# The USURPER, Free to borrow or buy the last weekend in KDP Select



## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

*The Usurper* is my newest novel:

Gary Jackson is raised to hate. Hate the United States, and everything it has ever stood for. His mission is to destroy the country from within, allying himself with America's enemies, and one malevolent billionaire, to accomplish this task. Once elected to the highest position in the land, Gary puts his lifelong goals to work, and puts America onto the path of ultimate destruction. He stops at nothing to rid the USA of his political and spiritual enemies, until a small group decide they've had enough, and they want to stop him. Will they succeed or will the United States of America be relegated to the dustbin of history?

Thread to Out of Time, which goes for $.99 as an ebook, and the thread to Shattered Earth, both are science fiction/fantasy/speculative fiction. Click on the picture to take you to the US Kindle, and here's the UK link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Usurper/dp/B003VP9VVK

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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Hi Cliff, congrats on the new book.

I know you've been around a while so here's a remdinder of where you can find our Forum Decorum if you need to refer to it: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,36.0.html

And just a quick overview of the rules.
We ask that authors have only one thread per Book, rather than start a new thread each time, it helps members who may be following you. Please bookmark this thread so that you may find it again to update.

We also have a seven day rule, and ask that you bump (make back-to-back posts) no less than seven days apart. You may, of course, respond to member posts at any time. Once you do, it resets the clock and you must wait seven days...

We invite you to use your book cover as your avatar and have links to your book and website in your signature. Although self-promotion is limited to the Book Bazaar, most of our authors have found the best way to promote their books is to be as active throughout KindleBoards as time allows. This is your target audience--book lovers with Kindles!

Thanks for being a good citizen of KindleBoards!


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

Updating:
Paperback is now available on Amazon

and other e-book locations Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo for mobile phones, and on 



.

The e-book is now $2.99.


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## Markee Anderson (Aug 2, 2010)

This looks like a very interesting read to me.  Thanks for posting, and best wishes on tons of sales!


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## Sandra Edwards (May 10, 2010)

Wishing you lots of luck with your book 

Sandy


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

Thanks!   I hope I get tons of sales.  I normally write science fiction, but this is a novel that had been on my mind for nearly 16 years and current events really inspired me to go back to working on it.


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## Guest (Aug 15, 2010)

cliffball said:


> Thanks!  I hope I get tons of sales. I normally write science fiction, but this is a novel that had been on my mind for nearly 16 years and current events really inspired me to go back to working on it.


I like the free preview so far. I purchased one of your others and will probably buy here too. Good work.


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## Guest (Aug 15, 2010)

Yup.  Im gonna buy the Usurper.


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

Cool! Thanks M.R.

Updates:
My novel mentioned here: 
Spalding's Racket
Kindle Author
Conservative Monitor


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## Gordon Ryan (Aug 20, 2010)

Cliff, I just took advantage of your Smashwords coupon to obtain The Usurper.  I will report back here when I finish it.  Thanks for the offer for your fellow authors.

Cheers,


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

Novelist said:


> Cliff, I just took advantage of your Smashwords coupon to obtain The Usurper. I will report back here when I finish it. Thanks for the offer for your fellow authors.
> 
> Cheers,


Cool and thanks. Just so you know though, I uploaded that right after I finished it. Now, a month later, with fresh eyes, I'm going back through it, re-reading it, and fixing all the run-on sentences(and some other minor mistakes that I found) that I didn't realize(at the time) that I had left in. I'm hoping the small changes throughout, that nobody but authors/editors would notice, will strengthen the experience of reading it.


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## Guest (Aug 21, 2010)

I didnt use the coupon....................................................   LOL    Its all good tho.


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## Roger E. Craig - novelist (Aug 28, 2010)

Hi Cliff

Your "Usurper" looks like a blockbuster.  

Roger


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

From my blog about part of what happens in the novel

In my newest novel, The Usurper (for $1.99), I explore terrorism as part of the novel and who in this fictional universe is actually responsible for starting it/financing it against the United States and everyone else in the world when it begins in the late 1960′s. I decided to have the KGB train various terrorist groups to undermine the western powers, no matter which side they were on, right wing, left wing, or religious terrorism, that way the Soviet Union thinks they can win against their main enemy, the United States.

