Chuck Barrett's Blog

Reading Order Explained:

Over the course of the past few years, I’ve received numerous emails, Facebook messages, and tweets asking about the reading order for the Jake Pendleton series books. Some confusion might be that on my website the latest release is listed first, putting them in reverse order. I have also had readers ask which Chuck Barrett book they should read first. And a few who have asked which is my favorite. Hopefully, I can answer these questions and set you on a path to enjoyable reading.

Jake Pendleton series:

The order of writing and the order of reading can be the same or different depending on your personal preference. The order of writing AND chronological order of the Jake Pendleton series is this:

The Savannah Project The Toymaker Breach of Power DISRUPTION

Now, let’s look a little deeper. Think of The Savannah Project & The Toymaker as one story broken into two books. It is one long story with the same underlying theme running from one to the other. As a matter of fact, The Toymaker picks up right where The Savannah Project ends. Regardless of which order you read the others, I think the best enjoyment will come from reading The Savannah Project and then The Toymaker without taking a break or reading something else in between. It is literally a 700-page story. It is also the bulk of character growth for the protagonist, Jake.

Now, that brings us to Breach of Power & DISRUPTION. Both are stand-alone stories and may be read in any order. I do, however, suggest you read The Savannah Project & The Toymaker before reading either of the other two. The main reason for this suggestion is so you, the reader, will understand how Jake got to the point he is in life. Many readers only like to read books in order. I, personally, think that’s the best way to read a series. You can connect with the main characters better and watch them grow from book to book. Readers who love to read series have an investment in the main characters…that’s what draws them to series reading.

Gregg Kaplan Series:

Again, the order of writing this series is my suggested order of reading as you will get the greatest enjoyment by experiencing first-hand how Gregg Kaplan got from one station in life to another, including all the excitement along the way. I will add a small caveat as the Gregg Kaplan series is a spinoff from the Jake Pendleton series—the character of Gregg Kaplan appears in The Savannah Project and most of The Toymaker—so you might want to read them first as well.

BLOWN Last Chance Devil in the Wind

 

Which Chuck Barrett book should you read first?

Easy enough to answer, I think. If you are a big Lee Child/Jack Reacher fan, then read BLOWN first. It is the first in the Gregg Kaplan series and one I’m certain you’ll enjoy. If you’re more of a David Baldacci, Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler type of fan, then start with the Jake Pendleton series and read them in order.

Which is my favorite book?

I’ve had this asked of me so many times I lost count…and it keeps getting worse. Every book is near and dear to every author’s heart. They all have a special meaning for us…that’s why we wrote them. To ask an author which book they wrote is their favorite is like asking which child is their favorite.

So, my answer to them…and to you…is my favorite book is the one I’m working on now!

Be the first to see the cover reveal  and read the cover copy for my next book. Will it be another Kaplan series book, Pendleton series book or a new series altogether? Guess there’s only one way to find out and that’s by subscribing to my Spam-Free-Zone newsletter. Click here— https://chuckbarrettbooks.com/mailing-list/

Chuck Barrett

HAPPY READING

The post Reading Order Explained: Part 2 appeared first on Chuck Barrett.

#THUMBSUP



February 18 is Thumb Appreciation Day. And I’m celebrating because now I know. There are many things in life we take for granted, that is until they’re gone…or the use of it anyway. And so it is with my thumb(s).



Today we celebrate—and show a little appreciation for—the thumb, which is considered to be one of the most important digits. Made up of two bones, thumbs are often known as opposable thumbs because they can be stretched opposite fingers in order to grip things. They can carry out a wide range of uses and motions, such as pinching, grasping, rotating, and flexing.

I suffer from arthritis. Doing even the most menial tasks became an issue. My arthritis, diagnosed as advanced osteoarthritis, is limited to my hands, and especially my thumbs. Something I took for granted until things would simply slip from my hands. Can’t tell you how many glasses and dishes I broke while rinsing or washing. It reached the point where I had broken so many stems off our wine glasses my wife bought stemless. Hey! I hear your snide comments; it was NOT from too much wine! Then there were the lids I couldn’t twist off the jars…kind of humbling. The list is like the Energizer bunny…it keeps on going and going.

