My new novel, Revenge, Inc., is now available on www.smashwords.com in MS Word, PDF, and Epub formats. In this third novel in the Jack and Lynn Preston series, Lynn struggles to deal with the murder of her husband and granddaughter. Their political crusades are over as she searches for something to overcome her depression; something that uses the computer hacking skills Jack taught her. Jack’s friend invites her to join his detective agency as an online investigator and undercover operative. Soon she discovers the satisfaction of getting revenge for victims of abuse and financial fraud by hacking into the offender’s  personal accounts to get them in legal and financial trouble. All is well until a menace from her past shows up; someone out for her own revenge. But Lynn has help - Jack’s spirit who talks to her. Revenge, Inc. has all the suspense, action, romance, and humor you have come to expect from my novels.

I have just published my fourth digital E-Book, which is a compilation of posts – Episodes -  taken from my blog Random Thoughts of an A.D.D. Mind. These 15 Episodes were written over a five-year  period from 2009 to 2014. They cover a variety of the disjointed thoughts flittering through my mind that may be of interest to someone else. Whether you have ADD or not, you'll find these episodes interesting and enjoyable. I'll discuss how ADD has affected me, some tips on dealing with it, and the insights, wisdom, and humor it brought me.
It is available at www.smashwords.com. Enter my name, J. D. German, in the search box to download the free book file, and to see the other three books I have available.

Read, enjoy, and learn.

I have just published my fourth digital E-Book, which is a compilation of posts – Episodes -  taken from my blog Random Thoughts of an A.D.D. Mind. These Episodes were written over a nine-year  period from 2009 to 2018. They cover a variety of the disjointed thoughts flittering through my mind that may be of interest to someone else. Whether you have ADD or not, you'll find these episodes interesting and enjoyable. I'll discuss how ADD has affected me, some tips on dealing with it, and the insights, wisdom, and humor it brought me.
It is available at www.smashwords.com. Enter my name, J. D. German, in the search box to download the free book file, and to see the other three books I have available.

Read, enjoy, and learn.

I have started the next digital novel in the Jack and Lynn Preston Series. With Jack gone Lynn starts a new life as a computer expert for David Cramer's detective agency. She battles with depression over Jack's death but overcomes it to start her own business helping out people who have been abused by spouses, children, the Government, and corporations. She uses the hacking skills she learned from Jack to break into accounts and records to get payback for the victims. When she takes it one step too far she has to go on the run to escape those trying to end her career. The title of the new book? Revenge Inc. Look for it in August.

I am about to publish my first non-fiction E-book: Christian Principles - Food for Thought. It's a collection of more than fifty devotional talks I have given to a Baptist men's group over the past five years that focuses on applying God's word to our daily lives. I'll let you know on this Blog when it's available on Smashwords.com, Amazon.com, and BarnesandNobel.com. In the meantime, here's one of the included devotionals. . . . Oh, and the good news is that this book will be free.

Here Come Da Judge

O.K., here’s the situation. You’re toolin’ down the road in the middle of nowhere, enjoying the scenery, singing along to your favorite country songs and not paying attention to how fast you’re going. The music is so loud that you don’t hear the siren at first - not until the police car gets 100 feet behind you. You look up at your rear view, then down at your speedometer and say “Uh Oh. I’m in trouble.” The officer pulls you over - gets out of his car - puts on his Smokey hat - pushes the sun glasses up on his nose -  adjusts his holster in case he has to make a quick draw - and saunters up to your car with ticket book in hand. He looks just like the troopers in all the bad movies you’ve ever seen. [John Goodman comes to mind here.]

He tells you in his southern drawl “Step outta the car.” You ask “Don’t you need to see my license and registration?” to which he replies “We don’t do things that way around here.” After patting you down he says “You were going 90 in a 55 zone. I’m gonna have to take you in.” You know with all the tickets you’ve ignored over the years you’ll lose your license over this one, so you take a chance and say “Isn’t there some kind arrangement you and me can come up with” hoping you can buy him off for a couple hundred dollars. He gives you a stern look and says “Now you’re really in trouble. Turn around and so I can cuff you.”

He puts you in the back seat of his squad car, slams the door, gets in the front, turns his lights and siren on, and speeds away at 90 mph. Things don’t seem quite right to you, especially when you realize that the car had no city, county, or state markings on the door. So you ask him where he’s taking you and he says “You don’t need to know that.” After a half hour of winding through cypress trees, swamps, and gators he pulls into a small town that looks like it’s a hundred years old – or two, or three. He pulls up in front of an old court house, pulls you out of the car, and takes you to a cell in the basement. “How long will I be in here?” He says “Well the Judge should be around in a few days.”

