Jeremy Croston's Blog: The Penalty Box
April 27, 2016
The Negative Man: Rise of the Lion #3
I'd been beaten, badly. If it wasn't for the mysterious help I'd received, that Crimson guy probably would've killed me. I found a nice, dark spot to lean up against the wall. I let the cool air of the night fill me, trying to purge my body of the poison that crippled me.
About an hour passed before I could stand up without pain. On my feet again, I slinked back to my flat in defeat. I hated how helpless I felt after the fight. Never again would I get caught that unprepared. I needed to discover more about the Crimson Mask, his powers and maybe even his identity.
I closed the door behind me, fortunate that no one saw the man in the dark hoodie stumble into his apartment with questionable injuries. In this section of North Terrace, people don't ask a lot of questions. Keep your head down and mind your own business.
I had a couple of hours before I needed to go to work. I picked up my notebook and began to brainstorm. How would I learn more about this villain? Was there anything at work I could use?
Then it hit me, Wayne! He was interning on a project for the city's traffic cams. If I could get access to that, I could track him from the fight.
The second problem was telling Wayne why I needed access to it. His views on supers was pretty clear from our conversation yesterday. Dropping the bombshell that the guy across from you was a vigilante by night might break him. Of course, I needed a legitimate excuse to give him, because if we were caught doing something, we'd both be back on the streets.
The first rays of sunlight broke through the window. I was surprised this flat got any light due to the amount of grime on the outside. Like I said, not the best part of town. I lifted my arms over my head; my muscles were still sore, but I think I could shrug it off. I'd just tell people I went too hard at the gym.
Time to get a move on for the day. The lukewarm water from the shower actually felt good, but getting dressed didn't. From my shitty apartment, I bee-lined it to the corner market. Inside I saw Pops, I didn't know his real name. He gave me a toothy grin. "Morning John, another long night?"
"What gave it away?"
He pointed to my legs. "You're walking like dog with four broken legs." He laughed at his own stupid joke. "You need a behind the counter painkiller?"
Did I mention he peddled drugs? "I'll stick to the stuff on the shelf. And a large coffee, black."
He tossed his hands at me and poured my coffee. Grabbing the painkillers and coffee, I hit the street and hailed a cab. I hated spending money to get rides, but I couldn't afford a car. Not yet.
When I got dropped off, I saw Wayne walking up to the giant glass doors. I ran over to him rather gimply. "Hey man, glad I ran into you."
He saw how I was moving. "You okay Wonderton? You look like hell this morning."
I motioned him over away from the other interns piling up out front. "I got jumped in my flat last night and I could use some help."
"You serious?" His voice went right into a hushed whisper. "Did you go to the police?"
"They can't help me, but you can." He looked taken aback. "The two of us might be able to do this city some good, that is if you're up for it."
The Negative Man: City of Chaos
About an hour passed before I could stand up without pain. On my feet again, I slinked back to my flat in defeat. I hated how helpless I felt after the fight. Never again would I get caught that unprepared. I needed to discover more about the Crimson Mask, his powers and maybe even his identity.
I closed the door behind me, fortunate that no one saw the man in the dark hoodie stumble into his apartment with questionable injuries. In this section of North Terrace, people don't ask a lot of questions. Keep your head down and mind your own business.
I had a couple of hours before I needed to go to work. I picked up my notebook and began to brainstorm. How would I learn more about this villain? Was there anything at work I could use?
Then it hit me, Wayne! He was interning on a project for the city's traffic cams. If I could get access to that, I could track him from the fight.
The second problem was telling Wayne why I needed access to it. His views on supers was pretty clear from our conversation yesterday. Dropping the bombshell that the guy across from you was a vigilante by night might break him. Of course, I needed a legitimate excuse to give him, because if we were caught doing something, we'd both be back on the streets.
The first rays of sunlight broke through the window. I was surprised this flat got any light due to the amount of grime on the outside. Like I said, not the best part of town. I lifted my arms over my head; my muscles were still sore, but I think I could shrug it off. I'd just tell people I went too hard at the gym.
Time to get a move on for the day. The lukewarm water from the shower actually felt good, but getting dressed didn't. From my shitty apartment, I bee-lined it to the corner market. Inside I saw Pops, I didn't know his real name. He gave me a toothy grin. "Morning John, another long night?"
"What gave it away?"
He pointed to my legs. "You're walking like dog with four broken legs." He laughed at his own stupid joke. "You need a behind the counter painkiller?"
Did I mention he peddled drugs? "I'll stick to the stuff on the shelf. And a large coffee, black."
He tossed his hands at me and poured my coffee. Grabbing the painkillers and coffee, I hit the street and hailed a cab. I hated spending money to get rides, but I couldn't afford a car. Not yet.
When I got dropped off, I saw Wayne walking up to the giant glass doors. I ran over to him rather gimply. "Hey man, glad I ran into you."
He saw how I was moving. "You okay Wonderton? You look like hell this morning."
I motioned him over away from the other interns piling up out front. "I got jumped in my flat last night and I could use some help."
"You serious?" His voice went right into a hushed whisper. "Did you go to the police?"
"They can't help me, but you can." He looked taken aback. "The two of us might be able to do this city some good, that is if you're up for it."
The Negative Man: City of Chaos
February 9, 2016
The Negative Man: Rise of the Lion #2
It was two in the afternoon and the higher ups were all meeting in the upstairs loft. By meeting, I mean getting wasted. Apparently when you had more money than brains, you drank away whatever brains you had left. Fortunately for Wayne and I, that meant the control room for the city camera project was abandoned.
