This is the blog of Samie Sands, author of Lockdown. There will be many great books and projects reviewed here. For more, check out thelockdown.co.uk.

Thursday, 30 March 2017

One Man's Opus by Boyd Craven III

One Man's Opus: A Survival and Preparedness Story by [Craven III, Boyd]

Man's Best Friend


Rick is like many Americans. He’s concerned with what he sees on the news, and how the country seems to be ready to tear itself apart. His biggest concern has been civil unrest. Already an avid camper, he sets out to secure his future, and career, by finding his own Eden.

Tina is a small business owner and knows what she wants in life. She and her furry companion find themselves at gunpoint when Rick walks back into her world and forever changes the dynamic between them.

One dog, who’s been the savior, protector, and companion… Opus. The owner of two humans that mostly understand him. Mostly.

When the police walk into an ambush, a series of events forces the couple to bug out. The problem with having to leave for a small town, at a remote location, is it really isn’t a secret. Small towns bring their own problems with crime, and power plays. Everybody knows everybody, and the gossip mill runs as fast as lightning.

Will the trio be as prepared as they need to be?

Tuesday, 28 March 2017

Traveller - Inceptio by Rob Shackleford


Traveller - Inceptio by [Shackleford, Rob]
If you were sent a thousand years into the past, would you survive?
With the accidental development of the Transporter, university researchers determine that the device sends any subject one thousand years into the past.
Or is it to a possible past?
The enigmatic Transporter soon becomes known as a Time Machine, but with limitations.
An audacious research project is devised to use the Transporter to investigate Medieval Saxon England, when a crack international team of Special Services soldiers undergo intensive training for their role as historical researchers.
The special researchers, called Travellers, are to be sent into what is a very dangerous period in England's turbulent past. 
From the beaches of Australia to the forests of Saxon England, Traveller - Inceptio reveals how Travellers soon learn that they need more than combat skills and modern technology to survive the trails of early 11th Century life.
Review: This is a really great sci fi book that leaves you thinking long after you've finished it. The plot is well thought out, and it seems like a lot of research has gone into it, meaning there weren't any plot holes that I picked up on! Really cool, unique too. 

Sunday, 26 March 2017

After Days: Affliction by Scott Medbury

After Days: Affliction (The After Days Trilogy Book 1) by [Medbury, Scott]

Discover the harrowing dystopian trilogy destined to become an instant classic.

"Exceptional!...an exhilarating ride...brilliantly constructed and endlessly entertaining."
15 year old Isaac Race has already lost everyone close to him. He is about to lose a lot more. We all are. A mystery outbreak sweeps North America, it is chilling in both its speed and deadliness. The odd thing is though, it is only fatal to adults. Too late it becomes clear to authorities that the virus is man-made, a biological weapon, and that the United States is at war...a war it has already lost.

As his country is invaded and occupied, Isaac must lead a ragtag group of survivors across three states in the depths of winter, avoiding not only the invaders, but also other dangers unleashed in a world suddenly deprived of adults and authority, to a safe haven that may not even exist.

Saturday, 25 March 2017

Keeper of the Lost Souls by Kristy Centeno

Keeper of the Lost Souls (The Keeper Witches Series Book 1) by [Centeno, Kristy]
Bryn McCaskey is young, naïve, and can talk to ghosts...

Like her mother and grandmother, Bryn comes from a breed of witches called The Keepers of the Lost Souls. Their main purpose is to guard those spirits who are permanently or temporarily grounded in the world of the living. Handling supernatural creatures is something which comes naturally to Bryn, however, dealing with people is a whole different story.

As her 18th birthday approaches it's time for her to take on her first assignment. Bryn is forced to confront her inability to communicate with others in an effort to save the one soul that can mean the difference between life and death for mankind.

Johnny Shaw is a lost soul with a personal vendetta against witches...

A vendetta he has carried on even after death. As much as he hate's them he must join forces with a keeper witch, in order to stop a century old threat. When fate brings them together, not only will they be forced to learn how to work as a team, but they will have to depend on each other to stop an evil witch carrying a six hundred year grudge!

Thursday, 23 March 2017

The Caretake by Rob Shepherd

The Caretaker by [Shepherd, Rob]
A couple move into a Hi-Rise residential block, only to find that the reason it is so perfect is because it hides a horrifying secret; A mysterious yet terrifying caretaker and a whole lot of horror that keeps residents in check but who is in control of the horror and what are the dirty secrets that need to be cleaned up?

Tuesday, 21 March 2017

The Horror Squad by TJ Weeks


WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE & VIOLENCE! With the world now plagued by rotters, it's up to my team and I to take care of the living and take out the dead.

Saturday, 18 March 2017

AM13 Outbreak Shorts

Check out my new Wattpad freebie here:

Prologue

AM13 Corrected - High Resolution
I’m glaring at him just as intently as he stares at me. His eyes are so familiar, which really they should be. I’ve spent so much time gazing into them, wondering what’s going on behind them, hoping that he feels the same way I do. But now, something’s off. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it’s definitely there all the same.
It’s not just the cold, unfeeling expression that he’s wearing, or even the red rims and the loss of color in the iris of his eyes—although I do miss the deep ocean blue. 
No, it’s much worse than that.
I bite my lip to trying to stop the tears that threaten to spill out. I want to speak, to ask him why, what’s going on, but my vocal chords feel strangled, constricted. It’s a struggle to even breathe. 
Time passes. I’m not sure how much because nothing changes. We’re still here, everything’s exactly the same. Me verses him in this weird standoff that I just can’t get my head around. All I know for sure is that this isn’t going to end well.
He starts getting anxious. His eyes begin to flicker from side to side erratically. A puddle of drool collects on his chin, and a low growl emits from his stomach—a sound that I’ve never heard come from a human being before. 
What the hell am I supposed to make of all this? 
I’m scared. Absolutely terrified. My palms are sweaty and I can feel my heart pounding in my ears. On top of that, my dry mouth is absolutely aching for something to drink. I’d kill for some water or something right now. 
But then he distracts me from my thoughts by moving. Finally something is going to happen, and I feel a strange sort of excitement at the prospect.
Then he dives for me and everything goes black.

Cincopa Gallery

...