Category Archives: Thriller

YA Series with intrigue, action, and suspense… Oh my!

11 Sunday Nov 2018

Posted by in Books, Mystery, Reading, Thriller, Young Adult

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As the days get shorter and the nights colder, there’s nothing better than curling up next to a warm fire with a good book. Preferably a story that sweeps you away with intrigue and catches your breath with excitement. “I’m in,” you say, “got any suggestions?”

As a matter of fact…there are three fantastic young adult (YA) series that may have surreptitiously slipped under your radar…

Beautiful Idols series

By Alyson Noel

The BEAUTIFUL IDOLS series is a sizzling contemporary Hollywood noir mystery, with an authentic cast of culturally diverse teenagers. UNRIVALED, the first in the series, hooked me from the start and it was tough waiting for BLACKLIST and INFAMOUS. You don’t have to wait, though. You can read all three back to back!

The mystery unfolds as a group of celebrity-seeking teens are handpicked by the owner of Los Angeles’ trendiest night clubs to promote his newest venues.

The glitz and glamour soon fades, exposing the ruthlessness of a cut-throat industry. Aster, Layla, Tommy, and Ryan find themselves caught in a web of deception, greed, and murder linked to the disappearance of Madison Brooks, A-List actress and the nation’s favorite It girl.

Secrets and lies build as the series flows with unexpected twists at each turn. As the characters’ interrelationships deepen, the consequences escalate to a supremely satisfying conclusion.

  • Publishers Weekly called this series “Addictive.”
  • New York Times bestselling author, Cecily Von Zeigesar, described it as, “Mysterious and compelling.”
  • Kirkus Reviews called it, “Chick-lit gold.”

I wholeheartedly to agree.

Riders and Seeker

By Veronica Rossi

What would you do if you woke up to find you were one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? That’s what Gideon discovers in RIDERS, recovering from an accident that actually killed him. He has new powers, a bizarre cuff he can’t remove, and a new destiny—he’s War, one of the legendary horsemen of the apocalypse, with a horse made of fire no less.

A mysterious girl arrives to help Gideon unite with the other horsemen, Conquest, Famine, and Death and their horses of light, shadow, and ash. They must save the world from an ancient evil. And they fail. Big time.

It was Daryn’s responsibility as a SEEKER to ensure the success of the Riders’ mission. Daryn’s visions started in high school, but one believed she could see the future. She became a Seeker to save lives. It was all good…until Sebastian. He was a mistake that haunted her with the threat of mankind’s destruction. Will she be able to do what the Riders could not?

Rossi’s gift for realistic world building and creating engaging—yet flawed and vulnerable—characters brings this high velocity supernatural thriller into realistic focus. For a fierce and explosive, nail-biting ride, this duology is a must read.

USA Today agrees, “Readers will surely be clamoring for more.”

Wolf by Wolf and Blood for Blood

By Ryan Graudin

What if Hitler had won WWII? In WOLF BY WOLF, that’s the reality Ya-el faces, one she’ll risk her life to change after escaping the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp. A product of inhumane Nazi experimentation, Ya-el became a shapeshifter. A talent she uses for the resistance’s mission that requires Ya-el to assume the identity of last year’s motorcycle racing champion, Adele Wolf, in the Axis Tour. It’s critical that Ya-el win the race and assassinate Hitler at the victory dance.

BLOOD FOR BLOOD resumes the heart pounding race in a higher stakes arena. Seventeen year-old Ya-el is on the run, in a world that believes she killed Hitler. The truth is unbelievably complicated and the consequences are a matter of life and death. Ya-el and her band of unlikely comrades must infiltrate enemy territory and complete their mission. They must stop the Nazis or lose everything.

Publishers Weekly (starred review) of BLOOD FOR BLOOD states, “Graudin…crafts another fast-paced, enthralling tale of sacrifice and dogged determination as she fuses alternate history and spy thriller suspense. A provocative rumination on self-preservation, the greater good, and the boundaries that keep heroes from becoming as cruel as those they fight.”

