Thursday, December 11, 2014
Contamination 6: Sanctuary is live!
I'm excited to announce that Contamination 6: Sanctuary is out today! You can grab it at the links below. The book will appear on iTunes soon.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Contamination 6: Sanctuary preview and Cover Reveal!
COMING LATE NOV/EARLY DEC!
Chapter One
Meredith awoke with a scream lodged in her throat.
She stifled the sound and bolted upright, her eyes rolling
around the dark room. Although she was vaguely aware she’d been dreaming, the
memory still lingered, and she was stuck between the realm of nightmares and
reality.
She could only remember bits and pieces of what she’d
seen—infected bodies tumbling over one another like a tidal wave, her
companions torn apart in the aftermath. She held her hand over her heart,
hoping to quell its ferocious beating, but it pounded like a jackhammer.
Where was everybody?
Although some part of her knew she’d had a nightmare,
another part of her was still scared—terrified—that
she’d discover her companions missing. Her eyes flitted around the room, taking
in the dark outlines of two bureaus, a mirror, and a painting on the wall. She
swiveled to her left. John was breathing deeply in the bed next to her, undisturbed.
Ernie, her black poodle, was sleeping between his legs.
She strained her ears, thinking she’d hear something amiss,
but the house was quiet. She could hear the faint din of crickets outside, but
that was it.
See, Meredith? Just a
dream.
She did her best to convince herself but couldn’t shake the
feeling that something was wrong. She had a choice to make. She could either
lie back down and do her best to sleep, or she could make a quick pass of the
house.
She swung her legs off the bed and reached for the gun on
the bedside table. The piece was where she’d left it, ready to provide comfort.
She retrieved it and stood upright, trying to dampen the creak of the
floorboards. The last thing she wanted was to wake Quinn in the next room.
A cool breeze filtered in through the cracks of the boarded
window next to her. The power had gone out several days ago. Even before that, they
hadn’t been using air conditioners or fans.
These days, noise was best kept to a minimum.
She peered out the window. The backyard was open and empty. The
pale light of the moon shone off the grass; the wind rustled the blades. A few
bats fluttered overhead, searching for mice in the cover of night.
She proceeded through the bedroom, keeping her eye on the
closed door. In her former life, she’d slept with it open, but she’d resorted
to shutting it.
It was one more layer of protection against the infected,
should they get inside.
When she reached the door, she put her hand on the knob and
paused. Her heart collided with her ribcage. In this new world, she was wary of
entrances and exits. Once a door was closed, there was no telling what was on
the other side.
She froze, listening. More crickets. The hoot of an owl.
Then footsteps.
Meredith’s blood raced. She clutched the gun and glanced
over her shoulder. She contemplated waking John, but thought better of it. It
was probably just Dan, keeping watch. It’d been his turn to keep guard.
Calm down, Meredith. It’s
just your brother-in-law.
She swallowed and twisted the doorknob.
Despite the warm temperature of the house, the knob was cold
in her hand, and it deepened her fear. She turned the knob all the way to the
left, then stopped and waited.
The footsteps ceased. Someone was listening. Listening for her.
She strained her ears, trying to decipher who—or what—was in
the house. Was she imagining things? Was she still in the throes of a nightmare?
She squeezed tighter on the gun, flexing her fingers to
verify she was awake. If this was a nightmare, it was the most vivid one she’d
ever had.
She sucked in a breath and opened the door.
The hinges creaked quietly. The hallway was dark, but she
could detect the faint glow of a flashlight from the kitchen. Dan? She crept into the hall, inching
forward on shaky legs. She glanced to her right, but there were no other shapes
in the hall around her. The door to Quinn’s bedroom was closed. If there was an
intruder in the house, she couldn’t see them.
She aimed the pistol at chest level. To her right was an
open door leading to a bathroom. She peered inside, but saw nothing unusual. They’d
been staying at the Sanders’ house for a few days, and she was already
accustomed to the layout. The objects in the bathroom were all familiar. The
shower curtain hung open; no shadows lurked in the tub.
She kept going. At the end of the hall, she stopped. The kitchen
was on her right; the living room was on the left. In neither did she see anyone—or
anything. But a flashlight—Dan’s—was
on the floor in the kitchen, rolling softly back and forth on the linoleum.
