by Michael Todd
We met again on hers, ours, and my skunkworks projects in December, and then again in Las Vegas in February.
Laurie and her people are fucking amazing.
ONLY because of Laurie’s collaboration support, have I been able to bring out the Michael Todd stories here in March. If it wasn’t for her? Yeah, we wouldn’t have these at all I don’t think.
In addition, I want to thank Jude Beers for AMAZING work bringing Katie Maddison to 3D life. I’ll update you in book 02 Author Notes about our artwork efforts with Jude and Lauren.
I hope to see you in book 02!
(If you want to support this series, just leave a review on Amazon – that will be a BIG help as we move forward!)
Ad Aeternitatem,
Michael Todd (Anderle)
AUTHOR NOTES - LAURIE STARKEY
MARCH 11, 2018
And to follow up Mike and his brilliant personality is always the hardest part of my day… *cheeky grin*
I’ve been blessed to be invited into the world of Michael Anderle and all of his partners, characters, and friends. It’s given me a fresh spark with my own writing and helped align some of my own goals, thanks to our friendship, first, and partnership, second.
I started writing in 2010 for the first time. A moment of clarity maybe? Providence? I’m not sure. I just knew after reading my whole life (winning several nerd-worthy awards in Junior High as the kid who read the most that year) that I wanted to construct a story that wooed people, or at least made their hearts race a little.
A getaway. A mini-vacation. A moment of reprieve from life when it’s sometimes less than pleasant. Books are good companions like that.
I was a CPA on the trek to partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers at the time, but I figured as a lifelong manic (someone who tries to fill most moments of the day with something productive), writing a book would be a fun challenge for me.
I wrote a Young Adult Greek Myth fantasy in a month, at night, after fifteen hours a day in auditing. I fell in love with it. A hundred thousand words later, I typed some of my favorite words, “The End.” And there began a new creation in me.
After getting rejected about ten million times by publishers and agents (ok, like a hundred times, but still), I threw the manuscript in a drawer and muttered, “I don’t need this shit. I’m a mathematician.”
And I moved on, dabbling in RPG and writing circles more for fun than anything else. It wasn’t until a friend reached out in 2014 and said that a group of my old critique circle friends were writing romance and making as much as I was as a twelve-year CPA.
No damn way. Not a chance.
But… it was true. I prayed about it, made a few adjustments in my life, and quit my six-figure job cold turkey on November 22, 2014, damned and determined to make stories for the rest of my life, or at least facilitate making them with partners and collaborators, if nothing else.
Almost three and a half years later, I’d penned 130 stories, 6.5 million words, and put out books in the romance, fantasy, young-adult, middle grade, mystery/suspense, and Christian fiction genres. I’ve grown three companies related to production and authoring books, and to say we’re a little tired would be a laughable understatement–but we’re blessed.
My dream when I started was to have a team of people I could feed into, to make their lives better if at all possible. I’d say we’re doing that. With ten full-time employees and 40+ contractors, we get notes daily about the difference we’re making in people’s work lives, as well as the notes from the fans.
It’s been an honor to go it alone all these years, but Mike coming into the picture, along with a few other perfectly placed partners, has made the next leg of the journey one I’m ready for. Torn Asunder was a dream child of Mike’s, and when I listened to the details, I laughed heartily and enjoyed spit-balling away in the high rise we holed up in together in Vegas for a long week of meetings.
Meetings over making shit up and getting paid to do it. Crazy life, I tell you.
But it’s not without work. I swear we put in more hours and sweat harder now than I ever did in my corporate America climb. And yet, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Mike took the lead on this project, and I helped push and work out the story. I, in turn, took the lead in our Seven Sons project that he’s alluded too a few times here and there.
My goal in 2018 was to help ten indie authors with their writing or marketing or whatever the hell they needed my team, my resources, or my help with. They’re hard-working, brilliant storytellers, but most of them are not selling stories, but writing on the side and working one to two other jobs. I wanted to help with that.
