Photo Content from Michael F. Haspil
When he isn’t writing, you can find him sharing stories with his role-playing group, cosplaying, computer gaming, or collecting and creating replica movie props. Lately, he devotes the bulk of his hobby time to assembling and painting miniatures for his tabletop wargaming addiction.
Michael is represented by Sara Megibow of the KT Literary Agency and Adrian Garcia of the Paradigm Talent Agency.
He has collected and made replica movie props for over twenty years and enjoys the way a particular collectible lets an individual connect with a meaningful story.
He spends entirely too much time gaming or thinking (some might say ‘scheming’) about strategies and tactics in all kinds of gaming be it board games, computer games, or his passion, tabletop wargaming. He devotes the largest share of the gaming pie to Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game. He has collected and played Grey Knights, Space Marines, Tyranids, Dark Eldar, Necrons, and Space Wolves. Michael is a regular contributor to “The Long War” a premiere podcast and webcast dedicated to tabletop gaming, but especially to Warhammer 40,000.
Publisher: Tor Books (July 18, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0765379627
ISBN-13: 978-0765379627
Praise for GRAVEYARD SHIFT
“Gritty urban fantasy and hard-boiled noir packed into a hand grenade of awesome!” —Mario Acevedo, author of Werewolf Smackdown
“Those who enjoy police action mixed with urban fantasy may want to try this series launch.”—Library Journal, starred review
“The buddy-cop formula gets an undead twist with Alex—also known as the pharaoh Menkaure, reanimated to carry out an eternal duty—and Marcus, his vampiric colleague, who serve as cops in a special paranormal unit. Between the two of them, they have several thousand years' worth of superpowersand martial aptitude. The action is gritty, cinematic, and unrelenting...the worldbuilding is intriguing (as a figure drawn from Egyptian mythos, Alex injects fresh blood into undead tropes), and the reader runs no chance of growing bored during the tense race to the finish, in which a confrontation with an old enemy lays the groundwork for a potential sequel. Fans of urban fantasy, noir, and tightly choreographed action scenes will enjoy the blood and bullets in this adrenaline-heavy ride through crime scenes and secret societies.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Inventive and cleverly crafted with a unique premise, Haspil's urban fantasy is absolutely gripping. With strong, intelligent storytelling, distinctive, vivid characters, and gritty, edgy dialogue, Haspil will capture readers. Alex is a compelling, powerful hero and Marcus, his partner, is astrong and enthralling counterpart. With an intricate plot filled with actionand intrigue, Haspil lends a fresh voice to urban fantasy with his exciting and riveting debut.”—RT Book Reviews, four stars
“Those who enjoy police action mixed with urban fantasy may want to try this series launch.”—Library Journal, starred review
“The buddy-cop formula gets an undead twist with Alex—also known as the pharaoh Menkaure, reanimated to carry out an eternal duty—and Marcus, his vampiric colleague, who serve as cops in a special paranormal unit. Between the two of them, they have several thousand years' worth of superpowersand martial aptitude. The action is gritty, cinematic, and unrelenting...the worldbuilding is intriguing (as a figure drawn from Egyptian mythos, Alex injects fresh blood into undead tropes), and the reader runs no chance of growing bored during the tense race to the finish, in which a confrontation with an old enemy lays the groundwork for a potential sequel. Fans of urban fantasy, noir, and tightly choreographed action scenes will enjoy the blood and bullets in this adrenaline-heavy ride through crime scenes and secret societies.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Inventive and cleverly crafted with a unique premise, Haspil's urban fantasy is absolutely gripping. With strong, intelligent storytelling, distinctive, vivid characters, and gritty, edgy dialogue, Haspil will capture readers. Alex is a compelling, powerful hero and Marcus, his partner, is astrong and enthralling counterpart. With an intricate plot filled with actionand intrigue, Haspil lends a fresh voice to urban fantasy with his exciting and riveting debut.”—RT Book Reviews, four stars
GRAVEYARD SHIFT BY MICHAEL F. HASPIL EXCERPT
A gaggle of uniforms took cover behind their cars— a jumble of green- and- white Miami- Dade Police cruisers mixed in with the City of Miami Police’s blue- and- white livery. They pointed trunk guns— AR-15s and Mini-14s— and pistols at the doors. Off to the side, several cops held the press and other looky- loos at bay.
It was the standard goat rope whenever a vampire might be involved. The odds were low that there really was a bloodsucker around, since the sun was already beating down with full late- summer fury and it wasn’t even midmorning. While it was true that sunlight wasn’t as deadly to vampires as the myths implied, at the very least it made most of them severely uncomfortable, and some suffered third- degree burns with only slight exposure.
