It will be 5 years this August since we moved into our new home. Our previous home, which we lived in for 22 years, had very little grass to mow. Transitioning to a Xeriscape yard with mostly mulch, plants, bushes, and trees. Our new home is on a large corner lot with all grass, which I hated to mow. Not to mention the huge water bills needed to keep it green during our dry Colorado summers. This spring I completed the transformation of that front lot to a more waterwise landscape. Now with only a small section of grass to mow (YIPPEE!!). It was hard work, but worth it. I’ve received many compliments from our neighbors on how it looks. Below you’ll see what we started with and what it looks like now. And it will be even more beautiful when it all starts to bloom.

Here are a few more shots of flowers flourishing in our wildly changing spring weather, with more heat, followed by another wet snowstorm. And this past weekend about 2 inches of rain. The weather is never boring here.

A bit of comic relief while Kim and Dakota work in the yard. All caught on our security camera. The fun begins at around the 24-second mark. Hopefully, the video plays properly in the email. If not then you can enjoy the hilarity via this link.

This Wednesday, May 1st, is the release day for the new Jarvis Mann PI novel, Murder by a Hundred Cuts. A riveting and stirring book that will change Jarvis Mann’s life forever. And a follow-up to the award-winning novel, The Front Range Butcher. Order the eBook today for the low pre-order price of $4.99 from Amazon or the paperback on Amazon for $17.99. Or you can order a signed paperback copy from me for $15 with free shipping (US only) via my website. I have copies of the 440-page paperback to mail immediately. And while you’re there, you can order any of my books, including the other 8 Jarvis Mann PI paperbacks and the award-winning 4-book Divine Devils series.

Here is an early editorial 5-star review by Alma Boucher for Readers’ Favorite.

In Murder by a Hundred Cuts, a murder mystery novel by R. Weir, private eye Jarvis Mann is a witness in the trial of serial killer Simon Lions, known as the Front Range Butcher. A witness was found brutally murdered, and graphic pictures and a message were left for Jarvis before the trial started. Jarvis was certain that a new serial killer was imitating the Front Range Butcher and that the killer was sending Jarvis a message. Meanwhile, Corrine hired Jarvis to follow her husband because she was certain he was having an affair. Corrine’s husband had withdrawn large amounts from their joint account, and she wanted proof of his affair. Jarvis had his hands full with finding the identity of the new serial killer and following Corrine’s husband.

Murder by a Hundred Cuts by R. Weir is fast-paced and action-packed. It has all the elements of a well-written detective mystery, and the suspense kept me on the edge of my seat. I was hooked from the start and was kept guessing until the very end. With all the twists and turns, I never knew what would happen next, and I turned the pages as fast as I could. The characters were authentic and relatable. Jarvis went out of his way to help Corrine with her husband, plus doing everything possible to track down the serial killer. As if that was not enough, Jarvis also had to testify against the Front Range Butcher. Different subplots were masterfully woven into the main story, and the chapters flowed into each other. This was such a suspenseful read and gave me much more than I expected.

Here is the first 5-star review from an early reader of Murder by a Hundred Cuts.

Jarvis Mann, private investigator is anxiously awaiting the trial of the Front Range Butcher. Jarvis can’t wait to see the Butcher found guilty and sentenced to death. While waiting for the trial to begin, Jarvis takes on a seemingly easy domestic case which turns into an unexpected investigation with mafia type bosses, familiar foes and friends. In the midst of this investigation and his pending court testimony against the Butcher, another serial killer strikes with a similar modus operandi.
This story has twists, turns and enough rollercoaster action, the reader can’t put the book down. The author leaves each chapter begging the reader to continue on. I was sucked in from the Prologue till the end. And speaking of the final chapter, I now wonder what is next for Jarvis. I like thrillers and R. Weir has a writing style similar to authors Vince Flynn and David Baldacci. His books are truly a must read – Charlene

With the release of Murder by a Hundred Cuts, I will be offering an eBook version of The Front Range Butcher on Amazon for free. This will be available starting today April 29th and run through May 3rd. If you don’t already have this book, now is your chance to add it to your Kindle eReader. Please share this with anyone else interested. I’m only offering this promo through this newsletter and on social media. I’d love to see a lot of downloads and hopefully get people to buy more of my books, including Murder by a Hundred Cuts.