Worst was the impact it had on my writing and golfing, so I’d just power through it. But a day sitting at my desk writing (typing) my next story would leave my hands cramped by late afternoon. To deal with the pain, golf days were Aleve days, writing days usually ibuprofen. I even went so far as to buy a hot wax machine like they have at spas to soak my hands to relieve the ache. So-so results at best.

After years of denial, I broke down and went to an orthopedic hand doctor. Turns out after x-rays and all, that both my thumb joints (basal joints) had deteriorated to the point I needed them replaced. Yeah, that’s a thing! Coincidentally, I was familiar with the surgery as my wife had one of her thumb joints replaced several years ago.

The doctor wanted to start the thumb replacement surgery with my right hand, since that joint was, by far, in worse shape. I refused, not going to let him start with my dominant hand!

On December 14 (2019), I had the surgery. I scheduled it so my recovery would be during the winter months as to minimize my downtime during golf season.  I mean, you DO have to keep your priorities straight. Turned out to be a good choice since there had basically been too much snow on the ground for golf since before Thanksgiving when we had 16.5 inches. I could tell you horror stories about the nerve block, but I’ll spare you for brevity’s sake.

As of this writing, it’s been 9 weeks since the surgery. I’ve gone from the initial bandage wrap and foam block, to a hard cast, to a removable plastic thumb splint (nice to finally take a shower without a bag taped over my hand), to a neoprene thumb brace to freedom!

After 4 weeks, I started physical therapy which was range of motion mostly. At 6 weeks the plastic splint came off and went into neoprene thumb guard. It’s amazing, and extremely depressing how much muscle mass and strength you lose in such a short period of debilitation. At 8 weeks, I started minor strengthening exercises which are gradually increasing. My range of motion is much better, and as you can see, I’m typing again. Still a long way from golf though. Doc says I can swing the golf club at 12 weeks. That’s still 3 weeks. But I’m diligently working to get there. I’ve been forewarned that even then I’ll have some serious soreness after playing. Just get me on the golf course!

Back in the fall, I had to put Gregg Kaplan Book 3 on hold. I thought I would be able to hack away with one hand and a partial second, but no cigar. I tried but the throbbing would start almost immediately, so I gave up.

For all you impatient readers out there (and I don’t blame you a bit), you’ll be happy to hear Kaplan is back in full action and is deep in his next adventure. His next adventure takes him to a foreign country, I won’t tell you which one, but its biggest city has a tower that’s certainly an eyeful.

After months—strike that—years of being bombarded with emails wanting to know about when the Gregg Kaplan sequel to BLOWN was going to come out, I felt I should listen a little closer to my readers wants and desires.

Admittedly, I had struggled for an idea for the next Kaplan book seeing as I had lavished in unprecedented blockbuster success with BLOWN. I wanted a different feel for this story. When I wrote BLOWN, I was living in the South, now I live in Colorado and felt an overwhelming desire to do a story with a setting in the West. I also wanted to add a Native American vibe to it without taking away from the Kaplan voice and style.

Enter LAST CHANCE.

Through a stroke of happenstance, my wife and I decided on a whim to drive up to Laramie, Wyoming for lunch one Sunday morning. We found a nice little coffee shop/diner/bar in downtown. The dining area was full, so we opted to walk down into the bar area and eat at the bar. We were alone except for the bartender and his girlfriend/significant other/whatever. We talked about his past…long story, but the gist is he used to work in special effects in Hollywood until a friend of his was seriously injured during a scene while filming on of the Fast & Furious movies. We discussed with him that we were authors and I was interested in picking his brain about his special effects skills.

One thing led to another and as I told him about my idea for the next book and my desire to add some Native American influence, he informed me that his cousin’s husband was a BIA officer. (Bureau of Indian Affairs). I got his contact info and that turned into an interview in Lander, Wyoming and a ride-along through the Wind River Indian Reservation. All I can say is WHOA! What an eye-opening experience that was.