Now…for that breathtaking escape…

15th YAppiest Giveaway! “Struck” by Jennifer Bosworth

30 Saturday Nov 2013

Posted by in Book Reviews, Dystopian, Supernatural, Thriller, YA, YAppiest, Young Adult

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17 YA AUTHORS + DISNEYLAND = THE YAPPIEST DAY ON EARTH!

YAppiest Day on Earth icon

If you couldn’t make The YAppiest Day on Earth, never fear! The YAppiness keeps rolling with epic read giveaways by each of the 17 authors.

This is the 15th YAppiest Giveaway! for Struck, by Jennifer Bosworth.

For a chance to win a FREE copy of this book, see the “Here’s How” section below. For a complete list of upcoming giveaways, go here.

A High Voltage Dystopian

STRUCK coverMia Price is a lightning addict. She’s survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her.

Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Downtown is a crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the revelers drawn to the destruction by a force they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come.

Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but she fears he isn’t who he claims to be. In the end, the passion and power that brought them together could be their downfall. When the final disaster strikes, Mia must risk unleashing the full horror of her strength to save the people she loves, or lose everything. [Synopsis]

To save everyone, she must risk everything…

Mia is haunted by her ability to attract lightning, and frightened by the power each strike has left building inside her. She sees her power as a curse, but the warring religious cults in Los Angeles see it as something to be claimed and manipulated to their own ends. Mia wants nothing to do with either faction, but her brother is drawn to one side and her mother the other. To make matters more confusing, she meets an enigmatic, totally hot guy named Jeremy who possesses a strange power that draws her to him. Mia doesn’t know who she can trust. Not her brother or her mother. And least of all Jeremy, who shows up when she least expects it and then disappearing just as mysteriously.

STRUCK is an engaging, super fresh take on the dystopian theme with a unique paranormal twist. Mia may be a lightning addict with mystical powers, but she is also a teenager with insecurities and family drama we can all relate to. Her mother is left mentally broken as a result of what she endured in the massive quake, and Mia is doing whatever it takes to hold their small family together. The mystical elements of the story are woven through the realistic setting of post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, substantiating a plausible explanation for the cataclysmic events Mia faces.

STRUCK is equal parts high-voltage action and thoughtful character study. For nothing shows a person for who they are more than how they act in a crisis. In the first sentence of the book, we learn that Mia’s life has been a royal flush in that department…

When you’re struck by lightning as many times as I have, you start to expect the worst pretty much all of the time.

Check out the following book trailer… 

Here’s how to win…

NOTE: The FREE giveaway of a copy of this book is open to residents of the United States only, due to shipping costs. My sincere apologies.

  1. Leave a comment on this blog–explaining WHY you want to read this book— by midnight, December 6th (1 entry).
  2. Tweet about this giveaway, including #yappiest in your tweet (1 entry).

I’ll tally the entries and choose a winner, then announce it on this blog on Sunday, December 8th. Good luck!

Stay tuned for the next YAppiests Giveaway!

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13th YAppiest Giveaway! “Revived” by Cat Patrick

15 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by in Book Reviews, Giveaway, Romance, Thriller, YA, YAppiest, Young Adult

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17 YA AUTHORS + DISNEYLAND = THE YAPPIEST DAY ON EARTH!

YAppiest Day on Earth icon

If you couldn’t make The YAppiest Day on Earth, never fear! The YAppiness keeps rolling with epic read giveaways by each of the 17 authors.

This is the LUCKY 13th YAppiest Giveaway! for Revived, by Cat Patrick. For a chance to win a FREE copy of this book, see the “Here’s How” section below. For a complete list of upcoming giveaways, go here.

Death might not be final, but it always has a price…

Revived by Cat Patrick, coverDaisy Appleby died in a bus crash when she was four. Then her undercover life began. She was brought back to life, along with nineteen other children on that bus, as part a covert government program for a drug called Revive.

Daisy barely remembers the fatal bus crash. Even so, now at fifteen Daisy has died and been Revived five times. She’s not exactly an expert at avoiding life-threatening accidents, her last being an allergic reaction to a bee sting.

