Showing results by author "William Bernhardt" in All Categories

When Oklahoma attorney Ben Kincaid came to Washington, D.C., to defend a senator caught in a red-hot sex scandal turned murder case, he never dreamed he’d end up trading the courtroom for the Senate chamber. And after his not-so-distinguished client stepped down, Ben found himself appointed to...

Welcome to the world of Susan Pulaski, an unconventional and unusually subversive Las Vegas police behaviorist who’s already been canned once and has never been needed more. In Sin City, someone is ritually murdering handpicked victims, each with dirty secrets in their pasts. The killer’s...

In this audiobook, William Bernhardt tackles essential topics that, while smaller in scope, are nonetheless necessary to a contemporary author's survival. How do you create a memorable series character? Should you write in the first person? What does "show, don't tell" really mean? How do you add suspense? He also discusses legal issues confronting writers and marketing concerns, such as the all-important book description for online sales pages.

Sometimes her eyes seduce. Sometimes they stare straight at the kind of sights most people turn away from. But in the blazing neon and searing sun of Las Vegas, she can’t see the man who is watching her and thinking to himself: She is the one. . . . From the mountain views beyond the Strip to...

Kenzi Rivera is furious. Passed over for promotion at her own father’s firm, the talented divorce lawyer is tired of fighting chauvinism every single day. When a desperate scientist begs for help getting her daughter back, Kenzi can’t resist…even though this client is involved in Hexitel, a group she calls her religion but others call a cult. Kenzi uncovers evidence of disturbing practices at Hexitel involving large sums of money, servitude, and sex. She also learns her client’s lab has been plagued by death threats and cutthroat competition.

William Bernhardt explains the essential elements of breakout books, stories that reel in readers and attract serious attention. He discusses all the essential elements: originality, high stakes, believability, inescapable conflict, emotional appeal, and others. Plus, in the final chapter, Bernhardt explains how to turn your powerful premise into a winning pitch to attract agents and editors.

In this short story, Ben Kincaid solves a Christmas mystery with his legal assistant, Christina McCall. Relations with Clyde Burris, the owner of the pawnshop next to Ben's law office, have always been frosty, but that doesn't stop Burris from asking Ben to investigate a Christmas Eve theft that turns out to have life-or-death ramifications. Ben soon realizes that solving the mystery is the least part of what needs to be done to set things right during the season of miracles.

Bestselling author William Bernhardt is an unsurpassed master at blending psychological suspense with gripping, surprise-filled legal action. Now, Bernhardt and his crusading attorney Ben Kincaid return in a thrilling story of love, hate, and the power of a courtroom to separate deception from...

In this short story, Mike Morrelli, Ben's friend, former brother-in-law, and homicide detective, investigates a horrible murder involving twisted relationships, mistaken identities, and the tangled webs of love. When the investigation hits a dead end, Mike is forced to try a desperate gambit that might solve the mystery--and untie some knots in his personal life as well.

Why do some books linger in memory long after they are over? Why are some books reread, recommended, shared in the classroom? How can you add your book to this distinguished company? The key is theme, giving your story a dynamic idea that lends it power and purpose. William Bernhardt explains what theme is, how it is best revealed, and how to find the theme that, handled correctly, will distinguish your book from all the others. Plus, in the final chapter, Bernhardt explains how your book can have a positive impact on the world in which you live.

In an unprecedented, one-of-a-kind anthology, six contemporary authors contribute a wide variety of holiday-themed stories featuring the series characters that have populated—or will populate—their bestselling novels.Betsey Kulakowski launches her series character, travel-adventure-show host Lauren Grayson (The Veritas Codex) on a hunt for the Christmas demon—Krampus. Robert A. Brown and John Wooley’s correspondents from The Cleansing series (Seventh Sense) tackle a 1930’s rewrite of “The Gift of the Magi.” Kenneth Andrus sends Nick Parkos, his military thriller agent on a ...

Dylan Taggart channels his demons through the keyboard. Knocked around by a father who believed weakness was failure, the best-selling suspense author grabs a measure of peace in his gorgeous girlfriend’s arms. But he sees fiction come horrifyingly to life when masked fanatics break in demanding he put his brilliant mind to work and help them steal a secret military super-weapon.

Oklahoma defense attorney Ben Kincaid has found himself smack in the middle of more than a few controversies and deadly predicaments–and the unexpected leap from his modest Tulsa law offices to Washington, D.C.’s Senate chamber hasn’t taken the edge off Ben’s knack for stepping into the...

In Florida, defense attorney Daniel Pike is stunned when his legal files are ransacked and his lover, Maria Morales, disappears. In Oklahoma, semi-retired attorney Ben Kincaid is horrified when his connection to this apparent abduction endangers the people he loves most. Desperate for help, Pike seizes Kincaid and hauls him on a cross-country road trip to discover what happened to Maria…and why a killer is so interested in a California murder case.

The law said America kept the black and white races separate but equal. Growing up in Chickasha, Oklahoma, Ada Sipuel learned that separate was never equal. Once she asked her father why the world was divided by race. He said it shouldn't be. "There's only one Constitution, only one Bible." He also taught her not to be afraid to challenge injustice. Years later, Ada hoped to fight for equality by becoming a lawyer. But Oklahoma's law school would not admit her because of the color of her skin.

William Bernhardt’s bestselling novels explore politics, power, ambition, crime, and the law. Now he scales new heights of suspense as, in one harrowing day, lawyer and former senator Ben Kincaid enters the eye of an international storm, a crisis with consequences beyond calculation. Kincaid...

In this short story, Ben Kincaid handles a personal injury trial for Tess Corrigan, a fashion model whose face has been horribly disfigured in a tragic accident. All Ben wants is justice, but a wealthy doctor and his powerful legal army conspire to block Ben's every move. When the legal system seems unable to deliver justice, Ben is forced to search for more creative ways to give Tess a brighter future.

In this story, William Bernhardt sends his crusading attorney Kenzi Rivera (Splitsville) to solve the mystery of a missing family heirloom—with several lives hanging in the balance.

Even the most unique characters will not engage audiences if their journey - the plot - fails. In this book, best-selling author William Bernhardt reveals the secrets that will keep readers and listeners riveted. He explains the importance of matching character to plot and the key distinction between coincidence and surprise. Bernhardt discusses how to enrich your story by layering three levels of conflict and, in the final chapter, analyzes the primary plot structures that have delighted audiences since the first story was told.

Bestselling authors William Bernhardt and Lara Bernhardt, with audiobook producer Jesse Ulrich, discuss the latest news from publishing, offer writing tips, and interview major authors, agents, editors, and other book-world professionals.