Eventually, when the Soviet Union collapses in the novel, Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden takes up the training of their own terrorists, but are financed by a trillionare who can't stand the Americans. I have the World Trade Center attacked in 1993 like they were originally, nothing changes in that regard. Then, I have Tim McVeigh attack the Murrah Building and I explain that he tries to side with Al Qaeda(in the novel), but because he was an American they wouldn't help him.

On September 11, 2001, I do have the exact same thing happen to the WTC and the Pentagon, but, in my novel I have United Flight 93 turn out differently. The passengers(who have different names in this universe) on board take back control and land in Pittsburgh. Eventually, the President is blamed for the attacks and is accused of making up Osama bin Laden, so that the Department of Homeland Security can be created, and he can have his way. Eventually, that President is executed by forces of the new President. A few chapters later, one of the men who helped take back control of Flight 93, helps leads the resistance against the man who sides with Al Qaeda and is trying to turn the United States into a communist utopia.

In real life, it's the 9th anniversary of the attacks of September 11th. We should remember who our enemies are and not eat each other(Americans) alive because of some stupid disagreements. Instead of attacking each other, we should be focused on defeating the enemy, and we all know who that is. I say we drop a few nukes on those enemies, and that would be that.


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

The newest review: http://www.nurtureyourbooks.com/?p=919

"A cold-blooded, Clancy-esque political thriller; The Usurper is sure to entertain."​
As decades of meticulous scheming and planning finally come together, the KGB, an under-appreciated threat, takes the final steps towards the ultimate coup. The terrorist faction exploits idealistic volunteers to do some of the dirty work and utilizes educated individuals, in positions of power, who are more than willing to die for their belief in ultimate control by the government. When a mixed group of terrorists and extremists spend years training for the eventual downfall of the western world, collateral damage and the loss of life isn't given consideration.

The Usurper starts off slowly, but quickly picks up momentum as the plot thickens and the story unfolds. There are multiple themes in this fictional novel, not the least of which is terrorism, persecution and indoctrinated loyalties; this story painstakingly illustrates a plan for world domination that requires countless willing and blackmailed participants. The main characters are written with the most depth, while supporting characters have very little in the way of a back story. More internal dialog would enhance the reader's ability to connect with the characters and pull them deeper into the story itself. Some structure and grammatical errors, while few and far between, need to be addressed to ensure a smoothly-flowing story that every reader will be able to enjoy.

Despite the minor issues mentioned, The Usurper is a very fast-paced, political thriller that will keep readers on their toes and offer some thought-provoking twists on historic and future possibilities in the political arena.


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## jackwestjr_author (Aug 19, 2010)

The extension of our current fears in this novel sounds horrifying, and just maybe a good read.


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## Debra Lee (Sep 6, 2010)

Sound like a great read, Cliff. Good luck with sales. Oh and thanks for reminding me about smashwords coupon thing. I need to make use of that for my novel Taken.

Debra


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

For the Kindle Book of the Day on October 24th and 25th... an excerpt:

"Do you know who else is enemy of the people?” asked Putin.
“The enemy is anyone who questions the word of the government and the KGB. They must be destroyed; nobody can be spared if they disagree,”
“You know who is one of your enemies, Gary?” asked al Hussein.
“No, who?”
“One of your enemies is your mother. She doesn’t agree with the government controlling peoples’ lives, and she thinks terrorism to control the people is bad. What do you think we should do with her, Gary?” asked Putin.
“My mother is an enemy? But, she could be on our side,” Gary innocently said.
“We’ve talked about this before, Gary, and you know what you must do,”
“But… but…. I don’t want to...”
“Yes, yes, I know, but she will destroy all that we are working for, and all of your future hopes and dreams. Again, I ask you, what should we do to people like her?”
Gary sighed, gulped a couple of times, and said, “The enemy has to die as an example to others not to think for themselves and do what they want. If my mother is an enemy, she must die,”
“Correct response. We need to go visit your mother to see that she is no longer a threat. Let’s go, Gary.” ordered Putin.
A few minutes later, the trio arrived at the house Gary and his mother lived in. They went inside, where Ann was in the kitchen cooking dinner, she heard them come in, went to meet them, saw her son, and went to hug him, but, Gary didn’t hug her back, so she asked, “What’s wrong?”
“You are the enemy, you must be destroyed.”


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

I'm pleased to welcome The Usurper as our next KB Book of the Day!