Seven Sons was my way of doing it. Mike came alongside me in the project and helped me put the pieces together, dream up the stories one by one, and offered his team, knowledge, and support too, in order to get us off the ground as a team. I’m happy to say that seven of the best writers (and friends) that I know are busy at work behind the scenes to bring you a series that pulls at Urban Fantasy and Fantasy alike.
At the beginning of time, God created seven species. Pure-bloods who were meant to rule the four dimensions with peace and benevolence, but these boys were special. Very special. Unfortunately, with all things, when emotion enters the scene and moves into the story, the path we were created for is usually the least likely you’ll find us following.
The angels, the vampires, the shifters, the mages, the hunters, the elves, and the fae will all have series in a shared multi-dimensional world, and the journey begins late fall, 2018. Mike and I spend hours and hours creating the derivative story that plays out underneath all seven series, and we hope like hell that the world takes on a life of its own and we change a hundred authors’ lives through our new creation.
But that’s a goal for another time. For now, thank you for reading Torn Asunder. There’s more goodness to come for Katie and Pandora, but if you know Mike, you knew that already.
Enjoy and know that you’re changing lives, too, by picking up one of our books. We appreciate you, your interest and support, and for choosing to spend your hard-earned dollars on our stories. Leave us a review and let us know your thoughts! They matter so much more than you think.
And lastly, if you take nothing else from this note, just remember, in the words of a famous (still living as best I know at the moment) scholar: “You can't keep a wicked man down... Unless you over-carb his ass, then he sleeps like the snoring hippopotamus he really is.”
Break out the double crusted pie and deep-dish pizza. The wicked need taming–obviously.
Slave to many stories,
Laurie Starkey
DEATH BECOMES HER
Have you read The Kurtherian Gambit, from Michael (Todd) Anderle?
Available at Amazon
CONNECT WITH MICHAEL TODD
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BOOKS BY MICHAEL TODD
PROTECTED BY THE DAMNED
Torn Asunder (01)
Killing Is My Business (Coming)
And Business Is Good (Coming)
Sit Down, Shut Up, And Pull The Trigger (Coming)
BOOKS WRITTEN AS MICHAEL ANDERLE
For a complete list of Michael’s Kurtherian Gambit Universe books please click this link.
KURTHERIAN GAMBIT SERIES TITLES INCLUDE:
FIRST ARC
Death Becomes Her (01) - Queen Bitch (02) - Love Lost (03) - Bite This (04) - Never Forsaken (05) - Under My Heel (06) - Kneel Or Die (07)
SECOND ARC
We Will Build (08) - It’s Hell To Choose (09) - Release The Dogs of War (10) -
Sued For Peace (11) - We Have Contact (12) - My Ride is a Bitch (13) - Don’t Cross This Line (14)
THIRD ARC
Never Submit (15) - Never Surrender (16) - Forever Defend (17) - Might Makes Right (18) - Ahead Full (19) - Capture Death (20) - Life Goes On (21)
THE SECOND
DARK AGES
*with Ell Leigh Clarke*
The Dark Messiah (01)- The Darkest Night (02) -
Darkest Before The Dawn (03)
THE BORIS CHRONICLES
*with Paul C. Middleton*
Evacuation (1) - Retaliation (2) - Revelations (3) - Redemption (04)
RECLAIMING HONOR
*with Justin Sloan*
Justice Is Calling (01) - Claimed By Honor (02) -
Judgement Has Fallen (03) - Angel of Reckoning (04) -
Born Into Flames (05) - Defending The Lost (06) - Saved By Valor (07) - Return of Victory (08)