She knew she’d heard something.
Groggy or not, she hadn’t been dreaming.
She took two more steps, her anxiety mounting, and peered
into the kitchen. Through the pale glow of the flashlight, she saw an empty
chair by the back window.
Dan was gone.
Her eyes darted to the door. It was still barricaded. The
windows were still boarded, untouched. Had Dan gone outside? If so, how? They’d
been using the back door to enter and exit. The front door was also blocked off.
She couldn’t imagine him leaving—at least not without telling anyone.
She swiveled in all directions, suddenly afraid that the
house was unguarded, that she was the only thing standing between something and the rest of her companions.
All the shadows seemed unfamiliar and menacing, and she pointed the gun at each
of them in turn.
She’d just taken another step when someone called her name.
“Meredith!” a voice hissed from the living room.
She turned to face the noise. To her left, next to a sofa, a
dark shadow crouched down, hiding. It was Dan. She hadn’t spotted him before. She
blew a nervous breath and walked over to join him.
“My God, Dan! I thought someone was in the house!” she
scolded. She hunkered down beside him, her hands still shaking. “You scared the
hell out of me!”
“I’m sorry.”
“Is everything all right?” she asked.
“We have company.”
Dan gestured through a crack in the boarded living room
window, then scrambled back so she could take a look. Meredith took his place
and squinted across the front yard. Deep on the horizon, a group of creatures
was creeping toward the house.
“We need to wake the others!” Meredith said.
“Let’s wait. I’ve been watching them for about ten minutes. They’re
going pretty slow—I think they’re almost dead. I can take care of them without
disturbing everyone.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Not in the dark.”
Dan was already upright, walking across the room. She
followed him into the kitchen. On the way, she listened for signs of John, Quinn,
or Ernie, but it sounded like they were still asleep.
Dan leaned over and whispered in her ear.
“There’s no reason to alarm everyone,” he said.
Meredith sucked in a bated breath. For the past few days,
they’d seen only a few of the creatures, and the ones they’d seen had been easy
enough to take care of in the daytime. At the same time, the prospect of Dan
going outside alone—and at night—made her uncomfortable.
She watched nervously as Dan headed for the back door.
“Are you sure you don’t need help?” she asked.
“I’m sure. Stay here and keep watch.” Dan patted his gun
holster. On his hip were several knives. “I’ll be fine.”
He moved toward the barricade, grabbed the edge of a table,
and began moving it. Meredith assisted him. Once the path was clear, Dan
unlocked the back door.
“Be back in a few,” he said.
Before she could respond, he swung open the door and stepped
out into the night.
Meredith watched him creep along the side of the house. She
kept one hand on the door, the other on her pistol, straining to keep him in
view. Within seconds, he’d rounded the corner and was out of sight, headed for
the front yard.
She exhaled and closed the door, locking it. As she did, she
tried to dispel the thought that her brother-in-law would never return.
He’s a police officer,
Meredith. He survived an eight-hundred-mile journey to get here. We’ve survived
several days in this house. He’ll be fine.
In spite of her attempts to reassure herself, she was still
uneasy. After securing the back door, she padded across the house to the front
window and bent down to keep watch. She stared out into the front yard.
The moon had emerged from behind a set of clouds, and it
hung like a pendant in the sky, casting a pale glow over the landscape. She
scoured the property, locating the shadowed form of Dan as he traveled across
the grass. His movements were graceful and soundless, as if he were nothing
more than a projection superimposed on a backdrop.
Three shadows clambered toward him.
She covered her mouth with her palm, hoping to calm her
breathing. She’d coexisted with danger since the contamination began, but it
was difficult to contain her panic. What if Dan never came back? What if
something happened to him, and Quinn lost her only remaining parent?
She watched as Dan skirted closer to the shadows. She could
see the glint of a knife in his hand, and he raised it into the air as he
approached the creatures. The things were moving erratically, wobbling as they
walked. It shouldn’t be difficult for him to dispose of them—not in the
weakened condition they were in. He was probably using the knife to avoid the
sound of gunfire.
He swung the blade, felling the one closest to him.
One down, she
thought.
