New Avalon is a modern American city like many others. However, unlike many others, monsters lurk in the labyrinthine sewer system. Mad scientists call the city home, plaguing the city with their schemes and experiments gone wrong. Magicians lurk within its darkened streets. There are some secrets and mysteries bubbling beneath the surface of the town. It's not a perfect place, but some call it home.
It's home to the Nowak brothers, twenty-something monster hunters who are just trying to get by on part time jobs and helping people with creature problems. Irreverent and lethal, they're known to drink whiskey, smoke cigarettes, and kill monsters. They drive a van filled with weapons and supplies for fighting zombies, ghouls, insect creatures, and more.
It's also home to Dane Monday. A manic man who stands against mad scientists and dark sorcerers, he investigates the weirdness of New Avalon. Relying on fast talking, obscure knowledge, and a variety of gadgets and artifacts collected from past adventures, he does his best to thwart and sabotage the plans of megalomaniacs.
One mystery of the city is Avalon Brass. The Brass is a metal found only in the New Avalon area. In the 19th century, it was found in the mines North East of town. It's not actually brass, but there's a similarity in appearance. Conventionally, there was no use for it other than decoration, so it appears in many Avalon antiques, building fixtures, and jewelry. Only now when the mine has been tapped out have corporations have found Avalon Brass is actually an excellent superconductor. Of course, others have known about the hidden uses of Avalon Brass for much longer. Rumor has it that it's a useful ingredient in magical rituals. Others suggest that it's an essential component for mad science.
The hidden side of New Avalon is just beginning to be explored. There are those who seek the mysteries, those that fight the monsters, and those that are just trying to save lives. And there are those who are just trying to get by in this strange city.
Welcome to New Avalon.
It's home to the Nowak brothers, twenty-something monster hunters who are just trying to get by on part time jobs and helping people with creature problems. Irreverent and lethal, they're known to drink whiskey, smoke cigarettes, and kill monsters. They drive a van filled with weapons and supplies for fighting zombies, ghouls, insect creatures, and more.
It's also home to Dane Monday. A manic man who stands against mad scientists and dark sorcerers, he investigates the weirdness of New Avalon. Relying on fast talking, obscure knowledge, and a variety of gadgets and artifacts collected from past adventures, he does his best to thwart and sabotage the plans of megalomaniacs.
One mystery of the city is Avalon Brass. The Brass is a metal found only in the New Avalon area. In the 19th century, it was found in the mines North East of town. It's not actually brass, but there's a similarity in appearance. Conventionally, there was no use for it other than decoration, so it appears in many Avalon antiques, building fixtures, and jewelry. Only now when the mine has been tapped out have corporations have found Avalon Brass is actually an excellent superconductor. Of course, others have known about the hidden uses of Avalon Brass for much longer. Rumor has it that it's a useful ingredient in magical rituals. Others suggest that it's an essential component for mad science.
The hidden side of New Avalon is just beginning to be explored. There are those who seek the mysteries, those that fight the monsters, and those that are just trying to save lives. And there are those who are just trying to get by in this strange city.
Welcome to New Avalon.
I Kill Monsters (Nowak Brothers #1)
Mikkel and Szandor kill monsters.
So what if they're making it up as they're going along? How much do you need to know to bash in a zombie's head with a lead pipe or slice a ghoul with an internet-bought katana?
They may in fact have no clue what they're doing.
But if you need someone to go down into the sewers to clear out some monsters, figure out why everyone in your neighborhood is getting bitten, or if you swear you really saw a zombie and you don't know who to call, then call them. They'll show up in their van of makeshift weapons, gear, and cleaning supplies to investigate your problem. They may be twenty-somethings with their own issues, but when it comes to monsters they know what they're doing.
They probably have no clue what they're doing.
That has never stopped them before.
Hired by a woman from the rich side of town who believes she's being stalked by monsters, the two brothers think they've finally gotten an easy job that will pay well. But as they follow the clues, nothing adds up. Kidnappings, jackbooted commandos, and mysterious emails are just the beginning. Soon they find themselves involved in something bigger than monsters. It's anybody's guess whether they'll come through it alive, much less get paid.
