The new year is upon us, and I have hope it will be better than 2020, though it has started out rocky on many fronts. The virus continues to rage on, making it challenging to go out beyond our home. We had a death in the family, my wife Kim’s grandmother passing away. She was 94 and in declining health, so she had a good life. We were able to attend her funeral despite the COVID restrictions. She was a big fan of my books, wanting them all and reading many up until the end when her eyesight failed her. Our daughter spent time with us at Christmas, which was nice, but other holiday gatherings were limited to video chat, as many in the family are older with health issues. With the vaccinee I hope come this summer we’ll be able to gather again without fear of getting sick. Patience is difficult in these trying times, but we persevere with hopes life will return to a more normal.

I’ve been working hard on the next Divine Devils book Fallen Star, winding down to the conclusion with 149k words written. This has been a more challenging story to write, with plot struggles to get the story correct. As I’ve mentioned here before I’m generally a seat-of-the-pants author, letting the story write itself in many ways. This plot started strongly, but then became more challenging the further I got into it. I hit a wall I normally haven’t experienced when writing deciding where the plot was headed leading up to the finale. I do believe I got the story back on track but will have some rewriting to do after I finish the first draft, which I hope will be in the next few weeks. This book will delve in depth into the backgrounds of all of the main characters. And we’ll get deeper into the mystery that cost Hunter Divine his job as a US Marshal.

In the meantime, if you haven’t already be sure to read book one, The Divine Devils which introduces Hunter Divine and his team of devils trying to prevent the kidnapping of a lost love’s children. It’s available on Amazon in eBook, Paperback and via Kindle Unlimited. Or you can buy the paperback direct from me and I’ll sign it. Send me an email if you’re interested in autographed copy.

If you’d read The Divine Devils, please leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads if you frequent that sight. Reviews for many authors are becoming more difficult to get, so a review is critical, especially for Indie Authors. They help me in many ways with the Amazon algorithm and I enjoy reading all of them. Here are a couple new reviews:

A Gold Medal Editorial 5-Star review from Readers Favorite.
Author R. Weir has crafted a highly suspenseful work of thriller fiction with this unusual presentation of crimefighting and all-out action against a twisted, evil foe. One of the things which impressed me most of all was the characterization of Hunter Divine, who goes beyond the simplistic stereotype of a damaged former hero and offers us a deeply empathetic soul and a powerful psychological profile of a man with something to hope for. The plot unfurls with fantastic pacing, delivering plenty of cinematic action scenes with vivid descriptions, but perfectly balancing these out with intelligent exposition and tense moments of calm before the storm. Overall, I would highly recommend The Divine Devils for fans of slick action novels with sharp edges, as well as those who appreciate an intelligent plot and a well-crafted hero with plenty of highs and lows.

I’ve always been a fan of Weir but this was by far my favorite! I’m looking forward to a long future with this new series of kick-ass heroes! Well done! – PurpleHaze

Trying to figure out who the guilty party is while Hunter and his team place their lives on the line – will have you eagerly turning the pages. An exhilarating and at times humorous read, it is by far a novel you can’t put down. Loved it – Amazon Customer

Recently I received an email from a reader of the newsletter mentioning she was interested in The Divine Devils, but was worried the book delved into the Supernatural, a genre she didn’t enjoy. I responded telling her the book is a Mystery/Suspense/Crime/Thriller and didn’t have any Supernatural elements to it. Something to be aware of if you’re on the fence about purchasing this book. If you ever have any questions about my books or writing in general don’t hesitate to email me. I love hearing from everyone.

Each month I’ve been highlighting the characters of the Divine Devils team. This month it’s Keoki Palakiko, a former Navy technician who has an aversion to technology. Not trusting since he worked using tech while in the Navy, knowing the cyber trail you leave behind. He doesn’t own a cell phone, landline or computer of any kind, while living in Maui. His wife, Malina his whole life, though he leaves from time to time to help Hunter with cases. Another tough team member the others can trust to do what is necessary for their clients.

With the new year still up in the air on events, right now I have only one scheduled, that being in Deadwood South Dakota in the middle of June. We got our RV reservations set and we intend to take the trip even if the event is cancelled. Hopefully more events will get scheduled and I suspect many will be held outside this year which I’m prepared for. Seeing everyone’s smiling faces will be a joy after a year or so of smiles being hidden behind masks.

There are more Prolific Works free books you can check out. The free service you can join, designed to get indie authors works in the hands of readers in hopes you’ll buy more of their books. Here are three you can check out:

Dial M for Murder – Mystery & Crime Giveaway includes 23 free eBooks available until April 1st. Click here to find those great reads.

Mysteries Your Mother Never Told… includes 55 free eBooks, available indefinately. Click this link to check them out.

Middle Grade and Young Adult Jubilee giveway has some great Young Adult reading, with 34 books available until February 16th. Click here to find good stories for younger minds.

I’ll make a quick pitch about my Jarvis Mann book series. There are 8 books in all, the first, The Case of the Missing Bubble Gum Card, always free to download on Amazon. The rest of 7 books also available on Amazon in eBook, paperback and via Kindle Unlimited. And anyone signing up for my newsletter will receive a free eBook version of the second book Tracking A Shadow. If you signed up and didn’t get the eBook from me, be sure to email me and I’ll get it sent over right away.

It’s time I get back to writing Fallen Star: The Divine Devils Book 2. I’m hoping to have a few small previews of the book in the coming months when I feel confident it’s nearing completion. I maybe looking for additional beta readers to provide feedback. If you’re interested be certain to email me.

Thanks again for reading and being a fan of my work. Stay safe, happy and healthy in this joyous New Year.

R Weir