I hope everyone had an enjoyable New Year’s celebration and got to spend time with loved ones over these last few holiday weeks. As a family we spent our New Years Eve trying to keep our dog Emma calm, with all the fireworks being set off by many of our neighbors. She begins to pace back and forth, panting heavily with each boom outside, not being able to relax. She loves the outdoors, but wants nothing to do with it, when the fireworks are flying. Even though we planned on getting to bed early, we ended up staying up well past midnight, running Netflix shows with the volume turned up so she couldn’t hear the noise. People don’t consider animals when setting off fireworks, but they can be quite frightening to them.

At the three craft fairs I did during the holiday season, I got a chance to talk with lots people interested in my books. Those one-on-one moments are enjoyable, interacting with people who love to read. The most common question I get is: How do you come up with your ideas? To answer those questions, can be complicated. I often find that ideas spring out of little things. Moments in time when something may happen to you personally or you see happen when out and about. I’m an observer, making mental notes of all going on around me. The birth of an idea can happen almost anywhere. I often take a small idea, making it into a basic framework for a story. Or those small moments can be used as a point in time in my story, where a character will have a reaction to something he sees. It can be those little moments that makes a dull character more interesting; more human. I fill all my stories with those little tidbits, creating depth. Another common question is: How do I plot out my stories? I will discuss that in my next newsletter.

My book, Tracking A Shadow, is featured in another Instafreebie Pure Crime Group Giveaway, with 22 other Mystery/Thriller books, which are free until the end of January. Be sure to check this out. This is a great deal, opening you up to more wonderful authors in this genre.

I’m still waiting to get back the next book, The Front Range Butcher, from my editor, which likely won’t be ready to go until March. But I’ve been busy, working on the follow-up to Butcher, 42 thousand words already written on the tentatively titled, Mann in the Crossfire. This story continues a secondary story-line from Butcher, drawing Jarvis into the crossfire of warring factions, which will make for suspense and intrigue he has not been up against previously. Hopefully this will make for another exciting chapter in the Jarvis Mann PI series.

That is all for now. Be sure to share this newsletter with any friends who are interested in my type of work. Word of mouth is the best friend of indie authors. Those that sign-up for the newsletter can get a free copy of, Tracking A Shadow, either directly on my website or via one of the Instafreebie Giveaways that are currently running. If you have any questions be sure to reply back to this email or click the email link below to send me any questions. I always love hearing from readers and responding to any queries you have. Thanks to all, until next time…

R Weir