Alex parked the SUV and killed the cherry lights. He stepped out into what felt like an impossible hundred- and- fifty- percent humidity with heat to match. It wasn’t as oppressive as Kemet at this time of year, but Kemet’s was a blistering, drier heat.
Egypt, he reminded himself again. That was what they called it now. It had been more than two thousand years since the Greeks had renamed his homeland after a mispronunciation of a misunderstanding, and it felt almost as long since he’d been there. Re beamed overhead, charging Menkaure’s body with His invigorating light. The power coursed through him, raw and unchecked. As long as Re held vigil overhead, Menkaure was nearly invincible. It was darkness that held weakness for him.
Alex ran a hand over his dark, bald, cool head, wiping away a thin sheen of moisture, due solely to humidity, since he didn’t sweat. He wasn’t a vampire, but his body, like a vampire’s matched the ambient temperature, in this case that of the air- conditioned interior of his SUV. He suppressed the urge to slam its door. Charged up as he was now, if he did, it might never open again.
“Who’s the primary?” He projected his voice, and with it, his authority, but it took an effort to keep the annoyance out of it.
One of the Dade cops muttered, “Guess the nocturn squad finally decided to show up. Took your sweet- ass time.”
Alex ignored the man and walked nearer to the line of police cars.
Ah, irony.
Once, Menkaure had been the Morning and the Evening Star, He of the Sedge and the Bee, Pharaoh of the Two Lands. Few men would have dared to speak to him without awe in their voices. Now, he walked the Path of Asar as penance, and though all of humanity owed him innumerable debts, he found naught but scorn in their tone.
Alex asked his question again, louder this time. “Who’s the primary?”
A middle- aged man with salt- and- pepper hair stepped forward. He wore the taupe uniform of the Miami- Dade Police and had a paunch that pushed his gun belt low.
“Right here,” he said. “I’ve got men watching the back of the store. It’s not coming out of there.”
“It?” Alex asked.
“Yeah, the vampire. I mean, the um, nocturn.”
“I’m fine with ‘vampire.’ Are you sure? Seems a bit early.” Alex pointed at the sun.
“Yeah, we’re sure,” the cop answered. “We’ve got four officers down on account of going in there and trying to deal with it— him. Couldn’t make an ID. He’s probably an undocumented nocturn. We think he’s in a blood frenzy. I’d just as soon not take chances.”
“What’s the deal with Miami PD responding?”
“New rules. Overwhelming force, plus they were close enough to augment. The way things are going, orders are we’re supposed to show the city no one’s sitting anything out.”
Copyright 2017 by Michael F. Haspil
Alex Menkaure, former pharaoh and mummy, and his vampire partner, Marcus, who was born in ancient Rome, once hunted evil vampires for UMBRA, a super-secret unit of the NSA. That was before the discovery of a blood substitute and a Supreme Court ruling allowed thousands of vampires to integrate into society.
Now, Alex and Marcus are vice cops in a special police unit. They fight to keep the streets safe from criminal vampires, shape-shifters, blood-dealers, and anti-vampire vigilantes.
When someone starts poisoning the artificial blood, race relations between vampires and humans deteriorate to the brink of anarchy. While the city threatens to tear itself apart, Alex and Marcus must form an unnatural alliance with a vigilante gang and a shape-shifter woman in a desperate battle against an ancient vampire conspiracy.
If they succeed, they'll be pariahs, hunted by everyone. If they fail, the result will be a race-war bloodierthan any the world has ever seen.
You can purchase Graveyard Shift at the following Retailers:
And now, The Giveaways.
Thank you MICHAEL F. HASPIL for making this giveaway possible.
5 Winners will receive a Copy of GRAVEYARD SHIFT by Michael F. Haspil.
WEEK ONE
JULY 24th MONDAY BookHounds EXCERPT
JULY 25th TUESDAY JeanBookNerd VLOG & EXCERPT
JULY 26th WEDNESDAY A Dream Within A Dream VLOG
JULY 27th THURSDAY Crossroad Reviews REVIEW
JULY 25th TUESDAY JeanBookNerd VLOG & EXCERPT
JULY 26th WEDNESDAY A Dream Within A Dream VLOG
JULY 27th THURSDAY Crossroad Reviews REVIEW
JULY 27th THURSDAY Painted Words REVIEW
AUGUST 1st TUESDAY CBY Book Club EXCERPT
AUGUST 2nd WEDNESDAY Reading for the Stars and Moon REVIEW
AUGUST 3rd THURSDAY TTC Books and More REVIEW
AUGUST 4th FRIDAY The Literati Press REVIEW
AUGUST 4th FRIDAY Movies, Shows, & Books REVIEW
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