Hello, and thanks for being here! It’s all about making new friends, and introducing you to characters whose journeys will keep you turning pages until late into the night. In that spirit, I wanted to tell you a little about me and my buddy, Jake Bronson.
I lived in a 400-yr old apartment overlooking a canal in Venice, Italy, when I started writing Jake’s story in Brainrush. I’d visited the Old City several times before in my life, but each departure left me with a yearning to return. So, when I came back the next time, I did so with a determination to feature the city’s haunts in my very first novel. I walked the cobblestones late at night, absorbing the sights, the sounds, the smells, the history, allowing my mind to run free. The following mornings I’d hover over my laptop at outdoor cafés, sipping cappuccinos as I breathed life into characters who’d lived in my mind for so many years.The thriller that unfolded on the page was about second chances, and living every day of one’s life as though it was the last. It was a natural first step in my writing since Jake Bronson’s emotional journey—as an Air Force pilot who faces a terminal diagnosis—paralleled my own. In his case, however, I gave Jake a parting gift by endowing him with extraordinary mental abilities after he suffered a traumatic accident at the beginning of the book. I drew that aspect of the story from real-life incidents, where ordinary people develop uncanny abilities after a blow to the head—to become what are known as “sudden-savants.”Jake’s journey grew from there, and before long I had him swept up in a race against time to save a woman and her autistic child from the clutches of a megalomaniac. The story takes him from the beaches of California, to the canals of Venice, the Grand Casino of Monte Carlo, and finally to an ancient cavern deep in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan, where he discovers his gift carries a price tag that threatens the entire human race.I loved weaving that first tale. Imagine my excitement when Publishers Weekly called it “A terrifically entertaining thriller,” and it became the #1 bestselling Action/Adventure in The Wall Street Journal. Of all the novels I’ve written, it’s still my favorite. If you’ve read it already, or are about to, I hope you “hate” it as much as the reader who wrote:Dear Mr. Bard, I hate your books! They keep me up late at night and irritate my wife! Once I read a few sentences I am hooked and can't put it down! I have just downloaded the next one in the series… How am I going to get anything else done because of these page turner books???That’s an actual email message I received in March of this year. I loved hearing it – so if you have the same reaction to Jake’s story, I hope you’ll reach out and let me know. That’s the kind of ‘hate’ mail this author can’t wait to get! And guess what? The fan who sent that letter has since written back to tell me his wife is now hooked on the series as well. Made my day!
ABOUT THE SERIES
An "international thriller with soul." Features a broad cast of characters with kids playing significant roles. Ideal reading for fans of Michael Crichton, Clive Cussler, James Rollins, Brad Thor, Dan Brown, Matthew Reilly, Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, and Vince Flynn.
Brainrush Series SummaryAn "international thriller with soul." Features a broad cast of characters with kids playing significant roles. Ideal reading for fans of Michael Crichton, Clive Cussler, James Rollins, Brad Thor, Dan Brown, Matthew Reilly, Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, and Vince Flynn
Brainrush Series SummaryBrainrush is a story about second chances, and embracing every day of your life as though it’s your last. Called “a terrifically entertaining thriller” by Publishers Weekly, Book-1 of the series was named The Wall Street Journal #1 Bestselling Action/Adventure in their Guide to Self-Published Big Sellers, while Book-2 was on the Top-10 Amazon Mystery/Thriller Top Rated list for 53-straight weeks. This set the stage for the blockbuster release of the third book in the series, which was heralded by Suspense Magazine as “part science fiction, part thriller, part suspense, part love story, and part mystery. It’s got it all and that’s what makes this novel one of the best.” The characters live on in the final four books of the series. Books 4 & 5 were released in 2014, and were met with rave reviews that outpaced even those from the first three books. Book-5 was named “one of the best books of the year” by IndieReader.com. The final two books in the series, No Refuge and Against All Odds are available now, and they promise to keep you on the edge of your seat in a fashion that lives up to what the series is all about—a thought-provoking, soulful and satisfying rush that will keep you gasping long after the final page
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Brainrush Series Book 1by Richard BardGenre: Action/Adventure Thriller, Romantic SuspensePublishers Weekly heralded the first book in Richard Bard's Brainrush thriller series as "terrifically entertaining" and "inventive and compelling." It went on to earn The Wall Street Journal's #1 Action/Adventure slot in the Guide to Self-Published Big Sellers list.
Before he slid into the MRI machine, Jake Bronson was just an ordinary guy with terminal cancer. But when an earthquake hits during the procedure, Jake staggers from the wreckage a profoundly changed man, now endowed with uncanny mental abilities.