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Read the First Chapter!
The I KILL MONSTERS MIX TAPE
Mikkel and Szandor kill monsters.
So what if they're making it up as they're going along? How much do you need to know to bash in a zombie's head with a lead pipe or slice a ghoul with an internet-bought katana?
They may in fact have no clue what they're doing.
But if you need someone to go down into the sewers to clear out some monsters, figure out why everyone in your neighborhood is getting bitten, or if you swear you really saw a zombie and you don't know who to call, then call them. They'll show up in their van of makeshift weapons, gear, and cleaning supplies to investigate your problem. They may be twenty-somethings with their own issues, but when it comes to monsters they know what they're doing.
They probably have no clue what they're doing.
That has never stopped them before.
Hired by a woman from the rich side of town who believes she's being stalked by monsters, the two brothers think they've finally gotten an easy job that will pay well. But as they follow the clues, nothing adds up. Kidnappings, jackbooted commandos, and mysterious emails are just the beginning. Soon they find themselves involved in something bigger than monsters. It's anybody's guess whether they'll come through it alive, much less get paid.
Amazon
Read the First Chapter!
The I KILL MONSTERS MIX TAPE
Jabberwock Jack (Nowak Brothers #2)
Mikkel and Szandor are back! Everyone's favorite monster hunters return for a new adventure, and this time it's a monster that's bigger than they have ever dealt with before! While on a routine job in the city's underground tunnels, they stumble on a creature thought lost for years. They are then invited to join a hastily assembled team of hunters going underground to try to kill the enormous serpent. Delving deeper into the dark tunnels than they have ever gone before, Mikkel and Szandor find themselves searching for this massive beast in dark overflow tunnels and the endless labyrinth under New Avalon. But creatures beneath the city are not their only problem. Soon tensions begin running high among the assembled hunters, threatening to derail the mission and put them all in danger. Will they succeed, or will they fall prey to the gigantic monster known as Jabberwock Jack?
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Read an excerpt!
The JABBERWOCK JACK MIXTAPE
Mikkel and Szandor are back! Everyone's favorite monster hunters return for a new adventure, and this time it's a monster that's bigger than they have ever dealt with before! While on a routine job in the city's underground tunnels, they stumble on a creature thought lost for years. They are then invited to join a hastily assembled team of hunters going underground to try to kill the enormous serpent. Delving deeper into the dark tunnels than they have ever gone before, Mikkel and Szandor find themselves searching for this massive beast in dark overflow tunnels and the endless labyrinth under New Avalon. But creatures beneath the city are not their only problem. Soon tensions begin running high among the assembled hunters, threatening to derail the mission and put them all in danger. Will they succeed, or will they fall prey to the gigantic monster known as Jabberwock Jack?
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Read an excerpt!
The JABBERWOCK JACK MIXTAPE
Support Your Local Monster Hunter (Nowak Brothers #3)
Support your local monster hunter! And specifically, support Szandor Nowak, because he needs help. After an unfortunate and unwilling break from monster hunting due to debt and poor health, Szandor is getting back into the business, riding along with older, more experienced hunters to get a feel for the work. This should have been easy and boring, but instead it all goes wrong. In a dark alley, Szandor finds a man hidden in trash. When he tries to help, the man's head explodes bloodily and spontaneously... and all over Szandor. This seems a horrible but otherwise anomalous encounter, so with no leads or reason for the man's death, Szandor continues on with his reckless life and hunter ride alongs. But when he encounters a second man whose head also explodes, Szandor's life starts to fall apart - his relationships, his friends, even his chance at hunting again. He even finds his brother Mikkel turning his back on him. But in the blackest night of loneliness, he finds a new hope - a mentor and a friend. But with this comes a hidden secret of Avalon's darkest places, a hidden underbelly he didn't know about. Things are going to hit the fan in Szandor's life - an army of monsters, a police homicide investigation, and his back against the wall. When all doors are closed, when he finds himself all alone, can Szandor fight a war he knows he can't win?
