Showing results by author "William Bernhardt" in All Categories

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.

In the ruins of North America, the Laws and Ways of the Sentinel control everyone and everything. The Sentinel's rule is enforced by The Black Sentry, his ominous ever-present police force. Every aspect of the villagers' lives is dictated by the Sentinel's orderly inescapable plan - including the Winnowing, the armed combat each boy is required to undergo on his sixteenth birthday.

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.

When a scandalous divorce trial interferes with a ruthless killer, can one tough lawyer find the truth before she becomes the next victim? Kenzi Rivera is classy, compassionate, and ready to buck the status quo. Sick of being patronized by judges and undervalued by her own firm, the no-nonsense Hispanic attorney boldly takes on a high-profile divorce for a tech-world “throuple”. But, the case turns toxic when leaked nudes of her client go viral and ruin her reputation.

When her shocking new case hits too close to home, can Kenzi prevent a miscarriage of justice? Kenzi Rivera wants her day in the sun. Now the highest-earning name at her father’s firm, the spitfire attorney is furious her brother was chosen to manage the practice. But she steps up anyway to handle her dad’s messy divorce...only to see his wife charged with his mistress’s murder. Facing a smug prosecution team that has compiled a mountain of incriminating evidence, Kenzi once again calls on her tight-knit group of unique female friends to dig up the facts.

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.

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.

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.

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.

William Bernhardt's second poetry collection explores the complex tapestry of family and the subtle interconnections that bind us to our past and forms the ballast to identity. Popular culture merges with classical allusions, weaving the colorful threads of a fabric composed of moments lived and still to be lived. These poems remind us that we are part of a collective history and that we are never alone.

In the near future, a few young women manifest extraordinary abilities called "Shine". Each girl's ability is different. Some develop unusual mental abilities. Some become physically powerful. Others have talents that defy description. But the world does not embrace these Shines. It fears them. Aura tried to use her healing powers to help a small child. But when she Shined, something went horribly wrong - and Seattle was destroyed.

This charming children's story featuring the brave and strong-willed Princess Alice. When a giant dragon's egg lands in the middle of the Great Marshmallow Fields, no one knows what to do - except Alice. She takes charge of the situation, raising the baby dragon, who others shun because he doesn't look like everyone else. The dragon makes one social misstep after another. But Alice is always there to defend him, until at last, at her extraordinary birthday party, his value is proved to everyone.

This is a collection of three short stories involving lawyer Ben Kincaid and his friends and colleagues. 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.

In the near future, a few young women manifest extraordinary abilities called "Shine." Each girl's ability is different. Some develop extraordinary mental abilities. Some become physically strong. Others have powers that defy description. But the world does not embrace these Shines. It fears them. Aura and the other Shines escaped from the TYL “rehab” in the aftermath of a titanic explosion that leveled the facility. They holed up in the abandoned basement of an LA library where Mnemo once worked, unaware that Dr. Estes and Reverend Trent were working together.

Readers can open any page in this book at random and realize that William Bernhardt is a poet of the rarest kind - one who can communicate grace, humanity, and shared experience without the obscurity and obfuscation that sometimes causes people to avoid modern poetry. His everyman approach and direct language draws in readers who might normally never give a poem a second glance.

In the near future, a few young women manifest extraordinary abilities called "Shine." Each girl's ability is different. Some develop extraordinary mental abilities. Some become physically strong. Others have powers that defy description. But the world does not embrace these Shines. It fears them. After her unsuccessful attempt to escape from the Transforming Your Light "rehab" on Antolina Island, Aura was subjected to abusive treatment and increased pressure to submit to invasive brain surgery and testing.

In the near future, a few young women manifest extraordinary abilities called "Shine"; each girl's ability is different. Some develop extraordinary mental abilities. Some become physically strong. Others have powers that defy description. But the world does not embrace these Shines. It fears them - especially after the destruction of Seattle is blamed on one Shine named Aura.

Bobby Beresford and Mark Szasz, the self-appointed "Knights Templar of the Code of Buddyhood," are undergraduates at the University of Oklahoma in 1979. There couldn't be a more unlikely pair of best friends. Bobby's cautious, social ineptitude and romantic fumblings offset Mark's flamboyant, devil-may-care attitude, his irrepressible pranks, and his prowess with shapely coeds.

In the near future, a few young women manifest extraordinary abilities called "Shine." Each girl's ability is different. Some develop extraordinary mental abilities. Some become physically strong. Others have powers that defy description. But the world does not embrace these Shines. It fears them--especially after the destruction of Seattle is blamed on one Shine named Aura.

In the near future, a few young women manifest extraordinary abilities called "Shine". Each girl's ability is different. Some develop extraordinary mental abilities. Some become physically strong. Others have powers that defy description. But the world does not embrace these Shines. It fears them. Aura was only trying to use her healing powers to help a small child. But when she Shined, something went horribly wrong - and Seattle was destroyed. In the aftermath of this disaster, the government institutionalizes Shines in "rehabilitative treatment centers"