Differential Damsel by Kevin L. O'Brien
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 Beast of Exmoor, The Christmas Vampires, Dark Vengeance, A Deliberation of Morality, The Denver Walker, Desperate Acts, Disposable Commodities, Do Unto Others, Far-Sight, Feline Savior, Felis ex Machina, Fun 'n' Games, The Golden Mushroom, Gourmand Hag, Gratuitous Crossover, Gruff Tolls, Immanuel, In an Octopus's Garden, Inseparable, Jigsaw Dragon, The Lions of Inganok, A Little Hospitality, Man Friday, Masie's Mind, No Torrent Like Greed, Oak Do Hate, One-Percenter Vendetta, The Peril Gem, Post-Traumatic Redemption, The Price of Folly, Pride and Fall, Pyrrhic Victory, Redshirt, Rhapsody in Orange, The Road to Hell, Sacrificial Offering, Shenanigans, The Steel Gazelle, The Surrogate, Survival & Sacrifice, The Temple of Ubasti, A Typical Friday Night, We Deliver
Enjoy these other titles at fine ebook retailers everywhere.
Available on Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/story/list/20075368
Dribble & Maggot in the Land of Dreams, 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 "Survival & Sacrifice"
"Hey! Stop hoggin' the mirror, ya butthead!"
Eile stood beside Sunny in front of the bathroom's small vanity. It really had been designed to be used by just one person, so both of them together made it somewhat crowded, and Sunny's huge mane of gamboge hair didn't help matters any, either. Then again, the rooms in the suites on the third story of Differel's ancestral manor were rather small to begin with, pretty much comfortable only for single persons. She and Sunny normally didn't mind, because they enjoyed the intimacy, but there were times when it became bothersome.
Like when they were in a hurry and trying to put on makeup at the same time.
They were visiting Differel and Henry for a few days, and the aristocrat had decided to throw an impromptu semi-formal dinner party. They had spent the whole afternoon shopping for new clothes in King's Lynn and nearly didn't make it back in time. They rushed through a shower together and threw on their new threads, with just barely enough time to make themselves presentable.
"I just need a few more seconds!" Sunny replied. There were few times when she lost her temper, but interfering with her primping was one.
"Like you need it." She elbowed Sunny over so she could brush on mascara.
"I'm not some kinda supermodel, you know." Sunny leaned back in to paint on lip gloss.
"More like a bimbo centerfold--watch it!" A lock of Sunny's hair flapped into her face.
"I'll be done in two shakes of a lamb's tail; can't you wait?"
"We're late enough as it is. Diff's gonna blow her top if we show up after the horse doovers are served."
"That's hors d'oeuvres, you Philistine."
She flashed Sunny a dirty look. "Put a sock in it."
A loud kerfumple sounded from somewhere close by.
"What was that?!" Sunny looked off in the direction of the sound.
"How the hell should I know, ya ditz?" But it almost sounded like someone running into a door.
"Come on, let's check it out." And Sunny skipped off into the bedroom as Eile jogged after her. She reflected how, even after so many adventures together, her partner still tended to go running off into the face of possible danger without thinking.
Nothing looked amiss in the bedroom, other than their street cloths and underwear scattered across the bed and floor where they dropped them in their haste to change. Nor did they see anything wrong in the drawing room. Eile had just about convinced herself that the sound was nothing important, when Sunny opened the door to their suite and jumped away from the threshold with a squeal.
A Caerleon Order guard lay just outside, face down in a pool of his own blood.
Sunny knelt to feel the pulse on his neck as Eile sprinted forward. She scanned the hallway; to the right lay the corridor that gave access to the gymnasium, game room and chapel, while to the left the passage led to the solar. Both were empty.
"He's dead."
"No shit, Sherlock." Eile didn't look down. "Gimme his rifle."
Sunny passed up the L85A2 assault gun. "He must've hit the door when he was killed."
Eile released the magazine and examined it; it was loaded, and it looked to be a full thirty rounds, but she couldn't be sure. "Does he have any more ammo?" She fitted it back in place and cocked the weapon.
Sunny opened a snap pouch on his belt and pulled out two STANAG magazines. She held them up as she removed his L106A1 service pistol.
"Huh. We're gonna be handicapped hauling these clips around with us."
Sunny retrieved two 15-round pistol magazines and his combat knife. The British Armed Forces didn't have a standard-issue knife, but Differel made sure all her troops had a Gerber Mark II.
"I've got an idea." Sunny slipped the knife into one of her designer boots and stood up. "Keep watch." She slipped past Eile back into the room.
