I started this blog to showcase my stories. I’ll occasionally add a rant or two about something that gets under my skin, but I’m trying to keep that to a minimum. I’ve been writing on the internet for several years under the name BadKarma00, hence the name of the blog.
I’ve just made my first story, Odd Billy Todd, available on Amazon Kindle. It’s a very painful process that requires long hours in the chair. . . no, wait, that’s a root canal.
Anyway, it was a learning experience to say the least. Now that I know how, though, I’ll be offering more of my complete stories on Amazon as days go by.
Some content, however, like the Bonespear Tales, will only be available here.
Thanks for dropping by,
NC
Also have to add the obligatory notice; Use and/or duplication of the original material on this site without express and written permission from the author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full credit is given, and with a link to the original content. (Imagine I just said that all in one breath 🙂 )
The House of Tyree 
I was reading Billy over at Frugals and found a link to your site at Kathys blog. Glad i found it ,it is a good story. Thanks “ebb” mark cook
Glad you like it! I’ still working on it, though I admit it’s a slow go now and then. Thanks for letting me know.
has anything been published yet?
Not yet, but I have several things pending. We’ll see. Thanks for asking 🙂
Somehow, i found YOU….asked to”see”what path to follow as i find my way on this unexpected journey. Never expected to find the personality and fun with the insight that i need to glean along the way. Truth be told, i feel so far behind…running to catch up can tire one out and finding gems of joy along the way, well, it makes me do a happy dance! Thanks!
Have now read Parno’sCompany, Odd Billy and Roland back to back awesome work, and thank you very much
Thank you! I appreciate that and I’m glad you enjoyed them all.
Well, I started reading on a Kindle about 4 years ago. I now own 4 all filled with books, but not just any books. My quest was to read good FREE books. Now as you know most are series, first one free buy the rest. So very few were worth it. Your books are worth it, Started with Odd Billy and then went to a short, the kid, and then on to Roland. I just had to stop and tell you how much I like your style. And I like your attitude. If I don’t take care of me no one will, known that a long long time…….very rarely do I buy the “rest”, I will buy all you have and wait for more.
I sincerely appreciate that, and that you took the time to tell me so. You’re the people I ‘work’ for 🙂 If I’m not entertaining you, I’m not doing my job, so to speak.
Thank you again for your kind words.
Sincerely,
NCR
Totally agree with D.C.
Question, does one of your books explain the “dying” of society? that’s
referred to in that Parno series
None that are in print yet. I do have a series of books that chronicles the tale of Tyree, if I ever get time to get them down. It will explain everything, again, assuming I get to write it.
NCR
Yes, Explaining Tyree and the dying would be vital to understanding the world Parno live in.
The story of Tyree would explain most of it at least.
NCR
Is there a book in the making that explains who Tyree is and the life after the dying. It would be a must-read for me.
Love your books! Your style of writing draws a reader in and you just don’t want to stop reading. Started with Tammy and Ringo and went from there. Just finished Parno’s Company. I hope the next book in that trilogy is coming soon. Thank you for the good reading.
Thank you! I appreciate that very much. I am working on the second Parno novel right now. I don’t have a projected release date as yet, but it will be as soon as possible so long as I can do it justice!
I am very glad you enjoyed the others and thanks again for letting me know!
NCR
Love your books. Reading Parbo series now. You really need a competent editor…
Love your books. Have read all I can find on kindle. Am now reading Stormcrow, and it has been fine!
Thank you! I sincerely appreciate that and hope you enjoy the rest of the book. Lord willing Stormcrow will return in a new story.
NCR
I just read Fire From the Sky and downloaded
Odd Billy Todd and Roland and I can’t wait to see the next book in the Sanders series. I love your writing!! When will the next Sanders book be out?
Big fan of Fire From The Sky. Really enjoy your subtle writing style and how you don’t feel the need to explain every little nuance. I hate to give you a compliment sandwich, but the typos were a bit distracting. Other than that, I really enjoyed your book & I’m looking forward to the next one in the series.
Fire in the sky is one of the best books I have read in a long while and I read about 200 a year! I can’t wait for the next in the series.
Thanks very much! I appreciate that and I’m glad you enjoyed it! Book Two is called Brotherhood of Fire and is with the publisher now. When we know the release date I will post it here!
