Edward G. Talbot's Blog

We don't blog very much. An announcement here, a book review there, and maybe a rare comment on writing. You're more likely to find us making smart-ass remarks on Facebook or (gasp) actually writing our next piece of fiction. Today, though, the Kindle Fire Department site kicks off its March Madness Kindle Fire Giveaway, and we are honored to be a featured author. We decided to put together a little post, something we hope both our current fans and the new folks making their way here will find interesting.

For those who don't know, the Kindle Fire Department site started last year and features all kinds of great information about how to get the most out of your Kindle Fire. Among other things, they feature a book and an app each day. In March, they will be giving away a Kindle Fire in conjunction with featuring six books by six different authors, including us. You can check the post out here to learn all the different ways you can get entries into the drawing (and there are a lot!)

Many of you reading this post may be encountering us for the first time. In which case, you may already be confused by the use of the words "we" and "us." You see, Edward G. Talbot is the pen name for two authors, Ed Parrot and Jason Derrig. We have two thriller novels and two thriller novellas out, along with some short stories. We focus on conspiracies and twists, and usually try to weave real events into the fiction. In April we hope to release a sequel to one of the novellas, the second in the Terrorist Chronicles series. If you want to read more about us, check out our About/Contact page.

The novel that featured in the Kindle Fire giveaway is New World Orders, a conspiracy thriller revolving aound global warming and the shadow government. The flavor can be summed up in one line: Killing Kennedy was only the beginning

The book ties all sorts of real events from the past fifty years into a long-running conspiracy. We have talked before about the inspiration for the book, and we often get asked whether we really believe in all these conspiracies. The answer is that Jason believes in them more than Ed, but we're both skeptical of anything that requires too much coordination to pull off. Never attribute to malfeasance what is more easily attributable to incompetence. However, the one thing that scares us most is how many of our fictional ideas have turned out to have at least some truth to them.

Without giving too much of the plot away, here are some of the things that have turned out to be true:

In New World Orders, we have NASA covering up global warming research in order to further the conspiracy. Two years after we first came up with that, James Hansen from NASA started claiming publicly that it was happening. To be as fair as possible, we should also note that Hansen has accused both the Bush administration and the Obama administration of the cover-up. And that the past two years have seen claims that NASA is covering up the opposite, evidence of a slowdown in global warming. One thing seems certain: someone is covering up something!

Last year, we were researching how the flu could be used by terrorists. A few months later, this headline stared us in the face: Bird flu: Research row as US raises terror fears

In 2008, after we had already come up with the general concept for our novel 2012:The Fifth World, we saw the following headline "Portal to Maya Underworld Found in Mexico?" Without giving too much away, let's just say it made us think of our novel.

Another tie-in to New World Orders, again something I can't elaborate on without giving away the plot. We found this headline a couple years after writing the book: "Astronomers on Verge of Finding Earth's Twin."

Our first novella, Alive From New York, centers around terrorism and bin Laden. Two months after book release, the news of his killing by the SEALS broke. We had to rewrite it and found that VERY little had to be changed

Another reference from our book 2012: The Fifth World. After we wrote it and were in the editing phase, a new Homo species was discovered. It's very relevant to the novel.

 

There have been more coincidences as well. Sometimes when we're spitballing ideas, we now stop and wonder what would happen if it came true. Do we really want to take the chance of blowing up a major city? Perhaps we should take care to make sure our books are set in locations far away from where we live. It sounds silly, I know. But remember what the conspiracy theorists always say: Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you.

Enjoy the Kindle Fire Giveaway!

Today, JA Konrath and Blake Crouch are releasing a unique co-authored thriller. The title is Stirred, and I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a review copy. Let me tell you folks, if you like serial killer thrillers with twisted humor and a vivid imagination, this one is a must-read.

You can get it on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Stirred-Jacqueline-Daniels-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0050KIRDC/

The book is the culmination of the Konrath's Jack Daniels series and Crouch's Luther Kite series. Two authors, taking their best-known characters and pitting one against the other in a final showdown. A book chock full of seemingly every character either author has ever created, all blended seamlessly into a cauldron of nonstop action. An enhanced ebook, with links back to the history of nearly every character.

The book is a fast read, leaving you ragged and drained after a whirlwind final section. What these guys bring to the table that few others do is a combination of action, humor, and occasional snippets of emotion that hit you right when you least expect it. You don't expect to be moved two pages after a round of toilet humor (at least not *that* kind of moved), but Konrath and Crouch pull it off.