An ocean away, Luciano Battista wants a piece of Jake's talent. Posing as a pioneering scientist, the terrorist leader has been conducting cerebral-implant experiments in a sinister quest to create a breed of super jihadist agents...and Jake's altered brain may be the key to his success. But Jake refuses to play the pawn in an unholy war--and when an innocent woman and autistic child are taken hostage to force his cooperation, he embarks on a jihad of his own. Jake and his band of loyal friends are thrust into a deadly chase that leads from the canals of Venice through Monte Carlo and finally to an ancient cavern in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan--where Jake discovers that his newfound talents carry a hidden price that threatens the entire human race.
An "international thriller with soul." Ideal reading for fans of Michael Crichton, Clive Cussler, James Rollins, Brad Thor, Dan Brown, Matthew Reilly, Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, and Vince Flynn.Add to Goodreads
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Chapter 1Veterans Administration Medical CenterSanta Monica, California
JAKE BRONSON SPENT THE PAST two weeks preparing to die. He just didn’t want to do it today, trapped in this MRI scanner.
The table jiggled beneath him. He was on his way into the narrow tube like a nineteenthcentury artillery round being shoved into a cannon. The glassy-eyed gaze of the bored VA medical technician hovered over him, a yellow mustard stain on the sleeve of his lab coat.Comforting.“Keep your head perfectly still,” the tech said.Yeah, right, like he had any choice with the two-inch-wide strap they had cinched over hisforehead. Another wiggle and the lip of the tunnel passed into view above him. Jake squeezed his eyes closed, anxious to ignore the curved walls sliding by just an inch from his nose. Three deep breaths and the table jerked to a stop. He was in, cocooned from head to toe. He heard the soft whir of the ventilation fan turn on at his feet. The breeze chilled the beads of sweat gathering on his forehead.The tech’s scratchy-sounding voice came over the speakers in the chamber. “Mr. Bronson, ifyou can hear me, press the button.”A panic switch. Hadn’t he been in a constant state of panic ever since the doctors told him his disease was terminal? He’d agreed to this final test so he’d know how many months he had left to live, to make at least one positive difference in the world. After today, no more doctors. After today, he’d focus on living. Jake pressed the thumb switch gripped in his hand.“Got it,” the tech said. “If it gets too confining for you in there, just press it again and I’ll pullyou out. But remember, we’ll have to start all over again if that happens, so let’s try to get it right the first time, okay? We only need thirty minutes. Here we go.”Jake’s thumb twitched over the panic button. Crap. He already wanted to push it. He shouldhave accepted the sedative they had offered him in the waiting room. But his friend Marshall had been standing right there, chuckling under his breath when the tech suggested it.
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The highly anticipated series finale to the #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller Publishers Weekly called "a terrifically entertaining thriller!"
In this conclusion to Richard Bard's popular Brainrush series, Jake Bronson's family and friends face their biggest threat ever. The startling challenges revealed in No Refuge (book 6) are coming to a head, and the team must wrest every resource available to them in hopes of preventing a terror-driven cataclysm unlike anything America has seen.
But the menace from within America's borders pales by comparison to the global threat revealed to 8-year-old Alex Bronson in a series of otherworldly visions. And Alex isn't the only one targeted by the mind-bending revelations.The stakes are higher than ever. The fates of America and the world hang in the balance, and Jake Bronson's family and friends must risk everything to tip the scales against evil.
Releases September 12th!!
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From #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Richard Bard comes a heart-pounding adventure of love, loyalty, and survival - as a gifted child faces the ultimate question of whether or not he can kill in order to save his loved ones.
A gifted 7-year-old boy and his teen siblings are ripped from their peaceful lives--kidnapped by a sinister organization determined to get back at their father. But when their plane crashes an ocean away in the bear-infested jungles of South China, the mysterious motive behind their abduction is the least of their problems, and they must lever every ounce of their courage and wits to survive the wilds and escape the ruthless drug lord who is hot on their heels.
Important Note: Gifted is a compilation novella taken from the Brainrush thriller novels Brainchild and Smoke & Mirrors, which are books four and five of the series. If you've read those full-length novels, then you've already read most of the contents of this novella. If you'd prefer to read the entire series from start to finish, then you'll be happy to learn that Brainrush (Book-1) is currently available FREE.FREE on Amazon!
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Richard Bard draws on his own experiences as a former USAF pilot and cancer survivor to craft compelling characters who risk it all for love and loyalty. Born in Munich, Germany, to American parents, he joined the United States Air Force like his father. But he left the service when he was diagnosed with cancer and learned he had only months to live. He earned a management degree from the University of Notre Dame and ran three successful companies involving advanced security products used by US embassies and governments worldwide. Now a full-time writer, he lives in Redondo Beach, California, with his wife and remains in excellent health.
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