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Read an excerpt!
The SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MONSTER HUNTER MIX TAPE
Support your local monster hunter! And specifically, support Szandor Nowak, because he needs help. After an unfortunate and unwilling break from monster hunting due to debt and poor health, Szandor is getting back into the business, riding along with older, more experienced hunters to get a feel for the work. This should have been easy and boring, but instead it all goes wrong. In a dark alley, Szandor finds a man hidden in trash. When he tries to help, the man's head explodes bloodily and spontaneously... and all over Szandor. This seems a horrible but otherwise anomalous encounter, so with no leads or reason for the man's death, Szandor continues on with his reckless life and hunter ride alongs. But when he encounters a second man whose head also explodes, Szandor's life starts to fall apart - his relationships, his friends, even his chance at hunting again. He even finds his brother Mikkel turning his back on him. But in the blackest night of loneliness, he finds a new hope - a mentor and a friend. But with this comes a hidden secret of Avalon's darkest places, a hidden underbelly he didn't know about. Things are going to hit the fan in Szandor's life - an army of monsters, a police homicide investigation, and his back against the wall. When all doors are closed, when he finds himself all alone, can Szandor fight a war he knows he can't win?
Amazon
Read an excerpt!
The SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MONSTER HUNTER MIX TAPE
The Ghoul Pit (Nowak Brothers #4)
Mikkel and Szandor are trapped. Far away and under the earth there is a desolate place, an underground
labyrinth. The two brothers didn't intend to end up here; they didn't even know it existed. They were simply doing a friend a favor. But in the course of that, they tangled with the wrong people and were banished down here. It is a seemingly endless maze of tunnels, caverns, and dark places. They would be lucky if it was empty, but it's not; the labyrinth is full of ghouls and other monsters. Friends are few and help is minimal, but it's Mikkel and Szandor's job to raid a fallen town and steal back a strange artifact. This item is the only thing they can use to buy their way up to the surface. But what's really going on down there? What answers will they find in those dark tunnels? Can they fulfill their mission and stay alive? Can they escape The Ghoul Pit?
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The GHOUL PIT MIX TAPE
Mikkel and Szandor are trapped. Far away and under the earth there is a desolate place, an underground
labyrinth. The two brothers didn't intend to end up here; they didn't even know it existed. They were simply doing a friend a favor. But in the course of that, they tangled with the wrong people and were banished down here. It is a seemingly endless maze of tunnels, caverns, and dark places. They would be lucky if it was empty, but it's not; the labyrinth is full of ghouls and other monsters. Friends are few and help is minimal, but it's Mikkel and Szandor's job to raid a fallen town and steal back a strange artifact. This item is the only thing they can use to buy their way up to the surface. But what's really going on down there? What answers will they find in those dark tunnels? Can they fulfill their mission and stay alive? Can they escape The Ghoul Pit?
Amazon
The GHOUL PIT MIX TAPE
Welcome to the Family (Nowak Brothers #5)
Adulting is tough! Szandor is finding that out the hard way. He does the best he can with this new challenge while playing in Punkageddon and exploring a confusing new love interest. He really just wants to sing in his punk band, kill monsters and do the right thing. Same as all of us, right? But life won't let that happen.
The brothers are discovering that the past is never quite dead. They've also discovered that it's sometimes not even your own past that haunts you! It's often a mess of problems that someone else kicked down the road and that can include psychopathic relatives and even deadlier monster cults with their own plans.
The brothers don't want to deal with this, but they've discovered they have no choice. Can Mikkel and Szandor survive their trials and come out on top? Can Szandor figure out how to adult and be happy for once in his life?
Find out in WELCOME TO THE FAMILY!
Buy on Amazon!
Adulting is tough! Szandor is finding that out the hard way. He does the best he can with this new challenge while playing in Punkageddon and exploring a confusing new love interest. He really just wants to sing in his punk band, kill monsters and do the right thing. Same as all of us, right? But life won't let that happen.
