@paulproofreader

Author of Locksmith trilogy, Altered Seasons. 🟦: paulgbriggs Mst.: [email protected] IG: paulbriggs238 YT: lockswriter

paulbriggs.com
Joined March 2013
  • Tweets10.4K
  • Following1.8K
  • Followers1.8K
1.3KMedia
Zoom Reading from "Altered Seasons: Monsoonrise" on August 6, 2020 youtu.be/7GxfYIBwMVo via @YouTube
1
26
1
31
I feel an incredible amount of contempt for people who watch a video of a violent confrontation, make up in their heads what they would totally have done if they were there, and start condemning the guy who was actually there and actually heroically stepped in for not doing that.
Gary
@plzbepatient14 Dec 2025
Why didn’t he kill him? He went on to kill more because this guy couldn’t bear to kill one of his own. There’s a giant asterisk next to this act of “heroism”
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
The "giant asterisk" is unwarranted. Ahmed El Ahmed had no prior experience with guns, let alone the specific type used by the shooter he disarmed. skynews.com.au/australia-news… news.com.au/national/nsw-a… timesofisrael.com/a-genuine-hero…
37
170
5
3,070
88,584
2411 words written today. I’d almost forgotten what it felt like. #writerscommunity
1
226
#NovemberThrills “That’s the real secret of their wisdom. That’s why the Constitution has lasted as long as it has. That’s why we remember our Founding Fathers as immortal geniuses. Their finest hour wasn’t when they made their dreams come true—it was when they woke up.”
5) Tuesday Teaser: Snippet share

ALT 5) Tuesday Teaser: Snippet share

1
150
#TimeTravelAuthors There's a scene in Book 3 where a villain says something dismissive to a character who then wonders if it's because she's black, she's female, or he's just an asshole.
5. Is race a factor in your story?

ALT 5. Is race a factor in your story?

1
2
79
Paul Briggs retweeted
The Oatmeal
@Oatmeal5 Nov 2024
america, you got this
38
440
25
4,291
181,339
If you are turned away at the polls, your response [verbatim] should be as follows: “Give me a provisional ballot with a receipt, as required by law.” Pass it on.
41
#NovemberThrills Isabel (who thinks of herself as the family wallflower) is very surprised when Sandy asks her to model next spring's line of synthetic diamonds.
4) Any characters who model?

ALT 4) Any characters who model?

1
62
#TimeTravelAuthors There's the escape from Project White Room in Book 3. (Even before I told him I was a writer, the tattoo parlor guy was weirdly calm when I asked him if a lip piercing could be taken out and used to pick a lock.)
3. Escapes in your story

ALT 3. Escapes in your story

1
3
69
#TimeTravelAuthors A spooky passage from LOCKSMITH'S CLOSET: amazon.com/dp/B0B3315STN
The town hall was still standing. The door had been left propped open with a doorstop, but Gary still needed the crowbar to open it wide enough. Inside, it was almost as dark as night and filled with a strange rustling noise and an unpleasant ammonia smell. “You know what we should’ve thought of?” said Gary. “A flashlight?” “Great minds think alike. I’ve been in here before… the directory should be over… over that way.” “Over that way” turned out to be a patch of near-total darkness. Lock felt his way around the wall until his fingers hit something that felt right. In the gloom he could just barely make out the white plastic letters on the ridged black surface. Now, if only he could read them… If only he could read them, then what? If they found a room labeled “RECORDS” and the records were actually still intact, how would they find what they were looking for in the dark? They’d planned this whole thing out so carefully, but just because it was daytime, they hadn’t thought of a…

ALT The town hall was still standing. The door had been left propped open with a doorstop, but Gary still needed the crowbar to open it wide enough. Inside, it was almost as dark as night and filled with a strange rustling noise and an unpleasant ammonia smell. “You know what we should’ve thought of?” said Gary. “A flashlight?” “Great minds think alike. I’ve been in here before… the directory should be over… over that way.” “Over that way” turned out to be a patch of near-total darkness. Lock felt his way around the wall until his fingers hit something that felt right. In the gloom he could just barely make out the white plastic letters on the ridged black surface. Now, if only he could read them… If only he could read them, then what? If they found a room labeled “RECORDS” and the records were actually still intact, how would they find what they were looking for in the dark? They’d planned this whole thing out so carefully, but just because it was daytime, they hadn’t thought of a…

31. Author's choice/self-promo

ALT 31. Author's choice/self-promo

1
2
2
60
#TimeTravelAuthors It's pretty straightforward, as long as you keep both ends of the portal oriented the same way relative to gravity. Or wear padded clothing. (Also, try not to drop the portal in the river. That would ruin everyone's day.)
29. Any tricks to time travel?

