Feast or Famine Q & A

Dudes and dudettes, you sent me a lot of questions this time around.  I ended up sorting through what I had on Monday night for my top 5 and answering them last night so I could get them up today.  Real quick, there are a lot of spoilers coming, so if you haven't finished this book in the series, I would recommend coming back when you did.  Now on to your questions.


Q1 - Sabrina is one powerful and evil girl.  How do you see her playing out in the last book?


A1 - I don't want to give a lot away, but she maintains her hatred for her mother all the way through.  That hate, because of Roxanne's betrayal to Beelzebub defines her really.  The fun thing is when you see how she treats Jacoby, it'll go a long way in defining her character.


Q2 - This was by far your best writing effort to date.  As an author, what do you do to keep improving your writing?


A2 - With Death Among Us, I tried to do everything myself.  It was my first effort and I didn't want anyone to help me because I didn't want to lose the integrity of the story.  I learned that's not a good thing.  In Old War Stories, I had Jeff and Jeremy help me a lot plus I got a few Beta readers.  Getting Sarah, my English teacher turned editor friend on board was a big boon too.  Then with Feast or Famine, I took everything I learned from my first two attempts and really fine tuned them.  I'm sure there are still issues here and there, but I hope it reads smoothly.


Q3 - You dirty son of a gun, you brought Roxanne back into the fold.  Was that because of peer pressure or was that always the plan?


A3 - Roxanne is my favorite character bar none.  The journey she goes on from the start of the series to the finish is one that has a lot of bumps in it.  I wanted her character to be the one that experienced the most growth, yet also got the most emotional connection from readers.  I know her "death" in Old War Stories pissed a lot of people off, but that's good.  I did my job as a writer by creating a character people love.


Q4 - Will we see more Lucifer?  The scenes with Derrick dealing with him were awesome.


A4 - Minor spoiler here - his role in the story is just about finished.  He does come back in Divide and Conquest briefly, but it's not a huge role.  As you'll see, he's going to have a lot of other problems going on.


Q5 - I'm going to ask it but I don't expect an answer.  Oz and Jacoby, there going to be the focus moving forward right?


A5 - A lot of people wanted to know about the step brothers and their roles.  As you know, Oz is with Derrick and Roxanne while Jacoby grew up with Sabrina.  Their different upbringings will play a huge focus in their individual stories, but as the end of the day, Grimm's Reapers is about Derrick Grimm.  That said, what the future holds after this series, well that can be up for debate.


Thanks for everyone and their curiosity.  Divide and conquest is out now, so feel free to grab the last book in the series and see what the future is going to hold.


-Jack
jack.crosby25@gmail.com

Old War Stories Q & A (with an updated Divide and Conquest cover art)

So you guys really liked my question and answer segment on Death Among Us.  When I got home last night from a pretty awesome trip to Tampa, I noticed all the questions in my inbox.  So I'll postpone my blog taking in the local Tampa fun places to go so I can get to these.


First, MAJOR SPOILERS will be revealed in this post.  If you haven't read Old War Stories, I suggest coming back afterwards to join in the conversation.  Second, I've received a few Feast or Famine questions and I'll hit those up next week.  So with that out of the way, let the questions begin.


Q1 - The second story has a much more serious tone to it than the first.  Why did you go in that direction?


A1 - I wanted to give Derrick a little more depth to his character.  He's Death after all and yeah he's a goofy pervert, but he's also got a very serious job to do.  Sometimes that job is hard and isn't something to take lightly.  All and all, I was happy with a bit more character building, which will lead nicely into Feast or Famine.


Q2 - Vlad the Impaler was such a cool side story to throw in.  Is there any way you might write a book about that adventure?


A2 - I won't write a book about it, but I definitely might write a short story and post it somewhere for free.  That's a really good idea.  I think later this year I'm going to do that, maybe like a Halloween special?


Q3 - Sabrina the witch is bad ass.  Is it true you named her after a fan?


A3 - I sure did.  Sabrina won a contest I held last year and she was really pleased with the character I dreamed up.  If you liked her in Old War Stories, you'll love her going forward.


Q4 - Derrick's not supposed to dump Roxanne for Astrid!  Roxanne kicks so much ass!


A4 - Even though this technically isn't a question, a lot of people were a bit confused.  Again, this volume was about revealing Derrick's character and his lack of commitment comes into play.  For him, the grass is always greener elsewhere.  He saw Astrid and in her something new.  Trust me, this choice will come back to haunt him later.


Q5 - Going forward, will we get to know each Horseman a little better?


A5 - If you couldn't tell, the titles reveal which Horseman will be instrumental to the story.  Death obviously stole the show in round 1 and War was very important in round 2.


