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Best of the Babbler Fiction Blog
God to Smite Bolingbrook: Best of the Babbler 1998 to 2016
William Brinkman started the Bolingbrook Babbler web series in 1998, and some Bolingbrook politicians wish he hadn’t.
God to Smite Bolingbrook is a collection of William’s web articles, described as a cross between the Onion and the Weekly World News. It’s a collection of articles from the fictional Bolingbrook Babbler, Bolingbrook’s first and only true tabloid. For the first time, the articles about Clow UFO Base, Bolingbrook’s sister planet, a crocoduck attack, PZ vs. the Space Pope, Taslima Nasreen debating the alien author of the Koran, the underground evo-psych house, and the most important mayor in the galaxy are compiled into one eBook.
Many of these articles haven’t been online in several years. Each story has an introduction written only for this collection. If you’ve ever wanted to read the Babbler articles that predate the move to Freethought Blogs, this is the eBook for you. If you want to read early versions of the monsters and concepts featured in the Bolingbrook Babbler Stories, you’ll want to check out God to Smite Bolingbrook.
Free and only available to all the subscribers of William’s author mailing list. (If you want to subscribe just to get this eBook, then unsubscribe, I won’t stop you.)
The Bolingbrook Babbler Stories (Based on the web series but with a different continuity)
Pathways to Bolingbrook: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story
Pathways to Bolingbrook: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story
Two desperate women search for answers in this gripping Urban Fantasy double-header.
Miriam craves escape from her dead-end life in Iowa City. A stranger’s offer could make her dream come true… or plunge her into a nightmare.
Sara, reporter for a struggling paper, stumbles on a cryptic recording—one she doesn’t remember making. Could uncovering the truth destroy her career… or her family?
The quiet suburb of Bolingbrook masks dark secrets. Stories about local paranormal activities fill the pages of the local tabloid, Bolingbrook Babbler. Are they just tales or terrifying truths?
Will Miriam embrace a dark path? Will Sara risk everything to expose a secret?
Dive into Pathways to Bolingbrook, the captivating first chapter of the Bolingbrook Babbler Stories, and discover the unsettling and unbelievable truths hiding in the shadows of the Brook.
Ebook is available for free at Amazon, Kobo, and other retailers.
A Fire in the Shadows: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story
A Fire in the Shadows: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story
“Action-packed, entertaining, and haunting in its delivery, author William Brinkman’s “A Fire in the Shadows” is a great entry into the Bolingbrook Babbler Story series…” — Author Anthony Avina
“Every new development in the story was thought out and interesting. The plot and story line was very smooth and allowed you to get caught up in reading without feeling like you were reading – but engaged in the story.” — Early access reviewer
“A thrilling ́vampire ́ fantasy packed full of twists, turns—and danger!”—Wishing Shelf
In the electrifying sequel to Pathways to Bolingbrook, Lydia, a vampire cursed with empathy and love, faces her greatest challenge yet. When a violent horde of misogynistic weredeer descends on Bolingbrook, Lydia and her sister are sent to uncover the truth. As rumors of war spread in the shadows of the Brook, Lydia finds herself drawn to Sara, the captivating editor of the Babbler, even as her past heartbreak from a previous mortal love interest resurfaces.
But Lydia’s world is turned upside down when she discovers enforcers from one of Chicago’s vampire domains trespassing in the Brook. They’ve already killed Lydia and Aurora’s allies in their search for answers. Now they’ve set sights on Sara.
Fueled by her empathetic fire, Lydia rushes to Sara’s defense, standing alone against overwhelming odds. Will she risk everything, including her own existence, to protect the stranger she’s come to care for?
The next chapter of the Bolingbrook Babbler Stories weaves a tale of supernatural thrills and forbidden feelings. Get A Fire in the Shadows to discover what happens when Lydia’s and Sara’s paths cross.
Order now from Amazon and other retailers.
The Rift: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story
The Rift: A Bolingbrook Babbler Story
***** “A richly written novel filled with memorable characters. Highly recommended!”— The Wishing Shelf
“A compelling tale where a skeptic blogger must question his views, fantasy becomes reality, and lessons are learned. Just when you think you have it figured out, you’ll never guess what happens next.”— Megan Rahm, author of Free to Roam: Poems from a Heathen Mommy
**** — Reedsy Discovery
Tom Larsen has been in the skeptical movement ever since he was young and eagerly wants to grow his involvement, including in his career, of debunking outlandish stories surrounding UFOs and perplexing monsters lurking in the shadows. The Bolingbrook Babbler tabloid, in particular, has been a source of outlandish stories he enjoys exposing on a regular basis. But when an incident occurs that both shakes him to his core and unmoors the very movement he’s embraced, Tom breaks away on a new path that causes rifts in more ways than one.
Now, with years of bitterness built up against those that spurned him, Tom has a chance to shift the narrative and execute what he sees as well-deserved payback. However, not all is as it seems in Bolingbrook, and Tom learns quickly that the rifts that form go beyond his town’s—and even the galaxy’s—borders. He encounters new alliances with old enemies, new factions with former friends, weredeer, secret societies, and even time travel along the way towards his goal, and each encounter changes his perspective more than the last. The fate of humanity is literally in his hands, and not all is as it seems in Chicagoland.
Can Tom find a way to reconcile his resentful feelings and mend the many rifts around him before it’s too late?
Available at Amazon, and other retailers.