During the big wigs get togethers, the lowly employees weren’t supposed to be in controlled areas. As North Terrace was paying Smart Logic a lot of money to upgrade the traffics cameras, this room was especially sensitive. Wayne, along with the other interns on this project, were supposed to be downstairs in training. Fortunately, attendance was lax and it was sort of expected for interns to skip now and then.
The room was nice and dark when we entered. The two of us went over to Wayne’s terminal and he logged in. “I can’t believe you talked me into this John.”
“Listen, I think this is the guy who busted into your friend’s apartment.” I thought he had a thing for the girl across the hall. “Don’t we need to get this guy for her?”
With no more hesitation, he started typing away. He got into the city’s mainframe and started bringing up screenshots from the night before. “Where should I be looking?”
“Go to the camera at 8th and Underwood.”
He gave me a funny look. “That’s not anywhere near your- “
“Don’t concern yourself with the location. Please just look into it.”
So he went to the address I gave him. We watched intently, waiting for him to show up. Knowing how the fight played out, I knew this was the way he exited the roof. Sure enough, a flash on the screen was a guy in the red mask. He went east on Underwood and ducked into a vacated store front. From what I could see from the old sign, it read Landry’s Supply Co.
I wrote down the info I needed. “Thanks Wayne, I owe you big.”
“You going to take this to the police?”
I had no intention of taking this to the police. There wasn’t a damn thing they could do about The Crimson Mask. “He’s one of them Wayne.” I made it very clear was I was implying. “I might know a guy that can handle this.”
He was ready for an argument, but we heard people coming down the hall. If we got caught in here, we’d be out of jobs. I grabbed Wayne and we left out the back of the room, just in the nick of time too.
Climbing up the stairs, “I know what you’re thinking, but you need to trust my judgment. I don’t want you to worry about it.”
I opened the door to the fifth floor and we exited to the accounting floor. “Wayne, I need those projections for the camera project. Tell that lazy oaf Walker to turn in his expense reports too.”
Laughing, “I think you can tell Walker yourself; he’s at your desk.”
That was a nice segue way out of the two of us showing up unexpectedly. With a last look, he entered the stairwell and exited. Sighing, I walked over to my desk, ready to deal with whatever nonsense PJ Walker had to throw my way.
During the big wigs get togethers, the lowly employees weren’t supposed to be in controlled areas. As North Terrace was paying Smart Logic a lot of money to upgrade the traffics cameras, this room was especially sensitive. Wayne, along with the other interns on this project, were supposed to be downstairs in training. Fortunately, attendance was lax and it was sort of expected for interns to skip now and then.
The room was nice and dark when we entered. The two of us went over to Wayne’s terminal and he logged in. “I can’t believe you talked me into this John.”
“Listen, I think this is the guy who busted into your friend’s apartment.” I thought he had a thing for the girl across the hall. “Don’t we need to get this guy for her?”
With no more hesitation, he started typing away. He got into the city’s mainframe and started bringing up screenshots from the night before. “Where should I be looking?”
“Go to the camera at 8th and Underwood.”
He gave me a funny look. “That’s not anywhere near your- “
“Don’t concern yourself with the location. Please just look into it.”
So he went to the address I gave him. We watched intently, waiting for him to show up. Knowing how the fight played out, I knew this was the way he exited the roof. Sure enough, a flash on the screen was a guy in the red mask. He went east on Underwood and ducked into a vacated store front. From what I could see from the old sign, it read Landry’s Supply Co.
I wrote down the info I needed. “Thanks Wayne, I owe you big.”
“You going to take this to the police?”
I had no intention of taking this to the police. There wasn’t a damn thing they could do about The Crimson Mask. “He’s one of them Wayne.” I made it very clear was I was implying. “I might know a guy that can handle this.”
He was ready for an argument, but we heard people coming down the hall. If we got caught in here, we’d be out of jobs. I grabbed Wayne and we left out the back of the room, just in the nick of time too.
Climbing up the stairs, “I know what you’re thinking, but you need to trust my judgment. I don’t want you to worry about it.”
I opened the door to the fifth floor and we exited to the accounting floor. “Wayne, I need those projections for the camera project. Tell that lazy oaf Walker to turn in his expense reports too.”
Laughing, “I think you can tell Walker yourself; he’s at your desk.”
That was a nice segue way out of the two of us showing up unexpectedly. With a last look, he entered the stairwell and exited. Sighing, I walked over to my desk, ready to deal with whatever nonsense PJ Walker had to throw my way.
February 4, 2016
The Negative Man: Project (Name Redacted)
(Warning - Major Spoilers to The Negative Man: City of Chaos. Read at your own discretion.)
Caution! Before reading these files, know that many people sacrificed much to bring us information on him. After what happened in Pacific Station, we needed to gain insight, what made him into the monster he is today.
I know he's out there, lurking in the shadows. I'll try to give you updates as I can. God help me if he finds out who I am...
**5 Years Old**
“His readings are off the charts! It’s just as we feared…”
I looked over at Dr. Leonard Cooper, “He’s still just a child, torn away from his mother.”
Cooper’s glare focused me on. “Don’t confuse this experiment with an actual human child, Ellison. You saw what happened when he got angry. Damn near blew the roof off this place.”
No matter what Dr. Cooper said, I saw a scared young boy who just wanted to go home. The worst part was I knew how much Miranda missed her son, one she hadn’t even got around to naming before we took him away. “Can you blame him? All we do is poke and prod. We need to give him something meaningful to do.”
Beside us was General Lambert Talon. He was a reasonable man who usually saw both sides of the coin. “Dr. Cooper, Dr. Staley’s right. If we give the boy books or try to give him an education or sorts, it might help calm him.”
