Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Congratulations to the Winners: 



On February 8th, 2016 Valerie Mabery, John Sanders, and Cheryl Epps were selected as the Goodreads Giveaway Contest Winners of Sabotage

All three of them won an autographed copy of my new book Sabotage.

That's quite a feat considering there were a total 1,088 entries spread across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Tomorrow your books will be in the mail.

Wednesday, December 16, 2015


 

A REECE CULVER NOVEL



BRYAN KOEPKE




Chapter 1

Saturday June 8, 2013
             
             Julian had been told the target would be traveling south along the coastal road. With a practiced hand he pivoted the stock of the Russian-made sniper rifle on its black steel swivel mount atop the bipod legs and aimed toward the highway below. The SUV would be passing right through his sight . . .  there. A chilly breeze blew through the tent, rippling the damp cotton shirt that lay molded to his back. He wasn’t nervous, but he did tend to sweat as the killing hour approached. He regarded the unpleasant sensation as just part of the job. It wasn’t like anyone would ever find out.
Peering through the custom-made rifle scope, he adjusted the magnification between his thumb and index finger, zooming in on the worn white strands of the highway’s center line several hundred yards below. As he rotated the knob back out, he spotted the farthest flag he’d placed in the branches of a nearby tree. The strip of white plastic barely fluttered, telling him the wind was calm.
His square unshaven chin pressed firmly against the cold black stock of the Dragunov SVD, and he pushed upward, seating the steel magazine that housed multiple 7N1 steel-core sniper rounds. With its 151-grain projectile and velocity of 830 meters per second, it was perfect for this type of work.
A rifle was the best—precise, anonymous, and decisive. He ran the shot through his mind one more time. Envision what you want to have happen. He’d read about that in an e-zine, and he adopted it as part of his preparations, even though it was supposed to be part of his ten-year life plan. He didn’t need any plan. In ten years he’d be rich and retired on a private island in the Caribbean.
The tracking device he’d stuck under the rear bumper would tell him when the SUV was near. It would approach on its way south toward the city of Talbert. He’d picked the perfect spot. The narrow Scottish road curved left around a large hill, and the vast expanse of the North Atlantic Ocean spread beyond the guardrail.
Confirm the license plate BV-061-EK, lead the target, and pan upward to the windshield. He’d draw a bead on the man’s head, squeeze the trigger, and watch as the windshield filled with a fine red mist. He’d envisioned the heavy vehicle veering sideways and crashing through the flimsy rusted guardrail before plunging into the depths of the sea. The driver would be dead before he realized how freezing cold that water was.
            As the assassin waited patiently enduring the wet chill that reminded him of his home on Bainbridge Island, he monitored the moving red dot on his cell phone. A young woman with a yellow scarf drove past in her blue Volvo sedan. His stomach growled, and he remembered the bacon he’d had at the inn.  The slabs were thick and cooked only in patches. Typical British cuisine.
            The dot was rapidly approaching, and he shifted his attention to a silver Nissan Pathfinder rapidly making its way up the road. It carried two occupants. Damn it, he thought as a maroon BMW X5 came around the corner. The Pathfinder would pass in front just as the BMW entered his field of fire.
He could feel a drop of sweat rolling down the knobs of his spine. He zeroed in the rifle scope on the BMW windshield. The cross hairs remained steady as the SUV slowed to make the curve. He saw the Pathfinder pass through in a blur. He had a split second of clearance as he squeezed the trigger. The windshield misted red and flashed beyond his line of sight.