She heard a faint groan in the distance—the death cry of an
infected—and felt a glimmer of sorrow. No matter how many creatures they
killed, it never felt any better. She felt awful about what the people had
become. It wasn’t their fault; they hadn’t asked for this.
Her only hope was that they were beyond pain.
Dan approached another of the shadows, and he jabbed at it,
sending it to its knees. Then he rammed the blade into its shadowed head.
Two down, she
thought.
She watched him circle the remaining creature. The thing was
stumbling forward, hands outstretched, making a half-hearted attempt to get to
him. In the moonlight, it resembled a broken puppet, a figurine dangling on half
of its strings. Dan lashed out at it.
He missed. The thing lunged.
Meredith watched as Dan lost his balance and pitched sideways
onto the grass. The creature, which had looked weak just moments before, seemed
to regain its strength. It leapt for Dan and toppled him over. The two
combatants slipped out of sight. Meredith shot to her feet, adrenaline coursing
through her body.
Dammit. What have I
done? Why did I let him go out there alone?
Oh God.
She darted for the door, unlocked it, and threw it open. The
night air rushed in to greet her. She charged into the yard and to the front of
the house, gun drawn. When she cleared the building, she scoured the landscape
for her brother-in-law, but there was no sign of him. The moon had skirted
behind the clouds, pitching the yard into near darkness.
Where the hell was he?
She ran in the direction she remembered him being, her feet
pounding the grass. Gone were the moving shadows she’d seen before. All she
could see were the tips of the grass. In her panic, she hadn’t grabbed a
flashlight.
A string of scenarios tumbled through her mind as she
ran—each worse than the last. Was Dan injured? Dead?
She was halfway across the front lawn when she heard ragged
breathing from the ground. She slowed her gait and advanced, pointing her gun.
“Dan?” she whispered, her voice trembling.
A figure sat upright on the lawn. Meredith scrambled to make
sense of the scene. She could see the outline of several bodies. But who was
who? Her hands shook.
“Is that you?” she asked again.
Silence prevailed. Then a voice surprised her.
“That one gave me a run for my money,” Dan whispered, out of
breath.
She exhaled loudly. “You had me worried, Dan.”
“I’m fine.”
Meredith shook her head. Her fear had abated, and in its
place was a wave of anger. “You should’ve let me come with you.”
“I didn’t mean to scare you.”
She offered her arm, and Dan took it and got to his feet. When
he’d regained his breath, they started back toward the house.
Meredith and Dan trekked across the lawn. Meredith’s heart
rate, formerly a gallop, had decreased to something near normal. She stared at
the dark shape of the house. In spite of their situation, the Sanders’ house
had become a safe haven, and she’d started to think of it as home.
A few days prior, she’d reunited with John, and they’d grown closer
than ever. In addition, Dan and Quinn had survived a journey from St. Matthews,
Arizona, reaching her alive and well.
Given the circumstances, what more could Meredith ask for?
They walked past the side of the house and headed around
back. In her haste, Meredith had left the back door open. A faint glow was
coming from the kitchen.
A shadow stood at the threshold. John. They must’ve woken him. She smiled. She could see the
backlight of her boyfriend’s face in the glow. He cast the flashlight in their
direction, his face creased with worry. Ernie stood by his feet.
“It’s okay!” Meredith called out. “There were a few infected
in the yard, but Dan took care of them!”
John’s face didn’t relax.
“I need you both inside!” he said. “Something’s wrong with
Quinn!”
Saturday, November 8, 2014
New short story ALIVE AGAIN in ATZ Zombie Anthology!
The All Things Zombie Facebook group and ATZ Publications have just released their first ever zombie anthology! Congrats to Jeff Clare At Atz, Danielle At Atz, and Anna D At Atz on the release! I'm honored to be a part of it alongside authors such as Eric A Shelman, Chris Philbrook, Glynn James and a ton of others, some of whom are featured for the first time! Thanks to the ATZ guys for including my short story ALIVE AGAIN. You can grab a copy now on Amazon!
At some point soon, I plan on turning the story into a full novel. I have already begun work on it, and I'll keep you posted!
At some point soon, I plan on turning the story into a full novel. I have already begun work on it, and I'll keep you posted!
