Month: July 2023

My Top Sellers — Derek Barton – 2023

General

I am working hard on book #16, The Deity Staff. My collection has certainly grown especially during this last year or so.

So, I thought it would be a good idea to highlight my top sellers (most popular) books, share what they are about and give you an honest review from Amazon. Some of you may not have known about these or just know of the titles and not the story.

ELUDE:

A young ex-con, Vicente Vargas, must outrun the police and the real killer framing him for a series of gruesome murders in Phoenix, Arizona. With his reputation tarnished and no support, he must fight to clear his name and survive the dangerous streets.

4.6 stars 23 reviews

Great crime/horror novels! This little book packs a wallop in its 110 pages. It also establishes Derek Barton as a mystery/crime/horror writer. I’m so glad I found it, and so will you.

Two seemingly unrelated incidents converge towards the end. A 20 year old boy, a juvie graduate, is struggling to support his younger sister’s dream and reverse her opinion of his character. A tween living with her father and bed-ridden grandma since her mom died in a car accident is linked to their paid caretaker’s apparent traffic suicide. Barton is a skilled writer who develops his characters seamlessly around the plot; a plot which will glue the reader to the story until a “to be continued” announcement on page 110 makes him groan in exasperation. You know nothing will keep that reader or this reviewer from getting the sequel.Well played, Mr. Barton, well played! Five Stars.

CONSEQUENCES WITHIN CHAOS:

An untested sorcerer prince, Taihven, must wield untapped powers from the Chaos Realm to save his city, Wyvernshield, from a massive beastly horde and discover their true enemy from the past to fulfill his destiny as the much-needed king.

4.8 stars and 15 reviews

Author Derek Barton has created an amazing world with vibrant colors and characters. Scratch that, he has created layers of worlds that vary with colors, textures, sounds, and smells that make me wish I could spend a day or two exploring them (with a safe guide, of course).

The characters invoke strong emotions right from opening. I felt hate, love, terror and remorse, it is a roller coaster. I don’t think I’ve ever smelled a setting while I was reading, but Mr. Barton does such a great job triggering imagination with his writing that I found myself wrinkling my nose as if the smells were all around me.

I have read through this book at least a half dozen times and recently purchased it for my Kindle so it is easier to carry around. If you enjoy fantasy fiction, I highly recommend reading this book.

I can’t wait for the next!

EVADE:

Detective Lindsey Korrey faces a perilous chase after a police car incident, becoming the guardian of a missing child pursued by sinister forces. Battling supernatural enemies and unearthing dangerous secrets, Lindsey’s thrilling journey captivates with suspense and pulse-pounding revelations.

4.7 stars 21 reviews

A heart-pounding adventure….twists and turns galore.

‘Evade, Part One’ by Derek Barton is the sequel to his 2017 novella ‘In Four Days’. This installment is filled with action, suspense and twist and turns enough to give one literary whiplash. With an array of some very memorable characters and a most creative plot, this short read will have you entertained and asking for more. Good things do indeed come in small packages. Derek breathes life into his characters and takes his readers along for a rapidly palpitating escapade in a cat-and-mouse adventure with the supernatural. A fun and entertaining read. Looking forward to the next installment.

THE HIDDEN:

Nate and Zelda Malone’s windfall leads them to a vast farm near Hoosier National Forest. However, a nightmarish presence lurking on their land threatens to literally tear them apart. Together, they must confront an ancient and malevolent creature that endangers not just their lives but all of humanity, testing their limits and forcing them to make unimaginable sacrifices to survive.

8 reviews 5 stars

Atmospheric and intense! This is a very well-written novel. It is dark and sometimes disturbing, with great character development. The tension builds for the reader with the setting almost becoming a character itself in that it greatly influences the story and people and is almost as frightening as the wolves themselves. The werewolf legend is artfully advanced by this fine novel.

THE BLEEDING CROWN:

The spirited Princess Letandra is abducted by her family’s rivals, leaving her stranded in a foreign land. As she faces unexpected trials and sadistic captors, she must risk everything to escape and warn her brother, King Taihven, of the impending war that threatens not just his kingdom, but the fate of all.

12 reviews 4.5 stars

I can’t wait to see what happens next! This book is even better than it’s predecessor.
It is layered with fascinating characters. The heroes are truly heroic, while remaining human and believable, and the villians are truly evil. It spans different worlds where the action keeps you breathlessly turning page after well-written page.

For those who loved the Wyvernshield stories, Pawns & Pieces has continued the story line. It was great to explore both worlds of Tayneva and Aberrisc again!

Please do not let these stories slip by you! You can still pick them up on Amazon, Kindle and on Audible!

NEW WEB SAGA — Derek Barton – 2023

New Content

I have been writing a lot lately but mainly fantasy. So I don’t want to neglect you, my dark horror readers. So here’s my first ever attempt at a zompoc! What’s that, you say? It’s my first zombie apocalypse story!! ENJOY!!