Q6 - HOW THE HELL COULD YOU KILL ROXANNE OFF YOU DUMB BASTARD?!?!


A6 - I got a variation of this one in quite a few emails.  Listen, for celestial beings, dying isn't as permanent as it is for humans.  Much like every comic book character not named Uncle Ben, these guys find a way to come back.  In Roxanne's case, Michael took pity of her soul and called in a favor.  What does that mean going forward?  Good question.  The Death Among Us universe works in mysterious ways and just about everybody is fair game...


I hope I got to your question in some way, shape, or form.  I'm so surprised by the passion you guys have for the story and that's so cool.  I appreciate all the questions, well wishes, and curiosity.  Keep them coming as we keep moving forward with the story.


Before I go, real quick, I updated the cover for book 4.  I'm much happier with it and I think you'll all like it too:



-Jack
You can email me at jack.crosby25@gmail.com

Chapter 2 (and a reader email)

Morning blogheads.  Before we get to chapter 2, I wanted to take a moment and answer another email I got last night.  I appreciate the honesty in it, so I wanted to share it and my answer with you guys.


'Jack,


I really didn't care for Old War Stories that much, I'm sorry to say.  Death Among Us was funny, witty, and a great read.  The sequel was a bit of a let down I guess, but I still have faith in you.  Can you give me some insight into your next book?  Will we see more of Derrick doing his thing and not trying to be so serious this time?


All the best,


Caleb'


Caleb, no need to apologize for not liking the book.  Everyone's got their taste and if it didn't read well to you, then that's on me, the author.  Believe it or not, Old War Stories was always meant to be a bit more serious, just because of the way I wanted to set events up for Feast or Famine.  Maybe I got a bit too carried away trying to turn it into a serious book and strayed from Derrick's personality.


I hope in Feast or Famine that I recaptured that magic.  This is the book that sets up the last story in this series arc, so I wanted to put my best foot forward.  Are there serious moments?  Yes, of course, but hopefully it plays better with the overall theme of Derrick and his hijinks.


Well enough yacking - here's chapter 2 as promised (and I hope your faith in me in rewarded Caleb):

Chapter 2 - The Lost Brother

We were headed into the little town that wasn’t too far from our beach bungalow.  According to Khloros, Veronica would be here in the morning, so we had no reason to stick around and wait.  The night was a beautiful one for a ride down the dunes.  The village lights broke up the darkness that spread across the sand.

Just outside of town, Astrid and I dismounted and tied Khloros up to a wooden post.  Not that he needed it, but it would look odd for a horse just standing there of its own free will.  “We won’t be long buddy.”

“Take your time.  The night is peaceful and I am quite enjoying it.”

I gave him a pat on his head and we set off from the sand on to the stone path.  It wasn’t the biggest place on Earth, but the people here were really relaxed and laid back.  They lived off the ocean and whatever small amounts of farming they could do.  Our first stop would be to the market to grab some food and some cervezas.

My girl knew exactly what I was thinking.  “Not that I did before, but now I really can’t have any alcohol.”

“Really?”

“You’ve never dealt with a pregnant woman before, have you?”

That was a big fat no.  What do they say about old dogs?  “Does this mean I can’t have any either?”

We entered the market and she began inspecting the latest catch.  “It would be nice for us to be united in everything.”

“Ahh hell that means you want me to be sober.”

She handed me a large fish with its head still attached.  “No, it just means I want you to start thinking as a father and not a millennia old teenager.”

I hated this part of shopping, this shit really stank.  “But you love me because I’m a millennia old teenager.”

She put down whatever weird fruit it was she usually got.  “No, I love you because you have a good heart and generally mean well.  Don’t you think you’ll be getting this same lecture tomorrow?”

“Ahh old Veronica won’t interfere in our business, at least I hope not.”

Giving me that ‘this is hopeless’ look, we kept going.  Once we got enough for a few days, we went up to the front and paid the lady.  Astrid took well to understand the Mexican money system and quickly became the bank for me.  Petty stuff like coins and paper dollars mean little, I just know I have a lot of it.

As we exited, we ran into a familiar face.  “Derrick, Astrid, it’s good to see the two of you again.”

“It’s good to see you too Renee.”  The likable American lady moved down here a few weeks after we did.  She was middle aged and still looked amazing.  Her dark eyes for some reason hinted at knowing her, but I could never place it.  No, I was quite sure we’d never met before.  “And now it’s three of us.”

She squealed as soon as Astrid dropped that bomb.  “You’re going to have a baby?”

“Yeah and it’s a miracle it hasn’t happened sooner.  This one can’t stay out of my pants!”

My face turned red.  “Astrid!  Don’t fucking say that!”

“And don’t curse in front of people, it’s not polite!”