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
The Last Survivors (Book One in a series w/Bobby Adair) out now!
THE LAST SURVIVORS (Book One of my series with Bobby Adair) is now live on Amazon!
We had a great time writing the book, and we hope you enjoy it! We plan on releasing Book 2 in Winter 2014. Now, back to writing Contamination 6: Sanctuary and Outage 2! :)
-Tyler
Survival in Man’s Second Dark Age
Three hundred years after the fall of society, the last fragments of civilization are clinging to life, living in the ruins of the ancient cities in nearly-medieval conditions. Technology has been reduced to legend, monsters roam the forests, and fear reigns supreme. But that is just the beginning...
The wind-borne spores are spreading, disfiguring men and twisting their minds, turning them into creatures that threaten to destroy the townships. Among the townsfolk, political and the religious, dissension is spreading.
Through it all, a mother must protect her son...
We had a great time writing the book, and we hope you enjoy it! We plan on releasing Book 2 in Winter 2014. Now, back to writing Contamination 6: Sanctuary and Outage 2! :)
-Tyler
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Contamination: Dead Instinct out now on Amazon!
Contamination: Dead Instinct is now live on Amazon! You can either purchase or get it through the Kindle Unlimited program.
CDI is a brand new, stand-alone novel set in the Contamination universe. The story follows Ken & Roberta Smith from Contamination 4: Escape after their brief encounter with Dan Lowery. I had a great time writing it, and I hope you enjoy it!
CDI is a brand new, stand-alone novel set in the Contamination universe. The story follows Ken & Roberta Smith from Contamination 4: Escape after their brief encounter with Dan Lowery. I had a great time writing it, and I hope you enjoy it!
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Contamination: Dead Instinct cover reveal!
Contamination: Dead Instinct should be live in about a week or so! Below is the cover, as well as the blurb for the story. CDI follows the story of Ken and Roberta Smith shortly after their encounter with Dan Lowery in Contamination 4: Escape. Thanks to Keri Knutson for another outstanding cover design!
CONTAMINATION: DEAD INSTINCT
Don’t trust what you
eat. Don’t trust what you drink. The infection is spreading…
In a world plagued with violence and infection, Ken and
Roberta Smith want nothing more than to find their son. Having been on the road
for four days, they must now cross the remaining three hundred miles of desert
wasteland to get to him.
Isaac Smith has been trapped in Phoenix since the infection
began. The city is virtually impassable, and the infected are everywhere. Will
he escape the carnage around him? Or will he die in the city he once called
home?
150 pages/36,000 words.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Upcoming Projects
Hello everyone!
I hope you've been enjoying your summer! It's been a while since I've posted an update, so I wanted to take a few minutes to share what I have coming up.
I've had some inquiries about the CONTAMINATION series (such as: is Contamination 5: Survival the last book?) Although many of the characters' stories have reached their conclusion, I've decided to write one last book. CONTAMINATION 6 will finalize the story of Dan, Quinn, Meredith, & John and should wrap up the series. I plan to have it out this fall. The writing has been going great, and it's been refreshing to get back to Dan & crew!
Though I'm wrapping up the main series, I won't be abandoning the world—I'll also be releasing a few parallel books, the first of which is CONTAMINATION: DEAD INSTINCT. CONTAMINATION: DEAD INSTINCT will follow the story of Ken & Roberta from Book 4, shortly after their meeting with Dan & Quinn Lowery. The book is already in the finishing stages of editing and should be out in a few weeks! (Late Aug/Early Sep) I'll provide an update and a cover reveal soon!
In other news, I'm very excited to announce I'll be doing a collaboration with BOBBY ADAIR (author of the SLOW BURN series)! The project is called THE LAST SURVIVORS, and we plan on doing a series of books set in a future post-apocalyptic world. I won't say much else now, except that the writing has been going very well, and we're hoping to get the first book out Early Fall!
I've also been part of another very special "super secret" collaborative release scheduled to come out September 1st! The story was written with 9 other amazing horror authors. Each of us was given a prompt to write a cohesive story, but none of us were able to see what the others wrote. The project is very cool and I should have more specifics to share soon.
In between these projects, I'm working on OUTAGE 2, which I hope to get out sometime this Fall/Winter, as well as a few brand new zombie novels. I'll have further updates on those as things progress.