The brothers are discovering that the past is never quite dead. They've also discovered that it's sometimes not even your own past that haunts you! It's often a mess of problems that someone else kicked down the road and that can include psychopathic relatives and even deadlier monster cults with their own plans.
The brothers don't want to deal with this, but they've discovered they have no choice. Can Mikkel and Szandor survive their trials and come out on top? Can Szandor figure out how to adult and be happy for once in his life?
Find out in WELCOME TO THE FAMILY!
Buy on Amazon!
Punk's Undead (Nowak Brothers #6)
Five years ago the infant New Avalon punk scene tried to put on an ambitious under-the-ground underground show called Punk's Not Dead. Those that went were never heard from again.
There were always rumors. All that had attempted to go to the abandoned subway station where the event was held saw signs of zombies, then the city closed it all up, never to speak of the event again.
For five years Punk's Not Dead has sat untouched, none wanting to risk disturbing the dead to find out what really happened there.
Today monster hunters Szandor and Mikkel Nowak are going there on a mission. And they're bringing their friend Dickie Dubois.
What really happened down there? Did they all just wanna party?
Find out in the sixth Nowak Brothers novel, PUNK'S UNDEAD!
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Five years ago the infant New Avalon punk scene tried to put on an ambitious under-the-ground underground show called Punk's Not Dead. Those that went were never heard from again.
There were always rumors. All that had attempted to go to the abandoned subway station where the event was held saw signs of zombies, then the city closed it all up, never to speak of the event again.
For five years Punk's Not Dead has sat untouched, none wanting to risk disturbing the dead to find out what really happened there.
Today monster hunters Szandor and Mikkel Nowak are going there on a mission. And they're bringing their friend Dickie Dubois.
What really happened down there? Did they all just wanna party?
Find out in the sixth Nowak Brothers novel, PUNK'S UNDEAD!
Amazon
Manic Monday (Dane Monday #1)
Dane Monday deals with weird stuff. Mad scientists, sorcerers, robots, time-travelling cats, cyborgs learning the concept of love, etc. Whether it's a death ray, a doomsday ritual, or simply magic gone wrong, Dane Monday is there to stop them. He's even got a rogue's gallery of megalomaniacal villains who want revenge. Armed only with his wits, some reluctant allies, and a satchel full of gadgets, Dane steps forward to save the city of New Avalon.
While investigating an abandoned building, Dane encounters the remnants of a magical ritual shortly before the building explodes in spectacular fashion. Narrowly escaping this destruction with his new ally, the aspiring journalist Abby Connors, Dane follows the threads of this mystery while evading a menagerie of homicidal robots, kidnapping thugs, and the wrath of a mad scientist. At the bottom of it all is a scheme to destroy New Avalon, involving a century old architect, a historic hotel, and something not of our world.
Can Dane and Abby brave the dangers and the strangeness to save the city of New Avalon? Find out in Manic Monday!
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Read the First Two Chapters!
Dane Monday deals with weird stuff. Mad scientists, sorcerers, robots, time-travelling cats, cyborgs learning the concept of love, etc. Whether it's a death ray, a doomsday ritual, or simply magic gone wrong, Dane Monday is there to stop them. He's even got a rogue's gallery of megalomaniacal villains who want revenge. Armed only with his wits, some reluctant allies, and a satchel full of gadgets, Dane steps forward to save the city of New Avalon.
While investigating an abandoned building, Dane encounters the remnants of a magical ritual shortly before the building explodes in spectacular fashion. Narrowly escaping this destruction with his new ally, the aspiring journalist Abby Connors, Dane follows the threads of this mystery while evading a menagerie of homicidal robots, kidnapping thugs, and the wrath of a mad scientist. At the bottom of it all is a scheme to destroy New Avalon, involving a century old architect, a historic hotel, and something not of our world.
Can Dane and Abby brave the dangers and the strangeness to save the city of New Avalon? Find out in Manic Monday!
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Read the First Two Chapters!