“Are the two of you suggesting that we give him access to information? Are you crazy?”
I knew the root of Dr. Cooper’s anger. He had lost a great many friends the day the electron generator exploded and the boy was his outlet to unleash his anger. “I’m telling you every child wants structure. And they want an identity. It wouldn’t hurt to call him something else besides boy or kid.”
The three of us were watching the boy behind the one way mirror. He was sitting in the corner, bored of course, and he began to play with his hands. Sparks of energy arced between them, like visible static electricity. Yet it wasn’t electricity, not any kind we’d seen before. “If he had something to do, he wouldn’t be doing that.”
General Talon agreed with me. “Cooper, Staley, I want that kid occupied. Get him books and get me a volunteer to act as his teacher. Idle hands…”
“I’ll teach him Talon. Besides Cooper, I know his gifts the best and how to protect myself should something go awry.”
Talon looked over at Cooper who shrugged. “There’s no way in hell you’ll get me to go in there.”
“Fine.” Talon reached his hand out to shake mine. “Dr. Staley, you’ve got yourself a new student.”
Later that day I returned to the containment unit, this time entering and not going into observation. At the sound of the door opening, the young boy jumped, scared. “Who are you?”
I had a book, one my mother used to read me when I was about his age in my hands. “I’m Dr. Ellison Staley. And who might you be?”
I knew there was no answer coming, but it was best to keep the front going. He scrunched up his forehead, thinking. “I don’t have a name mister.”
“Oh really? Everyone has a name.”
“Not me. The people out there just call me boy.” I saw a spark of anger in his eyes. He was too young to have to deal with this.
I sat down beside him on the floor. “I brought you a book. Have you ever read one before?”
He looked at the funny little dog on the cover. “No.”
“Well let me tell you a little about this one then. It’s special because it’s about a puppy named Jericho who saves the day.”
He put his hand out, rubbing the cover of the book where the dog was. “He looks silly. I like him.”
A smile crossed my face. “Then this can be your first book. Would that make you happy?”
“Yes.” He took the book in his hands. The anger that was there moments ago faded into pure happiness. “I want to be like Jericho one day mister and save the day!”
“Keep this feeling in your heart and one day you just might be.”
Caution! Before reading these files, know that many people sacrificed much to bring us information on him. After what happened in Pacific Station, we needed to gain insight, what made him into the monster he is today.
I know he's out there, lurking in the shadows. I'll try to give you updates as I can. God help me if he finds out who I am...
**5 Years Old**
“His readings are off the charts! It’s just as we feared…”
I looked over at Dr. Leonard Cooper, “He’s still just a child, torn away from his mother.”
Cooper’s glare focused me on. “Don’t confuse this experiment with an actual human child, Ellison. You saw what happened when he got angry. Damn near blew the roof off this place.”
No matter what Dr. Cooper said, I saw a scared young boy who just wanted to go home. The worst part was I knew how much Miranda missed her son, one she hadn’t even got around to naming before we took him away. “Can you blame him? All we do is poke and prod. We need to give him something meaningful to do.”
Beside us was General Lambert Talon. He was a reasonable man who usually saw both sides of the coin. “Dr. Cooper, Dr. Staley’s right. If we give the boy books or try to give him an education or sorts, it might help calm him.”
“Are the two of you suggesting that we give him access to information? Are you crazy?”
I knew the root of Dr. Cooper’s anger. He had lost a great many friends the day the electron generator exploded and the boy was his outlet to unleash his anger. “I’m telling you every child wants structure. And they want an identity. It wouldn’t hurt to call him something else besides boy or kid.”
The three of us were watching the boy behind the one way mirror. He was sitting in the corner, bored of course, and he began to play with his hands. Sparks of energy arced between them, like visible static electricity. Yet it wasn’t electricity, not any kind we’d seen before. “If he had something to do, he wouldn’t be doing that.”
General Talon agreed with me. “Cooper, Staley, I want that kid occupied. Get him books and get me a volunteer to act as his teacher. Idle hands…”
“I’ll teach him Talon. Besides Cooper, I know his gifts the best and how to protect myself should something go awry.”
Talon looked over at Cooper who shrugged. “There’s no way in hell you’ll get me to go in there.”
“Fine.” Talon reached his hand out to shake mine. “Dr. Staley, you’ve got yourself a new student.”
Later that day I returned to the containment unit, this time entering and not going into observation. At the sound of the door opening, the young boy jumped, scared. “Who are you?”
I had a book, one my mother used to read me when I was about his age in my hands. “I’m Dr. Ellison Staley. And who might you be?”
I knew there was no answer coming, but it was best to keep the front going. He scrunched up his forehead, thinking. “I don’t have a name mister.”
“Oh really? Everyone has a name.”
“Not me. The people out there just call me boy.” I saw a spark of anger in his eyes. He was too young to have to deal with this.
I sat down beside him on the floor. “I brought you a book. Have you ever read one before?”
He looked at the funny little dog on the cover. “No.”
“Well let me tell you a little about this one then. It’s special because it’s about a puppy named Jericho who saves the day.”
He put his hand out, rubbing the cover of the book where the dog was. “He looks silly. I like him.”
A smile crossed my face. “Then this can be your first book. Would that make you happy?”
“Yes.” He took the book in his hands. The anger that was there moments ago faded into pure happiness. “I want to be like Jericho one day mister and save the day!”
“Keep this feeling in your heart and one day you just might be.”
January 31, 2016
The Negative Man: Rise of the Lion #1
I slumped in my bed, hurting from another long night of patrolling the streets. My little studio was barely big enough to call a home, but it was all I could afford in North Terrace. I promised myself one day I would have it made, through hard work and dedication. I wasn’t going to take the easy way out like a lot of powered people did.