The result—LAST CHANCE.

Gregg Kaplan’s partner has vanished without a word.

He is inexplicably kept in the dark by his employer, the CIA, and ordered to stand down or face the consequences. Refusing to follow orders, Kaplan strikes out on his own in search of Isabella Hunt, the woman he is in love with.

Following a tip that led him across the country to a small town in Wyoming, he finds himself in trouble once again when two of the town’s bullies assault a young Native American woman. This time it lands him behind bars. Kaplan quickly learns that the men he just put in the hospital are the sons of a wealthy and politically connected land baron.

Town Marshal Christine Cavalier is stumped by recent crimes in her once peaceful town. After one of her deputies is murdered, she realizes her understaffed department cannot handle the wrath of the most powerful man in town. She is forced to turn to a man with special skills­—Kaplan—who is pushed into an unwanted alliance with the marshal in exchange for what he believes the marshal knows about Isabella.

Aided by his friend, Pete Moss, and the Town Marshal, Kaplan finds himself in a deadly shoot-out. Cavalier believes the killer is dead, but Kaplan knows somebody more sinister is the mastermind behind the killing spree, but is it too late to stop him before he kills again?

With relentless pacing, striking twists, and some of most devious characters yet, LAST CHANCE is Chuck Barrett writing at his awe-inspiring best.

Also, LAST CHANCE won Finalist in the 2019 International Book Awards Thriller/Adventure category!

KINDLE

NOOK

KOBO

iBOOKS

Audible audiobook

Signed copy from me

I love receiving email from readers and all you’ll get back from me is a reply. I will send out these emails as news of promotions, specials, giveaways, and new releases come to the forefront, so stay tuned. Also, reviews are the life-blood of authors. Good, bad, or indifferent, reviews are a vital and necessary thing for an author to survive in this dog-eat-dog world of publishing. In you haven’t already, I would consider it a tremendous favor if you could take a few minutes of your time to leave a review for my books.

Thank you, and Happy Reading!

Chuck

The post Gregg Kaplan, book 2—LAST CHANCE appeared first on Chuck Barrett.

Waaaay back in the beginning as I was in the editing phase my first book, The Savannah Project, I told my editors that my plan, after two Jake books, was to start a spinoff series with Gregg Kaplan. The main reason was that Kaplan was such a strong character, I felt he deserved a series of his own, but one with a slightly different style–one more fitting to his character. The result is BLOWN.

I thought that, after writing three Jake books (two of which had Gregg Kaplan as a major character), writing a Kaplan series book would be easy. I was wrong. Every time I would read my writing, the Gregg Kaplan character sounded a lot like the Jake Pendleton character. Too much like him. Kaplan needed a voice of his own, but finding that voice proved much more difficult that I had anticipated. So, I struggled and struggled. Rewrite after rewrite after rewrite of the same first chapters.

Eventually, I found the voice I was looking for…rather the voice Gregg Kaplan was looking for. Another hurdle, which proved to be a small one, was I wanted the Kaplan series stories to be stylishly different than the Pendleton series. I wanted ram down your throat non-stop action. I didn’t want the reader (you) to be able to put the book down until you turned the final page. And, even then, I wanted to be sure you were satisfied with the conclusion.

While writing this story, I enlisted the help from two instrumental subject matter experts. One, a retired witness protection Deputy US Marshal. The other, a retired Special Forces officer, who, incidentally, I had worked with on 2 other books. These provided an immense amount of help.

How does this grab you?

Gregg Kaplan is not an ordinary man, but a man with special skills, courtesy of the United States Government.

His assignment is to stay off the grid when he innocently stumbles into a blown witness protection detail in Little Rock, Arkansas. He simply could not walk away from the impending mayhem.

After the dust settles, a mortally wounded Deputy U.S. Marshal makes him promise to personally deliver the witness to a U.S. Marshals Service safe site.

Not just a promise, an oath. A pledge between ex-Army Delta Force comrades.

