Jawing with LawDog

Jawing with LawDog

Tonight, we are joined by Ian McMurtrie, aka LawDog, retired Sheriff’s deputy, writer, and SPOTREPs contributor. We’ll talk about his background, experience, and writing, but as should be SOP by now, expect things to go interesting places. Ian’s been places that we haven’t, and I’ve only heard a couple of his stories, so this should be good. I also owe him for the turn of phrase, “monkey with a screwdriver” in regards to stabbing people (in fact, I’ve learned a couple of such colorful wordings from him). Come and join us.

Non-State Actor Chapter 2

Non-State Actor Chapter 2

Somebody had heard something. I heard a voice speaking Mandarin on the other side of the door. And he didn’t sound like he was unconcerned. After all, a garage door isn’t silent when it goes up. They had to know that somebody had just broken in. The question was, how ready were they? The door ahead of me opened, and the light flashed on. Fortunately, while I’d been keeping to the shadows as much as possible, my night adaptation hadn’t kicked in all the way, thanks to the porch lights, so I wasn’t blinded, as the short Chinese man with a Glock in his hand peered out through the door. The pistol was all I needed. His eyes widened as he took in the three figures moving toward him with purpose, and he hesitated for just a second before lifting the gun. He should have dropped it and run. In that split second of hesitation, I already had my sights on him and my finger tightening on the trigger. The gun barked in my fist, and his head snapped back a little as my 9mm hollowpoint punched a puckered hole in his forehead. He stiffened, then fell down the steps

Non-State Actor Chapter 1

Non-State Actor Chapter 1

This was not a neighborhood of Colorado Springs that I would ordinarily have been comfortable walking through, alone, at night. Even strapped—there was no way any of us were going anywhere unarmed anymore, especially not after the attempts on our families recently—there was a significant threat to worry about, and that had nothing to do with our target. After all, there had been an armed robbery right on the street only a few blocks away, only a few nights before. It wasn’t so much that any operator who worked for Pallas Group Solutions had much to worry about from an armed robber—not that any such criminal encounter couldn’t go horribly wrong in seconds—but that it was probably going to result in that operator having to break off, reducing the number of guns we had on target. If it didn’t canc the mission altogether. I turned a corner and scanned the street ahead of me. On the surface, it looked like an ordinary residential street. There was nothing visible to point out the gang presence there. Even most of the yards were reasonably well kept up, though there were still a couple with more than one vehicle pulled up on the

A Chat with Brad Torgersen

A Chat with Brad Torgersen

Tonight, Brad Torgersen, Army Warrant Officer, Baen science fiction author, and SPOTREPS contributor, joins us for a bit of a chat, about SF, writing, culture, the wasteland that is the internet, and whatever else comes up. (You know how these streams go by now.) Brad’s become a bit of a controversial figure in certain interweb circles, mostly Culture War related, so tonight Mike will be asking him the most important question of all: “Brad, why are you so terrible?” Come and join us.

Always Legion

Always Legion

Military contractor Dav Toron left the Legion to avoid the incompetency of its growing number of points. There’s no avoiding the chaos of his next mission. Running protection for a House of Reason Special Aide turns into a kinetic nightmare as a corrupt local government, intergalactic rebels, and violent pirates converge to plunge a backwater edge planet into utter violence and chaos. With his team cut off from all support, Dav falls back on his Legion training to keep those around him alive. But when he forges an alliance with a stranded Legion squad and planetary natives looking to stand up to those seeking to topple their government, an opportunity to save the small planet presents itself…if Dav and his ragged team of outnumbered and outgunned warriors can survive long enough to take it. Best-selling author and veteran Peter Nealen teams up with Anspach and Cole and draws from his own experiences as a paramilitary contractor to deliver this thrilling tale of sacrifice, determination, and combat. Always Legion is a stand-alone novel set in the period between Legionnaire and Galactic Outlaws. Get it on Audible or Kindle today. *** So, almost a year ago, Jason Anspach approached me about doing a Galaxy’s Edge project. The Lost was

September Livestream

September Livestream

Mike keeps wanting to rename the livestreams “Slack Ops,” and this one might just fit. We don’t have a guest this month; it’ll just be the three of us. So, this might well be a bit more free-form than usual. Expect talk about writing, politics, philosophy, and probably a few other things that I can’t foresee. Come and join us.

Bit of a Different Stream

Bit of a Different Stream

We’re doing something a bit different for the stream this month. Instead of directly talking about books, we’re going to get into culture. Specifically, the doomerism that is infecting much of the online discourse lately. Larry Correia joins us again, since he and Brad Torgerson got into the subject with a bunch of randos on Twitter lately. Despair and demoralization are the path to defeat. You’re not being “enlightened” by embracing them. You’re just making failure inevitable. Come join us.

Frontiers of Chaos Is Out!

Frontiers of Chaos Is Out!

Today’s the day. Follow Pallas Group Solutions into the violent darkness of the Frontiers of Chaos. A killing in Seattle A massacre in Northern California A mysterious new client In the aftermath of what appears to be a targeted killing, a mysterious billionaire approaches Pallas Group Solutions with a new job. He seems to be more interested in their intelligence gathering capability than security. None of them are prepared for what they find. In a whirlwind of violence and intrigue, the contractors of Pallas Group plunge into a world of human trafficking and elite capture. And find themselves on the hunt for an underworld facilitator who’s closer than they expected. It’s a pursuit from the Pacific Northwest to the Tri-Border Area of South America. And as the bodies pile up, things can only get darker. Get it in ebook, paperback, or hardcover today. (Audio will be in production soon.)

Silver or Lead on Audio

Silver or Lead on Audio

It’s finally here for you audiophiles. Silver or Lead is out on audio. Threats Lurk in the Shadows…. And Sometimes in Plain Sight The Pallas Group Solutions Contractors have put the hurt on Chinese operations in Mexico. In the aftermath, alliances shift and powers that hadn’t appeared to be involved before start to take a hand. In a world of unrestricted warfare, PGS has to adapt. While the Chinese covert war has changed axes, Chris and his fellow contractors head south to deepen the disruption, entering into the Northern Triangle of Central America. But their involvement is no longer as clandestine as they’d hoped. And new foes are joining with the old to come after them. Can they stay one step ahead? As some people have pointed out, yes, the title came from Pablo Escobar’s infamous ultimatum, “Plata o Plomo.” The police (or whoever else) could take his silver, or they could die. While this story isn’t about Pablo, who’s long dead, the principle remains the same, and we see it in action quite a bit in these pages (or hours, if you’re listening to it). Check it out.

Frontiers of Chaos Chapter 3

Frontiers of Chaos Chapter 3

The phone buzzed, and Nick King grimaced as Vicky sighed. It wasn’t an angry sigh. While she looked like a supermodel, and could sometimes sound about as vapid—though Nick was pretty well convinced that those instances were her version of sarcasm—she had made it clear that she knew what she was getting into, and while she might not like sharing Nick with the job, she was more willing to do that than not have any of him at all. For Nick’s part, he was still desperately holding off on thinking through her hints that he needed to meet her dad. It’s not that I’m scared. I’m just wondering just how fast this is really going. After all, they’d only been dating for a couple weeks. She seemed to have plans, and he was still figuring out just where he stood. After all, he’d seen some pretty horrific drama over women in his day, and he was wondering where the catch was. He grabbed the phone. “Sorry, babe.” He almost flinched at using that term, but Vicky just rubbed his arm with a smile. She liked it when he called her that. His eyebrow went up as he looked at the