NCR
Just found you through Kindle Unlimited and Fire From the Sky, Brotherhood of Fire. I have thoroughly enjoyed both books and I look forward to exploring your other creations. I can’t wait for another in the Fire series. Soon, I hope?
Hopefully in time for Christmas, yes. No promises of course, but I am working toward that goal. I am glad you’ve enjoyed them!
NCR
Hi I just finished Fire books and I loved them. I read Billy Todd at least 5 times so far and will read it again. I also loved the kid have read it several times. recently I read Tammy and Ringo and I wondered if you were going to write another one ? thanks for a enjoyable reads.
I do plan to continue the Tammy and Ringo story at some point and already have a lot of the work done. That book is written to be the first in a series called “Rabid”. Sort of a zombie story with the twist that they aren’t actually zombies, but also are beyond saving with what is known at the moment. Tammy and Ringo won’t always be the center or main character but theyh will play a primary role later on. All this of course presumes I should live so long as to be able to write all this 🙂
I’m glad you’ve enjoyed Billy so much. Thank you for letting me know!
NCR
N.C., I have read “Fire from the sky” & “Fire – Brotherhood”. Waiting anxiously for book #3 due out in December, I believe. As you request, I’ve posted a review on Amazon (Five Stars), having thoroughly enjoyed the books.
I’m currently 3/4 of the way through “Odd Billy Todd” and finding it as enjoyable as “Fire”. Although I have to admit the first portion of the book was making me impatient as you set the tone for Billy and how he was dealing with his “issues”. I was pleasantly surprised when he was lucky enough to rescue Rhonda and start a “normal” relationship with a woman.
Having grown up in the Southeastern U.S. I am very comfortable with your writing style as it relates to the local idiosyncrasies of the dialects. I find your characters to be well developed and mature as they progress through a world gone to Hell in a basket, it seems the are able to make the tough decisions and act on them to keep themselves and their loved ones safe. I find that approach to survival a more realistic one than some authors portray.
Keep up the great work. I’ll be working my way through your other books as time allows.
Billy does develop slowly but it was actually just a short story to begin with. It ended originally where Billy got himself a dog. From there on was added in, and the story just kept growing. It was hard to write sometimes because I kept trying to put myself in his shoes and think like he would. That was one of the things that made it progress slowly was the detail Billy thinks in. He can’t afford to miss anything. Pretty much like me, there. If I do miss something, then I have to start all over, 😀
For Fire #3, yes it is my goal to have it available before Christmas. I don’t know that I can do it, but I’m working on it. I am glad to hear you enjoyed Fire so much, and I hope you enjoy the rest as well. Thanks for letting me know you liked them!
NCR
Just finished Firestorm, and loved it…like I do all your books. Do you have s timeframe for when “Home Fires?” might be released? I’m really looking forward to reading it!
I’m sorry but I’m not allowed to speculate on release dates due to some earlier difficulty with that. I can say that I’m working on it and that it’s coming along pretty well so far. I’m glad you enjoyed FIrestorm, and will do my best to make Home Fires just as enjoyable. Thanks!
No problem. Understand completely. Thanks for your prompt reply, and I’ll look forward to the new novel, whenever it’s out. Have a great 4th.
Kathy
The more I read the more I like your books. They are getting better and better. But one thing I hope you can find someone to work on is copy editing. Far too many wrong words caused by typos. I know you’re working local accents into dialog and that’s a good thing. But the errors I mean are not in dialog. Please try to find a good editor. You are well worth having one.
And a suggestion for the Parno books. Please give us an afterword with the current equivalents of the place names in the books. Some are obvious but some are driving me crazy trying to find them on Google Earth. Which brings up another suggestion for the Parno books. Give ‘Em battle maps. I would love to see the Gap campaign drawn out and the navy battle.
Finally, I am an amateur radio operator and have been since the 60’s. We do call ourselves hand and it is not an acronym. Lower case is fine.
Thank you for keeping me well entertained.
pat WB8DXX
You know, I have no idea why I haven’t included a map or a list in Parno as you suggested. I know why I left it out of the first book, and that was because I wanted people to figure it out for themselves, but afterward, even when people were writing “I got it!” I still didn’t do it. I will try and include an actual map in the next manuscript and perhaps a list of equivalents, as you suggested. I actually had made a battle map of the Gap, when I wrote the first book, but didn’t include it because it wasn’t very good. I used Paint from Windows to make it and I’m not very good with it and, well. . .it looked like something I might have drawn in first grade. So. . .I left it out.