Burning Monday (Dane Monday #2)
Dane and Abby ride again - in a modified El Camino using experimental rocket boosters! And that's not even the main story! After a brief stint of ghost drag racing, Dane follows a lead which brings him far below the city where he and Abby escape the jaws of death to find a strange device. Before they can find out what it is, the device is stolen by an outlaw motorcycle club who are harboring a violent secret. Meanwhile, their friend Wong's long buried past is coming back to haunt him with an explosive vengeance. In this Dane Monday adventure there's fire, a gigantic beast, mystical martial arts, a long buried past, and howling enemies. Chinatown is ready to burn - can Dane and Abby stop it? Find out in Burning Monday!
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Dane and Abby ride again - in a modified El Camino using experimental rocket boosters! And that's not even the main story! After a brief stint of ghost drag racing, Dane follows a lead which brings him far below the city where he and Abby escape the jaws of death to find a strange device. Before they can find out what it is, the device is stolen by an outlaw motorcycle club who are harboring a violent secret. Meanwhile, their friend Wong's long buried past is coming back to haunt him with an explosive vengeance. In this Dane Monday adventure there's fire, a gigantic beast, mystical martial arts, a long buried past, and howling enemies. Chinatown is ready to burn - can Dane and Abby stop it? Find out in Burning Monday!
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Read an excerpt!
Murder Monday (Dane Monday #3)
The past has come back to haunt Dane Monday! A master of murderous puppets has returned - ten years after Dane defeated him and sent him to prison. Immediately kicking his usually trusted partner Abby off the case for her own safety, Dane prepares to deal with the villain and not make the same mistake he made all those years ago. However, Abby refuses to be so easily cast aside and continues to work the case, uncovering secrets but also placing herself in harm's way. But the puppet master is not the only past that's returning and someone else has taken an interest in Abby's fate - particularly her demise. Can Dane and Abby stop the villains without losing their lives? Or will this be an unhappy Halloween for Dane Monday? Find out in Murder Monday!
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The past has come back to haunt Dane Monday! A master of murderous puppets has returned - ten years after Dane defeated him and sent him to prison. Immediately kicking his usually trusted partner Abby off the case for her own safety, Dane prepares to deal with the villain and not make the same mistake he made all those years ago. However, Abby refuses to be so easily cast aside and continues to work the case, uncovering secrets but also placing herself in harm's way. But the puppet master is not the only past that's returning and someone else has taken an interest in Abby's fate - particularly her demise. Can Dane and Abby stop the villains without losing their lives? Or will this be an unhappy Halloween for Dane Monday? Find out in Murder Monday!
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Dane Monday Saves Christmas (With Help) - New Avalon Holiday Special
In this New Avalon Holiday Special, Szandor Nowak (I KILL MONSTERS, JABBERWOCK JACK) and Dane Monday (MANIC MONDAY) team up to save the city of New Avalon from a nefarious plot on Christmas Eve! A strange legion of charity collecting Santas that have popped up around the city with the aim of carrying out a plan that could be deadly come Christmas morning. This leads our two heroes on an adventure involving robots, bombs, energy weapons, and a rocket powered sled! Can they save the holiday in time? Will Szandor discover the true meaning of Christmas? Find out in DANE MONDAY SAVES CHRISTMAS (WITH HELP)!
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In this New Avalon Holiday Special, Szandor Nowak (I KILL MONSTERS, JABBERWOCK JACK) and Dane Monday (MANIC MONDAY) team up to save the city of New Avalon from a nefarious plot on Christmas Eve! A strange legion of charity collecting Santas that have popped up around the city with the aim of carrying out a plan that could be deadly come Christmas morning. This leads our two heroes on an adventure involving robots, bombs, energy weapons, and a rocket powered sled! Can they save the holiday in time? Will Szandor discover the true meaning of Christmas? Find out in DANE MONDAY SAVES CHRISTMAS (WITH HELP)!