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

I've sold 3 today, but, it also had the effect of selling 6 copies of my other two novels, which is cool.  The Usurper did make it into the top 100, to around 60 or so, then dropped back out, and the same thing happened to Out of Time and Don't Mess With Earth.

I've had 3 4 star reviews so far, so please check it out.


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## Basil Sands (Aug 18, 2010)

Sounds like it's starting off good for you.


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

I've sold 4 over the last two days, so I've doubled what I had over the previous 3 weeks. I have managed to sell 5 copies of my other two novels at the same time. I just need to sell 5 more novels on Kindle, and I'll have gotten 100 sold altogether on Kindle.  Thanks to those 4 who have bought The Usurper these last two days.


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

New review from Tracey Alley, 4 of 5 stars on Amazon:

The Usurper is not usually my favourite type of novel but Cliff Ball really surprised me. This is a very fast-paced, action-packed book once you get past the first few chapters. I think what impressed me the most was Ball's very accurate depiction of the power of indoctrination. In many ways it was a rather chilling view of what 'could have been'. If you like political thrillers then I highly recommend it. I only took away a star because it wasn't really my kind of book so I couldn't get as lost in the story as I would've liked. 

and another one from JC Phelps a couple weeks ago:

I just finished reading The Usurper and enjoyed the book. I love the concept of this book and the ending caught me totally off guard. The Usurper is a quick read. There are many correlations with the real world that most of us can relate to. If only they had turned out differently. The book smacks of conspiracy theories. Who knows, this book could possibly be one of those that, in a few years, will make us wonder, "How did the author get so close to the truth?"


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

The Kindleboards Book page for The Usurper: http://www.kboards.com/book/?asin=B003VP9VVK

I'm also the Featured Author on the Excuse Me Miss blog, check out the excerpt that's there for the book.

Thanks!


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

The Usurper is today's featured book on The Indie Spotlight. Please check it out!


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Today's featured author at the Indie Spotlight is

Monday: Cliff Ball - The Usurper

http://www.theindiespotlight.com

Come up and read and leave a comment.

Edward C. Patterson
& Gregory B. Banks


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

Hey all, over Thanksgiving, The Usurper was the Kindle Nation Daily E-book of the Day. Please check it out! Thanks!


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

Here is the newest review from Brian Knapp who posted this on Goodreads, Amazon, and B&N:

Cliff weaves an interesting story with enough connections to real happenings in the world today that this book seems to be non-fiction. Just when you think you know where the story line is going Cliff changes up on you. While some things are predictable others are not, which adds to the enjoyment of the book. Some events catch you totally off guard. While it may seem to start slow stick with it, you will not be disappointed.

This review makes the 5th 4 star review I have received for this novel.

Look for my novel sponsorship on Two Ends of the Pen on December 17th, currently have an ad up Red Adept's website

I also have the full chapter excerpt for my novel from Chapter 4 on my blog: http://cliff1974.wordpress.com/2010/12/12/sample-sunday-chapter-4-of-the-usurper/

I also would like comments on which cover works for this novel: http://cliff1974.wordpress.com/2010/12/02/vote-on-which-cover-works/ There are six versions, one of which I've already uploaded to the e-books, or look at the paperback which has the original cover, and see which of the 7 you feel is the most eye catching.

Thanks!


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

The Usurper is on today's Kindle Nation Daily. Please check it out!

Kindle Nation Free Book Alert: "A dark and lovely elegy, filled with heartbreak that turns itself into hope and forgiveness" + 225 other freebies, plus ... Tom Clancy meets The Manchurian Candidate in Cliff Ball's "The Usurper" (Today's Sponsor) http://bit.ly/e6Gzkc

Thanks!


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

This week I've had a couple of interviews. Please check them out:

Two Ends of the Pen: http://twoendsofthepen.blogspot.com/2011/01/interview-with-cliff-ball.html

Wacky Wednesday on Excuse Me, Miss: http://excusememissptd.blogspot.com/p/wacky-wednesday-interviews_04.html

and a character interview of Gary, the antagonist of this novel:
http://syriasays.com/3/post/2011/01/first-post.html

Plus, I have a coupon code for The Usurper on Smashwords that makes it $.99 for the rest of January 
VH27E -- http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/18734

I also have a 5 copy giveaway of The Usurper: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/7570-the-usurper


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## MarkPaulJacobs (Jan 21, 2011)

Sounds interesting, Cliff.