You look around the cell and see something out of all the bad movies you’ve ever seen – again. Scratches on the wall to keep track of how long others have been here – some of them with several months of marks. There’s a window with bars, but no glass. You notice how warm it is in here and look around for an air conditioning vent, but there are none. Two days later a deputy comes down to handcuff you and take you up to see the Judge.

You see a big stack of papers in front of the Judge. “Son, you have quite a stack of violations here – speeding, failure to stop at a stop sign – you have 63 of those – too fast through school zones, 2 leaving the scene of the accident charges, 12 for parking in front of fire hydrants, 146 parking meter expiration offenses . . . I could go on for another half hour - but you get the picture.” “But your honor, I never got caught for most of those. How can they be on my record?” “We have a record of everything here, son.” “But how can that be? Even computers can’t have a record of things I didn’t get caught at?” The Judge says “This is a special court, son. We know everything.”

 “So, now that you know we have a record of everything, how do you plead?” You’re confused – this is moving too fast. “Wait a minute, here! Don’t I get a lawyer.” “Oh, I almost forgot about that part. Bailiff, call in the Lawyer.” A tall man in a white, double breasted suit and straw hat steps in and sits down beside you. Now things are looking up! You lean over and ask Him “Can you get these charges dismissed.” He says “No, that’s not my job here. Just wait.” The judge repeats “How do you plead.” You look at your Lawyer and He just shrugs. You really have no other choice, since they’ve got the goods on you. “Well, I guess I’m guilty, your Honor.” “You GUESS you’re guilty?? Look at all the evidence I have here. Are you guilty or not?” You figure if you admit to it all and throw yourself at the mercy of the court  the Judge might go easier on you. “Yes Sir, I am guilty as charged of everything against me.”

The Judge says, “Time for lunch, we’ll have sentencing after a two hour lunch break.” You turn to your Lawyer and ask “Is this where you negotiate for a shorter sentence?” “It’s still not my time in these proceedings. Wait.” So you spend the next two hours back in your steaming hot cell wondering how many days you’ll get sentenced to in this place. When you get back into the courtroom the bailiff says “All rise. The court is in session for sentencing.” You look at your Lawyer one more time and he shakes his head, so you go up in front of the Judge. He says, as he riffles through your record, “Well, I see no attempt on your part to set things right on all these violations, so I sentence you to be locked up in the basement cell.” You wait for the rest, but the Judge is stacking up his papers like he’s ready to leave. So you ask him “How long your honor?” “Indefinitely” he replies. “You can’t do that – it’s unconstitutional!” And then you hear some really scary words from him. “The constitution has no meaning up here, son. I make all the rules.”

As you’re being led out you turn back to the Judge and ask “Isn’t there anything that can be done, your honor.” He says “Well . . . there is one thing that will get the charges dismissed” and looks over at my Lawyer. The Lawyer wakes up from his snooze when the Judge clears his throat and asks “Is it my turn now?” The judge says “You’ve been my Son all your life, been through an uncountable number of cases with me, and you still have to ask ‘Is it my turn now?’ You know the plan. Of course it’s your turn.” So your Lawyer stands up and says “Your honor - I would like to volunteer to serve this man’s sentence for him.” You intervene “Wait a minute, that’s not fair. He hasn’t done anything wrong.” The Judge agrees “That’s right, His record is totally clean.” “So why should he have to stay in that sweltering basement and serve my sentence?” “Because he volunteered. He knows how miserable it is down there, but he cares about you enough that he’s willing to pay for your crimes.” You look at the Lawyer – He nods at you and whispers “It’s O.K. That’s what I’m here for.”

You can’t believe someone cares about you so much that he would do this, but he seems willing, so you say “Alright your Honor, I’ll agree to let him suffer for me.” The bailiff comes over, puts the handcuffs on your Lawyer, and starts to lead Him away. “Can I have one last word with him your Honor?” You lean over to your Lawyer and say “How do I repay you for this? Can I send a check or something?” He chuckles and says “Son, there’s now way you could ever pay for this.” “Why not?” “Because it’s a free gift, and you don’t pay for gifts.” As they lead him off you say “I didn’t even get your name” but He’s already going down the steps. You look at the Judge and ask “He’s your Son, what’s His name?”

“Around these parts we usually call Him Jesus, but sometimes we call Him by His middle name, Christ.” “What’s His last name?” “Oh, it’s the same as mine – Yahweh – God in your language” The bailiff takes your cuffs off and the Judge says “Son, you’re free to go. I declare you Not Guilty.” As you approach the door the Judge calls to you “Don’t worry son. I’ll set Him free in three days.”

The Sequel is Finished!