THE ETHERIC ACADEMY
*with TS Paul*
ALPHA CLASS (01) - ALPHA CLASS - Engineering (02)
TERRY HENRY “TH” WALTON CHRONICLES
*with Craig Martelle*
Nomad Found (01) - Nomad Redeemed (02) -
Nomad Unleashed (03) - Nomad Supreme (04) -
Nomad’s Fury (05) - Nomad’s Justice (06) - Nomad Avenged (07) - Nomad Mortis (08) - Nomad’s Force (09) - Nomad’s Galaxy (10)
TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
*with Natalie Grey*
Risk Be Damned (01) - Damned to Hell (02)
~THE AGE OF MAGIC~
THE RISE OF MAGIC
*with CM Raymond and LE Barbant*
Restriction (01) - Reawakening (02) - Rebellion (03) - Revolution (04) - Unlawful Passage (05) - Darkness Rises (06) - The Gods Beneath (07) - Reborn (08)
THE HIDDEN MAGIC CHRONICLES
*with Justin Sloan*
Shades of Light (01) - Shades of Dark (02) - Shades of Glory (03) - Shades of Justice (04)
STORMS OF MAGIC
*with PT Hylton*
Storm Raiders (01) - Storm Callers (02) - Storm Breakers (03) - Storm Warrior (04)
TALES OF THE FEISTY DRUID
*with Candy Crum*
The Arcadian Druid (01) - The Undying Illusionist (02) - The Frozen Wasteland (03) - The Deceiver (04) - The Lost (05) - The Damned (06)
PATH OF HEROES
*with Brandon Barr*
Rogue Mage (01)
A NEW DAWN
*with Amy Hopkins*
Dawn of Destiny (01) - Dawn of Darkness (02) - Dawn of Deliverance (03) - Dawn of Days (04)
TALES OF THE WELLSPRING KNIGHT
*with P.J. Cherubino*
Knight’s Creed (01)
~THE AGE OF MADNESS~
LIVE FREE OR DIE
*with Haley Lawson*
Unleashing Madness (01)
~THE AGE OF EXPANSION~
THE ASCENSION MYTH
*with Ell Leigh Clarke *
Awakened (01) - Activated (02) - Called (03) - Sanctioned (04) - Rebirth (05) - Retribution (06) - Cloaked (07) - Bourne (08)
CONFESSIONS OF A SPACE ANTHROPOLOGIST
*with Ell Leigh Clarke*
Giles Kurns: Rogue Operator (01)
Giles Kurns: Rogue Instigator (02)
THE UPRISE SAGE
*with Amy Duboff *
Covert Talents (01) - Endless Advance (02) - Veiled Designs (03) - Degeneration (04) - Dark Rivals (04)
BAD COMPANY
*with Craig Martelle*
The Bad Company (01) - Blockade (02) - Price of Freedom (03)
THE GHOST SQUADRON
*with Sarah Noffke and J.N. Chaney*
Formation (01) - Exploration (02) - Evolution (03) - Degeneration (04) - Impersonation (05)
VALERIE’S ELITES
*with Justin Sloan and PT Hylton*
Valerie’s Elites (01) - Death Defied (02) - Prime Enforcer (03)
SHADOW VANGUARD
*with Tom Dublin*
Gravity Storm (01)
ETHERIC ADVENTURES: ANNE AND JINX
*with S.R. Russell*
Etheric Recruit (01) - Etheric Researcher (02)
OTHER BOOKS
*with Craig Martelle & Justin Sloan*
Gateway to the Universe
~THE REVELATIONS OF ORICERAN~
THE LEIRA CHRONICLES
*with Martha Carr*
Waking Magic (01) - Release of Magic (02) - Protection of Magic (03) - Rule of Magic (04) - Dealing in Magic (05) - Theft of Magic (6) - Enemies of Magic (7)
SHORT STORIES
You Don’t Touch John’s Cousin: Frank Kurns Stories of the UnknownWorld 01 (7.5)
Bitch’s Night Out: Frank Kurns Stories of the UnknownWorld 02 (9.5)
*with Natalie Grey*
Bellatrix: Frank Kurns Stories of the Unknownworld 03 (13.25)
Challenges: Frank Kurns Stories of the Unknownworld 04
AUDIOBOOKS
Available at Audible.com and iTunes
CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL LMBPN BOOKS ON AUDIBLE
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Contents
Torn Asunder Team
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Author Notes - Michael Todd
Author Notes - Laurie Starkey
Death Becomes Her
Connect with Michael Todd
Books by Michael Todd
Books written as Michael Anderle