Brandon Keller: High Stakes, High Tension, and a Thrilling Debut

When Brandon Keller was in his early twenties, he seriously considered becoming a professional poker player. He studied strategy, tracked his win rates, and dreamed of the World Series of Poker. Life took him in a different direction—one that led to three decades as an actuary and ultimately CEO of Germania Insurance Companies, based in Brenham, Texas. But that early fascination with risk, calculation, and psychology never left him.

Years later, in 2017, Keller’s wife encouraged him to attend a weekend writing workshop. That spark ignited a passion for storytelling that carried him through eight years of rewrites, rejections, and relentless drafting—and ultimately led to his award-winning debut thriller, The Game: A High-Stakes Conspiracy of Power, Poker, and Profit.

The novel follows financial prodigy Tyler Rush, who stumbles into a clandestine poker game where the world’s elite manipulate global events. At the center of it all is the Einstein Code—an AI algorithm powerful enough to reshape the future of intelligence and power. But when Tyler is forced to steal the code from its creator, brilliant CFO Jill Young, he’s caught between betrayal and redemption in a world where every move is a gamble.

“Pulse-pounding ride that is intelligent, heart-wrenching, and very clever. Couldn’t put it down.”
—Mary Ellen Bramwell, award-winning author of When I Was Seven.

“As a CEO and former actuary, I’ve seen how strategy, pressure, and power play out in real life,” Keller says. “And as someone who grew up obsessed with poker, I wanted to bring that same edge-of-your-seat intensity to the page.”

Writing also became a creative outlet. “It gave me something challenging and energizing outside the demands of day-to-day business,” he adds. “Over time, what started as a hobby turned into a project I couldn’t walk away from. This book became deeply personal.”

The Game earned finalist recognition in the Maxy Awards and will be featured in BookBub’s New Release for Less program. It launches July 10, 2025, from Black Rose Writing. Keller is already working on the sequel.

Brandon lives in Brenham with his family. When he’s not writing thrillers, he enjoys exploring new places, running, attending sporting events, playing chess with grandmaster-level intensity (at least in his mind), and relaxing with his two dogs and two cats.

To stay in the loop, join Brandon Keller’s Readers Club at brandonkellerbooks.com.

The Beautiful One for Texas Magazine

In 1912, a young Egyptian couple was enthralled by the discovery of the Queen Nefertiti sculpture bust. Asim becomes the official photographer of the excavation, while Chione is archaeologist Herr Borchardt’s assistant. They journey to Berlin, a city brimming with possibilities and peril.

Chione embraces newfound freedoms and works for an importer of ancient artifacts. Asim is an assistant photographer at the Berlin Museum. In the vibrant city, they unknowingly become entangled in the smuggling of Egyptian artifacts and mystical amulets. Asim is arrested for murder, and Chione is kidnapped. Their friends join forces to uncover and confront the killers.

This captivating tale blends historical facts with a touch of the fantastical. Against the backdrop of a transforming century, Asim and Chione navigate Berlin’s vibrant society as they pursue their desires, dreams, and the enduring quest for truth. With a blend of authenticity and imagination, the story immerses readers in a world of romance, mystery, and adventure, inviting exploration of the power of human connection and the eternal pursuit of immortality at the turn of a new century—an era marked by fantastic discoveries in science, medicine, engineering, and the arts.

This mesmerizing historical adventure wraps you up in a whirlwind of romance, mystery, and ancient secrets. Asim and Chione are a truly lovable couple, and their journey from Egypt to the bustling streets of Berlin is genuinely engaging. From uncovering the legendary Queen Nefertiti bust to getting tangled in a dangerous web of smuggling, every page feels like a treasure hunt—a gripping mix of real history with a dash of fantasy, and so much heart. Get ready to root for Asim and Chione and lose yourself in a past that is so beautifully reimagined you’ll swear you were there.

Author and National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship recipient M. Lee Musgrave’s art has been exhibited in numerous exhibitions; he lived most of his life in Los Angeles (except one yr. in San Angelo, TX). Born in Australia, he now lives in the Pacific Northwest. He is a former Professor of Art and curator who has organized hundreds of exhibitions involving artists, collectors, critics, gallerists, and a vast array of related enthusiasts. His writings related to those exhibitions contribute to his ability to convey that realm to others. He is also the author of the novels Brushed Off and its sequel, Off Kilter.

A Persistent Echo: A Novel by Brian Kaufman

I have a special place in my heart for Texas—the setting for my first and my last of ten published novels.

My first, The Breach (Last Knight Publishing, 2002), told the Alamo story from the Mexican point of view. During one of my research trips to San Antonio, I came across a book by the Alamo scholar, Wallace O. Chariton, called The Great Texas Airship Mystery. The idea of 400 reported UFO sightings taking place seven years before the Wright brothers intrigued me.

Fast forward two decades. I returned to a Texas setting to tell a version of the UFO story. Flying aircraft were spotted over North Texas. One incident involved a crash and the death of the pilot in Aurora, Texas. Local authorities declared the pilot to be “not of this world.” He was buried in the Aurora cemetery. People visit the cemetery today, leaving trinkets and flowers at “Ned’s” supposed gravesite.

The novel tells the story of the final days of an old explorer named August Simms. Simms returns to Aurora in 1897, looking for one last adventure—solving the airship mystery. His visit has a second purpose. He’s revisiting the place where he buried his beloved wife fifteen years earlier. A murder, a lynching, and the death of his wife fifteen are inextricably tied to the present, and the adventure August finds is not the one he expects.

I based the story on actual events. What unfolds is a tale of tragedy, forgiveness, and community building. The narrative is layered with irony—1897 bears a stark resemblance to modern day. The United States banged the drums of war over a foreign aggressor’s incursions in a smaller country (not Russia and Ukraine—Spain and Cuba). Science and medicine were regarded with religious reverence. A pandemic originating in China killed over twelve million people. Sound familiar? 

Personal in scope, A Persistent Echo is a historical novel, available from Black Rose Writing. The novel won accolades, including the American Writing Awards prize for Best Historical Fiction, as well as finalist status for the Hawthorne Prize Book of the Year, the Next Generation Indie Book Award for Book of the Year, and the Maxy Award for Historical Fiction. Want a great read? Step back into the Texas of the past with August Simms.

This post is a sponsored collaboration with Black Rose Writing.