To keep Revive a secret, each time Daisy dies and is revived it means a new name, a new city, a new identity. Daisy accepts her gypsy lifestyle without attachments … until they move Omaha and meets Matt and Audrey McKean. Audrey quickly becomes Daisy’s first real friend outside of “the program”, and then she falls for Audrey’s brother Matt. Hard.

For the first time, Daisy wants a normal life. She wants someone outside “the program” to know who she really is, including her secret. Daisy soon discovers that the Revive experiment is more sinister than she ever imagined, and her sharing her secret with Matt could very well cost him his life.

Epic Romance & Edge-of-Your-Seat Thriller

The heart of this story is wrapped in Daisy’s relationships; how she deals with her first friendship outside the program, and then a romance with and outsider. People she isn’t “supposed to” get close to, because they can’t know her secret about Revive.

The mystery simmers beneath the surface, building tension as it slowly unravels with Daisy’s deepening friendship with Audrey and her romantic relationship with Matt. Daisy can’t ignore the signs. Something isn’t quite right with the program, but she can’t put her finger on it. That is, until she uncovers disturbing information she wasn’t supposed to find. Daisy is conflicted about sharing her secret with Matt, and after she does she discovers her indiscretion has endangered his life.

Cat Patrick is a master at creating authentic characters with believable strengths and weaknesses. The supporting characters—Mason, Cassie, and Megan—are as interesting and well-rounded as Daisy, Audrey, and Matt. The author is also adept at weaving suspense throughout, hinting at what’s just out of sight until the final climax. Like a horror movie where what’s lurking in the shadows is never shown. What we don’t see is more terrifying.

I can’t tell you any more without spoiling the edge-of-your-seat ending. You’ll have to read the book to find out if Daisy can out run the Revive program after uncovering its darkest secret.

I loved this book. So much so that I immediately picked up Forgotten, Cat Patrick’s debut novel, and devoured it just as quickly. Now I can’t wait to read The Originals, Cat Patrick’s most recent release, and Just Like Fate, which she co-authored with Suzanne Young.

Here’s how to win…

NOTE: The FREE giveaway of a copy of this book is open to residents of the United States only, due to shipping costs. My sincere apologies.

  1. Leave a comment on this blog–explaining WHY you want to read this book— by midnight, October 20th (1 entry).
  2. Tweet about this giveaway, including #yappiest in your tweet (1 entry).

I’ll tally the entries and choose a winner, then announce it on this blog on Tuesday, October 22nd. Good luck!

Stay tuned for the next YAppiests Giveaway!

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MMGM: “Jake Ransom and the Skull King’s Shadow” by James Rollins

07 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by in Adventure, Book Reviews, Middle Grade, MMGM, Thriller

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Marvelous Middle Grade Monday!

Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow coverWhen a mysterious envelope arrives for Jake Ransom, he and his older sister, Kady, are plunged into a gripping chain of events. An artifact found by their parents—on the expedition from which they never returned—leads Jake and Kady to a strange world inhabited by a peculiar mix of long-lost civilizations, a world that may hold the key to their parents’ disappearance.

But even as they enter the gate to this extraordinary place, savage grackyls soar across the sky, diving to attack. Jake’s new friends, the pretty Mayan girl Marika and the Roman Pindor, say the grackyls were created by an evil alchemist—the Skull King. And as Jake struggles to find a way home, it becomes obvious that what the Skull King wants most is Jake and Kady—dead or alive. [Jacket Flap Synopsis]

Smart and Fun, Adventure for All Ages

James Rollins, New York Times bestselling master of adventure for adults, doesn’t hold back on the thrills in this middle-grade tale that will satisfy boys and girls of all ages. With amazing aplom, Jake Ransom and the Skull King’s Shadow delivers with authentic richness, as well as with the adrenaline fun factor.

Thirteen year-old Jake Ransom is ahead of his class when it comes to science, and has a special love for archeology. So when Jake and Kady are invited an exhibit at the British Museum in honor of their parents, he’s excited and intrigued. He’s also suspicious. The logo for the company sponsoring the exhibit reminds Jake of a recent nightmare. Is it a coincidence, or not?

The large golden pyramid at the exhibit, gives Jake a hunch about the artifact that came in the mysterious package. A hunch that sends him and Kady tumbing through time to a mythical city called Calypsos. Always a scientist, Jake assesses the situation with analytic detachment.

