Saving Raine (The Drone Wars: Book 1)
Author: Frederick Lee Brooke
Genre: YA Dystopian / Thriller
Language: English
Format: Paperback & eBook
Book Description:
Matt, Raine went to California because her parents thought it was safe. It’s not. You’ve got to get her out as soon as possible. She could die, Matt.
When 19-year-old Matt Carney gets a cryptic message from his father telling him to go to California and save his girlfriend, Raine, he doesn't hesitate—he grabs his AK-47, revs up his blue pickup, and gets ready to make the 2,300-mile roadtrip.
But cross-country travel in 2021 isn't easy—or, sometimes, even possible. The U.S. has become a near-military state: 17,000 checkpoints severely restrict interstate movement, Predator drones target innocent civilians without cause, and explosions rock cities daily. Matt and his stepbrother, Benjy, face deadly attacks from a corrupt government, ruthless local law enforcement, and bloodthirsty terrorist groups as they embark on their trek. They're about to find out that their trip is much more than a private journey, and their success could change the face of the country—forever.
Can Matt and Benjy outrun the drone missiles raining down on their heads? Can they avoid assassination by government officials hell-bent on taking over what little is left of the country? Can they outsmart the deadly schemes set in motion against them?
Break the rules.
Save the girl.
He only gets one chance before she's gone forever.
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Excerpt from Saving Raine (The Drone Wars: Book 1)
Thirty minutes later, armed with two boxes of posters and ten plates of bacon snacks balanced in a Safeway shopping cart, they went to the Radio Shack at the south end of the mall. They wheeled the cart into the store.
The sideburns of the man who greeted them tapered into lines that travelled along his jawline and met at his chin. The thin line of his beard accentuated his wiry frame. He had a sharp nose, close-cropped hair, and three silver hoops in one ear.
“You the manager?” Mel said. He had a poster in one hand and a plate of bacon-wrapped olives in the other. “You’re a patriot, right? You want to know if your customers are patriotic? We made these ‘No Bacon, No Service’ displays for your entrance. Kinda like a patriotic challenge. Try a tasty snack and prove your patriotism.”
The manager fingered the line of his beard. “Who’s behind this?”
“Hog Farmers of America,” Mel said, making up something fast. “Give your customers a tasty snack. Boost your business. We gift you the display, and this here supply of bacon treats, cooked right in the mall at Eddie’s Restaurant.”
“Eddie’s? I go there for lunch.”
“All you have to do is set up the display and offer one to every customer. You’re supporting Eddie’s and the Hog Farmers of America.”
The manager read the display.
“Sure, we’ll try it,” he said. “Everybody loves bacon. If it’s popular, I’ll bring the bacon from home tomorrow.”
“That’s the ticket,” Mel said.
The manager ate one himself, then offered them to three other salesmen who had been watching. “Mmm, those are going to go fast,” he said. He stood the poster next to the cash register.
Next door was a bridal shop, fluffy white wedding dresses filling the window. Mel saw only women in the store. Mothers, daughters, and saleswomen.
“I’ll understand if you wanna wait outside, bro.”
Phil pointed to the next shop after the bridal store, a pet shop with rabbit cages and cat towers. “Me and Lil’ Lena gonna go hobnob with the hamsters.”
Mel took a plate of tiny sandwiches with cream cheese and bacon and one of the red, white, and blue displays, and went in the bridal shop while Phil rolled away with the cart. A little bell rang as Mel went in. A tall, thin woman with long black hair approached, swinging her hips like a TV model.
“Can I help you?”
“I got munchies for your customers,” Mel said. “Choosin’ a weddin’ dress takes a while, and they prob’ly get hungry while they’re lookin’ around.”
“What’ve you got there?”
“Bacon treats cooked fresh at Eddie’s Restaurant. See, we’re from the Hog Farmers of America, and we got these here displays for your fine store.”
He set down the display on the counter next to the cash register where she could read it properly. Prove Your Patriotism, Eat Bacon! The American flag had strips of bacon floating in the air around it.
“It’s very direct,” she said. Mel saw the woman blushing.
“Customers love it,” he said. “We’re providing the treats today, and we’ll leave the display here. You make the bacon starting tomorrow.”
A brown-skinned saleswoman came behind the counter, followed by a mother-daughter pair. The daughter had on a wedding dress. A little quadcopter zipped around snapping pictures.
“What’s all this?” the brown-skinned woman said once the customers headed to the back of the store again.
“This gentleman is with Hog Farmers of America,” the first saleswoman said. “He gave us this display, and these bacon treats.”
“Prove your patriotism?” the brown-skinned woman said. “I’m as patriotic as anyone else, but I don’t eat bacon.”
“Because?” Mel said.
“My religion forbids it.”
“Oh, I didn’t think of that,” the first woman said.
“How can a religion forbid something so good to eat?” Mel said, charming her with his smile.
“It’s offensive,” the brown-skinned woman said. “Thank you, but we’re not interested.”
“My religion says no fornication,” Mel said. “That don’t prevent people from doing it.”
“Please take your things and leave,” the brown-skinned woman said.
“Or stealing. Happens every day. You better keep your eye on her,” he said to the first woman. The two women frowned as he left, hands on their hips.
About the Author
Frederick Lee Brooke launched the Annie Ogden Mystery Series in 2011 with Doing Max Vinyl and following with Zombie Candy in 2012, a book that is neither about zombies nor sweets. The third mystery in the series, Collateral Damage, appeared in 2013.
Saving Raine, the first book in Fred’s entirely new series, The Drone Wars, appeared in December, 2013.
A resident of Switzerland, Fred has worked as a teacher, language school manager and school owner. He has three boys and two cats and recently had to learn how to operate both washing machine and dryer. He makes frequent trips back to his native Chicago.
When not writing or doing the washing, Fred can be found walking along the banks of the Rhine River, sitting in a local cafe, or visiting all the local pubs in search of his lost umbrella.
Author Links:
***Giveaway***
Kindle Fire HD 7'' or Kindle PaperWhite (winner's choice).
$75 Amazon Gift Card.
3 Saving Raine autographed paperback copies.
3 Saving Raine ebooks (winners' choice of format).
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Hi i left a review and the link, in the contest i hope i did it right i am not positive how to leave just my review so i hope i did not mess it up lol!! thank you i have always wanted a kindle it would be so cool to have one thank you for such a great giveaway and great book
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