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The Case of the Dead Girl in my Apartment (New Avalon Case Files #1)
When Jake arrives home to find his not-quite-girlfriend Melody murdered in his apartment, things seem like they couldn't get any worse. But when the killer, a ferocious man turned monster, is still there and looking for something of Melody's, Jake fights for his life, just barely getting out of the apartment to safety. Now he's on the hook for the murder of Melody. To clear his name, his college friends put together a reluctant Mystery Gang: Anna, the mystery-obsessed Criminal Justice Major; Eva, Jake's best friend and escapee from New Avalon's high society; Nathan, cynical Philosophy Major; and Thomas, the weird Physics grad student from across town. Together they investigate the murder and the object they murderer was looking for, stumbling onto something bigger and stranger than they ever imagined. Monsters, memory wipes, magic, men in black, and a secret war of Good versus Evil for the fate of the city and possibly the world. Mysteries have never been this strange.
Amazon
Except from the first chapter!
When Jake arrives home to find his not-quite-girlfriend Melody murdered in his apartment, things seem like they couldn't get any worse. But when the killer, a ferocious man turned monster, is still there and looking for something of Melody's, Jake fights for his life, just barely getting out of the apartment to safety. Now he's on the hook for the murder of Melody. To clear his name, his college friends put together a reluctant Mystery Gang: Anna, the mystery-obsessed Criminal Justice Major; Eva, Jake's best friend and escapee from New Avalon's high society; Nathan, cynical Philosophy Major; and Thomas, the weird Physics grad student from across town. Together they investigate the murder and the object they murderer was looking for, stumbling onto something bigger and stranger than they ever imagined. Monsters, memory wipes, magic, men in black, and a secret war of Good versus Evil for the fate of the city and possibly the world. Mysteries have never been this strange.
Amazon
Except from the first chapter!
The Case of the Ghostly Runners and the Tall Man! (New Avalon Case Files #2)
There are new rumors of ghost runners on the east side of the city. These transparent joggers wordlessly run in a panic until the mysterious Tall Man appears, then neither are seen again, not until the next occurrence. It seems just like an urban legend, but the gang is approached by a woman who says she saw one of those runners, and she identified the runner as her recently deceased brother! For her sake, the gang explores the rumor, following where it leads - the city morgue, a crime scene, and on into a cold and dark labyrinth where the hallways shift, the cold wind howls, and the walls scream for your fear...
Amazon
There are new rumors of ghost runners on the east side of the city. These transparent joggers wordlessly run in a panic until the mysterious Tall Man appears, then neither are seen again, not until the next occurrence. It seems just like an urban legend, but the gang is approached by a woman who says she saw one of those runners, and she identified the runner as her recently deceased brother! For her sake, the gang explores the rumor, following where it leads - the city morgue, a crime scene, and on into a cold and dark labyrinth where the hallways shift, the cold wind howls, and the walls scream for your fear...
Amazon
The New Avalon Reading Order
Some have asked what order to read all the books in. While all the books are complete in their own series and don't require any knowledge of the other series, they might reference events that occurred in another novel. Those events are never required to know what is going on in the current story. In rare cases, a main character of one book may show up in a minor role in another. It's there to make the city feel more full, more living and breathing, but reading up on other books is never required. However, I can see the desire that some readers might have to experience the books in something more like a chronological order. So here I present the current New Avalon Reading Order as I recommend it:
I Kill Monsters (Nowak Brothers #1)
Manic Monday (Dane Monday #1)
The Case of the Dead Girl in my Apartment (New Avalon Case Files #1)
Jabberwock Jack (Nowak Brothers #2)
Burning Monday (Dane Monday #2)
Dane Monday Saves Christmas (With Help) (Dane Monday #2.5 / Nowak Brothers #2.5)
The Case of the Ghostly Runners and the Tall Man (New Avalon Case Files #2)
Support Your Local Monster Hunter (Nowak Brothers #3)
Murder Monday (Dane Monday #3)
The Ghoul Pit (Nowak Brothers #4)
Welcome to the Family (Nowak Brothers #5)
Punk's Undead (Nowak Brothers #6)