The book even launches a few missiles at sacred cows of the publishing industry, no surprise from Konrath, and largely in good fun. Don't read it if you're easily offended, but otherwise, Stirred proves a very refreshing draught indeed.

Hi all, been a little while since I posted. We have an online interview coming up soon that I'll share with you, as well as reviews of the Chesspocalypse books other than ours, but for today just a quick note about a cool site if you're a kindle fan. The Kindle Lovers site is a neat little site with featured books divided by genre (often not done on other such sites)) as well as general kindle news. They also have a discussion forum. So head on over and check them out at KINDLE 3.

And the next Edward G. Talbot book is here. This book is co-written with Jeremy Robinson, and set in the world of his Chess Team novels, featuring Rook, one of the five members of the elite special forces unit known as Chess Team. Rook is large, loud, and in-your-face, and it was a lot of fun to write his character. In this 27,000 word novella, Rook is lying low. Or so he thought. . .

You can buy the book at

Amazon Kindle Store
Barnes & Noble Nookbook store
Smashwords (for all e-readers or online)

 

Below is the product description:

After a failed mission claims the lives of his five man support team, Stan Tremblay, Callsign: Rook, flees Siberia and finds himself on the secluded coast of Norway, north of the Arctic Circle. Exhausted, cut off from the outside world, and emotionally beaten from his defeat in Russia, Rook just wants to find a place to rest. The small coastal town of Fenris Kystby seems like the perfect place.

Within hours of arriving, he discovers that the town is not as tranquil as it appears. The townspeople are mistrustful of outsiders, a pack of mysterious wolves stalk the local tundra, and two villagers have been killed by a creature that defies explanation. To make things worse, there are rumors of something sinister, something the townspeople refuse to discuss.

Despite the hostility of the locals, Rook commits to stopping the creature murdering townspeople. As the body count rises, he quickly learns that the greatest threat might walk on two legs. And when he uncovers the town's hidden past, Rook knows only one thing for certain: something is rotten in Norway.

 

Exciting stuff! The co-authors of the other Chess Team novellas are also successful authors I am humbled to be associated with, and I'll post more soon on the books that are already out and the books that will be released soon!

Several months ago, I announced that I was teaming up with Jeremy Robinson on a novella set in the world of his wildly successful Chess Team/Jack Sigler thriller serious. I now can announce that the book is complete and will be launched very soon in ebook format. So you can't buy it quite yet, but I can tell you what it's about:

 

After a failed mission claims the lives of his five man support team, Stan Tremblay, Callsign: Rook, flees Siberia and finds himself on the secluded coast of Norway, north of the Arctic Circle. Exhausted, cut off from the outside world, and emotionally beaten from his defeat in Russia, Rook just wants to find a place to rest. The small coastal town of Fenris Kystby seems like the perfect place.

Within hours of arriving, he discovers that the town is not as tranquil as it appears. The townspeople are mistrustful of outsiders, a pack of mysterious wolves stalk the local tundra, and two villagers have been killed by a creature that defies explanation. To make things worse, there are rumors of something sinister, something the townspeople refuse to discuss.

Despite the hostility of the locals, Rook commits to stopping the creature murdering townspeople. As the body count rises, he quickly learns that the greatest threat might walk on two legs. And when he uncovers the town's hidden past, Rook knows only one thing for certain: something is rotten in Norway.

 

Pretty exciting stuff! You can be sure that as soon as it's available, I will let you know. There are four other books in this series, one for each of the other four members of Chess team.The co-authors of the other four Chess team novellas are also successful authors I am humbled to be associated with: David Wood, Sean Ellis, David McAfee, and Ethan Cross. I'll post more on these soon, but Sean Ellis' Callsign: King is already out, and you can find it at: Jeremy Robinson's Callsign: King page

It's time for some really big news from the world of Edward G. Talbot. Yes, New World Orders is selling well, but that's not the news. Our next book, 2012: The Fifth World is coming out next month, but that's not it, either...

The big news is that Jeremy Robinson has asked Ed to work with him to write a thriller novella in the world of his wildly successful Chess Team/Jack Sigler thriller serious. Needless to say, I am honored to be asked, and I said yes. The cover for the book, to be released late fall, I believe, is below.