The Front Range Butcher was the Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal Winner of 2019 for Best Mystery-Psychological Thriller. Here are a few of the wonderful reviews for this dark thriller.

Dark, gritty, twisty psychological suspense with multifaceted characters to grab your mind and hold it captive. This is a must-read read for nail-biting suspense fans – K-BRC

LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!! It pulls you in from page one and keeps you riveted to your seat reading page after page. 20 years after mysteries killings just stop, they start again……Is it a copycat killer, the same one that killed before? you will have to read and see……. Jarvis has a dark mind like killers, can he solve this unsolved mystery? Chelle

I’ll be honest when I say this is the first book I have read in this series, but I guarantee it will not be the last. This is the 7th book in the Jarvis Mann series, but luckily for me, can be read as a stand-alone. Right from the jump, the realness of suspense and violence were right up in my face. This is supposed to be a graphic thriller, so the authentic approach and storyline is well perceived. From story line, the character development, and the evolution of Mann, this is a series I will be starting from the beginning and seeing all the way through – Tony RRM

I’ve started my Bringing Life to Characters author interview podcast with two shows streaming live, the recordings, are now available to watch on my website and YouTube. My first interview was with bestselling and award-winning author Lynessa Layne. She was a wonderful guest for my first live-streaming event. Be sure to watch it via this link.

My second interview was with bestselling and award-winning author Andre Gonzales. He was the first author I featured in this newsletter back in January. We’ve known each other for several years and I learned more about him and his growing publishing business. You can watch the video via this link.

On April 30th at 10AM Mountain time, I’ll be interviewing best-selling author Bruce Most. You can listen live on Facebook or YouTube.

To keep up-to-date with future shows, subscribe to my YouTube channel or follow my Facebook Author Group under Live for past shows and Events for future shows. If you join the interview while it’s live, you can ask questions of the author or myself via the comments field.

This month’s free Prolific Works giveaways start with Historical Fiction/Crime which runs until June 1st with 7 free eBooks to check out via this link.

Next is How to Raise a Reader – Young Adult and Children’s GG with 22 eBooks available to download until May 15th via this link.

Message in a Bottle – Mystery and Thriller GG has 34 eBooks to check out until May 15th via this link.

This month’s feature author is Mary Yungeberg. Mary has been an avid writer all her life. After graduating from Iowa State University with a B.S. in Animal Science, she pursued several careers that included selling hybrid swine breeding stock, professional resume writing, and the airline industry. Along the way, she wrote numerous freelance articles, together with her husband raised two rambunctious sons, and trained and showed her horses. When not writing, you’ll often find her tearing up the pavement in her Mustang convertible, sharing a glass of wine with friends, or busy with family.

Her political thriller series, The Rowan Milani Chronicles, includes these titles:

CONSUMMATE BETRAYAL introduces readers to the world of Rowan Milani, decorated Iranian American FBI agent and secret, presidential assassin. UNHOLY RETRIBUTION explores the dark side of Rowan’s character and the catastrophic consequences of his choices. A DIFFERENT MAN chronicles Rowan’s determination to change course. TERMINAL REDEMPTION is next in the series and follows Rowan on a globe-hopping journey toward his destiny. THE MAN BEHIND THE SHADOWS finds Rowan’s life exploding in an unexpected direction. Mary is currently working on the sixth in the series, A MOST WANTED MAN. All of her books are available in print and digital formats.

You can find Mary on her website and on Amazon. Since I’m featuring her this month, she is running a free 3-book combo of The Rowan Milani Chronicles from April 30 through May 4th which you can find via this link. A great deal you need to check into, for the three eBooks normally cost $7.99.

I’ll wrap up this month’s newsletter with a final request to pre-order my latest book, Murder by a Hundred Cuts. You can order the eBook on Amazon for $4.99 (a two-dollar savings over the release price) or a signed paperback directly from me for $15 with free shipping (US Only). Or order the paperback on Amazon for $17.99. And remember the eBook version of The Front Range Butcher will be free on Amazon starting today through May 3rd.

Drop me an email, as I love to hear from fans. Thanks again for reading and sharing my newsletter.

All the best!!

R Weir