I hope all the mothers out there had a wonderful Mother’s Day. One of the projects we’ve been working on since moving into this house nearly three years ago, was to make our front yard more waterwise. Removing sections of grass and replacing it with drought resistant plants and mulch. Less to water and less to mow. We completed another section this past weekend and I believe it turned out great. If you have any wonderful yard pictures to share, I’d love to see them.

When I started the Divine Devils series, I was looking to branch out from what I had written in my Jarvis Mann PI series. The tough, snarky private eye had taken on lots of cases, and with each book those cases got tougher, but Jarvis still exhibited a sense of humor even when getting his butt kicked. With the Divine Devils I wanted grittier, and down and dirty storylines, with lots of diverse characters. Each living in a nasty and unforgiving world. The Divine Devils dealing with a brutal crime lord who loved to paint while his victims were tortured. Fallen Star dealing with the gambling world of Reno Nevada, drugs and sex taking center stage in the Western Nevada sin city. And now with Sold Souls, dealing with human/sex trafficking which is about as nasty as the world gets. Dark, gritty and unforgiving is what this series is. Which I’m sorry to say is how our world is for many people who live on the streets trying to survive. It’s been a tough series to write, but one I’m proud of. Stretching out and challenging myself and my writing skills.

With the research I did for Sold Souls, I had one excellent source to help me. Named Frea (not her real name) in the book, she’s my cover artist whom I’ve worked with now for many years. The brave women an advocate for those who’ve been trafficked. We spent time on the phone talking about what she experiences every day trying to help these kids and young adults to get out from under these vicious people and try to have a semblance of a normal life. Fighting an uphill battle everyday where you’re lucky to get one victory out of a hundred defeats. She provided great feedback and was an early reader of the book. One she loved, and thought I nailed the reality of what happens each day accurately. Showing the horrors these kids are going through. I thank her to allowing me to understand better the work she does, enabling me to fictionalizethe story, while giving it a realistic feel.

A remember that the eBook version of Sold Souls: The Divine Devils Book 3, is now available for pre-order for $3.99 on Amazon. The book being released June 1st. Here are three reviews from early readers.

Hunter Divine is back again in a tale wrought with extraordinary twists. He is the same rough, gritty guy, but we see a softer side of him in this dark, brooding novel. Valerie, Hunter and Athena’s arch enemy has asked for their help on a case and they’ve begrudgingly agreed to help. Valerie seems to have a bottomless stash of money, which helps them make the decision. The mission: find Valerie’s sister who was sold into the sex trade ten years prior to this. We learn all about the black, slimy underbelly of the underage sex trade from Valerie’s perspective, as she too, was a victim. The three of them go undercover and the reader learns just how Valerie got to be such a strong martial arts fighter. She too, has a softer side, but has an out-of-control temper! The plot is incredibly intricate as Hunter and the two women undertake their mission and learn how convoluted the sex trade is. Gruesome at times, it only reinforces the evilness of the trade. Not for the weak at heart. This is a stellar read for those fans of Hunter Divine! – Belinda

The team encounters unimaginable human situations sparked by greed and control. Can they trust the former adversary who is impulsive, lethal and equally as dangerous? Will they be successful in their mission to find and locate a young girl held captive? Will they discover others who have been missing and enlisted into this world of sex trade? Each chapter begs for more answers as you read along way into the night. Can’t wait for a Book #4 – Charlene

Weir has taken one of the vilest issues in today’s society and shined a light on it. People can gain awareness through stories like his. It is well written and pulled no punches on how horrible life is for these captives. Used, abused and thrown away, all for sick pleasures and GREED! It was hard to put down even when it evoked such emotions from me. I needed to know the outcomes for these precious souls, good or bad – Kathy

I have paperback versions of Sold Souls coming to me this week. For those who pre-ordered I should be able to get them mailed out early next week. I will contact you directly to let you know the status. If you have an interest in a paperback book, be sure to contact me and I’ll work out the details on getting a signed copy mailed to you. I’m having issues with Amazon getting the link to purchase the paperbacks through the Amazon store to work properly. The link currently showing Unavailable. I hope to have this resolved as quickly as possible for anyone interested in purchasing the book direct from Amazon. Here is the link and let’s hope they get this fixed shortly.

With the release of Sold Souls on June 1st, I plan on running special deals on the first two eBooks in the Divine Devils series. These deals will run from June 1st thru June 5th. I will put out a newsletter the day before the release (May 31st) spelling out these deals. So don’t miss out on these great bargains! Hint: one of the eBooks will be free!!

This Saturday (5/14) I’ll be at The Shed at West 67th and Peco’s for the Denver Makers Market. I did this event a couple weeks ago and the turnout was wonderful. Though the wind was horrible with several vendors having fragile merchandise falling to the ground, and a couple of tents nearly flying away. Hopefully this week the wind will be calmer. At each of the Denver Makers Market events they give away 50 VIP bags for those showing up early, as well as a grand prize raffle winner, with each of the vendor’s providing gifts for the winner. My addition was a Divine Devils t-shirt and my book, The Case of the Invisible Souls. The winner Laurie contacted me via Facebook, thanking me and saying: “I met you at the market and mentioned that I read mostly true life adventures. I haven’t read fiction in years and started the book and am hooked. I love the Denver connection.” Always wonderful to hear from someone who discover your work and enjoys it.

Lot’s of Prolific Works free eBook giveaways to check out this month.

Don’t Stop – Mystery and Thriller GG runs until May 31st with 21 free eBooks to check out via this link.

May Flowers Cozy Mystery Giveaway runs until May 31st with 27 free eBooks to find via this link.

Left You Dead – Mystery & Crime Giveaway runs until June 10th with 26 free eBooks to add to your eReader via this link.

Mystery Reads Giveaway runs until June 30th with 51 free eBooks you can find via this link.

One last reminder to pre-order your eBook copy of Sold Souls today from Amazon for the bargain price of $3.99. And watch for my next newsletter, which will be coming out on May 31st, a day before the release of Sold Souls. Then I will let you know the bargains I’ll be running for the first two books in the Divine Devils series.

Thanks again to all the new and longtime readers of my newsletter. Be sure to share and get the word out. Those signing up get a free eBook version of my Jarvis Mann PI book, Tracking A Shadow. Have a wonderful rest of your week!!

R Weir