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News & Updates
Can't wait to read RiaDE's opening? The SAMPLE is here!
Pre-orders for Reflections in a Dragon's Eye are now open!
Pre-orders for Reflections in a Dragon's Eye are now open!
Scroll down to the Teasers, Excerpts, and Commentaries section for some opening passages (or just click here).
Want the full sample? Request a PDF or ePub version by hitting the button below! (Or email
“A killer story with a moral core. In Reflections in a Dragon’s Eye, downed hero KO Bannon, former boxer and current bum, seeks redemption but risks his soul—and his life—to help desperate detectives racing to catch a multiple murderer on the snowy streets of Baltimore. Evil and desperation ride both sides of the law, fighting furiously to a deadly finale in the icy waters of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.”
– Mark Bergin, former detective, author of Apprehension, finalist for the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award
Pre-orders for Reflections in a Dragon's Eye are now open!
Pre-orders for Reflections in a Dragon's Eye are now open!
Pre-orders for Reflections in a Dragon's Eye are now open!
Pre-order from your favorite bookseller here.
The paperback and a special collector's edition hardcover (featuring a bonus short story) will also be available on publication day, September 18.
Find the first 100 pre-orders at a special, discounted price:
- at Amazon
- at Barnes & Noble.
One life will be saved, one life will not. But whose…?
“A clever and intelligently rendered whodunit…[and] a deftly woven tale of psychological suspense, The authors’ keen eye for historical detail and investigative realism adds a depth and dimension that holds the reader rapt—and wrapped up—in the unfolding story”
– Baron Birtcher, Los Angeles Times bestselling author of Reckoning
Brad Harper at Killer Nashville 2023
Pre-orders for Reflections in a Dragon's Eye are now open!
Kirkus Reviews reflects on the Dragon
Brad is appearing at the Killer Nashville International Writers Conference 2023.
Brad is a featured keynote speaker this year (midday, Saturday 19th) . As well, on Friday afternoon, he’ll be signing advance paperback copies of Reflections in a Dragon’s Eye, which you can purchase at a special “advance of publication price” at the event’s bookstore.
So if you want to grab yourself an early copy, a month ahead of official publication, and you’re in the Franklin, TN area, then drop in on Friday.
Location:
Embassy Suites Hotel & Convention Center
820 Crescent Centre Drive
Franklin, Tennessee, 37067, USA
+1-615-515-5151
And don’t forget, dear readers, the power to make or break a book always lies with you. Reviews change the game for indie presses. Please consider reviewing RiaDE at your bookseller’s site and at Goodreads. Thank you!
Kirkus Reviews reflects on the Dragon
Brad Harper out ‘n’ about to launch the Dragon...
Kirkus Reviews reflects on the Dragon
Kirkus Reviews has published its review for Reflections in a Dragon's Eye.
“Kirkus has been an industry-trusted source for honest and accessible reviews since 1933” … even if they do say so themselves! Kirkus Reviews is, though, one of the publishing industry’s most coveted sources for reviews. And has been for 90 years.
And... Kirkus loves Brad and Lydia’s Dragon!
“In this procedural, Baltimore detectives help distill an alcoholic’s hazy recollection in order to unmask a serial murderer… A measured crime story that deftly forefronts its indelible characters.”
Read what Kirkus Reviews has to say in their full review here.
The reflections are finally "real"….
Brad Harper out ‘n’ about to launch the Dragon...
Brad Harper out ‘n’ about to launch the Dragon...
3 years in the developing…
1 year in the finalizing…
6 months in the readying…
And Reflections in a Dragon’s Eye finally exists as a physical book! Congratulations to authors Bradley Harper and Lydia Galehouse on a book in which, as Kirkus Reviews says, “the alleged dragon is the grandest mystery.”
A mystery still under wraps mostly until the Dragon flies on September 18. Unless that is, you would like to apply to read & review an ARC version of the book through NetGalley. Go here to find out more.
The picture features co-author Brad unboxing the first delivery of books, which he will be taking out and about during his author events in the coming weeks and months. Check back later for the video of the unboxing. (We always give newsletter subscribers first peeks.)