Renee, as always, found us highly amusing.  “Listen, I curse with the best of ‘em and when I was your two’s age, I was fucking my way up and down the east coast.”

For some reason her words were dripping with honesty.  I almost slipped and said depending on where; I might’ve been one of your sack mates.  That would’ve made sense, as seeing as I couldn’t get rid of that feeling we’d met somewhere before.  “Aren’t you the honest one?”

“I have nothing to be ashamed of.  I enjoy sex and used it to my advantage.  These days, it just doesn’t have the same appeal.”

Astrid punched me in the arm.  “Don’t make her talk about her past.  You’re certainly one who has no room to talk.”

That ladies and gentlemen is how you shut me up.  I stood there holding the groceries for another five to six minutes while the two of them talked about baby related topics.  Astrid eventually got annoyed with my foot tapping and the ‘huh’ sounds I started making.  “Sorry Renee, I better get him back to the house before he goes all petulant brat on me.”

“I understand, men like him are a bit on the high maintenance side.”  She gave me a sly wink and bid us good night.

“Oh Derrick, what am I going to do with you?  We’re going to have a child, yet it appears I already have one to deal with.”

I helped her up on Khloros, who wanted to join in on this conversation.  “What did he do this time?”

“The usual, break up any attempts to actually make friends, be annoying, et cetera.”

Khloros gave us his weird horse laugh.  “You eventually get used to it.  Mind you, it took me close to one thousand years to get to the point where I was not bothered.”

“Laugh it up you two chuckleheads.  Without me, neither of you would be alive, so a little more respect should be given.”

And they did, all the way home.  I grabbed the groceries and stormed into the house, pretending to be mad, but I couldn’t be.  Both of those loveable goofs brought much needed entertainment and love to my life.  As I was stocking up the fridge, Astrid stuck her head in.  “You might want to come on outside.”

I scratched my head.  “Why, is there something good waiting for me?”

“It depends on what you mean by good.  And no it’s not my naked body.”

“Well shit, than I doubt this will be good.”  I put the last of the fruit in and closed the door.  Just for precaution sake, I grabbed Leviathan and put it in my shorts pocket.  Call me untrusting, but when dealing with anything unpredictable, I’d rather have a weapon.

I opened the front door and walked out.  Astrid was standing on the porch and just below her was the last person in the whole wide world I expected to see.  “Famine…”

The rider was shorter than me and he was covered head to toe in black robes.  A midnight black stallion was standing over beside Khloros.  He dropped his head, revealing a very young face.  He could very easily pass for my little brother.  His voice rumbled, not matching his body at all.  “Death, it took me some time to find you.”

“Part of not wanting to be found means going to incredible lengths to not be found.”

He gave me a slight smirk.  “I do not mean that as a slight.  Conquest said I would have to search all the back corners of this world to find you.  He was not incorrect.”

Sighing, I sat down on one of our Adirondack chairs and motioned for him to do the same.  As my made his way up, Astrid mumbled about him dragging sand on to her freshly swept porch.  His robes were too big and he wasn’t really graceful on the shifting soil.

Looking at my brother sitting beside me, “So you’re not out here just to visit.  You’ve never once come to see me since I left Eden you prick.”

“This world is not meant for our kind.  I do not enjoy being here.”

Was he right?  Maybe, but that still didn’t make him any less of an asshole for not coming to see me.  “So what do I owe this midnight doorstop?  Got some vacuum cleaners to sell me?”

The joke went right over his head.  “I come bearing tidings of ill omens.  Our time to go to Tartarus and deal with Abaddon is growing near.”

Obviously these guys had been in contact with that nut-job Dante.  “Don’t tell me you guys are still messing with him?  I’ve seen Abaddon and his Wild Hunt up close and it ain’t pretty.”

“Which means we will need you to lead the expedition into Tartarus, as you have experienced the hells there personally.”

This is what happens when you slay a few dire wolves, including their king; people want more out of you.  “I hope you got an army the size of Texas to take in there with us.  Abaddon will eat us all for breakfast and not break a sweat.”

Astrid had obviously heard enough of this.  “I won’t have you throw your life away by confronting that monster!”

Famine addressed her politely.  “We have no choice in this matter.  The Horsemen are servants of the Almighty and with that goes certain responsibilities.  Abaddon has been allowed to grow too much.  Even the mighty Lucifer is afraid of him.”

When you scare the Devil himself, you’re one bad ass.  “Exactly my point!  If we are to do this, we need a plan and not just the four of us go willy-nilly into Tartarus and get our asses kicked.”

“Tomorrow Dante will be joining me here along with our other brothers.  This is still in the planning phase, but we needed to know that you would uphold your position.”

I gave Astrid a very sad look.  “This is one thing I can’t say no to.  I’m a Horseman and when I’m called to duty, I have to answer the summons.”