Barely an hour had gone by from the time I stumbled in to when my alarm clock went off. The joys of being a lowly paid intern at the tech firm Smart Logic, long nights turned into longer days.
When I got to the office, most of the other interns were stumbling in too. They probably enjoyed a night of hard drinking, one I wish I could partake in. Unfortunately, if it wasn’t for me, they wouldn’t be able to bar hop in the relative peace they did.
“Wonder-Man! We missed you at Raganrok’s last night. Two for one drinks…”
PJ Walker, loud and obnoxious as always. “I saw your email yesterday. Unfortunately, I have a second job and with it just barely enough money to cover my rent.”
A year younger than me, money woes didn’t plague the large individual in front of me. He married into wealth and so he could party hard. “Yeah, yeah. Next time I’ll spot you a drink or two.”
I was done with this conversation and made my way to the staircase. Three floors up was the accounting office, a far cry from the streets I roamed just a few hours earlier. Sitting across from me was the only person in this city I could actually call a friend, Wayne Motts.
He looked about as bad as I did. “Rough night Wayne?”
“You don’t know the half of it John. Half way through the night, someone broke into the apartment across the hall from me.” He shivered as he told me. “Window crash was so loud I thought it happened in my place.”
Like me, Wayne couldn’t afford much. Smart Logic was infamous for lowballing interns, knowing we’d all fight for the one or two precious spots that came around each quarter. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be. I feel bad for my neighbor, Moriah. She locked herself in her room and luckily nothing happened.”
Another lowlife making the city a worse place than it had to be. “At least no one got hurt.”
“The bigger problem John is the intruder… they were a powered individual.”
He said it so hushed and so timid, almost as if he expected the robber to have super hearing. “Not all supers are bad Wayne. And you won’t need to worry about that guy again. I doubt he comes back.”
He picked up the stack of papers sitting on his desk, ready to be approved. “I wish I had your confidence, but with the supers running wild, this city is going to hell in a hand basket.”
-Jeremy
Barely an hour had gone by from the time I stumbled in to when my alarm clock went off. The joys of being a lowly paid intern at the tech firm Smart Logic, long nights turned into longer days.
When I got to the office, most of the other interns were stumbling in too. They probably enjoyed a night of hard drinking, one I wish I could partake in. Unfortunately, if it wasn’t for me, they wouldn’t be able to bar hop in the relative peace they did.
“Wonder-Man! We missed you at Raganrok’s last night. Two for one drinks…”
PJ Walker, loud and obnoxious as always. “I saw your email yesterday. Unfortunately, I have a second job and with it just barely enough money to cover my rent.”
A year younger than me, money woes didn’t plague the large individual in front of me. He married into wealth and so he could party hard. “Yeah, yeah. Next time I’ll spot you a drink or two.”
I was done with this conversation and made my way to the staircase. Three floors up was the accounting office, a far cry from the streets I roamed just a few hours earlier. Sitting across from me was the only person in this city I could actually call a friend, Wayne Motts.
He looked about as bad as I did. “Rough night Wayne?”
“You don’t know the half of it John. Half way through the night, someone broke into the apartment across the hall from me.” He shivered as he told me. “Window crash was so loud I thought it happened in my place.”
Like me, Wayne couldn’t afford much. Smart Logic was infamous for lowballing interns, knowing we’d all fight for the one or two precious spots that came around each quarter. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be. I feel bad for my neighbor, Moriah. She locked herself in her room and luckily nothing happened.”
Another lowlife making the city a worse place than it had to be. “At least no one got hurt.”
“The bigger problem John is the intruder… they were a powered individual.”
He said it so hushed and so timid, almost as if he expected the robber to have super hearing. “Not all supers are bad Wayne. And you won’t need to worry about that guy again. I doubt he comes back.”
He picked up the stack of papers sitting on his desk, ready to be approved. “I wish I had your confidence, but with the supers running wild, this city is going to hell in a hand basket.”
-Jeremy
January 20, 2016
The Negative Man: Rise of the Lion (prologue)
For all of you who've read The Negative Man: City of Chaos, I'm adding extra content to the story. The main place to get it is Wattpad, but I'll be putting the story up here randomly too.
Rise of the Lion is the history into the Dark Lion character - how he got to where he was at the beginning of City of Chaos. He's an awesome character to keep bringing to life and I hope you enjoy his story...
Prologue:
“Scum like you doesn’t deserve a second chance!”
“Please, I swear I’ll…”
I couldn’t stand to hear any more of his lies. I curled up my hand into a fist and smashed it into his face. Not hard enough to kill, but I felt his bones breaking under my knuckles. His eyes glazed over and his body slumped to the wet street below. North Terrace had one less gang banger to concern itself with.
I climbed the closest fire escape and took to the rooftops to get back to my lair. I was all but invisible, except for the yellow cloak that hung over my body. It was a gift from someone important, one that I would turn into a symbol to all the street punks and lowlifes who plagued my home.
It’d just rained, like it always had, which made the travel that much more difficult. If it wasn’t for my power, I would’ve fallen to my death years ago. The one thing that saved my life on a consistent basis was also the thing that pissed me off the most.
Powered people started popping up just a few years before I was born. During the great nuclear power phase in our country, you couldn’t go fifty miles without hitting a power plant. Unfortunately, it made for easy targets. Terrorists hit them, and hard. Diseases, death, and disfigurement ran rampant in the aftermath. The one thing no one expected though was the rise of powered people.
Here we are though, a small but growing number. Too many take the easy way out, turn to a life of crime because it pays well and the police can’t stop them. Me, I just couldn’t. If the human police couldn’t do shit about the supers, then I was going to. My city, North Terrace, wasn’t going to become their playground.