Want to see more of the cover? Find out a little more here about the cover construction as we reveal the whole cover and the subtlety of the stunning artwork behind it.
And … pre-order news is just days away, too!
Brad Harper out ‘n’ about to launch the Dragon...
Brad Harper out ‘n’ about to launch the Dragon...
Brad Harper out ‘n’ about to launch the Dragon...
Five events confirmed for the launch of Reflections in a Dragon's Eye next month.
“I'll be busy over the next few months promoting my new book, Reflections in a Dragon's Eye,” says co-author Bradley Harper. “Here are some of the events that I'll be at—I hope to see some of you there! More info about each event as we get closer to their dates.”
That’s right! This is the place to come for all dragon-related news. Or be an even earlier bird and find out most everything first by subscribing to Brad’s newsletter here.
More info on the official online launch event on September 18, featuring both (hopefully) authors, and the book launch at Fountain Bookstore (Sept. 19), where Brad will be reading, chatting, and signing copies, to follow.
Cover reveal: blowing the cover off the Dragon!
Reflections in a Dragon's Eye is now live on NetGalley!
Reflections in a Dragon's Eye is now live on NetGalley!
We’re excited to officially reveal the front cover for Reflections in a Dragon’s Eye!
Quite striking, we think… But it took us a while to get to this choice—and then finalize all the elements—with a few other versions we developed and rejected.
Check back in the coming days and weeks to see some of the rejected cover versions and find out why they were abandoned. And we’ll talk about this final cover in more detail. In the meantime, see if you can work out what you think is going on within the eye. There are, in fact, several elements there for the sharp-eyed viewer ;).
Come and have you say over on our Twitter page, @PapillonPere, and let us know what you think.
Coming soon… we’ll be posting the whole cover for the hardcover/paperback versions.
Intrigued…? Want to grab yourself an ARC copy? Check out our NetGalley article it's right next to this one) to apply for a digital copy.
Fans of gripping crime thrillers from James Patterson, Stuart MacBride, and Michael Connelly will be captivated by this pacey, atmospheric novel that delves into the depths of morality and justice.
One life will be saved, one life sacrificed. But whose?
“A measured crime story that deftly forefronts its indelible characters.” — Kirkus Reviews
Reflections in a Dragon's Eye is now live on NetGalley!
Reflections in a Dragon's Eye is now live on NetGalley!
Reflections in a Dragon's Eye is now live on NetGalley!
Apply to get yourself an Advance Reader Copy of one of this fall’s hottest police thrillers.
“Readers get a glimpse of a frighteningly careful murderer,” says Kirkus Reviews, and that “the story focuses on the lively cast.”
Kicking off a new police procedural thriller series set in Baltimore, RiaDE posits how far the ends should justify the means—even when there are lives stake:
Somebody will be saved; somebody will not…
Detective Sgt. John Mankiller and his partner, Detective Maria Ruiz, are called to investigate the latest in a series of murders. Same MO, same young, blonde victim. But their investigation takes an unexpected turn when they encounter a sole witness who may hold vital information. KO Bannon, a homeless, washed-up boxer, knows he was drunk the night he saw the dead girl slip into the freezing water of the Baltimore Harbor and yet the dragon’s reflection that stared back at him persists. Terrified, KO resolves to wrestle his inner demon to get sober and finally reunite with his daughter and grandson.
To solve the case, Mankiller wants KO to relive the night—once again under the influence of alcohol. Only this way can their sole lead help them trap the killer. But is the cost of a man’s reclaimed soul too high a price to pay? Mankiller and Ruiz must confront themselves, and each other, and decide—before it’s too late.
Either way, one life will be saved, one life sacrificed. But whose?
Fans of gripping crime thrillers from James Patterson, Stuart MacBride, and Michael Connelly will be captivated by this pacey, atmospheric novel that delves into the depths of morality and justice.
“A measured crime story that deftly forefronts its indelible characters.” — Kirkus Reviews
Click the button below to apply for an ARC copy of RiaDE in ePub.
RiaDE cover reveal Tuesday July 18th!
Reflections in a Dragon's Eye is now live on NetGalley!
RiaDE cover reveal Tuesday July 18th!