“I know you do.  Damnit, why do you have to be such a good man?”

Famine looked at her a little more closely.  “It seems I am to be an uncle, is that not correct?”

I rolled my eyes at him.  “Yeah you are.  And if we survive this, I just might let my kid come see you every once in a while.”

He actually gave us a God’s honest smile.  “My lady Astrid, I swear on my life that none shall take your child’s father from you.”

Her eyes were like ice.  “I’m going to hold you to that.”

Preorder and Paperbacks

Well hello hello.  How's everyone doing today?  Me, I'm just nifty.  I'm actually really f'ing excited because today's been huge.  First, after talking to my author buddy Jeremy Croston, I went ahead and put Feast and Famine up for preorder yesterday.  That was a cool feeling, and even cooler was putting up the final manuscript today.  I need to thank my friend Katie (an English teacher) for taking the time to read it over and correct a lot of my mistakes.  I also want to thank Jeremy again for letting me use his funny character interviews from his blog for the book.  One is an interview with Derrick and the other is an interview with Khloros.  I think they bring even more fun to the book.


With the preorder up, I also decided to get the paperback version of Old War Stories up.  I know I really dropped the ball on that, as I was super busy this summer, but for all of you who like actual books, it'll be available tomorrow.  And Feast or Famine is coming to paperback tomorrow too!  I tried my best to keep the prices down, Old War Stories is $5.99 (US) and Feast or Famine is $6.99 (US).


Tomorrow I'm going to post chapter 2 of the upcoming release - which is slated for October 12th.  I don't really know what to expect with a pre-order, but I'd be pumped if one or two of you grabbed it before release.  Anyways, thanks for being some of the coolest readers on the web and I'll be back tomorrow with chapter 2.


-Jack
jack.crosby25@gmail.com

Book 3 updates

Hey everybody, long time no blog.  I was on vacation for a week and a half and then I ended up taking a job in San Fran, helping an old friend of my dad's.  While all that was going on, I was still writing away on Book 3.


Honestly, I can't remember where we left off so I'll just take things from the top.  The title for book 3 is Feast or Famine and of course the titular Horseman will be making an appearance.  I don't want to say much about Famine's appearance yet, as it will be an important part of the story.


What I can tell you is the first part of the story takes place in Hell, as Derrick and a new ally are after an important artifact that will help out with another mission that's going on at the same time involving Derrick's brothers.  Of course in Hell, Derrick runs into more women problems (c'mon, Astrid is cool and all, but Derrick is well, Derrick).  The secondary female lead is an interesting character that might be even more manipulating (in a good way) then even Roxanne was.


Speaking of Roxanne, she still has an important part to play.  At the end of Old War Stories, you find out she's now in the employee of The Upstairs, specifically Michael.  She finds out her new charge will be on the scene in about 9  months...


I'm trying to instill both action, comedy, of course sex, and spin a tale that engages everyone.  I'm trying my best to keep this book light hearted and not take itself too seriously.  I have a clear path I want to go with everyone and that's helped out a lot.


I'm still on target for a Halloween release, hopefully.  Looking at my calendar, I have October 27th circled as my proposed release date, so we'll see.  The story kinda writes itself, but I don't want to rush things if it's not there.  Stay posted and I'll confirm that date a bit closer to time.<br>


I hope everyone has a great week and if you are new to the Grimm's Reapers books, I released a combined edition called Grimm's Reapers (clever, I know) on Amazon.  Buy or borrow, I hope you enjoy it.


Later,


Jack
jack.crosby25@gmail.com

Old War Stories - Release Details and Chapter 1 Preview

Yesterday's post was short and rambling due to my sleep deprivation.  Late last night, I got the email from Amazon saying that Old War Stories was officially available in the Kindle Bookstore (for both purchase and borrowing).  Here's the link for easy access: Old War Stories - Amazon

 Well, in honor of my second book going live, here is the first chapter of Old War Stories for you to enjoy:

Chapter 1 – A Feline Among Us

The cat looked at me and gave me a weird feline grin.  Its yellow eyes were way too intelligent, like it knew what it was about to do.  And then, “MEOW!!!”

“Roxanne, come get this thing!  It’s making noise and it stinks!”

Walking into the room, “Derrick, it is just a kitten!  Come here precious.”  She reached down and took the thing out of my hands.

“That thing is a terror!  It’s worse than those two Greed demons we put down by the docks.”

In case you’re new here, my name is Derrick Grimm and the good looking lady holding the cat is my sidekick Roxanne.

Getting slapped on the head, “Oww!  What was that for?”  Roxanne’s eyes were flashing red.

“I am far more than just your sidekick!  Don’t you make me sound like some waif who is reliant upon you!