My name is John Wonderton. I’m poor and I’m alone, but that’s not going to stop me. I’ve been gifted superhuman abilities and with them, a way to rid the city of the plague crippling it.
Rise of the Lion is the history into the Dark Lion character - how he got to where he was at the beginning of City of Chaos. He's an awesome character to keep bringing to life and I hope you enjoy his story...
Prologue:
“Scum like you doesn’t deserve a second chance!”
“Please, I swear I’ll…”
I couldn’t stand to hear any more of his lies. I curled up my hand into a fist and smashed it into his face. Not hard enough to kill, but I felt his bones breaking under my knuckles. His eyes glazed over and his body slumped to the wet street below. North Terrace had one less gang banger to concern itself with.
I climbed the closest fire escape and took to the rooftops to get back to my lair. I was all but invisible, except for the yellow cloak that hung over my body. It was a gift from someone important, one that I would turn into a symbol to all the street punks and lowlifes who plagued my home.
It’d just rained, like it always had, which made the travel that much more difficult. If it wasn’t for my power, I would’ve fallen to my death years ago. The one thing that saved my life on a consistent basis was also the thing that pissed me off the most.
Powered people started popping up just a few years before I was born. During the great nuclear power phase in our country, you couldn’t go fifty miles without hitting a power plant. Unfortunately, it made for easy targets. Terrorists hit them, and hard. Diseases, death, and disfigurement ran rampant in the aftermath. The one thing no one expected though was the rise of powered people.
Here we are though, a small but growing number. Too many take the easy way out, turn to a life of crime because it pays well and the police can’t stop them. Me, I just couldn’t. If the human police couldn’t do shit about the supers, then I was going to. My city, North Terrace, wasn’t going to become their playground.
My name is John Wonderton. I’m poor and I’m alone, but that’s not going to stop me. I’ve been gifted superhuman abilities and with them, a way to rid the city of the plague crippling it.
July 10, 2015
Updates and Sales
Well it's July and down here in Florida we are right in the middle of the dog days of summer. If anyone has found some cool, decent weather, please UPS it to me soon. I'm melting down here.
So you're not here to hear me whine about how hot the temperature is. You're here for what incentives I am willing to give to get you to download my books. Fair enough.
First, if you have started the Ragnarok on Ice series, you'll know that I have three companion novellas (Blood and Arrows, Hat Trick, and Face Off) that bridge the gaps between books. Starting on July 19th and running until July 23rd, those three novellas will be free to download on the Kindle.
Second and more importantly starting this weekend is The Inglewood Chronicles deal. Next week, The Cascade Snowman: Gregory's Story will be released. In honor of another edition to the series, The Wrath of Pan (book 2) will be free to download from July 12th through July 16th.
So that's about it. I hope all the readers out there are having a great summer filled with both classics and hidden jewels.
Jeremy Croston
So you're not here to hear me whine about how hot the temperature is. You're here for what incentives I am willing to give to get you to download my books. Fair enough.
First, if you have started the Ragnarok on Ice series, you'll know that I have three companion novellas (Blood and Arrows, Hat Trick, and Face Off) that bridge the gaps between books. Starting on July 19th and running until July 23rd, those three novellas will be free to download on the Kindle.
Second and more importantly starting this weekend is The Inglewood Chronicles deal. Next week, The Cascade Snowman: Gregory's Story will be released. In honor of another edition to the series, The Wrath of Pan (book 2) will be free to download from July 12th through July 16th.
So that's about it. I hope all the readers out there are having a great summer filled with both classics and hidden jewels.
Jeremy Croston
February 24, 2015
The Cactus Killer Free Event
Hello everyone! This is going to be short and sweet, The Cactus Killer is free today through Saturday in the Amazon Kindle Bookstore. If it is on your to-read list, go and grab it while it costs you nothing, nada, zilch! If you do go for it, I'd love to hear your feedback so leave me a review anywhere you'd like (here, Amazon, your own blog, etc...).
You can grab it at http://www.amazon.com/author/jeremycr...
Happy reading and I will catch up with you guys later!
Jeremy Croston
You can grab it at http://www.amazon.com/author/jeremycr...
Happy reading and I will catch up with you guys later!
Jeremy Croston
February 4, 2015
Book Sale!!!
Last night I got an email from Amazon saying book two in a series I started last year was available. I was pretty stoked, the first book I had picked up for 99 cents and was pretty darn good. When I clicked the link and went to the page, lo and behold, the book was $5.99!
Wait Jeremy, aren’t you an author and want to make money? Well, yeah that’s a great thought, but I also don’t want my readers to be turned off by price. I thought long and hard about this and came up with something that I’m happy to talk to you about. The Ragnarok on Ice series is my pride and joy in the literary world and I want you to read it. So starting today, the prices of all the books will be 99 cents. Blood and Arrows, Power Play, Hat Trick, and Penalty Kill will all be the same price.
I write because I love too. The thrill I get knowing people are enjoying the worlds I create is awesome. Writing is my escape and I hope reading is yours. So I invite you all to try my books and let me know what you think about them.
-Jeremy
All of my work, including “The Cactus Killer,” is available @ www.amazon.com/author/jeremycroston
Wait Jeremy, aren’t you an author and want to make money? Well, yeah that’s a great thought, but I also don’t want my readers to be turned off by price. I thought long and hard about this and came up with something that I’m happy to talk to you about. The Ragnarok on Ice series is my pride and joy in the literary world and I want you to read it. So starting today, the prices of all the books will be 99 cents. Blood and Arrows, Power Play, Hat Trick, and Penalty Kill will all be the same price.
