her chest. The stolen Syndicate terminal hummed softly, its sleek black surface reflecting the dim light of their hideout. It had been a stroke of luck—or perhaps fate—that led them to this piece of tech. Three days ago, she and Zeke had stumbled upon a Syndicate courier, downed by a rogue drone in the ruins of what used to be the Financial District. The courier hadn't survived, but his cargo—this console—was intact….
Chapter 12: Glitch in the System
Rayna's breath fogged in the cold air as she and Zeke crouched in the shadows near the entrance to the Syndicate's secure maintenance room. The nondescript door belied the importance of what lay beyond – a terminal that could provide crucial intel on Syndicate operations.
"Alright, boy," Rayna whispered, her hand resting on Zeke's flank. "You remember the plan?"