“Wait, how did you know what I was thinking?”

With an evil grin, “I know everything.”  With that, she took the feline terror and walked back to the kitchen.

Where was I?  Oh yeah, I’m Derrick and that was my business partner, girlfriend, and all around awesome lady Roxanne.

“That is much better!”  Good lord, I need to be careful around her.

Anyways, the two of us run this little private eye agency in south Philly called Death Among Us.  We handle very sensitive cases if you catch my drift.  We’re also a lot more than what we seem, which is a nice way of saying we aren’t human.  Don’t worry, neither was the cat I was just holding.  No, that thing was a lot more than just some poor stray.

“Have you gotten to the part where you told the people I’m a sex demon and you’re the Horseman Death?”

“No I haven’t and you just ruined it for me!  C’mon, why do you always do this to me?”

There was no answer.  That figures, she takes the thunder and leaves me with the small details.  Well, she’s right.  I’m the Horseman Death, brother of War, Conquest, and Famine.  Those three hang out in Eden, the Garden of Eternity while I slum it up on Earth.  As for Roxanne, she is a Lust demon (a succubus if you will) and the daughter of the most dangerous one, Lilith.

So, how did we get paired up?  A very interesting question with an equally interesting answer.  Well she tricked the shit out of me to take care of her former boss, and lover, Beelzebub.  In the process, I was able to tap back into my celestial fire and regained a bit of my former glory.

So the two of us stuck together after that, settling in Philadelphia and opening this little agency.  So far, most of our clients were humans who’d dabbled in something they shouldn’t have and brought a demon over.  Those were the easy jobs that paid well too.

Unfortunately with our current case, it seemed something a bit more was happening.  I guess we should take this story from the top.

**Two Days Earlier**

“AHHHHH FUCK ME!!!!”

Good night she was loud, but it’d been a few days and Roxanne was horny.  I hadn’t even made it to the bedroom before she jumped me.  Not that I’m complaining, trust me.

The Lust demon was mounted on me, my pants still halfway on, and giving into her inner desires.  “Impale me with your scythe!  Ughhhh!!!”

She was a bit campy when she got into this state, but I was too caught up in the actual physical acts to care.  It had been a few days for me too after all and I was enjoying the extra special care I was receiving.  The best part is when she was totally gone like this, she did most of the work.  Granted in a few hours or so, I’d be expected to pay back, but que sara.

She ripped my shirt away and grabbed my shoulders for leverage.  It happened before I could do a damn thing about it.  She tightened up around me and a few extra gyrations for my benefit.  She looked me directly in the eye, “FILL ME NOW!!!”

That always does it.  I don’t know about you, but when a hot girl commands me to do something, I tend to go along with it.  I finished up well before her, but she kept working and coaxed out another, smaller, orgasm from me.

When she finished, she collapsed on the floor beside me, the sex minx gone, replaced by the sweet Angel-Friend that the Arch-Angel Michael had bestowed her as.  “Phew, I needed that!  You shouldn’t keep me waiting lover boy!”

I was insulted.  “Umm, you were the one saying I needed to take on more clients.  I do believe you told me the rent doesn’t pay itself.”

She poked me on the nose.  “You’re so cute when you’re riled up.  Oh yeah!”  She jumped up and hiked her skirt back up, “Veronica called and is on her way over.”

“Roxanne, you’re killing me, you know that?”

She just winked and scattered off to get ready for our visitor.  Veronica was an angel and a particularly cool one in my book.  She got me out of a bad contract I once signed with a traitor named Yuri.

I too got myself presentable and went out to the front office area of our apartment/agency.  We got a great deal on the office front and the one bedroom pad right behind it.  And by ‘we,’ I mean Roxanne.  She charmed the pants off the landlord, literally.  It was quite the embarrassing scene, especially in front of his wife.

“Hey, you made dinner?”  I walked in to the kitchen full of wonderful smells.  Tonight it seemed meatloaf was on the menu.

“Of course, I thought it would be rude to not invite her to dine with us.”  She bent over and popped open the oven.  In one swift motion, she pulled out a perfectly cooked meal.  “Stop gawking at my ass and set the table.”

“Yes dear.”  Caught again!  None-the-less she wasn’t wearing any underwear and my curious nature was rewarded.  Doing as I was told though, I got three places settings in order just as the office door bell rung.  Our guest was here.

“Roxy, Derrick, you two back there?”

“Yeah, we’re in the kitchen!  Roxanne made you dinner.”

It only took a few moments, but a beautiful blonde Angel walked in.  Just like every other time I’ve seen her, she was dressed in a business suit and had a brief case with her.  She smiled as she walked in.  “Roxy, you did not have to go to the trouble.”

“It was nothing, besides what you don’t eat, the garbage disposal,” she pointed at me, “will take care of.”

