After college I was commissioned an Officer of Marines. I
became a Combat Engineer, and ran my battalion’s computerized maintenance
system. Soon after leaving the Corps, I moved to Houston, TX, where I resumed
working with computers. I’d also picked up three kids along the way - Rick,
Dave and Rob. Ten years later, I moved to Dallas, re-married the wonderful
Tracy Ellis, and picked up two stepsons, Mark and Matt. I also began working
with a group of exceptional Welshmen. It’s been over twenty years, Tracy and
the Welshmen are still in my life. In those years I’ve also earned a Masters of
Ministry and a Masters of Divinity from the Golden State School of Theology.
Preparing a masters thesis rekindled my passion for writing.
A few years ago, I began to write seriously. Since then, I’ve had short stories and
articles published, in print and online. My work has been published by BeWrite,
Darklines, Eros and Rust, and others sites. One of my short stories was
published in the Australian anthology ADUMBRA. I also write screenplays and
finished 18th in the 2010 Writer’s Digest Screenplay competition in 2010, and
16th in the 2011 competition.
Recently I finished my first novel, HELLFIRE (formerly A
MURDER IN MUMBLES), a thriller set in Wales. HELLFIRE was a finalist in the
2010 Debut Dagger contest sponsored by the Crime Writers’ Association in
London, and the 2010 SouthWest Writers contest. In 2011, I signed a contract
with Transit Publishing, and HELLFIRE was published in February of 2012 as an
eBook. In July of 2012 HELLFIRE was republished by MacDonald, Barclay and Co.
in both paperback and eBook formats.
I published my Masters Thesis entitled BIBLE STUDY:
DEFENDING DANIEL, an examination of the historical, archaeological and
linguistic context for the Biblical book of Daniel. I have already begun work
on a sequel to HELLFIRE, currently titled COYOTE MIDNIGHT, which is set in
Texas.
An International Debut Dagger Award Finalist.
“Packed with action, emotion and suspense.” --Crime Writers Association
“A must read for any fan of the thriller genre” -- Joe Nassise, Internationally best selling author Of Eyes to See and the Templar Chronicles
US Marine Travis Deacon always loves catching some R&R. And he loves being in Wales to catch it, until his best friend, SAS Major Gareth Jones, dies in an "auto accident." When Travis asks too many questions about Gareth's death, MI5 steps in and tries to send him back to Afghanistan. Then, the international terrorist who killed his friend, tries to send Travis to hell.
It gets worse when Detective Sergeant Dee Jones, Gareth's sister, arrests Travis to find out if he’s involved. Together, convinced that Gareth was murdered, Travis and Dee search for the killer. They dodge terrorist assassins and British agents in their search across Wales for the truth. Suddenly, the murder investigation becomes a frantic race to prevent a terrorist attack that could change the world.
“Strap
yourself in for Rickard B DeMille’s
HELLFIRE, a page-turner full of humor,
reluctant romance, and plot twists that will have you writhing in your seat.”
--Margaret Bailey, author of Diamond in the
Sky and the Waves of Amber trilogy
Excerpt: Travis finally makes contact with the terrorist leader when the Marine
neutralizes several of the terrorist assassins and keeps one of their phones:
Maliki
reached toward the phone to hang up, but was startled to have it answered
before going to voicemail. Instead of hearing Gamal’s gruff voice, someone else
responded.
“Kandahar
Marriott, home of the Taliban special. Survive three nights and the fourth is
free. How may we help you?”
It
took a moment for Maliki to analyze this new information and understand what
was happening. The voice was American, but he had certainly called Gamal’s
phone. This must be Deacon, but how was this possible? Maliki hesitated a
moment longer, then asked with forced congeniality, “I would like to speak with
one of your guests, a Mr. Gamal, is he available?”
Maliki
walked to the table and slid a photograph from a stack of papers. One showed
Sergeant Deacon speaking with a dirty, greasy man next to a wrecker as Major
Jones’ car was being retrieved. The other was of Detective Jones, also at the
accident scene, standing with a group of her colleagues. She must be a strong
woman to function that well under such stress. She was certainly a beautiful
one. He listened again, aware that Travis had been speaking.
“Hello?”
The voice said, “who shall I say is calling?”
“I
am a friend of Mr. Gamal’s.”
“Then
I’m terribly sorry, sir, there was a horrible Cricket accident and Mr. Gamal
seems to have lost his head. Where would you like it sent if we find it?”
September 26 - Mass Musings
September 27 - Cafe' Creations
September 28 - Lori's Reading Corner
September 28 - MK McClintock's Blog
September 27 - Cafe' Creations
September 28 - Lori's Reading Corner
September 28 - MK McClintock's Blog
