After what we wish was a final blast of winter in late May here in Colorado, we are hoping spring sticks around for good, as the flowers and trees are blooming, though they took a beating from this last wet snowstorm. One of the wonderful flowers in our yard we enjoy is the Rocky Mountain Columbine, which was in full-color last week, as you can see by this picture. They are a hardy plant, so we hope they bounce back after getting squashed by four inches of damp snow.

I’m going to jump ahead one book this month when reminiscing about books covers, as I have exciting news, which I will outline later. The cover for The Case of the Invisible Souls was one of the less challenging covers we designed. Souls was a holiday story about a homeless veteran coming to Jarvis for help about an issue with other homeless in the area disappearing for an unknown reason. I gave my daughter, Dakota a quick outline of my thoughts on the cover and she drew a basic idea which we sent off to my cover designer. Though it’s faint, hopefully you can make out what she drew:

A simple basic drawing which my designer worked with. From this came a series of covers, two of which I decided against.

I liked both of these, making it a tough choice. But in the end I decided on this cover:

The Christmas tree in the background and the homeless man lying at the foot of the steps made for the right image I wanted to convey. The Case of the Invisible Souls was released June 24th, 2017 to excellent reviews and eventually reached #1 on one of Amazon’s Bestseller lists. Here are a few of the 5-Star Reviews.

I love the fact that this author brings to light the plight of our forgotten hero’s that gave for us only to be forgotten and cast aside like garbage. It brings to mind that instead of sticking your nose in the air and thinking that the homeless brought it on themselves that there may be more to the story than meets the eye – Charleann Davis

Wasn’t sure what to expect with this being a shorter book than Mr. Weir has been producing, but wow shouldn’t of had doubt as this book packed an eye-opener punch I didn’t see coming. This book sheds light on homelessness and soldiers struggles when they return home from war. Definitely recommend for all those who need a reality check – Soph

This story is a powerful short story that you will fall in love with. The author’s writing style and attention to detail with Jarvis Mann makes this story what it is. The secondary characters are true to life and connectable. They help make the story flow together and it wouldn’t be the same without them. This story will pull you in from the first word until the very last. The journey that Jarvis will take you on, will leave you sitting on the edge of your seat. You won’t want to miss this journey with him! – Bobbi Jo Wagner

A little background on this book. I had just begun writing the story when I was in a motorcycle accident, which laid me up for several months. After the release of the previous book, Dead Man Code (the book I skipped and will talk about next month) I wanted to get something out quickly since I’d lost a fair amount of time recovering from my injuries. I rushed out Souls for release, as it had been 8 months between books. Though I was proud of the story, I went back earlier this year and did a rewrite. The story grew from 16k to 23k words in length, with two new chapters. I also ran it through my newest editor/proofreader, fixing some of the issues, while adding more depth to the story. This I believe improved the book greatly, making it a novella now, instead of a short story. If you have read the book in the past, I’d suggest reading it again as I feel it has improved, with even more emotion and action added to the plot. If you haven’t read it, I’d be thrilled if you add it to your reading list. The Case of the Invisible Souls is available on eBook, Kindle Unlimited and now for the first time in Paperback. With the paperback being only $6.99 on Amazon. Or a signed copy can be purchased directly from me for $5.00, plus shipping in the US. And I will have this book at all future events I attend. As a bonus, the paperback also includes the first Jarvis Mann short story, The Case of the Missing Bubble Gum Card also available in paperback for the first time. Both Amazon Bestselling #1 stories available for one low price, in a 100-page book.

For those who already own the ebook version of Souls, once again I can’t get Amazon to push out the new version automatically, for they say the changes were minor, which has been a source of frustration for me. Plus they don’t make requesting the new version easy for my readers. To get the new version you must go through these steps:

Go to this web address:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/digital/fiona/manage
In the Search Your Content Field, Type in the book title
Under Actions for the book click the button to reveal options
On Deliver To click Others
Click the drop-down on selected Devices and check the box of all the Kindle devices you want to update
Note there is a limit of 5 at one time you can check
Then click Deliver. You should shortly get the updated version on your Kindle device or app

The way you can tell you have the newest version is the title of the book now says, The Case of the Invisible Souls, A Jarvis Mann Detective Novella. There are also 12 chapters now instead of 10. If you have any issues getting the new version don’t hesitate to reach out to me and I’ll do my best to assist.

In June I have a big author signing I will be attending. The Wild Deadwood Reads event will have over 50 authors and is being held in the Deadwood Mountain Grand Hotel. This will be the third year I’ve attended, and I’m looking forward to seeing many of my author friends and meeting voracious readers looking for new books. If you’re in the area join us for the author book sale and signing on June 8th from 10AM-3PM. Cost for readers is free. There are lots of other events over the three days, so be sure to check them out via the Wild Deadwood Reads website via this link.

If you have a few minutes check out an article I wrote during the research and writing of The Front Range Butcher. Getting into the Head of a Serial Killer covers the humorous and serious emotions I went through when developing my psychological thriller. It was published on the San Fransisco Book Review website, which you can check out via this link.

No new Prolific Words giveaways this month, but one is still running until the end of the year. Discover New Mystery Series has 50 books in all, including The Case of the Missing Bubble Gum Card. Check it out via this link.

Another plug for the latest book in the Jarvis Mann PI series, Mann in the Crossfire. Here are a couple of wonderful new reviews recently posted:

The book was freaking amazing. This book will definitely keep you at the edge of your seat wondering what is going to happen next. The twist and turns in this book just wow. I would love to read a follow up story after the dust settles for Mr. Mann and his his crew – Adrianne L Adams

Mann in the Crossfire . . . is a book that excites the senses and challenges assumptions about law and order. At times nasty, at times endearing, this book will not let down readers in search of adventure into the underworld, a place where normalcy stands on its head and danger lurks around every corner – Surfs Up Writers’ Bookshelves

Enjoy this latest Jarvis Mann PI adventure. Available on Amazon, in ebook, Kindle Unlimited, or in paperback. Or it can be purchased directly from me. Just contact me via my email address and we can work out the details.

This will wrap up my newsletter for this month. Be sure to stop by my website to find my books, and lists of my events. If you read one of my books, please leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads, as it helps out the book when it comes to rankings, especially on Amazon. I hope everyone enjoys the warmer days ahead and have a wonderful rest of your week.

R Weir