The hot weather is continuing for us along the Colorado Front Range. And unfortunately, we now have four wildfires burning in the foothills and mountain areas. The Quarry Fire in Jefferson County, the Stone Canyon Fire in Boulder County north of Lyons, the Lake Shore Fire in Boulder County, and the Alexander Mountain Fire in Larimer County West of Loveland. With highs in the upper 90’s and humidity running about 10%, it’s making for terrible conditions for firefighters to battle these fires. Not to mention they are burning in hilly and rocky areas making it even more challenging. Though it is not in the forecast for a few days, cooler and wet weather would be a welcome relief. Please keep the people affected in your thoughts.
Coming up with names for characters is always a challenge. You can only use John and Mary for names so often. The job of trying to find unique names that fit characters. I often look for names that fit their personality, a hook so to speak. If they are a tough protagonist, a criminal, a lawyer, and so on. And the ethnicity of the characters plays a role. This applies to all the major characters in each story. Jarvis Mann, Hunter Divine, Athena Nasso, and Brandon Sparks are a few from my books. But I also watch out for names that are too similar or share the same first letter. One of my beta readers was reading an early version of one of my books and told me I had too many people whose given name started with the letter B. It was one of those items I’d missed. Now I watch for such common traits, for it helps make the story less confusing and allows readers to track those characters more easily, especially with many of my books having more than fifty in the story. These days I track all of my character names, their traits, and what they look like in the application Scrivener. This prevents me from repeating myself in my plots. With 14 books and 2 more in the works, it can be challenging to remain fresh when it comes to my stories. If you have a unique name and would like to share it for use in a future book, send me an email.
Speaking of books in the works, I have news on my new series. I had submitted a portion of the story for a possible award and had to keep it anonymous. Unfortunately, it was not nominated, so I’ve been working hard to finish it. The book is currently sitting at 75k words, which is about 3/4 of the way until the first draft is finished. My goal is to have the first draft completed in a few weeks and the new book released by the end of the year. I’ll be reaching out to my beta readers in the next week or so to solicit feedback. The working title is Justice for the Forgotten and it will be the first book in The Steel Wheels Cold Mystery series. I already have a new logo designed which I’ll be sharing in the future.
In less than two weeks, we’ll be traveling in our motorhome to Nashville. It will take two long days to drive there from Colorado. We’ll be staying for two weeks to attend Killer Nashville and Bouchercon, which are being held on back-to-back weekends in Nashville. Though Lethal Blues was named one of the top books of 2023 by Killer Nashville, it was not a finalist for the Silver Falchion Award in the Investigator category. Disappointing, but I’m looking forward to both events. I’ll be on one panel for Killer Nashville and one for Bouchercon. And I’ll have books for sale at both events. This should be a fun time networking with other authors.
After we return from Nashville on Labor Day, we turn right around 3 days later and head to Loveland Colorado for the GoodGuys Car Show, where I’ll have a table with many other crafters. This is another 3-day event which is always fun to attend. Be sure to stop by and say hello.
Below are a couple more reviews for my latest book Murder by a Hundred Cuts, which you can purchase on Amazon in eBook, paperback, and via Kindle Unlimited. Or get a signed paperback copy, along with all my other books, directly from me through the form on my website.
I love a good P.I. story and this author is one of the best. I am always amazed at the way he puts his plot together. It’s like assembling pieces of a jigsaw until they all fit and you get the “Wow, I’d never have put that together” affect. This story also brings in some sorrowful moments and you can feel the pain Jarvis is in. This is quite a gruesome tale but well written and gripping as the thoughts and actions come tumbling out onto the page. I found the ending amazing; it felt like a new cold and calculating Jarvis Mann. Makes me wonder what’s next for this armour plated P.I. – Avis
The story is fast-paced, with a secondary mystery. At the same time as it’s suspenseful, there is some wistfulness that comes with age. The point of view shifts to provide a glimpse into the new “butcher” and his agenda. As with others in the series, this is well-written and sure to keep you up late. With Jarvis reflecting back and providing the needed history, this can be read out of order, although I always recommend starting a series at the beginning – Christa
If you enjoy Audiobooks, check out The Divine Devils and Fallen Star: The Divine Devils Book 2. Both were produced by Phillip Polite. I do have Audible Codes for each book available if you’re interested. All I ask is for you to post an honest review. You can email me or if you have Audible credits to use, you can find both today to add to your listening list.
I recorded two more episodes of my video podcast, Bringing Life to Characters in July. My first guest was award-winning author Nancy S. Thompson. You can check out this episode via this link on my website.
The next episode featured award-winning author Jodi Bowersox. You can watch this episode here on my website.
In August, I have two guests in back-to-back weeks before I head to Nashville. I’ll have on award-winning author Leigh M. Hall on August 6th at 6 pm Mountain time. And then award-winning author Bruce Robert Coffin on August 13th at 12 pm mountain time. You can find all the episodes on my website or my YouTube Channel, which you can subscribe to and find all the episodes.
This month’s feature is award-winning and best-selling author Carmen Amato. Carmen is an Ex-CIA intelligence officer and award-winning author of 17 thriller novels that Kirkus Reviews described as “Danger and betrayal never more than a few pages away.” Beginning with Cliff Diver, her contemporary Detective Emilia Cruz series pits the first female police detective in Acapulco against Mexico’s cartels, corruption, and social inequality. Optioned for television, it’s a 2-time winner of the Outstanding Series award from CrimeMasters of America and a 4-time finalist for the Silver Falchion award. Her standalone thrillers include The Hidden Light of Mexico City, which was longlisted for the 2020 Millennium Book Award. Most recently, Murder at the Galliano Club won the 2023 winner of the Silver Falchion Award for Best Historical. The Prohibition-era Galliano Club series was inspired by her grandfather’s experiences as a deputy sheriff in the 1920’s. Carmen is a recipient of both the National Intelligence Award and the Career Intelligence Medal. After years of globetrotting, she and her husband live in Tennessee with their German Shepherds, Hazel and Bear. You can Grab a free copy of the free Detective Emilia Cruz Starter Library by clicking this link and find her books on Amazon. And you can follow Carmen on Instagram, Facebook and on her website.
This month there are three Prolific Works eBook giveaways to discover new books. First is Cloaked in Secrets: Mystery Group Giveaway with 15 free ebooks available until August 15th via this link.
Next is Teenage Tales: Young Adult Group Giveaway with 12 free ebooks available until August 15th on this link.
Curious Cases: Mystery Group Giveaway which doesn’t start until August 15th with 12 eBooks you can find via this link.
Another month and another newsletter. Thanks for reading and sharing this with others. Anyone signing up on my website to receive the newsletter will be offered a free eBook of my best-selling Jarvis Mann novel, Tracking A Shadow.
All the best and stay cool everyone!
R Weir