Chapter 2

Reece Culver was driving, and his good friend Haisley Averton sat opposite. He was finding that the Pathfinder he’d rented handled pretty well for a truck. Driving on the left was weird, though, just like the name of the town they’d just passed through. Who would want to live in a place called Lochgilphead? You’d have to check the spelling every time you wrote your address.
“The way I see it, we have two options. We can find a pub in town, grab a few brews, some chow, and find a place to stay tonight, or we can head straight up to that fishing lodge, check in, and hope their restaurant and bar are still open,” Reece said.
“I vote for the first one. On the flyer the lodge looks like it’s hard-core fishing only, and I’d rather check out some of the local scotch before we go camping,” Haisley said.
They were nearing yet another curve on the twisting coastal road. Coming around the bend was a maroon BMW X5. A lot nicer car than what we’re driving, Reece thought. Wouldn’t pay for the upgrade, though—
As the two cars passed, he heard the loud crack of a rifle. He instinctively ducked. In the rearview mirror he saw the BMW careen sideways, straight into the guardrail. The steel barrier was ripped open with an ear-splitting screech. The BMW carried on through—and dropped out of sight.
“Did you see that?” he yelled, jamming his cowboy boot down on the brake pedal. The rear wheels locked as the vehicle skidded. The rear end started drifting right, and then the truck’s automatic traction control system corrected their path. Reece could smell the tires burning from the friction.
“What the hell just happened?” Haisley said as he unbuckled his seat belt.
Reece flung open his door and jumped down, wanting to see what happened to the other car. He ran to the crumpled section of the guardrail that the BMW had destroyed before it went airborne. Springing off his right foot, he cleared the barrier like a hurdle. The grass-covered bank was wet and slick as he descended. He started to slide, then caught himself, allowing himself to fall on his behind. He half-slid, half-pedaled the rest of the way down to the water.
The sports utility vehicle was twenty feet out into the ocean with its front end already submerged below the surface. Reece didn’t have much time, if in fact the driver was still alive. He slipped off his Tony Lama boots.
“Reece, what are you doing?” Haisley cried from above.
“I’ve got to see if he needs to be rescued.”
The lapping surf felt cold on his shins, then his stomach, and shoulders as he plunged into the waves. The saltwater burned his eyes as he looked out toward the truck and wondered if he’d get there in time.
It seemed like it took ten minutes to swim to the sinking truck. Reece kicked through the water, taking big swipes at it as he alternated strokes with his arms.
Just a little more. I’ve got it now.  
He’d finally made it just as the rear bumper plunged below the surface and followed the rest of the truck’s chassis, sinking remorselessly into the cold black depths. Reece stuck his head below the water’s surface as he followed the red SUV down. There was no way he could dive that far.
            Pulling his head out of the water, he kicked to keep treading water. For the first time he felt the bone-chilling cold. His teeth chattered and his numb legs felt like two heavy clumps. The wind whipped at the water’s surface, spraying his face.
He turned back toward the shore and felt a strong current carrying him south. If he didn’t get back to shore, hypothermia would set in and he’d drown.
Come on, he told himself, focus. He swung into motion, feeling more sluggish now. His arms were heavy like wooden oars. Reece kicked his feet to propel himself forward, but felt the weight of his clothes. His friend Haisley was standing on the bank a few feet from the water’s edge. The older bald black man with his white goatee was waving to him frantically.
Just keep on rowing, he encouraged himself, just like a rowboat, looking for the right spot to fish. As he steadily made his way to shore, his mind filled with questions. What had happened on the road up above? Someone had shot at a moving vehicle, and that car was now sunk in the ocean depths. Whoever it was had to be a damned good shot. That meant that the killing was intentional
He’d been lucky. One second earlier, and he could have been the one who was killed. A burn of anger started spreading from the back of his neck. That was too close. That made it personal.

SABOTAGE - Reece Culver thriller series - Book 2 is out.

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Bryan Koepke's thrilling new short story, DAMAGE, punches into Amazon Top 100 Best Sellers rankings first week out.

It's been just a little under a week since DAMAGE was published and it's already made it into the Amazon Top 100 Best Sellers for two separate categories several days in a row.  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WPCI7FGPlease Share!






This short piece of fiction was written as the prequel to Koepke's previously published Novel VENGEANCE after the author heard from readers that they'd like more information about the protagonist's father.


Sunday, March 1, 2015

Author Bryan Koepke's website offers readers and writers tips on Self Publishing

The recently updated website of Author Bryan Koepke gives readers information about his book Vengeance, and his soon to be released short story, Damage, which is the prequel to the novel.

Here's the cover reveal for the soon to be published short story by author Bryan Koepke.
In this story we read the prequel to Vengeance.




If you dig further you'll find a whole page titled "Writers" with general advice, tips, & tricks on self publishing.  This page also has links to places where authors can get started self-publishing their own work.  Here's the link Bryan Koepke.

Take a look and if you don't see something you're interested in be sure to contact Bryan on his Contact page.


Wednesday, February 4, 2015

What's next after the debut Novel Vengeance?

If you've followed me on Twitter or my Facebook Author page you probably know I've been working on the next book in the Reece Culver Thriller series, Sabotage, which Writers Cabin Press plans to publish in 2015.  I've gone so far to say it will come out in the later half of 2015.  Right now I'm working my way through the manuscript editing it word by word, paragraph by paragraph, and page by page.  I'm hoping to give my freelance editor a call in the next couple of weeks and set up a time to send it to him.

