With September arriving with a little cooler air here in Colorado, I’m happy to say we got our daughter Dakota off to college without any issues. Moving in was tiring, and leaving her there was difficult, but Kim and I made it through, though there were a few tears. We’ve spent time talking via Skype to help ease the separation. The transition for her to college life, so far, has been great, as she is enjoying all that the University of Wyoming has to offer.

A month after the release of Dead Man Code, on November 11, 2016, I was in a bad motorcycle accident that derailed my life and writing for a while. The injuries were severe enough that I was in the hospital and rehabilitation facility for about two weeks. I was fortunate enough to come home for Thanksgiving, though needing a wheelchair and a walker to get around. I had a craft fair that first week where I was supposed to be selling my books, so my daughter Dakota covered for me and did a great job selling, especially the new release at the time, Dead Man Code. I did another one a couple weeks later, sitting in my wheelchair for six hours, which was difficult. Rehabilitation lasted for 10 months, which made getting any writing accomplished difficult. It was the most challenging moment in my life, struggling to get off the deck, literally. One I wished never happened but hopefully made me stronger in the end.

I had started the next book in the Jarvis Mann series before the accident, shelving it for several months before I completed it. I decided on it being shorter than the previous 4 books, a novella at around 16k words in length. The story was born out of my seeing homeless veterans on the street, carrying signs asking for money, wondering why these soldiers weren’t getting help from our government after serving their country in battle so bravely. It seemed sad to me and unnecessary. Doing research I found this to be a huge problem all across the country, a sad fact after the huge cost overruns on the new VA Hospital here in Aurora Colorado, money that could be better spent on these warriors. The Case of the Invisible Souls was released June 24th, 2017, born from that frustration, as Jarvis helps a homeless man who engages him to figure out why members of the homeless in the area were disappearing. It is a Christmas time holiday story; a personal one I hope you will enjoy. Check it out on Amazon by purchasing the eBook or downloading via Kindle Unlimited.

Here are a couple of the 5 star reviews for The Case of the Invisible Souls:

This was a really nice story, written by a writer who can use words to tell a good story without a lot of profanity and violence. It’s almost Christmas, so we know it will end okay, even after a confrontation that leaves one of the homeless in the hospital. The kind of story we might have seen as a Christmas movie on TV back in the 1970s. For those of you, like me, who enjoys a well-written mystery without all the vulgar scenes and profanity we have today, I can highly recommend this for a family mystery – Virginia E. Johnson

The Case of the Invisible Souls by R Weir was very emotional for me. I hate that so many men and women have fought for this country, and when they return home, after going through PTSD or other ailments, end up homeless. This book is a nicely written short story. I enjoyed that there was a mystery involved. I also liked that there was a mission to help out these homeless men and women however they could. I would give this book a 5 out of 5 stars. This book really puts life into perspective and makes me want to help in any way that I can. Very nice read – Carrie R.

As a busy mom of 2 it’s not often I find a short story that I really get into and enjoy and read in its entirety in one sitting. The Case of the invisible souls by R. Weir was different from the rest, I was captivated and read the whole thing within an hour while sitting at the laundry mat. I was drawn in from the beginning, and I couldn’t and wouldn’t put it down until I finished – e.deroma

Thanks to everyone that voted for my book The Front Range Butcher for the Raven Awards. It finished runner-up in the Mystery/Suspense category, which was a thrill for me. Check out the Uncaged Book Reviews e-magazine to see all the winners. And if you haven’t already, be sure to purchase The Front Range Butcher, either in paperback, ebook or via Kindle Unlimited.

Another big thrill this last month was I had an article I wrote published in the USA Today Magazines July 2018 issue. Getting into the Head of a Serial Killer, outlined the research work I did while writing the latest Jarvis Mann PI book, The Front Range Butcher. Research on a book like this can be quite revealing and a bit nerve racking about how someone evolves into a serial killer. If you can find that issue be sure to turn to page 74 to read all about it.

My short story The Case of the Missing Bubble Gum Card was featured as a top 50 review on Goodreads this month. This happens when a review on Goodreads gets the most comments and votes for the week. The blog Miranda Reads did the review. Be sure to check it out here and her other reviews via her blog. And a reminder that The Case of the Missing Bubble Gum Card is free on all major ebook retailers. Use this universal link and pick the retailer of your choice.

Bubble Gum is also featured, along with Tracking A Shadow and 35 other books in the Detectives and Private Investigators Instafreebie giveaway. All of these free books will be available until September 30th, via this link. Be sure to check out all these wonderful stories and you might find a new favorite author. Well next to me of course! 🙂

That is all for this newsletter. Be sure to comment or send me an email, as I love to hear from readers. Be sure to keep reading this newsletter and directing your friends to sign-up. Thanks again for allowing me to invade your inbox. Enjoy the last days of summer reading your favorite books!

R Weir