*****

A sour smell, like decaying meat and rotting lemons, struck Manny. It was so powerful he gagged on reflex and covered his nose and mouth with both hands.

What in gods is that, his inner voice screamed at him.

Tonight, however, the stench resonating all through his background storage area was part of the curse. This rank scent would undoubtedly stick with him for a week like it was imprinted into his brain. He literally would relive it over and over. At least that had been his experience.

Manny’s sense of smell head always been a blessing and a curse. It was probably triple the average person’s senses. He used it often to work out the ingredients and spices used in every day meal’s served by his competitors. He was a small-time restaurant owner on the east side of Chicago. And he was quickly gaining ground on the other restaurants and getting a reputation for his culinary talents.

He walked over to a tiny barred window high on the southern wall and slid it partially open to let in fresh air. That was a terrible decision. More of the foul reek barreled into him again, bending him over, and making him retch loudly.

While muttering curse words to himself through his clasped fists, he shuffled over to a set of metal shelves. It took a moment but he finally spotted a strawberry-lemon air freshener. He immediately sprayed it in wide arching swings through the air.

He hesitantly took away his hands and tried to lightly smell the air. It was livable but still nasty. That was when Manny heard a buzzing, scratching sound coming from the alley outside the storage room.

The summer heat and sticky humidity had forced him to keep every door and window sealed shut in the cramped restaurant. Now through that barred window he heard the very distinct insect-like cadence. 

He cocked his head to the left to hear it better. While Manny was blessed with super smell he had lost his hearing in his left ear years ago in his service as a Marine. A rocket shell had been launched into their camp one fine summer evening in Afghanistan. He lived through the war but didn’t come back unmarked.

He could tell that the sounds were from more than one source but from a few, quite a few insects. Grabbing a towel, he wrapped the cloth around his face then unlocked the alley door.

Outside it was near sunset. Only a blinking street lamp at the end of the alleyway was illuminating anything. Next to the door was a large green dumpster and another one opposite his was backed up against an old shoe store. It had been abandoned a year ago so no light from it helped light up the interior of the back alley.

The smell grew stronger and choked him mercilessly. The meaty smell was now combined with a sulphuric taste in the air.

“Carver? Carver, you out here?” Manny managed to call out. Carver was a homeless man that had been residing the last four or five months behind his restaurant.

Manny heard a grunt, muffled but distinct. It came from the other side of the bin.

All over the walls, clinging to the bricks of the buildings, he spotted hundreds of cockroaches. That alien song of buzzing came from them as they fluttered their wings in the air.

They appeared to Manny as though they were fanning themselves like sunbathers at the poolside. He’d never seen anything like it. He was frozen by the spectacle in the alley doorway. On the ground at the base of the shoe store, a sewer grate was askew. Hundreds more of the roaches circled it. They crawled slowly and methodically over each other making a ladder of their bodies to get up and out of the open drain!

A hand slapped at his shoe. Manny shrieked. 

It was Carver! Or at least he thought it was as it was hard to be sure in the faint yellowish light.

Carver’s body was wrong, just wrong! His face, the skin and muscles were wax-like, hung like soft raw dough. Red holes dotted his entire upper torso! Blood bubbled out and dribbled down. His eyes were gone! His mouth open and making a squishy gurgling noise.

Manny shrieked again when he spotted the first sets of antennae inside those red holes! Their tiny heads looking out, staring back out at him!

Carver had become a crawling, mewling human bag of cockroaches!

New Release! — Pawns & Pieces – Derek Barton 2023

New Book Releases

Ready for you, ready to thrill and take you deep into the darken lands of Tayneva!

Shrouded in secrecy, the aftermath of the Battle at Adventdawn lingers, concealed behind the impenetrable veil of the Barrier of Storms. The City of Wyvernshield, now under the iron-fisted rule of the new Ebon Queen, becomes the epicenter of a harrowing campaign fueled by relentless conquest and unspeakable terror.


Meanwhile, the sinister forces of the Beleardea Blood Cult, her treacherous allies, run amok, spreading their malevolence unchecked. In this clandestine struggle, the valiant Khestal Ezan Order must operate from the shadows, their every move cloaked in secrecy.


Can the survivors—LLasher, Scars, and Ama’yen—discover a path to redemption, driven by an unwavering determination to make a difference?


As a newfound glimmer of hope pierces the darkness, Taliah the Seeress unveils a sudden revelation. A beacon of light that reignites their efforts, leading them to a possible key to unlock Princess Letandra from the clutches of The Bleeding Crown.

Prepare to embark on an electrifying journey through the gripping pages of PAWNS & PIECES! With every turn, follow the tantalizing clues and cryptic signs that lead deeper into a treacherous Game of Devastation that looms ominously over all. Grab your copy now! The stakes have never been higher!

Now on sale on Kindle and Amazon (Audible version coming soon!) CLICK HERE