Be the first to see the cover to Reflections in a Dragon's Eye by Bradley Harper and Lydia Galehouse. Subscribe to Brad's newsletter for the first view and for ongoing news!
More soon...
More soon...
RiaDE cover reveal Tuesday July 18th!
Check back soon for more news and updates in the coming days and weeks.
Teasers, Excerpts, and Commentaries
SAMPLE: opening passages to RiaDE
Series copy composed, mulled over, and settled on
Series copy composed, mulled over, and settled on
Scroll down for some opening passages. Like what you see? Request the full sample here. (Or email
Reflections in a Dragon’s Eye
Come not between the dragon, and his wrath.
- William Shakespeare, King Lear
Chapter One
Dec. 31, Monday, 2013 to Jan 1, Tuesday, 2014
Marty had only one thing on his mind, and she was wearing his coat.
The stink of cheap perfume and sweat followed them out of the club, but Marty hardly noticed. He watched Carly spin and laugh, her sharp heels leaving tracks in the fallen snow. She was skinny but had a dancer’s grace. Two years at Juilliard on a scholarship, she’d said. She might have been better off taking a cosmetics course, he thought, given how much rouge she was wearing.
Marty had never had a dancer before, but she was perfect: the right height, hair color, bust. It was almost a new year, and he liked its promising start.
Eventually she skipped back. “You gonna get me in trouble tonight, Marty?” she asked.
“Babe, what fun would it be if I didn’t? I play by no one’s rules.”
“So where’re we goin’, rebel? You finally gonna take me to your special place you been teasin’ me about?”
Marty smiled. He was freezing his ears off, but it paid to act the gentleman, so he dropped his hat on her head for good measure, grinning at how it made her look small.
“Tonight you and I will be watching the fireworks from the best seat in the house. I’ve got champagne on ice waiting for us.”
“Champagne? Real champagne?”
“A classy New Year start for my classy lady. None of that fake sparkling stuff.”
He teased her curls, then clutched her arm and staggered a little. To anyone watching, they were just another couple looking for a hideaway for that midnight kiss.
Distant music clamored in a frantic drone. Along the dock, yachts bobbed softly on the icy black water. Out in the Baltimore harbor, a few were cruising, waiting for the midnight show. Cabin lights beamed brightly as figures moved back and forth before windows, all too distant, too distracted, to care for the dark of the dock.
The cold, damp air felt like a cold hand on the back of his neck, and while the girl laughed and swept her arms about in joy, Marty kept his face buried in the collar of his cardigan as a few other couples passed in the opposite direction. He wished she wouldn’t draw so much attention to them. Someone might remember.
“Right down here, babe. Five … six … That one right up ahead’s my boat. We’ll ring in the New Year in style.”
“The one with the carved lady snake in front?”
“That’s the one.”
“Based on an ex-girlfriend?” Carly said, laughing.
Marty smiled tightly as he gave her a hand up over the gunwale. He drew the other hand across his bottom lip as Carly strode like a dream across the yacht’s polished deck. He’d spent the day getting the wood boards to gleam and didn’t regret the sight.
“Marty, this is just lovely.”
“I call her Lamia. It’s … mythological.”
“Poetic, huh?”
Marty winked at the snake woman before shooing Carly along.
******
A few minutes later, Carly sat in the saloon and sipped a drink Marty had made her before he went below “to prepare the cabin.” She felt a little claustrophobic in the close-heated confines after the cold of the harbor air, so she took off Marty’s jacket, then eyed the champagne in the bucket of ice on the bar. Cristal. That was expensive, and she liked expensive. Growing up in a double-wide on government cheese and food stamps, she’d had few tastes of it. Dancing was a step up. Sometimes you got drinks out of it, and you certainly got better than food stamps.
Carly frowned as she noticed a thinness to the Scotch. She spotted a honey-brown shine in a decanter hiding in the recesses of the bar. Sometimes a girl had to look out for herself. She wobbled toward the decanter and frowned, catching herself on the counter.
She was pouring out a glass when her vision began to blur.
“Wasn’t even the good stuff,” she muttered. She threw back half the glass in one go before she carefully hid the decanter back in its place of honor.