     I have just finished the sequel to The Hermetrius Conspiracy. In The Forseti Solution, Retired Agent Jack Preston and his new wife, Lynn, have settled into her Rocky Mountain home after uncovering a conspiracy by a wealthy financier to control the outcome of the next
Presidential election. Their attempts to expose the plot failed, and now they have to find a way to
reveal the illegal activities of the soon-to-be President before he can destroy democracy in
America. Using his superb skills as a hacker, Jack joins a team of ex-agents to uncover hidden files
and facts that will send the conspirators to prison. But the conspirators are out to stop them – for
good. Can Jack’s Agency training in escape, evasion, and firearms keep them alive long enough
to stop the impending political tragedy? The shocking ending will leave you shaken.
    Both books are available at www.Amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, and www.smashwords.com.

JDG

Here is Chapter 1 of The Forseti Solution, which I expect to have published by the end of March.

Chapter 1

As Jack and Lynn drove up to road to her house in Telluride, Colorado Lynn felt relief wash over her. She and Jack had left her home in this mountain ski resort over two months ago, barely in time to escape the men that Charles Winston had sent to capture them. Lynn half expected to see the place ravaged or burned down in retaliation for what she and the rest of Jack’s team had done to eliminate Winston’s hand-picked candidate, Senator Matthew Roberts of Idaho, from winning the primary election for President of the United States. With Winston’s unscrupulous, and illegal behind-the-scenes work, Roberts was sure to have won the November election, now just eight months away. And with the members of the House and Senate that Winston had put in place over the past six years, his plan for bringing America back from the brink of socialism into an ultra-conservative nightmare would finally be realized. Jack and the others on his team celebrated when Roberts withdrew his candidacy, but when Winston himself stepped into the Republican primary race to replace his chosen candidate, they were dismayed.

Lynn leaned over and put her head on Jack’s shoulder.  “Thank you, sweetheart, for bringing us back here to live. It’s so great to see it just like we left it. I guess Winston’s people didn’t come back after they gave up chasing us through the snowstorm.”

“I need to sweep the place for bugs, just in case. They may have left some surprises behind.”

Jack pulled up to her double garage and pressed the remote to open the door. He was glad they had remembered to bring the remote. It was the middle of winter in the Rocky Mountains and he didn’t want to go out in the minus fifteen degree weather.

As soon as the door closed behind them Lynn hopped out of Jack’s Ford Sport Trac and opened the back door to let O’Malley, her Irish setter, out. He sniffed the air then Lynn could swear he smiled. He knew he was home.

She punched in her door lock code, then stepped inside to turn off the alarm. As Jacked walked in the door, she put her arms around his neck and jumped up to wrap her legs around his waist. Lynn thought ‘I hope he can hold my weight. He may still be weak from that bullet wound in his butt.’ But he wrapped his arms around her in return and kissed her as he carried her into the living room and laid her on the couch. She pulled him down and said “Let’s make out.” He gave her a long kiss, then pulled away.

“Later, sweetheart. I need to get our bags inside then get my equipment out to scan the house for bugs. Have you got anything in the freezer to fix for supper?”

“I have some homemade lasagna and a good bottle of Chianti to go with it?”

“That sounds great. It will take me about thirty minutes to clear the house of bugs. I’ll do the garage and property tomorrow, after it warms up.”

“Don’t expect much. You’ll be lucky if the temperature gets up to zero. But my ex-husband left his ski stuff behind, so you can use that. He’s as tall as you are, six foot three, but instead of your broad shoulders, he has a broad belly. His cold weather gear should fit you fine.”

By the time Jack finished going through the house with his electronic bug detector, Lynn had dinner on the table and a large glass of wine poured for both of them. Jack sat down and held up his glass. “A toast to overcoming all obstacles to finally get you in bed as my new wife.”

Lynn laughed, “Who got who into bed?”

“I think it was a mutual effort. . . . Lynn, thank you for keeping our relationship in check until we could get married.”

“I wanted that too, Jack, in spite of the hard time I gave you with my teasing. It was worth the wait.”

After dinner Lynn lit the log fire in the main fireplace and they relaxed on the couch in front of it. They just sat there. No conversation  . . . and no urge to fill the silence with words. . . .

Lynn looked over at Jack and said, “Do you know how much I love you, darling?”

“Yes I do, because I know how much I love you. My heart was locked up when my wife, Helen, died. I never thought I could let my emotions out of the box I nailed them into, but you opened that box, in spite of my reluctance to get in touch with my feelings again. Thank you for that.”

Lynn slid back against his chest and enjoyed the physical closeness. She felt so protected with his arms around her, so safe. It wasn’t just that he was a trained Federal Agent who had proven his ability to keep her alive and unharmed; it was the confidence and calmness he showed in every circumstance. He always knew exactly what to do when they were in danger without even thinking about it. It was like he was programmed to respond with the right moves no matter what happened. But what surprised her was how gentle he could be, how much he respected her ideas, and how loving he was.