As far as editing, my original stuff wasn’t very good because I depended on things like spellcheck to do my editing for me. I had it in my head it would catch any errors I made and viola, no problem. In real life however, it wasn’t that way, but I lack real training in that area so I approached it not realizing that. Nowadays Creative Texts is taking care of editing and proofing and they do much better than I do. One problem with editing and proofing your own work is that you know what you meant to write, and sometimes you ‘ll see that even when there’s an error. There’s a scientific name for that which escapes me, but I seem to have my share of that problem as well as a healthy part of someone else’s. I have done better of late, but there’s always room for improvement.
One of my major problems when I was still an Indie was that the upload to Amazon would almost inevitably cause problems for me by separating paragraphs, cutting off words and eliminating text it didn’t like. And I didn’t know what to do about it because I knew nothing about how those kind of things worked. I followed the directions Amazon provided and had to hope it worked. CT does know more and does a much better job than I ever could. And as they grow they continue to add staff so it will only improve as time goes on.
As to the amatuer radio thing, when I was a kid my dad was into radio in a big way, but it wasn’t ham, or HAM as I learned it. We used something called sideband, which I’m sure you’re familiar with. As a kid I talked to people all over the world doing that. It was a unique experience to say the least. And you will probably remember that back in the day you had to do morse code for a while before you could move on, and I never could keep it straight. My dad used to kid me about it saying I’d never make it in the Navy if I couldn’t do morse code (he was Army, lol). So we used the sideband CB and others to talk. Anyway, to the point, when I was a kid, anytime I saw ham used it was always HAM. I never knew why, and I guess since I didn’t use it, I never bothered to ask. I happened to get your comment just before I sent “Home Fires” off, (yesterday) and had used the all caps in two places, so I changed it before I sent it away. Thanks!
I don’t know about using anything that would actually be considered a true ‘battle map’ for Parno, as it would have to be for a large area. But it is something I ‘ll explore, assuming there are further battles in Parno’s universe. I have no idea if I can make them or not, or if maybe I can hire it done, but I will look into it. It’s a good idea, I just never thought of it.
I’m glad you like my books and enjoy reading them. I’m not a technical write so much as a story teller, so constructive criticism is always welcome. By which I mean actual constructive criticism that helps me make a better book and not just a harsh review meant to tear me down, lol. Just telling me I’m horrible doesn’t help unless you actually tell me why it’s horrible, lol. But, ultimately I write to entertain and not to win accolades for being a ‘technical’ writer, for lack of a better term. It’s important to me that people enjoy the story. Some people don’t because maybe they can’t suspend disbelief for that few hours or because they think something off the wall would never work, or any of dozens of other reasons, but all I can do is try to tell a good story, and give those who read it a little while away from whatever is bothering them otherwise. If you’re busy worrying about Parno’s love life or Clayton’s family woes or Stormcrow’s background then you aren’t thinking about your boss, your mortgage, your whatever is weighing on you. Good books should be an escape from reality, even if it’s just a few hours. And you’re right that editing makes that more enjoyable. Like I said, with CT doing that now, it’s sure to improve over what I was capable of, and they themselves are adding staff on a regular basis. I takes a lot of people working very hard to make me look good 🙂
Thanks for commenting, and I hope you continue to enjoy my work. And if you note other errors in my radio descriptions, be sure to point them out!
Sincerely,
NCR
I agree with Patricia Wilson. it would be good to see a list, but a map would be better. Love the books
I am still in the second Parno book so I have no idea what’s going to happen with the wild men but if you haven’t gotten that far I would like to give you a possible idea. I live in Arizona which means there are a lot of Mormons around here. Now Mormons are big on Prepping so if the EMP or plague or whatever hits, this area of the country is probably going to do pretty good. That would mean your Wild Men would be caught between two civilised fronts neither of which knows the other exists until …. well that is the idea.
73 and thanks again for wonderfully sleepless nights 😃
I just finished reading your “Fire from the Sky” series, twice. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this series. You are gifted at storytelling, with detailed character development and great plots! I primarily read this genre, and yours are one of the best. I “eagerly” await book 6. Do you know when it might come out?