ALT 29. Any tricks to time travel?

1
2
43
#TimeTravelAuthors 25: Something fast? Lock, and he often needs to be. 27: Something sweet? Lock's guidance counselor. Also needed.
25. Something fast/speedy in your story 27. Something sweet in your story

ALT 25. Something fast/speedy in your story 27. Something sweet in your story

1
1
3
39
Paul Briggs retweeted
Drew Comments@sjs85624 Oct 2024
For the record if Harris had 34 felonies, 3 failed marriages due to her cheating, didn’t know what a tariff was, blamed everything on immigrants, lied about FEMA assistance during a hurricane, admired Hitler, and was running against Mitt Romney, I would GLADLY vote for Romney.
10
56
384
9,183
#Thurds Just after five, Carrie got a call. Her phone said “It’s Mama.” It also made the three sharp chimes that meant *emergency*. Carrie’s fingers fumbled a little before they hit the right button. amazon.com/Altered-Seasons-M…

Altered Seasons: Monsoonrise

A few weeks with no sea ice in the Arctic Ocean are enough to trigger a chain reaction that alters the Northern Hemisphere beyond recognition. Isabel Bradshaw, an engineer, tries to find security for...

amazon.com
6
96
Concentrate, he thought. She taught you about this. If you’re out of gas, you can still glide and make it to the ground. They call it a deadstick landing. He hadn’t practiced it (which was starting to look like a huge oversight)… #Thurds amazon.com/dp/B09ZJDHR9C

Locksmith's Journeys: The Locksmith Trilogy Book Two

When 12-year-old Lachlan Smith found a portal to a hundred years in the future, he discovered a world where the human species had been extinct for decades. Now Lock and a small group of his friends...

amazon.com
5
51
Lock vaulted over the picket fence, ran through somebody’s backyard and jogged down the street, thinking as he ran. He’s still after me. I can’t call for help — my cell phone is in my backpack. The good news is, I don’t have to stay lost… #Thurds amazon.com/dp/B09ZK7XLSP

Locksmith's Closet: The Locksmith Trilogy Book One

Lachlan Smith doesn’t think of himself as a hero. His father lived a heroic life, and died an even more heroic death. Locksmith has no ambitions to do the first, and absolutely refuses to do the...

amazon.com
6
182
Lydia hadn’t been trained in search and rescue, and she hadn’t come equipped to secure a crime scene. And if anyone was in here, trapped under a load of debris, there was no way she could save that person all by herself. Best to call for backup. #Thurds amazon.com/dp/B09ZK98V96

Locksmith's War: The Locksmith Trilogy Book Three

For Lachlan Smith, learning the secret of the apocalypse was the easy part. Ever since Locksmith found the portal to the future, he has been wondering who or what was responsible for the empty,...

amazon.com
6
157
#TimeTravelAuthors Lock and Gary get taken in for questioning in Book 1. A detective is a minor character in Books 1 and 2 and plays a major role in Book 3.
21. Law enforcement/police in your story?

ALT 21. Law enforcement/police in your story?

1
1
3
41
#TimeTravelAuthors Ahead was the beaver dam pond. Gary wanted to stop and rest, until they noticed a mountain lion taking a drink not far enough away. Its back was turned to them. They walked on, very quietly.
19. Saturday excerpt (optional word: enough)

ALT 19. Saturday excerpt (optional word: enough)

1
1
4
79
“When are we going to be able to shut these places down?” “Not until we’ve rebuilt every city and town north of the fortieth parallel with the kind of infrastructure that can keep going during the Monsoon,” said al-Harrak. “I’m sorry.” #Thurds amazon.com/Altered-Seasons-M…

Altered Seasons: Monsoonrise

A few weeks with no sea ice in the Arctic Ocean are enough to trigger a chain reaction that alters the Northern Hemisphere beyond recognition. Isabel Bradshaw, an engineer, tries to find security for...

amazon.com
7
59
Load more