Larry Brooks – författare

What makes a good story or a screenplay great?The vast majority of writers begin the storytelling process with only a partial understanding where to begin. Some labor their entire lives without ever learning that successful stories are as dependent upon good engineering as they are artistry. But the truth is, unless you are master of the form, function and criteria of successful storytelling, sitting down and pounding out a first draft without planning is an ineffective way to begin.Story Engineering starts with the criteria and the architecture of storytelling, the engineering and design of a story--and uses it as the basis for narrative. The greatest potential of any story is found in the way six specific aspects of storytelling combine and empower each other on the page. When rendered artfully, they become a sum in excess of their parts.You'll learn to wrap your head around the big pictures of storytelling at a professional level through a new approach that shows how to combine these six core competencies which include:   • Four elemental competencies of concept, character, theme, and story structure (plot)   • Two executional competencies of scene construction and writing voiceThe true magic of storytelling happens when these six core competencies work together in perfect harmony. And the best part? Anyone can do it!

Wolfgang Schmitt, ex-underwear model, self-proclaimed wisecrack, and cynical copywriter turned undercover agent, is biding his time, unsure how to spend the millions he scored after his recent undercover mission for the FBI. Complicating matters is the fact that he might be called in for a new mission; if it’s off the books and calls for a touch of seduction, Wolf is the man for the job.But, in Wolf’s words, shit-storms come in threes. On the same day Wolf is visiting his mother in a nursing home, he makes three troubling discoveries: the place is going under and he may need to step in; the stash in his offshore account has completely vanished; and the promising new woman in his life is actually a Fed, vetting him for another undercover gig. His mission: to entrap a casino-owning couple suspected of involvement with the organized crime factions piping untold amounts of money through the gambling mecca’s glamorous underworld. All of this seems nearly impossible to pull off, probably illegal as hell, and if this is anything like his last gig, nothing is as it seems.Full of crime, passion, and betrayal, Deadly Faux finds Wolf cornered in a dangerous undercover mission in Sin City, forced to use his wits, charm, and gambler’s luck to survive in the dark underbelly of Las Vegas.

The man: Wolfgang Schmitt: former model, newly single, habitual wiseass. It’s a profile only his ailing mother could love—but it makes him perfect for one thing . . . The bait: Billionaire Nelson Scott wants Schmitt to seduce his wife—setting off a prenuptial clause that will keep her hands off his money. The job pays a million bucks just for trying. Another four if Schmitt pulls it off. All he has to do is say yes . . . The switch: Next thing he knows, he’s dealing with a lot more than he bargained for. Like Scott’s gorgeous, stiletto-sharp lawyer. A couple of shady suits who may or may not be Feds. And a few more dead bodies than he’s used to. But in the big leagues of money and power, Schmitt happens.

The man: Wolfgang Schmitt: former model, newly single, habitual wiseass. It’s a profile only his ailing mother could love—but it makes him perfect for one thing . . . The bait: Billionaire Nelson Scott wants Schmitt to seduce his wife—setting off a prenuptial clause that will keep her hands off his money. The job pays a million bucks just for trying. Another four if Schmitt pulls it off. All he has to do is say yes . . . The switch: Next thing he knows, he’s dealing with a lot more than he bargained for. Like Scott’s gorgeous, stiletto-sharp lawyer. A couple of shady suits who may or may not be Feds. And a few more dead bodies than he’s used to. But in the big leagues of money and power, Schmitt happens.  

A twisting thriller that taps into a deep well of erotic obsession, sexual betrayal, madness, and murder, Darkness Bound goes to fearless extremes to become an authentic and shocking suspense novel. In Darkness . . . Two strangers meet. A woman without inhibitions . . . a man without limits . . . for a private game between two consenting adults. In Darkness . . . They indulge in every secret fantasy, cross every boundary of sexual deviation. But one of them has a secret yet to be shared, a desire yet to be explored . . . In Darkness . . . Fear will become the ultimate pleasure. Revenge, the ultimate reward—and reality, the deadliest fantasy of all. Now the real games are about to begin.

