published in print with little success, he has decided to try his hand at self-publishing. Most of his works will be sold as ebooks through various online retailers, but he also plans to make some available for free exclusively on Goodreads.
He writes primarily speculative fiction--fantasy, science fiction, horror, and their sub-genres--but he also likes to try his hand at thrillers, suspense, mystery, and even westerns. However, his stories tend to have a fantasy element, no matter how subtle.
Most of his stories involve the following three main characters:
Medb hErenn [https://www.medbherenn.com/]--One-time queen of Ireland, she is over 3500 years old. A warrior and a sorceress, she cannot be harmed by any weapon made by the hand of man.
Eile and Sunny, Team Girl [https://www.teamgirlforever.com/]--They are two adorable, vivacious, fun-loving young women whose motto is ONWARD TO ADVENTURE!!! Yet trouble follows them like a love-sick puppy wherever they go.
Sir Differel Van Helsing [https://www.sir-differel.com/]--The descendent of Abraham Van Helsing and King Arthur, she heads the Caerleon Order, the premier monster-hunting organization of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. She commands Dracula, the most powerful vampire extant, and the greatsword Caliburn, better known as Excalibur.
He also writes a series of sword & sorcery stories set in an alternative universe known as the Lands of the Dreams of Men.
Kevin lives in Denver with his family and 4 cats.
For more information, see the Songs of the Seanchai [https://www.seanchaisongs.com/].
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Discover other titles by Kevin L. O'Brien:
A fidus Aranea, Adventurer's Honeymoon, Barbarians R Us, The Christmas Vampires, Dark Vengeance, Disposable Commodities, Do Unto Others, Far-Sight, Feline Savior, Gourmand Hag, Gratuitous Crossover, Gruff Tolls, Immanuel, The Lions of Inganok, Man Friday, Masie's Mind, No Torrent Like Greed, Oak Do Hate, Post-Traumatic Redemption, Pride and Fall, Sacrificial Offering, Shenanigans
Enjoy these other titles at fine ebook retailers everywhere.
Available on Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/story/list/20075368
The Beast of Exmoor, A Deliberation of Morality, Desperate Acts, The Denver Walker, The Golden Mushroom, Jigsaw Dragon, One-Percenter Vendetta, The Peril Gem, Rhapsody in Orange, The Temple of Ubasti, A Typical Friday Night, Youthful Indiscretion
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Connect with Kevin L. O'Brien Online:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KLOB_writer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevin.l.obrien.1
Website: https://www.seanchaisongs.com/
DeviantArt: https://teamgirl-differel.deviantart.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Kevin_L_OBrien
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Sample Excerpts
From "Far-Sight"
Laban Shrewsbury found Jeremiah and Kathleen Arkenton standing beside the fiberglass skeleton of Tyrannosaurus rex in the lobby of the Natural History Museum. He always felt amazed that two such different people had ever found anything in common, much less gotten married and produced a gifted son. Jeremiah was tall but well built, almost muscular, with hawkish features and a shock of unruly salt and pepper hair. Kathleen was short and petite but curvy, with long copper-red hair and classic Irish features, including green eyes and freckles. Physical appearances aside, the wife was spontaneous, outgoing, and mischievous, while the husband was introverted, coldly rational, and taciturn except when lecturing about some scientific or technological subject. Yet by all accounts their marriage was a happy one, and Kathleen had confided to him that she and Jeremiah had an active, even boisterous, sex life.
Kathleen waved to him while Jeremiah stood at her side, studying the display in that intense, totally absorbed way he had. Shrewsbury waved back then approached, weaving his way through the crowd. As he came up to them, Kathleen grinned and welcomed him, then nudged her husband none too gently in the ribs. Jeremiah turned around and regarded Shrewsbury casually with his usual stony expression. Most people found that stare unnerving, especially with those hard, steel-blue eyes looking back at them like they were specimens he wanted to study. Shrewsbury understood that it was nothing personal; it was Jeremiah's normal reaction to anyone, close friend and stranger alike. Besides, he was used to it.
Kathleen hugged Shrewsbury and he shook hands with Jeremiah, who managed a faint smile and a nod of the head. "So, to what do we owe this pleasure?" she asked, her sing-song voice buzzing with a faint Irish brogue.