The boat rocked and she felt her head sway twice as much.
Shit. What have I got myself into?
Footsteps thudded on the stairs from the cabin. Marty. His smile had gone crooked. He was dusting his hands the way certain people do when they’re pleased with their work.
Carly fought a smile. No sea legs, that was it. Had to be. Why did she always think she couldn’t have nice things? Everything about Marty was nice.
Again, Carly felt her head start to tilt. The twist in her gut wouldn’t leave her alone. She made herself stop looking at that smile and looked back at the stars. She had to think. She’d had Valium slipped into her drink once before. You learned to watch for drugs while working in a bar.
But, no, he’d mixed it right in front of her, hadn’t he? And why? It wasn’t like she hadn’t already …
Shit.
She told herself to breathe, then carefully set the drink down and headed for the door in the slow, precise way she knew how to do when she was trying to look sober. She aimed for the deck but let herself sway on her bad sea legs. Can’t let him know I know.
“Where you headed, babe?”
“We’ll see the fireworks better outside,” she managed without slurring.
She turned on what she hoped was her own charming smile and hung in the doorway ’til he picked up another lime—then she sprang down the deck for the gangplank.
She never made it.
Request the full sample. (Or email
Series copy composed, mulled over, and settled on
Series copy composed, mulled over, and settled on
Series copy composed, mulled over, and settled on
If you’re eagle-eyed, you probably noticed how the cover gives away RiaDE’s subtitle. And you probably also noticed this is book 1 in a planned Baltimore PD Reflections Series.
The series, by the way, in your hands, as the authors want to see how well this story and it characters are received—meaning, if you like it, buy, review it, and recommend it, then book 2 could happen (in 2024 or 2025). In fact, whisper it quietly, the title and main plot and ideas already exist.
Meanwhile, as we gear up for pre-orders of RiaDE, we’ve been busy writing and arguing over, what you might think is, a simple task—communicating the basic series information.
Simple…? Simple…?!
Not so! Here’s just one question we discussed, for example: Should we include the thoughts of some successful authors like Baron Birtcher—Los Angeles Times bestselling author of Reckoning—and former detective Mark Bergin—author of Apprehension and finalist for the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award?
Do readers read such quotes, we posited. Should we not use only our own words?
In the end, the answer we settled on was why not see what other writer/readers think the series is and let everyone know? Especially as their words were so neatly constructed and on point.
And so here it is. Find this series info, together with the book’s summary and cover, on digital bookstore sites from August 17th.
Killer stories with a moral core, where evil and desperation ride both sides of the law.
Follow Native American Detective Sergeant William Mankiller and Latina Detective Maria Esperanza Ruiz, a rookie on her first big cases, as they seek to find and stop the killers that prowl the streets and waters of Baltimore… no matter the cost.
“Honor, violence, risk, and redemption sit at the center of this crime thriller series that goes beyond police procedural into human drama, horror, and emotional impact.”
– Mark Bergin, former detective, author of Apprehension, finalist for the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award
“Clever and intelligently rendered whodunits…[and] deftly woven tales of psychological suspense, The authors’ keen eye for historical detail and investigative realism adds a depth and dimension that holds the reader rapt—and wrapped up—in the unfolding stories.”
– Baron Birtcher, Los Angeles Times bestselling author of Reckoning
More soon...
Series copy composed, mulled over, and settled on
More soon...
Check back soon for teasers, excerpts, and commentaries from the authors.
Images & Artwork
Full RiaDE cover reveal
Full RiaDE cover reveal
Full RiaDE cover reveal
From the front and back again...
You’ve seen only the front cover so far… But now you can get a better idea of the whole cover concept with this mock-up of the book. And for the first time, we can reveal the text on the back cover, too. Thanks to Mark Bergin (former detective, author of Apprehension, and finalist for the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award), who read the book earlier in the year and who provided the great quote.
We’ll be showing the full image as flat artwork in due course, but with the mock-up, you can see a little how the scales provide a subtle yet dramatic background. You’ll have to wait to work out how that connects to the story, which given that no actual dragon is flying around Baltimore in RiaDE, might be open to interpretation.
