The Belial Guard (The Belial Series Book 8)
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World War III Close Calls. The World War III close calls were all real. The two U-2 spy plane incidents and the false missile reports all actually happened. If you’re looking for some additional info, here’s a link to check out.
Education in Afghanistan. The facts on the state of education and childhood in Afghanistan are, sadly, true. Half of the schools don’t even have a building, and child brides are all too common. And Afghanistan has one of the highest homicide rates for children in the world.
Scientology and Miscavige’s Missing Wife. The information on Scientology is true, and while terrifying, it’s also fascinating. If you’re looking for a really good book on the cult, try Going Clear by Lawrence Wright. Miscavige’s wife? That s true as well. The police say they spoke with her, but she has not been seen in public since 2005. When you read the book, you’ll understand why her disappearance is so concerning.
End of Days. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all discuss the end of days, as do a few other Western religions, and in these religions, the end of days is typically characterized as the ultimate battle between good and evil. The eastern religions tend to have little to no focus on the end of days. Instead, they encourage individuals to focus on their actions in the here and now.
Australia and Nuclear War. If a nuclear event broke out, Australia, due to its geographic location, would, theoretically, be a reasonably safe place to avoid radioactive fallout.
Temple Mount. The information on the Temple Mount is accurate, except for the role of Honu Keiki. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all consider the Mount to be one of the most important sites in the world.
Antichrist. It’s hard to say what is fact and what is fiction with regard to the Antichrist. Before I started writing this book, I thought it was a lot more cut and dried than it is. The Antichrist is only mentioned by name in the Bible four times, but many believe “the beast” and “the dragon” mentioned in Revelations and the book of Daniel are meant to refer to the Antichrist, even though they go by different names.
Waqf. The Waqf is the Islamic council that has religious sovereignty over the Temple Mount. Even though Israel technically controls Jerusalem, decades ago they extended religious sovereignty to the Waqf when they gained physical control of the Mount.
First and Second Intifada. The information on the first and second intifada is all accurate to the best of my ability, including the sparks that ignited each of the violent clashes. The second intifada was unfortunately the first widespread use of suicide bombing. From there, it began to spread to other violent clashes across the globe. And the fence, while controversial and extremely problematic, especially for the Palestinian people, did coincide with a reduction in suicide bombing.
Demographic Shift in Israel. The research indicating that within another one or two generations there will be more Arabs than Jews in Israel is real.
Mount of Olives. According to Zachariah 14:4, when the second coming arrives and the dead rise, the people buried on the Mount of Olives will be the first to rise. And the graves on the Mount date to over three thousand years ago.
Israeli Security. The description of Israeli security measures is accurate. Most businesses have security at the doors to check the bags of anyone entering. And the incident with the security checking the car was an incident I actually witnessed when I was in Israel. A car was stopped outside of a building with heavy concrete walls, with another concrete wall between the car and the street. Then two metal plates rose from the ground, trapping the car, and two individuals moved in to check the car for bombs. Needless to say, I picked up my pace and hurried on by.
Dolphinarium. The bombing of the Dolphinarium was a real terrorist incident. As explained in the text, a suicide bomber was turned away at the door of a teen disco, exploded the bomb outside, and killed nearly two dozen teenagers waiting to get in. Although the event occurred back in 2000, the site remains as a reminder of the horror of terrorism.
Iranian Quotes. Unfortunately, those are real, as are the sentiments that involve the denial of the Holocaust in all its parts.
Ear Shape Identification. Ear shape identification is an actual tool used to identify people. As stated in the The Belial Guard, ear shape remains essentially the same almost from birth, and ear shape identification has a 99.6% accuracy rate.
ON DECK
So where do we go from here? Well, we are off and running! I am beyond excited about where this new storyline is going to take us. As of right now, I have four more books planned for the Belial Series, beginning with The Belial Warrior, coming in late fall 2016. It is going to be a wild ride that takes us way into the past and uncovers even more incredible archaeological sites.
Before then though, I have one other book coming out that is the beginning of a new series, A.L.I.V.E. In A.L.I.V.E., I delve headfirst into the world of sci-fi, but with my own personal approach of taking historical incidents and asking what if? I’m now using that same approach to the history of UFOs in the United States. If you’re looking for a pulse-pounding adventure with characters you’ll root for—and some you’ll hope will get what they so richly deserve—I hope you give the series a shot.
Some readers have asked why I don’t just stay focused on the Belial Series. Well, what I’ve found is that I need to at times step away from the series to keep it fresh. When you’re completely immersed in something, you can miss things. And as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder. So each time I return to the Belial Series after working on a book outside the series, I love the characters that much more.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you’ve enjoyed yourself. If you have, please consider leaving a review. Thanks again, and I hope to see you on our next adventure!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
R.D. Brady has been writing full-time since 2013. Prior to that, she was a criminologist specializing in international terrorism studies and early child predictors of delinquency. The Belial Guard is the eighth book in the popular Belial Series. If you would like to be notified about her upcoming publications, you can sign up for her mailing list. You will only be notified when a book is being released. If you'd like to know what R.D. is up to, you can check her website, desperateforagoodbook.com.
BOOKS BY R.D. BRADY
The Belial Series (in order)
The Belial Stone
The Belial Library
The Belial Ring
Recruit: A Belial Series Novella
The Belial Children
The Belial Origins
The Belial Search
Other Books
Runs Deep
Hominid
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost I have to thank the readers who have joined me on this incredible journey. The emails and notes some of you have been kind of nice to send always make my day. It's so rewarding to see that you are enjoying the Belial saga as much as I am. Stephen King when speaking about writing, says the stories are there, it's an authors job to just chip away at the rock and reveal them. And that's truly what I feel has been happening with the Belial series. So a giant thank you for helping me uncover Laney and her gang's story.
Thank you to what has become my production team! Thank you David Gatewood for all your editing expertise. I am very happy to have found you. And to Damonza, once again your book cover has captured the heart of the story.
To my family and friends, thank you for all your support and help. You've listened to me and given me feedback and understood why I've tucked myself away for weeks. Thank you for everything.
To my husband, I would not have been able to start this process without your unwavering support. Thank you for always being in my corner. And thanks to my little ones, who think it is so cool that Mom is a writer, even if that sometimes means when asked the names of the continents they mention Atlantis and Lemuria as well as the other seven. :)
And last but not least, thank you to my four faithful furry companions - Hobbes, Sadie, Rosie, and Gilly. Writing can be for many a lonely proc
ess. But thanks to the four of you, I am never alone in my process.
Copyright © 2016 by R.D. Brady
The Belial Guard
Published by Scottish Seoul Publishing, LLC, Dewitt, NY
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law.
Printed in the United States of America.