A trust that could not be broken–Once in, never out.

Kaplan soon suspects the witness he vowed to protect has secrets of his own; secrets that go beyond his testimony for the U.S. government. When he discovers the witness is being tracked, Kaplan teams with a WitSec Deputy U.S. Marshal assigned to recover the witness, but soon realizes some merciless people are dead set on preventing the witness from reaching the safe site.

But the witness has a hidden agenda of his own—One that could cost Kaplan his life.

Although this book came out in 2015, it continues to be my best-selling book and one I’m sure you will find and exciting and exhilarating read. Here’s how you can buy it:

KINDLE

NOOK

KOBO

iBOOKS

Audible audiobook

Signed copy from me

I love receiving email from readers and all you’ll get back from me is a reply. I will send out these emails as news of promotions, specials, giveaways, and new releases come to the forefront, so stay tuned. Also, reviews are the life-blood of authors. Good, bad, or indifferent, reviews are a vital and necessary thing for an author to survive in this dog-eat-dog world of publishing. In you haven’t already, I would consider it a tremendous favor if you could take a few minutes of your time to leave a review for my books.

Thank you, and Happy Reading!

Chuck

The post BLOWN—Gregg Kaplan series, Book 1 appeared first on Chuck Barrett.

The fourth book in the Jake Pendleton series, DISRUPTION, my most recent and was my most difficult book to write. The information pertaining to the subject matter was so complex that, at times, I came close to throwing in the towel. But, the result, has earned enormous praise from the publishing industry’s major review houses.

This story is chock-full of current events and conspiracy theories. The subject matter remains ones of our most worrisome issues–hacking! I had to find the perfect balance of weaving in quite an intricate story and NOT getting too technical with details that would lost the readers’ interest. Your interest.

Check out this short synopsis:

There are two types of people: those who have been hacked and know it, and those who have been hacked and don’t know it.

Former Naval Intelligence Officer turned secret operative Jake Pendleton finds himself in a pulse-pounding race to stop a cyber-terrorist from releasing a string of the most heinous cyber-crimes the world has ever seen. Crimes that could render the world’s advanced technology useless.

Jake teams with his partner, Francesca Catanzaro, to track down their only lead, a white-hat hacker in Italy known only as The Jew. A man who might hold the key to stop a group of black-hat hackers from causing worldwide chaos–tag named Disruption.

After a search of the hacker’s flat in Rome turns up empty, Jake and Francesca follow the clues–a trail of dead bodies that leads them across Europe. Along the way, Jake discovers a possible link between recent hacks and a Malaysian airliner that mysteriously disappeared.

In the final adrenaline-charged moments before Disruption, Jake and Francesca find themselves in a high-voltage race to stop these cyber terrorists from unleashing destruction against their sworn mortal enemy.

This is the latest, but likely not the last, adventure for Jake. This is also your chance to truly get to know Jake’s partner, the mysterious Francesca Catanzaro, on a much more personal level. I’m certain when you finish this thrilling adventure, you’ll be forever hooked on Jake and Francesca!

You can download DISRUPTION at the links below:

AMAZON

NOOK

KOBO

iBOOKS

Audible audiobook

Signed copy from me

HAPPY READING!

Chuck

The post DISRUPTION—Jake Pendleton. Book 4 appeared first on Chuck Barrett.

The third book in the Jake Pendleton series, Breach of Power, is a slight departure from the first two in the series in that it involves a lost treasure hunt of sorts. I had been collecting articles of interest over an extended period that I wanted to use in a story or stories.

The first had to do with the draining of a lake in the hills of Tennessee. The lake was one created by the Tennessee Valley Authority back in the 1940s. It was drained to do needed repair work on the dam. Upon draining, though, the TVA discovered decades of debris that had accumulated over the years. More interesting to me was the still-erect ruins of an old town. It seems the townspeople were relocated and the valley flooded, including the old town along with several of its buildings such as the old jail and mercantile store as well as an old bridge. As a certified Dive Master, the prospect of divers exploring the underwater town was intriguing.