I just finished reading the five extant “Fire From the Sky” books for the second time and stumbled on your page here while looking for information on when book six will be released. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the tale so far in much the same way I enjoyed “Robinson Crusoe” and “Swiss Family Robinson” as a kid. You capture and convey that sense of adventure I always associate with good survival books very well. I’m almost inspired to try my hand at a post-apocalyptic survival tale myself. But, alas! The demands of fatherhood, helping my wife survive the chaotic lifestyle that accrues to those masochists who choose to become OB/GYNs on purpose and a full time job as a Software Engineer (who would sadly be out of a job in the Sanders’ world) have prevented me from seriously trying (at least so far)! I’ll have to settle for waiting impatiently for your next installment for now. So I implore you to help a brother out and finish that next book out, because I really want to know what happens next to Clay and his clan!
Best regards,
Ben
I really enjoyed your Parno series. Any more of Parno in the writing pipeline?
I’m glad you enjoyed it! And yes, there is another Parno in the pipeline. Parno novels are incredibly complicates and have so many characters and moving parts that they take an inordinate amount of time to write. Much more than any of my other series. One of the main things with Parno is ensuring continuity. I might have something that sounds really cool, but then I realize ‘oh, can’t do that because in book 2 this happened’. But yes, there will be another Parno novel, assuming the Lord allows me the time.
NCR
NCR, I blundered onto Odd Billy Todd several years ago and have since read everything you have written, some 2 or 3 times when I’m in a dry spell. I am perfectly willing to forgive an occasional spell or usage error in return for the reading pleasure I have received from your various book series. I thought Parno was the best until you came out with the Sanders Saga, and now they are equal. You have a phenomenal grasp of the human condition and your characters and their relationships are just great. You’ve done a pretty good job staying out of politics but I think you would do a great job with a.series of books on defending our way of life against leftists/socialists and the NWO. Kind of like a current day Parno. Keep up the great writing. I follow 14 authors and you are my main man. I’ll be thinking of you on the 3rd Saturday of October.
Great job, brother.
Franko
Thank you! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed them! And I appreciate the nod to the 3rd Saturday, lol. Lately we need all the help we can get it seems.
NCR
NCR, both teams had some bad luck last night. A good QB would have made a big difference for y’all. Hang in there with Jeremy. A bunch of sorority girls smoking Cubans ain’t our best look. The funeral pyre in the last book was about as powerful and moving as I have ever read. You nailed it. Another great job, brother.
Franko
I didn’t get to see the game, but I’ve heard about it from people who did. We need a lot of things, but if we can just find a good coach and stick with it, maybe things will turn around. The Fulmer Curse is still in effect in Knoxville, 😛 I’m glad you enjoyed the last book. Thank you.
NCR
Are you okay?
Hello! No idea how I missed your post and question. I used to get email updates when someone posted here, but I have apparently somehow turned that off. I am indeed okay and doing fairly well with the whole lockdown thing. Thank you for asking 🙂 I hope you too are well, and that things are not difficult on you during this time.
NCR
Hello! No idea how I missed your post and question. I used to get email updates when someone posted here, but I have apparently somehow turned that off. I am indeed okay and doing fairly well with the whole lockdown thing. Thank you for asking 🙂 I hope you too are well, and that things are not difficult on you during this time.
NCR
When will the next books be available. I have enjoyed all of them and I so dearly need another fix. Just can’t get enough of them. Your stories are great and I am re-reading but would like something new. Hope all is well with you and your family.
Robert
I regret that I am not allowed to speculate on any release dates of any new books. This is due to my estimating when I might be finished with a project in a blog post here, and when I did not get that finished, it was reported as a ‘missed release date’ to Amazon, which caused a great deal of trouble for my publisher, and thus for me. At this point I am working on Parno #5, which is actually going well at the moment ( I am allowed to say that ), and after that I will be working probably on another Fire novel, though I am not positive that will be my next project.
I am well, thank you, and hope you are also. I am working, though work has been frequently interrupted by the world losing it’s collective mind of late. I hope to be able to reclaim at least some of my own calm, and thus be more productive going forward.
NCR
Please! For the love of God, make the next Fire your next project!
Funny you should say that 🙂
NCR
Last November in response to my enquiry regarding non availability of Parnos Gift in paperback you advised all your books were so available. I checked at the time and advised you that was not so. No response from you. Why do you bother with a website since its obvious you pay little attention? Book in question still not available in paperback.
