Andi Neal's Blog: Along with Andi
October 31, 2017
Happy Halloween
Happy Halloween, everyone! Hope you all have a wonderfully creepy day with more treats than tricks!
Here’s a little trivia to get you started!
Did you know…
-Ancient Celts believed that spirits wandered freely during Halloween night. They wore masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human.
- Orange and black are Halloween colors because Orange is associated with the Fall Harvest, and black is associate with darkness and death.
Here’s a little trivia to get you started!
Did you know…
-Ancient Celts believed that spirits wandered freely during Halloween night. They wore masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human.
- Orange and black are Halloween colors because Orange is associated with the Fall Harvest, and black is associate with darkness and death.
Halloween Promotion!
Last day! Don’t miss out on my special Halloween promotion on my Madness Duo! The Race Against Madness eBook is available for a limited time for only $0.99 and Beyond Madness eBook is only $1.99!
https://www.amazon.com/Race-Against-M...
https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Madness...
Check out FB for another brief excerpt!!
www.facebook.com/andinealnovels
https://www.amazon.com/Race-Against-M...
https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Madness...
Check out FB for another brief excerpt!!
www.facebook.com/andinealnovels
October 30, 2017
Promotion for Madness
I’ve been talking about my Madness Duo for the past couple of weeks. I have decided to run a special promotion on both in honor of Halloween!
For a limited time only, you can buy Race Against Madness for only $0.99
https://www.amazon.com/Race-Against-M...
and Beyond Madness eBook for only $1.99!
https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Madness...
Check out FB for a brief excerpt!!
www.facebook.com/andinealnovels
For a limited time only, you can buy Race Against Madness for only $0.99
https://www.amazon.com/Race-Against-M...
and Beyond Madness eBook for only $1.99!
https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Madness...
Check out FB for a brief excerpt!!
www.facebook.com/andinealnovels
October 20, 2017
Beyond Madness
Beyond Madness is the sequel I always wanted. In fact, I even sometimes say that Beyond Madness is the real story. Race Against Madness is more the prequel, if you will, even though I wrote it first.
It finds Adam Webber ten years after the horrifying game of Race Against Madness. He’s worked hard to put the past where it belongs…in the past, but the events of that so long ago night still haunt him. For surviving a serial killer is no small feat.
But he finally feels like he’s left it all behind when he settles in the charming city of New Orleans. Until he finds himself surrounded by unsolved murders…with all the victims connecting back to him. Realizing he was never free of any of it, he determines to stand his ground and finish it once and for all.
It finds Adam Webber ten years after the horrifying game of Race Against Madness. He’s worked hard to put the past where it belongs…in the past, but the events of that so long ago night still haunt him. For surviving a serial killer is no small feat.
But he finally feels like he’s left it all behind when he settles in the charming city of New Orleans. Until he finds himself surrounded by unsolved murders…with all the victims connecting back to him. Realizing he was never free of any of it, he determines to stand his ground and finish it once and for all.
October 18, 2017
Writing a Serial Killer
When my granny first read my murder thriller Race Against Madness, she was a tad disturbed that a serial killer of that magnitude had lived inside my head. Every time someone asks how I came up with him and the story, I can’t help but laugh as I remember her careful glances my way. ; P
But seriously, writing a serial killer is no joke. It was hard! How do you get inside the head of someone so clearly disturbed and well, in some cases, evil? Well, my first step was to dive headfirst into research!
That meant reading about past REAL killers. I had to ask a lot of questions about them to figure out what I wanted for my serial killer. Why did they do it? How did they do it? How long were they active? How many did they kill? How were they caught? What’s the difference between a psychopath and a sociopath?
The one tip I kept getting from other writers is that you can’t overlook your villain when developing your story. I had to know his motives, his methods, his story, and even his deepest fears. A villain has to be just as deeply developed as the hero. I had to know how and why he became the monster. Is that kind of evil in the genes…or is it a conscious choice?
What I found for my killer is that he and my hero actually shared a very similar past. The difference between them was only in the path they would choose moving forward.
But seriously, writing a serial killer is no joke. It was hard! How do you get inside the head of someone so clearly disturbed and well, in some cases, evil? Well, my first step was to dive headfirst into research!
That meant reading about past REAL killers. I had to ask a lot of questions about them to figure out what I wanted for my serial killer. Why did they do it? How did they do it? How long were they active? How many did they kill? How were they caught? What’s the difference between a psychopath and a sociopath?
The one tip I kept getting from other writers is that you can’t overlook your villain when developing your story. I had to know his motives, his methods, his story, and even his deepest fears. A villain has to be just as deeply developed as the hero. I had to know how and why he became the monster. Is that kind of evil in the genes…or is it a conscious choice?