When I wrote Vengeance I went through several rounds of developmental editing with John Paine.  Then in the Fall of 2013 he did his final edit and last March the book was published by Writers Cabin Press, Ltd.

I've also been working on a prequel to Vengeance that will give the reader some insight into the life of Reece's father, Al Culver.  I'll let you know when this is done and when it becomes available on Amazon.

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Bryan Koepke's Debut Thriller - Vengeance - gets its 27th review

What readers are saying about VENGEANCE


I just finished this book last night…I couldn't put it down!  5 Stars


I enjoyed this book… IT had a few twists and turns that kept me guessing… The characters were well developed and it held my attention… 5 Stars


I look forward to more books from this author, especially the next in this series.  5 Stars


This was a good read.  Believable characters and a good plot.  4 Stars


This is a thriller that satisfies on a number of different levels.  A son's search for who killed his father is intertwined with a high-society art theft ring.  Reece Culver is a different kind of PI, and Crystal Thomas was silky as a seductress.  Good characters, great Western action.  The fresh approach here is why I always love to read debut novels.  5 Stars


On Sale now:  Only $3.19 as a Kindle eBook  Download your copy!

Only $3.19 on Smashwords 

Also available in 6"x9" Paperback on Amazon / Barns and Noble 

Apple, Baker & Taylor (Blio, a retailer), Barnes & Noble, Page Foundry, Sony and Diesel, Scribd! Oyster! 




Thursday, November 27, 2014

Places to find my debut Thriller, Vengeance, on sale for Free now until midnight.

EBOOKDAILY

AMAZON

So you ask how many books have I've given away for free this week.

As of 4:30 p.m. there were 1,209 ebooks downloaded and the book is now #2 in the Kindle Best Sellers Free category for Mystery - Private Investigations, and #254 for all Kindle ebooks.

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Free Books for Everyone

As of 12:01 a.m. today my debut Thriller Vengeance, is free on Amazon.  The regular price for the ebook was $3.89 up until today.

Here's where Vengeance was stacking up in the Amazon ratings a little earlier today.


As of 4:25 p.m. I have given away 574 free ebook copies.  The rank in the Kindle store was #513 overall, and as you can see above #6 in the category of Private Investigators.




Thursday, October 23, 2014

Pictures from the Drink Named Vengeance Contest Finals held in Denver Colorado

The event - The Drink Named Vengeance Contest Finals.

The time - October 7th, 2014

The Location - Denver Colorado - The BSide 17th Ave & Humboldt.


The Highly Skilled Contestants -


  Area 1
              1) James Vickers

              2) Charles Oh

              3) Andreas Pejovic

              4) Allison Widdecomb

              5) Jake Novotny

              6) William E. Golde III

   Area 2

              7) Adam Douglas

              8) Carly Raemer

              9) Nathaniel Maston

              10) Dustin Hoeft

              11) Patrick Ruberto

              12) Mike Chary

              13) Brandon Parker

              14) Joshua-Peter Smith

The 6 Judges 


              Bryan Koepke-Author of the debut Crime Thriller "Vengeance", book 1 of the Reece Culver series.

              Billie Keithley-Liquid Chef and Brand Ambassador for Breckenridge Distillery.

              Justin Lloyd-BSide and Star Bar owner.

              Kevin Galaba-Westword food and beverage writer.

              Andra Zeppelin-Eater Denver editor. 

              Jensen Cummings- Heroes Like Us founder.
















The Drink Named Vengeance


Sunday, October 19, 2014

Let's hear it for Reece Culver's new signature Drink named Vengeance.

On Tuesday October 7th Breckenridge Distillery hosted the final competition to Invent the Drink Named VENGEANCE at The BSide in Denver Colorado.  The event showcased 14 Colorado based professionals who each made their own version of the new drink after studying the debut thriller in the Reece Culver series.  The best part of the event was that it raised $1200 for the Heroes Like Us Non-Profit Organization.




The people's choice award went to Mike Charry of Boulder's Centro Latin Kitchen.

At the end of the night the 6 judges picked Joshua Peter Smith's Cocktail as the winner.






Here are the ingredients and the Drink named Vengeance as created by the author, Bryan Koepke.



Vengeance Cocktail | Joshua Peter Smith, works at Justice Snow’s in Aspen Colorado.