I write because I love too. The thrill I get knowing people are enjoying the worlds I create is awesome. Writing is my escape and I hope reading is yours. So I invite you all to try my books and let me know what you think about them.
-Jeremy
All of my work, including “The Cactus Killer,” is available @ www.amazon.com/author/jeremycroston
December 24, 2014
Penalty Kill - Chapter 1: Kobold
“Dad! What the hell did you bring to my house?!”
Just two minutes ago, my dad, Fred Skelton (aka Fenrir, the Great Wolf of Asgard) showed up, looking worse for wear, saying he was just attacked by Freyja.
To get you caught up, Freyja is a psychopathic lunatic from the realm of Asgard who, along with her twin brother Freyr, tried to start Ragnarok. Fortunately for all the realms, we were able to stop them and kill their leader, Azmodeous, but I guess she was out for blood now.
Now as my dad was relaying the fact he was just assaulted to Rumil (my incredibly sexy and deadly dark elf fiancé) and I, a horrible creature came out of nowhere. As I stood on the porch to my house, whatever the hell it was started tearing apart my yard. The best way to describe this thing was if a wolverine had a demonic love child. Its black fur, deadly claws, and a mouth filled with teeth that would make a great white shark jealous rounds out this picture.
The thing jumped at dad with its mouth open. Since you really can’t transform into a giant wolf in the middle of a neighborhood, dad did his best to fend off such an attack. The thing landed on him, snapping at his face. “Don’t just stand there! Get this damn kobold off of me!”
Rumil was running back down the stairs with her bow and arrows, and let an arrow loose at the beastly creature. It bounced harmlessly off its apparently very tough hide.
“Jack, here, put these on!” She tossed me my gauntlets, a souvenir from my time in the other realms.
I strapped them on quickly and ran at the creature attacking my dad. It looked up and I punched it as hard as I could in the face. I guess its nose was a weak spot as it started to howl and relented enough for dad to kick it off of him.
“This is out of hand! First Freyja, and now a kobold?”
“We can talk later dad! Let’s get rid of your little friend here before the whole damn neighborhood sees this!”
Thank God it was dark outside, but the noise would soon attract unwanted attention. Rumil was on the porch with us and she fired off three more arrows at the kobold. Two bounced off its skin again, but the third was a direct hit to its eye. I knew that had to hurt, but it did was piss it off more. How wonderful.
It charged us again and jumped. It decided I would be the target and I hoped Algrim’s gauntlets were up for the challenge. I stuck my arm out and it clamped down hard. I felt the force, but the metal was holding for now. “Shoot it again!”
Rumil happily obliged my request. At close range, she put a second arrow into its other eye. It let go of my arm and fell to the ground. No longer able to see, maybe it would slow down and give us time to do something.
“Master Fenrir, catch!” I don’t know where Rumil pulled it out from because she was still dressed up for our double date with Stansky and Valkyrie, but in her hand was a long, silver dagger. She tossed it to my dad. “Remove its head and the kobold will perish!” Dad nodded at her and pounced on the angry animal.
Even though it was blind, it still had a ton of fight left in it. I looked over at Rumil, “Should we do something?”
“I am afraid neither of us possesses the strength to complete this task. Be prepared just in case it gets free and attacks.”
I turned back and looked at dad struggling with it. He needed help and before Rumil could argue, I ran over to them and grabbed the kobold by the head. It was so strong that I needed to get a good grip on this. Dad was still trying to bring the blade down on its neck, but had no room or leverage. Digging deep, I strained myself and started pulling the head back. It was hissing and trying to swipe me with its claws, but I managed to get its head back just enough for dad to bring the fatal blow down.
The head came free while I was still pulling and I went flying back, landing hard on my back. The kobold’s head started to disintegrate into dust in my hands. I stood up and tried my best to brush it off of me.
Dad and Rumil were walking over. “Thanks Jack, that saved me a lot of trouble. I had no idea you were so strong.”
I started to laugh, “I didn’t know I had it in me either, dad. We’ll chalk that up to adrenaline I think.”
After checking me over and making sure I was alright, Rumil told us we should get inside so we could talk. Agreeing, dad and I followed her in and took a seat on the couch.
“Jack, what are we going to do? Stan and Val will be here any minute!”
I had given this a lot of thought. Stan (surprise, a normal human!) was dating Val Kyrie (a terrible undercover name, she was really Valkyrie, captain of the Einjerhar) and maybe it was time we told him the truth with what was going on. “I think we tell them the truth. Valkyrie will need to know anyway, but Stan could be in danger. He needs to know why.”
I expected some sort of backlash, someone to say ‘no that is a terrible idea!’ but it never came. Both of them looked resigned to the fact that the truth was needed in this situation. I also figured they were going to leave it up to me to explain the whole thing too. With friends and family like this, who needed enemies?
The doorbell rang and I went over and looked out. There was a smiling Stan Stansky and the ever beautiful Valkyrie, ready for a nice night out on the town. I really hated to be the one to break the bad news to them. I opened the door, ready to get this over with.
“Hey guys, looking good!” I said that with a little too much enthusiasm. “Why don’t you come in for a minute?”
I let them pass, but Stan stopped short. “Jack, you kind of look like hell. Oh, and hey Mr. Skelton. Are you joining us tonight too?”
“Stan, why don’t you have a seat? I think there is a lot we need to tell you.”
Valkyrie’s ears perked up. “Is everything okay here?”
“No, not at all. Val, I think and these two agree, that it is time we tell Stan about you know what.”
Stan looked around at all of us. “Guys, what is going on here? Everyone looks like they’ve seen a ghost. Is someone dying?”