What I found for my killer is that he and my hero actually shared a very similar past. The difference between them was only in the path they would choose moving forward.
October 13, 2017
Madness
One of my readers’ most beloved characters is Adam Webber, of what I have dubbed my Madness Duo. His story begins at the age of 18 in my murder thriller Race Against Madness and continues ten years later in the daring sequel Beyond Madness.
Race Against Madness is the thrilling tale of the game a serial killer plays in the dark streets of Chicago. However, when I started brainstorming on this idea, the one thing I was certain of is that I wanted to explore the intellectual side more than the gruesome. I wanted it to be a battle of wits. And so began the game.
Such a game needed a worthy opponent. And so Adam was born. A gentle but smart soul with a painful past and present. More reserved, and more than a little shy, Adam stole my heart almost immediately with his sweet smile and dry sense of humor.
He, in fact, stole the story too! Race Against Madness is a kind of duel story, told from the perspective of not only the killer’s current, living victims of the game (Adam is one of them!), but also from the view of the detectives trying to stop him. It’s not long before even the detectives can tell Adam is very special and capable of winning the game!
If you’d like to know more about Race Against Madness, you can check it out here!
Stay tuned for more Madness!
Race Against Madness is the thrilling tale of the game a serial killer plays in the dark streets of Chicago. However, when I started brainstorming on this idea, the one thing I was certain of is that I wanted to explore the intellectual side more than the gruesome. I wanted it to be a battle of wits. And so began the game.
Such a game needed a worthy opponent. And so Adam was born. A gentle but smart soul with a painful past and present. More reserved, and more than a little shy, Adam stole my heart almost immediately with his sweet smile and dry sense of humor.
He, in fact, stole the story too! Race Against Madness is a kind of duel story, told from the perspective of not only the killer’s current, living victims of the game (Adam is one of them!), but also from the view of the detectives trying to stop him. It’s not long before even the detectives can tell Adam is very special and capable of winning the game!
If you’d like to know more about Race Against Madness, you can check it out here!
Stay tuned for more Madness!
October 3, 2017
The Elite!!
The Elite release is only a week away!
It is available for pre-order now on Amazon!
https://www.amazon.com/Elite-Progeny-...
It is available for pre-order now on Amazon!
https://www.amazon.com/Elite-Progeny-...
September 29, 2017
Logan Bale
Amy’s counterpart in the upcoming Progeny Novel, The Elite, is Logan Bale.
Having grown up on a ranch in Colorado and served multiple tours in the Marines, Logan is the epitome of the strong, silent type. He quickly butts head with his boss’s honorary niece but soon realizes the computer savvy beauty he thought was just a city girl princess is far more than he could ever have imagined.
When she is deliberately targeted time after time, he decides to become her self-appointed bodyguard until they can solve the chaotic and confusing conspiracy that is threatening to consume her.
“Maybe if you answered my questions, we could think together,” she suggested. “Two heads are better than one.”
He emitted a guttural sound from his throat. “You’re making this more difficult than it has to be. You don’t know anything about what we need to do. I need to know you’ll follow my orders when I give them.”
“I don’t follow orders very well,” she admitted, a look of stubbornness marking her expression.
“Try!” he hissed.
Her face lit with anger. “I am trying!” she hissed back. “You’re throwing it back in my face. You’re making me angry.”
“Oh no,” he held up both hands in mock surrender. “She’s getting angry. ELN, watch out.”
She reacted before she thought it through. Her hand fisted and shot out. It thumped against his chest. “Oww,” she complained, pulling her hand back into her body. “That hurt.”
He stared at her blandly. “Did you just hit me?”
Determined to stand her ground, she jutted her chin out toward him. “Yes, and you deserved it. You’re being a jack hole.” Under her breath, she mumbled, “I’m pretty sure it hurt me more than it did you.”
Logan cracked his neck to the side again and blew out a breath. Rolling his eyes toward the dark sky, he let out a half chuckle half sigh sound. “I’m a jack hole sexist. She’s an uppity city girl. We’re two peas in a pod.”
Outrage lit her face as she stomped after him. “I am not uppity!”
“You are so Daddy’s little princess,” he sneered.
Having grown up on a ranch in Colorado and served multiple tours in the Marines, Logan is the epitome of the strong, silent type. He quickly butts head with his boss’s honorary niece but soon realizes the computer savvy beauty he thought was just a city girl princess is far more than he could ever have imagined.
When she is deliberately targeted time after time, he decides to become her self-appointed bodyguard until they can solve the chaotic and confusing conspiracy that is threatening to consume her.
