Kim and I had a great time at Left Coast Crime in Denver. I had the pleasure of being on a panel discussing Crime In Colorado from an author’s perspective, with four other fabulous Colorado Crime Authors. From the left: Marie Sutro (Moderator), Patricia Raybon, Helen Starbuck and Cynthia Swanson. I attended several other panels where I learned a great deal about those authors and their journeys, and tips on marketing and podcasting. I got to interact in person with author friends and make new ones, several who agreed to be interviewed in the future on my podcast, Bringing Life To Characters. All in all, it was an exciting and exhausting four days. Here are a few pictures from the event. You can find more on my website.
In March I released my new book, Justice For The Forgotten. When starting a new series, as an author there is always a concern of if the new idea and characters are compelling and different enough from your previous works. Finding the confidence that you can build a new world successfully. When I first started out writing Justice For The Forgotten (which wasn’t the original title), I solicited feedback from Alpha Readers. Sending them extremely rough chapters a few at a time. Both of those Alpha Readers gave me some good insight. Ultimately I had to gain confidence in the story as it evolved. I often write several chapters in a blur, and then go back to the beginning to read what I’ve written. I will say that as I got further into the book, I gained confidence that I’d created an excellent beginning to the new series, with some compelling new characters. It is the most emotional and in many cases, spiritual book I’ve ever written. One I’m quite proud of. I hope you’ve picked up a copy and enjoyed reading this new story. The eBook and paperback can be found on Amazon, and it’s available on Kindle Unlimited. Or you can order a signed copy through my website to be shipped to your home (US Only).
Here are a couple new 5-star reviews for Justice For The Forgotten:
Donnie is a new character, and I hope there will more Steel Wheels Mysteries to come. It’s dramatic, action-packed, and yet, also emotional and shows a level of humanity that makes the story incredible and captivating. I am liking Steel, and his approach to life, and determination to push through the pain. Unpredictable, with twists all the way to the end. A reader can get lost in the story – Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews
The fast-moving plot combines well-developed characters and an emotional backbone to create a page-turning tale in Justice For The Forgotten. I highly recommend this book for readers who enjoy complex mystery books about corruption and perseverance. I can’t wait to read the next book in this fascinating series – Gina
The story has many unexpected twists and surprises, especially dealing with the Colorado community who follows their own laws. Donnie makes friends and enemies along the way, always reflecting back on his life and cold cases. By the end of the book, it’s obvious he’s going to continue to chase down cold cases and perhaps, again seek out Berke to help. A great start to a new series – Christa
In previous newsletters I’ve talked about new ways I’m trying to promote my books for more sales. The best way for people to read my books and then share their experiences with other readers. Either by word of mouth or posting reviews. For everyone out there who has done this, I send a hardy thank you. If you’ve enjoyed one of my stories, shout it from the mountain tops!!
This month the plan is to move my website to another hosting service. I’m not expecting any issues, but if there is any downtime, it should be minimal. Once it’s moved, I’ll begin staging my new website. My hope is for a more modern and professional look, with many of the same pages and content I have now. It will have an e-commerce tab where people can purchase signed paperbacks and possibly other merchandise, including t-shirts, hats, and coffee mugs with my various logos. So stay tuned for more details. If there are other items you’d be interested in purchasing, send me an email with your thoughts.
To get more readers, in the past I’ve done promos for free or discounted books. The first two books in the Jarvis Mann PI series, still remain free for anyone who signs up for my newsletter. If you’ve already downloaded and read The Case of the Missing Bubble Gum Card and Tracking A Shadow, thank you. If you haven’t and you’re subscribed to the newsletter, you can download them via these two links: The Case of the Missing Bubble Gum Card and Tracking A Shadow. Keep your eye open for other special deals I have planned.
I have several BookFunnel promos to share this month, all featuring books of mine and many other wonderful authors. Downloads via the links I provided last month were great. I hope you’ll take advantage of these books, many of which are free and/or available on Kindle Unlimited.
Spring Freebies: Mystery and Suspense: With 63 free ebooks you can find them via this LINK!
Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense Freebies: With 112 free eBooks to check out via this LINK!
April Kindle Unlimited Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, & Crime Reads: All 89 books are available to purchase or read for free on Kindle Unlimited. Find them via this LINK!
April Crime Box Set; These are all crime box sets of thrilling books, all at a great price. Find all 8 via this LINK!
In April I have two craft fairs I’ll be attending to sell my books. Information is below. These will be the last craft fairs I’ll be a vendor at until September.
It’s hard to believe, but it will be one year in April since I started my author interview podcast, Bringing Life to Characters, with show number 30 recording in April. In March, I had the pleasure of interviewing Manuel Ramos, Sara Paretsky, Lori Roberts Herbst, and Scott Graham. You can watch and subscribe to all these recordings on my YouTube page. And keep your eye open in April, as I’ll be interviewing Ann Parker, Jodi Burnett, and Aaron Philip Clark.
For past shows, I’ve used the application Streamyard to stream my podcasts live; while recording and uploading them to my YouTube page. Streamyard more than doubled its price, so I had to start looking for a new platform to use. After a great deal of research and testing, the new platform I’ll be using is EVMUX. It has a lot of capability and the cost is in line with what I’d paid for Streamyard before their price increase. My show with Scott Graham was the first live show where I used EVMUX and it worked with no apparent issues. I’m keeping my fingers crossed future shows run as smoothly.
This month’s featured author is: Renne Pawlish. Here is her bio:
Whether I’m writing about a wisecracking PI solving cases in present-day Denver, his equally clever counterpart in 1950s Denver, a tenacious female homicide detective who never gives up on a case, a former military woman finding trouble (or it finding her), or a novice senior spy navigating international intrigue, my stories focus on the puzzles, not the gore. Think clever clues, quick thinking, and characters you’d actually want to have coffee with. Different times, different places, same promise: a good mystery that keeps you guessing—and keeping you turning pages long into the night.
You can find Renee and her books on her website, her new release Gunning For Justice on Amazon, and her new Evelyn Chambers Senior Spy Series with a free prequel ebook via this BookFunnel Link.
A fun photo, with a little doggie jealousy, as Nuka is not happy about Abby sitting with Kim while we watch TV. This is normally Nuka’s spot!!
I will end the newsletter with a thanks to all who’ve downloaded Justice For The Forgotten. If you enjoyed the book or any others I’ve written, I’d love to hear from you. Send me an email and I’ll be certain to reply back.
All the best!!
R Weir