So what's the book about, you ask? Well, you can check out Jeremy's books at his web site and get a feel for the Chess team series. Basically, the Chess team is a group of Delta soldiers tasked with going after the worst of the worst. Jeremy has three books out in the series, and this novella will bridge the gap between book 3 and book 4.

Each Chess team soldier has a call-sign related to chess. Four other authors will also be writing novellas along with me, one focusing on each of the five members of the Chess team. I will be writing the one about the character Rook, a lethal character given to hiding his intelligence behind aggression and crass remarks. The plot will be about-

Damn it, I can't tell you. Sorry. Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise. But you can check out the current Chess Team books on Jeremy's site. They rock, believe me. In fact, my first contact with Jeremy a year or two back was me contacting him to tell him how much I enjoyed his books. Now, I get to write one.

The co-authors of the other four Chess team novellas are also successful authors I am humbled to be associated with: David Wood, Sean Ellis, David McAfee, and Ethan Cross. I will post more about each one in future blog posts. This is an exciting project for me, and I think you all will be very happy with the outcome.

Just wanted to post a quick note about Daily Cheap Reads. This site scours the net for free and inexpensive quality ebooks and is a great source for finding said books. The past couple days, they've been having a 99 cent ebook marathon. Word has reached me that New World Orders will be featured there this afternoon.

So check out the site at www.dailycheapreads.com Find some great books and watch for New World Orders some time today!

We got our first book review today from a reviewer, at Candy's Raves. She gave it a solid four star review and said she lost sleep staying up to read it. Here's what she liked best:

Where this books shines and shines brightly is in character development. By the end of this novel, I felt like I knew Jack and why he was driven. All of the characters have such rich personalities, yet each very distinctive.

Check out the rest of the review at:
Candy's Raves

Haven't blogged in a bit, but I figured I'd weigh in briefly about my choice in the Apple vs Android Wars (not much of a war, Apple is dominating I would say). I had to get a new phone and I decided to go with a smart phone as opposed to the basic phones I have always had. So I had a choice.

I have no particular bias, other than the fact that I have always used PCs because they are cheaper and I personally have not had any problems with them to speak of that would have been avoided by having a Mac.  That said, I think the Macs are overall superior products.  I do have an Ipod Touch, which I love and which of course is an IPhone without the phone.

So the IPhone is the obvious answer, right?  Well, no.  I went with the HTC Thunderbolt.  I'm sticking with Verizon, I've loved them, so that rules out other possibilities I considered like the Dell Streak, only available on AT&T. So why did I go with the Thunderbolt, even though I like the Ipod Touch?

Two main reasons.  One the screen is substantially larger.  That's very important to me for doing anything beyond just making a phone call.  Even in just a few hours, it's obvious that it's easier for me to read email and go to web sites. That Dell Streak I mentioned would have been even better in this regard - still can hold it in my hand for a call, but big enough to really do stuff on.  But it's not an option now.

Second reason is that the virtual keypad is far easier to use. That's actually been my only real complaint about the Ipod Touch.

The 4G availability of the Thunderbolt is nice to have, though it won't be available where I live for six months or so. With the IPhone 4, I would have been without 4G for 2 years until my contract was up unless I wanted to upgrade (assuming the next IPhone supports Verizon 4G).  But that was a minor point, given that all of it is in the future.

Main downside of the choice is no more ITunes synch. I can get my Itunes stuff (the 98% that is DRM-free) onto the Thunderbolt, but it's more involved. At this point, it's a tradeoff I'm willing to make - we'll see if I still feel that way six months from now. Overall, I still think the IPhone navigation and interface is a bit more refined and user-friendly than the Droid, but not by a lot. Thus my choice.

So that's my brief contribution.  I may very well own an Iphone in the future, but at this instant in time, the Thunderbolt on Verizon is a better phone for me than the IPhone 4.

Hey folks, just a quick note to let you know that New World Orders has been featured on another blog. You can check it out at Spalding's Racket

Nick Spalding runs the blog, and he's a British author who has written a very unique book called "Life...with no breaks." It's basically non-fiction, and it's very unusual, sort of a combination biography/rant/social commentary. I've never read anything quite a like it, and after a brief slow start, I'd give the book 4 stars.

Anyway, head on over and check out his site. Oh, and check out the new ebook cover for New World Orders. The other one looks awesome in print and at full size, but you can't see any of the details at ebook size. The new one is sort of the opposite, designed to be optimized at a thumbnail kind of size:< br/>