Gray Skies: Book 3 in the Thrilling Post-Apocalyptic Survival Series: (Darkness Rising - Book 3)

by Justin Bell

  Ricky Orosco and Brandon Liu were both dead, along with Agent Harrison. Clancy and Winnie had been injured. They’d taken down Cavendish and the majority of the West Plains Militia, but Lydia wasn’t there…

  …and Grandma sent for her?

  The thought sent chills down her spine. Grandma. Grandma Jodi? Jodi and Gerard Krueller? Cavendish had said they were high up the food chain. He’d said they played a large role in coordinating this whole attack. So what did they want Lydia for?

  Insurance? Leverage? Or were they recruiting her? Searching for that long-lost daughter that slipped through their fingers. Rhonda’s stomach lurched, and she drew a breath, halting her pace. If there was even a kernel of truth in any of it, she had to know. She had to do whatever she could to find her daughter and make sure she knew what her grandparents were capable of.

  But for now they needed to rest. They needed to heal. They needed to gather themselves and get ready for the coming storm.

  A low echo of thunder rumbled in the distance like the calling of a jealous and a vengeful God.

  Yes, the storm was coming, that much was certain. They had to be ready. They would be ready.

  And when the time came, they’d bring lightning of their own.

  Aftershock: Book 4 of the Darkness Rising Series

  is now available!

  Author’s Notes

  April 10, 2018

  Dear Readers,

  Hello and welcome to Book Three!

  When I first started developing this series alongside the wonderful assistance of Mike Kraus, we went back and forth about length... should it be a trilogy? Longer? Ultimately, we decided to let the story dictate, and the story dictated longer... so book three is NOT the end of the Fraser's adventures in this new world. More to come, and Book Four is already available for pre-order.

  However, one thing we did want to do is to at least try and wrap up some loose ends in Book Three, and divide up the six book series into two separate trilogies of sorts, so this book marks a big transition point for the Frasers.

  I wanted to tell a great story, first and foremost, but I also wanted to create a sense of jumping off points towards the back half of the series, and I think we were able to balance that pretty well. There were some touch and go moments, especially when it came to Chicago area geography (props to beta reader Claudia for her on-the-spot navigational assistance) but all in all, I am exceedingly happy with how book three turned out. From start to finish it evolved almost on its own, and reading it (for the third time) over the past few days has been very satisfying. I think it's an exciting, fast-paced read that does precisely what it sets out to do, and is entertaining as heck along the way.

  Warning - a LOT happens in this one!

  Thank you all, again, as always for sticking through this series. I'm immensely proud of how it's coming together and feel exceptionally fortunate that so many people are checking it out and enjoying it.

  Much more to come, I promise, and I hope you've enjoyed the ride so far. I know I have!

  -Justin

  *****

  Dear Reader,

  At this point, if you’re still reading along with the story then I’m going to make the relatively safe assumption that you’re enjoying this series. I’m really glad, because I love it too. Working with co-authors has been a real eye-opening experience for me, as I’ve moved from being a solo indie author to, in effect, working as a publisher, author, marketer, editor, cover designer and so much more.

  Speaking of cover designs, pretty much all of the covers I use have been designed by a good friend of mine, Christian Bentulan. I met him over a year ago when he was an up and coming designer and I was an up and coming author (for the second time). He designed the omnibus cover for Final Dawn and from the moment I saw it I knew I had a winner.

  Fast forward to now, when I’ve been working with him for over a year, and it’s amazing how much things have both changed and stayed the same. I work with him every month on multiple covers, coming up with concepts and designs and watching him take images that only exist in my head and transforming them into something absolutely stunning that captures the eye and draws the attention of potential readers.

  While the adage may tell you to never judge a book by its cover, most folks do judge them by their covers, and how could they not? When you’re browsing for books on Amazon, the cover is the first thing you see and is the first thing that triggers a response in your brain to either click on it to see what it’s about or to ignore it and keep going. Good cover design is one of the fundamental necessities for any author, and especially for independent authors like us. We don’t have a big publishing house that can throw its weight around for us and sell us based on our name alone, so we have to make sure we’re at the top of our game all the time in order to stay competitive and successful.

  If you enjoyed this story and/or any of my other stories, you should really sign up for my newsletter. I send out quick messages a few times a month and I take a totally different approach to my newsletters than other authors. Where other authors see a newsletter as a selling tool first and foremost I see it as a way to connect with my readers first and foremost. I've met some terrific people (like my AWESOME beta readers) and really enjoy talking to folks who email me.

  Don't like email newsletters? I also keep my Facebook page updated and you can message me through there as well if you prefer FB to email. Feel free to drop me a line via email/FB. I'd love to hear from you.

  Catch you in the next book!

  -Mike

  Other Post-Apocalyptic Books from Mike Kraus

  Final Dawn: The Complete Original Series Box Set

  Clocking in at nearly 300,000 words with over 250,000 copies sold, this is the complete collection of the original bestselling post-apocalyptic Final Dawn series. If you enjoy gripping, thrilling post-apocalyptic action with compelling and well-written characters you’ll love Final Dawn.

  Final Dawn: Arkhangelsk: The Complete Trilogy Box Set

  The Arkhangelsk Trilogy is the first follow-up series set in the bestselling Final Dawn universe and delivers more thrills, fun and just a few scares. The crew of the Russian Typhoon submarine Arkhangelsk travel to a foreign shore in search of survivors, but what the find threatens their fragile rebuilding efforts in the post-apocalyptic world.

  No Sanctuary

  A nationwide terrorist attack has left the country in shambles and the country's transportation capabilities are crippled beyond repair. Frank Richards barely escapes with his life when he watches his truck explode in front of his eyes. As chaos descends across the country, Frank's home-grown survival and preparedness training and the help of a mysterious stranger he meets are the only things he can rely on to see him safely across the thousand miles separating him and his loved ones.

  Surviving the Fall

  Surviving the Fall is an episodic post-apocalyptic series that follows Rick and Dianne Waters as they struggle to survive after a devastating and mysterious worldwide attack. Trapped on the opposite side of the country from his family, Rick must fight to get home while his wife and children struggle to survive as danger lurks around every corner.

  Prip’Yat: The Beast of Chernobyl

  Two teens and two Spetsnaz officers travel to the town of Prip’Yat set just outside the remains of the Chernobyl power plant. The teens are there for a night of exploration. The special forces are there to pursue a creature that shouldn’t exist. This short thriller set around the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster will keep your heart racing right through to the very end.

  Other Fantasy Books from Mike Kraus

  The Makeshift Wizard: Death Magic

  The Makeshift Wizard series is a new action-packed urban fantasy series from bestselling post-apocalyptic author Mike Kraus writing as MJ Kraus.

  My job was supposed to be easy. Investigate a bleed farm, find the a-hole vamps who've been kidnapping Normals and bring down some street justice. Now I've got a relic in my hands that was cre
ated with the blood and death magic of an elder Vampire and a whole lot more questions than answers.

  GRAY

  SKIES

  Darkness Rising Series

  Book 3

  By

  Justin Bell

  Mike Kraus

  © 2018 Muonic Press Inc

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  www.JustinBellAuthor.com

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  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, without the permission in writing from the author.