The three of us gathered around the table.  To no one’s great surprise, I put away quite a few pieces of meatloaf, plus two baked potatoes.  Neither of the girls ate that much, which gave them ample time to talk about way the angel was here.

“I have recently received a disturbing request in this area.  I know the agreement is no longer in place, but I thought I might try to bring you in on this one Derrick, if you are up for it.”

My mouth was full, so Roxanne answered on behalf of both of us.  “For you, we will do anything.  Tell us more about this request darling.”

She grabbed her briefcase and pulled out a file.  “A few nights ago, an anomaly was reported, a minor spirirt was abducted from its home.  A local coven of witches somehow got their hands on it and are up to something.  Intel suggests they might be trying to call an Arch-Demon.”

Well that didn’t sound good.  “How long ago did this happen?  And what type of minor spirit are we dealing with?”

“We are not sure when the abduction took place or how it all ended up here.  As for the spirit itself, right now that is going to stay classified.”  She looked at us, and something struck me as odd.  “At first we were tempted to handle this on our own, but after a meeting with Michael, it was decided to reach out to you.”

Ignoring my hunch something was off for the time being, “Hmm… where do we start our investigation?”

She handed me the report to read while she talked.  “Down by the docks of the Delaware River.  If possible, would you be able to go down there tonight and see if we missed anything?”

Roxanne smiled and knocked my fork out of my hand.  “You can eat later, we’ve got a job!”

 “But I’m still hungry…”

-Jack

jack.crosby25@gmail.com 

Old War Stories is Published!

After so much time and effort, Old War Stories is uploaded and being published on Amazon as we speak! A special thanks to my friend Elle who came over and powered through a 48 hour reading marathon with me to work out all the kinks and catch as many typos as possible. I'm incredibly stoked with how the story came together.

It's a bit more dark than Death Among Us, but I promise it has the same bad puns, terrible jokes, and sex filled scenes that so many of you loved the first time around. It also clocked in at about two thousand words longer than the original, so I'm happy about that as well. I'm fried to be honest. I go by back to work next week and I really wanted to get this done before I hit the road. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

I know this is short, but I'm exhausted. I'm calling it a night (well day) and hitting the sack. I'll be back either later tonight or tomorrow and I'll post the redone first chapter. Before I fall asleep, again thanks to all you awesome guys and gals who shared with me your enjoyement to Death Among Us and Old War Stories is dedicated to you.

-Jack
jack.crosby25@gmail.com

Tara Reid - A Lesson in Marine Biology

I'm going home!! Well tomorrow I am, today I am going to use the hotel pool for some R and R. And writing, tons of writing. Before I get into the latest news for Old War Stories, let me plug my buddies' podcast. If you've never listened to Jeff and Jeremy on Two Dudes, Brews, & Books, you're a lot smarter than me. Yesterday, their new show hit the airwaves and 17 minutes later, I wondered what the hell happened.

They hit on everything from Tom Brady's air pressure obession to Tara Reid and Sharknado. Seriously, I'd never seen the clip where Tara thinks whales and sharks have sex to produce whale sharks, but its out there. In fact, here, copy and paste this link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CNwrEtrYFM.

If you want to check out their shit show for yourself, here is that link for you too: http://twodudesbrewsbooks.podomatic.com/. The shows are quite funny and generally have an infomative theme to them. Plus every so often they plug me, which I greatly appreciate.

So on to important business; a major change has happened in Old War Stories. The plot wasn't quite up to snuff and something was really bugging me, so I went back and overhauled a character and his/her role in the story. This makes the story flow so much better and gives this guy/girl a much better chance to shine. That being said, I'm currently working on Chapter 22 (yep even with the overhaul, the story is still humming a long), so I envision a release date in the sooner than later future. When that happens, I'll give you guys a couple weeks notice with a chapter or two preview.

I think that's it from me. Next week, I'll be blogging from my own very own home which will be a nice change. Keep it real everyone and have a good weekend.

-Jack
jack.crosby25@gmail.com

Contest Winners

Hey everbody. First, I want to say something serious real quick. With all the bad weather in Texas, I really hope everyone is okay. There was a tornado over by Denton yesterday and the weather has been awful. So if you're a reader around these parts, I got you.

Okay, so it is time to announce the fools...err people who are lucky enough to make it into Old War Stories (Book 2 of the Grimm's Reapers series): First up with have Allen from California. Allen feels he would be an excellent lackey and also wants to know if he has a chance with Roxanne. I doubt that's in your future Allen, but I like your attitude for asking, so you're in!

The other winner is Sabrina all the way from Germany. She told me women make the most deadly enemies, much like a certain character from book 1 who I won't mention to spoil it for anyone. Sabrina also gave me a fantastic idea for her character that I just might steal. Congratulations to both of you!