In the audio realm, Troy Duran is currently recording Contamination 5: Survival on Audiobook, so look for that soon! If you missed the announcement on Contamination 4: Escape, it just came out a few weeks ago, and is now available on Audible, Amazon, & iTunes.
That's all for now. Have a great day!
-Tyler
I hope you've been enjoying your summer! It's been a while since I've posted an update, so I wanted to take a few minutes to share what I have coming up.
I've had some inquiries about the CONTAMINATION series (such as: is Contamination 5: Survival the last book?) Although many of the characters' stories have reached their conclusion, I've decided to write one last book. CONTAMINATION 6 will finalize the story of Dan, Quinn, Meredith, & John and should wrap up the series. I plan to have it out this fall. The writing has been going great, and it's been refreshing to get back to Dan & crew!
Though I'm wrapping up the main series, I won't be abandoning the world—I'll also be releasing a few parallel books, the first of which is CONTAMINATION: DEAD INSTINCT. CONTAMINATION: DEAD INSTINCT will follow the story of Ken & Roberta from Book 4, shortly after their meeting with Dan & Quinn Lowery. The book is already in the finishing stages of editing and should be out in a few weeks! (Late Aug/Early Sep) I'll provide an update and a cover reveal soon!
In other news, I'm very excited to announce I'll be doing a collaboration with BOBBY ADAIR (author of the SLOW BURN series)! The project is called THE LAST SURVIVORS, and we plan on doing a series of books set in a future post-apocalyptic world. I won't say much else now, except that the writing has been going very well, and we're hoping to get the first book out Early Fall!
I've also been part of another very special "super secret" collaborative release scheduled to come out September 1st! The story was written with 9 other amazing horror authors. Each of us was given a prompt to write a cohesive story, but none of us were able to see what the others wrote. The project is very cool and I should have more specifics to share soon.
In between these projects, I'm working on OUTAGE 2, which I hope to get out sometime this Fall/Winter, as well as a few brand new zombie novels. I'll have further updates on those as things progress.
In the audio realm, Troy Duran is currently recording Contamination 5: Survival on Audiobook, so look for that soon! If you missed the announcement on Contamination 4: Escape, it just came out a few weeks ago, and is now available on Audible, Amazon, & iTunes.
That's all for now. Have a great day!
-Tyler
Sunday, July 6, 2014
OUTAGE now available on all platforms!
OUTAGE is now available on all platforms. If you haven't checked it out yet, pick up a copy!
AMAZON US
AMAZON UK
BARNES & NOBLE
iTUNES
KOBO
SMASHWORDS
PAPERBACK
The paperbacks came out great. Below are a few pics of the front and back cover!
AMAZON US
AMAZON UK
BARNES & NOBLE
iTUNES
KOBO
SMASHWORDS
PAPERBACK
The paperbacks came out great. Below are a few pics of the front and back cover!
Sunday, June 22, 2014
The Hunt For Tomorrow Stop 15
THE HUNT FOR TOMORROW - STOP #15!
The infection starts with Frank, one of the locals at
the town bar. In just a few hours, it has consumed the entire town.
Dan Lowery, one of only four police officers in St. Matthews, soon realizes he is no match for the impending destruction. Violence and bloodshed litter the streets, and the infected roam freely. No one is safe here--not even his family.
Somewhere, someone knows what is happening, and about the horrors to come...but is it too late?
Dan Lowery, one of only four police officers in St. Matthews, soon realizes he is no match for the impending destruction. Violence and bloodshed litter the streets, and the infected roam freely. No one is safe here--not even his family.
Somewhere, someone knows what is happening, and about the horrors to come...but is it too late?
QUESTION: Who is one of only four police officers in St.
Matthews?
BONUS: Until the end of The Hunt, you can get a FREE copy of Contamination 1: The Onset by signing up to my mailing list (top right corner of the webpage) and then emailing me at twpiperbrook@gmail.com with heading "NEWSLETTER BONUS"! Specify whether you need a MOBI, EPUB, or Word doc.
ZOE CANNON - The Torturer's Daughter!
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The Ruins Box Set w/ Bonus Novella!