Eile went out into the hall, thumbing the selective fire switch to three-round bursts as she stepped over the body. All the combat training they had gotren from Lt. Gen. Morgan Leia Ross for the special missions she used to send them on was still pretty fresh in her mind, and they had been getting supplemental training from Differel's Master-at-Arms, Sergeant Major Giles Holt. She glanced back into the room. Sunny had one of their handbags and had dumped the contents into a chair. She placed her magazines inside and slipped it over her head and one shoulder.
She stepped out into the hall. "We've gotta get to Henry." She released her pistol's magazine and checked it over, then slammed it back into place and cocked the gun.
Eile handed her the STANAGs and Sunny put them in the bag. "Yeah. You take point."
"Right. Let's go kick hiney, partner!" Gripping the pistol with both hands and raising it to her face, she checked up and down the passage and then headed for the solar. Eile raised the rifle to her shoulder and fell in behind her, keeping watch in back of them as she followed.
Sunny paused at the corner of the room and
hopped forward, aiming the pistol left to cover the alcove for the service elevator.
"Clear!" She raised the gun and continued on. At the end of the passage stood a door that led into the solar, but it stood open. Sunny flattened herself against the right wall and Eile hugged the left. She didn't see anything in her line of sight, but she couldn't see much of the room in any event. They stopped a couple of feet from the threshold; Sunny lowered the pistol to her waist as Eile pointed the barrel of the rifle at the ceiling. They looked at each other and nodded.
Sunny jumped into the room and crouched as she raised and pointed the pistol to the left at the double doors that led to the family activity rooms. A second later, Eile stepped inside and aimed right towards the stairs that came up from the second story.
"Clear!" she said.
"Clear!" Sunny echoed.
"Go!"
Sunny sprinted for the closed door at the opposite end of the room while Eile covered her. When she reached it and turned to face her, Eile started towards her.
The double doors crashed open; in the threshold stood a bipedal monstrosity, like a cross between a man, a lizard, and a rat. It balanced on its toes as a long, sinuous tail lashed around behind it. Screaming, it rushed at them. Sunny fired three times in quick succession; two of the 9mm Parabellum slugs slammed into its chest while the third ripped through its throat. It fell forward even as three more creatures charged up
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/].
Back to TOC
+++
Discover other titles by Kevin L. O'Brien:
A fidus Aranea, Adventurer's Honeymoon, Barbarians R Us, The Beast of Exmoor, The Christmas Vampires, Dark Vengeance, A Deliberation of Morality, The Denver Walker, Desperate Acts, Disposable Commodities, Do Unto Others, Far-Sight, Feline Savior, Felis ex Machina, Fun 'n' Games, The Golden Mushroom, Gourmand Hag, Gratuitous Crossover, Gruff Tolls, Immanuel, In an Octopus's Garden, Inseparable, Jigsaw Dragon, The Lions of Inganok, A Little Hospitality, Man Friday, Masie's Mind, No Torrent Like Greed, Oak Do Hate, One-Percenter Vendetta, The Peril Gem, Post-Traumatic Redemption, The Price of Folly, Pride and Fall, Pyrrhic Victory, Redshirt, Rhapsody in Orange, The Road to Hell, Sacrificial Offering, Shenanigans, The Steel Gazelle, The Surrogate, Survival & Sacrifice, The Temple of Ubasti, A Typical Friday Night, We Deliver
Enjoy these other titles at fine ebook retailers everywhere.
Available on Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/story/list/20075368
Dribble & Maggot in the Land of Dreams, Youthful Indiscretion
Back to TOC
+++
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
Back to TOC
+++
Sample Excerpts
From "Survival & Sacrifice"
"Hey! Stop hoggin' the mirror, ya butthead!"
Eile stood beside Sunny in front of the bathroom's small vanity. It really had been designed to be used by just one person, so both of them together made it somewhat crowded, and Sunny's huge mane of gamboge hair didn't help matters any, either. Then again, the rooms in the suites on the third story of Differel's ancestral manor were rather small to begin with, pretty much comfortable only for single persons. She and Sunny normally didn't mind, because they enjoyed the intimacy, but there were times when it became bothersome.
Like when they were in a hurry and trying to put on makeup at the same time.
They were visiting Differel and Henry for a few days, and the aristocrat had decided to throw an impromptu semi-formal dinner party. They had spent the whole afternoon shopping for new clothes in King's Lynn and nearly didn't make it back in time. They rushed through a shower together and threw on their new threads, with just barely enough time to make themselves presentable.
"I just need a few more seconds!" Sunny replied. There were few times when she lost her temper, but interfering with her primping was one.