Valkyrie took Stan’s hand, “Jack, allow me to be the one to explain everything. It has been eating away at my conscious for awhile now.”
Fine by me, maybe she could explain it all better than I could. I took a seat beside Rumil and we listened in as Valkyrie told the story. She started off slow, telling him about Asgard, but speaking about it like it was another country.
I don’t think it was until she started talking about dwarves and elves that it started to sink in with Stan that something was off. The breaking point came as she got to the point where it involved all of us and our adventures, total disbelief took over his face. As she finished, I think he was waiting for all of us to start laughing. That never happened.
“C’mon guys, you’re pulling me over on me, right?”
“I’m sorry Stan. When Oleg and I were attacked in the bar, it sent us to another realm called Asgard. Imagine my surprise; I was the one who lived through it all.” Oleg Thorston was the human name for the Thunderer, Thor. I hope you are writing all these down; there will be a test later.
“Jack, let me try something.” Dad walked over to Stan and put his hand on his shoulder. “How long have you known us Stan?”
“For forever Mr. Skelton. What does that have to do with any of this?”
“Do you think either of us would lie to you or intentionally mislead you?”
Stan put his head down, “Of course not, you guys are like my second family.” He looked from me to dad and back. I tried to put on a friendly smile, but I’m sure I looked like creeper.
“Stan,” Rumil was now standing too, “what if I could show you? Would that help you believe?”
“Show me?”
Rumil nodded and closed her eyes. Where there had once been standing your girl next door, was now the dark elf I had first met in Asgard. Her hair was back to its original snow white, ears pointed at the ends, and skin to its original smoky blue color.
“This is my true form Stan. I am a dark elf from the realm of Svartalfheim. To fit in better, I use a rune that gives me a more human complexion.”
Stan didn’t say anything for a bit. It was just awkward silence, even after Rumil went back to her human state. The only good sign was he hadn’t gone running out of the house.
“So I guess you guys aren’t screwing with me, huh?”
We all nodded at him. He then turned to Valkyrie, “So you are some badass warrior chic huh?”
The tension in the air broke and we all started laughing. I was about to ask if we were all still on for dinner, when there was another knock on the door. I got up and walked over, pretty confused. Who would be here now?
I opened the door and Chief Mark Thompson was standing there. “Evening Jack, is your father here? I need to talk to him as soon as possible.”
Jeremy Croston
Just two minutes ago, my dad, Fred Skelton (aka Fenrir, the Great Wolf of Asgard) showed up, looking worse for wear, saying he was just attacked by Freyja.
To get you caught up, Freyja is a psychopathic lunatic from the realm of Asgard who, along with her twin brother Freyr, tried to start Ragnarok. Fortunately for all the realms, we were able to stop them and kill their leader, Azmodeous, but I guess she was out for blood now.
Now as my dad was relaying the fact he was just assaulted to Rumil (my incredibly sexy and deadly dark elf fiancé) and I, a horrible creature came out of nowhere. As I stood on the porch to my house, whatever the hell it was started tearing apart my yard. The best way to describe this thing was if a wolverine had a demonic love child. Its black fur, deadly claws, and a mouth filled with teeth that would make a great white shark jealous rounds out this picture.
The thing jumped at dad with its mouth open. Since you really can’t transform into a giant wolf in the middle of a neighborhood, dad did his best to fend off such an attack. The thing landed on him, snapping at his face. “Don’t just stand there! Get this damn kobold off of me!”
Rumil was running back down the stairs with her bow and arrows, and let an arrow loose at the beastly creature. It bounced harmlessly off its apparently very tough hide.
“Jack, here, put these on!” She tossed me my gauntlets, a souvenir from my time in the other realms.
I strapped them on quickly and ran at the creature attacking my dad. It looked up and I punched it as hard as I could in the face. I guess its nose was a weak spot as it started to howl and relented enough for dad to kick it off of him.
“This is out of hand! First Freyja, and now a kobold?”
“We can talk later dad! Let’s get rid of your little friend here before the whole damn neighborhood sees this!”
Thank God it was dark outside, but the noise would soon attract unwanted attention. Rumil was on the porch with us and she fired off three more arrows at the kobold. Two bounced off its skin again, but the third was a direct hit to its eye. I knew that had to hurt, but it did was piss it off more. How wonderful.
It charged us again and jumped. It decided I would be the target and I hoped Algrim’s gauntlets were up for the challenge. I stuck my arm out and it clamped down hard. I felt the force, but the metal was holding for now. “Shoot it again!”
Rumil happily obliged my request. At close range, she put a second arrow into its other eye. It let go of my arm and fell to the ground. No longer able to see, maybe it would slow down and give us time to do something.
“Master Fenrir, catch!” I don’t know where Rumil pulled it out from because she was still dressed up for our double date with Stansky and Valkyrie, but in her hand was a long, silver dagger. She tossed it to my dad. “Remove its head and the kobold will perish!” Dad nodded at her and pounced on the angry animal.
Even though it was blind, it still had a ton of fight left in it. I looked over at Rumil, “Should we do something?”
“I am afraid neither of us possesses the strength to complete this task. Be prepared just in case it gets free and attacks.”
I turned back and looked at dad struggling with it. He needed help and before Rumil could argue, I ran over to them and grabbed the kobold by the head. It was so strong that I needed to get a good grip on this. Dad was still trying to bring the blade down on its neck, but had no room or leverage. Digging deep, I strained myself and started pulling the head back. It was hissing and trying to swipe me with its claws, but I managed to get its head back just enough for dad to bring the fatal blow down.