The second was an article my wife handed me dealing with the verification and cataloguing of all the graves at the Arlington National Cemetery in the Washington DC area. During the verification process, it was discovered that many headstones were mismarked. It was also discovered that many graves had been disturbed by vandals.

Lastly, I found an article about two hikers in Austria who discovered the remains of a man inside an ice cave beneath a glacier. That really set off my “what if” mind to wondering. Apparently, the remains had been inside the glacier for over 60 years. I took the article to my wife and told her that I had to use this in my next book.

I set out to draw a nexus between all three articles, which included quite a few visits to cemeteries across the South. So many, in fact, that my wife finally said, “No more!” It also included several research appointments with a funeral home director as a subject matter expert. Seriously, this is no joke. Here is the result:

Deep inside a glacier, a hiker finds a journal that was lost during World War II. On its frozen pages are etched the secret locations of treasures lost since the 1940s. But something more ominous is scribed in the journal, something that threatens the Presidency of the United States.

Jake Pendleton and his new partner, Francesca Catanzaro, work for an “off the books” intelligence firm and are summoned to the White House where they are instructed to locate and acquire the book. Jake soon realizes there are others on a quest to find it as well.

Others who will kill to get to it first.

A bonus, for me, was the fact that the editor for this book was s senior editor for Penguin. The same editor who edited books for Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler, Mark Greaney, Grant Blackwood, and many more.

This is a story I’m certain you will enjoy as there is something in there for everyone who loves twists so startling it will leave you scratching your head and eager for the next one.

You can grab Breach of Power at the links below:

KINDLE

NOOK

KOBO

iBOOKS

Audible audiobook

Signed copy from me

Happy Reading!

Chuck

The post BREACH OF POWER—The saga continues! appeared first on Chuck Barrett.

After the release of The Savannah Project, I was enjoying the glow of my first released book. You know, book signings, a little shameless self-promotion, etc. I hadn’t really given much thought to book 2 in the Jake Pendleton series except that one had to be forthcoming, and soon, because the story really wasn’t finished. And several readers let me know it, too.

The original plan was a two-part prequel, if you will, to get Jake where I wanted him for the rest of the series. So, I had to grow him. Some growth in The Savannah Project, but, mostly in The Toymaker. The Savannah Project and The Toymaker are best read back-to-back, as if it were one big book. In reality, it is one long story broken into two books, with the ultimate resolve at the end of The Toymaker.

The story line for The Toymaker (in detail) didn’t present itself until in the Fall of 2010 when, on vacation in Moab, Utah, my wife and I met a man and his wife at the B & B where we were staying. To say I felt like I struck a gold mine was an understatement. This man, literally, had been involved in the intelligence business for over 50 years! Our acquaintance turned into a friendship that exists to this day. He has become my main subject matter expert for the Jake Pendleton series. He was such an interesting man with such an interesting background, I asked him if I could use his persona as the character for The Toymaker. He agreed. By the way, that persona is the character, boss man and mentor to Jake, Elmore Wiley-THE Toymaker.

After that, writing this story was a snap, except I didn’t like where my character (Jake) was headed. It felt like he was about to do a Thelma & Louise off a cliff and my story was going to crash and burn before the midway point. I should mention that instead of outlining like I did with The Savannah Project, I decided to write by the seat of my pants, as they say. Blank screen, start writing, no real plan other what was in my mind. Fortunately for me, I received an email from a local reader about the same time Jake was careening out of control. She told me how much she liked the first book. Her signature at the bottom indicated psychologist, and that was what I felt Jake needed. I mean, I really didn’t want to throw away all those words. I explained to her that it would mean spoiling the next book, but that I could really use her help. She jumped at the opportunity and has been an integral part of the team ever since. Within a few short minutes of sitting down talking to her about where Jake was headed, she gave me just enough input (psychological validity is what she calls it) to bring Jake back on track to where I needed him to be.