A twisting thriller that taps into a deep well of erotic obsession, sexual betrayal, madness, and murder, Darkness Bound goes to fearless extremes to become an authentic and shocking suspense novel. In Darkness . . . Two strangers meet. A woman without inhibitions . . . a man without limits . . . for a private game between two consenting adults. In Darkness . . . They indulge in every secret fantasy, cross every boundary of sexual deviation. But one of them has a secret yet to be shared, a desire yet to be explored . . . In Darkness . . . Fear will become the ultimate pleasure. Revenge, the ultimate reward—and reality, the deadliest fantasy of all. Now the real games are about to begin.

FIND HIM. Bernadette Kane never believed that her sister committed suicide. And what she heard about her sister’s mysterious—and sadistic—lover, Wesley Edwards, made her suspect the worst. With his good looks, private jet, and successful career, he could turn a girl’s head. And get away with murder.SEDUCE HIM. Bernadette’s plan: use her body to seduce Wesley, use her wits to gain his confidence, and use the evidence she finds to bring him down. First, Bernadette will have to submit to whatever Wesley wants and become a willing pawn in his twisted games.MAKE HIM PAY. But buried inside the millionaire’s inner sanctum are secrets that go farther than Bernadette ever imagined. They’re plunging her into the same nightmare that trapped her sister. And now the choice between revenge and survival will decide the outcome of Bernadette’s final—and most dangerous—game.

FIND HIM. Bernadette Kane never believed that her sister committed suicide. And what she heard about her sister’s mysterious—and sadistic—lover, Wesley Edwards, made her suspect the worst. With his good looks, private jet, and successful career, he could turn a girl’s head. And get away with murder.SEDUCE HIM. Bernadette’s plan: use her body to seduce Wesley, use her wits to gain his confidence, and use the evidence she finds to bring him down. First, Bernadette will have to submit to whatever Wesley wants and become a willing pawn in his twisted games.MAKE HIM PAY. But buried inside the millionaire’s inner sanctum are secrets that go farther than Bernadette ever imagined. They’re plunging her into the same nightmare that trapped her sister. And now the choice between revenge and survival will decide the outcome of Bernadette’s final—and most dangerous—game.

The game is a weeklong retreat. It’s located in a remote region of northern California. It’s designed to build teamwork, establish trust, and increase awareness.The players are three ambitious executives—one woman and two men, each prepared to put his physical, mental, and moral limits to the test. They never dreamed how far they could go.The rules are simple. First you run. Then you hide. Don’t appear weak, don’t admit to the fear, and don’t react to the pain.The prize is staying alive. Let the game begin.

The game is a weeklong retreat. It’s located in a remote region of northern California. It’s designed to build teamwork, establish trust, and increase awareness.The players are three ambitious executives—one woman and two men, each prepared to put his physical, mental, and moral limits to the test. They never dreamed how far they could go.The rules are simple. First you run. Then you hide. Don’t appear weak, don’t admit to the fear, and don’t react to the pain.The prize is staying alive. Let the game begin.

When committed agnostic Gabriel Stone’s wife dies in an unlikely airline disaster, he pours himself into the writing of a story that has haunted him since his youth—a novel his devout wife had warned him never to finish. Inspired by a visit to the island of Patmos, he is fascinated with the visions beheld there by St. John The Divine while in political exile for his beliefs. Those visions included terrifying events delivered by what John described as “seven thunders,” which he was instructed to withhold, to seal up and “write them not” (Revelation 10:4). As Stone becomes entrenched in his speculative interpretation of what those visions might have been, an embedded code within the Book of Revelation itself reveals startling connections to covert operations that are about to tear the world’s political landscape to shreds, perhaps signaling the beginning of the prophesied end of times.As Stone’s novel nears publication, he finds himself the pawn in a war between superpowers and supernatural forces, each hoping to control the book, each driven by hidden agendas beyond Stone’s comprehension. Facing choices that are at once spiritual and life-dependent, with global stakes pivoting on his ability to accept the unbelievable and stop the unthinkable, The Seventh Thunder is a secular thriller that stops at nothing short of our very souls hanging in the balance, while ringing frighteningly relevant to today’s headlines. Winner of the 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Award for best novel in the SUSPENSE/THRILLER category.

