#gerhard gehrke

[capriciousnarrator]

Favorite Flavor of Apocalypse?

Which books have kicked the world in the shins in a most entertaining fashion?

Starvation Island will be the concluding installment of the End-User Jack series, and I get to explore the cataclysm which has afflicted Jack’s real-world home known as the Tower. It got me thinking about how my favorite post-apocalyptic novels handled their end-of-the-world scenarios, and which ones did it best. In my books, I’ve brought the world to the brink with genetic engineering…

[michaelbaileywriter]

Weekly Update - September 18, 2018

Weekly Update – September 18, 2018

You only have until Friday to grab the Heroes & Villains superhero novel box set!

The e-book set includes Action Figures – Issue One: Secret Origins and will be available through September. This collection also includes Hero Status by Kristen Brand, Super by Karen Diem, Morning Sun by Jeremy Flagg, Supervillain High by Gerhard Gehrke, Wearing the Cape by Marion G. Harmon, Serpent’s Sacrifice by…

[meenazl]

5/5*. By I.O. ADLER. @i.o.adler Aka Gerhard Gehrke @gerhard_gehrke 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! I love this original and unique series! The story is a fun read, with gripping scenes, riddles, action packed and stimulating. For every question solved 5 more rise up! Each instalment is a stand-alone, with the basic plot throughout the series. “Dog”, (yep, that’s the dog’s name) is a special pet I couldn’t help falling in love with, he sounds and acts so real. Adler has somehow managed to combine different genres that I’d have thought impossible or very hard to accomplish, but he has once again managed to surprise me delightfully! Adler never ceases to amaze me with his creative imagination. What a fabulous detective-sque a La Western Dystopian Futuristic series! A perfect combination of ingredients Ndifficult to mix, but the result is outstanding! A magnificent concept! I hope the series doesn’t end with this instalment! I mean, there are so many situations I’d like to know more about, so many events that have happened in Miles Kim’s and Earth’s past…I want, I need to know more, Mr. Adler! I’m sure my fellow readers think the same way. Please??😁 https://www.instagram.com/p/CfBj2tIrxpN/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[capriciousnarrator]

The Year in Review

2022 was my favorite year of writing. It offset so many other things that made it a challenge. I’m grateful to all my readers who made it possible. Some highlights: I released seven books in the Old Chrome series, starting with The Seraph Engine, along with the Dawn Moriti spinoff adventure, Widowmaker Outpost, and the short story The Last Station. Shadows of Mars made it to the finals of the…

[capriciousnarrator]

Choose Your Class

Below the image is an excerpt from my litRPG novel Crimson Gauntlet. After surviving the first rush of monsters, Eddie Rush has been presented with a choice of class by the game rig sent to him by the mysterious developer somehow behind the attack. Each offers a unique way to combat the threat. Tell me in the comments which you would choose! Hacker. Learn to control Crimson Gauntlet lifeforms!…

[capriciousnarrator]

Goblin Outcast Sneak Peek!

Goblin Outcast Sneak Peek!

It’s Goblin Outcast release week!

Excerpt: (Spoilers: This scene is between Fath the dragon, Thistle, and Noe and occurs just before a confrontation with the human army poised to invade Athra.)

His wounds seeped and flowed with pus. His skin appeared to sag. The scars of his eyes had puckered his face into a frightful, monstrous mask. But Thistle saw only an old creature who was so very tired.

