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Unusual Demands
Pedaling East follows two suspended FBI agents on a cross-country bicycle journey who discover that a human-trafficking cartel and a white nationalist militia are following them coast to coast with unfinished business. Was the route planned first, or did the story shape the geography?
The route was roughly planned and had to be West Coast to East Coast, since the book was a follow-up to Pedaling West, published in 2023. Since the bike trip represented a reunion of sorts of the cast from Pedaling West, but still part of the Butnari and Hill Crime Thriller series, my challenge was to find a way that two FBI agents could afford the two months off from work required for a coast-to-coast bicycle excursion. The untimely suspension resulting from a territorial dispute between ICE and the FBI solved the dilemma.
Marina and Doug begin the story suspended by the FBI after confronting corruption connected to trafficking and militias. Were you interested in exploring the frustration of people trying to do the right thing inside compromised systems?
Not really. I was simply taking advantage of a plausible scenario for a dispute between two federal enforcement agencies based on current events. The enthusiasm for immigration control by the current administration has placed unusual demands on the agency charged with handling it. To quickly increase their ranks, ICE has resorted to programs like the 287(g) initiative described in Pedaling East, and critics have complained that the vetting process for admitting new agents has suffered. Whether the accusation is accurate or not, the publicity allows the scenario in my book to resonate.
Found-family stories work best when the bonds feel earned rather than assumed. How do you build that sense of chosen belonging across a fast-moving plot?
As one reviewer noted, I deliberately slowed the plot-action down in places to include short scenes where the six primary characters interact on a personal basis. Despite the different environments each character comes from and the groups’ unusual mix of race, gender, professional avocations, and even sexual preferences, they find common ground in the important areas that establish essential human bonds. Their shared perils on the journey strengthen those bonds and make the story as much about the importance of teamwork as a fight for survival.
I hope the series continues in other books. If so, where will the story take readers?
Since Full Count, published in 2019, a consistent cast of my characters has intermingled across my seven published novels. Not all appear in all books, but they float in and out of the stories as the different plots for each story allow. Only Tom Burns has appeared in all seven novels, and I suspect that future books will feature the same characters. The “story” will determine where they (and the readers) go, and like life, we can’t predict what the next “story” might be.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
When the FBI unfairly suspends Special Agents Marina Butnari and Doug Hill, they plan an epic West Coast to East Coast bicycle journey with friends. In their profession, they’re accustomed to following trouble, but this time it follows them across the country as a dangerous human trafficking cartel teams with a white nationalist militia group to eliminate them.
Danger lurks around every bend in the road for the bikers in an adventure as explosive as Old Faithful and as intense as Niagara Falls. The trip, which starts in Oregon, will end in Boston, but how?
EVOLVED PUBLISHING PRESENTS a crime fiction adventure celebrating the strength of friendship, the resilience of partnership, and the power of teamwork in a novel featuring beloved characters from some of the other multiple award-winning books by E. A. Coe.
Horrors of Human Trafficking
Omega I – The Creation follows a group of citizens who dive headlong into the battle against child trafficking and the failures perpetrated by the justice system. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The growing number of children and adults who go missing every day. Never to be seen again, only to end up in sex trafficking, forced labor, or organ harvesting. This is nothing but modern-day slavery.
There’s not enough written about this hideous crime forced on the innocent. I wanted to do my part and somehow bring from the darkness into the light the horrors of human trafficking.
How much and what type of research went into putting this book together?
A lot of internet searching. Everything that I included in my book is being used today. I wanted everything to be realistic and something that many, if not most, people could relate to. I also conducted in-person interviews and attended several classes on the topics covered in the Omega book series. Although The Omega Book Series is fiction, it is also based on real events, and I would call it a work of factual.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Many stories feature superheroes as their main characters. I wanted to use average characters as my heroes so that readers could relate to them. I wanted to show the many flaws they have and how they overcome them. I also want to show how everyday people can make a difference.
Can you give us a peek inside the next book in this series? Where will it take readers?
The Omega Group continues its fight, not only here in the United States, but also in other parts of the world. They also address the Dark Web and the issue of organ harvesting. The team grows and matures together to become a force to combat the evils of human trafficking.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Enter the world of Child Sex Trafficking and Slavery. Follow the Omega team as they fight against it. Some may call it vigilante Justice, Street Justice, what would you call it?
Have you ever been disappointed by the actions, or lack of, by the legal system? For instance, how about when someone is set free of a horrific crime, because of a minor technicality? Did you say to yourself, “That is wrong, something should have been done?”
What if your son, daughter, brother, or sister was kidnapped and sold into slavery, but the people who were responsible for it got away with it due to an error in the paperwork? Suppose some high dollar lawyer was able to “game the system” and get their guilty client off.
What if…. YOU, had the means and resources to do something about it?
What if a group of these disappointed and fed-up citizens, banded together to do something about it?