Our cover designer will be dropping in, in the next couple of weeks, to talk with us about the cover concept and generation. Until then, enjoy seeing what Reflections in a Dragon’s Eye will look like when the book hits stores, digital and physical, on September 18.
RiaDE's cover revealed!
Full RiaDE cover reveal
Full RiaDE cover reveal
Here it is! The cover literally everyone has been asking to see. Well, almost everyone.
It took us a while to get to this choice—and then finalize all the elements—with other versions we developed and rejected.
Check back in the coming days and weeks to see some of the rejected cover versions and find out why they were abandoned. And we’ll talk about this final cover in more detail.
In the meantime, see if you can work out what you think is going on within the eye. There are, in fact, several elements there for the sharp-eyed viewer ;).
Come and have you say over on our Twitter page, @PapillonPere. Let us know what you think.
More soon...
Full RiaDE cover reveal
More soon...
Check back soon for images and artwork in the coming days and weeks.
Interviews & Chat
“I’ll get by with a little from my friend”
“I’ll get by with a little from my friend”
“I’ll get by with a little from my friend”
What’s it like when authors collaborate? Why do they choose to do so? How does it benefit them and story?
Now that RiaDE is open for pre-orders and the exciting sample with the opening chapters is available (request here), we’ve got some words from the authors about collaborating together.
Brad
The idea for the book first came to me over twenty years ago when I learned of Conditional Dependent Learning. It’s a condition in which a person encodes a memory when they are either drunk or high, and can only recall it when they return to that physiologic state. I wondered if I could write a story where the solution of a crime hinged on a witness getting drunk after they had vowed to never do so again. Would it be ethical to ask someone to do that? What would it take for the person fighting for their sobriety to agree to put it at risk?
The tagline for this story is: “Would you risk your soul to catch a killer?”
This is the first collaboration I’ve ever written and it was helpful to me as I like strong female characters, and having a woman’s perspective in some of the scenes added a great deal of depth.
As for my process, I always start with “what if …?” Then, I write the ending to help me clarify what I want the reader to feel when they finish the story. Then I decide where the story begins and write that. Once I’ve created those two "anchors” to my story, I figure out a credible journey to get my characters from the start to the end, and then I start writing.
I hope you enjoy reading the book as much as we did in creating it.
Lydia
Having edited for Brad for years, I've always enjoyed how he brings humanity back into the detective genre. Many readers go to detective stories because they want the world to make sense and life is hard and complex. I think fiction geniuses like Sherlock Holmes crop up time and time again in popular culture because we want heroes to beat the odds when we feel we can't. We need a break from reality to dream a little about what could be. Almost inevitably this kind of hero detective fails if the dream, the story, doesn't end and these superhuman beings get a little too good at their jobs. This risks leaving readers feeling helpless again: the story not only stops being comforting but can be depressing. Fortunately, I think Brad's characters do so well because they aren't superhuman. They are competent and grounded. They try their best and struggle with their flaws, which is all any of us can do, but they also win the day because they don't give up. I think that helps readers feel grounded after the last page is read, more so than they would reading about the a born genius or a tech heavy trickster, even if those stories can be fun.
This is my first collaboration. One thing I've always struggled with as a writer is the plot getting away from the characters. I put my character in the situation that will change them and see where it will end. Brad's focus on structure, his beginning and final "anchors," as he puts it, help nail things down more. It's been refreshing working alongside him. As a world traveler, he also has connections and experiences that are invaluable to the content we work on.
In regards to my own practice, I tend to find my spark of inspiration with an idea for a character. Then I try to imagine what situation that character can learn or grow in. One of the most important things for me when writing is no one gets to be a "prop." Every character is a person, from the protagonist to the antagonist, and everyone in between. In my mind, the antagonist of the story should always be a shadow or antithesis of the protagonist’s values, but they should never be larger than life. A story can grow more organically that way.
I hope readers will find this book refreshing. It's a new spin on an old story with something new and unexpected thrown in. I hope there's something for everyone.
More soon...
“I’ll get by with a little from my friend”
“I’ll get by with a little from my friend”
Check back soon for more interviews and chat with the authors and book creators.