When committed agnostic Gabriel Stone’s wife dies in an unlikely airline disaster, he pours himself into the writing of a story that has haunted him since his youth—a novel his devout wife had warned him never to finish. Inspired by a visit to the island of Patmos, he is fascinated with the visions beheld there by St. John The Divine while in political exile for his beliefs. Those visions included terrifying events delivered by what John described as “seven thunders,” which he was instructed to withhold, to seal up and “write them not” (Revelation 10:4). As Stone becomes entrenched in his speculative interpretation of what those visions might have been, an embedded code within the Book of Revelation itself reveals startling connections to covert operations that are about to tear the world’s political landscape to shreds, perhaps signaling the beginning of the prophesied end of times.

As Stone’s novel nears publication, he finds himself the pawn in a war between superpowers and supernatural forces, each hoping to control the book, each driven by hidden agendas beyond Stone’s comprehension. Facing choices that are at once spiritual and life-dependent, with global stakes pivoting on his ability to accept the unbelievable and stop the unthinkable, The Seventh Thunder is a secular thriller that stops at nothing short of our very souls hanging in the balance, while ringing frighteningly relevant to today’s headlines. Winner of the 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Award for best novel in the SUSPENSE/THRILLER category.

The man: Wolfgang Schmitt: former model, newly single, habitual wiseass. It’s a profile only his ailing mother could love—but it makes him perfect for one thing . . . The bait: Billionaire Nelson Scott wants Schmitt to seduce his wife—setting off a prenuptial clause that will keep her hands off his money. The job pays a million bucks just for trying. Another four if Schmitt pulls it off. All he has to do is say yes . . . The switch: Next thing he knows, he’s dealing with a lot more than he bargained for. Like Scott’s gorgeous, stiletto-sharp lawyer. A couple of shady suits who may or may not be Feds. And a few more dead bodies than he’s used to. But in the big leagues of money and power, Schmitt happens.

A twisting thriller that taps into a deep well of erotic obsession, sexual betrayal, madness, and murder, Darkness Bound goes to fearless extremes to become an authentic and shocking suspense novel. In Darkness . . . Two strangers meet. A woman without inhibitions . . . a man without limits . . . for a private game between two consenting adults. In Darkness . . . They indulge in every secret fantasy, cross every boundary of sexual deviation. But one of them has a secret yet to be shared, a desire yet to be explored . . . In Darkness . . . Fear will become the ultimate pleasure. Revenge, the ultimate reward—and reality, the deadliest fantasy of all. Now the real games are about to begin.

The game is a weeklong retreat. It’s located in a remote region of northern California. It’s designed to build teamwork, establish trust, and increase awareness.The players are three ambitious executives—one woman and two men, each prepared to put his physical, mental, and moral limits to the test. They never dreamed how far they could go.The rules are simple. First you run. Then you hide. Don’t appear weak, don’t admit to the fear, and don’t react to the pain.The prize is staying alive. Let the game begin.

FIND HIM. Bernadette Kane never believed that her sister committed suicide. And what she heard about her sister’s mysterious—and sadistic—lover, Wesley Edwards, made her suspect the worst. With his good looks, private jet, and successful career, he could turn a girl’s head. And get away with murder.SEDUCE HIM. Bernadette’s plan: use her body to seduce Wesley, use her wits to gain his confidence, and use the evidence she finds to bring him down. First, Bernadette will have to submit to whatever Wesley wants and become a willing pawn in his twisted games.MAKE HIM PAY. But buried inside the millionaire’s inner sanctum are secrets that go farther than Bernadette ever imagined. They’re plunging her into the same nightmare that trapped her sister. And now the choice between revenge and survival will decide the outcome of Bernadette’s final—and most dangerous—game.