As for which one surives and comes back to haunt our favorite Horseman? I don't know yet, but we will see how it plays out. Anyways, thanks to everyone who emailed me, I was taken aback by that. I'm glad you're enjoying the story I came up with and I got a feeling you'll like where the next book is heading. I'll be back later this week with an actual update.

Peace out cub scouts!

-Jack
jack.crosby25@gmail.com

Contest Time! (Your Name in a Book!)

Morning everyone. I'm stuck here in Dallas for what looks to be two weeks. This poor guy's computer system is in terrible shape and needs a total overhaul. The good news is that means I'll be able to do a lot of writing in the evening. And this is where you come in.

The main bad guy needs henchmen and henchwomen - more than likely you. If you want to be one of the demon general Kyrule's lackies, drop your name in the comment section! Please be advised there is probably a real good chance your character will end up as cannon fodder, but that's okay. You're in a book damnit!

Here's the kicker, someone will need to survive and move on to book three. I don't know who it'll be or what, but know by dropping your name to me in either an email or just in the comment section, you might be that person. Spots are limited, I probably only need between 3-5 names. I might choose first come, first serve or by coolest name. I'll announce my picks next week sometime and go from there.

Again, either email me or drop a line in the comment section. Hell, bonus points to people who tell me why they should be kept alive and move on to the next book. Good luck to everyone and let's see what kind of crap we can get ourselves into. If you haven't ready Death Among Us yet, I strongly suggest you do before asking to be apart of Old War Stories.

-Jack
jack.crosby25@gmail.com

Book 2 - Chapter 1

I made it to Dallas.  It's not nearly as cool as Albuquerque, but I have a job to do.  I meet up with the guy in about two hours to see what the dealie-o is.  He runs a signage warehouse and needs to upgrade his POS system and also needs new cables ran.  Something tells me I'm going to regret this one.

Anyways, real quick, my author friend Jeremy Croston has a new book coming out tomorrow, The Wrath of Pan.  Its a sequel to The Cactus Killer (which I haven't read yet, but I'll get to soon).  Congrats to him and I hope it does well.

Last week, I made a promise to you guys that if I finished chapter 13, I'd put up the first chapter of my draft for you to read.  Well last night I put the finishing touches on 14, so it's time to pay up.  Keep in mind this is just my rough draft and I'm sure there are a ton of errors.  If grammar pisses you off, you might want to wait until the edited version comes out later spring/summer.  Also, as always there is sex, swearing, and all that.  You've been warned.

-Jack

Old War Stories Preview

Chapter 1 - A Baby Among Us

“Wahhhhhhh!”

“Roxanne, come get this thing!  It’s making noise and it stinks!”

Walking into the room, “Derrick, it is just a baby!  Come here precious.”  She reached down and took the thing out of my hands.

“Just a baby?  That thing is a terror!  It’s worse than those two Greed demons we put down by the docks.”

In case you’re new here, my name is Derrick Grimm and the good looking lady holding the kid is my sidekick Roxanne.

Getting slapped on the head, “Oww!  What was that for?”  Roxanne’s eyes were flashing red.

“I am far more than just your sidekick!  Don’t you make me sound like some waif who is reliant upon you!

“Wait, how did you know what I was thinking?”

With an evil grin, “I know everything.”  With that, she took the baby and walked back to the kitchen.

Where was I?  Oh yeah, I’m Derrick and that was my business partner, girlfriend, and all around awesome lady Roxanne.

“That is much better!”  Good lord, I need to be careful around her.

Anyways, the two of us run this little private eye agency in south Philly called Death Among Us.  We handle very sensitive cases if you catch my drift.  We’re also a lot more than what we seem, which is a nice way of saying we aren’t human.  Don’t worry, neither was the little kid I was holding.  No, that thing was a lot more than just a baby.

“Have you gotten to the part where you told the people I’m a sex demon and you’re the horseman Death?”

“No I haven’t and you just ruined it for me!  C’mon, why do you always do this to me?”

There was no answer.  That figures, she takes the thunder and leaves me with the small details.  Well, she’s right.  I’m the horseman Death, brother of War, Conquest, and Famine.  Those three hang out in Eden, the Garden of Eternity while I slum it up on Earth.  As for Roxanne, she is a Lust demon (a succubus if you will) and the daughter of the most dangerous one, Lilith.

So, how did we get paired up?  A very interesting question with an equally interesting answer.  Well she tricked the shit out of me to take care of her former boss, and lover, Beelzebub.  In the process, I was able to tap back into my spirit fire and regained a bit of my former glory.

