When I was younger, reading was a passion for me. Finding a book that drew me in, making me feel I was part of the story, was inspiring. Thinking back, I don’t remember the first book I read that I sunk my teeth into. But I do remember several that hooked me. The first that comes to mind is Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang. Even today I remember the life-like car that could sprout wings and fly, or with the flip of a lever become a hovercraft that could glide across water. And those delectable whistle sweets invented by the main character, Caractacus Pott. Many don’t remember that this children’s novel was written by Ian Fleming. Yes the author, creator of James Bond. The story was written for his son, and was his last work, not living long enough to see it published. It was a story that stuck with me for a long time.

Another book I recall enjoying, was Charlotte’s Web. I fondly remember the interactions between Wilbur the pig and Charlotte, the spider who befriends him, spinning messages in her webs for all to see in an attempt to save his life. A wonderful story and lessen for children about unconditional friendship, life, death and life reborn. A classic everyone should read, young and old.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain still lingers in my memory. Tom Sawyer the young boy growing up in Missouri along the Mississippi river, his lasting friendship with Huckleberry Finn, the whitewashing of the fence as punishment for skipping school, and the search for stolen buried treasure, created a great escapade for these two young men. Written in 1876, it’s a timeless classic, though somewhat dated with some terms that would not be culturally accepted today, but still a wonderful piece of work. Some events autobiographical, Twain’s humor, satire and social commentary in this work, and many of his others, still rank him as one of the greats in American literature.

These stories got me through my childhood, bringing life to a young man’s imagination, inspiring me to create my own work in my early teens. I’m happy to say much of that imagination hasn’t changed, though evolved, and lives on in my stories. I’m thrilled each time I see my daughter reading, stoking her thoughts and ideas. Hopefully you encourage your children to do the same, for reading keeps the mind active and fresh, and full of knowledge they need to make their own independent decisions as they live and grow.

Now that The Front Range Butcher has been released, more reviews keep coming in. If you haven’t picked up your copy today, be sure to on Amazon. If you are a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, it is available on that service as well. Those page reads add up at the end of each month, and make for a nice royalty check from Amazon. Here are a couple of snippet’s from some 5 star reviews:

This was an exciting book. I haven’t read any of PI Jarvis Mann’s books but after this one, I want to read the rest. Jarvis is one snarky dude, and extremely capable at his job. You wouldn’t want him as your enemy. He tackles two and three cases at a time all of them deadly. I enjoyed the way Mr. Weir developed the characters. They were believable and the bad guys were brought to life by his excellent descriptions – CDWB

This is the 7th and by far the best. Intriguing plot full of many twists and turns. The author explains every step and is simple logic to follow. A new character, Wolfe, reminded me Hawk on Spenser for Hire. Strong , cunning and lethal. If you like mysteries , and serial killer types, you owe it to yourself to give this a try. Our hero, Jarvis Mann, was at his best irritating just about everyone. Seemed to me he had the crap beat out of him in this book more so than others. Can’t wait for the next one – William H. Grant

I’ve done two radio interviews over the last couple of weeks, talking about the new book and how I go about creating my compelling characters in the series. Here are the links to both interviews, the first with Pam Stack with Author’s on the Air. The other being with James Lowe and Author Jae Byrd Wells on the Jiggy Jaguar Show. Both interviews were fun and I think you’ll enjoy listening in.

With the release of the new Jarvis Mann PI book, remember that this is the 7th in the series. Though all the books can be read as a standalone, is does help to read them in order as there are characters who flow throughout the series, as do some of the plot lines. All the books are available on Amazon, and the first three in the series are also available on all other major eBook retailers. All information can be found on my RWeir website as well. If you enjoyed any of the books you’ve read in the series, check out the rest, and see how Jarvis and the other characters have evolved.

A another quick reminder, if you’ve read any of my books, please leave a review, if you haven’t already. They can be long and detailed, or as simple as a few words summing up what you thought of it. Leaving reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo and any place the books are sold is most appreciated. And any personal thoughts you have on the books you’d like to share with me directly, please do so via email or even via my Facebook account. I generally will answer back within a few hours.

That is all for this newsletter. Thanks so much again for reading. And please share this with any other book fans who might be interested in Jarvis and his adventures. Have a wonderful rest of your week!

R Weir