"Like you need it." She elbowed Sunny over so she could brush on mascara.
"I'm not some kinda supermodel, you know." Sunny leaned back in to paint on lip gloss.
"More like a bimbo centerfold--watch it!" A lock of Sunny's hair flapped into her face.
"I'll be done in two shakes of a lamb's tail; can't you wait?"
"We're late enough as it is. Diff's gonna blow her top if we show up after the horse doovers are served."
"That's hors d'oeuvres, you Philistine."
She flashed Sunny a dirty look. "Put a sock in it."
A loud kerfumple sounded from somewhere close by.
"What was that?!" Sunny looked off in the direction of the sound.
"How the hell should I know, ya ditz?" But it almost sounded like someone running into a door.
"Come on, let's check it out." And Sunny skipped off into the bedroom as Eile jogged after her. She reflected how, even after so many adventures together, her partner still tended to go running off into the face of possible danger without thinking.
Nothing looked amiss in the bedroom, other than their street cloths and underwear scattered across the bed and floor where they dropped them in their haste to change. Nor did they see anything wrong in the drawing room. Eile had just about convinced herself that the sound was nothing important, when Sunny opened the door to their suite and jumped away from the threshold with a squeal.
A Caerleon Order guard lay just outside, face down in a pool of his own blood.
Sunny knelt to feel the pulse on his neck as Eile sprinted forward. She scanned the hallway; to the right lay the corridor that gave access to the gymnasium, game room and chapel, while to the left the passage led to the solar. Both were empty.
"He's dead."
"No shit, Sherlock." Eile didn't look down. "Gimme his rifle."
Sunny passed up the L85A2 assault gun. "He must've hit the door when he was killed."
Eile released the magazine and examined it; it was loaded, and it looked to be a full thirty rounds, but she couldn't be sure. "Does he have any more ammo?" She fitted it back in place and cocked the weapon.
Sunny opened a snap pouch on his belt and pulled out two STANAG magazines. She held them up as she removed his L106A1 service pistol.
"Huh. We're gonna be handicapped hauling these clips around with us."
Sunny retrieved two 15-round pistol magazines and his combat knife. The British Armed Forces didn't have a standard-issue knife, but Differel made sure all her troops had a Gerber Mark II.
"I've got an idea." Sunny slipped the knife into one of her designer boots and stood up. "Keep watch." She slipped past Eile back into the room.
Eile went out into the hall, thumbing the selective fire switch to three-round bursts as she stepped over the body. All the combat training they had gotren from Lt. Gen. Morgan Leia Ross for the special missions she used to send them on was still pretty fresh in her mind, and they had been getting supplemental training from Differel's Master-at-Arms, Sergeant Major Giles Holt. She glanced back into the room. Sunny had one of their handbags and had dumped the contents into a chair. She placed her magazines inside and slipped it over her head and one shoulder.
She stepped out into the hall. "We've gotta get to Henry." She released her pistol's magazine and checked it over, then slammed it back into place and cocked the gun.
Eile handed her the STANAGs and Sunny put them in the bag. "Yeah. You take point."
"Right. Let's go kick hiney, partner!" Gripping the pistol with both hands and raising it to her face, she checked up and down the passage and then headed for the solar. Eile raised the rifle to her shoulder and fell in behind her, keeping watch in back of them as she followed.
Sunny paused at the corner of the room and
"Clear!" She raised the gun and continued on. At the end of the passage stood a door that led into the solar, but it stood open. Sunny flattened herself against the right wall and Eile hugged the left. She didn't see anything in her line of sight, but she couldn't see much of the room in any event. They stopped a couple of feet from the threshold; Sunny lowered the pistol to her waist as Eile pointed the barrel of the rifle at the ceiling. They looked at each other and nodded.
Sunny jumped into the room and crouched as she raised and pointed the pistol to the left at the double doors that led to the family activity rooms. A second later, Eile stepped inside and aimed right towards the stairs that came up from the second story.
"Clear!" she said.
"Clear!" Sunny echoed.
"Go!"
Sunny sprinted for the closed door at the opposite end of the room while Eile covered her. When she reached it and turned to face her, Eile started towards her.
The double doors crashed open; in the threshold stood a bipedal monstrosity, like a cross between a man, a lizard, and a rat. It balanced on its toes as a long, sinuous tail lashed around behind it. Screaming, it rushed at them. Sunny fired three times in quick succession; two of the 9mm Parabellum slugs slammed into its chest while the third ripped through its throat. It fell forward even as three more creatures charged up