"The director of the museum is a former student of mine. He has a puzzle he would like the two of you to investigate. It concerns the disappearance of one of his researchers."
Jeremiah cocked an eyebrow. "Solving puzzles is not our profession," he said evenly in his strong, robust baritone.
Shrewsbury gave him an enigmatic smile. "This is one I believe you will appreciate."
Kathleen gave her husband a look of reproach. "We'll be happy to help in any way we can, Laban; lead the way."
Shrewsbury took them through the crowd to a bank of elevators, one of which took them up to the offices. He then escorted them to a suite used by the museum director. The secretary in the outer office directed them into the inner office, where they found a professorial type, middle-aged, portly, with thinning brown hair covering a bald spot on his head and a short-cropped Hollywood-style beard on his round, pudgy face.
He stood and came out from behind his desk to greet his guests and shake their hands. Shrewsbury introduced him as Dr. Theodore Carroway, and he invited the Arkentons to sit.
"I am pleased you agreed to see me," he began as he returned to his side of the desk. "I appreciate how valuable your time is."
"Laban is a good friend of ours," Kathleen assured him. "He would not have spoken to us on your behalf if he felt your problem was trivial."
"I appreciate that, Mrs. Arkenton, and I thank you for your graciousness."
"Not at all, Dr. Carroway, and please call me Kathy."
Carroway flashed a happy smile. "My friends call me Ted."
"So, how may we help you?"
Carroway leaned forward, resting his arms on the desk. "Here at the museum we use endowments, grants, and contributions to fund research into various areas of the natural and physical sciences. We try to keep a tight control over these various projects, to make sure the money is not wasted on frivolous or crackpot endeavors, but occasionally an operation slips through the cracks. Why, just last year we cancelled funding for a project that was suppose to study the physiology of sleep but was actually used for some nonsense about predicting the future through dreams."
"Actually," Jeremiah said, "ESP dream research has a sound scientific foundation--"
Kathleen silenced him by putting her hand on his knee. "Now's not the time, Jerry."
Carroway cleared his throat with a nervous grunt. "Well, a week ago one of our physicists disappeared from his lab, and I believe it may have been due to what he was working on. He had been funded to conduct research on unifying relativity with quantum theory, but I'm afraid he may have been using his grant to conduct unauthorized experiments."
"Why do you believe he disappeared?" Jeremiah asked.
"He was seen going into his lab in the morning. No one saw him leave, yet when the security guards checked his lab after closing he was not there. Now, mind you, no one can say with absolute certainty that he did not leave on his own, but neither can anyone confirm that he did."
"Could he have gone out a window?" Kathleen inquired.
"No, his lab is in the basement; there are no windows."
"I take it you examined the lab," Jeremiah evaluated; "what was he working on?"
"I had hoped you could tell me, Jerry."
"I prefer Jeremiah."
"Oh dear! I am sorry--"
"I would like to see the lab," Jeremiah announced suddenly.
Flustered, Carroway at first made no move, b
ut when the Arkentons stood he jumped up out of his chair and hastily led them and Shrewsbury out of his office and back to the elevators.
They went down into the basement level, and along the way, Kathleen said, "Try not to mind my husband's abruptness. He doesn't mean to be rude, he just has a straightforward manner."
Carroway nervously glanced askance at Jeremiah, but if he was offended by his wife's comment he gave no sign. "No, no, I understand completely."
The lab in question was under guard and locked. Inside, it looked more like an electrician's workshop than a science lab, yet the room was dominated by a large piece of unusual equipment. It resembled a reflecting telescope, except there was only a single piece of glass embedded in its base, which looked more like a lens than a mirror. It was some three feet in diameter and encased in a metal frame that was itself built into the cylindrical latticework. Cables attached to the superstructure ran off to various machines scattered around the room, which were in turn connected to monitoring and control equipment.
While Carroway hung back, the Arkentons and Shrewsbury examined the device. Kathleen voiced the obvious thought they all entertained: "Why build a telescope in a basement room with no windows?" No one ventured an answer.
In time they each gravitated to a different part of the room. Shrewsbury concentrated on the lens, while Kathleen checked out the
The Adventure of the Steel Gazelle Page 6
