I'd Like to Introduce You to Cole Pierce

Who is Cole Pierce?  Well, he’s the protagonist in my new novel, Terminal Restraint.  I think you’ll like him.  He’s you.  He’s me (not really me, although there are a few small similarities).  He’s your average, everyday, normal, working-class guy, trying to excel at his job and plan for his future with his girlfriend.  He has a great group of friends—although they are a little eccentric—and he’s quite content with his life.

What’s so special about him?

He dies.

Yep, there you go.  Major spoiler.  My protagonist dies in my new novel.  But that’s half the fun, as he doesn’t just die.  He becomes something far worse.  Not a zombie, which are a bit over-played in the entertainment industry right now.  Not a vampire, which are REALLY overplayed (sorry, Bill Compton and Eric Northman).  Cole doesn’t even become a ghost.  He transforms into an undead creature who survives by draining the life of the living.  Sentient, yes.  Able-bodied, certainly.  Filled with revenge, you bet!

Intrigued?  Well, let me tell you a little more.  Before this all happens, Cole’s thinking of proposing to his theater actress girlfriend, Malaya, and his life couldn’t be happier.  But life takes a turn for the worse, unfortunately for him, and he finds himself in some hot water with an executive at the company that employs him.  This executive, Roland LaDuc, is an uptight prude with a home life that is beginning to fray—a wife that won’t speak to him and teenage boys that despise him.  A client complains about work that Cole performed—although the complaint is really unfounded—and as a few other incidents occur, Roland unfairly takes his frustrations out on Cole.

Cole’s upset, for sure, because he’s always trying to do his best and please everyone, and he’s incredibly upset by Roland’s harsh criticism.  And who wouldn’t be?

Cole’s best friend, Trev, would never take that kind of abuse from a superior, although he doesn’t have to because he owns his own tattoo shop.  Trev’s wife, Jillian, is a forensic pathologist who performs autopsies.  Oh, and did I mention they are members of Anton LaVey’s Church of Satan?  Wait, what?!?

An eccentric group, yes, but along with their friends Becca and Scott, they are all a tight-knit little family.  And they look out for one another, which is why Jillian decides to cast a black magic protection spell on her friends, including a very hesitant Cole.  Only the spell she casts isn’t quite what she thinks it to be, and that’s not good news for our protagonist.  You see, aside from Cole and Roland’s little spat, there are some much darker bad guys on the horizon, and one of them gets the best of poor Cole, killing him in his own basement.

But as I said, Cole is not dead.  Death doesn’t come for everyone, apparently.

What will happen to Cole?  Will he take out his revenge on Roland?  Will he discover the identity of his killer?  Is he really an undead creature?  Are his days on Earth, alive or dead, numbered?

Check out Terminal Restraint here https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/233534.  I’ll soon have it available elsewhere.  Smashwords is currently out of ISBNs, so as soon as they get them in, I’ll get one assigned so that it can be purchased through Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, and Sony.  I also plan to have it available on the Kindle within a week or two after I have the ISBN.

And if you want a coupon to get it for free on Smashwords, just ask!

And if you like my books, tell your friends!

And if you like Terminal Restraint, check out my other books!