Fifteen year-old Kady isn’t as level-headed. She’s scared and angry. But who can blame her? Almost immediately, a dinosaur—that Jake knows the name of—decides they’re its next happy meal. Luckily, a Mayan girl and a Roman boy, about their same ages (Marika and Pindor), get Jake and Kady safely inside the protected walls of their city. Once in back in civilization, Kady adapts to her new surroundings with speed and grace. Her impulsive gutsiness provides a balance to Jake’s is rational straight-ahead approach.

And they need all the help they can get…

Jake and Kady tumbled through time, bringing them closer to the evil Skull King. In order to stay alive, Jake has to discover who the Skull King is and what he really wants. The stakes are raised when Colypsos is invaded by the Skull King’s mutant monsters. For Jake and Kady to outwit the Skull King, they must combine their strengths and trust in the support of their new friends.

What I Liked Most…

This is one of those books that after reading the first line, I didn’t want to put it down. Here’s a few reasons why:

  • The characters: Jake and Kady are strong in different ways, and both have their share of flaws. I especially liked how Rollins translated Kady’s high school twirl squad skills into an adeptness at swordsmanship. The secondary characters are unique individuals, who satisfactorily round out the story.
  • The world: Rollins’ knowledge of animals and love of science shines through on every page. I learned quite a bit, without even trying. The inhabitants of this world are created from a blend of historical facts from various time periods, grounding the fantasy in believability. Likewise, the science fiction elements of the story are woven through with scientific facts that bring along a refreshing dose of authenticity.
  • The mystery: Multiple threads intertwine to shape a story that is rich in intrigue and suspense. Where are Jake and Kady’s parents? Are they still alive? Who is the Skull King and why does he want Jake and Kady? How will they ever get back home? No spoilers here. You have to read the book to find out.
  • The adventure: This is an Indiana-Jones-esque thrill ride that girls as well as boys will enjoy. The fast pace would makes this an excellent choice for a reluctant reader, as well as for those of us who thrive on adrenaline spiked escapism.

The Adventure Continues…

Jake and Kady continue their search for their parents, as the threat of the Skull King presses closer in the next installment of this adventure: Jake Ransom and the Howling Sphinx.

Jake Ransom and the Howling Sphinx cover

9th YAppiest Giveaway! TWO “Necromancer” Books by Lish McBride

16 Friday Aug 2013

Posted by in Book Reviews, Giveaway, Supernatural, Thriller, YAppiest, Young Adult, Zombies

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17 YA AUTHORS + DISNEYLAND = THE YAPPIEST DAY ON EARTH!

YAppiest Day on Earth icon

If you couldn’t make The YAppiest Day on Earth, never fear! The YAppiness keeps rolling with epic read giveaways by each of the 17 authors.

This is the 9th YAppiest Giveaway! For a chance to win a FREE copy of these books, see the “Here’s How” section below. For a complete list of upcoming giveaways, go here.

Lish Dishes Snarky Horror at its BEST!

I was only going to feature Necromancing the Stone, the second Necromancer book by Lish McBride, in this giveaway. Then, I read the jacket flap for the first Necromancer book, Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, and had to read it first. Am I glad I did! The two Necromancer books compliment each other perfectly. For optimum satisfaction, you should read them both.

To paraphrase (and only slightly change) a quote for the first Necromancer book made by Sherman Alexie, National Book Award Winner:

This is a funny scary book [series] OR a scary funny book [series]. In either case, it’s a GREAT book [series]. I LOVE it.

The [series] additions are mine. But trust me. This quote sums up both books, and that’s why I’m giving them away as a set to one lucky winner.

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer (Book 1)

Sam hates his underwhelming life—a college drop-out facing a life sentence asHold me Closer, Necromancer cover a sometimes-fry-cook and most-of-the-time-counter-jock at Plumpy’s burgers.
But that changes when a bad shot in rogue game of parking-lot-potato-hockey damages the wrong car, introducing Sam to the one man who can, and will, make his life hell.