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

Thanks Mark.  It's on sale for $.99 until the end of January, so if anyone wants to buy it at this low, low price, don't wait!


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## stacyjuba (Jul 12, 2010)

This really sounds like an intriguing book, Cliff.


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

stacyjuba said:


> This really sounds like an intriguing book, Cliff.


Thanks Stacy


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## MarkPaulJacobs (Jan 21, 2011)

How does Kindle daily nation work? Is it a pay-for service?


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

The Usurper has been featured on:

http://karlykirkpatrick.blogspot.com/2011/02/bookaday-usurper-by-cliff-ball.html

http://kindleinthewind.blogspot.com/2011/02/usurper-by-cliff-ball.html

http://kindle-author.blogspot.com/2011/01/kindle-author-sponsor-cliff-ball.html

Please check it out!


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## MarkPaulJacobs (Jan 21, 2011)

I think I might try this, also.


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

Featured on Daily Cheap Reads:
http://dailycheapreads.com/2011/02/15/the-usurper/


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

For a limited time, The Usurper, along with my other novels, are on sale on Kindle for $.99


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

Two new reviews, one from Goodreads and the other on B&N:

From Goodreads, from Heather, who won a copy of the paperback:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/126805727

This is the first Cliff Ball book I've read...and I'd have to say that if he writes another political thriller ... I'm in! "The Usurper" is a fast-paced fictional story that has non-fictional elements in it of events that really happened. Cliff makes you think 'could this really happen?' He makes it all seem possible...which is a scary thought! This book had lots of twists and turns that kept the reader on the edge of her seat throughout the book. I gave this book to my dad to read since he likes the same kind of books that I do. I'm sure he'll have a good review as well. Thank you Cliff for writing this book!

On B&N, from a reader named Linda:
http://my.barnesandnoble.com/communityportal/Review.aspx?page=Review&reviewid=1575412

I agree with the other reviewer's statement that it is Clancy like. The characters don't have as much depth as Clancy's, but Clancy has developed his over many books. This book was very similar to current events, with a frightening back story created. This back story was, unfortunately, plausible - at least in the goal if not the execution. It builds off of the fears of the cold war and moves into the role and power of government in our lives, as well as the battle of capitalism vs. socialism. This was filled with lots of symbolism and relations to actual current events. In summary, a very good read and I look forward to reading more by this author.


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

Newest review from Manic Readers

4 stars out of 5
Reviewer: Amanda
Review:

The usurper, Gary Jackson, is a hateful soul. His entire life was planned by the Soviet Union before he was even conceived by a volunteer KGB agent. Gary was raised to hate the USA and all of its citizens and ultimately be the man of the countries undoing.

In The Usurper, we follow Gary's mother for a short time but the star in the novel is undeniably Gary. He is trained and educated with the sole purpose of ending the USA during his middle aged years. The Usurper is filled to the brim with conspiracies and some elaborated history lessons. This is a terrific thriller but I would advise the reader to be open minded when reading due to Gary's and the Soviet's cold-heartedness. It would be relatively easy for a conspiracy theorist to become enthralled with this novel and the intricacies of Gary's life. I did notice there are some points in the novel when the storytelling is very brief and dry, which I am not a huge fan of. However, there are many more other parts of this novel that are gripping and make up for that dry style of writing. Overall, The Usurper is an attention-grabbing story and an eye opener on many levels. Although The Usurper is a work of fiction, many instances could be comparable to some going-ons in our world today. Ball indeed did a terrific job with his imagination.


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

This is the 2nd version of my book trailer. The music was tweaked at the end, the ending is slightly longer, and I replaced the first cover with the current cover.


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

Here's a brand new blurb that I updated on Amazon. It reflects a little bit of the changes I made to the opening of the novel, which I put on my blog: http://cliff1974.wordpress.com/2011/09/28/alternate-opening-to-the-usurper/

Seventeen year old Ann O'Hara defects to the Soviet Union, thinking that life would be better there, and with the idea that she can help the Soviets in their supposed plans for world domination. A year into it, she discovers that all is not as it seems. Her life will turn into more turmoil once she discovers that they used her to give birth to a son who is meant to be the catalyst that brings down the United States from within. She increasingly fears for herself as her son grows older.