Jack let his mind drift back to when he first saw her, standing on the front porch of her mountain home, her red hair blowing in the wind. They didn’t get off to a good start, but after they got to understand each other’s territory – what was important to them – they settled into a comfortable relationship. He thought back through the past couple of months as they grew closer and finally realized they were in love. His thought train stopped at the time three nights ago he had  first seen her in her natural state. She was beautiful. Jack couldn’t believe she was his age – fifty six. And not only was her body that of a much younger woman, but so was her personality. She had the laughing, joking, uninhibited persona that most people her age had let get away from them, to be replaced with a sadness that their fun years were over.

“Are you ready to carried over the threshold of your bedroom?”

“I thought you would never ask. And it’s not my bedroom, it’s our bedroom – now and forever.”

Jack slipped one arm under her knees, the other behind her neck, and lifted her off the couch. As they crossed into the bedroom Jack saw that Lynn had lit a fire in the small fireplace and turned the bed down. She wiggled out of his grasp and said I’ll shower here while you use the upstairs bath. We’ll meet back here in twenty minutes.

When Jack left Lynn went to the back of her closet and found the negligee from her first honeymoon. Her first husband wouldn’t mind, and she looked spectacular in it.

Jack got back to the bedroom first and slid between the sheets. Lynn stepped into the bedroom and stood at the foot of the bed. Jack just stared. Then he threw the covers back, patted her side of the bed, and said “I’ve saved a place for you.”

I am several chapters into my New Novel, The Forseti Solution. It picks up where The Hermetrius Conspiracy left off, with newlyweds Jack and Lynn Preston heading for her mountain home in Telluride Colorado after learning that Charles Winston, the wealthy financier, has entered the Republican Primary race for President. Winston has plan to take the country into radical conservatism with new laws and executive decisions. The result will destroy the ideals that America is based on.

Highlights of George Winston’s Plans as the New President of the United States

Illegal Immigration Provisions

• Any business employing illegal immigrants will be fined $1,000 per day per employee.
• Landlords will be fined $100/day for renting to illegals.
• High voltage electrified fences will be installed along the entire Mexican Border.

Military Provisions

• Military assistance to other countries will cease. We are not the world’s police force.
• Countries suspected of developing nuclear weapons will have their nuclear facilities inspected at random or they will be bombed.

Economic Provisions

• Eliminate financial aid to all nations.

• Install a flat rate tax structure of  25% for individuals and corporations. Eliminate loopholes.

• There will be no minimum wage. Everyone gets paid what the job market dictates.
• Imports from U.S. factories that have moved abroad will be taxed at 30%.
• Phase out welfare in favor of workfare. Everyone must work to receive a Government supplement to their income.

Court System Provisions

• Revise Supreme Court appointment policies – Each newly elected President can replace four justices with his own selections.
• Torte reform – The maximum amount of a lawsuit will be $25,000.
• Presiding judge determines lawyer’s fees based on performance.

If you have navigated to this blog you have undoubtedly read my first novel, The Hermetrius Conspiracy. I hope it is the first of many. My second novel, the Forseti Solution, will continue the story of Jack Preston and Lynn Martin who, at the end of the first book became Mrs. Jack Preston.  But in spite of the marriage, the flirtations will continue.

Book two of the Jack and Lynn Preston series (and I have no idea if the "series" will go beyond these two novels) starts with wealthy financier Charles Winston stepping into the the Republican race for the Presidency, and Jack's team of ex-agents trying stop him from becoming President and taking America so far to the right that it may never recover. The Forseti Solution is a work in progress, but I expect to be done with it by early March.

The Hermetrius Conspiracy Synopsis 

Jackson Preston just retired from the Federal Remediation Agency, a clandestine arm of the U.S. Government that “fixes” problems, after 30 years as an “Adjuster”. Without his wife, there didn’t seem to be a reason to go to work anymore. So he retired to a lakeside cabin in the mountains of West Virginia to enjoy nature, and heal his emotions. One bright spot was an email from Lynn, a woman he knew in high school, that  has turned into an electronic relationship of sorts.

Then he got the letter warning him he was being watched – some unknown entity had him under surveillance. To find out who and why, Jack went through the records of his old missions and found one file that stood out. What he found in that file led him to a conspiracy to take over the country by controlling the next Presidential election, and it turned him into a wanted fugitive.

Lynn and three others join him as they are chased around the country while working to uncover the details of the conspiracy. Once they realize how deep and sinister the plot is, they create a plan to expose it and send the leaders to jail. But the leaders were ready for that.