This story is about such a group of everyday people just like you. People who have suffered from injustice. People who know someone who were, or currently are, the victim of a broken legal system. People who are tired of the failures of the legal system.
Now put yourself in the shoes of the girls and boys who have suffered or are still suffering from being used as sex slaves. What if someone had done something about it before you were forced into slavery?
Join Jack Davidson and Shay Lynn, along with the others of The Omega Group. As they come together and bring justice to those who have beaten the system. Some may call it vigilante Justice, Street Justice or simply wrong, but it is the only justice many victims will receive.
Enter the dark world of sex trafficking and slavery. Once a person has been forced into this world; they may escape physically, but emotionally they will forever be a prisoner.
Child sex crimes have been an issue for much of recorded history. As a society; we have failed in our efforts to keep our children safe from the sexual predators.
Families have been shattered and destroyed when a family member, a friend or total strangers have robbed them of their children using them for their own perverted needs Sometimes they are found and returned to their families. Sadly however, the vast majority are never to be seen again. They are either so broken they cannot find their way back, or they are simply removed from the world through no fault of their own.
Children, and sometimes adults are taken for many sick and horrendous reasons. These include the prostitution of others, sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery or similar practices, and the removal of their organs.
Law enforcement agencies as well as the courts have tried and failed to reign in this evil. Sometimes it’s up to the streets to hunt down and bring these perverts to justice.
This is a story about a small group of individuals that have had enough. They have found themselves taking up the fight for the innocent when the establishment has failed.
They are not superheroes, nor or they specially trained former military. They are like you and me; people who’ve had enough and have taken it upon themselves to do something about it. They slowly grow from a band of misfits into a crack team working together to save as many children from the horrors of sex and slave trafficking as they can.
As they work their way through this dark and evil world, they find that the world of sex trafficking is bigger and more sinister than they could have ever imagined.
Maybe you’ll find a part of you, within one of them. How would you react if you or, a loved one was taken and thrown into the dark world of sex trafficking? How far are you willing to go to protect a loved one from being another figure in the growing world of sex trafficking?
Maybe someday soon, you’ll be part of the Omega team.
Omega I – The Creation
Omega I: The Creation, by David J. Story, is a gritty, emotionally charged vigilante thriller that throws readers headfirst into the horrors of child trafficking and the failures of the justice system. It follows a group of ordinary citizens, survivors, the broken, and the angry, as they unite to form “Omega,” a clandestine team that takes justice into their own hands when the courts fail. Beginning with a mistrial that lets a known pedophile walk free, the story quickly escalates into street-level retribution, covert operations, and deeply personal reckonings, all woven together with high-octane drama and moral ambiguity.
David J. Story does not hold back. From the opening chapter, the emotional weight is immediate and intense. The section titled The Macon Trial is especially powerful, an unflinching depiction of courtroom failure that had me tense with frustration. The dismissal of crucial evidence on a technicality, allowing a known predator to go free, felt disturbingly plausible. That sense of injustice is palpable, and it’s clear the author intended to provoke exactly that response. Story captures the deep, familiar outrage that comes when the system fails the vulnerable. The prose is blunt and unpolished at times, yet that roughness complements the story’s urgency. Even when the writing strays into uneven territory, the emotion behind it remains unmistakably authentic.
The characters, particularly Jack and Shay, are compelling not because they embody heroism but because they feel authentically human. Shay’s trauma and Jack’s own concealed past unfold gradually, revealed through moments of vulnerability and stark, difficult conversations. One especially powerful scene takes place when Jack and Shay sit in a diner reflecting on their experiences with abuse and vengeance. The moment is emotionally jarring. The writing may not be refined or lyrical, but its honesty is undeniable. It strikes with blunt force. Jack’s revelation about his past is both unexpected and deeply affecting. This is a novel that holds profound pain at its core, yet there is a persistent, somber sense of justice that lingers long after the scene ends.
What truly carried the story was its heart. This isn’t a book about flawless prose; it’s about people reaching their breaking point and choosing to act when no one else will. When the Omega team commits fully to their brand of vigilante justice, I couldn’t help but root for them, even when it made me question my own sense of right and wrong. That’s the power of this story: it doesn’t offer easy answers. It wrestles with justice and vengeance, law and healing, and it does so with an honesty that’s raw and compelling.
If you prefer stories with clean resolutions and neatly tied endings, this may not be the book for you. But for those who have ever felt a surge of frustration at injustice, whether watching the news or sitting helplessly in a courtroom, Omega I resonates deeply. It speaks to the angered, the grieving, and those who still hold onto the conviction that action matters, even when the system fails. Unflinching and emotionally charged, this novel is both powerful and provocative.
Pages: 297 | ASIN : B0C2L9KH94
Crazy Experiences
Denise Ann Stock Author Interview
Blowout Summer follows Dee Dee as she reflects on one memorable summer filled with surfing, drugs and experimentation. What served as your inspiration while writing this wild summer?
It was a different time. Everything about living in a small beach town was easy. California was changing right under the States noses. People and their crazy experiences during that time, led me to write about their antics.