This is the book where Francesca Catanzaro was introduced in a very small role, but will later return in subsequent Jake books. It is also where I planned to remove Gregg Kaplan as a character in the Jake Pendleton series and get him prepped for his own series. Funny how things work out, isn’t it? Everything fell into place.

Let me tell you a little about The Toymaker:

He’s been in the business for 50 years, he makes ‘toys’ for spies.

Former NTSB Investigator Jake Pendleton faces a dilemma as the line blurs between right and wrong. After his judgment comes into question, Jake is entrusted to his new mentor, an eccentric old man who sees beyond Jake’s flaws. A man who makes ‘toys for spies.’

A man known as The Toymaker.

Jake’s first assignment reunites him with Gregg Kaplan in a daredevil mission to rescue a fellow agent held captive in Yemen. He risks his life to stop the first attack of an al Qaeda mastermind. But now, with no one to trust but himself, can Jake stop the terrorist from destroying what is most precious to the free world?

Unfortunately, more trouble comes his way as a killer from his past threatens something more important to Jake than his own life, leaving him to make the hardest decision any man ever has to make,

Who to sacrifice.

And here are the BUY links, just in case you haven’t read it:

Kindle

Nook

Kobo

iBooks

Audible audiobook

Signed copy from me

Happy reading,

Chuck

The post Enter The Toymaker appeared first on Chuck Barrett.

I started my first book, The Savannah Project, all the way back in 1998 when I first started writing. Of course, back then, there were a multitude of possible working titles until about 2008, when I finally settled on the title. 2008, you ask? Yep, it took twelve years and several rewrites to reach a completed first draft! In all fairness, I did take a little hiatus in there–to the tune of about 7 years.

With the encouragement of a friend, I started writing in 1998. I thought I was on a role, it was great, in my mind I had a second career all lined up! And I was enjoying the writing and I was full of excitement and enthusiasm. Several story themes were rolling around in my brain. I wanted to, and felt obliged to, write something with aviation in it–after all, I had been in the aviation industry since 1978, either as a pilot, flight instructor, or air traffic controller.

I was dedicated to my writing, squeezing in every minute I could between a full-time job in ATC and being a newly-divorced dad with joint custody of 3 young kids. But it was working and I was writing, although, in retrospect, I didn’t really know what I was doing. But, I digress.

In late March of 1999, my next-door neighbor fixed me up on a blind date with a woman she knew from her (and her husband’s) business. We met for lunch and–well, let’s just say writing took a back seat to fathering and my new love interest. Thus, the beginning of the 7-year hiatus. In January 2000, we got married, and it’s been a fun adventure ever since. Still married, you do the math!

Eventually, I felt my writing was an unfinished project, so I picked it back up and read it again for the first time in 7 years. To say it sucked, is being extremely polite. I hit delete and started over–5 times! Yes, the current version of The Savannah Project is the sixth complete rewrite. Of course, I was learning something each time. The story changed a little each time, but not much, as I had meticulously outlined from beginning to end–equipped with all the twists and turns. I joined a critique group, big learning curve there, at the suggestion of NY Times bestselling author Steve Berry (the same critique group he had been in years before). There is actually another funny story there, but I’ll save it for another time. I had two different editors and some first-time beta-readers to help along the process. Eventually I got there–obviously. Something to be said for perseverance.

One last thing and I’ll stop boring you with background. This is the first in the Jake Pendleton series. (and Gregg Kaplan is a major character) As I neared completion of The Savannah Project, I planned to do 2 more Jake books and then start of new spinoff series with Gregg Kaplan as protagonist. Then I would alternate between a new Jake book and then a new Kaplan book, and so on. I’m pleased to say, I actually stuck to that plan! So here’s The Savannah Project:

The truth can be a dangerous thing.

Terrorism, duty, and personal safety collide when Jake Pendleton, an investigator for the NTSB, is called to investigate an aircraft accident in Savannah, Georgia during the St. Patrick’s Day celebration. The accident, which at first appears to be quite run-of-the-mill, turns out to be anything but. Since Jake is not willing to pretend there are no suspicious circumstances and more than the usual share of rather unlikely “coincidences,” he sets off a veritable avalanche of secrets, violence and treachery. Aided by an unlikely partner, Gregg Kaplan, the air traffic controller who was the last person in contact with the airplane that crashed, Jake sets out to untangle the webs of deceit and to find a vicious killer.