“I…

[capriciousnarrator]

Unlikeable Characters

Who’s your favorite odious protagonist? Some characters aren’t warm and fuzzy. Some are downright mean. Others fit into negative redemption arcs and you actively root against them. I read Dan Simmons’ Drood, and the main character goes from snobbish to villainous in the course of the novel, which wasn’t as strong as his others but well worth the read. Who stands out as a character you couldn’t…

[capriciousnarrator]

Story Length Survey

Story Length Survey How important is the length of a novel to you? Do you ever purchase novellas, novelettes, or short stories? The Perdition Run is Miles Kim’s sixth adventure, and as of right now it sits at a little over 30k words, a novella. The story is complete and I don’t intend to pad out to hit the 40k mark so I can call it a full novel. But I am curious whether its length will affect…

[capriciousnarrator]

The Post-Apocalyptic Purple Prose Contest Winner

Here’s the winning entry: The solitary figure, furtive in his ink-dark garb, sped with the haste of fair Mercury himself across the sun-scoured sand of this arid clime, laid waste by the poison fruits of mankind’s grim loins; yet lo! another, gaunt hips draped like yuletide mantels of yore with infernal machinations of death where scintillating garlands might in more propitious times rest,…

[capriciousnarrator]

The Atomic Ballerina excerpt

The Atomic Ballerina excerpt

“Thank you for coming, Mr. Kim,” Beatrix said. “It’s my daughter. She’s missing. And I thought a person like you…” “You can say cyborg. It’s not a bad word. At least not with everyone.” “A person who is a former police officer with Meridian’s armed services. After our recent misfortunes, I see I can count on you.” “Seraph has its own law enforcement,” Miles said. Beatrix waved the comment…

[capriciousnarrator]

The 2022 Post-Apocalyptic Purple Prose Contest

I want to see your best worst sentence or paragraph, up to a hundred words, but less will be better. The topic? Narrative fiction that would fit the post-apocalyptic genre. Take it in whatever direction you’d like.

I thought we could have some fun with the release of The Atomic Ballerina by celebrating purple prose, post-apocalyptic style. (This is the second time I’ve done one of these. Author Matt Fraser won when I did this a few years back.) What’s purple prose? Elevated language where none is needed. Overly flowery descriptions of the mundane that distract. Haughty verbiage where spare description…

[capriciousnarrator]

What’s an Essential Quality for a Narrator?

Do you listen to audiobooks? Or perhaps dramatic podcasts? What qualities make or break an audio sample for you?

Do you listen to audiobooks? Or perhaps dramatic podcasts? What qualities make or break an audio sample for you? Do you like a dramatic reading, with nuance and accents for each character? Or, do you prefer a neutral narration style, a storyteller who keeps a steady tone and doesn’t act out each part? Do you like a foundational accent for the narration itself? How important is pace? And…

[capriciousnarrator]

The Seraph Engine

There were three things Miles Kim didn’t like about the bandits who had stopped the atomic grav train bound for Seraph. First, one of the robbers, a rangy puke wearing a tattered duster and a paisley bandana around his mouth, had punched the porter, who had unlocked the passenger car to let the two men in. The porter’s nose gushed blood as he cowered with the riders at the frontmost…

[capriciousnarrator]

New Project Poll

I’m continuing to work on the upcoming release for The Seraph Engine while planning its sequels in the Old Chrome series. The stories are turning into a fun blend of crime and detective story in a tech-noir western science fiction setting. I’m also making room in my schedule to plot a side project. This will be a change of pace and tone and act as a creative palate cleaner. I’ve been putting…

[capriciousnarrator]

Funny Dialogue

How do characters speak? I have a row on my outline spreadsheet for each character with a comment or two about their pattern of speaking. Terse. Argumentative. Interrupts. Interrogates. Conciliatory. Deflects with humor. Occasionally it’s a mannerism. Calls people partner. Always uses last names. Repeats a phrase for emphasis. These tags help when returning to a manuscript after working on…

[capriciousnarrator]

Two Seraph Engine Cover Options

Two Seraph Engine Cover Options

The Seraph Engine is my upcoming release for late fall. Here’s two takes of the cover. Which do you like best? The Seraph Engine by I.O. Adler I’m going for a tech noir feel, western science fiction with cyberpunk/cattlepunk elements. Crime fiction and cyborgs. It’s been a fun change of pace writing the story compared to my space opera writing the story and I’m looking forward to sharing…