The winning drink recipe:

2 oz Breckenridge Vodka, 1 oz Aperol, .5 oz Grand Marnier, stir over ice, serve in a coupe glass rinsed with Breckenridge Bourbon, garnish with orange zest and peel, and enjoy sweet Vengeance.

In case you're wondering what the drink looks like recreated by yours truly:

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Bryan Koepke's Debut Thriller, VENGEANCE, breaks the Top 100 Amazon Paid Bestsellers list in 3 Categories.

Once a week I take a look at where my book is ranked in the Amazon Best Seller Rank.  Today I got a nice surprise.  VENGEANCE is at 6,165 out of about 2,300,000 total ebooks for sale on Amazon.com


In an effort to increase sales in the months preceding the upcoming Holidays I marked the book down to $0.99 per ebook.  That's a 93% discount off the retail price of $14.99.  I've also increased my marketing efforts over the past two weeks.

Here's where my book stands as of 10:45 am on Sunday morning.



Product Details




Want an autographed copy of the paperback get one on my personal website.  www.bryankoepke.com




    Tuesday, September 23, 2014

    So, a while back I mentioned that Breckenridge Distillery is doing a Mixology Competition where people could compete to "Invent the Drink Named Vengeance".  In my debut Thriller Novel, Vengeance, Reece Culver asks if there's a Drink named Vengeance.  The semi-finalists have been named and the final event will take place in Denver on October 7th at The BSIDE 17th & Humboldt.  The great thing is all of the proceeds for the event will go to help kids.  Here's the poster with all the details.  If you're in Denver I hope to see you there.


    Thursday, September 18, 2014

    There's this writer named Stephen King who wrote a book named "On Writing".


    There's this writer named Stephen King.  I'm sure many of you have heard of him.  He writes some scary stuff.  Anyway he wrote a book called "On Writing" a while back and I read it.  In the book he advises a writer to finish their first draft and then lock it away in a drawer for a month or more without reading it.  The idea is to distance oneself from the creation of the manuscript, so that once the author pulls it out to begin his rewrites and edits he or she is looking at the work from a fresh perspective.

    Recently, mostly because of a busy work schedule, I took a couple weeks off of writing and working on my second book in the Reece Culver series.  While I did do some editing over the month or so before I took a two week break I never sat down and completely read what I'd created.

    To tell you the truth I still haven't read it.  So where is this all going you ask?  Last night I had a big breakthrough idea about the plot for SABOTAGE.  It relates to a story idea I came up with a year or so ago and intended to use for the 4th or 5th book in the series.  As of right now I'm taking that book premise and using it to enhance what I've already written for book 2.

    Unfortunately I won't be able to tell you if this new "breakthrough" idea was a success for another couple of months.  That's probably how long it will take to finish this next major rewrite draft, but my gut feel and the opinion of someone very close that I shared the basic premise idea with is that I've got something cool going with this book.

    Stay tuned for more details on this.  Until my next update be good to one another.

    Tuesday, September 16, 2014

    Vengeance - A Reece Culver Thriller has 25 reviews up Amazon

    Here's a bit of what readers have been writing in their recent reviews of Vengeance:

    on September 11, 2014
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    Good pace. Interesting characters. Nice plot. I enjoyed this book and recommend it.

    Robert Walt on August 25, 2014
    Format: Paperback
    This was a thoroughly enjoyable, well-written suspense novel. A great mix of characters, from 
    its strong protagonist Reece Culver, to a group of violent and disturbing villains, to a mix of cops, 
    ex-cops and others who add color to the overall story and play important roles in laying out a complex mystery.

    I also truly enjoyed the Rocky Mountain setting, and Koepke’s description of everything from flying private planes 
    to ordering Chinese food. I’m looking forward to his next novel.

    on August 17, 2014
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    I like this book, at first I had trouble keeping all the characters straight, but it was a really great story

    on August 13, 2014
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    An excellent debut novel. I haven't read a book with a setting in Tulsa since The Outsiders in the 70's! 
    Interesting characters and intersting back stories that I would have liked more detail on. 
    All in all a fast paced enjoyable read. Looking forward to Koepke's next story.

    on July 31, 2014
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    I just finished this book last night...I couldn't put it down! Looking forward to his next book in 2015!

    on July 10, 2014
    Format: Kindle Edition
    My Thoughts:

    This is an impressive and well written first book for this author. I have read many mysteries and thrillers 
    so I am now a bit jaded and require a lot of twists, turns and surprises. This book delivered all of my 
    mystery/thriller requirements! The plot is a good one, the main character will grow on you by the end 
    of the first chapter and if you are like me and love to read series, you will hope that Bryan Koepke 
    will write more books featuring Reece Culver. Vengeance is an appropriate title for this book. 
    I will be looking forward to more books from this author.

    on July 10, 2014
    Format: Paperback
    I like the book. It kept me interested in what was going to happen next. Can wait to read Bryan's next book

    on June 27, 2014
    Format: Kindle Edition
    Wow! Bryan did a great job with Reece Culver! Exciting from the get-go. He tactfully introduces 
    many main characters and keeps you moving with them all. Reece deals with beauty, deceit, dark secrets, 
    wealthy villans and much more to avenge his father's brutal death. That Crystal Thomas is really something! 
    It's a great thriller from a young author. I lost sleep until I finished this one!


    An Author shares a malady with his leading character

    As an author I spend large amounts of time in a quiet setting working on my novels while writing the Reece Culver Thriller series.  You'd think this would be relaxing and enjoyable, and make for good writing.  Most of the time it does, but over the course of the past two years I've developed a condition related to hearing loss called Tinnitus.

    In my next book of the Reece Culver Thriller series, SABOTAGE, Reece suffers from Tinnitus or as many know it ringing in the ears.  In his case the condition is a result of blow that he took to the left side of his head in book one VENGEANCE.

    During the past couple of years I've studied this condition and learned a great deal about it.  One place I've spent time reading and educating myself is on the American Tinnitus Association website.

    Tuesday, August 19, 2014

    Draft One of the Next Book in the Reece Culver Series - SABOTAGE

    It took 5 months to complete the first draft of SABOTAGE.  Now I'm reading, editing, and rewriting the book with the goal of completing this novel sometime in 2015.  It took me 22 months to complete the first book in the series, VENGEANCE, and if you havn't seen it you can find my book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble Nook, Swashwords, and many more sites.  The price remains a low $3.99 for the ebook or $14.99 in full sized paperback.  So far I've received 23 reader reviews up on Amazon.

    In Sabotage Reece and Haisly are on a fishing vacation in Scotland when they cross paths with a hired assassin.  Stay tuned for more updates on this new book in the Reece Culver Thriller series.

    Sunday, August 17, 2014

    Only Ten Days left until the End of the Contest to Invent the Drink Named Vengeance

    Now is your chance to Enter the Contest to Invent the Drink Named Vengeance.

    The Grand Prize Winner will get their name and winning recipe written into a scene in the next book of the Reece Culver Thriller Series.  Book 2, SABOTAGE, will be published in 2015.

    Author Bryan Koepke is hard at working writing and editing this next book in the series.

    Enter the contest for a chance to win tons of free prizes:  The Drink Named Vengeance Contest

    Contest ends August 30, 2014.

    Tuesday, June 17, 2014

    Bryan Koepke's Debut Thriller VENGEANCE gets its 16th Review.

    Tomorrow marks the 3 month anniversary since Bryan Koepke's debut thriller VENGEANCE was published by Writers Cabin Press, Ltd.  In this short time the book had gotten 16 reviews on Amazon averaging 4.6 STARs with 11 readers giving it a full 5 STARs.  





    On June 15th Carolyn Otto gave Vengeance 4 STARs and this to say:  

    The author developed an interesting plot. The characters were well created and your interest was held through out the book.

    On June 11th an Amazon Customer gave the book 4 STARs and said this: 

    I enjoyed this book.... It had a few twists and turns that kept me guessing... The characters were well developed and it held my attention….

    On May 23rd TwinMomKK gave Vengeance 5 STARs and said:

    I loved this book! As the characters were being introduced, the action was already underway and escalated to the last page. I look forward to more books from this author, especially the next in this series.

    Another 5 STAR reviewer said:

    Never a dull moment from begining to end. I highly recommend this book. Great characters and an intriguing plot. Great effort for a first novel, I look forward to many more.

    In a recent interview with the author The Writers Cabin learned that Koepke is 278 pages into the writing of the next book in the Reece Culver Thriller series, and aiming to complete and release the book sometime in 2015.  He was tight lipped about book 2 in the series, but did divulge that this novel would take the reader to at least one international location. 

    Reece Culver's sometimes partner Haisley Averton makes an appearance too.

    If you've been holding out on your purchase of this great new Thriller now's the time to get your copy of VENGEANCE.  

    It's available on Amazon or on Koepke's website.