Dee Dee is a character, I felt, continued to develop as the story progressed. What were some obstacles you felt were important to her characters development?
She was on the verge of becoming an adult and she still wanted to have fun making bad or detrimental choices. She needed to become independent instead of going with the crowd.
This novel takes place in the 70’s when a lot of experimentation was going on. What were some themes you wanted to capture while writing this book?
The world of surfing, clothing styles, and the music of that time.
What is the next story that you are working on and when will it be available?
It features the same characters. They can’t seem to stay out of trouble. It should be done this year.
Author Links: Website | Amazon
![Blow Out Summer by [Stock, Denise Ann]](https://i0.wp.com/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51JyDJI88BL._SY346_.jpg?w=604&ssl=1)
Surf, party, and romance take center stage in the breezy novel Blow Out Summer, as a group of local surfers in Huntington Beach, California, enjoy a summertime of hanging out and having fun.
Their story takes place in the mid 1970s, when no one was paying much attention to the drugs being brought into California at an alarming rate. But Dee Dee’s eyes are about to be opened.
Dee Dee lives in a very well-to-do area and is introduced to social drug experimentation and drug trafficking while maintaining a normal family life. She and her friends enjoy the surf up and down the coast of California.
Her friends run the gamut from the very wealthy to beach bums she met at the pier. Dee Dee’s lazy summer is spent under beautiful sunny days with slow drifting clouds and perfect barrel waves. But the ups and downs in her relationships and the dangers of dabbling in drugs ultimately force her a decision that will change her life.
A Wild and Thrilling Experience
Sharon CassanoLochman Author Interview
Man with the Sand Dollar Face is a genre-crossing novel with elements of a thriller, mystery, and crime fiction as well. Did you start writing with this in mind, or did this happen organically as you were writing?
I wrote the rough draft for Man with the Sand Dollar Face in less than twenty-four hours without concern for where the story was going or where it would end. I have written like this before, and I have always found it to be a wild and thrilling experience similar to watching a heart-pounding adventure movie. I laughed at Hattie’s antics and cried over the tragedies she faced.
Hattie is a quirky widow in her sixties when she pursues clues that get her caught up with drug traffickers. What were some themes you wanted to explore while writing her character?
Some of the themes that came through were issues of tremendous importance; for example, compassion and personal expression. Hattie was like a quirky aunt that you could not help but love. I wanted her rambling thoughts to drive the reader crazy as they unknowingly became emotionally attached to her child-like innocence.
The characters in this novel, I felt, were intriguing and well developed. Who was your favorite character to write for?
My favorite character to explore was Vic; he had a complex personality that was at times compassionate and other times terrifyingly brutal.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be published?
I am currently working on the revisions for an adult fiction that delves into Quantum Physics that I hope to have ready for release in 2019 along with a sequel to Man with the Sand Dollar Face.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
![Man with the Sand Dollar Face by [CassanoLochman, Sharon]](https://i0.wp.com/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41V-nR%2BTR%2BL._SY346_.jpg?w=604&ssl=1)
Hattie Crumford, a quirky widow in her early sixties, takes her first job answering the phone in a private investigator’s office. Running a little late one morning, she discovers an agitated man pacing at the office door. He insists he must see the PI immediately. In the midst of his anxious demands, he clutches his chest and collapses. Shocked, Hattie runs for help. Upon returning, the man has disappeared. Detective Hugo Gabby and Hattie’s boss, Wallace C. Woodard, are skeptical and dismissive of her story. To prove it’s not her wild imagination, Hattie sets out to find the missing manusing only the cryptic note he left in his place and his last words as her clues.
Meanwhile, the private investigator is onto something and tells Hattie to retrieve a disc in his file cabinet, which must be delivered to the police immediately.
When Hattie returns to the office the next morning, she’s met by two men who usher her out at knife point and drag her into a waiting limo. Abducted and held hostage, she’s drugged by her captors who are trying to get the mysterious disc.
As the story unfolds, Hattie Crumford finds herself embroiled in an international drug trafficking ring. Everything hinges on the man with the sand dollar face.
Blow Out Summer
Surf, party, and romance take center stage in the breezy novel Blow Out Summer, as a group of local surfers in Huntington Beach, California, enjoy a summertime of hanging out and having fun.
Their story takes place in the mid 1970s, when no one was paying much attention to the drugs being brought into California at an alarming rate. But Dee Dee’s eyes are about to be opened.
Dee Dee lives in a very well-to-do area and is introduced to social drug experimentation and drug trafficking while maintaining a normal family life. She and her friends enjoy the surf up and down the coast of California.
Her friends run the gamut from the very wealthy to beach bums she met at the pier. Dee Dee’s lazy summer is spent under beautiful sunny days with slow drifting clouds and perfect barrel waves. But the ups and downs in her relationships and the dangers of dabbling in drugs ultimately force her a decision that will change her life.