So the two of us stuck together after that, settling in Philadelphia and opening this little agency.  So far, most of our clients were humans who’d dabbled in something they shouldn’t have and brought a demon over.  Those were the easy jobs that paid well too.

Unfortunately with our current case, it seemed something a bit more was happening.  I guess we should take this story from the top.

**Two Days Earlier**

“AHHHHH FUCK ME!!!!”

Good night she was loud, but it’d been a few days and Roxanne was horny.  I hadn’t even made it to the bedroom before she jumped me.  Not that I’m complaining, trust me.

The Lust demon was mounted on me, my pants still halfway on, and giving into her inner desires.  “Impale me with your scythe!  Ughhhh!!!”

She was a bit campy when she got into this state, but I was too caught up in the actual physical acts to care.  It had been a few days for me too after all and I was enjoying the extra special care I was receiving.  The best part is when she was totally gone like this, she did most of the work.  Granted in a few hours or so, I’d be expected to pay back, but que sara.

She ripped my shirt away and grabbed my shoulders for leverage.  It happened before I could do a damn thing about it.  She tightened up around me and a few extra gyrations for my benefit.  She looked me directly in the eye, “FILL ME NOW!!!”

That always does it.  I don’t know about you, but when a hot girl commands me to do something, I tend to go along with it.  I finished up well before her, but she kept working and coaxed out another, smaller, orgasm from me.

When she finished, she collapsed on the floor beside me, the sex minx gone, replaced by the sweet Angel-Friend the Arch-Angel Michael had bestowed her as.  “Phew, I needed that!  You shouldn’t keep me waiting lover boy!”

I was insulted.  “Umm, you were the one saying I needed to take on more clients.  I do believe you told me the rent doesn’t pay itself.”

She poked me on the nose.  “You’re so cute when you’re riled up.  Oh yeah!”  She jumped up and hiked her skirt back up, “Veronica called and is on her way over.”

“Roxy, you’re killing me, you know that?”

She just winked and scattered off to get ready for our visitor.  Veronica was an Angel and a particularly cool one in my book.  She got me out of a bad contract I once signed with a traitor named Yuri.

I too got myself presentable and went out to the front office area of our apartment/agency.  We got a great deal on the office front and the one bedroom pad right behind it.  And by ‘we,’ I mean Roxanne.  She charmed the pants off the landlord, literally.  It was quite the embarrassing scene, especially in front of his wife.

“Hey, you made dinner?”  I walked in to the kitchen full of wonderful smells.  Tonight it seemed meatloaf was on the menu.

“Of course, I thought it would be rude to at least not invite for to dine with us.”  She bent over and popped open the oven.  In one swift motion, she pulled out a perfectly cooked meal.  “Stop gawking at my ass and set the table.”

“Yes dear.”  Caught again!  None-the-less she wasn’t wearing any underwear and my curious nature was rewarded.  Doing as I was told though, I got three places settings in order just as the office door bell rung.  Our guest was hear.

“Rox, Derrick, you two here?”

“Yeah, come on back to the kitchen.  Roxanne made you dinner.”

It only took a few moments, but a beautiful blonde Angel walked in.  As always, she was dressed in a business suit and had a brief case with her.  She smiled as she walked in.  “Rox, you did not have to go to the trouble.”

“It was nothing, besides what you don’t eat, the garbage disposal,” she pointed at me, “will take care of.”

The three of us gathered around the table.  Sure enough, I put away quite a few pieces of meatloaf, plus two baked potatoes.  Neither of the girls ate that much, which gave them ample time to talk about way Veronica was here.

“I have recently received a disturbing request in this area.  I know the agreement is no longer in place, but I thought I might try to bring you in on this one Derrick, if you are up for it.”

My mouth was full, so Roxanne answered on behalf of both of us.  “For you, we will do anything.  Tell us more about this request darling.”

She grabbed her briefcase and pulled out a file.  “About three city blocks from here, a woman and her child are apparently being pursued by Greed demons.  Obviously the woman does not know this, but the local guardian reported it.  When he went to investigate, he disappeared.”

Well that didn’t sound good.  “How long ago did this happen?”

“Last night.  At first we were tempted to handle this on our own, but after a meeting with Michael, it was decided to reach out to you.”

“Hmm… where did all of this happen?”

She handed me the report to read while she talked.  “Down by the docks of the Delaware River.  If possible, would you be able to go down there tonight and see if we missed anything?”

As I nodded, Roxanne broke in.  “What of the woman and her child?”

Veronica’s face got all red.  “This is where it gets a bit sticky.  We do not know exactly where they are.”

I would’ve said yes just to get rid of the Greed demons from the city.  But, as soon as Roxanne heard there was a missing woman and a child, she jumped to her feet.  “Derrick, you’re done eating.  We must find help immediately.”

“But I’m still hungry…”