Sam knows Douglas Montgomery is dangerous the moment he sees him. Expensive suit aside, Douglas is a psychopathic killer and necromancer who raises the dead for cash. Not the kind of guy you want to piss off. Something Sam accomplishes by just being who he is: bad at hockey and a necromancer Douglas sees as a threat. The thing is, Sam didn’t know about his necromancing heritage, leaving him at an extreme disadvantage. Thanks, mom.

Douglas kidnaps Sam to eliminate his competition, and perform a few torturous experiments. The upside to being trapped in a magical cage in a scary basement is Brid, the amazing female werewolf he’s forced to share his cage with. The only chance Sam and Brid have at surviving, is for Sam to defeat Douglas by embracing his necromancer powers. Yeah? That’s a long shot. The good news is, they’re in in Seattle where there as many paranormal types as coffee houses. Plus Sam’s good heart is a wildcard that stacks the deadly deck in their favor.

What I loved most about this book:

I didn’t know what a necromancer was before I read this book. Even so, McBride’s seamless world building, realistic characters, and witty banter created a charmed suspension of disbelief from the first page to the last. I loved the snarky humor and the quirky cast of characters. The tight pacing kept me on the edge of my seat, and that fact that this story never took itself too seriously had me laughing while I kept turning the pages.

Necromancing the Stone (Book 2)

Necromancing the Stone coverSam is shocked that he defeated Douglas, inherited his seat on the paranormal council, as well as his house (more like mansion) and material wealth—including a shape-shifting servant. Then there’s Sam’s werewolf girlfriend Brid, who’s next in line to lead her pack. He never thought he’d score a girl as amazing as that.

From fry cook to financially independent. Sam LaCroix is having to get used to his new life. But things were looking up, right?

Um . . . not so much.

His girlfriend’s pack insists on training Sam so he can protect himself, and he’s tired of getting beat up by everyone, even the garden gnomes. Douglas’ house is downright creepy, his best friend is a were-bear (because of him), and someone is threatening his sister. Sam knows he’s got powers, but doesn’t know how to use them. An epic fail waiting to happen.

When Brid’s father and leader of their pack is murdered, all signs point to Sam. When everything else starts falling apart, Sam is forced to step up and take control and only finds more questions. Like, is Douglas really dead?

What I loved most about this book:

The cast of characters gets quirkier and their antics laugh-out-loud funnier, especially the garden gnomes. The snark keeps rolling too, keeping a refreshing balances with the intensity Sam is forced to face. While the first book focuses on Sam coming to terms with his necromancing heritage, the second book focuses more on Sam’s relationships, how his choices affect those relationships, and how he grows from them.

I’m risking a spoiler alert here, but this book also reveals Douglas’ story, weaving in flashbacks of Douglas’ early life; snapshots of events that ultimately turned him into the villain we met in book 1. McBride succeeds in making us feel empathy for the Douglas Montgomery. No small task. So much so, that I actually cried when he met his final demise. [end spoiler alert]

While slightly slower paced than the first book in this series, this book is ultimately more powerful. It offers a satisfying culmination, while leaving openings for future stories to grow.

Here’s how to win BOTH of these awesome books:

NOTE: This FREE giveaway is open to residents of the United States only, due to shipping costs. My sincere apologies.

  1. Leave a comment on this blog–explaining WHY you want to read these books— by midnight, August 23rd (1 entry).
  2. Tweet about this giveaway, including #yappiest in your tweet (1 entry).

I’ll tally the entries and choose a winner, then announce it on this blog on Sunday August 25th. Good luck!

Stay tuned for more YAppiests Giveaways!

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Secret American History

07 Saturday Jul 2012

Posted by in Historical Fiction, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller, Vampire

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The REAL Abraham Lincoln … Vampire Hunter

History prefers legends to men … It prefers nobility to brutality … soaring speeches to quiet deeds. History remembers the battle and forgets the blood. However history remembers me before I was a President, it shall only remember a fraction of the truth … [from the trailer below]

The premise of Seth Grahame-Smith’s bestselling novel, Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, is awesome. Somehow though, I never got around to reading it. So when the movie came out, I had to see it. It was obvious from the trailers that the story was anything but a joke. Still, I couldn’t fathom how — given everything we know about our 16th President — the history could be believable. OK, so you have to buy into the whole Vampire’s-are-real thing. But after that … Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter is disturbingly plausible.