Ann's son, Gary, is raised to hate. Hate the United States, its people, and everything they have ever stood for. His mission is to destroy the country from within, allying himself with the worst of America's enemies, and one very powerful and malevolent trillionaire, to accomplish the deed. Once elected to the highest position in the land, Gary puts his lifelong goals to work, and puts the USA onto the path of ultimate destruction. He stops at nothing to rid the USA of his political and spiritual enemies on the right, until a small group on the right decide they've had enough, and they want to stop him.

Dale Stewart comes home after serving in the Afghanistan theatre while in the military. The government has issued new orders, creating a Civilian Defense Force, of which Dale will have to serve in. His first orders with his new outfit have him question which side he is on, and each successive mission causes him to doubt this new President and his ideas. When the President orders something that goes against everything Dale believes in, Dale seeks out the new Resistance, and joins them to stop the President. Will they succeed or will the United States be relegated to the dustbin of history?


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

New interview I did on 1st Author Interviews: http://www.1stauthorinterviews.com/2011/10/premium-interview-with-cliff-ball.html

THE INTERVIEW:

Why did you write this book?
I wanted to write a political thriller for a few years, and I'm into conspiracy theories, so I decided that around 2008 I would write a novel based on some of the conspiracy theories surrounding some of our politicians from about the mid-1960's onwards. It includes such nutty conspiracies as truthers, birthers, and the idea that one all powerful man controls everything behind the scenes. I thought it would be interesting to see where the main character would go if given unlimited power to do what he wanted to the States.

How did you come up with the title?
I figured the main character pretty much usurps the idea of the American Constitutional Republic by becoming a petty dictator, so the title seemed to make sense.

How did you choose your genre?
Well, genre of Thriller makes sense for this particular novel.

What inspired you to be a writer?
When I was in elementary school, my parents bought me the whole Little House on the Prairie set (I guess because we watched the TV series), and I thought it was cool that Laura was a writer. So, when I was 10, I began writing.

Are you writing another book?
Yes, I am. It's an alternate history, political thriller, science fiction novel. Basically, the US continues with the moon landings, and announces they're going to Mars by the end of 1989. The Soviets decide to up the ante by building an interstellar starship of their own, but things go awry once they leave the solar system. In the meantime, terrorism against the US begins earlier than in our own timeline. Al Qaeda suicide bombs the State of the Union in early 80's, and the new President sends an elite team of Green Berets to take out Osama bin Laden. That's about as far as I've written, but I plan on having the US & Russians team up to launch a starship out of the solar system, where they find an anomaly, and find the long lost Soviet ship on a planet not previously known to humans. Unfortunately, the planet has some very dark secrets..... (vampires? zombies? ghosts? demons? dragons? I haven't decided yet! lol)

Question usually asked from readers: Why should I read this? This sounds like what we're going through now.
My answer: Sure there are similarities, but everyone only thinks they know this story. Sometimes, a book you normally wouldn't read or are skeptical of, usually turns into something you enjoy a lot. Some of my reviews have reflected that. All I ask is that readers give it a chance.


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

The Usurper is currently FREE on Amazon.


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## StephenEngland (Nov 2, 2011)

Nice trailer, Cliff. That music always makes me think of Red Dawn. I did purchase The Usurper back during the Indie Book Blowout, it's still on my TBR&R list.


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

StephenEngland said:


> Nice trailer, Cliff. That music always makes me think of Red Dawn. I did purchase The Usurper back during the Indie Book Blowout, it's still on my TBR&R list.


Thanks Stephen. I enjoy Red Dawn, but I hadn't even thought of that.

You might want to download it again (since its free for at least a week). I went through it last month, changed the opening(which I'm still not sure works), and fixed a lot of errors I found after going through the novel again(which I didn't see a year ago).


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## StephenEngland (Nov 2, 2011)

Okay, I'll bear that in mind. I bought it off Smashwords, so I should be able to access the new version for free anyway, right?


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

The Usurper is free for the next two days, and is currently in the KDP Select program, so it can be borrowed.


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

Borrow The Usurper for free if you're a Prime Member. Only SIX more days before The Usurper is removed from KDP Select.


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

For this last weekend in KDP Select, The Usurper is free to buy or borrow.


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