The head came free while I was still pulling and I went flying back, landing hard on my back. The kobold’s head started to disintegrate into dust in my hands. I stood up and tried my best to brush it off of me.
Dad and Rumil were walking over. “Thanks Jack, that saved me a lot of trouble. I had no idea you were so strong.”
I started to laugh, “I didn’t know I had it in me either, dad. We’ll chalk that up to adrenaline I think.”
After checking me over and making sure I was alright, Rumil told us we should get inside so we could talk. Agreeing, dad and I followed her in and took a seat on the couch.
“Jack, what are we going to do? Stan and Val will be here any minute!”
I had given this a lot of thought. Stan (surprise, a normal human!) was dating Val Kyrie (a terrible undercover name, she was really Valkyrie, captain of the Einjerhar) and maybe it was time we told him the truth with what was going on. “I think we tell them the truth. Valkyrie will need to know anyway, but Stan could be in danger. He needs to know why.”
I expected some sort of backlash, someone to say ‘no that is a terrible idea!’ but it never came. Both of them looked resigned to the fact that the truth was needed in this situation. I also figured they were going to leave it up to me to explain the whole thing too. With friends and family like this, who needed enemies?
The doorbell rang and I went over and looked out. There was a smiling Stan Stansky and the ever beautiful Valkyrie, ready for a nice night out on the town. I really hated to be the one to break the bad news to them. I opened the door, ready to get this over with.
“Hey guys, looking good!” I said that with a little too much enthusiasm. “Why don’t you come in for a minute?”
I let them pass, but Stan stopped short. “Jack, you kind of look like hell. Oh, and hey Mr. Skelton. Are you joining us tonight too?”
“Stan, why don’t you have a seat? I think there is a lot we need to tell you.”
Valkyrie’s ears perked up. “Is everything okay here?”
“No, not at all. Val, I think and these two agree, that it is time we tell Stan about you know what.”
Stan looked around at all of us. “Guys, what is going on here? Everyone looks like they’ve seen a ghost. Is someone dying?”
Valkyrie took Stan’s hand, “Jack, allow me to be the one to explain everything. It has been eating away at my conscious for awhile now.”
Fine by me, maybe she could explain it all better than I could. I took a seat beside Rumil and we listened in as Valkyrie told the story. She started off slow, telling him about Asgard, but speaking about it like it was another country.
I don’t think it was until she started talking about dwarves and elves that it started to sink in with Stan that something was off. The breaking point came as she got to the point where it involved all of us and our adventures, total disbelief took over his face. As she finished, I think he was waiting for all of us to start laughing. That never happened.
“C’mon guys, you’re pulling me over on me, right?”
“I’m sorry Stan. When Oleg and I were attacked in the bar, it sent us to another realm called Asgard. Imagine my surprise; I was the one who lived through it all.” Oleg Thorston was the human name for the Thunderer, Thor. I hope you are writing all these down; there will be a test later.
“Jack, let me try something.” Dad walked over to Stan and put his hand on his shoulder. “How long have you known us Stan?”
“For forever Mr. Skelton. What does that have to do with any of this?”
“Do you think either of us would lie to you or intentionally mislead you?”
Stan put his head down, “Of course not, you guys are like my second family.” He looked from me to dad and back. I tried to put on a friendly smile, but I’m sure I looked like creeper.
“Stan,” Rumil was now standing too, “what if I could show you? Would that help you believe?”
“Show me?”
Rumil nodded and closed her eyes. Where there had once been standing your girl next door, was now the dark elf I had first met in Asgard. Her hair was back to its original snow white, ears pointed at the ends, and skin to its original smoky blue color.
“This is my true form Stan. I am a dark elf from the realm of Svartalfheim. To fit in better, I use a rune that gives me a more human complexion.”
Stan didn’t say anything for a bit. It was just awkward silence, even after Rumil went back to her human state. The only good sign was he hadn’t gone running out of the house.
“So I guess you guys aren’t screwing with me, huh?”
We all nodded at him. He then turned to Valkyrie, “So you are some badass warrior chic huh?”
The tension in the air broke and we all started laughing. I was about to ask if we were all still on for dinner, when there was another knock on the door. I got up and walked over, pretty confused. Who would be here now?
I opened the door and Chief Mark Thompson was standing there. “Evening Jack, is your father here? I need to talk to him as soon as possible.”
Jeremy Croston
December 23, 2014
Penalty Kill - Book 2 of Ragnarok on Ice
Today I shared with the world my cover for Penalty Kill over on my blog at ragnarokonice.wordpress.com. I'm thrilled with how everything turned out, both the actual book and the cover. Characters from Power Play and Hat Trick merged so well together that my initial fears of bringing them together were quickly put to rest.
For those of you who haven't read one of my books yet, starting tomorrow on Christmas Eve and going through Sunday 12/28 Power Play will be free on the Kindle Bookstore. If you take the dive and read it, thank you in advance and share what you liked (and ::gulp:: didn't like) right here on Goodreads with me and all your friends.
Tomorrow both here and on my blog, I will be posting the first chapter, 'Kobold,' from Penalty Kill for everyone to read.
Merry Christmas everyone and have a geat Holiday Season!
Jeremy Croston
For those of you who haven't read one of my books yet, starting tomorrow on Christmas Eve and going through Sunday 12/28 Power Play will be free on the Kindle Bookstore. If you take the dive and read it, thank you in advance and share what you liked (and ::gulp:: didn't like) right here on Goodreads with me and all your friends.
Tomorrow both here and on my blog, I will be posting the first chapter, 'Kobold,' from Penalty Kill for everyone to read.
Merry Christmas everyone and have a geat Holiday Season!
Jeremy Croston