“Maybe if you answered my questions, we could think together,” she suggested. “Two heads are better than one.”
He emitted a guttural sound from his throat. “You’re making this more difficult than it has to be. You don’t know anything about what we need to do. I need to know you’ll follow my orders when I give them.”
“I don’t follow orders very well,” she admitted, a look of stubbornness marking her expression.
“Try!” he hissed.
Her face lit with anger. “I am trying!” she hissed back. “You’re throwing it back in my face. You’re making me angry.”
“Oh no,” he held up both hands in mock surrender. “She’s getting angry. ELN, watch out.”
She reacted before she thought it through. Her hand fisted and shot out. It thumped against his chest. “Oww,” she complained, pulling her hand back into her body. “That hurt.”
He stared at her blandly. “Did you just hit me?”
Determined to stand her ground, she jutted her chin out toward him. “Yes, and you deserved it. You’re being a jack hole.” Under her breath, she mumbled, “I’m pretty sure it hurt me more than it did you.”
Logan cracked his neck to the side again and blew out a breath. Rolling his eyes toward the dark sky, he let out a half chuckle half sigh sound. “I’m a jack hole sexist. She’s an uppity city girl. We’re two peas in a pod.”
Outrage lit her face as she stomped after him. “I am not uppity!”
“You are so Daddy’s little princess,” he sneered.
September 26, 2017
Amy Douglas
My upcoming thriller, The Elite, features progeny Amy Douglas! I wanted to give you a brief introduction before it releases.
Amy is the quintessential city girl. She does not do nature. Rather her milieu is computers, skyscrapers, and Fifth Avenue. She works as the Chief Information Security Officer for the computer security firm her father founded, and her circle of family is her world.
When that world is turned upside down via an attack that nearly kills three members of her family, determination sets in. She will do whatever it takes to protect her family…and her city.
Here’s a brief preview of Amy in the middle of nowhere, aka out of her milieu! Enjoy!
Amy whirled around. “What was that?”
Logan looked in the direction of the rustle. He didn’t see anything. “Probably just a critter. It won’t hurt you.”
“A critter?” she eased slightly closer to him. “I don’t do critters…or bugs. I hate bugs. There are bugs out here.” She let out a small squeak at another rustle of the brush nearby. “What was that? Can you kill that critter? Are there snakes here? I don’t do snakes.”
He closed his eyes and sighed. “This is going to be a long night,” he muttered.
“It’s getting cold,” she stated. “Are we going to freeze out here?”
A single brow rose. “I’ve never heard of anyone freezing to death in fifty degree weather.”
“What if the wolves get us?” she whined.
“The wolves?”
Her head continued to swivel back and forth. “Yeah, don’t wolves like stalk you or something in places like this?”
The Elite
Amy is the quintessential city girl. She does not do nature. Rather her milieu is computers, skyscrapers, and Fifth Avenue. She works as the Chief Information Security Officer for the computer security firm her father founded, and her circle of family is her world.
When that world is turned upside down via an attack that nearly kills three members of her family, determination sets in. She will do whatever it takes to protect her family…and her city.
Here’s a brief preview of Amy in the middle of nowhere, aka out of her milieu! Enjoy!
Amy whirled around. “What was that?”
Logan looked in the direction of the rustle. He didn’t see anything. “Probably just a critter. It won’t hurt you.”
“A critter?” she eased slightly closer to him. “I don’t do critters…or bugs. I hate bugs. There are bugs out here.” She let out a small squeak at another rustle of the brush nearby. “What was that? Can you kill that critter? Are there snakes here? I don’t do snakes.”
He closed his eyes and sighed. “This is going to be a long night,” he muttered.
“It’s getting cold,” she stated. “Are we going to freeze out here?”
A single brow rose. “I’ve never heard of anyone freezing to death in fifty degree weather.”
“What if the wolves get us?” she whined.
“The wolves?”
Her head continued to swivel back and forth. “Yeah, don’t wolves like stalk you or something in places like this?”
The Elite
September 15, 2017
Research Trip!
I am off on another research trip this next week! Going to check out the Great Smoky Mountains for my next Progeny Novel!
Enjoy your weekend!
Enjoy your weekend!
Along with Andi
Hello! My name is Andi Neal!
I'm an action/adventure thriller writer. As such, I am completely overwhelmed with stories, research, and details twenty four seven. My blog Along with Andi is a light-hear ...more
I'm an action/adventure thriller writer. As such, I am completely overwhelmed with stories, research, and details twenty four seven. My blog Along with Andi is a light-hear ...more
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