Nothing is as it seems, nobody is who you thought them to be.

Nothing is sacred.

Nobody is safe.

Here are some by links if you haven’t bought this one yet!

Kindle

Nook

Kobo

iBooks

Audible audiobook

Signed copy from me!

Happy reading,

Chuck

The post It’s all about beginnings—The Savannah Project appeared first on Chuck Barrett.

Friends and Readers:

LET’S MAKE A DEAL!

For many of you out there, you’ll remember Monty Hall made that line famous with his game show of the same name. As we approach the end of summer, I’m making you a deal.

Behind curtain #1—All (but one) of my trade paperback (print) books have been reduced from their standard retail price to only $10.00 per book!

Behind curtain #2—Last Chance, my latest and the second in the Gregg Kaplan series and a Finalist the 2019 International Book Awards, so to celebrate, I’m offering the following deal to the first 100 readers.

What’s the deal, you ask? How about the insane low price of only $5.00 per copy of Last Chance!

These deals can be yours today! Or tomorrow, or as long as this deal lasts, but I prefer today since authors need to eat too! All sale prices end as Summer ends…September 22, 2019.

Here’s how you can take advantage of these deals:

Visit the Switchback Press online store, make your selections, and check out. It’s as simple as that. There is a $5 shipping and handling fee or as noted, but for these giveaway prices…it’s worth it.

Here are the store links:

Switchback Press Store

Special Deal on Last Chance

So now I ask, what are you waiting for? When supplies are gone, so are these deals and all books revert back to MSRP!

What’s your part of the deal? See the graphic below…and it’s totally optional, but much appreciated.

Stay tuned for updates along the way!

Chuck

PS: As always, please don’t forget…

The post END DAYS OF SUMMER BOOK SALE—Let’s Make a Deal! appeared first on Chuck Barrett.

Let characters be true to themselves!

I’ve been writing novels now for a little over 20 years, albeit the early years were more a learning curve than anything else. My first thriller, The Savannah Project, was published in 2010 and I’ve had 6 more works of fiction published since then (one a short mystery) and two editions of a nonfiction work.

Enough of the preamble, right? So, why do I say characters should speak for themselves?

A few days ago, I received a review from a reader on Amazon. He was unhappy that one of my characters used profanity apparently above this reader’s tolerance level and decided he is through reading my books. I’m not criticizing this at all, he is entitled to his opinions and beliefs…I’m also not apologizing.

You see, most authors, certainly those who take their work seriously, put a lot of time and effort into building their characters. ALL OF THEM. The major characters, supporting characters, as well as the very minor ones. We take the time to build them their own unique personality with their own unique traits. Of course, there are a few authors out there who feel that a heavily profanity-laced story is the only way to go…but most, overwhelmingly, do not. Profanity is put in only where appropriate.

So, why would an author who takes their work seriously allow a character to speak ‘out of character?’ They wouldn’t. So, when that character interacts in a story with other characters or settings or incidents, shouldn’t the author allow the character(s) to speak the way the character was designed? For instance, how believable is a character who has already been made out to be very rough (or a myriad of other reasons) respond to a situation with “darn,” “shucks,” or “fudge?” They wouldn’t.

The author knows this is out of character and so does the reader. It isn’t fair to the author, it isn’t fair to the reader, and it certainly isn’t fair to the character!

Authors go to great lengths creating characters and we spend a lot of time ‘in the characters’ heads.’ We know what reaction a character will have to a certain situation in our story, so to allow something other than the ‘natural’ reaction a character would have is cheating everyone. It is also not believable.

Always, always, always, let the character be true to themselves.

I could say much more about characterization, but I think you get it by now.

Happy reading.

The post Characters Speak For Themselves appeared first on Chuck Barrett.