I had to retrace to your original message, but did not find a reply to it in particular, for which I apologize. Please understand that I started this blog long before I was a published author, and I admit that it has often fallen by the wayside due to my work load increasing. While I try to engage with readers as much as possible, I am not without flaw and do miss things. That said, until today I did not realize that Parno’s Gift wasn’t available in paperback, and have no idea why it isn’t. I will send a query to the publisher in the morning about why that is. Again, sorry it has taken me so long to respond, but I have not been a very active presence on the web in some time.
NCR
I just finished reading Stormcrow. I have read all of your books in the last 6 months. Have enjoyed everyone of them. Can’t wait until you publish more.. Looking forward to anything you put out. I am really looking forward to the next Stormcrow book. But will be happy with whatever you release. I am from Fayetteville. Tn and as I read your books I can picture the areas of Tn that you talk about in your books. That makes them even better.
Hope it won’t be long to see you work again.
Maybe not too long 😉
NCR
I’ve enjoyed all your books I’ve read and I’ve read most of them. I got started with Fire From The Sky which gave my nascent desire to be more prepared a push. I’ve done a little research, read some other apocalyptic survivalist novels. You and some other authors provide wonderfully specific advice and tips for gathering supplies, tech and logistical and strategic planning. Recently my son in law and his best friend spontaneously decided to get prepared. I’ve been deputized to do the research and planning. What books, resources do you consider essential/ most useful?
You should utilize both books and physical resources in your quest for preparedness. Having the right gear isn’t any good if you lack the skills to use it properly. Once you acquire the needed skills, then train often and consistently to keep those skills sharp. Study your area closely for things that might become disasters or lead to service interruptions of more than three days at most. Joining the local fire department can be a huge benefit to a prepper as you will learn useful skills, (often equal to a basic EMT) as well as learn about threats to your area. Begin a listing where you write down everything you learn of importance, so you can continually assess that list and compare it to your needs, i.e. is your area flood prone, near a fault line, and so on. Work to have at least two weeks of any maintenance meds on hand at all times. Most physicians will work with you to accomplish this when you point to FEMA guidelines to be prepared for up to fourteen days without help.
Buy quality gear and maintain it properly. It’s okay to use cheap gear in training where it might be damaged, but don’t trust your life to it. From a book standpoint, learn proper ways to build a shelter out of what you can find in nature only, using only a knife you would have on you in any situation. Learn natural healing remedies that can be gotten from herbs, fruits and plants native to your area. Audubon or Peterson guides are excellent training to identify plants, animals and insects, especially those that are venomous. Invest in a quality water filter with spare filters (I use Berkey myself, for my home, and LifeStraw in my EDC bag, but those are personal choices of mine) and make sure that it can filter out all dangerous pathogens. Water is the most in demand resource once utilities go dry. A well is great, and if you have one make sure you have a solar style pump for it in case you lose power.
This should get you started, I should think. Remember, if you can think of it, you should train and be prepared for it. Without knowledge, there is no survival.
NCR
Thanks very much for your reply. You’ve given me some great ideas.
It’s true, we think of prepping as accumulating stuff and forget about all the skills needed. My prep partners pretty much have a mindset that all we need is food, water, first aid, guns and ammo. Weapons training but not any other skills. I really like the idea of joining a volunteer fire department to hair first aid training.
Thanks again. Stay safe
THANK YOU for writing some of the books I’ve ever read! Found your books on Kindle Unlimited and have VORACIOUSLY consumed every one I can find! Now I find myself “stalking” Facebook, Kindle etc… So just Thank You for sharing you fantastic imagination, looking forward to the next installment!
Thank you! Such kind words! I appreciate it very much and I’m glad you’re enjoying the books!
NCR
Do you have a date for a new book? I am got through all of them.
While waiting for another book, Instead of watching TV, and suffering the accompanying brain damage, I read your entire Parno series again to enjoy the entire story. I have said it before in my critiques, but what a fabulous movie franchise it would make. The same goes for the Fire In The Sky series. As a storyteller, you should be declared a National Treasure. Please don’t stop writing.
Bill Hodges a fan
Just finished Fire from the Sky #14 Wow Positively OUT-FREAKING-STANDING. It makes me want to run down to the nearest corner and tell someone about this wonderful story.