The Holocaust Engine by David Rike and Stephen Patrick

Tag: #holocaustengine.com

Writer Wednesday #3

“How” do you write?

For my writer friends, what is your preferred method for putting it all down for your reader? Ours are at the bottom, but please drop yours in the comments. We want to see inside your process.

  • Pencil + paper?
  • Ink + notebook?
  • Chisel + stone
  • Fire + blanket
  • In the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
  • Not at all (writing words down robs them of the freedom to be what they want to be)

DAVID RIKE: I only write in a notebook these days if I’m somewhere interesting enough (beach or mountainside) to justify the extra step of typing it up later. Otherwise it’s on a laptop, in an empty room, with mood music.

STEPHEN PATRICK: Pen + paper. I carry a notebook with me almost everywhere, specifically this one. I’ll burn through 2-3 each year (typically one in the Spring and one in the Summer), filling them with story seeds, character ideas, plot threads, lists, and all sorts of things. Sometimes they come to live in a work-in-progress. Other times they survive on the bookshelf until I hit a wall and skim through them, mining them for new ideas. I regularly find a solution to a problem that hasn’t arrived yet. Most recently, I’m using MS OneNote for the formal storytelling, using it to build up to a final draft in MS Word.

Reviews are in

The first reviews for The Holocaust Engine are in:

“…a chilling community horror adventure like no other, and one which leaves you with a lump in your throat throughout.

Author team David Rike and Stephen Patrick have crafted one of the most interesting and original virus-style thriller novels I’ve read in a long while. As a horror fan, I felt that the violence, threat, and suspense were in excellent balance throughout the novel, with different aspects of fear coming through in a sophisticated way that elevates itself above shock value. The psychological aspect of how the area becomes divided really fascinated me, taking a small-town horror vibe and placing it in a wild section of waterways and tropical islands to enhance the danger. The more I got to know the characters and the progression of their skills, the more I wanted another book in this excellent series to devour right away. Overall, I would highly recommend The Holocaust Engine for fans of horror, thriller, and virus-style adventure novels.”– Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews, K.C. Finn (5 STARS)

The Holocaust Engine is the first entry in a series that will certainly be an engrossing one, and I was pulled in right from the beginning. The authors start the story in an intriguing manner and as the reader follows the narrative, they become quickly enamored with the characters. The writing is polished and it flows with an unusual fluidity and crispness. I noticed the descriptive power of the prose and how strongly the imagery pops up in the pages. The setting is wonderfully written, and it reflects a society in chaos. The descriptions offer details that add depth to the story and allow readers to feel for the characters. The theme of survival is central in this narrative and while it features scenes that are crafted for fans of horror, I was so taken by the keen exploration of human nature. The characters are real, the pacing is fast, and the plot is a twisty one.”– Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews, Romuald Dzemo (5 STARS)


“I loved the story from the beginning. It starts with the death of Wesley Bontrager, which is not truly reported by the press—and this isn’t far from contemporary reality. What everyone thinks is that the professional quarterback committed suicide in the infirmary at the Metro West Detention Center while awaiting arraignment for the murder of his friend and teammate, George Cole. But before his death, he did things that are gruesome, like killing the guard and the nurse. When new characters come into the story it quickly becomes even more interesting. I particularly loved how the authors capture the general climate of a community under quarantine, the lies that authorities tell the population to hide the facts, and the natural human instinct for survival and the way it is written. This is a well-crafted horror story with memorable characters and an unusual plot. David Rike and Stephen Patrick keep the writing elegant and fill it with strong descriptions, creating an apocalyptic world where inhabitants struggle to survive through scarcity. There are gory, nerve-racking scenes. The Holocaust Engine is a fun and quick read, thanks to the beauty of language and the authors’ gift for storytelling and plot. I enjoyed the short chapters and suspenseful writing.”– Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews, Jose Cornelio (5 STARS)

Writer Wednesday

One of the best things about being a writer is having writer friends. The creative churn of new releases, WIPs, and discussions about what they’re working on is inspiring.

To celebrate the release of “The Holocaust Engine” by Evolved Publishing, I want to hear what my friends are working on. Drop your links, or even thoughts about that new WIP in the comments below.

Show us what’s out there and what’s coming.