Which got me to thinking … What if? What if … what we’ve been taught about that time in history is only part of the truth? The possibility is awesome.

Hollywood has given us some other more-than-believable options for American history…

A Secret National Treasure Map

National Treasure is a perfect example … A secret from our nation’s past leads to the greatest adventure (and treasure) in history.

Benjamin Gates’ (Nicolas Cage) life-long journey leads him, and his nerd-savante sidekick Riley Poole (Justin Bartha), to an invisible map that is encrypted on the back of the Declaration of Independence.  However, what they thought was the final clue turns out to only be the beginning of their hunt.

Gates soon realizes that to protect the world’s greatest treasure, he must steal the most revered, best guarded document in American history before it falls into the wrong hands. In a race against time, Gates must stay one step ahead of his ruthless adversary (Sean Bean), elude the authorities, and unlock a 2000 year-old mystery behind our greatest national treasure.

What makes this story so believable are the historical facts that are woven into the story at every turn. Nine of the Founding Fathers who signed the Declaration of Independence were Masons. The invisible map (encrypted using Masonic symbols) points to the hiding place of King Solomon’s treasure — an unfathomable storehouse of wealth — that vanished after the Knights Templar (precursors to the Masons) uncovered it beneath King Solomon’s palace.

And let’s not forget the clue Gates discovers on the Independence Hall clock tower on the back of a hundred-dollar bill, or the special glasses needed to read the map — made by Benjamin Franklin himself, the inventor of bifocals — that are hidden in that very clock tower. And the final believability gem (pun intended) comes when Gates realizes the treasure is deep beneath Trinity Church (Trinity Wall Street at 79th Street in Lower Manhattan), which was founded in 1696. Again, the magic of … what if?

More National Treasure … in a Book of Secrets

National Treasure: Book of Secrets starts out with the promise of a great premise…

This time Benjamin Gates sets out to discover the truth behind the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, by uncovering the mystery within the 18 pages missing from assassin John Wilkes Booth’s diary. A Gates ancestor has been accused of being an accomplice in Booth’s crime, and Benjamin  believes the missing pages will clear the family name. His conviction drives him to uncover clues to the location of the mythical City of Gold, Cibola.

The historic facts laced throughout this story are viable. Such as the hidden inscription on the scale model of the Statue of Liberty on the Île aux Cygnes in Paris that points to the two Resolute desks; one of which is in the Queen’s chambers in Buckingham Palace, the other in the Oval Office of the White House. All well and good. But they lost me with the Mayan-style temple of gold beneath Mount Rushmore.

It might just be me. But the only way I’d believe that one is if they proved George Washington used his hatchet to cut crop circles to signal aliens (instead of chopping down that cherry tree). Because the aliens could totally have helped the Mayans build a temple of gold beneath Mount Rushmore. Which of course, is why George’s face is now on that mountain.

But seriously … a city carved into the walls at the bottom of the Grand Canyon — similar to Petra in Jordan — and filled with tons of golden artifacts would have been much more believable. I’m just sayin’. Are you listening, Jon Turteltaub?

I’m hoping National Treasure 3 — if and when it happens — brings the series back on track to its original suspense filled, believable glory. Without aliens, crystal skulls, or nuked refrigerators. Please!

How to lose an audience…

What I learned from these stories was … to keep a story believable the audience needs a consistent trail of plausibility that’s easy to follow. A logical set up of known historical facts woven throughout the story so they pay off in a believable secret history.

Let’s face it. On some level we all want to believe the secret history could be true. We want to believe, because it takes us out of our day-to-day lives and lifts us up into realm of infinite possibilities. That … What if? … place, where anything can happen.

A storyteller’s mistake comes when their plausibility trail hits a wall that requires us to pole vault over it. The end result … you lose us … an audience that wanted to go along for the ride, not go out for the Olympics.

What’s your favorite piece of secret history … American or otherwise?

Inquiring minds want to know!